TR EMERITUS

By Gautam Naik from Wall Street Journal An international team of researchers has discovered a pair of powerful new antibodies to HIV, providing fresh leads in the quest for a vaccine against AIDS. The two HIV antibodies, reported in a study to appear in the journal Science on Friday, are the first of their kind to have been identified in more than a decade. They are "broadly neutralizing," which means they can target most of the many thousands of HIV strains. Any potential vaccine is still a long way off, however. Researchers now have to work out how these antibodies bind to HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and use that property as the basis for a vaccine. As a result, animal or human trials are likely to be years away. Nonetheless, the new antibodies are deemed to be much more powerful than the handful of similar ones found before. They attach to a potentially more accessible part of the HIV virus, which could make vaccine design easier. "We hope that we have a bit of a breakthrough and that the drought is over," said Dennis Burton of the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., the senior author of the study. The search for an HIV vaccine has been one of modern medicine's biggest challenges -- and disappointments. There have been about 100 vaccine trials since 1987, but not a single notable success. About 33 million people were living with HIV world-wide in 2007, the most recent year for which global statistics were available, according to the United Nations. That same year, about two million people died of AIDS and there were 2.7 million new infections. After rising for eight straight years, annual global investment in HIV vaccine research and development fell $93 million, or 10%, to $868 million in 2008, according to a U.N.-backed report. The drop in investment in vaccine research followed a big setback in 2007, when Merck & Co. of Whitehouse Station, N.J., ended a closely watched trial after its experimental vaccine failed to confer protection against HIV. Such disappointing results prompted a new approach at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the world's biggest funder of HIV vaccine research. For years, many scientists tended to move their vaccine candidates relatively quickly into animal and human trials without fully understanding the molecular mechanisms at play. So the NIH began to push scientists to look more deeply at the viral structure to identify weaknesses that might be best targeted. "We made a decision to turn the dial more towards asking fundamental questions" about the virus, said Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a part of the NIH. The latest antibody discovery, he added, "is a reflection of that shift." HIV is a slippery foe. It constantly changes and sidesteps the body's normal immune defenses. Because there are many strains circulating in different populations, narrowly aimed vaccines don't work well. There are two main approaches in making an HIV vaccine. One technique, which was used by Merck, tries to kill cells already infected by HIV. The other method uses antibodies to prevent cellular infection in the first place. Released by the immune system, antibodies are proteins that stick to the surface of a virus and stop it from entering a cell. HIV researchers hope to make a vaccine from a substance -- usually a piece of the virus itself -- that will provoke the immune system into releasing virus-fighting antibodies. Until now, four broadly neutralizing antibodies had been isolated from HIV-positive patients in the Americas, Europe and Australia. But scientists have struggled to design a vaccine around them. The newest two were isolated from a single person in Africa, where a high proportion of new infections occur and a vaccine is most keenly needed. The two antibodies are believed to be about 10 times more powerful than the previously discovered ones. But, Dr. Burton cautioned, such power "doesn't necessarily translate into an ability to protect humans." A global hunt for new HIV antibodies has been under way for some time. The search that snared the latest two proteins was led by the nonprofit International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, or IAVI. IAVI provided most of the funding via its donors, while the NIH contributed a smaller amount. Source: Wall Street Journal   EDITORS' NOTE: The Temasek Review is a paid subscriber of the Wall Street Journal  Read More →

From our Correspondent Taiwanese President Ma Ying-Jeou must have a nightmarish month since the typhoon Morakot ripped through the southern counties of Taiwan, killing more than 500 people so far. Ma was roundly blamed, criticized and lampooned for his indecisiveness, insensitivity and inept handling of the crisis by all quarters from the Taiwanese, the media and of course the opposition Democratic Progressive Party. His approval ratings dropped to a record low of 16 per cent. A few members of his cabinet resigned. (read article here) For those of you who have been following the disaster on cable TV, you will not miss Ma's trip to console the victims in the affected areas. He offered his condolences to the survivors, prayed at the altar of the deceased and apologized profusely by bowing three times to the villagers in Pingnan county. "I am very sorry. I admit I am slow in handling the crisis", he said in a humble and gentle tone. Even then, the people did not let him off. One man was heard shouting at him in the face: "Where were you when the typhoon struck??" Another woman scolded him in native min-nanese: "What a useless bum you and your officials are! What are you taking taxpayers' monies for???" In Singapore, the protesting villagers will probably be rounded up, arrested and thrown into jail for rioting. No Singapore leader has or will ever be in the position of Ma, no matter how badly they screw up. Ma's political folly is a lesson in humility, empathy and responsibility. Though he has not acted fast enough, he was quick to realized his error, admitted his mistakes, accept responsibility for them and reach out to the people. By the end of his tour, his approval ratings has climbed up to 20%. Singapore leaders are fortunate that our tiny tropical island is shielded from major disasters like earthquakes and typhoons, but this doesn't exempt them from glaring mistakes so obvious that even the compliant mainstream media has to stretch the limits of human imagination in order to exonerate them. Take for example the sensational escape of Mas Selamat Kasteri from Whitney Detention Barracks last year. Had this occurred in Taiwan, both the interior and defence ministers will have to resign immediately. Even the President's position will not be secure. Singapore's Home Affairs Minister Mr Wong Kan Seng did not even bother to apologize to Singaporeans publicly for the inconveniences caused. Only the junior officers were sacked instead of the Head of the ISD who remained ensconced in his position. Nobody came forward to take the blame. To add salt to the wound, MM Lee pointed the finger at Singaporeans for being "complacent". In the beginning of this year, Singapore was rocked by the stunning revelation that its two sovereign wealth funds, Temasek and GIC may have lost billion of dollars in overseas investments. If this happens in Taiwan, mass protests will take place in the streets the very next day, the entire board of directors will have to resign and an independent Commission of Inquiry will be set up to investigate the losses. Nothing of that sort happened. Singaporeans were given a blanket assurance by MM Lee that we will recoup the losses in "10, 20 or 30 years' time." Ho Ching was re-appointed as Temasek's CEO and a revised charter now transform Temasek into a pure "investment company" despite the fact that it obtains its funds from the government. As usual, most Singaporeans are clueless about its implications. The Geylang Serai mass food poisoning outbreak which should not have occurred in a first world country like Singapore is another classic example of official reluctance to admit mistakes and apologize for them. Despite obvious lapses on the part of the NEA and the market committee, the blame for the fiasco was pinned entirely on the hapless Indian rojak stall owner who was subsequently charged in court. Not a single word of apology was heard from the Minister of Environment Yaacob Ibrahim or the head of NEA Andrew Tan for causing distress and inconvenience to over 100 Singaporeans and there is really no need for them to do so since Singaporeans are expectedly blamed for their lack of basic public hygiene. Taiwan was ruled under a dictatorship for 40 years under the Chiang family who controlled the ruling Kuomintang (KMT) with an iron fist after its flight from mainland China in 1949 upon losing the Chinese civil war to the Chinese Communist Party. The KMT's second President Chiang Kai Shek (the KMT's founder was Sun Yat-Sen, the father of modern China) managed to pass the presidency to his son Chiang Ching Kuo after his death in 1976. However, the younger Chiang who was no democrat himself (he was educated in the Soviet Union and once told an American journalist that the reason why KMT lost the civil war was because they did not kill enough people)  had no wish to perpetuate dynastic politics in Taiwan and he duly returned power to the people even though he had a son to succeed him (James Chiang, who is currently a KMT lawmaker). The Taiwanese system of government is no doubt imperfect and full of flaws. Taiwanese politicians are definitely not as honest, capable or efficient as ours. Some are incredibly corrupted like the ex-President Chen Shui Bian. Others have links to secret societies like the Green Bamboo society which dominates Taiwan's domestic economy. In spite of all its deficiencies, the Taiwanese system is one which works because of separation of powers between branches of the government under the Constitution, a relatively free media to report wrong-doings of politicians and civil servants and an independent judiciary which dares to prosecute government leaders. As a result, the performance of the government is subjected to intense scrutiny, thereby ensuring that leaders are honest, accountable and transparent because any small mistake made will be exposed, blown up and made public. There is nowhere to hide. In Singapore, our leaders are deemed to be "infallible" because our system protects those in power. No matter how they screw up, the mainstream media can always be counted upon to hide the skeletons in the closet and give them an image makeover. There is no opposition to exert political pressure on the ruling party and therefore its leaders do not see the need to humiliate themselves in front of the public like Ma. The government should be afraid of the people and not the other way round. We are the ones who pay their salaries and give them the power to govern us which has to be renewed once every five years. However, Singapore's leaders behave as if it is their inherited divine right to rule without responsibility, accountability or transparency. Recent statements made by Singapore's leaders showed how out of touch they are with people all because they have been living high up in the ivory tower, detached and removed from the plight of the "lesser mortals" in the street. Singapore's system of "strong" government may appear to be more stable and efficient than Taiwan's sometimes partisan, divided and chaotic political scene, but it is no utopia - a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. If one day, a Chen Shui Bian strolled into the office, we will have no way to remove him legally because he will have the mainstream media, civil service, police and all institutions of the nation under his thumb. We should never put all our eggs in one single basket. It is always more safe and secure to have a back up just in case. Singaporeans should start buying "insurance" for themselves and press for reforms in our political system before it is too late. We are very fortunate to have capable and clean leaders right now in the cabinet, but who will guarantee what will happen when the present generation pass on? Chen Shui Bian was voted into office because of his promise to stamp out the rampant corruption in the previous KMT government, but he was intoxicated by power and became corrupted himself. Fortunately, the Taiwanese system allowed his wrong-doings to be exposed and being prosecuted under the law because there is clear separation of powers between the executive and legislative as stipulated clearly under the Constitution. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Greed, covetousness and capriciousness are an innate part of human nature. We cannot afford to leave the future of Singapore purely to chance. Every political leader must be considered to be capable of being corrupted unless proven otherwise. We must exercise constant vigilance against possible abuse of power by the executive. A strong, robust and transparent political system ingrained with proper checks and balance and supported by a free press, informed citizenry and independent judiciary is the best bulwark against human fallibility and weakness, not a one-party state which lacks the political will and determination to check on itself.   Related articles: >> Exposing the fallacy in PM Lee’s ‘ideal’ form of governance >> Debunking the myths of the PAP system by Fang Zhi Yuan >> How Singapore managed to lose its opposition over the years by Eugene Yeo   EDITORS’ NOTE: If you like our work and would like to support us, please transfer your donations via paypal to our account ([email protected]). Any amount will be greatly appreciated! 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From our Correspondent The police was called in to break up a fight among members of the opposition party PKMS (Singapore Malay National Organization), a component party of the Singapore Democratic Alliance (SDA) led by Potong Pasir MP Mr Chiam See Tong. (read report here) The brawl had occurred between two rival factions of the party outside its party office in Eunos along Upper Changi Road. Four men had to be taken to hospital with head and arm injuries, with one of them warded in intensive care with a fractured skull. Police arrested a total of 21 people, two of them women, for rioting with dangerous weapons in relation to the incident, which happened around noon. PKMS was actually the Singapore branch of Malaysia's dominant party UMNO (United Malays National Organization) when Singapore was in the Malaysian Federation between 1963 and 1965. After Singapore became independent, it changed its name to PKMS. The PAP also had a branch in Malaysia too which subsequently became the Democratic Action Party (DAP). The DAP won the state of Penang and 28 seats in the Malaysian Parliament during the March elections last year. PKMS used to enjoy considerable support among the Malay community living in Geylang and Eunos. However the party did not manage to win a single seat in the elections held after Singapore left Malaysia. Recently, the party was wrecked by repeated in-fighting and leadership disputes which had been brought before the Subordinate Courts. With the ruling PAP doing an excellent job in co-opting leading Malay intellectuals and community leaders such as Mr Yaacob Ibrahim and Mr Masago Zulfiki into its ranks, PKMS had lost much of its political relevance. It is now merely a historic relic which had since faded into obscurity, unlikely to make any political impact in future elections.    Read More →