What is an ICBG?

ICBG stands for International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups, and is a program funded by the US Government through the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. The Panama ICBG is one of several such projects around the world.

Objectives of the Panama ICBG

- Improve human health through the discovery of new agents to treat diseases of importance in both developed and developing countries.
- Promote scientific and economic activity in Panama by sharing the benefit of the drug discovery and conservation research process and products.
- Conserve biological diversity through understanding and valuation of diverse biological organisms and the development of local capacity to manage these natural resources.

Why choose Panama?

Panama is a biodiversity hotspot with some of the highest regional plant diversity in the world, is uniquely situated as a biological corridor between Central and South and America, and has unparalleled access to the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. These traits make it a critical area for conservation and bioprospecting.

Immediate and long-lasting benefits to Panama

The emphasis on training and technology transfer creates immediate benefits to Panama and helps establish the scientific infrastructure necessary to ensure the future of drug discovery after the termination of the grant. Thus jobs and research opportunities are explicitly linked to intact rainforests. This approach provides immediate and guaranteed benefits, whereas relying solely on future royalties has a very low probability of providing benefits to the host country.

Benefit sharing

In addition to investment in the development of Panamanian institutions and scientists, any revenue arising from the discovery of a novel medicine will be shared with all participating research institutions as well as with the Panamanian government in order to promote the establishment and maintenance of national parks.

Drug discovery in the Panama ICBG

The Panama ICBG focuses on drug discovery research by collecting plants, microbes and marine organisms from the rich biodiversity in Panama.The project places a large emphasis on training and technology transfer to Panama. Bioassays for cancer and several tropical diseases (malaria, leishmaniasis and Chagas' disease) are conducted at INDICASAT in Panama. Compounds that are active in these bioassays are purified at the University of Panama, INDICASAT and collaborating US institutions (Scripps Institute of Oceaonogrqaphy, UC Santa Cruz and Oregon State U). Drug discovery research is complemented by biological inventories, conservation initiatives and outreach activities.

Current Vacancies

Postdoctoral position in microbiology