In a world in which scientists are often encouraged to commercialise their research findings,there's something quite noble about Gregor Reid.
He's a professor these days of microbiology and immunology at the University of Western Ontario,Canada, and director of the Canadian Research and Development Centre for Probiotics. (More info
When he first started researching the probiotic (good bacteria) over 25 years ago, it wasconsidered a bit left field and unnecessary, since antibiotics were all that was considerednecessary.
As time has gone on however with no new antibiotics and a growing bacterial resistance, the roleof probiotics and their ability to crowd out harmful bacteria has become increasinglyimportant.
As a Scotsman, who carried out his undergraduate studies at Massey University and gained aCanadian post-doctoral scholarship, Reid ended up working on women's urinary tract infections.
His research found that lactobacilli prevent infections by colonizing and outcompeting other moreharmful varieties. Some of this research was patented, mostly around what the organism does and howit operates.
Monash University, where Reid did an MBA wanted to jointly commercialise thescience, including potentially taking the resulting company to the NASDAQ.
"But I could see a potential conflict of interest, and had decided I didn't want to be inbusiness," Reid says.
Two years ago the patent rights were sold, and is now sold as FloraRestore, a product to help vaginas repopulate with beneficial bacteria.
Reid is now able to concentrate more fully on the science of probiotics and how they work.
As antibiotic resistance grows, it also allows him to be at the forefront of probiotic's means ofpreventing infection.
Reid says future approaches to ridding patients of infections will not be as dependent on the'carpet bombing' technique of antibiotics, but be much more strategic.
Genetic bioinformatics and gene sequencing will see much more personalised medicine happening inthe future. The role of probiotics and prebiotics (something that stimulates the growth ofbeneficial organisms), will have a much more important role to play in tomorrow's medicine hesays.
"There's no reason such products couldn't come from New Zealand," he says.
(Prof Reid recently visited New Zealand to receive a Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award fromMassey University. See the Manawatu Standard's write up