Undergraduate Essay: Open Source Science

What do leprosy, schistosomiasis, trachoma, Alzheimer’s, Crohn’s, and Parkinson’s all have in common? They are all terrible diseases that have no cure. But while some of these diseases have specific groups working together on research to find a cure, there are still some that have been overlooked. Leprosy, schistosomiasis, and trachoma are only some of the many tropical diseases that are being neglected. The reasoning behind this is simple; tropical diseases are low on the priority list for big pharmaceutical companies because there is low return on the research and production of these drugs. Since the majority of the population that is affected by these diseases is found in undeveloped countries, they do not have the financial means to pay for such patented drugs. So what is to be done? Do we just leave these people to figure it out alone or even worse, die? With over one billion people affected (one sixth of the world’s population) mostly in the developing world, the World Health Organization calls these neglected tropical diseases “a symptom of poverty and disadvantage.” Diseases include but are not limited to Malaria, African sleeping sickness, Dengue Fever, Schistosomiasis, Leishmaniasis, Chagas Disease, Tuberculosis, Leprosy, Toxoplasma, soil transmitted Helminths, and Trachoma. One study shows that if Tuberculosis is not stopped, over one billion people will be infected with Tuberculosis alone by the year 2020! In November of 2005, an open collaborative research website was launched with the idea of sharing research to find cures for these diseases. Founder and executive director Ginger Taylor leads this group, called The Synaptic Leap (TSL), with passion and persistence. The name comes from the communication of the body’s cells through neurons which pass information from dendrite to dendrite across a synaptic cleft. The information then travels down the axon and is sent on to the next cell. Some call this the synaptic leap. This is synonymous to the general idea behind this organization whose mission statement states that they wish “to provide a network of online research communities that connect and enable open source biomedical research.” They believe that this will be an effective way to generate ideas more quickly as well as reduce redundant work because other members will be able to see what research has already been conducted and the results of this research. The Synaptic Leap group is actually a web-based group of collaborative scientists who volunteer their time, computer power, and reagents in hopes that they will eventually lead to enough information that will be available online so that others can Picture courtesy of The Synaptic Leap.