KUCHING: An international advisory board will be set up to advise the state government on biodiversity and research and development.

Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr George Chan, who announced this yesterday, said they were in the process of forming the panel, whose members would consist of experts in various fields.

"The board will be formed as soon as we have selected its members," he said after launching the three-day "Symposium on Biodiversity and Biotechnology: Gateway to Discoveries, Sustainable Utilisation and Wealth Creation" here.

He added that the board's chairman would be Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.

"We have a few names in mind as potential members of the board, but they have yet to be vetted," he added.
On whether the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) has the capacity to develop drugs, Dr Chan said it had neither the financial means nor the expertise at this stage.

"But we hope to tell the world what SBC has done, including carrying out inventories on biodiversity," he said.

Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation Berhad chief executive officer Datuk Iskandar Mizal Mahmood described what SBC had done as "fantastic", as it had discovered a substance that has world-wide demand.

He added SBC should collaborate with big pharmaceutical companies and universities to develop drugs.

"As we can see, there is no such thing as one particular company or one particular country doing everything.

"Even the US cannot do all the things it wants to do.

"There must be collaboration."

Earlier in his speech, Dr Chan said Sarawak had plenty of biodiversity and therefore natural products available to study.

The state government, working with Australian scientists, had in 2004 filed a patent on a compound called CBL316 for cancer therapy, he said.

"What is interesting about this compound is that it is very potent in killing major types of cancer cells, including lung, breast, prostrate, leukaemia and brain tumours.

"This test was done at the National Cancer Institute in the US, and currently, the Ohio State University Medical Centre is seeking our collaboration to develop the compound for treating chronic lymphocytic leukaemia."

Dr Chan said he was informed that the compound was originally derived from a local tree found in the highlands of Ba'Kelalan.

The other natural product that SBC was developing was calanolide, which was first isolated from the Bintangor tree.

"Calanolide has been shown to be effective against HIV and it is now being tested in clinical trials," he said.

SBC chairman Datuk Amar Wilson Baya Dandot said SBC was looking at plants used by the indigenous people for medicine, food and flavouring.

"Microbes or microorganisms, being part of our biodiversity, are also an integral part of our research programme.

"We hope to be able to discover useful organisms for antibiotics and industries.

"Who knows we might even discover algae or bacteria that produce hydrocarbons in an efficient manner that could be used as a renewable energy source," he said.