Many media reports past few days have highlighted and exaggerated an incident at the Colombo Air Port, of a Professor from the Institute of Fundamental Studies (IFS) attempting to carry a plant genetic material to a foreign destination. It is true that a Professor of the IFS in possession of a few milligram quantities of a chemical substance in five vials was questioned at the airport and permitted to board the scheduled flight after taking into custody the vials containing the chemical. The vials contained a metabolic isolate from a fungus grown in an artificial medium, an outcome of nearly three years of painstaking work. The fungus was an endophytic species found in a sea weed collected from the Southern Coast of Sri Lanka, a variety commonly found through out the Indian coastal belt. Like penicillin most fungal metabolites possess biological activity and further study requires determination of the molecular structure of this isolate. High Resolution Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometer (NMR) a costly device used for this purpose is not available in Sri Lanka and the student working on this project needed NMR spectral information for her doctoral dissertation. Unavailability of advanced analytical instrumentation prompts scientists to seek the assistance of foreign laboratories to elucidate the structure of complicated molecules.

Officers from the Ministry of Environment, Forest Department and Sri Lanka Customs visited the IFS on 4th March 2008 to conduct investigations. Contrary to reports in the newspapers, the IFS extended fullest cooperation to these officials. Whether the professor had breached the law by carrying these samples to the Airport will be determined after completion of the investigation. The professor in question is an eminent scientist who had contributed much to the field of natural product chemistry. IFS authorities have no evidence whatsoever and even the faintest clue to suspect of his involvement in a multi-million dollar racket as reported in some newspapers. An inadvertent lapse and an intended robbery are too further apart to be connected without a thorough examination of available evidence.

Biodiversity, genetic materials and biopiracy have become catch words frequently uttered without knowing the meanings and their limitations. The totality of all kinds of organisms confined to given region, including both genetic and ecological variants is referred to as biodiversity. The biodiversity of a locality cannot be measured by quantifiable one single parameter. Clearing of forest, illicit felling, agricultural practices and vast engineering projects lead to inevitable loss of biodiversity. Global biodiversity declines fast as its enrichments by evolution falls enormously below the rate of destruction by anthropogenic activities. Collecting a herb for a medical decoction or research has minuscule effect on biodiversity. A genetic material implies a portion of DNA of an organism or its entire genome. Metabolites of living systems do not fall into this category. A clear unambiguous definition of biopiracy does not exist. Loosely, it means uncompensated exploitation for commercial ends of genetic resources and related traditional knowledge. A good example is the research going on to develop an antiviral drug from a plant growing in the rain forests of Samoa. Pacific islanders used stems of the plant Homoianthus acuminatus for centuries as a treatment for yellow fever, a disease inflicted by a virulent arbovirus. Recently, pharmaceutical research has identified a powerful antiviral agent in the bark of this plant which could even be active against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Very likely, this finding will lead to a multi-billion dollar drug industry. An ethically sound argument is, the Pacific Islanders (Samoa) should also get a share of the economic benefits of this industry. Fortunately, in this instance, agreements seem to exist to grant a percentage of the royalty to Samoa. The question is, the legal implementation; most biopiracy cases have not ultimately succeeded in ensuring a significant economic share to scientifically less developed nations. Although international level discussions on intellectual property rights related to genetic resources and connected traditional knowledge are going on, agreements for a legal framework has not been worked out yet. The effective way of getting full economic benefits from our floral genetic pool is undoubtedly the development of our own natural products research, so that we ourselves could initiate industries. Discouraging our researchers will deprive us of the potential economic benefits from our rich genetic resources. Instead, we should honor our scientists and provide them the research facilities.

Natural products chemistry, undoubtedly paves the way for discovery of drugs. The IFS researchers, others in Sri Lankan Universities and elsewhere in the world who engage in this discipline devote themselves to a noble task, motivated by intellectual curiosity. Many drugs derived from biological materials relieve the dreadful human agony of cancer, infectious diseases and other serious aliments. About forty percent of most potent anticancer and anti-infective drugs used today come from biological products or their synthetic modifications. We, our parents, sons and daughters or other loved ones could one day be victims of presently incurable diseases. Research into drug discovery would be the only ray of hope for them. New diseases rising up to epidemic proportions threaten us from time to time. The antiviral agent ‘Tamiflu’ the remedy for birdflu is costly and the search for new methods to speed the production of its precursor from plant material continues. We need to support the global effort towards drug production for our own safety and the fellow human beings.

Investigations conducted to safeguard the interests of the country and enforce the law are fully justified. Biopiracy if it exists should be prevented and any such case should be inquired. However, leveling unfounded and generalized allegations as news items, against those who sweat for the cause of healing, is a heinous crime against not only the people of Sri Lanka but whole of humanity. It is definitely a sin, according to teachings of all the religions. Snatching a plant forbidden by law is a punishable offence. An act that could deprive seriously sick of a cure, is indeed a crime.

We have a culture richly endowed with traditional medicine that base therapies on ingredients in plant tissue. Modern medicine uses scientific knowledge to synthesize pharmaceuticals and also looks for active ingredients in plant products. Recently, mathematical calculations have been invoked to design drugs to target specific aliments. It is wrong to inculcate the idea that most potent drugs have their origins in plant products pilfered to the west from this part of the world. Instead of leveling baseless accusations on academics dedicated to a noble cause and insulting our own intellectual heritage, we need to encourage all spheres of drug research to build an indigenous pharmaceutical industry. Rules and regulations to preserve the genetic imprints of endemic plants and enforcing laws are absolutely essential. Even more important would be the building an environment conducive to avoid most talented human brains to drift away from our motherland. The researchers working in this field and law enforcing authorities need to get together to reap the fruits of floral genetic resource as well as the scientific human resource. Being unaware of the law would not be an excuse, however in the case of complicated and ambiguous situations, programs needs to be conducted to brief the researchers and general public of the laws enacted to safeguard our genetic resources. Our researchers work under conditions of meager facilities, badly short of advanced instrumentation. Instead of unfounded criticism and sounds of harsh punishment even before a case is heard, we should support them to contribute towards the national development plan.

IFS functions under a Board of Governors Chaired by the President and conducts Fundamental Research of highest quality for the shake of knowledge keeping aside consultancies and commercial ventures. Empowering the nation with knowledge and wisdom to achieve economic advancement and elevate the quality of life are the objectives of Mahinda Chintana. Our culture endowed with Buddhist philosophy, traditional medicine and engineering skills is quite conducive to fundamental studies. IFS aims to take advantage of this esteemed quality of our society and motivate gifted younger minds to pursue research and contribute to implementation of the above developmental plan. IFS is provably the most productive research institution when judged by internationally accepted yardsticks. IFS scientists have highest recognition and better opportunities in foreign involvements because of good credentials gained through quality research. Possibly, the frequent "pinching" of this Institute is its very success. "A tree that luxuriously bear fruits, naturally receives more stones than a barren one".

Kirthi Tennakone, Director and Research Professor of the Institute of Fundamental Studies is a physicist