George Washington University to Collaborate with Peru’s National Institute of Health

The university has signed an MOU with the institute to elevate health research.

October 1, 2014

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Vice President for Research Leo Chalupa (left) meets with Ernesto Bustamante, the director of Peru's national institute of health (center) and Associate Vice President for Research Jennifer Wisdom on Monday.

By Lauren Ingeno

A new agreement between Peru’s national institute of health and the George Washington University aims to provide GW students with unique research and educational opportunities as well as to strengthen Peru’s health systems, particularly in the area of cancer research.

GW entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Peruvian national institute of health, called the Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS), in August. The INS is an agency of the Public Health Ministry of Peru. It focuses on six areas of scientific research: public health, nutrition, food quality control, pharmaceuticals, biological production and disease intervention for Peru’s indigenous population.   

The MOU’s mission is to facilitate collaborative projects between GW students and faculty with researchers in Peru, a country with a growing economy, rich biodiversity and evolving public health priorities.

“As Peru’s economy has improved, the government is increasing its investment in the health of the country. I think this opportunity to partner with Peru’s INS provides very fertile ground for GW’s faculty and students,” said Associate Vice President for Research Jennifer Wisdom, who signed the MOU in Peru last month on behalf of the university.

Peru’s INS Director Ernesto Bustamante visited GW on Monday to meet with university administrators and faculty members in order to lay the groundwork for future collaborations.

“GW is a U.S. institution that has for a long time been a leader in medical teaching, as well as a leader in medical research and infectious diseases,” Dr. Bustamante said in an interview. “Now the university has become a leader in cancer research as well, which fits exactly with our research profile. That is why this agreement is of upmost importance to both of our institutions.”

Peru has experienced a remarkable economic turnaround in the past decade. Known for its mining, fishing and agriculture industries, the country’s poverty rate dropped by 23 percent since 2002 and now has one of the most competitive economies in Latin America.

As a result, the country’s overall health also has improved, and people are living longer, Dr. Bustamante said. Less people die of tropical diseases, such as malaria, dengue and leprosy. But as the population ages, new health problems arise. The country is experiencing drastic increases in non-communicable or chronic conditions, like cancer and heart disease.

This means the country’s public health care priorities must change as well.  

“Most cancers are closely associated with age. Cancer existed in Peru in the past, but people did not live long enough for the disease to manifest itself,” said Jeffrey Bethony, an associate professor of microbiology, immunology and tropical medicine at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS).

“It’s a new phenomenon in the tropics. People who are beginning to age are putting new demands on their countries’ healthcare systems. And we are interested in studying that.”

Dr. Bethony is hopeful that this new partnership between GW and Peru’s INS will lead to new advancements in cancer research and treatment for the South American country.

He, along with SMHS faculty members Doug Nixon and David Diemert, traveled to Peru in August to meet with Dr. Bustamante and scientists from other Peruvian health agencies. Dr. Bethony is a researcher involved with GW’s AIDS and Cancer Specimen Resource Center, a biorepository for HIV-infected human biospecimens, such as tumor tissues and biological fluids. The biobank provides biospecimens to the research community, which enhances research in the field of HIV-associated malignancies.

Dr. Bethony said he spoke with researchers during his visit to Peru, and they showed interest in setting up a similar biobank in their country.

“As a group of researchers at GW, we’re uniquely positioned to deal with infection-related cancers, a big disease-burden that is only now becoming apparent in Peru,” Dr. Bethony said.

Peru is also a country rich in biodiversity, with a wide array of plants to which locals have attributed with medicinal properties. This gives GW researchers the opportunity to test Peruvian plants against cancers and infectious diseases, since many of these medicinal remedies have yet to be proven effective, Dr. Bustamante said.

Further, this partnership with Peru will allow students from the Milken Institute School of Public Health and other GW schools and colleges to study infectious diseases, Dr. Bustamante said.

“Faculty from GW have explained to me that they are interested in sending students to study epidemiology in the Peruvian setting, which has outbreaks of diseases not found in the U.S.,” Dr. Bustamante said. “In return, I’m very much interested in sending young people from Peru to GW to complete research. This is a beneficial partnership for both parties.”