BACKGROUND
In 2014, the world faced the spread of a disease so deadly that if left unchecked it could have wiped out over half of the earth’s population. Government administrators misrepresented scientific facts about the Ebolavirus to Congress and reported that no vaccine was available because there was not yet a sufficient 'market'. In the same year, personal genomic testing was conducted on over one million people – yet the science behind those assays was dubious at best.
These and related events led the founder of IPAK to perform thorough investigative research on the Ebolavirus that emerged in Guinea in 2013 and became an epidemic in 2014, killing over 14,000. The result was his first book, "Ebola: An Evolving Story" (World Scientific, 284 pp, 2015). In this book, the open questions that remain about the Ebolavirus from Guinea in 2014 are addressed, leading to many hypotheses and to the proposal for numerous specific types of studies that should be done to address these open questions.
Spirited on by encouragement and support from his colleagues and peers, the founder embarked on a six month journey into the question of the balance between the forces of capitalism and the unbiased search for knowledge in biomedicine. The fruits of that labor are found in his second book, "Cures vs. Profits: Success Stories in Translational Research" (World Scientific, 248 pp, forthcoming). The founder identified many advances in medicine that have been made possible by objective clinical and translational research, from hormone-receptor mediated treatments of breast cancer to robotic surgery. He uncovered flaws in the common practices of clinical trial evaluation by the FDA, abuses by Pharma to silence the findings of ADHD overdiagnosis in the 1990's (now recognized as fact by the CDC). He found a number of important advances that will soon lead to improved diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease, as well as late-breaking advances in pharmacology that will help prevent colon cancer and extremely exciting advances in the area of immunotherapy treatment for cancer (cancer vaccines).
The balance of good vs. unethical practices in translational research is ever-changing. Too many involved in science are forced to take a short-term approach to research: to hit the mark, get the grants, publish or perish, quarterly earnings reports, and profit pressures. Yet basic knowledge is the seed by which all real knowledge grows. IPAK was created to ensure continuity in the integrity of research, with knowledge born both within and shared among institutions.
These dynamics motivated the founder to create an institution that could identify the most promising areas in basic, biomedical and translational research that could use a boost - either via manpower (advanced data analytics, collaborative research), or via amplification of promotion and advancement through research, education and publications.
Our focus area are::
Pure Knowledge: Knowledge for the Sake of Knowing.
Applied Knowledge: Knowledge used for the benefit of humans and the planet.
Education: Bringing straightforward interpretations of the confusing mass of information about new findings in medical research, advances in medical practice, and findings in science via experiments.
Please see our Project Areas for more detailed descriptions of our research activities.