A 17-year-old's Life-saving Breakthrough:
In what could be a life-saving breakthrough, 17-year-old high school student Madhavi Gavini has found a way to defeat the Pseudomonas bacteria, which, in addition to killing people with cystic fibrosis, can cause deadly secondary infections under immune-suppressing conditions. To find a way through the bacterium's shield, the young scientist turned to Ayurvedic medicine, the traditional Indian healing technique. She isolated the molecule in a common tropical plant that was able to inhibit bacterial growth, and found it to be heat and pressure resistant. "It kills the cell," she explains, "by preventing the transcription of the genes involved in energy, metabolism, adaptation, membrane transport, and toxin secretion." While Madhavi could become a millionaire by patenting her work, she has something else in mind: making it openly available by publishing it, and allowing anybody to manufacture it. [more]

Be The Change:
Learn more about Ayurveda from an introductory guide (in PDF format) by a leading teacher and practitioner. [more]

	rate:			| email this | print | share

	Previous Reflections:
On Feb 4, 2007 Gurudatt writes:	Compliments on your uncanny ability to select apparently trivial real-life stories which are best examples of humanity at it's best.You are right, Madhavi could have patented, made trillions for 20 years & then donated millions with pomp & publicity. She had her heart in the right place. Thanks for discovering that.
On Feb 4, 2007 Betsy writes:	I hope Madhavi SHOULD patent her discovery and THEN give it away. Otherwise, I predict that a pharmaceutical company will patent it and profit from it.
On Feb 4, 2007 Dr N K RAI writes:	Patience,patent anmd purpose.Can we combined.
On Feb 11, 2007 Asma Raheem writes:	Many people of the older generation underestimate the power of the younger generation. This story is for those people. Here is more to the power of youth!
On Aug 22, 2007 sachin writes:	this is not enough
	Add Reflection:
Name:		Email:
Comment:
Verify Code:	: