How Henry Daniell weds dental research with global health and sustainability
Daniell, a faculty fellow of the Environmental Innovations Initiative and the W.D. Miller Professor and vice chair in the Department of Basic & Translational Sciences at Penn’s School of Dental Medicine, explains his research and its connections to sustainability and the environment.
2 min. read
Henry Daniell’s commitment to global sustainability is one he wants his dental students to emulate. “My advice to students is that, even if you’re working in a field that seems to have nothing to do with environmental sustainability, it should never stop you from wanting to draw a connection to the environment.”
Daniell, a faculty fellow of Penn’s Environmental Innovations Initiative and the W.D. Miller Professor and vice chair in the Department of Basic & Translational Services at Penn’s School of Dental Medicine, focuses his research on plant molecular biology and biotechnology, using plant material as a delivery mechanism for drugs aimed at addressing infectious and metabolic human diseases. He explores how such plant-based therapeutics and oral delivery systems can address global health and sustainability challenges.
Henry Daniell, faculty fellow of Penn’s Environmental Innovations Initiative and the W.D. Miller Professor and vice chair in the Department of Basic & Translational Services at Penn’s School of Dental Medicine.
(Image: Kevin Monko)
“I grew up in India and saw children die as a result of unaffordable vaccines or biopharmaceuticals that are accessible in other economic situations or parts of the world. This is why, when I started my research program in the United States 40 years ago, I made it one of my goals to take on the challenge of improving both accessibility and affordability of biopharmaceuticals,” he says.
“The pharmaceutical industry is hiking up costs for so many lifesaving medicines, and oftentimes, scientists cannot do a lot about that. However, what my team and I are doing is specifically reducing the production cost of the drug rather than the buying cost.”
Daniell highlights his research that tackles affordable global drug production. “My research has shown that the plant-produced insulin we’ve made is stable for two to three years, so that freeze-dried powder could be shipped to countries that can’t maintain a cold chain of refrigeration to protect insulin during storage or transportation. Our goal is for our product to go to any village or country in the world, no matter their climate or socioeconomic situation,” he says.
“My goal is for us to get the oral insulin medication in the clinic and affordable for individuals that cannot afford the injectable insulin drug. Clinical trials are currently underway; we are hopeful that it can become a viable future option for treating diabetes.”
As for the sustainability of drug production, Daniell says “if we consider carbon production, current fermentation technologies produce 100kg CO2 per kg drug, but plant production captures 800kg CO2 per kg of protein drug. There is always a tie or a connection to improve our environment. My guidance would be for students to integrate environmental knowledge into their coursework, research, and everyday tasks.”
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