Sustainability Hub: SDG3 – Health and Wellbeing

Summary

The video script highlights the role of chemical engineering in advancing health and well-being, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. It underscores the unmet needs in areas like oncology and emphasizes the importance of developing efficient, accelerated, and sustainable processes for drug manufacturing. The script also mentions the significant contribution of Professor Robert Langer in lipid nanoparticle formulation, which is pivotal to mRNA COVID vaccines, showcasing the impact of chemical engineering on global health.

Takeaways

• 🌐 SDG3 emphasizes health and well-being, highlighting the current global focus on health due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 🏥 Despite significant efforts against COVID-19, there are concerns that other diseases like cancer are not receiving the same level of attention or resources.
• 💊 There is an unmet need for better medicines and therapies to combat serious diseases that continue to affect populations worldwide.
• 🔬 Chemical engineers play a crucial role in developing and scaling up manufacturing processes for new therapies more efficiently and sustainably.
• 🛠️ The development cycle for new drugs is lengthy, and chemical engineers can help accelerate this process to get effective drugs to patients faster.
• 🔬 Chemical engineers work alongside biologists and other scientists to develop new synthesis pathways for drug production, aiming to reduce complexity and environmental impact.
• 💊 Most new drugs are small molecules that require complex chemical synthesis, where chemical engineering can improve efficiency and sustainability.
• 🌿 Chemical engineering can lead to cleaner processes with reduced energy, solvent, and water usage in drug production.
• 🏆 Professor Robert Langer's work in chemical engineering, particularly in lipid nanoparticle formulation, has been recognized with prestigious awards and is central to mRNA COVID vaccines.
• 🌟 The mRNA COVID vaccines represent a significant application of chemical engineering in public health, impacting the formulation and dosing for billions worldwide.

Q & A

What is the main focus of SDG3 in the UN Sustainability Framework?

SDG3 focuses on health and well-being, emphasizing the importance of health in the context of the current global pandemic and other diseases like cancer.

How does the current pandemic highlight the need for better medicines and therapies?

Despite the rapid response to COVID-19 with vaccines and treatments, there are still large sections of the population affected by other diseases like cancer that feel neglected, indicating an unmet need for better medicines and therapies.

What role can chemical engineers play in addressing the unmet needs in healthcare?

Chemical engineers can contribute by developing more efficient processes for manufacturing and scaling up therapies, accelerating the development cycle of new drugs, and creating cleaner and more cost-effective synthesis pathways.

What is the typical duration of the development cycle for new drugs?

The development cycle for new drugs can be extremely long, ranging from 7 to 14 years.

How can chemical engineers help to accelerate the drug development process?

Chemical engineers can look at different technological approaches to accelerate the process times between different stages of drug development.

What is the significance of small molecules in the context of new drugs?

The majority of new drugs are small molecules of greater complexity that involve many stages of chemical synthesis, which chemical engineers can optimize to reduce stages, energy consumption, solvent, and water usage.

Who is Professor Robert Langer and what was his contribution recognized by?

Professor Robert Langer from MIT was awarded the Queen's Award from the Royal Academy of Engineering for his chemical engineering work on formulation systems, particularly lipid nanoparticle formulation.

What is the connection between lipid nanoparticle formulation and mRNA COVID vaccines?

Lipid nanoparticle formulation is the prime technology for the mRNA COVID vaccines, which have been crucial in the global response to the pandemic.

What impact did Professor Langer's work have on the world's population?

Professor Langer's work on lipid nanoparticle formulation has contributed to the effective formulation and dosing of billions of people worldwide through mRNA COVID vaccines.

What are the key aspects chemical engineers consider when working on new synthesis pathways for drugs?

Chemical engineers consider reducing the number of stages, energy consumption, solvent usage, and water usage, while delivering products more effectively with cleaner and more cost-effective processes.

How can the work of chemical engineers in healthcare contribute to the UN's SDG3?

Chemical engineers can contribute to SDG3 by creating more efficient and sustainable processes for drug development and manufacturing, which can lead to better health outcomes and well-being for the global population.