Deputy Speaker, on behalf of the DA, I hereby move without notice:
That the House -
1) notes that scientists at the California-based Scripps Research Institute have developed a genetically engineered antibody that, once in human blood, grabs hold of an infecting virus and deactivates it;
2) further notes that the breakthrough was possible because of the work completed by the California Institute of Technology Nobel Laureate, David Baltimore, funded in part by Bill Gates, in what has become known as gene replacement therapy;
3) acknowledges that the idea of turning a high-level science breakthrough into a therapy that can be applied on a mass scale came from the University of Pennsylvania virologist, Philip Johnson;
4) further acknowledges that the successful translation of what is a monumental breakthrough in science has the potential to prevent viruses that cause Aids, Ebola, malaria, flu, hepatitis and other diseases; and
5) calls on the South African government and the private sector to invest more in the development of our medical science community and create many more opportunities for them to benefit more fulsomely from discoveries made elsewhere.
Agreed to.