Taroudant - The Moroccan Foundation for Advanced Science, Innovation and Research (MASCIR) has reportedly created a screening kit for leukemia, a cancer of the body's blood-forming tissues, including the bone marrow.
Through a team of Moroccan researchers, the foundation also is working on making tests to detect breast cancer, hepatitis C and tuberculosis.
"We developed the first leukemia diagnostic kit for a period of 4 years and we worked in parallel on breast cancer screening kit," said Hassan Sefrioui, medical director of MASCIR.
"The biotechnology center relies on the expertise of thirty Moroccans trained abroad but also on young Moroccan universities graduates, locally trained," he added.
According to the Huffington Post Maghreb, the first kit is currently awaiting authorization to be marketed on a large scale in the next two months by Sothema. For now, production should meet the needs of 1,000 patients diagnosed at the national level as well as new patients.
The public institution which also operates in the sectors of energy, water and environment is a key contributor to the development of market-driven science and technology in Morocco and the region.
Last October, the Pharma Group 5, which specializes in generic drugs, announced that the generic anti-hepatic drug Sofosbuvir, “100% Morocco made,” is ready and will soon be on the market at a very reasonable cost.
The “100% Moroccan” drug was developed by the support of Morocco’s Ministry of Health.
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