SemBioSys expects to be able to supply a large chunk of the global market when its insulin is ready for commercialisation some time in the next couple of years. Lest we think the impact of the safflower-derived insulin will be felt only in the developing world, we should remember the WHO expects the incidence of diabetes to skyrocket in North America and Europe over the next 20 years. Successful treatment of this chronic disease requires daily injections, self-administered in most cases. We all hate needles. But alternative, pulmonary and oral delivery systems are less precise, meaning they require more insulin to be as effective as injections. All of this means we’ll need considerably more insulin than is currently available and an every-increasing demand on a healthcare system that is already stretched thin. An affordable, easily-accessible source of insulin will have a massive impact on costs and outcomes. And that will benefit us all.

But SemBioSys is not stopping there. In addition to a range of non-pharmaceutical products, they’ve also developed safflower-derived Apo AI, a cardiovascular therapy that reduces and stabilizes plaque associated with heart attacks, angina, and stroke. A recent clinical study showed positive results from the use of an Apo AI variant but also indicated a very high dosage to be required for effective treatment. Again, the SemBioSys team believes itself capable of inexpensively producing large quantities of the biotherapeutic product.

All in all, the future seems a bit friendlier with Dr. Moloney and his colleagues working on our behalf. Their results, like those of other past and present ASTech Award Finalists, are putting Alberta on the map in yet another area of technological and scientific innovation. So what’s the best way to thank Maurice for his efforts? Dinner at a posh restaurant, maybe? Tickets to the theatre? Not really. It’s not that he wouldn’t accept and enjoy those gifts. It’s just that he’s more into the Beatles, the Doors, and Pink Floyd. Since being part of a group called the Spitfires as an 11-year-old, he’s been in many bands, playing guitar and harmonica and singing rock and blues. Some of the groups he’s been part of have had names such as Brave Ulysses and Left for Dead and he frequently plays at international tech-conferences. But top of the list is spending time with his kids, Sean, 19, and 15-year-old Heather.  All in all, it’s a busy time for Dr. Moloney: happy he made the move to Calgary; and dedicated to a scientific field that will continue to impact us all for years to come.