ABSTRACT
The Synaptic Leap (TSL) 1 is a web-based environment designed to generate collaborative research in biomedical science. The purpose of TSL is to enable anyone in the world with relevant expertise, resources or connections to contribute to biomedical research projects. The projects to date have focused on synthesizing or identifying affordable treatments for tropical diseases in developing countries. These diseases spread rapidly in communities with poor water quality, sanitation and access to health care, and include malaria and tuberculosis but also ‘neglected’ tropical diseases (NTDs) such as schistosomiasis. They continue to flourish in several low-income nations around the world and also in areas of high poverty in some wealthy countries. It is estimated that over one billion people, or about one-sixth of the world’s population, are currently affected by NTDs (WHO 2012). Although medical means exist to effectively treat these diseases, assisting large populations in conditions of poverty requires the development of suitable low-cost medications. The research projects hosted by TSL are developing the chemical foundations for such medications by applying open source methods of online collaboration that avoid the commercial constraints of the pharmaceutical industry.
