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UCL School of Pharmacy

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Introduction

Chinese Medicines 15960273

The Biodiversity and Medicines Cluster brings together experts in biological pharmacy including medicinal biochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, natural product research / metabolomics / pharmacognosy, ethnopharmacology and biomimetic synthesis.

Cluster activities are at the forefront of research into natural products and the examination of their biological effects. Our aim is to develop strategies for the rapid analysis of natural product extracts using the analytical strengths at the School including metabolomic analyses.

Global research collaborations as well as links with other groups within the School of Pharmacy enable the cluster to address a wide range of challenging research questions including:

  • How could chronic, often aging related diseases like diabetes be managed or treated using plant-derived medications?
  • How can research on biodiversity and medicines contribute to improved standards of living and health care, for example, in those regions were most of the raw materials used in the production of herbal medicines are produced?
  • How can we develop novel treatment option to overcome or mitigate resistance to antibiotics?
  • What is the potential of natural products as anticancer and anti-infective agents?
  • How can we ensure the safe supply of herbal medical products in the UK and elsewhere?
  • How can we improve existing medicines by improving their chemical structure or delivery?

Our research is based on a transdisciplinary strategy and well encapsulated in the following quote: 'Biological diversity – the variety of life on Earth – is at the heart of our efforts to relieve suffering, raise standards of living, and to achieve the U.N. Millennium Development Goals'. This statement was made by Kofi Annan - former United Nations General Secretary 2008 - in his preface to Sustaining Life - How Human Health Depends on Biodiversity. Editors E. Chivan and A. Bernstein, Oxford University Press.

Main research interests of the cluster:

  • New anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and anti-infective agents,
  • Developing strategies to prevent and treat chronic and aging-related diseases.
  • Understand the mechanism of diseases
  • Quality of herbal medicines most importantly traditional herbal medical products
  • Safety of herbal medicines most importantly in terms of interaction risks
  • Historical and modern uses of medicinal and (health) food plants

Funding: Researchers in this cluster receive funding from the EPSRC, through a range of highly competitive government schemes (e.g. Thailand, Malaysia, Brazil, Ghana, Saudi Arabia), Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, university staff development schemes I (e.g. Saudi Arabia) and a range of industrial sponsorships and collaborations especially with smaller and medium sized companies.