Chemical And Biological Diversity From The Rain Forest

Drug discovery from natural sources requires continued access to plant, marine, and microbial biomass, and the tropical rainforests of the world are a key source of this biomass. Sadly, many of the tropical forests of the world are under severe environmental pressure, and deforestation is a serious problem in most tropical countries. One way to combat this loss is to demonstrate their value as potential sources of new pharmaceutical or agrochemical products. The International Cooperative Biodiversity Group (ICBG) program integrates biodiversity conservation and drug discovery with economic development, using teams from academia, industry, and developing countries. Results from the Suriname/Madagascar ICBG program will be discussed. These results include the discovery of new plant species, new natural product drug leads such as ipomoeassin D (1) [1], schweinfurthin E (2) [2], and elaeodendroside T (3) [3], contributions to economic development, and the establishment of new protected areas.