US-Turkey Cooperative Research: Bioactive Turkish Plant Constituents

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0002071KingstonDescription: This award is to support the collaboration of Dr. David Kingston, Department of Chemistry, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VPI&SU), Blacksburg, Virginia and Dr. Gulacti Topcu, Department of Chemistry, TUBITAK-Marmara Research Center, Gebze-Kocaeli, Turkey. The two scientists plan to work on the isolation and structure elucidation of bioactive natural products from Turkish plants, especially those of Labiatae and Compositae families. Plant collection and extraction will be carried out in Turkey. Compound isolation using yeast-based bioassays will initially be carried out at VPI&SU, and will be transferred to TUBITAK-MRC as the project progresses. Structure elucidation will be done at both locations.Scope: This project will support collaboration by qualified scientists in two countries with complimentary capabilities and resources. The US PI is a lead investigator in several collaborative drug discovery programs. Turkey has a rich flora with many endemic species, and has a long history of the use of medicinal plants in folk medicine; however, studies to date have focused on classical phytochemistry, as opposed to the isolation of bioactive constituents. The proposed study should advance the discovery of potential agents for the treatment of cancer and fungal diseases, with consequent advancement of knowledge and understanding in natural products and medicinal chemistry. The assays selected have proved to be effective in both academic and industrial drug discovery programs, and will be easily adapted to use in the laboratories of the Turkish collaborators. The proposed program includes a substantial training component in terms of use of the bioassays and bioassay-guided fractionation which will have a significant impact on the research and teaching activities, and will ensure that this highly effective approach to drug discovery will be promoted and expanded in Turkey. The project will strengthen the PI's program by providing access to the rich flora of Turkey, and will also benefit young U. S. investigators studying in his group through exposing them to productive international collaboration. The project fits well with the objective of the Division of International Programs for encouraging mutually beneficial collaboration on research in important scientific problems.