ECOLOGICALLY GUIDED BIOPROSPECTING IN PANAMA

描述：(申请人描述) 我们的目标是在巴拿马建立一个可持续的生物勘探计划， 以加强保护，并发现医药和食品的新产品 农业。巴拿马的森林覆盖率比其他任何中美洲国家都要高 国家，被认为是一个受到威胁的多样性热点。它独一无二的POO 作为连接北部和南部的生物走廊的位置 半球对区域和国际都有影响 保护策略。促进节约和可持续发展 在巴拿马进行生物勘探，我们强调技术转让和有效 药物发现。首先，我们将以生态研究为目标 收集具有较高生物学活性的物种和组织 活动。我们还将提取新鲜的样本，将活性物质的损失降至最低 化合物。第二，我们非常重视培训和 向巴拿马转让技术。我们正在建立与人类的生物检测 巴拿马大学与免疫缺陷病毒(HIV)和癌症 巴拿马城戈尔加斯纪念研究所的热带病。主动型 化合物将在巴拿马大学提纯。此外，蛋白质 提取物将测试对烟粉虱的活性，烟粉虱是一种作物害虫， 可能成为世界范围内的主要害虫之一。有机和蛋白质都有 摘录将被送往我们的工业合作伙伴孟山都。孟山都 一直致力于为药业提供强有力的技术支持 和巴拿马的农业调查，特别是与 活性化合物的鉴定，从而提供了重要的成分 能力建设。这种对培训和技术转让的重视 为巴拿马创造立竿见影的好处，并帮助建立科学的 终止后继续进行生物勘探所需的基础设施 奖助金。此外，我们还将协助巴拿马的库纳族和纳索族印第安人 永久记录他们的民族植物学知识，并增加 他们参与保护和土地管理规划。

DESCRIPTION: (Applicant's Description) Our objectives are to build a sustainable bioprospecting program in Panama, to e n hance conservation, and to discover new products for medicine and agriculture. Panama has more forest cover than any other Central American country, and is considered a threatened diversity hotspot. Its unique p o sition as a biological corridor joining the northern and southern hemispheres has implications for both regional and international conservation strategies. To promote conservation and sustainable bioprospecting in Panama, we are stressing technology transfer and effective drug discovery. First, we will use ecological research to target collections towards species and tissues that have a high biological activity. We will also extract fresh samples, minimizing the loss of active compounds. Second, we are placing a large emphasis on training and technology transfer to Panama. We are establishing bioassay with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and cancer at the University of Panama and with tropical diseases at Gorgas Memorial Institute in Panama City. Active compounds will purified at the University of Panama. In addition, protein extracts will be tested for activity against whitefly, a crop pest that could become one of the major pests worldwide. Both organic and protein extracts will be sent to Monsanto, our industrial collaborator. Monsanto has committed to providing strong technical support for the pharmaceutical and agricultural investigations in Panama, especially with the identification of active compounds, thus providing a substantial component of capacity building. This emphasis on training and technology transfer creates immediate benefits to Panama and helps establish the scientific infrastructure necessary to continue bioprospecting after the termination of the grant. In addition we will assist the Kuna and Naso Indians of Panama to make a permanent record of their ethnobotanical knowledge and to increase their involvement in conservation and land management planning.