BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION & DRUG DISCOVERY IN MADAGASCAR

描述（由申请人提供）：该国际生物多样性合作组织的总体目标是在马达加斯加实现生物多样性保护、经济发展和药物发现的三重使命。拟议的研究将七个不同的副项目的工作整合成一个连贯的整体，以实现这些目标。药物发现使命将采取三重方法在马达加斯加收集生物材料。植物将由来自密苏里州植物园（MBG）、国际保护组织（CI）和国家应用与药物研究中心（CNARP）的植物学家收集。海洋生物将由国家环境研究中心（CNRE）和国家海洋研究中心（CNRO）的小组收集。从土壤样品中分离微生物菌株将由来自CNARP的科学家在DowAgroSciences（DAS）接受培训后进行。植物将由CNARP的工人提取，海洋生物将由CNRE和CNRO的工人提取。随后的生物测定、分离研究和化学研究将由CNARP、ERI、DAS和弗吉尼亚理工学院和州立大学（VPISU）在癌症、免疫学、疟疾、神经系统疾病、结核病和农业化学等感兴趣的领域进行，并将向马达加斯加支付从这项工作中开发的任何药物或农用化学品的销售特许权使用费。纯微生物菌株将由一个或两个工业合作伙伴培养，然后从这些培养液中分离出感兴趣的活性化合物。除了上述药物发现工作外，该小组还将在马达加斯加开展经济发展和生物多样性保护举措。在马达加斯加，工作将包括完成对明确界定的森林保护区的生物多样性调查，以及在MBG进行植物学方法培训，在DAS进行微生物技术培训，在VPISU进行天然产品分离培训。这项工作还将使地方利益攸关方参与关于使用DAS和ERI捐助的预付资金的决定。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overall goals of this International Cooperative Biodiversity group are to achieve the threefold mission of biodiversity conservation, economic development, and drug discovery in Madagascar. The proposed research integrates the work of seven different associate programs into a coherent whole to achieve these goals. The drug discovery mission will have a threefold approach to collecting biomaterials in Madagascar. Plants will be collected by botanists from Missouri Botanical Garden (MBG) Conservation International (CI) and the Centre National d'Application et des Recherches Pharmaceutiques (CNARP). Marine organisms will be collected by teams from Centre National de Recherches sur l'Environnement (CNRE) and Centre National de Recherches Oceanographiques (CNRO). Microbial strain isolation from soil samples will be carried out by scientists from CNARP after receiving training at DowAgroSciences (DAS). The plants will be extracted by workers at the CNARP, and the marine organisms will be extracted by workers at CNRE and CNRO. Subsequent bioassays, fractionation studies, and chemistry will be carried out by CNARP, Eisai Research Institute (ERI), DAS and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (VPISU) in the interest areas of cancer, immunology, malaria, neurological disease, tuberculosis, and agrochemistry, and royalties will be paid to Madagascar on sales of any pharmaceuticals or agrochemicals that are developed from this work. Pure microbial strains will be cultured by one or both of the industrial partners, and active compounds of interest will then be isolated from these culture broths. In addition to the drug discovery work outlined above, the Group will also carry out economic development and biodiversity conservation initiatives in Madagascar. In Madagascar the work will include the completion of biodiversity surveys of well-defined forest preserves, as well as training in botanical methods at MBG, training in microbial techniques at DAS, and training in natural product isolation at VPISU. The work will also involve local stakeholders in decisions about the use of upfront funds contributed by DAS and ERI.