Development of a botanical anxiolytic for the animal health market

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The proposed research will lead to a new commercial natural health product (NHP)derived to treat anxiety in animals and eventually the human health market. The antianxiety product is a tropical vine which was previously identified in our discovery research program in collaboration with Costa Rican botanists. It has been shown to be safe and highly effective in animal models of anxiety using rats, mice and piglets and the technology has now been licenced to a Canadain company for development. Translation of this fundamental research to produce a natural health product for the animal health market market requires careful choice of germ plasm, identity and quality assurance, formualtion, sustainable methods for wild harvest with a transition to cultivation. These issues are addressed in the proposed work and will lead to a uniform, reproducible product that will be comparable to that provided by our team for clincial trials with dogs at University of Guelph. Given the recent interest by veterinarians and animal owners in NHP treatments for dogs and horses, the product will make a timely effort into the large animal health care market. The project will provide socio-economic benefits to Canada and Costa Rica through sales of an innovative new product on the international market, employment of both a skilled and a rural workforce. The project highlights the value of disappearing tropical plant species and meets an unmet need in animal health.