DRUG DEVELOPMENT AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

ICBG将探索第二大物种丰富的生物多样性 世界上持续湿润的热带森林(280-320万平方英尺 在西非和中非)作为新分子铅的来源 用于药物开发，并作为社区的重要经济资源 居住在该地区。ICBG战略是使用来自现场的数据 民族植物学和民族医学研究，加上现有的化学分类学和 药理学出版物(AFRICMED和NAPRALERT数据库)以生成 一份按优先顺序排列的调查植物名单。在我们之前的研究中， 这种焦点显著增加了抗寄生虫/真菌药物的可能性。 发现，并有望为其他人提供有效的线索 治疗应用。这一人种志方法将得到加强 靶向酶和受体特异性的随机质量筛选 化验将用于评估大量额外的生物 样本。在任一系统中确定的活性化合物都将被分离 并使用现代化学技术进行了表征。 一块50公顷的调查样地，以获取生态林的长期数据 Korup(喀麦隆)和Oban Hills-Okwango-Boshi的动态 (尼日利亚)将建成毗连的森林保护区。全面 其他非木材的生物调查和经济价值评估 森林产品还将使用1公顷的土地进行生产，包括 5个独特的植被带(在林地半径100英里范围内)。 ICBG助理计划结构以任务管理为基础。 ICBG的5个助理项目的调查人员都有广泛的 成功完成相关研究/培训的经验 建议的任务。ICBG管理层利用现有的机构 职能协会/合同协议随后增加了研究能力 满足不同的ICBG计划目标所需的。例如，使用 领导机构正在进行的临床前药物评估计划 和化学品库存，将使ICBG资金主要用于 天然产物药物发现、生物多样性保护和现代 加强喀麦隆和加拿大的化学分析能力 尼日利亚。

The ICBG will explore the rich biodiversity of the second largest continuous moist tropical forest in the world (2.8-3.2 million square kilometers in West and Central Africa) as a source of new molecular leads for drug development and as an important economic resource for communities inhabiting the area. The ICBG strategy is to use data from field ethnobotanical and ethnomedical studies, plus existing chemotaxonomic and pharmacologic publications (AFRICMED & NAPRALERT data bases) to generate a prioritized list of plants for investigation. In our previous studies, such focus markedly enhanced the probability of anti-parasite/fungal drug discovery, and would be expected to yield effective leads for other therapeutic applications. This ethnographic approach will be augmented by the random mass screen in which targeted enzymes and receptor-specific assays will be used to evaluate a large quantity of additional biologic samples. Active compounds identified in either system will be isolated and characterized using modern chemical techniques. A 50 hectare inventory plot to obtain long-term data on ecologic forest dynamics in the Korup (Cameroon) and in the Oban Hills-Okwango-Boshi (Nigeria) contiguous forest reserves will be completed. Comprehensive biologic inventory and economic value assessment of other non-timber forest products will also be undertaken using 1 hectare plots encompassing 5 unique vegetative zones (within a 100 mi radius of the forest plots). The ICBG Associate Program structure is task management based. Investigative staff of the 5 ICBG Associate Programs all have extensive experience in successfully accomplishing the respective research/training tasks proposed. This ICBG management exploits existing institutional functional associations/contractual agreements then adds research capacity required to meet the diverse ICBG program objectives. For example, use of the Lead Institution's on-going program for preclinical drug evaluation and chemical inventory, will allow ICBG funds to be directed primarily to natural products drug discovery, biodiversity conservation, and modern chemical analytic capacity strengthening functions in Cameroon and Nigeria.