DRUG DISCOVERY AND BIODIVERSITY AMONG THE MAYA OF MEXICO

一个多学科的国际生物多样性合作小组， 提出，将发现，分离，并临床前评估 墨西哥的重要物种，第三丰富的巨型- 世界上最具多样性的地区之一， 生物多样性的丧失是由于环境破坏的加剧。 工作 将在该地区讲玛雅语的民族中进行， 拥有由数百种物种组成的复杂的民族药典 植物在古老的传统医学体系中的地位。 疗效 也是玛雅医学中最重要的植物种类 总植物群中最有前途的药用种 恰帕斯高地（约5000种）将由 天然产物化学家采用最现代的分析程序 available. 该地区的大量微生物样本将 也被评价。 将对所有物种的活性进行筛选 对抗癌症、与HIV-AIDS相关的机会性疾病、CNS 疾病、避孕、心血管疾病和局部严重 胃肠道、呼吸道/肺部和皮肤疾病。 ICBG 将对恰帕斯中部进行全面的植物调查 高地，配合可持续农业生态试验 收获和生产选定的物种，显示出高潜力， pytomedicinals，作物保护剂，和商业上可行的 你是说... 玛雅合作者将在讲习班和 参与性研究活动。学术交流与发展 ICBG将允许东道国国民和美国学生参加 在高级学位课程，确保该计划的目标将是 在完成后继续。

A multidisciplinary International Collaborative Biodiversity Group is proposed that will discover, isolate, and preclinically evaluate pharmacologically important species from Mexico, the third richest mega- diversity region of the world and one of the most threatened in terms of biodiversity loss due to increased environmental destruction. Work will be carried out among the Maya-speaking peoples of the area who possess a complex ethnopharmacopoeia comprised of hundreds of species of plants in an ancient system of traditional medicine. The efficacy of the most important plant species employed in Maya medicine, as well the pharmaceutically most promising species from the total flora of Highland Chiapas (approximately 5000 species) will be evaluated by natural products chemists employing the most modern assaying procedures available. A significant sample of micro-organisms from the region will also be evaluated. All species will be screened for their activity against cancer, opportunistic diseases associated with HIV-AIDS, CNS disorders, contraception, cardiovascular disease, and locally serious gastrointestinal, respiratory/pulmonary, and skin disorders. The ICBG will mount a comprehensive botanical survey of the Central Chiapas Highlands, in concert with agroecological experimentation on sustainable harvest and production of selected species that show high potential as pytomedicinals, crop protection agents, and commercially viable ornamentals. Maya collaborators will be trained in workshops and participatory research activities. Academic exchanges developed with the ICBG will allow host-country nationals and US students to participate in advanced degree programs, assuring that goals of the program will be continued upon its completion.