Back to the future: The continuing value of natural products for drug discovery

Harvey A. L., . (2010) Back to the future: The continuing value of natural products for drug discovery. [Proceedings Paper]

This presentation will address the question How can a globally significant drug discovery operation be created in Malaysia There are good reasons both scientific and commercial to focus on natural product-based drug discovery. Natural products have been the most successful source of medicines throughout history and they continue to provide leads for major classes of drugs including antibiotics anti cancers immunosuppressants and neurological agents. Many natural products have physicochemical properties suitable for drug development and their unmatched structural diversity allows them to interact with many different types of therapeutic targets Surprisingly major pharmaceutical companies have abandoned their use of natural products in drug discovery; also surprisingly the vast majority of natural products have never been tested for relevant biological activity. There are clear opportunities for specialist ventures to exploit natural chemical diversity to discover novel leads that can be developed into valuable new medicines The technologies required for natural product chemistry and for drug discovery bioassaying are becoming cheaper and more accessible. The key requirements for successful drug discovery are 1 outstanding chemical diversity in a sample collection that is in an assay-ready format and 2 sensible selection of therapeutic targets that are relevant to the diseases of interest whether these are previously neglected illnesses endemic to the region or unmet therapeutic needs of large commercial markets Given Malaysia;s rich biodiversity in land and sea and the quality of Malaysian scientific infrastructure a drug discovery initiative based on natural products would be expected to produce valuable leads for significant new medicines.

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Abstract

This presentation will address the question How can a globally significant drug discovery operation be created in Malaysia There are good reasons both scientific and commercial to focus on natural product-based drug discovery. Natural products have been the most successful source of medicines throughout history and they continue to provide leads for major classes of drugs including antibiotics anti cancers immunosuppressants and neurological agents. Many natural products have physicochemical properties suitable for drug development and their unmatched structural diversity allows them to interact with many different types of therapeutic targets Surprisingly major pharmaceutical companies have abandoned their use of natural products in drug discovery; also surprisingly the vast majority of natural products have never been tested for relevant biological activity. There are clear opportunities for specialist ventures to exploit natural chemical diversity to discover novel leads that can be developed into valuable new medicines The technologies required for natural product chemistry and for drug discovery bioassaying are becoming cheaper and more accessible. The key requirements for successful drug discovery are 1 outstanding chemical diversity in a sample collection that is in an assay-ready format and 2 sensible selection of therapeutic targets that are relevant to the diseases of interest whether these are previously neglected illnesses endemic to the region or unmet therapeutic needs of large commercial markets Given Malaysia;s rich biodiversity in land and sea and the quality of Malaysian scientific infrastructure a drug discovery initiative based on natural products would be expected to produce valuable leads for significant new medicines.

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Item Type:	Proceedings Paper
Additional Information:	Available at Perpustakaan Sultan Abdul Samad Universiti Putra Malaysia 43400 UPM Serdang Selangor Malaysia. TP248.14 I61 2008 Call Number.
AGROVOC Term:	Natural resources
AGROVOC Term:	Medicinal properties
AGROVOC Term:	Biodiversity
AGROVOC Term:	Therapeutic substances
AGROVOC Term:	Herbaceous plants
AGROVOC Term:	Medicinal plants
AGROVOC Term:	Medicinal herbs
AGROVOC Term:	Animal medicine
AGROVOC Term:	Drug plants
AGROVOC Term:	Scientific research
Geographical Term:	MALAYSIA
Depositing User:	Ms. Suzila Mohamad Kasim
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2025 05:15
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/13143

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