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Biography |
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Barbara Timmermann is a University Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Kansas following an academic career of almost 25 years at the University of Arizona. She is also the current Director of the Center for Cancer Experimental Therapeutics. Professor Timmermann obtained a B.S. at the National University of Cordoba, Argentina in 1970, a M.S. in 1977, and a Ph.D. in 1980 at the University of Texas, Austin. In 1981, she joined the Faculty at the University of Arizona, ascended the professorial ranks and established a research program in drug lead discovery from plant biodiversity. With NIH funding, she established the Arizona Center for Phytomedicine research for the study of botanical medicines and the Latin American International Cooperative Biodiversity Groups (ICBG) Program. Her research focuses on the discovery and biological investigation of natural products with potential utility in the treatment of cancer, infectious and inflammatory diseases. Research funds have been provided by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the US Department of Agriculture, US Agency for International Development, the Tinker Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. She is the author of more than 160 publications in peer-reviewed scientific literature, numerous research reviews and book chapters. She serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Natural Products.
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Abstract |
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Biodiversity, Nature and Health- From Research to Policy
From ancient to modern times, plants have been used as medicinal agents, first on folkloric basis and later developed on a scientific basis into single agent drugs, such as the antiasthmatic drug ephedrine or the anti-cancer drug taxol. More recently, herbal remedies have gained popularity in the US as dietary supplements. The primary goal of the Natural Products Chemistry Laboratory at the University of Kansas has been to make modern drug discovery tools available to biomedical researchers and students to investigate plants and microorganisms as an essential route to new pharmaceutical leads.
Prospecting in search of new drugs provides a potentially strong set of tools for the development of local economies and conservation of natural resources in areas rich in biodiversity but lacking in technology. Ongoing research that integrates the process of drug discovery leads from natural products, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable economic growth in a unique model that incorporates academic science, high throughput screening (HTS) technology, traditional knowledge, commercial research and novel intellectual property mechanisms in agreement with the UN Convention of Biodiversity will be discussed. The goals, accomplishments, challenges and solutions encountered in biodiversity prospecting experiences in Latin America will also be presented.
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