Lecture / Seminar
Drugs From Bugs and Other Natural Sources: An Endless Frontier or Is the Bloom Off the Rose? by Dr. John Vederas, Professor of Chemistry and Canada Research Chair in Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton
Over 200 years ago, a 21 year old pharmacist’s apprentice named Friedrich Sertürner isolated the first pharmacologically active pure compound from a plant, namely morphine from opium produced by cut seed pods of a poppy. This initiated an era wherein drugs from plants could be studied and administered in precise measured dosages that did not vary with the source or age of the material. The discovery of penicillin in 1928 ultimately prompted massive screening of microorganisms for new antibiotics. Eventually about 80% of drugs were either natural products or analogs inspired by them. Life expectancy in much of the world lengthened from about 40 years early in the 20th century to more than 77 years now. With such a successful record, it might be expected that isolation of drugs from living organisms would be the core of pharmaceutical discovery efforts and widely supported by the public. In contrast, many large pharmaceutical firms have eliminated such research in the last decade. Academic support for isolation and structure elucidation efforts is difficult to obtain. Increasingly, the public is turning to alternative medicine including herbal therapies and “natural” mixtures of unknown efficacy. Is the era of discovery of new drugs from natural sources ending? This presentation examines some of the current problems that drug discovery efforts employing natural sources face, both in terms of expectations and difficulties. It describes some exciting possibilities offered by emerging discoveries and new technologies.
Drugs From Bugs and Other Natural Sources: An Endless Frontier or Is the Bloom Off the Rose? by Dr. John Vederas, Professor of Chemistry and Canada Research Chair in Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton
Over 200 years ago, a 21 year old pharmacist’s apprentice named Friedrich Sertürner isolated the first pharmacologically active pure compound from a plant, namely morphine from opium produced by cut seed pods of a poppy. This initiated an era wherein drugs from plants could be studied and administered in precise measured dosages that did not vary with the source or age of the material. The discovery of penicillin in 1928 ultimately prompted massive screening of microorganisms for new antibiotics. Eventually about 80% of drugs were either natural products or analogs inspired by them. Life expectancy in much of the world lengthened from about 40 years early in the 20th century to more than 77 years now. With such a successful record, it might be expected that isolation of drugs from living organisms would be the core of pharmaceutical discovery efforts and widely supported by the public. In contrast, many large pharmaceutical firms have eliminated such research in the last decade. Academic support for isolation and structure elucidation efforts is difficult to obtain. Increasingly, the public is turning to alternative medicine including herbal therapies and “natural” mixtures of unknown efficacy. Is the era of discovery of new drugs from natural sources ending? This presentation examines some of the current problems that drug discovery efforts employing natural sources face, both in terms of expectations and difficulties. It describes some exciting possibilities offered by emerging discoveries and new technologies.
Pricing & Tickets
Huggins Science Hall