Program

The Bioactive Agents from Dryland Biodiversity of Latin America project is an extension of the research begun in 1993 with funding from the International Cooperative Biodiversity Group (ICBG) program. This program is sponsored by a consortium of Federal agencies, now including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and is coordinated by NIH's Fogarty International Center. It addresses biodiversity conservation and the promotion of sustained economic activity through drug discovery from natural products. The first project (1993-1998), titled Bioactive Agents from Dryland Plants of Latin America, was one of five awards granted. This second project (1998-2003) is one of six.

Headed by Principal Investigator, Barbara N. Timmermann, Ph.D., Regents Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy, the project involves collaborations in the U.S. with the Institute of Tuberculosis Research, Chicago; Wyeth Research; and other units at the University of Arizona (Office of Arid Lands Studies and Department of Management Information Systems). Partners in Latin America are scientists from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, Chile; and from Argentina the Instituto de Recursos Biologicos, Buenos Aires, the Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia, and the Centro Nacional Patagonico, Chubut; and in Mexico the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico.

The project involves discovery and development of pharmaceuticals and crop-protection agents from plants and microbes of arid and semi-arid ecosystems in Chile, Argentina and Mexico. In addition to scientific study, the work promotes economic growth in areas where the plants are collected, while conserving biological resources. Results from the ten years of the project show potential for developing prescription medicines that may aid in the treatment of infectious diseases, cardiovascular, central nervous system and gastrointestinal disorders, cancers, and women's health problems.

Database

To manage and preserve the information gathered by project participants, the Arizona ICBG Project has developed an internal relational database of medicinal plants. This database is linked to a GIS system to visualize and analyze data. Data resides in an Access based file and is accessed through a custom developed interface that simplifies data-entry and management. An overview of the structure of the database can be found at our home page. Our data is currently being migrated to a proprietary system to more closely match the data-reporting requirements of the NIH.

For Question Regarding the Project Contact:

Barbara N. Timmermann, Ph.D.
Project Director
The University of Arizona
Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology
Tucson, Arizona 85721
U.S.A.

Phone: (520) 626-2481
Fax: (520) 626-2515
E-mail: btimmer@pharmacy.arizona.edu

For Technical Questions Regarding the Database Contact:

Jerry Henzel
University of Arizona Office of Arid Lands Studies / Precipice Development International
Email: jhenzel@henzel.org