Support for Graduate, PDF and New Faculty Presenters at the 2022 American Society of Pharmacognosy Meeting

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Natural products have provided humankind the key starting materials to support health by providing therapeutic agents and structural templates for medicinal chemists. The field of natural products is rapidly evolving to fill anticipated supply gaps due to the movement away from petroleum based energy, fine chemicals and

pharmaceuticals. Although only about 1% of every barrel of oil is used in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products it is estimated petroleum supplies 99% of the starting materials for pharmaceutical and other consumer products. Thus one of three key Aims of this meeting includes the replacement of petroleum based starting

materials for therapeutics with natural products. A second key aim for this meeting is an assessment of panomics approaches to the discovery and development of natural product prototypes for the control of cancer and emerging infectious diseases, including SARS-CoV2. Emerging methods involving CryoEM in drug discovery

and development will be featured at this meeting. The need for better controls for emerging infectious diseases needs no explanation; however; the role of natural products as critical starting materials and new prototypes will be addressed as part of the 2022 American Society of Pharmacognosy Conference. Finally, a third key aim of

the program is to assess the role that natural products and natural products investigators can play in controlling carbon dioxide levels in the environment. This can take the form of photosynthesis of agriculture or direct conversion of CO2 into the starting materials for pharmaceuticals and other consumer products. We fully

anticipate that NPs will serve the needs of human health in regard to new prototypes well into the future. This conference will showcase many aspects of these emerging needs with cutting-edge approaches that are moving the field forward at an accelerated pace. We have selected leaders in the field as conference chairs and speakers

that align well with the mission of the NCCIH including a significant number of speakers with expertise in analytical techniques for evaluating and standardizing materials used as complementary medicines. This project seeks funding to support the American Society of Pharmacognosy (ASP) meeting that will be held July 23-28th

in Charleston, SC. The ASP is the largest society in the USA that focuses on natural products. The ASP as well as this conference focuses on molecules from nature and their application to improve human health. Support from the NIH will help offset registration fees and assist with travel for students and new faculty from the US and

US Territories with a focus on regional HBCUs (historically black colleges and universities) of the South Eastern US. Thus our final aim is to train the next generation of scientists through the recruitment and support attendees from the PUIs with a focus on the Southeastern US.