This workshop brought together 37 experts in natural product drug discovery and development from 12 countries: Botswana, Canada, Ecuador, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, South Africa, Switzerland, Uganda, UK, USA, and Zambia. The workshop was organized by the University of Cape Town and jointly sponsored by the South African National Research Foundation (NRF) and the Global Institute for BioExploration (GIBEX).
The discussions were focused on the developing strategy for natural product-based drug discovery in Sub-Saharan Africa. Seventeen papers were presented by invited international experts in natural product (NP) R&D and the principal partners of GIBEX-Africa. The challenges confronting the discipline and opportunities were highlighted. At the wrap up session led by Dr. Gordon Cragg (Former Head of the Natural Products Branch of the US-NCI Developmental Therapeutics Program), the workshop resolved that GIBEX-Africa would adopt as its primary strategy a focus on discovery and development of plant-based products for treatment of parasitic diseases, especially trypanosomal and helminth-related diseases. A steering committee was constituted to coordinate GIBEX-Africa activities and comprised the following: Prof. Kelly Chibale (GIBEX-Africa, Chief Coordinator), Prof. Ilya Raskin (GIBEX-USA), Prof. Mike Davies-Coleman (Southern Africa), Prof. Grace Thoithi (East Africa), and Prof. Mbang Femi-Oyewo (West/Central Africa).
The workshop identified R&D priority areas for NP development Phase I (from primary screening with Screens-to-Nature (STN) technology to isolation of active compounds) as follows:
(i) delivery of primary screening technologies to all GIBEX-Africa institutions,
(ii) understanding and dealing with national legal and regulatory issues that impact NP R&D work,
(iii) field work needs and facilitation,
(iv) determination of the secondary screening capacities at participating GIBEX-Africa institutions,
(v) capacity building for fractionation, elucidation and isolation of active compounds/fractions in participating GIBEX-Africa institutions,
(vi) determination of capacity to identify active material (pure compound or mixture) with a reproducible chemical profile and
(vii) publication of R&D results.
The steering committee will also update the network regularly on progress with the plan of action. Successful Phase I NP R&D activities will establish a strong foundation for Phase II NP R&D (from “hit to lead”) and facilitate future sourcing for funding to take natural products to clinical trials and beyond.
A database committee was also set up to develop appropriate database(s) for the GIBEX-Africa network. Members include: Prof. Mike Davies-Coleman (Rhodes University), Dr. Slavik Dushenkov (Rutgers University), Prof. Phillipe Rasoanaivo (University of Antananarivo, Madagascar) and Prof. Lena Struwe (Rutgers University). The database committee will submit database framework options to the steering committee for consideration and approval.
See workshop photos
