Naturally occurring organic compounds have found numerous applications in medicine for centuries. Many drugs that are in clinical use were originally discovered as constituents of plants and herbs that were used to cure illnesses. Though the traditional natural products chemistry was limited to the isolation and characterization of secondary metabolites from terrestrial plants and animals, recent years have seen many scientists exploring the marine flora and fauna in search of novel secondary metabolites with medicinal properties. Compounds with antibacterial, antifungal, antitumor, antiviral, analgesic, and other properties have been discovered. This proposal is for a research training program involving isolation and characterization antitumor compounds from marine invertebrates. A mechanism-based bioassay involving DNA repair deficient yeast strains will be used as the preliminary screen for antitumor activity as well as to guide the separation of active compounds. Structures of active compounds will be determined using spectroscopic methods. The research will be conducted in collaboration with the sponsor, Dr. David G. I. Kingston of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. The applicant has been a faculty member at the University of the Virgin Islands, a Historically Black University in the U. S. Virgin Islands and recently he has been recommended for tenure. The applicant has been involved in research with undergraduate minority students throughout his career at UVI. The proposed research training will provide advanced training for the applicant in various bioassay procedures and state-of-the-art techniques employed in structure determination of natural products, which, in turn will allow him to continue a truly independent research program in this field at UVI.
| Govindan, M; Govindan, G N; Kingston, D G (1995) Mechanism-based antitumor screening of Caribbean marine organisms: isolation and structure determination of novel diterpenoids from the gorgonian Eunicea tourneforti. J Nat Prod 58:1174-84 |
