This award will support a collaborative research project between Dr. Gerald P. Hammond, of the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth and Dr. Abraham J. Vaisberg, of the Institute of Tropical Medicine Alexander von Humboldt, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Peru. The research involves the isolation and structure elucidation of bioactive compounds from Peruvian wound-healing plants. Plants extracts will be bioassayed for wound healing activity and screened for other pharmacological effects. Samples will be assayed for cell migration and cell proliferation, and will be fractioned until pure bioactive compounds are obtained. The bioactive compounds thus obtained will be evaluated for their biological properties. This collaborative research fulfills the program objective of advancing scientific knowledge by combining the complementary expertise of researchers from both countries in an area of strong mutual interest. Proving the medicinal or scientific value of these plants will contribute to the preservation of folk medicine practices and to the conservation of biological diversity.
