Biodiversity, drug discovery, and the future of global health: Introducing the biodiversity to biomedicine consortium, a call to action

Citation

Neergheen-Bhujun V, Awan AT, Baran Y, Bunnefeld N, Chan K, Cruz TEd, Egamberdieva D, Elsasser S, Johnson MV, Komai S, Konevega AL, Malone JH, Mason P, Nguon R & Piper R (2017) Biodiversity, drug discovery, and the future of global health: Introducing the biodiversity to biomedicine consortium, a call to action. Journal of Global Health, 7 (2), Art. No.: 020304. https://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.07.020304

Abstract
First paragraph: Looking to nature for medicine is nothing new – we have been doing it for tens of thousands of years and although modern pharmaceutical science has come a long way from those ancient roots, nature is and will always be an important source of useful compounds and inspiration. Dismissing nature in this regard is a huge mistake as evolution is the greatest problem solver and the myriad compounds produced by the immense variety of species we share the planet with have been honed by three billion years of trial and error. However, with every bit of habitat that disappears under the plough or concrete we impoverish nature and deprive ourselves of potential medicines.

Notes
Additional co-authors: Uttam Babu Shrestha, Milica Pešić, Alexander Kagansky

Journal
Journal of Global Health: Volume 7, Issue 2

People

Professor Nils Bunnefeld

Professor, Biological and Environmental Sciences