Niroshini Nirmalan
University of Salford, UK
Title: Investigating Natural Products as antimalarial chemotherapeutic leads:
Biography
Biography: Niroshini Nirmalan
Abstract
Natural product leads have been the mainstay of antimalarial chemotherapy for centuries. Although the current frontline drug artemisinin (derived from Artemisia annua) continues to be a highly effective and affordable chemotherapeutic option, reports of fast spreading resistance make it highly likely that therapeutic failure is imminent. The lecture will provide an overview of the natural product options available for malaria and highlight the challenges involved in ensuring successful lead identification and optimisation. The lecture will also explore repositioning of natural product leads (i.e. screening of existing natural product –based drugs for new diseases) as an alternate strategy to fast track antimalarial drug discovery. Aspects of research carried out on two natural product extracts, Bridellia ferugenia and Emetine (Carapichea ipecacuanha) will be presented