Our Aims

Connecting people dedicated to all aspects of natural product research from academia, industry and stakeholders, & Fostering basic and applied research in various fields of medicinal plants and natural product research, which includes …

Horticulture of Medicinal Plants

  • Breeding and cultivation of medicinal plants
  • In vitro propagation of medicinal plants
  • Gene discovery and understanding of genetic diversity of medicinal plants
  • Plant-environment interaction (e.g. with microorganism, insect)
  • Biogenesis and biosynthesis of natural compounds
  • Biotechnology and gene technology for production of natural compounds
  • Molecular biology and genetic engineering
  • Metabolic engineering: Engineering and heterologous assembly of metabolic pathways

Pharmacognosy and Natural Product Chemistry

  • Identification and authentication of the organisms delivering natural compounds
  • Extraction, isolation and identification of natural compounds including development of new techniques and materials for these purposes
  • Chemistry of any substance produced by living organisms or parts of
  • Search for new biologically active natural compounds from marine and terrestrial organisms, bacteria, fungi, and plants
  • Analysis of multicomponent mixtures including omics studies and development of new analytical techniques and materials
  • Development of OMIC methods and technologies

Biological and Pharmacological Activities

  • Biology and pharmacology of natural compounds and herbal preparations
  • Mode of action and molecular targets of natural compounds
  • Pharmacokinetics of natural compounds and herbal preparations
  • Use and development of assays to assess the bioactivity of herbal preparations and natural compounds
  • Proof of efficacy of natural compounds and herbal preparations
  • Preclinical studies with natural compounds and herbal preparations
  • Ethnopharmacology

Technological Approaches, Formulation and Delivery Systems

  • Manufacturing process for the design of traditional and innovative HDP and HMP
  • Quality control of HD, HDP and HMP
  • Novel excipients and dosage forms of extracts and natural products
  • Bioequivalence of HDP and HMP
  • Design and development of drug delivery and controlled release systems for systemic and local applications of HDP and natural products
  • Strategies and formulations for controlled natural product transport across biological barriers
  • Micro- and nanocarriers including vesicles, polymeric particles, lipid based particles, micelles, dendrimers
  • Preclinical and pharmacokinetic studies of formulations
  • Regulatory affairs of HMPs and related products

Phytotherapy, Animal Healthcare and Veterinary Medicine

  • Improvement of known phytomedicines and herbal medicinal products (HMP)
  • Clinical studies with natural compounds and HMP
  • Evidence based and traditional phytotherapy with HMP
  • Pharmacovigilance of HMP: safety, side effects and interactions of HMP
  • Medicinal plant products and their use in animal health care

Basic & Applied Research

  • Plant cell and tissue culture
  • Biogenesis and biosynthesis of natural compounds
  • Plant biotechnology in the production of natural compounds
  • Molecular biology and plant genetics
  • Metabolic engineering and synthetic biology