Biodiversity Exploration

INTRODUCTION

Countries with rich biodiversity are now more aware of their responsibility to preserve their rich heritage while at the same time exploiting them in a sustainable way so as to gain economically from this biodiversity. After the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992, these countries (especially developing countries, where most of the world’s biodiversity is found) have become aware of the potential of these biological resources for use and commerce, especially in the pharmaceutical industry.

Malaysia has about 12,000 species of flowering plants, of which more than a thousand are said to be medicinal. Serious phytochemical work on our plants started less than 50 years ago although their medicinal use had been reported much earlier (Burkill 1935). Since UKM is a relatively young university (established in 1970), only in 1980 did it have sufficient manpower to embark on conservation of and research on plants with potential for medicinal use.

 

RESEARCH FOCUS

The group focuses on three items that are relevant to biodiversity but with a multi-disciplinary approach. All research proposals should include the following items:

Biodiversity as the template

  • The mission of the group is to use the abundance of biodiversity in the country as a target and a necessary template. Research proposals should look into any of the flora or fauna present in Malaysia without focusing on inventory and documentary only

Primary and secondary metabolites as the target

  • Focus on the primary and secondary metabolites from flora and fauna, their role in systems biology but with less focus on pharmcognosy and bioactivity studies

Research approaches using techniques related to biotechnology

  • The use of recent techniques in biotechnology to harness the role and functions of the metabolites in biological systems

 

BIODIVERSITY EXPLORATION GROUP

  • Mitragynine Secondary Metabolites
  • Biodiversity and Biotechnology Governance
  • Chemical Biology

 

Biodiversity Exploration Roadmap

 

CLUSTER LEADER: EMERITUS PROF. DATO’ DR. MD. IKRAM MOHD. SAID

School of Chemical Sciences and Food Technology

Faculty of Science and Technology

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

43600 Bangi, Selangor

Tel: 603-89214554

Email: kiam@ukm.edu.my