Can Herbology Discover Cures for Tomorrow’s Diseases?

Yeo Tiong ChiaCEOSarawak Biodiversity Centre

NationalInstituteofAllergyandInfectiousDiseasesDirectorAnthonyFauci,2016

RoyalCollegeofGeneralPractitioners,December9,2015.

$100

“Aftertwobountifulyears,thepharmaceuticalindustryexperiencedasharpdropinnewdrugapprovalsin2016.Thedecline,to22from45in2015..”-C&ENJan2017

SarawakBiodiversityCentre

VisionEnrichingLiveswith

BreakthroughInnovationsinBiodiversity

MissionToDecodeBiodiversityfortheBenefitof Mankind

ActivityBioprospecting

Sarawak’sForestEcosystemMixDipterocarpForestKerangasForestMangroveForestMontaneForestRiverineForestPeatSwampforestBeachForestShrubland

TraditionalKnowledge

Aknowledgethathasarichsourceofinformation;plantsusedasherbsinmedicinalapplications

Why traditional knowledge?

If you walking on a jungle trail, what do you see-

Antidote

Food

Sweet

Stopbleeding

This is what a traditional knowledge practitioner would see…..

Flavour

1)DocumentandConserveTraditionalKnowledge,DiscoverNewApplicationsandGenerateBenefit

PriorInformedConsent

Documentation

TKDatabase

BenefitSharing

LocationsofSBCTraditionalKnowledgeDocumentationProgramme

No.ofTKConsultativeMeetingSites 64

No.ofTKDocumentationWorkshopSites

78

No.ofIndigenousCommunities 16/28

No.ofPlantsdocumented 5,817

No.ofplantspecies(identified) 1,701

Consultativemeeting

OngoingDocumentationUpdated as of 19 September 2017

TraditionalKnowledgeDocumentation:SummaryofPlantCollection(2001– 2017)

COMMUNITY NO.OFPLANTS

Bidayuh (9sites) 1,167

Iban (23sites) 1,279

Kelabit (3sites) 478

Lun Bawang (6sites) 583

Penan (6sites) 1,094

Kayan (3sites) 185

Kenyah (5sites) 259

Melanau (5sites) 215

Bidayuh (Selako)(1site) 112

Kedayan (MixedwithIban &Lun Bawang – 1site)

62

Tabun (1site) 51

Bisaya (1site) 30

Punan (1site) 39

Malay(7sites) 156

Beketan (1site) 19

Sa’ban (1site) 65

1952752148

147

12295

9795

57

71

62

4759

42

1511

Documented Uses of PlantsMedicinal Use

Food

Ritual

Craft

Building Materials

Shampoo

Poison

Antidote

Drink

Fragrance

Flavour

Dye

Repellent

Figures as at 19 September 2017

CollectionTKDocumentation

Sorting

2)NaturalProductLibrary

Leaves

Stems

Fruits

Roots Wholeplant

Preparation

Extraction of Plant Samples

OvendryingGrinding

Extraction

DryingPlantExtracts

2Patentsgranted1Patentfiled1GIgranted2Trademark(5classes)

Natural Products Library 10ChemicallyCharacterisedCompounds

21ScentTracks

3types

Asat03.07.2017

Genomes

NaturalProductLibraryfordiscovery

Scents

607strains

Strain:20,519Extract:28,358

24,623extracts

433 E-OilTypes

Dataof2,000extracts

1Metagenome7bacterialgenomes3fungigenomes

2planttranscriptomes

• Localname:Segera (Iban),Puyau(Penan),Rukang (Lun Bawang),Kelabuno (Kelabit)

• Location:• Pulong TauNationalPark&

Ba’Kelalan• AlsofoundinPa’Ukat,Pa’Lungan,

Bario ,SBC,BRC

• Usage:Theroot(verysmallportion)isusedtotreatstomachachebyLun BawangCommunityatBakelalan.Therootisboiledwithwateranddrinktheconcoction.

Pre-clinicalinOhioStateUniversityPublicationbyUniversityofMarburgonEbolavirus

Scientificname:Aglaiastellatopilosa

Family:Meliaceae

• Localname:Baku’Bayung• Community:Lun Bawang• Scientificname:Globba atrosanguinea• Family:Zingiberaceae• Usage:

Usedascharm.Thefloweringstemisthrowntowardsthebackoftheadmiredpersontoattracthim/her.

• Localname:Tubu’Pulang• Community:Kelabit• Scientificname:Hanguana

malayana• Family:Zingiberaceae• Usage:

Totreatringworm.Fruitisslicedintohalfandappliedoninfectedarea

3)RapidScreeningCollaboration

CONFIDENTIAL 22

• Muscodor sp.forresearchonitsactivityonitseffectivenessasbiocontrolagentofGanodermadisease

• Silvestrol compoundtodetermineitseffectivenessatkillingnasopharyngealcancercells.

• Naturalproductbiosyntheticcapabilitiesbygenomesequencingandfermentationprocessofarareactinomycete strain

EffectivenessofCostus speciosus intreatingurologicaldisorders

NaturalcompoundsfromtheSarawak’sbiodiversityforneurologicaldiseasesdisorders.

Biologicalresourcesandindustrialbiomasswasteforvariousindustrialapplicationssuchasbiofuelsandnaturalchemicals

Microalgaeforfuel,food,feedandfunctionalmaterials

EvaluationofplantmaterialsfromSarawakonitssuitabilitytobeusedasingredientsforcosmetics,skincare,haircareandbiotechindustrialapplication

ScreeningofplantsforMethicillin-ResistantStaphylococcusaureus (MRSA)inhibition

TransesterificationandFattyAcidMethylEster(FAME)ProfileAnalysisforVariousSpeciesofMicroalgaeand/orYeastOil

Screeningofnewrubberdegradingbacteria

Anti-wormandanti-microbialactiveextractsinanimalhealthapplication

• PurificationandstructuralelucidationofbioactivecompoundsusingspectroscopicmethodswithDepartmentofPharmacy

• Screeningofpotentialcontrollinghighbloodsugar,anti-agingandwhitening(cosmetics)fromnaturalproductswiththeDepartmentofChemistry

Newnaturalingredientsasfoodandflavouring agents

Scientifictrainingandscreeningforrareactinomycetes fromSarawak’sbiodiversity

Silvestrol

Video:LitSara Story

ThankYou