ICBG Annual Meeting

Oma Obijiofor, DVM

The Annual meeting of International Cooperative Biodiversity Group on Drug Development and Conservation of Biodiversity in West and Central Africa was held at Division of Experimental Therapeutics, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) on Monday, July 22, 1996. Those in attendance included representatives from Fogarty International Center, NIH; U.S. Agency for International Development; National Institute of Biology and Infectious Diseases; The Healina Forest Conservancy Shaman Pharm.; Smithsonian Institution; Walter Reed Army Institute of Research; Bioresources Development & Conservation Program; University of Dschang, Cameroon; National Cancer Institute; Associate Program Leaders; ICBG Program Manager (Dr Joshua Rosenthal)-, ICBG staff and other distinguished personalities in the field of drug development and conservation.

The International Cooperative Biodiversity Group (ICBG) is a program jointly sponsored by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID) to address the related issues of biodiversity conservation and the promotion of sustained economic development through drug discovery from natural products. The program is administered by the Fogarty International Center. The key institutions and organizations collaborating in this bold initiative include the Division of Experimental Therapeutics of Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Bioresources Development and Conservation Programme, the Smithsonian Institution, University of lbadan (Nigeria), University of Dschang (Cameroon), Biodiversity Support Program (c/o WWF), Pace University New York, Southem Research Institute Alabam, University of Utah and Shaman Pharmaceuticals Inc.

The meeting started with an address by Col. Brian G. Schuster, ICBG Principal Investigator and Director, Division of Experimental Therapeutics, WRAIR. He gave a brief overview of the progress of the African ICBG. This was followed by presentation of Scientific reports by the five Associate Program Leaders. These reports included the activities of the APs as well as plans for the next year.

AP- 1, based at Center for Tropical Forest Research, Smithsonian Institution, has Dr. Elizabeth Losos as the Leader. The Smithsonian, in this Associate Program for Biodiversity Conservation, is also collaborating with Bloresources Development and Conservation Program (BDCP) in Cameroon and Nigeria. AP-1 sponsored four participants from Cameroon and Nigeria to Smithsonian/ Man and Biosphere Training course on Biodiversity Measuring and Monitoring at Front Royal, Vir(yinia, U.S.A. This intensive 5-week course provided these participants with training and a methodology for establishing long-term blodiversity monitoring programs. The training included detailed knowledge about measuring and monitoring abiotic factors, bacterial and micro-organisms, vegetation, bird populations and communities, amphibian and reptile populations, mammal populations, invertebrate populations, and freshwater fishes and aquatic invertebrates. These activities has also provided participants with a areater understanding of the breadth of disciplines involved in environmental management. It was agreed that these participants would be the key contacts to facilitate getting organizations of similar courses in their countries.

A visit by the AP- I Leader, to Cameroon was also critical in advancing AP- I plans. Preparations have been finalized for the establishment of a 50hectare plot in the Korup Forest in Cameroon. Two in-country training courses and establishment of the Small biodiversity plots headed by Dr Francesco Dallamiere have been scheduled for November and February in Cameroon and Ni-eria respectively. Participants from neighboring countries have also been invited to this training courses. It is our hope that these courses will enable participants to set up similar plots in their localities.

The Associate Program on Phytochemistry and Preliminary bioassay (AP-2), chaired by Prof Johnson Ayafor, is based at University of Dschang, Cameroon and involves BDCP Center for Aromatic and Medicinal Plant - University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Pace University and Shaman Pharmaceuticals Inc., California. AP-2 is presently supporting three Ph.D students in phytochemistry and one graduate student in in vitro anticancer screening technology. This AP, in association with AP-5, established a fully equipped laboratory for plant processing and extract bank in Nsukka, Niaeria and provided scientific equipment to the ICBG project lab at University of Dschang, Cameroon. Prof Ayafor informed us that his Associate Program has processed and extracted ] 00 medicinal plants, screened samples for activity against bacteria and fungi and established a system for screening of random collected plants. Next year, AP-2 hopes to do more extraction and install the Brine Shrimp and Potato disk assays.

Dr Joan Jackson of Walter Reed Army Institute of Research leads the Associate Program on Antiparasitic Drug Development (AP-3). This AP is providing post-doctoral training and experience on antimalartal, antileishmanial drug development. It is currently supporting the Malaria Unit at the College of Medicine, University of lbadan under the leadership of Prof Ayo Oduola. This AP also collaborates with Pace University and University of Georgia. AP-3 has screened about 200 plant extracts for malaria with 14 active substances identified; II 0 plant extracts for leishmaniasis with 42 active substances identified; 17 plant extracts for Trypanosomiasis with 3 active substances identified and 17 plant extracts for Trichomonas with 7 very active substances identified. Dr Jackson plans to carry out more screening and further tests on the active extracts in the next financial year.

Associate Program 4, Anti-viral Drug Development, is headed by Col. Brian Schuster. This AP has screened 25 extracts for HIV and identified 2 active substances. One of the plant isolates showed in vitro activity against Ebola virus. 20 plant extracts were also tested for cytotoxicity against human colon tumor cell line and 16 were active at 50ug/ml and 5 active below 5ug/ml. The AP is also providing post-doctoral experience in drug development.

The ICBG has made tremendous success in both areas of drug development and blodiversity conservation. This success would not have been possible without inputs from traditional healers and local scientists from Cameroon and Nigeria. The Associate Program on Ethnobiology, Inventory, Plant Collection & Economic value assessment provides the link between source country traditional healers and scientists and their U.S counterparts. AP5 based at Bioresources Development & Conservation Programme (BDCP) is headed by Dr. Maurice M. lwu who is also the Technical Director of African ICBG. This AP has developed a customized approach for plant selection, which involves a carefully designed ethnomedical survey, followed by chemical and biological profile of plant candidates and finally integrating the result with information from literature and chemotaxonomical evaluation to generate a highly selective prioritized list. Prior to this, a regional study on epidemiology , traditional medicine, culture and ecology of the people and their environment is conducted. This AP utilizes a multidisciplinary team of experts in botany, chemistry, biology, clinical pharmacology and medical doctors to collect and identify plants with the greatest potential for biological activity. The team has conducted six ethnobotanical field trips in Nigeria and Cameroon. AP-5 has collected over 200 plants for the treatment of various target diseases and prepared herbarium specimen for all the plants collected. This AP is also updating the database on African Medicinal Plants and maintains an inventory of plants used in the region for healing.

The ICBG objectives ensure that local communities and source countries derive maximum benefits for their biological resources and intellectual contribution through training and capacity building. BDCP has conducted two training courses in ethnobotany and field taxonomy in Cameroon and Nigeria. Two workshops on sustainable utilization of biological resources have also been held in both countries. BDCP has also held ajoint workshop with the Traditional healers association in Nigeria and conducted a workshop on production of phytomedicine and cosmetics. This AP currently supports two Ph.D students in Pharmacognosy.

AP-5 has also achieved great feats in capacity building. This AP w@is instrumental in establishing the Center for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in Nsukka, Nigeria which incorporates a medicinal plant herbarium, plant processing unit and data processing unit. A Trust Fund for Rural Development and Traditional medicine has also been established. This Trust is completely independent and will administer the funds only for the purposes outlined in its charter. This AP has also assisted Nigerian Union of Herbal Medical Complexes in Enugu and Bida (Nigeria) for health care services, formal training of herbalists and medicinal plant gardens. Assistance has also been provided by AP-5 to establish Community Forest Areas in Ehime, Mbano and Owal (Nigeria). Each community has established a consultative committee drawn from executives of village unions and professional guild of healers which makes decisions and selects priorities regarding compensations and projects. On the government level, AP-5 has refurbished Enugu Reference Herbarium and provides support to the National Institute for Phari-naceutical Research and Development, AbL'a (Nigeria). This AP plans to initiate its Economic Value Assessment program next year as well as continue plant collection, training and capacity building.

There was an open discussion session after the AP reports in which interactions with government agencies, private sectors and sustainable economic development were discussed. Other uses of blodiversity beyond pharmaceuticals were explored and management issues were also discussed.

The African ICBG team received praise and constructive contributions from the funding agencies and government scientific advisors who attended the meeting. The meeting ended with the ICBG members geared up for more progress in the forthcoming year.

Biological Resources is published monthly by The Bioresources Development and Conservation Programme. The information contained here is intended to contribute to the development of an integrated approach to biological resources management in which human needs and habitat conservation can both be accomodated.

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