We have started the Prairie to Pharmacy Project at the University of Lethbridge. The goal of this project is to identify novel compounds from prairie plants which have beneficial pharmaceutical properties. To reach this goal, we have drawn from the strengths of the human and natural resources of southern Alberta. We are working with Dr John Bain, Professor in botany, director of the University Herbarium; with Mr Conrad Littleleaf, Elder of the Pikanii Nation; and Professor Emeritus Leroy Little Bear, University of Lethbridge, to find prairie plants that have medicinal properties and then test them for biological activity in specific assays. To start, we focus on anti-cancer activities, which is one of the research strengths of the Cancer Cell Laboratory. Our approach, which is sometimes called ethnobiological research, has been succesful in other regions in the world, but it has not been actively pursued in Alberta. We predict that plants from southern Alberta contain novel compounds that have anti-cancer activity, or other activities directed to unmet medical needs.
Stay tuned...
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