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| Dr. Tuah Jenta, Biochemist, Sarawak MediChem Pharmaceuticals. |
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MediChem Research, Inc. Chemist prepares samples to run tests on the HPLC.
© Sarawak MediChem Pharmaceuticals. |
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A New Malay-U.S. Company Tests the Drug
Both managing and protecting the rain forests require international cooperation. Whenever NCI licenses a drug for development, the country where the plant was discovered must receive compensation. NCI gave the license for (+)-calanolide A and (-)-calanolide B to MediChem Research Inc., a small Chicago company. MediChem then entered into a joint venture with the government of Sarawak to form a new company, Sarawak MediChem Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Dr. Tuah Jenta, the biochemist from Sarawak who was interviewed for this story, is overseeing the development of these new drugs. (+)-calanolide A is in clinical trials right now, and (-)-calanolide B is in pre-clinical trials. The outlook is promising.
Nature's Medicine Cabinet is Being Rifled
According to the first international survey of plant diversity, at least one out of every eight known plant species--approximately 34,000 in number--is now threatened with extinction, or nearly extinct.
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