Affecting Human Health Through Aggressive Research
In an ongoing effort to better understand the way certain compounds affect human health, Plant Bioactives Research Institute scientists conduct daily experiments that have considerable impact. Here is a brief summary of just some of the research projects currently underway:
- Anti-oxidant studies of vitamins, minerals, vegetables, medicinal plants, extracts, and isolated compounds
- Identification of the compounds in cruciferous vegetables that stimulate the production of phase II enzymes (implicated in cancer protection effects of vegetables)
- Determination of garlic’s effects on the presumed cancer-causing ras gene in colon cancer
- Identification of the possible genes involved in the prevention of cancer, especially colon cancer, by garlic compounds
- Determination of the immune effects of natural product extracts, including echinacea, on human blood cells and in laboratory animals
- Antiviral drug discovery based on leads from medicinal plants (emphasizing cold sore virus)
- Molecular weight characterizations of peptides found in thymus extracts by capillary electrophoresis and gel electrophoresis and determination of antiviral effects of thymus peptides against influenza virus in mice
- Synthesis and isolation of natural product compounds
- HPLC and GC method development and validation for analysis of compounds in plants