Mission

Understand better the small molecules of the living world.

Research

qNMR - Quant NMR
qREF - Botanical qReference Materials
Dreiding Exchange - Molecular Models
CCC - Countercurrent Chromatography
Publications
Research Topics - Extended Research Information
Collaborate & Jobs

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Pharmacognosy PhD - Graduate Program

Courses - Pharmacy, Pharmacognosy, Natural Products

Background

Secondary metabolites from natural sources across the phylogenetic tree have always played an important role in physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, drug discovery and pharmaceutical analysis. Their separation, analysis and pharmacological evaluation are core elements of modern pharmacognosy, representing an interdisciplinary field of research. Insight into the overwhelming complexity of the total pool of secondary metabolites produced by any single organism (metabolome) requires development of innovative (bio)-analytical methodology such as countercurrent chromatography (CCC) and quantitative NMR (qNMR). This requirement continues to hold for those metabolites that today are classified as 'small molecules', which open the door to an incredibly large and very important part of nature's chemical space. The design of innovative separation technology and spectroscopic methods for structural analysis and purity determination, combined with qualitative and quantitative analysis of bioactive principles and their in-depth biological evaluation, are important aspects of secondary metabolome research. Such bio-analytical contributions can advance interdisciplinary research projects and create new insights of biomedical relevance, which can impact current practice and future paradigms in contemporary healthcare research.