Word: extracted
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...years of research and cost up to $300 million. But initial screening can now be done in a matter of days without using animals. Molecular biologists are able to isolate enzymes that can trigger human diseases, then expose those enzymes to a plant's chemical compounds. If a plant extract blocks the action of a particular enzyme--say, one that promotes a skin inflammation--they know the plant has drug potential. By extracting specific chemicals from the leaves, roots or bark with a series of solvents and testing each sample individually, scientists can determine which of the plant's thousands...
...cure for hepatitis. Cox quickly found that he could not just casually go into the forest and gather the bark because 1) there are two varieties of the tree, and the bark of only one is effective, and 2) only trees of a certain size produce the desired extract...
...your basic lab experiment, akin to those bubbling in high school chemistry labs every week. In this case, the goal was to determine whether plant samples from the Ecuadorian rain forest contained chemical properties that could be used to combat diabetes. Immerse the leaves in an alcohol extract, then a water extract, and see what happens...
What set this particular test apart, however, was the ensuing debate--one that scientists at Shaman Pharmaceuticals, the cutting-edge company conducting the research, will never forget. At issue was whether or not to throw a live crab into the extract, just as native healers do. "We're thinking, How important could that be, for God's sake?" says Lisa Conte, president and CEO of Shaman. "But wouldn't you know, of the three extracts, the one with the crab in it was the only one that showed activity." Turns out that a component in a crab's shell...
Shaman is beginning to prove the point, having identified more than 3,000 possible sources of new drugs while sampling about 100 plants each year. The company's first product, Provir, is an extract of plant material used to combat acute diarrhea in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Currently in Phase 2 clinical trials, it could be on the market in as little as three years. A topical ointment for herpes infection and an oral antifungal agent are also in the pipeline...