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Harnessing Natural Products Chemistry at Monash | |||||
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One of the world's twelve biodiversity hotspots, Malaysia is exceptionally gifted with diverse flora, many of which are endemic to the particular location. Among them, many are known to possess beneficial or medicinal qualities among the natives. Ethno-botanical studies conducted suggest that at least 20% of the estimated 12,000 total higher plants possess medicinal or therapeutic properties. |
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Bioprospecting has been a key activity within many of the country's major research institutions. While many sought to conduct R&D in the conservation and commercialisation of these natural resources as the building blocks to the accumulation of “bio-wealth” for the development of biotechnology, few are experienced in establishing strong research groups which have the capacity to undertake intensive screening activities. At Monash University, Sunway Campus, housed is one such research group spear-headed by Dr. Lim Yau Yan. |
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An inorganic chemist by
training, how did Dr. Lim begin delving in bioactivity research? Between
1971 till his retirement in 1998, he has been known among the scientific
community for his work on surface active properties, Lewis acid-base
interactions and ion pairing while lecturing at University Malaya.
Herbarium samples, bioactivity screening and characterisation of active
compounds seem out of place compared to the earlier part of his
career. | |||||
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Dr. Lim Yau Yan
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“I joined
Monash University in the early days as it began to establish itself in
Malaysia,” reminisces Dr. Lim. “When we began, we had little equipment for
research. I started off with a research project on micellar copper
complexes which require little equipment.
By 2003, we had enough equipment to embark on full scale research on several areas, among them, one that caught my interest was natural products chemistry. I started off with research students doing work on the screening of antioxidant activity in tropical fruits, like mangosteen, star fruit and guava. Then we were able to move on to plants, like tea and ginger. Currently, under my supervision, my research group is working on ornamental, fern, ginger and weedy plants.” Work in the
laboratory is no less intensive as implied, with 5 postgrad students and
numerous undergrads working on various projects, the output in terms of
fundamental research is impressive. Standard protocol is in place for the
processing of samples, and screening, where antioxidant, anti-tyrosinase,
and antibacterial activity testing is routinely conducted. Isolation of
active compounds is carried out through chromatographic methods and; the
isolated compounds are characterised by GC-mass spectrometry and NMR.
However, such high end research would mean little should the beneficial
end products not be available to the masses. Hence, patenting and
potential commercialisation would occur should there be novel activities
be discovered. | |||||
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“Scientists
are here to ask fundamental questions about science,” comments Dr. Lim.
“We function by answering questions that concern us at the start. In an
attempt in answering these fundamental questions, we identify and clarify
certain -problems/issues, and then publicise our results in scientific
journals. Commercialisation then comes when people realize the potential
benefits of our research findings and push them to the
public.”
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On commercialisation, Dr. Lim acknowledges that it is a major task of the researcher to find partners willing to commercialise the products involved. Monash University is known to have a specific unit which deals with patenting and aids researchers in dealing with the business end of their research. Speaking on potentially patentable research, Dr. Lim mentioned the production of standardised extracts from herbs. “The herbal drink industry has long been a major investment area in the country. However, few if any of the companies involved in the industry actually specify or are able to specify the content of their products,” he remarked. “Currently, we are developing a method by which we will be able to extract and concentrate plant extracts and identify the composition of its contents . We are currently utilising ginger as a preliminary object of study before delving into other plants. The process, if successful, will provide the industry with the standards it needs to establish the quality of the products.” On plans for the future, Dr.
Lim has plans for retirement in the near future. “I want to go home and
look after my grandchildren,” he jokes. However, he is still looking
forward to forging further inroads in the natural products field part time
should he retire by supervising students on a sessional basis.
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| By K. C. Liew for MABIC | |||||
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