Curative effects of plants highlighted at workshop | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Curative effects of plants highlighted at workshop

Karachi: Natural products and their traditional use could play an important role in the development of remedies for diseases that are otherwise ignored by the drugs being made on commercial basis.

These views were expressed by Director International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS), Karachi University (KU), Professor Dr Muhammad Iqbal Choudhary, on the second day of the 13th International Symposium on Natural Product Chemistry.

Over 600 researchers and scientists from 40 countries are participating in the symposium, which is considered one of the most prestigious international events in the field of natural product sciences.

“The aim is to bring together the leading experts in the field of natural products sciences from all around the world and form global partnership for the sustainable utilization of natural resources for the common benefits of humanity and rapid development of the countries in the south,” an ICCBS spokesperson said. According to Dr Choudhary, modern drug development is a lengthy and expensive endeavour. “Pakistan has an enormous wealth of medicinal plants that need the attention of the authority concerned, as these reserves are depleting. Natural product chemistry has given us many novel chemicals with useful biological properties in the past. The journey of discovering fascinating molecules is yet to begin, and seemingly endless treasure of chemical space is yet to be explored.”

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