Drug Discoveries from Plant Research

15Feb2023

Virtual Program

From 7:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m.

Join us for an informative evening with  leaders  in  plant  research in medicine. Dr. Barry O’Keefe of the Center for Cancer Research at the National Cancer Institute will moderate presentations from Nick Oberlies, Patricia A. Sullivan Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at University of North Carolina Greensboro, and Cassandra Quave, Curator of the Herbarium and Associate Professor of Dermatology and Human Health at Emory University. This is a one-time opportunity to hear this program.

 

Registration Required.

 

Barry O’Keefe, Ph. D.

Dr. O’Keefe is an expert in the screening of natural product extracts and the discovery of novel bioactive compounds. He has pioneered the discovery of biotherapeutics from natural products, especially in the area of antiviral proteins As Director of the Molecular Targets Program and Chief of the Natural Products Branch, Dr. O’Keefe is integral in the National Cancer Institute’s drug discovery efforts from natural product extracts.

 

Nicholas Oberlies, Ph. D.

Professor Oberlies is the Patricia A. Sullivan Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. His lab focuses on the discovery of new drug leads and the analysis of herbal remedies. This includes support from the National Institutes of Health for using fungi as a source for anticancer and antimalarial leads and the analysis/quality control of herbal remedies. Prior to joining UNCG, he spent more than a decade at Research Triangle Institute, mentored by Drs. Wall and Wani, who were the discovers of taxol and camptothecin, both of which had a major impact on cancer chemotherapy.

Cassandra Quave, Ph.D.

Professor Quave is Curator of the Herbarium and Associate Professor of Dermatology and Human Health at Emory University, where she leads natural product drug discovery research initiatives and teaches courses on medicinal plants, microbiology, and pharmacology. As a medical ethnobotanist, her work focuses on the documentation and pharmacological analysis of plants used in traditional medicine. She earned her B.S. in Biology and Anthropology from Emory University in 2000, her Ph.D. in Biology from Florida International University in 2008 and completed post-doctoral fellowships in Microbiology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (2009-2011) and Human Health at Emory University (2012). Her research focuses on the discovery of plant secondary metabolites with antimicrobial properties. This work is supported by the National Institutes of Health, industry contracts, and philanthropy.