Associate Program 3: Isolation and Structure Elucidation of Bioactive Natural Products from Endophytic Fungi and Marine Bacteria

Associate Program Leader: Luis Cubilla-Ríos
University of Panama

Principle Researchers: Luis Cubilla Ríos (University of Panama) and Marcelino Gutiérrez-Guevara (INDICASAT)

The overall goals of AP3 include the culturing of endophytic fungi from terrestrial plants and marine algae as well as heterotrophic bacteria associated with marine invertebrates, in order to provide chemical isolation and structure elucidation support to the ICBG drug discovery program, as outlined in AP1 and AP2.

Aims:
1. To collect, isolate and culture heterotrophic bacteria from marine invertebrates
2. To use bioassay results from AP2 to select and culture microbes for isolation of their active constituents from pre-fractionated extracts or extracts
3. To apply state-of-the-art structure elucidation technology, featuring 2D-NMR and mass spectrometry to determine the structures of new and bioactive compounds
4. To train students at various levels from the US and Panama in the multidisciplinary science of modern natural products chemistry
5. To work with the other AP programs and our industrial partners to advance molecules into the drug development process, and to seek their application as research biochemicals
6. To promote our discoveries of valuable bioactive molecules into the economic sector, and to use these discoveries as tools for justifying and directing conservation in Panama

Personnel:

* Luis Cubilla-Ríos (University of Panama)

Sergio Martínez, Postdoctoral scientist
Lilia Cherigo, Postdoctoral scientist
Edwin Arauz, Chemist
Carlos Ríos, Chemist
Itzel Adames, M.Sc. student
Eufemio Molinar, undergraduate student

* Marcelino Gutiérrez-Guevara, [Institute of Advanced Scientific Investigations and High Technology Services (INDICASAT)]

Daniel Torres-Mendoza, Chemistry
Zeuz Capitan-Barrios, Microbiology