Chemistry International
Vol. 21, No.3, May 1999

1999, Vol. 21
No. 3 (May)
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Chemistry International
Vol. 21, No. 3
May 1999

News from IUPAC

Research and Trainng in Medicial Chemistry in South and Central America and Sub-Saharan Africa

Introduction
Work Rationale
General Considerations
Survey Recipients
Results and Analysis of the Answers Received
Cooperation in Practical Training, Teaching and Research in Medicinal Chemistry
Comments
A Crucial Time for Collaboration in Medicinal Chemistry

Survey Recipients
Addressees of the survey included South and Central American countries and sub-Saharan Africa. Ten surveys were distributed by mail to recipients in Chile (B. K. Cassels and S. Sepúlveda-Boza), Perú (E. Montoya), Nigeria (M. O. Fatope and S. A. Adesanya), Cameroon (N. Barthelemy and B. L. Sondengam), Zimbabwe (L. F. S. Chagonda), Ethiopia (D. Abate), and Madagascar (P. Rasoanaivo).

Surveys were carried out directly by way of interviews in 15 countries of South and Central America. Interviewees included Argentina (G. D. Ferraro), Bolivia (A. G. Turba), Brazil (A. Braga de Oliveira, A. J. Lapa, and E. Barreiro), Colombia (R. Pinz�n), Costa Rica (G. A. Mora), Cuba (R. Pell�n), Chile (B. Cassels, E. González, and P. Huenchunir), Ecuador (X. Chiriboga), Guatemala (A. Cáceres), Panamá (M. P. Gupta), Paraguay (E. A. Ferro), Peru (E. Montoya and O. Lock), Dominican Republic (M. Vásquez), Uruguay (E. Manta and G. Seoane), and Venezuela (J. N. Domínguez).

Results and Analysis of the Answers Received
Results and analysis are grouped according to the four areas described under "General Considerations" above.

Teaching of Medicinal Chemistry

In this section of the questionnaire, a request was made for information concerning the type of institution where medicinal chemistry is taught, the strong points and deficiencies observed in the system, and the perceived needs and actual situation concerning collaboration with other countries.

The fundamental situation is that teaching of medicinal chemistry, as currently defined, is not present at all in the developing countries; however, complementary disciplines such as organic chemistry, pharmacognosy, and pharmacology are considered. In some cases, studies in medicinal chemistry are related to the identification and preparation of biologically active chemical entities, not new chemical entities.

Results of the surveys indicate that studies related to medicinal chemistry are dispersed throughout different institutions and reflect interest in considering medicinal chemistry as a new discipline to be included in the curriculum.

Interesting initiatives have been found in the promotion of medicinal chemistry education. One noteworthy example is that of a group of professors from Brazil (56 Schools of Pharmacy) who are working on new study programs, both academic and training, incorporating internationally recognized tools. This type of initiative is not unique in South America, and a Peruvian group can be cited as one more example. Argentina is yet another interesting case where studies in medicinal chemistry are adapted to current parameters used by those countries with a long tradition in this specialty.

From a teaching standpoint, the needs are, in general, substantial and important. Three areas require scrutiny: (1) teaching staff, (2) reference literature, and (3) reagents and equipment. Teaching staff, in general, are well trained and quite interested in the subject. Very often, many of these professors have had long stays in prestigious universities and research centers as part of their training. Making adjustments within the field of education to allow professors from related disciplines to contribute to the task of teaching medicinal chemistry does not appear to present special difficulties. From a reference literature standpoint, important needs have been found. Lack of a research tradition, vital for consolidating libraries of reference materials, and economic problems in coping with the cost of these essential tools have contributed to important deficiencies in the bibliographic area. Lack of adequate reagents is equally important. Once again, the economic aspects conflict with the teaching practice.

Aid is needed in all three areas of teaching. Experts are needed to give courses in the various institutions surveyed. These experts need to be able to collaborate in drafting training programs and to be able to receive professors for training in their universities. Material aid for acquisition of reference literature and of supplies for practical training in laboratories is a foremost necessity. In addition, inadequate maintenance of laboratory equipment by supplier companies is a frequent problem.

Research in Medicinal Chemistry

This section of the questionnaire investigated the offerings and needs of research centers and personnel dedicated to the study of medicinal chemistry.

Research in medicinal chemistry in the countries surveyed is and has historically been centered almost exclusively on the field of natural products. This situation can be traced to considerable historical knowledge of plants with medicinal activity in cultures whose origins are very remote, and to the circumstance that little effort has been put into technology and scientific investigation in the search for and improvement of active compounds by molecular manipulation.

All those who answered the questionnaire showed great interest in not being mere suppliers of plants. In order to upgrade medicinal chemistry research in developing countries by taking natural products as a starting point, it is necessary to consider the following:

  • Strengths: correct identification of plants (in general, good botanists exist in these countries), gathering of plant material, and preparation of extracts.
  • Weaknesses: difficulties in determination of biological activities, validation of extracts, determination of structures responsible for specific biological activity, and industrialization and commercialization.

Independent of the degree of scientific development, there is considerable interest in entering the field of medicinal chemistry research. Scientific authorities in the countries surveyed are particularly interested in collaborating on research relevant to natural products with biological activity. Most importantly, authorities of the countries studied consider the active plants to be part of their heritage and a possible source of wealth. They are aware of the fact that they are obliged to attempt, by all means, to retain the greater part of the resulting capital gains. In some cases, bureaucratic requirements necessary for obtaining plants or extracts from their place of origin are overwhelming, and failure to satisfy these requirements can result in judicial action.

Opportunities for Development of Research, Teaching, and Training in Medicinal Chemistry

Although natural products are of greatest interest to the countries surveyed, possibilities for collaboration with countries that are leading the way in research and education in medicinal chemistry are so diverse that they could cover practically any area of interest in the therapeutic field.

In a true sense of collaboration, it is important to work on questions that are characteristic of the countries surveyed. A representative example is Chagas' disease, or malaria. There are also diseases, such as AIDS, that were once restricted to certain countries but are now a universal problem. An illness such as diarrhea, no longer considered to be a significant problem in developed countries, is of great concern in the countries surveyed. Ophthalmologic diseases are another example of interest to developing societies, where there is a different focus from that in developed countries. The approach to treating these diseases can be considered, at least partially, from a medicinal chemistry standpoint.

All of the aforementioned examples are of interest to countries that are developing medicinal chemistry programs. The point here is that working collaboratively on these issues is not only resulting in a great contribution to development of and interaction with other societies, but it is also leading to the discovery of new opportunities for those societies that have found their way into the field of medicinal chemistry.

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