Anti-Malaria Anti-Malaria ConsortiumConsortiumDr Maureen WolfsonDr Maureen Wolfson

wolfson@sanbi.orgwolfson@sanbi.org

South Africa has a rich South Africa has a rich tradition of medicinal plant tradition of medicinal plant useuse

70%+ of the population 70%+ of the population consult approx. 200 000 consult approx. 200 000 Traditional HealersTraditional Healers

400 million usage events / 400 million usage events / yearyear

(N Crouch)(N Crouch)

Indigenous Knowledge on Indigenous Knowledge on Plant UsePlant Use

Plants: Why Drugs Plants: Why Drugs from?from?

• Natural products - historically useful leads

• Extensive ethnomedicinal plant use and knowledge in SA

• SA’s rich floral diversity:

• 10% of earth’s vascular plants on 0.2% of it’s surface

• Between 24 000 - 30 000 taxa

• 80% endemic - 13 families and 560 genera

• The world’s richest botanical hotspot: The Cape Floristic Region (Fynbos), with 6 000 endemic taxa

(N Crouch)

Ethnomedicinal Approach Ethnomedicinal Approach Helps to Narrow the SearchHelps to Narrow the Search (N (N

Crouch)Crouch)

24 000 plant taxa in southern 24 000 plant taxa in southern AfricaAfrica

7000 recorded ethnomedicinal 7000 recorded ethnomedicinal plantsplants

600 associated with malaria or 600 associated with malaria or feverfever

[210 taxa selected for [210 taxa selected for antimalarial screening]antimalarial screening]

Plant Selection Plant Selection ProcedureProcedure

EthnomedicinalEthnomedicinal ChemosystematicChemosystematic

OtherDevelop novel

drugs from PLANTS

Note:Data sourced by literature searching(N Crouch)

Product Development PipelineProduct Development Pipeline

Act 10 requires Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Act 10 requires Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) agreements with communities and genetic resource agreements with communities and genetic resource holders, as well as permits at this stageholders, as well as permits at this stage

BasicResearch

DevelopmentValidationof efficacyand safety

Upscaling ofproduct andinitial agro-processing

Manufacturing

Proof of principle Proof of conceptTechnology

transfer

Plant Product

Consortium Consortium PartnersPartners

Medical Research CouncilMedical Research Council University of Cape TownUniversity of Cape Town Council for Scientific and Industrial Council for Scientific and Industrial

ResearchResearch SANBISANBI University of Western CapeUniversity of Western Cape University of PretoriaUniversity of Pretoria

Genetic Resource usedGenetic Resource used Aim to develop new medicines based Aim to develop new medicines based

on indigenous plants and indigenous on indigenous plants and indigenous knowledge for the treatment of knowledge for the treatment of malaria.malaria.

Agreements:Agreements:Consortium Benefit sharing Consortium Benefit sharing

AgreementAgreementTrust Fund AgreementTrust Fund Agreement

Agreed benefitsAgreed benefits Multidisciplinary scientific activityMultidisciplinary scientific activity Capacity buildingCapacity building Technology transferTechnology transfer Development of affordable Development of affordable

anti-malaria drugsanti-malaria drugs Cultivation and agroprocessingCultivation and agroprocessing Develop a technology platform for SA Develop a technology platform for SA

with the elements of the value chain with the elements of the value chain for drug discovery.for drug discovery.

Benefit-sharingBenefit-sharing Any financial benefits through Any financial benefits through

royalties divided in two with 50% royalties divided in two with 50% benefits being divided equally by benefits being divided equally by consortium partners and 50% to be consortium partners and 50% to be deposited in a Trust Fund to be deposited in a Trust Fund to be shared with stakeholders who shared with stakeholders who provided resources or knowledge.provided resources or knowledge.

Benefits realised to dateBenefits realised to date Couple of promising leads being Couple of promising leads being

investigated furtherinvestigated further Extensive database on medicinal Extensive database on medicinal

plantsplants The consortium approach has The consortium approach has

promoted multidisciplinary research, promoted multidisciplinary research, information, technology transfer, information, technology transfer, capacity building and innovationcapacity building and innovation