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Dr. John Thor Arnason | The Future of Medicinal Biodiversity: Plants and Other Organisms. | CACOR Zoom Presentation | 2022-09-07
September 7, 2022 @ 13:30 - 15:30 EDT
Speaker: Dr. John Thor Arnason
Topic: The Future of Medicinal Biodiversity: Plants and Other Organisms.
Time: Sep 7, 2022 13:30 Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Summary:
Plants, marine organisms, bacteria and other species have provided or inspired the development of many medicines. Medicinal organisms are subject to the major threats to all biodiversity including habitat loss, climate change and invasive species. As well commercial exploitation has led to extirpation of many local populations and intellectual property rights are a continuing area of controversy over ownership. On a more positive note reconciliation with Indigenous people has renewed their interest in medicinal species and their collaboration on conservation in projects world wide.
Biography:
John Thor Arnason. PhD. is Distinguished Professor of Biology (emeritus) at the University of Ottawa where he has conducted research in phytochemistry, medicinal plants and ethnopharmacology for many years. The Arnason lab at has carried out ethnobotanical projects in Belize, Borneo, Togo, E. Timor and Nunavut which identified of new botanical insecticides, antimalarials, antifungals, antivirals etc. At the invitation of the Cree Health Board and as a member of the CIHR team on aboriginal antidiabetic medicines, his research group participated in studies with Cree elders on the efficacy and safety of traditional foods and medicines for antidiabetic complications. They identified traditionally used plants and their active principles with glucose lowering activity or capacity to overcome insulin resistance. Recently his group has reported on medicinal plant conservation and use in community-based health programs in collaboration with Q’eqchi’ Maya healers and Costa Rican colleagues.