Sustainable and efficient
DRUG research has evolved over the years. Apart from the many changes and breakthroughs in the process of drug discovery, emphasis is now placed on sustainability. More efficient and lower cost routes in synthesising compounds for therapeutic purposes are desired to integrate sustainability in pharmaceutical research and development.
Botanicals have been used as medicines for centuries either in their original form, as extracts or partly purified natural products. Many drugs have been inspired by nature such as aspirin.
However, plant-powered drug discovery has taken a back seat when pure synthetic compounds could be designed, generated and screened easily with advances such as combinatorial chemistry, high throughput screening (HTS), computational modelling, and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.
But the interest in studying plants in drug discovery has been renewed now that researchers have started appreciating them in different ways.
Dr Yeong Keng Yoon from the School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, states that we could view plants as factories for chemical feedstocks.
“Plants with no available or limited commercial value; food waste, and by-products from processes can be recycled to produce functional materials and chemicals in drug discovery and development. Inedible waste material presents clear environmental and financial advantages over natural products derived from crops grown for that purpose,” Dr Yeong says.
Due to their nature, naturally occurring plant fragments have unique three-dimensional (3D) properties, high fraction of sp3 carbon atoms (Fsp3), low aromaticity, and large chemo diversities, which represent good opportunities for developing novel drugs.
He adds that although numerous waste products from natural sources have been investigated for bio activities, their potential as a precursor of drugs has been relatively underexplored. Many naturally sourced materials lack a clear advantage over synthetic drugs in potency and bioavailability.
“However, these materials could be fine-tuned to be used as an initial template for drug discovery, where the common disadvantages associated with a “pure” natural product-based drug could potentially be addressed. Economy-wise, it will also be great if we can turn these natural wastes into highvalue products.
“One of my currently funded projects explores the feasibility of using cocoa bean shell waste as a sustainable, low-cost starting material for developing novel antimicrobial agents. Antimicrobial resistance is one of the biggest threats to global health.
“The control of antimicrobial resistance, which is a World Health Organization (WHO) goal, would be a significant step to reduce the overall healthcare burden. Lowering the costs of therapy by developing new drugs based on inexpensive resources is thus a practical approach to be pursued,” Dr Yeong shares.
The project target pathogens that are highly virulent with growing multidrug resistance, such as the ESKAPE pathogens that have created a significant health burden globally. Cocoa shell waste is estimated at 52–76% of the cocoa fruit. A ton of dry cocoa beans produced generates approximately ten tons of cocoa shell waste, which generally remains underexploited.
Retooling cocoa waste is an obvious choice as Malaysia ranks among the top cocoa-producing countries in the world. Thus, we have an abundance of cocoa waste at our disposal. Biologically useful compounds harvested from cocoa waste include caffeine, theobromine and catechin.
“The first step is to identify the compounds we want to work with. The subsequent challenge is to find strategies to synthesise biologically active novel compounds using environmentally friendlier ways,” Dr Yeong says.
This multidisciplinary project derives expertise from the School of Science and School of Pharmacy at Monash University Malaysia, and the School of Chemistry at Monash University. It also involves external partners such as the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) and the Malaysian Cocoa Board.
The project is relevant to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing).
Malaysia and the Asean region are among the largest producers of agricultural products. This opens the exciting possibilities to engage these countries as crucial players in drug discovery and development.
“Retooling cocoa waste is an obvious choice as Malaysia ranks among the top cocoa producing countries in the world. Biologically useful compounds harvested from cocoa waste include caffeine, theobromine and catechin.”