The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy’s National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR) again played host to the 12th Annual Oxford International Conference on the Science of Botanicals (ICSB) this past week.
The conference took place at the Oxford Conference Center, bringing scientists from more than 19 countries to Oxford.
They discussed medicinal plants, dietary supplements and the latest research innovations in natural products chemistry and botanicals.
David D. Allen, dean of the school of pharmacy and executive director of research at the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, was thrilled to have this meeting in Oxford again to make a difference internationally.
“We are so lucky to host the International Conference on the Science of Botanicals every year in Oxford,” Allen said.
“The conference brings in scientists from across the globe, which is always very exciting for us. We are confident that the work highlighted at the conference will have a great impact on an international scale.”
The first day of the conference focused on federal regulation, giving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the opportunity to interact with industry representatives to resolve issues and improve the safety and quality of many products on the market today.
“The biggest issue with the dietary supplements that are being sold in the market is testing and quality,” said Ikhlas Khan, assistant director of the NCNPR and director of the center’s FDA Center for Excellence on Botanical Dietary Supplement Research.
“The FDA is trying to identify that the dietary supplements are safe and the quality product for the consumer.”
Khan wants everyone, especially students, to be wary of unsafe natural products.
“People have to be very careful, and now most of the products on the market are targeting college kids,” Khan said.
“They have to be careful; just because it says it is natural doesn’t mean that it is safe.”
Allen thinks that students should appreciate the international appeal that the university’s research is bringing to Ole Miss.
“I think that our students should be aware that the research conducted on botanicals at The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy and National Center for Natural Products Research attracts international attention,” Allen said. “The ICSB conference reflects that.”
Olivier Rabin was this year’s keynote speaker. Rabin, the science director for the World Anti-Doping Agency, is an expert in pharmaceutical research and development. During the conference he spoke about dietary supplements that are being used in the athletic world.
Other speakers spoke on subjects such as authenticating, cultivating, collecting and processing plants in a manner that results in quality products.
During the conference, students who belong to the American Society of Pharmacognosy (ASP) or have been mentored by an ASP member participated in a poster contest to share their research. Students competed to win two travel awards, which will cover the cost of their travels to further their research.
Khan said the school enjoys hosting the event, since it brings great international attention to the school and the program.
“The school of pharmacy feels good about hosting the international conference here year after year,” said Khan.
“The school of pharmacy gets a lot of recognition from the global side. The NCNPR program that is run at the school of pharmacy also gets recognized. It brings a lot of credibility and reputation to the school.”
The NCNPR partnered with the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition to support the conference.
Joining them in their support are China’s Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica/CAS, India’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Indigenous Medicine, Germany’s Society for Medicinal Plant Research and the American and Korean societies of pharmacognosy.
