The highly successful commercial-ization of products from Aloe plants, which are native to Africa, is just one illustration of the power of bioprospecting. Through the Biotic Exploration Fund (BEF), IOCD helps a developing country set up a program for bioprospecting with its biodiversity resources. Bioprospecting links laboratory work on biodiversity by a country's scientists with local enterprises, which bring to market products based on the scientists' findings.

At the same time, bioprospecting involves a commitment to conserving a region’s biodiversity to ensure its survival and usefulness for future generations.

When a country links local scientific activity with local commercialization of the resulting products—pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, or personal care products—the country may gain revenue to benefit its peoples and serve as an incentive for putting conservation measures in place.

One example of the power of bioprospecting is Madecassol^®, a drug used for more than 25 years to treat intense burns, leprous wounds, and inflamed ulcers. It was developed from chemicals produced by the plant Centella asiatica in an effort involving scientists at the Malagasy Institute of Applied Research in Madagascar. The institute has earned valuable royalties from the drug's sales.

Another success story is Nicosan, which was developed at the Nigerian National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development. This extract from a cocktail of plant species has shown success as a treatment for sickle-cell anemia. The drug has been approved for sale in Nigeria, and its manufacturer is currently seeking approval in the US and EU.

IOCD's catalysis of bioprospecting programs in developing countries has proven effective in Africa:

• In 1996 South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and IOCD scientists cooperated in organizing a bioprospecting workshop with university researchers, traditional healers, and other organizations. Today, CSIR is pursuing a robust bioprospecting program in full compliance with the UN Convention on Biodiversity.
• In 1998 IOCD cooperated with the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in Nairobi, Kenya, to establish a bioprospecting program that continues to expand and prosper.
• In 1998, noting the success of the Kenyan initiative, a group of scientists in Uganda contacted IOCD with a request for assistance to establish bioprospecting in their country. In April 2005, with IOCD cooperation, the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology convened the National Conference on Bioprospecting, entitled “Bioprospecting for Economic Development.” Recommendations of this conference called for establishment of the National Centre for Bioprospecting in Uganda.
• To facilitate passage of essential legislation on biodiversity by the Uganda parliament, the Uganda Minister of Planning has requested that IOCD convene in March 2007 a consultative briefing with members of Parliament, university vice chancellors, entrepreneurs and representatives of indigenous peoples.

In promoting bioprospecting, IOCD strives to comply with the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Charles Weiss and Thomas Eisner, both of whom helped to launch IOCD's BEF, discuss some of the challenges and useful strategies of bioprospecting in their article "Partnerships for value-added through bioprospecting," Technology in Society, 20, 481-498 (1998). For reprints, please contact IOCD.

Kim Lewis and Fred Ausubel have recently published a detailed analysis of strategies for bioprospecting specifically aimed at developing antibacterials. The citation is K Lewis & FM Ausubel, 'Prospects for plant-derived antibacterials', Nat Biotech 24(12), 1504-7, December 2006. The PDF is available on Kim Lewis' lab page.

Jacques Gaillard and colleagues describe the work of the Malagasy Institute of Applied Research on page 170 of the UNESCO Science Report 2005.

The BEF was created in 1995 when the US National Academy of Sciences asked IOCD to work with Thomas Eisner of Cornell University. Renowned for his pioneering work in chemical ecology, Eisner wished to create a fund to support bioprospecting worldwide. Initial funding to set up the BEF came from the National Academy, the American Chemical Society, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, UNESCO, and the Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development. (For links, see the Funding page.)