Duration: 1/7/2020 – 1/7/2022
Sector: Health, Research
Donor: Global Challenges Research Fund, UK
Description:
The aim of this project is to develop drugs to treat liver cancer, a critical health problem in Viet Nam, using Vietnamese natural products, expertise, and industry. The objectives of the project are: in order of highest immediate potential gain are:
(1) Improve and scale-up chemical extraction and purification protocols of the natural product madecassic acid and related compounds from Centella Asiatica (C. Asiatica)
(2) Identify cellular targets of madecassic acid using chemical biology for informed drug development
(3) Strategically broaden the library of madecassic acid derivatives synthesised and examine their cellular effects, to drive optimal drug candidate selection
(4) Develop polymer prodrug formulations for targeted delivery and sustained release of madecassic acid derivatives
(5) Improve yield and phytochemical content of C. Asiatica grown through agricultural development in Thanh Hoa province
(6) Lay foundations for success by establishing a network of scientists, clinicians, and industrialists in Viet Nam and the UK to advance towards clinical trial, and by surveying the populace to discover attitudes to drugs based on C. Asiatica.
In terms of potential long term gain, the target is to get a liver cancer drug to the people of Viet Nam. For immediate benefits, farmers in one of the poorest regions in the country can benefit from C. asiatica products which already have a very large market in Viet Nam.
Within the research, AMDI will be responsible for contract management and coordination of project activities in Vietnam and implement social research component. This is the second cooperation between AMDI and University of Kent and the 1st cooperation between AMDI and the the Institute of Chemistry at Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) which highlight close and potential partnership in the future.