Bio Prospecting and Indigenous Knowledge

Bio Prospecting - Introduction

Bio prospecting or biodiversity prospecting is the exploration of microorganisms, wild plants and animals for commercially valuable genetic and bio-chemical resources.

In many cases, bio prospecting is a search for useful organic compounds in microorganisms, plants and fungi that grow in extreme environments such as rainforests, deserts and hot springs.

Humankind has been studying, manipulating and exploiting natural diversity ever since the emergence of Homo sapiens over 150,000 years ago. Our early ancestors explored biodiversity and learned how to derive benefits from nature.

Early bio prospecting led to the improvement of methods for growing food, building shelters and maintaining health. Modern-day bio prospecting is simply an extension of our long history of exploring nature to improve the quality of our life.

Most of the raw materials for biotechnology oriented industry comes from the wild rainforests of the southern hemisphere. For example, many scientists believe that the cures for AIDS, cancer and other diseases lie hidden in these green vegetation.

The main objectives of bio prospecting are to fulfill economic and conservation goals and to enhance medical and agricultural advances needed to combat disease and sustain a growing human population.  Agencies- scientific and corporates, use the folk wisdom of indigenous people to locate and understand the use of medicinal plants. Then this knowledge is commercially exploited. There needs a partnership between business men, academicians and with indigenous people to effectively utilise the ‘green gold’ (the plants and animals with properties which businesses could use for new products and services) of bio prospecting.

Academic Work and Bio Prospecting- Case of Taq Polymerase:

Dr. Thomas Brock (1966) studied microorganisms living in yellow stone’s hot springs. He named one of the curious microorganism he isolated Thermus aquaticus. This microorganism lives and thrives in water so hot that it would kill an ordinary animal. Dr. Brock grew Thermus aquaticus in the laboratory and gave a living sample to the American Type Culture Collection for safe keeping. Dr. Brock’s work was an academic one.

In 1985, a biotechnology company named Cetus Corporation was developing a new way to duplicate genetic material. Dr. Kary Mullis, working at Cetus corporation invented a way to duplicate DNA, called Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).

But the high temperatures required by PCR destroyed the polymerase enzymes and fresh enzymes had to be added throughout the PCR process. Scientists at Cetus isolated an enzyme, named Taq polymerase, from Thermus aquaticus, which can withstand high temperatures of PCR process. PCR using Taq polymerase was so effective that a whole new scientific field has flourished as scientists finally had a convenient way to study DNA.

Thus, Dr. Brock’s academic work in Yellow stone had a practical application that he never imagined in his academic career.

 Bio Prospecting and Indigenous Knowledge

Indigenous Knowledge is the knowledge possessed by the local community- the unique knowledge confined to a particular culture or society. It is also known as local knowledge, folk knowledge, traditional wisdom or traditional science.

Indigenous traditional knowledge collected from places traditionally inhabited by indigenous people, help to easily identify valuable chemical compounds from plants, animals and microorganisms of that locality. A knowledge about the working of indigenous remedies and preparation offer clues to the nature of chemical compounds involved. This knowledge can be shared across different places, later

Usually, one in 10,000 chemicals derived from mass screening of plants, animals and microbes eventually results in a potentially profitable drug. Indigenous knowledge oriented approach is less expensive and more focused.

 In India, a well-known example of bio prospecting and benefit sharing is the Kani- TBGRI (Tropical Botanic Garden & Research Institute) – model in Kerala.

Kani is a tribal community inhabiting the southern Western Ghats in Kerala. In 1987, scientists from the TBGRI undertook an ethno botanical study in the tribal inhabited Western Ghat regions in Kerala.

They got an interesting ethno botanical information on a wild plant Trichophus zeylanicus, locally called “Arogyapacha” by the kani tribe. The Kani tribals accompanying the scientists, reported that eating fruits of this plant kept them energetic and agile. Pharmacological studies of the fruit confirmed its anti-fatigue properties. The leaves of the plant contained various glycolipids and other non-steroidal compounds with anti-stress and anti-hepatotoxic properties. 

The scientists developed a polyherbal formulation by Arogyapacha Ayurvedic pharmaceutical methods which was named ‘Jeevni’. After clinical evaluation this herbal drug was released for commercial production.

The manufacturing license of ‘Jeevni’ was transferred to the Aryavaidya Pharmacy, Coimbatore Ltd. for a license fee of Rs. 10 lakhs for a period of 7 years. TBGRI has agreed to share 50% of license fee and royalties with the tribal community. In November 1997, a number of Kanis with the assistance from TBGRI, registered a trust called Kerala Kani Samudaya Kshema Trust, comprising nine members from the tribals. 

Indigenous knowledge is thus a treasure house for bioprospecting

Pharmaceutical Industry in Bio Prospecting: 

Around 80% of people in developing countries rely on medicines largely based on plants and animals.

Today, there is greatly renewed interest in natural product screening for medicinal compounds. It is estimated that over 200 companies and research organizations worldwide are screening plant and animal compounds for medicinal properties.

Only less than 1% of the world’s 250,000 tropical plants have been screened for potential pharmaceutical applications.

A growing number of pharmaceutical corporations, biotechnological companies are stalking the forests, fields and waters of the developing world in search of biological riches and indigenous knowledge.

With the advances in molecular biology and the availability of more sophisticated tools for screening, it is increasingly cost effective for pharmaceutical industries to conduct natural product research. In a high-technology regime, extracts from biological specimens undergo rapid and precise screening procedures that allow for the isolation of active compounds displaying a specifically targeted activity.

However, two Fundamental Issues Concerning Bio Prospecting are:

(a) Sustainable use of biological resources and their conservation and

(b) The economic development of source countries and local communities.

Reference:

 https://www.biologydiscussion.com/biotechnology/fundamental-aspects-of-bio-prospecting/8594