National Center for Natural Products Research News

Natural Products Center Celebrates 20th Botanicals Forum

May 13, 2022

OXFORD, Miss. – For the first time since 2019, the botanicals industry descended on Oxford this spring for the International Conference on the Science of Botanicals.

The conference, hosted annually by the National Center for Natural Products Research within the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, brought together leading industry figures, government officials and academics for a week of discussion and idea sharing of the ancient, yet evolving, study on medicinal plants.

NCNPR Scientist, Pharmacy Student Honored at University’s Celebration of Service Awards

April 11, 2022

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi Division of Diversity and Community Engagementwill recognize outstanding accomplishments in community-engaged research, learning, service and scholarship Tuesday (April 12) during its annual Celebration of Service Awards.

The program begins at 2 p.m. in the Johnson Commons Ballroom. Honors to be presented include the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, the Excellence in Community Engagement Award and the new Community Engaged Partnership Fund.

dōTERRA, Pharmacy School Sign Five-Year Partnership to Advance Essential Oil Research

March 2, 2022

PLEASANT GROVE, Utah and OXFORD, Miss. – dōTERRA and the University of Mississippi National Center for Natural Products Research, based within the UM School of Pharmacy, have agreed to a five-year research partnership that will focus on establishing quality standards for the essential oil industry.

As part of the partnership, NCNPR will study the chemometrics, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and metabolomics of essential oils. Officials from both the company and the university anticipate that the research will result in multiple peer-reviewed, published studies that will serve the broader essential oils and scientific communities.

Pediatric CBD Drug Trial at UMMC Gets Two-Year Extension

December 14, 2020

JACKSON, Miss. – The clinical trial of a new cannabis-derived drug to treat seizures in children has moved into a study of its long-term safety and effectiveness during a two-year extension.

Approved by Food and Drug Administration, the extension will allow further study of the clinically tested investigational drug product in new trial participants as well as in children already participating.

Natural Products Center Gets NIH Award to Advance Botanical Research

August 10, 2020

OXFORD, Miss. – The National Center for Natural Products Research, in partnership with the University of Mississippi Medical Center, has been awarded a nearly-$6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the use of a popular oral supplement in promoting resilience against viral infections.

Through the award, the NCNPR, which is part of the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, established the Botanical Dietary Supplements Research Center and became a component of the NIH Consortium for Advancing Research on Botanicals and Other Natural Products, or CARBON, Program. Ikhlas Khan, NCNPR director, serves as the botanical center’s director and Nirmal Pugh is associate director.

UM Researchers, Woodcliff Skincare Partner for Aloe Product Patent

June 18, 2020

OXFORD, Miss. – University of Mississippi researchers, along with Woodcliff Skincare Solutions Inc., have been jointly issued a patent for Alasta, the main ingredient in a line of skin care products being sold under the brand name Sustainable Youth.

The primary ingredient in Alasta is derived from the aloe vera plant and is responsible for the clinically observed effects of enhanced skin firmness and wrinkle reduction. The composition contains aloeride, an immune-enhancing extract that was previously patented by the university and licensed to Woodcliff.

UM Partners with Emerald Bioscience to License Cannabis-derived Drugs

January 6, 2020

OXFORD, Miss. – The cannabis research program at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy has partnered with pharmaceutical company Emerald Bioscience Inc. to license two new drug technologies that may provide nonaddictive pain management, prevent blindness and alleviate the threat of irreversible vision loss from glaucoma and other eye diseases.

The two drug candidate formulations include a synthetic prodrug of tetrahydrocannabinol, commonly known as THC, the main psychoactive compound associated with marijuana, and a synthetic analog of cannabidiol another compound that is attracting widespread attention as a potential treatment for a variety of medical conditions. Both drug candidates are derivatives of the natural THC and CBD found in the cannabis plant.

Theacrine (TeaCrine®) and methylliberine (Dynamine™) are distinct caffeine-like compounds that have been shown to promote energy, mood and focus without many of caffeine’s negative impacts.

With a grant from Compound Solutions, Inc., University of Mississippi/NCNPR principal research scientist Ryan Yates, Pharm.D./Ph.D. seeks to determine if combining these unique compounds impacts blood levels and pharmacological responses to caffeine.

“Dietary supplements comprising multiple ingredients are commonplace in today’s marketplace,” Yates said. “Unfortunately, the harmful potential for different ingredients to interact in the body is largely ignored. Our research is important because the results will aid in our understanding of how to safely combine caffeine, theacrine, and/or methylliberine in dietary supplement products.”

For Research and Development: Mississippi Pharmaceutical Company Supports UM with Major Gift

July 24, 2019

OXFORD, Miss. – Impressive work by the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy and the National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR) inspired a pharmaceutical company to make a major gift.

Clark Levi, owner of Phlight Pharma of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, and Marc Fluitt, head of Strategic Initiatives, presented a $200,000 gift to the university, half of which will be used at the pharmacy dean’s discretion; the other half is designated to help discover medicinal properties in plants.

University Obtains New Patent for Poison Ivy, Oak Vaccine

June 18, 2019

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi has been issued its fourth patent for a product that could prevent the painful itching and rash due to exposure to poison ivy, poison oak and poison sumac.

The compound is based on research conducted in the UM School of Pharmacy and at ElSohly Laboratories Inc. Hapten Sciences, a Memphis-based biopharmaceutical company, obtained a worldwide, exclusive license for the technology from the university in 2010 and has conducted extensive preclinical and clinical development work since then.

School of Pharmacy Ranked Sixth in Research Funding

May 7, 2019

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy rose to sixth in the nation in external research funding for 2018, according to the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy.

Research funding reached $21.2 million in 2018, placing the School of Pharmacy second in the SEC and among the top 5 percent of pharmacy schools nationwide.

School of Pharmacy Honors Alice Clark as Alumna of the Year

April 5, 2019

OXFORD, Miss. – After a nearly 40-year career with the University of Mississippi, Vice Chancellor Emerita of University Relations Alice Clark is being honored as the 2019 School of Pharmacy alumna of the year.

“I’m so honored to be recognized in this way by the place I’ve called home for so many years,” Clark said. “Throughout my career, I’ve been very fortunate to be a part of many great teams and to work with many wonderful collaborators and colleagues, especially my late husband, Dr. Charles Hufford. I am grateful to be recognized in this way for our collective efforts.”

Federally Funded Marijuana Turns 50

December 5, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Fifty years ago, the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy was awarded a competitive contract from the government to grow marijuana that could be standardized for research.

Interest in marijuana research had grown throughout the late ’60s, and the government wanted to study the effects of cannabis on the brain and the body. To do that, it needed a source of certifiable plant material that was responsibly grown and harvested.

Marijuana Project Head to Deliver Pharmacy School’s Waller Lecture

October 17, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Mahmoud ElSohly, co-director of the University of Mississippi’s Marijuana Project, will deliver the School of Pharmacy’s 15th Coy W. Waller Distinguished Lecture at 11 a.m. Friday (Oct. 19) at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts.

The lecture series was established in 2004 to recognize the founder of UM’s marijuana cultivation program and former director of the pharmacy school’s Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Coy W. Waller. ElSohly’s talk, “Building on the Legacy of Coy Waller at Ole Miss,” will celebrate Waller’s vision for the Marijuana Project and expand on research developments.

Alice Clark Retiring as UM Vice Chancellor for University Relations

June 28, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Alice Clark, a senior University of Mississippi administrator whose nearly four decades of visionary leadership have driven major advancements, is retiring at the end of June. Clark is an F.A.P. Barnard Distinguished Professor of Pharmacognosy and the university’s vice chancellor for university relations.

Clark earned both her master’s and doctoral degrees in pharmacognosy at UM and joined the university as a research associate and faculty member in 1979. She later served as the first director of the university’s National Center for Natural Products Research.

UM ‘Corpse Flower’ Will Soon Bloom with Smell of Death

June 14, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Just keep watching – that’s the best advice for witnessing the soon-to-blossom, towering titan arum housed in the atrium of the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy’s Faser Hall. The odd-looking plant, which has the largest unbranched flower cluster in the world, is expected to bloom any hour now.

When it does, the 5-foot-tall flowering plant (Amorphophallus titanum) will appear even more otherworldly, with its now-lime-green spathe unfolding to display a dark burgundy. The species also emits a decomposing flesh odor when it blooms, a smell intended to attract pollinators but a putrid smell nonetheless that has earned titan arum the nickname “corpse flower” or “corpse plant.”

UM Scientists Work Toward Natural Remedy for Bed Bugs

June 8, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – It’s a fear for children that monsters reside under the bed. But those monsters could be living on the mattress or in the sheets. They’re called bed bugs.

However, scientists with the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy are searching for a natural remedy to stop the insect from not only biting, but growing in rapid numbers.

Khan Recognized as University Creates Distinguished Professor Honor

May 11, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Three University of Mississippi faculty members were appointed as Distinguished Professors during the spring faculty meeting Friday (May 11) in Fulton Chapel.

The honorees are John Daigle, director of the Center for Wireless Communications and professor of electrical engineering; Donald Dyer, associate dean for faculty and academic affairs in the College of Liberal Arts and professor of Russian and linguistics; and Ikhlas A. Khan, director of the National Center for Natural Products Research and professor of pharmacognosy.

Botanical Experts Gather in Oxford for International Conference

April 13, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Scientists and visitors from around the globe gathered in Oxford this week (April 9-12) for the 18th annual International Conference on the Science of Botanicals.

Organized and hosted by the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, the conference welcomed 280 registrants from universities, government and business institutions who explored the topic of synergy between natural products and human health. Participants discussed current research topics related to natural products research, development, safety, quality and regulations.

NCNPR Scientist Honored for Cannabis Research

March 14, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Suman Chandra, senior research scientist in the National Center for Natural Products Research, was honored with an Outstanding Scientist Award at the International Conference on Recent Advances in Agriculture and Horticulture Sciences in New Delhi, India.

The Society of Tropical Agriculture gives this annual award to a scientist who has contributed to the study of agriculture and horticulture. Chandra works with NCNPR’s Marijuana Project, housed within the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, studying the propagation of cannabis intended for research purposes.

NCNPR Receives Award to Research Common Military Dietary Supplements

March 1, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – The National Center for Natural Products Research received an award of over $225,000 from the Henry M. Jackson Foundation to study the ingredients found in popular dietary supplements used by military personnel.

As a result, NCNPR will conduct collaborative research, known as Collaborative Analytics for Safer Supplements, in conjunction with the Consortium for Health and Military Performance at the Uniformed Services University.

Natural Products Center Director Wins Lifetime Achievement Award

February 12, 2018

OXFORD, Miss. – Ikhlas Khan, director of the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, is the winner of AOAC International’s 2018 Harvey W. Wiley Award, which recognizes lifetime scientific achievement.

AOAC International develops global quality standards for microbiological and chemical materials, ranging from food to pharmaceuticals in an effort to ensure public health. Khan, who has been with the university since 1992 and directed the natural products center since 2017, has spent much of his career developing standards for dietary supplements.

University Researchers Discover Key Ingredient for Skin Care Line

December 11, 2017

OXFORD, Miss. – Scientists at the University of Mississippi’s National Center for Natural Products Research spend much of their time working to discover new pharmaceutical products, botanical dietary supplements and agrichemicals. Once in a while, however, discoveries made at the center benefit something a little more cosmetic.

Among other things, ongoing NCNPR research on botanicals led to the launch of a skin care line called Sustainable Youth brand products, owned by Woodcliff Skincare Solutions Inc. The key ingredient is Alasta brand aloe product, a patent-pending ingredient that includes aloeride, an immune-enhancing extract patented by the university.

Natural Products Center to Collaborate with Beijing Hospital

November 28, 2017

OXFORD, Miss. – The National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi and Beijing 302 Hospital of China have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the quality of traditional Chinese medicine.

The Institute of Chinese Herbal Medicine Beijing, located at the hospital, analyzes traditional medicines taken by hospital patients and screens for any contaminants that may have contributed to a patient’s condition. As per the agreement, NCNPR will use its technology and expertise to help with the chemistry-related needs of this analysis.

Attendees Participate in First Natural Products Training Lab Course

October 30, 2017

OXFORD, Miss. – A year and a half after its dedication, the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy and the National Center for Natural Products Research held its first course within the Natural Products Training Lab from Sep. 19-21, which covered various aspects and techniques of botanical authentication.

“I am very pleased with how the first training lab course went,” said Ikhlas Khan, NCNPR director. “This will be a great resource moving forward, and I’m looking forward to many more courses in the future.”

UM Cancer Institute Researchers Receive International Recognition

September 5, 2017

OXFORD, Miss. – For two decades, David Pasco has pursued the discovery of plants that can enhance a person’s immune system.

Pasco, a pharmacognosist, is a longtime researcher and associate director of the University of Mississippi’s National Center for Natural Products Research and director of the Drug Discovery Core at the University of Mississippi Medical Center Cancer Institute.

NCNPR Director Named Honorary Member of Pharmacognosy Society

August 18, 2017

OXFORD, Miss. – Ikhlas Khan, director of the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy, has been named an honorary member of the American Society of Pharmacognosy.

Pharmacognosy, the study of medicinal drugs made from plants and other natural sources, is at the heart of Khan’s more-than-25-year career at the natural products…

NCNPR Signs Collaboration Agreement with Australian University

August 10, 2017

The National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Institute of Complementary Medicine in Australia, making the NCNPR part of research collaborations on every inhabited continent.

The agreement will allow the two entities to work together on research and other scholarly…

NCNPR Director Wins Medicinal Plants Award

June 16, 2017

OXFORD, Miss. – Ikhlas Khan, director of the National Center for Natural Products Research at the UM School of Pharmacy, will receive the Outstanding Contribution Award in Traditional Chinese Medicine Analysis and Standards from the Society for Traditional Chinese Medicine Pharmaceutical Analysis.

The award recognizes Khan’s work at the NCNPR on quality assessment methods…

Natural Products Center, USDA Team to Create Natural Insect Repellents

May 3, 2017

OXFORD, Miss. – A decades-long partnership between the Natural Products Utilization Research Unit at USDA and the National Center for Natural Products Research at the UM School of Pharmacy is looking to nature to develop environmentally safe chemicals to manage pests.

The collaboration includes roughly a dozen research projects dedicated to creating natural agrochemicals, such as insecticides, fungicides and herbicides. Charles Cantrell, a research…

UM Natural Products Center Director Wins Prestigious Botanical Award

April 4, 2017

OXFORD, Miss. – Ikhlas Khan, director of the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississppi School of Pharmacy, was honored Monday (April 3) night with the 2016 Mark Blumenthal Herbal Community Builder Award from the American Botanical Council.

The presentation came at the 17th annual International Conference on the Science of Botanicals, hosted by NCNPR this week at the Oxford Conference Center.

The American Botanical Council focuses on using science-based and traditional information to promote and educate about the responsible use of herbal medicine. The Mark Blumenthal Herbal Community Builder…

School of Pharmacy Hosts International Botanical Conference

March 31, 2017

OXFORD, Miss. – Oxford is again the destination for scientists and other visitors from around the world gathering to discuss the ancient, yet rapidly evolving, study of botanical medicines.

The 17th annual International Conference on the Science of Botanicals is set for April 3-6 at the Oxford Conference Center. The National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy…

Ikhlas Khan Becomes NCNPR Director

January 24, 2017

OXFORD, Miss. – Ikhlas Khan became director of the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy on Jan. 1.

After receiving his doctorate in pharmacy from the Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology in Munich Germany, Khan joined the School of Pharmacy in 1988 as a postdoctoral research fellow and became NCNPR’s associate director in 2015. Founded in 1995, NCNPR is one of the…

UM Natural Products Center Designated as Center of Excellence

December 30, 2016

OXFORD, Miss. – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has renewed the National Center for Natural Products Research’s designation as a Center of Excellence in recognition of its work in botanical dietary supplement research. This is the 15th consecutive year the NCNPR has received this recognition.

As part of its partnership with the FDA, which began in 2001, the NCNPR focuses on developing…

Larry Walker Retires as NCNPR Director

December 23, 2016

OXFORD, Miss. – On Dec. 31, Larry Walker retires as director of the National Center for Natural Products Research after 35 years of service to the University of Mississippi.

Walker began his career at Ole Miss in 1981 as a research assistant professor in the School of Pharmacy. In 1987, he led a natural products discovery biological screening program, setting him up…

USDA Renews Drug Discovery Grant for Natural Products Center

December 21, 2016

OXFORD, Miss. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has renewed a grant for the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy for the discovery and development of bioactive products that have potential to become pharmaceuticals, agrichemicals or alternative crops for small farmers.

The grant project, “Discovery and Development of Natural Products for Pharmaceutical and…

USDA Mosquito Repellent Research Featured in “Chemical and Engineering News”

December 14, 2016

OXFORD, Miss. – Chemical and Engineering News, a journal of the American Chemical Society, interviewed natural products chemist Kumudini Meepagala about her research of natural products-based mosquito repellent. Meepagala works at the USDA, which partners with the School of Pharmacy’s National Center for Natural Products Research. The ongoing research hopes to produce a repellent that lasts longer and is more environmentally friendly than DEET…

NCNPR Scientists Awarded for Parasitic Diseases Research

August 12, 2016

OXFORD, Miss. – Babu Tekwani, principal scientist in the University of Mississippi’s National Center for Natural Products Research and professor of pharmacology in the School of Pharmacy, was honored for his outstanding research contributions to global health drug discovery in tropical parasitic diseases at an international conference in León, Spain, on July 15.

He received the Distinguished Scientist Award at the inaugural…

School Honors Four at Faculty Retreat

June 17, 2016

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy honored four of its faculty members for their excellence in and commitment to research, teaching and service at its annual faculty retreat in June.

Dr. Donna West-Strum, professor and chair of Pharmacy Administration, won the Faculty Instructional Innovation Award for her..

Ikhlas Khan Receives UM Distinguished Researcher Award

May 14, 2016

OXFORD, Miss. – External recognition is always appreciated, but being honored internally by peers is far better. So says Ikhlas A. Khan, who received the University of Mississippi’s 2016 Distinguished Research and Creative Achievement Award on Saturday, May 14.

UM Dedicates Natural Pro ducts Training Center

April 14, 2016

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy and National Center for Natural Products Research, in partnership with Waters Corp., dedicated a state-of-the-art natural products training center including laboratories, an informatics suite and lecture space on Wednesday, April 13.

Horticulturist Applies Knowledge from Farm to Garden

January 18, 2016

As a senior research and development horticulturist for the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy’s Maynard W. Quimby Medicinal Plant Garden, Ed Lowe brings years of farming knowledge to the table.

“Growing up in the Mississippi Delta, I was able to learn a lot about farming and the fundamentals of how it all works,” Lowe said. “Dr. Charles Burandt (former research botanist for the National Center for Natural Products Research) hired me in 2003 to work at the medicinal plant garden based on my 10 years of farming experience as well as my studies in farm management.”

Plant Physiologist Keeps Project Growing

December 17, 2015

Since 1995, the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy‘s inaugural research center has been When senior research scientist Suman Chandra first came to the University of Mississippi’s National Center for Natural Products Research in 2001, he had no idea that he would be involved in one of the most pivotal programs in the School of Pharmacy’s history.

Chandra, who has extensive training in medicinal plant physiology and biotechnology, carries out a variety of research activities dealing with cannabis as part of the Marijuana Project.

National Center for Natural Products Research Marks 20th Anniversary

December 10, 2015

Since 1995, the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy‘s inaugural research center has been setting the bar in the areas of natural products chemistry, botanical supplements development and marijuana research – and more.

“We’re delighted to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the National Center for Natural Products Research this year,” said Larry A. Walker, NCNPR director. “This is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on our growth and successes over the past two decades.”

The center was created to discover, develop and commercialize natural products as pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. It is the only university-affiliated research center devoted to improving human health and agricultural productivity through the discovery, development and commercialization of pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals derived from natural products.