First International Conference on Natural Products Genomics and Drug Discovery

“Herbal Products and Nutraceuticals in the
Prevention and Treatment of Disease”
22 – 24 July 2015, Galadari Hotel, Colombo, Sri Lanka

The focus of this conference is to increase awareness on the many ways that natural products have impacted modern medicine and discuss their potential contribution to future drug discovery around the world.

Thematic areas of the conference are:

• Natural Products
• Food as Medicine in Prevention and Treatment of Diseases
• Natural Products Genomics
• Drug Discovery

It is said that if mother-nature gives us the disease, mother-nature also provides the cure to these diseases. By the 19th century, the source of all drugs sold in drug stores in Europe and North America was natural products. These drug stores eventually developed into larger pharmaceutical companies. According to some estimates, as much as 80% of the drugs used even today, have their roots in natural products. Examples include statins for heart, metformin for diabetes, steroids for inflammation, asprin for pain and chemotherapeutic agents such as paclitaxel, camptothecin, vinblastin, vincristine, thalidomide. In fact, of the 121 prescription drugs in use today for cancer treatment, 90 are derived from plants.

A rich assortment of medicinal plants has been the foundation of Sri Lanka’s indigenous ayurvedic system of healing. The word “Ayurveda” comes from Sanskrit meaning “knowledge about life” or knowledge which shows us how to maintain good health and how to cure illnesses. Many of the ancient kings have dedicated their services to the development of ayurveda medicine in Sri Lanka such as King Pandukabhaya (4th Century BC), King Buddhadasa (362-409 AD), King Datusena (460-478 AD) (Mahavamsa and Chulavamsa). Therefore Sri Lanka, known also for its natural beauty, becomes a leading choice as venue to host a conference focusing on natural products. The focus of this conference is not only to discuss the different ways natural products have impacted modern medicine, but also to discuss the potentially many ways they can contribute towards future drug discovery around the world.