Another exciting research direction in the Department involves bioactivity-guided natural product isolation. One project exploits the medicinal value of Amaryllidaceae plant extracts that has been recognized for a long time. It dates back to at least the fourth century BC, when Hippocrates of Cos used oil from the daffodil Narciclasus poeticus L. for the treatment of cancer.  In more recent times, more than 100 structurally diverse alkaloids, possessing a wide spectrum of biological activities have been isolated from the Amaryllidaceae species. The Department is actively involved in this worldwide effort and the isolated alkaloids are chemically derivatized and evaluated for various types of biological activities.

  Giovanni is removing the solvent from his plant extracts