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Our search for novel therapeutic agents takes several fornns: our organic 

 chemists synthesize compounds; we examine fermentation extracts from 

 a wide range of microorganisms and have looked closely at spider 

 venoms. Recently, we have begun to look at extracts and compounds 

 isolated from plants. This activity includes our newly announced 

 collaboration with The New York Botanical Garden. 



Pfizer/The New York Botanical Garden Research Collaboration 



The Pfizer/The New York Botanical Garden research collaboration 

 provides us with an exciting opportunity to examine the flora of the 

 United States for potential new therapeutic agents. Plants have been a 

 source of disease treatments for thousands of years. However, isolating 

 the key substances for development as a pharmaceutical has, until 

 recently, been impractical. The emerging new research tools and 

 knowledge of molecular biology make it possible to review large numbers 

 of substances using small amounts of plant material. Where in the past, 

 pounds of plant material would have been required, now only a fraction 

 of an ounce is necessary to conduct extensive experimentation. 

 Furthermore, modern analytical techniques allow us to determine the 

 molecular nature of the active component in an extract with minute 

 quantities of material. The requirement of such small quantities of 

 material means that the collecting activity will not have an adverse 

 impact on the environment. 



In our collaboration with The New York Botanical Garden, botanists from 

 the Garden will travel throughout the United States to collect plant 

 samples. From our perspective, it was vital that the collecting be done 

 by trained professionals for two reasons. First, it is desirable that this 

 plant survey be as broad as possible. Second, it is extremely important 



