Abstract:  The biosynthesis that leads to the chemical diversity among simple and complex organic molecules in natural environments is indeed the spice of life in the tropical regions of the world.  Amazonian spiders, plants, insects, birds and fish continue to evolve novel organic chemical structures that are used in animal defense, fitness, mating, repulsion and attraction.  In many cases those molecules inhibit key biological processes and with a skill surpassing the genius of synthetic organic chemists, various organisms convert highly toxic molecules into life-savings miracles.  In this presentation, highlights of drug discovery from my laboratories at UC Irvine, Cornell and the Amazon will be presented.  The biological importance of complex molecules, ranging from Amazonian derived viagra-like cocktails to apoptosis-inducing (cancer-cell death) alkaloids, to those found in chemical secretion from certain birds, that have been found to kill parasites, bacteria and viruses, will be described.  The birds obtain the toxic molecules by ingesting poisonous ants as a part of their diet.

The talk will highlight the highly interdisciplinary nature of this research, pointing out the necessity of using organic chemistry, chemical biology and ecology in the important and never-ending search for novel molecules that will cure diseases, relieve suffering and just coincidentally, furnish great challenges for synthetic organic chemists.

Biography:   Professor Eloy Eodriguez is the James A. Perkins Professor of Biology and Natural Products Chemistry at Cornell University in New York.  He has published over 160 research articles, 2 books and presented invited lectures throughout the US, Europe, Latin America and Asia.

He received his PhD with the organic chemist Dr.Tom Mabry at the University of Texas, Austin in l975 and conducted postodoctoral research in the laboratory of Dr. G.H.N. Towers at the University of British Columbia, Canada.  He was visiting professor in Medicinal Chemistry at UC San Francisco and in the Chemistry Department at the University of Miami.  He is currently an endowed Professor in Plant Biochemistry and Environmental Toxicology at Cornell and has trained over 16 PhD students in Chemistry and Chemical Biology of Natural Products.  He has also provided research training to over 350 undergraduate students, of which a large number have been underrepresented US minorities and women.  He is very interested and involved in K-8 science education as shown by his creation of KIDS – Kids Investigating and Discovering Science, a program which is aimed at K-8 students.   The focus of the program is to develop critical thinking and a love for chemistry and biology.  His research is funded by NIH, NSF, Hughes Medical Institute and private foundations.