From the forest to the pharmacy; BIOTECH CENTER TAPS INTO WNC PLANTS FOR MEDICINAL VALUE
BYLINE: Dale Neal
From the forest to the pharmacy
BENT CREEK -- The old stone house doesn't look like a high-tech headquarters, but the banner on the door advertises the home of the western office of the N.C. Biotechnology Center, the new neighbor and partner of The N.C. Arboretum.
Within the region's treasure trove of native plants, center director Cheryl McMurry and others see opportunities for new research and new jobs. In the not so distant future, consumers may see herbal supplements on their drugstore shelf, marked with some kind of Western North Carolina label attesting to its purity and effectiveness.
For centuries, folk remedies have used herbs such as bloodroot, golden seal, black cohosh and wild yam from forests, and echinacea, skullcap, nettles and dandelion from open fields.
"This is biotechnology for natural products," McMurry said. "Natural products are the most likely avenue for success in this region. We have a rich biodiversity in this area and a whole culture of herbal medicines. We can come together with the arboretum and others to protect our resources and help develop a economy that is prudent and profitable."
The herbs found in the mountains are still used worldwide in supplements, extracts and other forms. Consumers spend about $55 billion each year for herbal products in the United States and $200 billion worldwide.
Understanding plants
The state created the Raleigh-based center in 1984 to tap into a new technology that could boost the economy and provide other benefits. In 2003, Gov. Mike Easley charged the center with developing a long-term strategic plan to improve university research, train workers and attract and retain biotechnology companies.
"Generally, the field of plant medicines has not enjoyed the benefit of those high-technology tools," said Jeff Schmitt, a local scientist who will lead the office's research efforts with the formation of a new center within the University of North Carolina system.
"Deepening our understanding with those tools will not only get medicines into people's hands quicker but also help us be champions for stewardship," Schmitt said. "The more we understand we can articulate value, the more we can help protect."
Schmitt said doctors are becoming increasingly interested in traditional herbal remedies, which offer a mixture of compounds that might be helpful, rather than a single chemical remedy with a pharmaceutical drug. Instead of a magic bullet, doctors may be relying on a shotgun approach to treat an ailment, such as prescribing a cocktail of medicines for HIV-sufferers.
"What Ayurvedic medicine in India or traditional Chinese medicine have known for millennia is probably much more realistic than our reductionistic approach. We stand at precipice of an exciting age," Schmitt said. "Western North Carolina could be a key player in what medicine may look like in the future."
No genetic altering
North Carolina ranks third in the nation for biotechnology, thanks largely to the Research Triangle Park's well-established pharmaceutical industry, but Western North Carolina would like a share in the growing sector. While biotech often conjures images of cloning or genetic manipulation, local experts see more promise in cultivating, rather than tampering with the plants already growing wild in this area.
"Natural biotechnology is unique," said Greg Cumberford, vice president of strategic initiatives at Gaia Herbs Inc. and a founding member of the N.C. Natural Products Association. "It presents a honoring and reverence for what nature has already given us, rather than manipulating nature."
From its Brevard headquarters, Gaia has become an industry leader in researching the effects of the natural herbs it raises and packages in Western North Carolina, receiving research grants from both the National Institute of Health and the Food and Drug Administration.
Gaia's research shows that these plants might grow better in Western North Carolina. The active ingredients in valerian are more concentrated in this area than in commercially grown plants from outside the region, Cumberford said.
George Briggs, executive director of the N.C. Arboretum and a member of the Biotech Center's WNC advisory committee, sees natural biotechnology as the marriage between old and new. "We can use bioprocessing methods to enhance our natural products in the mountains. Over the long term, we can provide products that people know are properly labeled, well analyzed and safe and natural. That's going to be an interesting economic posture for WNC, that we can brand nationally."