REVERSED MICELLAR FRACTIONATION

NUMEROUS COMPOUNDS SHOWING ANTINEOPLASTIC ACTIVITY HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED IN THE ORGANIC SOLVENT EXTRACTS OF PLANT MATERIAL, MICROORGANISMS, AND MARINE ORGANISMS. FURTHER INVESTIGATION INTO THE UTILITY OF THESE COMPOUNDS AS CHEMOTHERAPEUTIC AND ANTI-HIV AGENTS HAS BEEN HAMPERED BY THEIR LOW NATURAL ABUNDANCE AND THE INEFFICIENCIES OF CONVENTIONAL EXTRACTION TECHNIQUES. THESE TECHNIQUES CAN ALSO RESULT IN A FINAL PRODUCT WITH RESIDUAL TOXICITIES AND GENERATE SIGNIFICANT QUANTITIES OF WASTE ORGANICS WHICH ARE A DISPOSAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL BURDEN. THE GOAL OF THE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM IS TO DEVELOP AN IMPROVED PROCESS FOR CRYSTALLIZING/PURIFYING NATURAL PRODUCT MEDICINALS WITH ANTI-CANCER, ANTI-HIV, AND ANTI-MALARIAL ACTIVITIES. INHERENT IN THIS GOAL IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A PROCESS WHICH CAN RAPIDLY CRYSTALLIZE LARGE QUANTITIES OF NATURAL PRODUCT THERAPEUTICS FOR CLINICAL DEVELOPMENT AND COMMERCIAL USE, IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF THE END-PRODUCT WHILE SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCING MANUFACTURING COSTS, AND CONCURRENTLY MINIMIZE THE IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND BIODIVERSITY. THE DEVELOPED PROCESS SHOULD BE GENERICALLY APPLICABLE TO THE MANUFACTURING OF NATURAL PRODUCT MEDICINALS WHICH CONSTITUTE ABOUT 25 PERCENT OF PRESCRIPTION THERAPEUTICS USED IN THE UNITED STATES.