Major scientific search for new medicines derived from WA flora announced

9/11/99

Environment Minister Cheryl Edwardes today announced the commencement of the largest scientific search for new medicines derived from Western Australian flora yet undertaken in Australia.
Perth Company, Bio-Gene Bioprospecting Limited, plans to test plant extracts for a range of therapeutic activities in their Perth laboratory, and to supply other drug discovery companies with samples for further testing.
Mrs Edwardes said the chemical compounds produced by plants were still a major source of pharmaceuticals, veterinary and agricultural chemicals. Taxol, from yew trees, is currently used as a treatment for breast cancer, and conocurvone, from a Western Australian smokebush, is still under development as a possible treatment for the AIDS virus.
The Department of Conservation and Land Management (CALM) will collect plant samples from crown land for Bio-Gene, under a licence agreement signed today.
The initial samples for the project will come from a plant extract library prepared by CALM and the Chemistry Centre (WA) to attract commercial interest in Western Australian flora.
Bio-Gene is the successful respondent to CALM's call for expressions of interest in access to the plant extract library and to future collections.
Mrs Edwardes said 11 responses were received from around the world, however only two submissions proposed the establishment of laboratories in Western Australia. After further discussions with the two respondents, the Bio-Gene proposal was assessed as offering greater benefits to the State.
Bio-Gene now plans to invest about $40 million over the next five years to equip its screening facilities and employ scientific and administrative staff.
Mrs Edwardes said the creation of new job opportunities for local scientists and technicians was particularly welcome.
"WA scientists have an excellent reputation, however too many of them have had to look elsewhere for employment," she said.
"This project will help reverse that trend in conjunction with other initiatives such as the recently-opened WA Institute for Medical Research."
Under the CALM/Bio-Gene licence agreement, the company will pay a fee for each sample provided, as well as a percentage of all revenue earned from other companies seeking access to the samples, and a royalty on the sale of the products derived from the samples.
Funds received will be used to boost flora conservation and research, in the same way that the $1.65 million received to date from the smokebush project has contributed to a range of nature conservation projects.
The CALM/Bio-Gene agreement will not prevent others from applying for permits to collect plants, including those wanting to pick wildflowers commercially, academics wanting to further their research and Aboriginal people wanting to use plants for traditional purposes.
Bio-Gene will test plant samples for possible use as veterinarian pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals, as well as for human pharmaceuticals.
"Biological specimens will only be collected with the supervision of senior CALM botanists who are trained in ecology and taxonomy and who have been instructed in the dangers of dieback fungus," Mrs Edwardes said.
"CALM botanists using CALMScience database resources will ensure that no rare and endangered species is collected and that any gathering of the small amount of material required will not adversely affect habitats and plant populations.
"The potential benefits are enormous - as well as learning more about the State's unique flora, we hope to earn significant funds for conservation and see the development of new medicines, " she said.
"Screening natural compounds for such discoveries is a highly speculative business and I am confident that Bio-Gene's investment in the project can only benefit WA."
Media contacts:
Ministerial Carole Cowling 9421 7777
CALM Neville Marchant 9334 0500
Bio-gene John Hodder 9321 7477