“Bright bugs discover new drugs.” Capson to AAAS
July 11, 2008
Insects with vivid colors to warn off predators could be telling drug companies that their bodies have chemical compounds active against cancer cell lines and tropical parasitic diseases
“Scientists are already seeking inspiration for the next generation of drugs from traditional medicines used by witch doctors and by shaman, even treatments used by apes for parasites and other ailments. Now they can add insects to their list of prospectors for new medicines” writes Roger Highfield, science editor from UK’s Telegraph in a review of an article to be appeared in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment in 2009 by STRI researchers J.E. Helson, T.L. Capson, T. Johns, A. Aiello and D. Windsor.
Insects with vivid colors to warn off predators could be telling drug companies that their bodies have chemical compounds active against cancer cell lines and tropical parasitic diseases. The plants used for the study were chosen based on previous screening by Panama’s ICBG for activity against cancer cell lines and tropical parasites responsible for malaria, leishmaniasis and Chagas’ disease. A search for beetles and caterpillars on plants with and without activity revealed that insects with bright warning coloration were significantly more common on plants that contained compounds with activity against these diseases.
"Although the idea that brightlycolored insects could facilitate the search for medicinally active plants has been discussed for decades, the concept had never been rigorously tested... It’s very gratifying to see that it works in the field" said Todd Capson, who directed the Panama-based project. The team worked with Panama’s Institute of Advanced Scientific Research and High Technology Services, Panama’s National Authority of the Environment (ANAM) and the University of Panama.
Capson, who hopes “other investigators will follow our lead and test our theory that insects can lead us to plants with disease fighting properties” is leaving ICBG to accept a AAAS fellowship with the State Department, Bureau of Oceans, Environment & Science, in Washington DC.
In a congratulation letter from STRI’s Eldredge Bermingham for his new appointment, he reiterated STRI’s gratitude to Capson for his many accomplishments at STRI since 1998. “You can be extremely proud of the science that has been accomplished and the number of host country professionals that have been trained, which in the eyes of many will stand as one of the most important legacies of the ICBG project... your efforts in spearheading the inclusion of Coiba National Park on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites, working in partnership with your colleagues at ANAM, IUCN, and CI, constitute a hugely tangible contribution to the conservation and celebration of Panama’s biodiversity” concluded Bermingham. We wish Todd all success!
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