Anti-Cancer Compounds: Researchers at the Department of Biotechnology of Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanjadeo (MSCB) University in Baripada has given a new hope in anti-cancer drug development findings by discovering important anti-cancer compounds in lichens found in the Similipal National Park in Mayurbhanj district. These findings could lead to new vistas in anti-cancer compounds research in near future.
Adding to this discovery, the team has also traced compounds with anti-oxidant and anti-microbial properties in the lichens as the beautiful forests of Similipal is a home to 148 species of lichens.
The research on lichens is being carried out by the MSCB researchers under the guidance of Professor Biswajit Rath of the Department of Biotechnology with assistance from the Odisha Government’s Science and Technology Department. The Lucknow-based National Botanical Research Institute is also a partner in the MSCB’s journey in this lichen research.
According to Prof Rath, a former student of MPC College’s Department of Botany in the past, Lichens grow under harsh conditions in Similipal, withstanding high temperatures, heavy rainfall and dry periods. In the process, they produce protective chemical substances – known as “bioactive compounds” – which later prove useful to humans as medicines.
According to Prof Biswajit Rath, the research work was to study “Bioactive properties of lichens apart from isolating the organisms,” adding “the team has already identified 148 species of lichens and collected 50 more which are in different stages of identification.”
The lichen species ‘Physciella melanchra’ was recorded for the first time in India from Similipal, while ‘Cladonia fruticulosa’ was found in Odisha for the first time. All collected lichen samples have been preserved in the lichen repository of the Biotechnology Department of MSCBU.
