Exploring the Amazon and African Rainforest for Natural Medicines and Cancer Cures
Eloy Rodriguez

The Impenetrable Forest of Uganda and the Rain Forest of the Amazon Basin are of considerable interest to ethnobotanists, medical doctors, pharmacologists, chemical ecologists and medicinal botanists because of the vast array of natural products (biomedicines) that are produced by plants, arthropods and poisonous vertebrates. The biomedicines, which have evolved over millions of years, destroy malaria parasites, viruses and inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells.

In his presentation, Professor Eloy Rodriguez, a world-renowned chemical biologist and jungle explorer, will show slides and video clips of himself and Cornell undergraduate students exploring the dense jungles for unique plants and arthropods that contain new cures for diseases and cancer. He will travel into Brazil, Peru and Venezuela where they will learn about the Amazonian tribes that use natural chemicals to combat venomous snake bites, malaria and nasty biting insects. Dr. Rodriguez will also set up a laboratory demonstration to show the process for extracting and isolating natural medicines from plants. Students will also tour his research laboratory in Mann 420. The Exploration should be of interest to future ecologists, environmentalists, medical doctors, pharmacologists and natural medicinal herbalists.