Sarawak Biodiversity Centre - NRE

MYB IOD SEMINAR 2012
T RANSFORMING TK RELATED BIODIVERSITY TO
B IOECONOMY POTENTIAL- 19 DEC 2012, HOTEL ROYALE CHULAN,
K UALA LUMPUR

OUTLINE OF THE TALK
Introduction to SBC
Traditional knowledge and natural products library
A few progressive projects with potential impact on
bioeconomy
A TK documentation effort in combination with
science and biodiversity to promote ecotourism in
an indigenous community-Long Iman, Mulu
Remarks

SBC’S VISION AND MISSION
VISION
To be the centre of excellence for biodiversity
research and sustainable utilisation
MISSION
To discover and harness Sarawak’s biodiversity
resources through research and development for
the benefit of Sarawak & mankind

CORE ACTIVITIES AT SBC
Facilitate Traditional Knowledge Documentation
among Sarawak’s indigenous communities
Part of life and heritage
Many ethnic groups and TK is slowly lost
Information is important as leads for discoveries
Passing on to the next generation
R&D/Bioprospecting Programmes
Discover new applications
Develop applications for commercial purposes
Sustainable

DOCUMENT TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE ON THE USE OF THE
BIODIVERSITY FOR AN APPLICATION

O VER THE YEARS MANY ETHNO- PLANTS HAVE BEEN DOCUMENTED
- POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT OF PHARMACEUTICALS, HERBAL
PRODUCTS, PERSONAL CARE ETC.
Use
No of Plants
collected
Use
No of Plants
collected
Medicine 1149 Fish poison 29
Food 482 Dye 28
Ritual 78 Repellent 28
Building Material 76 Food for animal 20
Craft 69 Wrapper 20
Shampoo 62 Health care 16
Poison 54 Source of vitamin 11
Antidote 46 Animal stimulant 10
Drink 42 Fire wood 10
Fragrance 41 Cigarette 8
Flavour 38 Cloth 1

Extracts are Routed for Rapid Screening Collaboration

Pharmaceutical
Herbals
ON-GOING TK RELATED
BIODIVERSITY PROJECTS
Bio-economic impact
High
Functional ingredients
Biodiversity makes scents! Essential oils and
capturing scents
Opportunities of linking TK related biodiversity to
ecotourism –experience at Long Iman
Middle
Sustainable

Silvestrol-an interesting anticancer compound from Borneo
• In 2004, Dr. Douglas Kinghorn (Ohio State
University) together with collaborators
described silvestrol, a compound isolated
from a plant collected in Central
Kalimantan.
Aglaia sp.
Aglaia silvestris (corr. A. foveolata)
Local name: Langsat Kelawit.
• Forest Department Sarawak
collaborated with Australian company
and compound CBL316 was patented
from Aglaia leptantha.

Dioxanyloxy group
O
OCH 3
Cyclopenta[b]benzofuran backbone
OCH 3
HO
O
O
HO HO
H
OH COOCH 3
O
Silvestrol
OCH 3
M.W. 654.23

SILVESTROL: RESEARCH IN PROGRESS AT PRE-
CLINICALS TOWARDS HUMAN CLINICAL TRIALS
In vitro
Various types of cancer cell
line
Unique mechanism of action
in cancers
Evaluation
Animal cancer models
In vitro human leukemia
blood cells
Cell type selectivity
Overcome drug resistance in
cancers
Issues
Supply
Difficult to synthesize
Toxicity
Efficacy in humans
others

UNDERLYING IMPORTANCE-
IP PROTECTION TO CLAIM OWNERSHIP
SILVESTROL’S PATENT IS WORLD WIDE
PATENT TITLE : “Therapeutic
compounds and methods”
PATENT NO.US 6,710,075 B2
ASSIGNEE
The Government of the State of
Sarawak, Malaysia
FILING DATE :Nov. 8, 2002
COUNTRIES/ REGION COVERED BY PATENT
USA, Canada, Japan, Australia
European Union (11 countries)
LICENSE TO OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
June 2012
To develop as a therapy for cancers

FUNCTIONAL INGREDIENTS AND
BIODIVERSITY
Definition: Ingredients that
provide some health benefits
above and beyond basic
nutrition; sweeteners, antioxidant,
vitamins
Can be sourced from plants
Sweeteners
Sugar
Salt

COLLABORATION TO SEARCH FOR NEW
SWEETENERS, SALT/MSG REPLACEMENT, FLAVOURS
AND TASTE MODIFIERS

EXAMPLES OF TK PLANTS FOR FLAVOUR/TASTE MODIFIERS
Lemba Kumang (Curculigo
latifolia)
Community Claims:
Fruits are eaten and also as an
antidote to prevent drunkenness
R & D Findings:
Contain curculin (taste
modifying activities )
Potential Products:
Natural sweetener
Lemuntin (Melastoma sp.)
Community Claims:
Young shoots are cooked
with bitter vegetable to ‘kill’
bitter taste
Fruits are eaten and gives
bluish black colouring
Daun Tubu (Pycnarrhena
borneensis)
Community Claims:
Leaves are mixed with
vegetable or tapioca leaves
when cooking to replace MSG

Biodiversity makes Scents”
Essential oils
Fragrances
Flavours
Spices

PROJECT: TO DEVELOP AND COMMERCIALIZE
MEDICINAL & AROMATIC OILS FROM SARAWAK’S
BIODIVERSITY
Aim of the project
Inventory of Sarawak’s indigenous plant species that
produce medicinal and aromatic oils
Create a repository of these oils with their usage and
chemical information for research and collaboration
Commercialize products from the oils and creating a value
chain back to the community
156 types of essential oils and analyze their chemical
compositions

A TK PLANT WITH COMMERCIAL
POTENTIAL
TENEM / PAHKAK (Litsea cubeba)
Habitat:
• Grows wild in the highland areas – Penrissen,
Bario, Long Semadoh & Ba’Kelalan Highlands
• Used by Bidayuh, Kelabit & Lun Bawang
communities
Community Claims:
•Fruits are used as a cooking condiment and to
relieve stomachache
•Leaves are placed on mattresses for people to lie
on to relieve backaches
R & D Findings:
•Essential oil with good anti-microbial properties
Traditional and scientific claims!

Fruits
Citronellal
D-limonene
Diversity of
Chemicals in Essential Oil of Pahkak
Leaves
Eucalyptol
Phellandrene
Terpineol
Bark
Citronellal
Eucalyptol
Isopulegol
Stem
Eucalyptol
Citronellal
D-limonene
Terpineol

VARIETY OF TOOTHPICKS IN THE MARKET INFUSED WITH
ESSENTIAL OILS GAVE US AN IDEA FOR PAHKAK!
Menthol, Cinnamon oil,
Tea Tree Oil, Peppermint Oil,
Spearmint Oil, Oil of
Seed Fennel
Made in
USA
USD2.75
Mint Oil, Tea Tree Oil,
Cinnamon Oil
Made in
USA
USD1.99
RM8.45/ box of 100 sticks
= RM0.085/pc
RM6.00/ box of 35 sticks
= RM0.171/pc
Made in
Sweden
SEK25
Made in
Australia
USD3.28
0.13 mg Sodium Fluoride
Per toothpick
PEG-6, Tea Tree Oil,
Cinnamon Oil, Menthol
RM11.65/ box of 125 sticks
= RM0.093/pc
RM9.80/ box of 100 sticks
= RM0.098/pc

Finding an Application for Pahkak
Antibacterial Properties
20 mm
8 mm
Porphyromonas gingivales
Porphyromonas gingivales
Streptococcus mutans
Streptococcus mutans
Negative Control: Without
Pahkak Oil
With Pahkak Oil
Negative Control: Without
Pahkak Oil
With Pahkak Oil

Bench Marking Inhibitory Activity of Products
Against Oral Pathogens
No.
Sample
Inhibition Zone on
Periodontal Pathogens
SM
PG
1 Litsara TM + ++++
2 Tea Tree Therapy TM ++ +++
SM = Streptococcus mutans (tooth decay)
PG = Porphyromonas gingivales (gingivitis and bad breath)
+ = 3 – 18 mm diameter of inhibition zone
++ = 19 – 37 mm diameter of inhibition zone
++++ = 38 – 56 mm diameter of inhibition zone
+++++ = 75 – 90 mm diameter of inhibition zone

Intellectual Properties are filed to
Protect Interests
• Patented oral care product (Litsara TM Toothpick).
• Geographical Indicator (Sarawak Litsea).
• Trademark (Litsara TM ).

Future Development of Additional Applications of
Pahkak Essential Oil
Pahkak
Essential Oil
Toiletries
Repellents
Disinfectants
Soaps
Shampoo
Mosquito
Sand fly
Hand wipes
Sanitizers

WHY START WITH TOOTHPICKS…..
A N I DEA TO CREATE A VALUE C HAIN FOR A C OTTAGE
I NDUSTRY AND PROMOTE COMMUNITY’S PARTICIPATION
Contract Farming
Potential Benefits:
•Sale of raw material
•Sale of essential oil
•Royalty
•IPRs
•Sales of Products
Sustainable Collection
Steam Distillation
Healthcare Product
Development

PROGRESS OF PAHKAK WORK SO
FAR….
Inventory the plant distribution in Sarawak
R & D
Developed some prototype products
Propagation research
Material Safety Data Sheet
Trademark registration
Geographical Indication registration
New Use Patent application
Next step is to look for an international market

Next Project: How to Capture a Scent from a flower...
Trapping floral volatiles of Hedychium. Coronarium
Kaiser R. et al

IDENTIFICATION OF CHEMICAL IN A SCENT
FROM GC-MS
No
Hedychium coronarium flowers
Compounds RT (min) Quality
(%)
Area (%)
1 Butyl aldoxime, 2-methyl-, syn- 3.804 81 13.96
2 Butyl aldoxime, 3-methyl-, syn- 4.040 87 5.2
3 Eucalyptol 7.524 98 12.75
4 Benzoic acid, methyl ester 9.672 91 13.36
5 1,6-Octadien-3-ol, 3,7-dimethyl- 9.919 97 45.5
6 Indole 17.925 94 5.15
7 Benzoic acid, 2-amino-, methyl
ester
19.713 94 4.08
Scents reconstruction: Givaudan Corporation, Switzerland
The goal is to produce a line of fragrances from Sarawak’s Biodiversity

“LONG IMAN, MULU:
TK RELATED BIODIVERSITY,
SCIENCE, NATURE TRAIL AND
INDIGENOUS COMMUNITY GARDEN”-
PACKAGE FOR ECOTOURISM

ABOUT LONG IMAN, MULU
Long Iman is located along the bank of Tutoh river, a 30 mins
boat ride from Gunung Mulu National Park (GMNP), a World
Heritage site.
The Penan community at Long Iman is one of the first
indigenous groups that has successfully documented their
knowledge on plant uses with Sarawak Biodiversity Centre
(SBC). Project started since 2002.
The Penans traditionally led a nomadic livelihood in the
forests. Knowledge of the forests is bountiful.

WHAT DO THEY HAVE
Interpretative Building & A Community Garden
Knowledge of useful plants
Tourists from Mulu
Community that has
interests in preserving their
traditional knowledge
A scenic waterfall and boat ride to the
village
Handicrafts

WHAT CAN BE DONE…
To create an eco nature trail at Long Iman connecting the
village to a scenic waterfall
To improve and expand the existing Long Iman Community
Garden of useful plants incorporating scientific information
To highlight Long Iman as a venue of rich culture and
knowledge of biodiversity to eco-tourists
Combination of TK, biodiversity, ecotourism and science to bring
income that are sustainable to the community

Participants and speakers at the Traditional Knowledge Documentation Workshop 2012
19-22 Nov 2012

CLOSING REMARKS
Traditional knowledge related biodiversity provide many
opportunities and ideas to develop bio-based economy
The bioeconomy should bring benefits to the communities to
sustain their livelihood and conserve biodiversity as well
IP protection is important to ensure that rights are retained
There are long- and short-term project plans, from
pharmaceuticals to personal care products, so that the end- point
can be achieved within a reasonable time
Ecotourism can contribute to the bioeconomy because TK,
biodiversity and science can be combined to make a good story
and a fulfilling experience for tourists

THANK YOU
QUESTIONS
CONTACT US AT
Sarawak Biodiversity Centre
KM20, Jalan Borneo Heights, Semengoh
93250, Kuching, Sarawak
Tel: +6 082 610610 Fax: +6 082 611535
Email: biosar@sbc.org.my
URL: www.sbc.org.my