Doctor Frank Van Der Kooy
SENIOR ANALYTICAL CHEMIST,
Centre for Complementary Medicine Research
Personal
Qualifications
- PhD University of Pretoria
UWS Organisational Unit (School / Division)
- Centre for Complementary Medicine Research
Contact
| Email: | F.VanDerKooy@uws.edu.au |
|---|---|
| Extension: | 3136 |
| Mobile: | |
| Location: | 22.1.18 Campbelltown |
| Website: |
Biography
Dr van der Kooy completed his PhD in phytochemistry at the University of Pretoria (South Africa) after which he took up a position at the University of Leiden (Netherlands), Section of Metabolomics in 2006. At Leiden University he was involved in multiple EU projects covering research into medicinal cannabis, identification of biopesticides, production of biofuels form plants, using Zebrafish as in vivo drug screening models and the chemical and clinical investigation of various TCM preparations. His scientific fascination is towards the secondary metabolites biosynthesized by plants and their use in traditional medicines. His current research focus on the quality control of TCM’s, the discovery of new biomarkers and active components, the investigation of synergism and the mechanism of action of the well-known TCM, Artemisia annua. His focus was both on the chemistry of the TCM but also the analysis of the pharmacokinetic properties of the TCM in in vivo studies.
In September 2012 he joined the CompleMed team at UWS as senior analytical chemist.
This information has been contributed by Doctor Van Der Kooy.
Interests
- Analytical Chemistry
- medicinal plants
- metabolomics
Research
In order to conduct research into TCM he has recently developed a “HPLC-PDA-MS-NMR-Bioassay” platform. Using this platform he discovered that Artemisia annua, although being used to treat malaria, has very strong anti-HIV, anti-cancer and anti-amoebic activity. He also discovered that a closely related plant Artemisia afra displayed a similar level of anti-HIV activity. This was a very significant discovery in that this species is endemic to the sub-Saharan African region which is currently suffering from the highest burden of HIV infections.
In order to perform this research he is also in the process to set up a state-of-the-art NMR based Metabolomics platform for the in depth analysis of TCM’s in what can be called a systems biology approach.
Other areas of research include:
- The investigation into the production of TCM’s, and more specifically vertical farming techniques, in order to produce quality controlled phytomedicines.
-Natural solvents as produced by Drosera capensis and the implication in the formulation of phytomedicines
-Investigation of natural antibiotics active against multidrug resistant Tuberculosis
This information has been contributed by Doctor Van Der Kooy.
