Barbara Meurer-Grimes

I received my doctorate in phytochemistry in 1988 from the University of Köln, Germany. Prior to my degree, I spent seven months at University of Texas, Austin, Department of Botany, working in Professor Mabry's laboratory. The experience in these laboratories as well as several other collaborations provided me with a thorough background in modern techniques for the investigation of secondary plant metabolites. These are the substances in plants that are effective in many plant-derived medicines. The plants produce these substances to defend themselves from insect pests, from fungal attacks, or sometimes to attract insects for pollination and seed dispersal. These substances may be attractive pigments in flowers, fragrances, or they may be bitter tasting principles or even toxins. The most familiar classes of these substances are terpeniods, alkaloids, and phenolics.

After working in the Harding Laboratory on several phytochemical projects for two years. I assumed a position as Assistant Professor in the area of natural products chemistry in the Department of Biological Sciences, Lehman College, CUNY, on September 1, 1993. I remain a part-time staff member at The New York Botanical Garden in the Institute of Economic Botany. My research focuses on the discovery of antibacterial and antifungal substances from anti-infective phytomedicines and on the structure, biosynthesis and function of macrocyclic polyamine alkaloids.

Research

The ever increasing resistance of human pathogens to current antimicrobial agents has begun to be a serious medical problem, and the fear of untreatable infections being a commonplace is warranted. This will especially affect immuno-suppressed patients.

We have identified several target plant species with pronounced antimicrobial activities. Some of these plants have been in use for the treatment of internal infections (bronchial infections, for example) or as external disinfectants for wounds in European, African, and South American cultures for many centuries. We are isolating the active antimicrobial compounds from the plant extracts using a bioassay guided fractionation scheme. The chemical structures are elucidated with a combination of state-of- the-art spectroscic techniques (one- and two- dimensional NMR techniques and LC/MS/MS).

In addition, many of these plants contain macrocyclic polyamine alkaloids. The structures, functions, and metabolism of these compounds, and their precursors are studied in pollen and plant suspension cultures.

Email Address: bmeurer@nybg.org

Selected Publications