Studies of the flora and Hunter bacteria of Jordan

Jordan University of Science and Technology (Irbid, Jordan), Research Triangle Institute (North Carolina, USA) and Virgina Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virgina, USA) were granted an R21 planning grant funded by FDA, USA through an International Cooperative Biodiversity Group (ICBG) program to study the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan’s flora and soil microorganism as a source of new drugs. Biodiversity proposed for investigation encompasses Jordanian plants, traditional botanicals and the innovative area of soil Hunter Bacteria. Compound discovery focuses on three primary pharmacological areas: antimicrobial activity, anticancer activity and central nervous system (CNS) activity. Intellectual property rights and consideration of the People of Jordan will be agreed to between the different parties as it is considered an essential component of such international work. Thirty soil samples, 100 g each, as a source of Hunter Bacteria were collected from 30 different sites in Jordan. Also, around 500 g of one hundred plants were randomly collected from different geographic zones in Jordan in collaboration with the National Center for Agriculture Research and Technology Transfer, Baq’a, Jordan. The purpose of such collections is to demonstrate that the country is an invaluable source of potential active medicinal samples and is a good representative, flora wise, of the Middle East region. Some promising preliminary results of the soil Hunter Bacteria and plants will be discussed.