Pharmacognosy is the study of chemical and biological properties of drugs as well as the search for new drugs derived from natural sources (plants, marine organisms and fungi). On the other hand, mass spectrometry is a powerful analytical technique that is used to identify unknown compounds, to quantify known compounds, and to elucidate the structure and chemical properties of molecules. Research in natural products has traditionally provided an excellent source of pharmaceutical leads, contributing novel structures that frequently fall outside the chemical diversity encompassed by synthetic approaches. Over the last ten years mass spectrometry has evolved into an indispensable tool in the generation of lead candidates from nature for pharmaceutical development. I work on biomedical applications of mass spectrometry in the discovery and development of bioactive natural products from plants for tuberculosis and tropical diseases, particularly malaria and leishmaniasis. I am also interested in the development of liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS) based analytical methods for identification, quantitation, in vitro assessment of stability, metabolism and bioavailability of bioactive natural products, and metabolomic studies of promising medicinal and edible plant species. My current research involves developing LC-MS based biological assays using key enzymes in the metabolism of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Plasmodium falciparum in order to rapidly find new lead compounds from plants. The target enzymes to be studied are shikimate kinase and pantothenate synthase in M. tuberculosis, and glutathione reductase and thioredoxin reductase for P. falciparum. Plants from Alabama and tropical countries will be submitted for biological screening to explore their potential as sources of new bioactive natural products. Selected Publications Calderón, A.I., Romero, L.I., Ortega-Barría, E., Brun, R., Correa, M., Gupta, M.P. Evaluation of larvicidal and in vitro antiparasitic activities in a biodiversity-plot in the Altos de Campana National Park, Panama. Pharm. Biol. 44:487-498, 2006. Calderón, A.I., Vázquez, Y., Solis, P.N., Caballero-George, C., Zacchino, S., Gimenez, A., Pinzón, R., Cáceres, A., Tamayo, G., Correa, M., Gupta, M.P. Screening of Latin American plants for cytotoxic activity, Pharm. Biol. 44:130-140, 2006. Rüegg, T., Calderón , A.I., Queiroz, E.F., Solís, P.N., Marston, A., Rivas, F., Ortega-Barría, E., Hostettmann, K., Gupta, M.P. 3-Farnesyl-2-hydroxybenzoic acid is a new anti-H. pylori compound from Piper multiplinervium. J. Ethnopharmacol. 103:461-467, 2006.