Plant-derived natural products: synthesis, function and application provides an informative and accessible overview of the different facets of the field, ranging from an introduction to the different classes of natural products through developments in natural product chemistry and biology to ecological interactions and the significance of plant-derived natural products for humans. In the final section of the book a series of chapters on new trends covers metabolic engineering, genome-wide approaches, the metabolic consequences of genetic modification, developments in traditional medicines and nutraceuticals, natural products as leads for drug discovery and novel non-food crops.
Professor Anne Osbourn is Head of the Department of Metabolic Biology at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, UK, where she runs a research programme on plant-derived natural products. Her research is focused on the synthesis and function of plant-derived natural products and on mechanisms underpinning metabolic diversification.
Professor Virginia Lanzotti is associate professor of organic chemistry at University of Molise, Campobasso, Italy and Meetings Secretary of the Phytochemical Society of Europe (PSE). Her research is focused on the stereostructure of natural products, drug discovery, food chemistry, and soil organic matter phytotoxicity. Winner of the 2003 PSE-Pierre Fabre award for excellence in phytochemistry.