Characterizing the Antihypertensive and Antidyslipidemic Effects of Traditional Herbal Medicine on AnimalModel Systems for Drug Herbal Research Discovery [Principal Investigator (PI): Associate Professor Dr. MarkPetalcorin, IHS]   Microbial Induction of Agarwood [PI: Dr. Pooja Shivanand, Faculty of Science (FoS)]       Documentation and Conservation of Traditional Herbal Knowledge [PI: Noralipah Mohamed, Academy ofBrunei Studies]       In vitro Evaluation of Aryl Hydrocarbon ligands in local plants – potential immunomodulatory effects [PI:Associate Professor Dr. Anne Cunningham, IHS]Utilisation of Locally Produced Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) for the Development of Sunscreen Lotion [PI: Dr.Hartini Yasin, FoS]    Myth versus Scientific Evidence: Effectiveness of Selected Local Bruneian Herbs Acting as Supplement toControl Diabetes [PI: Dr. Siti Rohaiza Ahmad, IHS]The Herbal Research Cluster was established by UBD to strategically align its herbal researchers with BruneiDarussalam's rich plant biodiversity. Brunei is a potential treasure trove of valuable medicinal drugs due to itsgeographical position. It is therefore important to evaluate traditionally used local herbs, and amultidisciplinary collaborative pipeline has been developed. This research cluster will provide a wealth ofopportunity for innovation in the development of medicinal/health products. A committee for the HerbalResearch Cluster was established in September 2018 to review herbal research-related grant proposals. Thecommittee includes members from the Institute of Health Sciences (IHS), Faculty of Sciences (FOS), Faculty ofArts and Social Sciences (FASS), Academy of Brunei Studies (APB) and Institute for Biodiversity andEnvironment (IBER) at UBD. UBD has recently refurbished the Herbal Research Laboratory, located on the first floor of SHBIE (SultanHassanal Bolkiah Institute of Education) building. The Herbal Research Lab engages in basic lab research toelucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of herbal plants.  The lab features arange of equipment for the isolation, extraction and identification of herbal constituents including a HighPerformance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) machine, a sonicator, soxhlet apparatus, and a rotaryevaporator. Researchers may utilize this facility for plant extraction, chemical characterization of plant compounds,understanding bioactivity, mechanisms of action and molecular targets of valuable local herbal plants.Current research projects that are funded/submitted for funding consideration by the Herbal Research Groupare:        The Herbal Research Cluster has also employed two research assistants to manage the lab since October2018. To date, three Masters students are working in the lab. The Herbal Research Cluster would like to inviteany interested research fellow to collaborate and join our multidisciplinary team. For questions and furtherinformation, please direct your email to the Herbal Research lead, Dk. Dr. Nurolaini Kifli at:nurolaini.kifli@ubd.edu.bn 4D k . D r . N u r o l a i n i K i f l i , S e n i o r A s s i s t a n t P r o f e s s o rT H E H E R B A L R E S E A R C H C L U S T E R A T U B D B E Y O N D | O C T . T O D E C . 2 0 1 9 | I S S U E 1 9 | R E S E A R C H I S S U E
< Page 3 | Page 5 >