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Pharmacognosist garners medals for natural products research

Samir Ross displays his silver medal from faculty in the Czech Republic

amir Ross, professor of pharmacognosy and research professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Mississippi, was recently awarded a silver medal from the University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences in Brno, Czech Republic.

The highest award given by the faculty of pharmacy at the university, the medal is awarded to researchers and scientists who have contributed greatly to the area of natural products research.
Ross traveled to the Czech Republic June 4-11 to accept the prestigious award.

"I was recognized for my research in the area of isolation, identification and biological evaluation of secondary metabolites obtained from natural sources," Ross said. "These included plants, fungi, endophytes and marine organisms. I've been working in this area for almost four decades."

While visiting Brno, Ross presented two seminars on anti-infective agents from plants, mushrooms and endophytes, and another titled "Cannabis: Old plant, new chemistry and new potential activities."

Stephen Cutler, chair of medicinal chemistry, agrees that Ross has made "substantial contributions."

"The particular cultivar of Cannabis he is working with has allowed him to discover many novel compounds that could potentially serve as probes from scientists to learn more about the endocannabinoid system of the human body," Cutler said. "This, in turn, could lead to the discovery of new targets for drug therapy."

Over the course of his career, Ross has produced more than 200 publications and owns 11 patents related to his research. His other awards include a gold medal from Kazakh National Medical University in Kazakhstan in 2012.

Larry Walker, director of the National Center for Natural Products Research, said that Ross has "contributed greatly" to the training of students and development of programs in natural products research at several international universities.

"He is known here for his pioneering work on marijuana," Walker said. "For years he has worked with Dr. Mahmoud ElSohly and isolated dozens of new compounds from Cannabis. He also worked on several antiviral, anti-tuberculosis and anti-inflammatory components from mushrooms."
Walker said that Ross' award evidences international collaboration, which is important to the success of UM programs.

"This amplifies our program's recognition and prestige," he said. "We have a growing number of trainees coming from around the world, supported by funding from their governments, who make contributions to our research efforts and often extend our collaborations internationally."

Ross credits the University of Mississippi for supporting his research.

"The School of Pharmacy and the National Center for Natural Products Research gave me a tremendous amount of support for my research," he said. "They supported me financially as well as through encouragement. They offer me all the facilities needed to carry out my research, and I am very thankful for their support."