Naturally-occurring compounds have been, and continue to be, a vital source of new leads and of commercially successful products for important industrial sectors, notably pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. The conference, Functioncal Molecules from Natural Sources, held at Magdalen College, Oxford, in July 2009 set out to highlight current trends, challenges and successes in the use of natural products from microbial, plant and marine sources. Based on the proceedings of the conference, the themes of this book are modern and emerging perspectives on natural product utilization and improved strategies for their exploitation.

It provides case studies on important natural product leads (functional molecules) and their enhancement. These comprise new medical applications for old natural products and advances in the understanding and manipulation of natural product biosynthesis at the genetic level. Highlights include an authoriatative review of the entire field of natural anticancer agents with an emphasis on those currently in clinical development, an account of the optimisation of the pleuromutilin antibiotic template for human use, and a comprehensive description of the research programme that resulted in the discovery of platensimcycin. Articles on biosynthesis include studies of the antibiotics of Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2), the anthrax siderophore petrobactin, and the modification of oxidation and glycosylation events in the biosynthesis of mithramycins.

Written by leading experts, the book offers a wide-ranging blend of industrial and academic perspectives on the exploitation of naturally occurring compounds within the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and agrochemical industries.

Content - 1 Modern and Emerging Perspectives on Natural Product Utilisation, 2 Improved Strategies for Natural Product Exploitation, 3 Functional Molecules and Their Enhancement, 4 Biosynthesis and Genetics,  5 Summary of Other Lectures, Subject Index