March 1, 2018
By Whitney Tarpy
OXFORD, Miss. – The National Center for Natural Products Research received an award of over $225,000 from the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine to study the ingredients found in popular dietary supplements used by military personnel.
Bharathi Avula
As a result, NCNPR will conduct collaborative research, known as Collaborative Analytics for Safer Supplements, in conjunction with the Consortium for Health and Military Performance at the Uniformed Services University.
“We are very excited about this collaboration,” said Soumyajit Majumdar, associate dean for research and graduate programs for the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy. “This partnership will help delineate potential safety issues associated with the use of dietary supplements by military personnel.”
Bharathi Avula, senior research scientist at School of Pharmacy, is the principal investigator of this award. As part of the cooperation, researchers will use analytical techniques to identify ingredients in potentially problematic products that could compromise the health of military personnel. Results will help increase patient safety and public health awareness, as many take dietary supplements that could contain illegal and unapproved ingredients.
The NCNPR has used funds from the Food and Drug Administration since 2001 to develop analytical methods and reference standards for botanical formulations sold as dietary supplements in the U.S. The fundamental research is an essential part of the FDA’s strategy for increasing the quality and safety of products sold in this multi-billion-dollar market.