Epigenetics and Natural Resources (2015/16) (completed)

Research Aims

In 400 B.C. Hippocrates said, “Let thy food be thy medicine and thy medicine be thy food.” Despite technological and  cultural advances, the essence of these words has seen contemporary resurgence through renewed interest in food and their ability to reduce the incidence of chronic diseases. The deliverable summarizing objective of this trans-disciplinary project will thus be to demonstrate how food plants, edible mushrooms and marine invertebrates, traditionally known for their medicinal uses in Mauritius can intercept metabolic networks and epigenetic reactions that promote tumorigenesis. This will thus provide the basis for the conservation of the remaining tropical biodiversity in Mauritius in order to keep researching anti-cancer properties on natural compounds within the increasingly aging and technologically advancing world. In addition, the findings will help to better understand the mechanisms of action in order to predict their respective efficacy thereby validating their medicinal properties.