People
Porter, Elaine
| Job Title | Research Biochemist |
|---|---|
| Department | Jodrell |
| Section | Sustainable Uses |
| Science Teams |
Malpighiales Leguminosae United Kingdom Myrtaceae Large-Scale Syntheses |
| Joined Kew | 2000 |
| Foreign Language(s) |
Qualifications & Appointments
BSc, Applied Biology, Hatfield Polytechnic, 1990
PhD, Birkbeck College, Univ. London, 2004.
Evening lecturer, Faculty of Continuing Education, Birkbeck College.
Role
Chemical fingerprinting and isolation of plant-derived compounds using various techniques for authentication and chemotaxonomic projects.
Plants used in Traditional Medicines and by various companies in herbal preparations are extracted and analysed using various chromatographic techniques. The purpose of authentication of plant material used in Traditional Chinese Medicines is to contribute data to various Pharmacoepias. Many projects are undertaken in collaboration with industrial and academic partners. Numerous methods are applied to characterize, identify and isolate plant-derived compounds with potential pharmaceutical and agrochemical activity. Plant-derived compounds, especially polyhydroxyalkaloids, flavonoids and alkaloids can be utilized in chemosystematics, with particular interest for studies in Myrtaceae, Passifloraceae and Amaryllidaceae. Other duties include the co-ordination of the day-to-day running of the Biological Interactions laboratory, induction of visitors and new staff to the section, Health and Safety duties, co-management of an undergraduate student and updating the insect bioassay/extract and plant accessions databases, used to record information about the all plants studied within the section.
Projects
Authentication and Chemical Fingerprinting of Economically Important Species
Chemistry and Biological Activity of Myrtaceae
Chemistry of Passiflora (Passifloraceae)
Chemosystematics and Biological Activity of Alismatid and Lilioid Monocots
Chemosystematics and Biological Activity of Lamiaceae
Diversity of Biologically Active Plants and Plant-Derived Compounds
Importance of Legumes and Legume-Derived Compounds in Medicine and Agriculture
Medicinal Uses of British Plants
Selected Publications 2001-2005
Porter, E.A. (2004). Distribution and taxonomic significance of polyhydroxyalkaloids, phenolic acids and flavonoids in the Myrtaceae. PhD Thesis. London: Birkbeck College, University of London. 233 pp.
Simmonds, M.S.J., Stevenson, P.C. & Porter, E.A. & Veitch, N.C. (2001). Insect antifeedant activity of three new tetranortriterpenoids from Trichilia pallida. Journal of Natural Products 64: 1117-1120.
Selected Publications pre-2001
Porter, E.A., Nic Lughadha, E. & Simmonds, M.S.J. (2000). Taxonomic implications of polyhydroxyalkaloids in the Myrtaceae. Kew Bulletin 55: 615-632.
Egan, M.J., Kite, G.C., Porter, E.A., Simmonds, M.S.J. & Howells, S. (2000). Electrospray and APCI analysis of polyhydroxyalkaloids using positive and negative collision induced dissociation experiments in a quadrupole ion trap. The Analyst 125: 1409-1414.
Egan, M.J., Porter, E.A., Kite, G.C., Simmonds, M.S.J., Barker, J. & Howells, S. (1999). High Performance Liquid chromatography quadrupole ion trap and gas chromatography studies for polyhydroxyalkaloids in bluebells. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 13: 195-200.
Simmonds, M.S.J., Kite, G.C. Porter, E.A. (1998). Taxonomic distribution of iminosugars in plants and their biological activities. In Stutz, A. (ed). Iminosugars as glycosidase inhibitors: Nojirimycin and beyond. VCH-Wiley, London. 8-30.
Ahmed, S.P., Nash, R.J., Bridges, G.C., Taylor, D.L., Kang, M.S., Porter, E.A. & Tyms, A.S. (1995). Antiviral activity and metabolism of the castanospermine derivative MDL 28,574, in cells infected with herpes simplex virus type 2. Biochemical & Biophysical Research Communications 208: 267-273.