The Tennessee Center for Botanical Medicine Research (TCBMR) was endorsed by Governor Bill Haslam and approved by the Tennessee Board of Regents on June 24, 2011. The primary goal of the TCBMR is to develop new drugs (pharmaceuticals) or nutritional supplements (nutraceuticals) from botanicals that have medicinal properties with an emphasis on plants that are native to Tennessee, such as ginseng and hemp.  At the TCBMR, biologists and chemists work closely together.  The biologists screen plant extracts or pure compounds isolated from plants for antibacterial, anticancer, antifungal, antiprotozoal, antiviral and immunomodulatory activities, while the chemists purify the active ingredients from plant extracts to determine their structure and develop approaches to synthesize or derivatize the active ingredients.  This iterative interdisciplinary approach is the key to our success.  We are funded by both federal and private grants and welcome the opportunity to work with companies to develop new drugs or nutritional supplements.