Ikhlas Khan

Roles & Affiliations: Ikhlas Khan serves as Director of the National Center for Natural Products Research (NCNPR), Distinguished Professor, and Research Professor of Pharmacognosy at the University of Mississippi's School of Pharmacy. He also leads the FDA Program and coordinates natural products research across multiple initiatives, including the Sino-US TCM Research Center and the Center for Research of Indian Systems of Medicine (CRISM).

Education:

• B.Sc. Chemistry (1980) - Aligarh Muslim University, India
• M.Sc. Organic Chemistry (1982) - Aligarh Muslim University, India
• Ph.D. Pharmacy (1987) - Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich
• Postdoctoral Studies - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich

Research Focus: Dr. Khan specializes in natural products research with emphasis on:

• Phytomedicine: Standardization of herbal products via analytical fingerprinting, pesticide/herbicide residue analysis, and bioanalytical quality control.
• Drug Discovery: Isolation of bioactive natural products, development of analytical methods for phytochemical characterization, and chiral separation techniques.
• Metabolism Studies: Role of metabolism in drug/natural product activity, particularly in aminoquinoline antimalarials.

His work bridges academia, industry, and regulatory bodies, shaping policies for botanical supplements.

Key Contributions: Over 850 peer-reviewed publications and leadership in high-impact projects like the FDA Center of Excellence. His lab pioneered methods to combat herbal product adulteration and safety issues.

Awards & Recognition:

• UM Distinguished Professor Award (2018)
• Wiley Award (AOAC International, 2018)
• Qihuang International Prize (2017)
• Honoris Causa Doctorate (University of Hamdard, 2012)

Labs & Collaborations: Directs the NCNPR, a global leader in natural products research, and collaborates with institutions worldwide. His team develops technologies for herbal product authentication and drug metabolism studies.