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Robert Borris, PhD, FLS, joined the staff of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), a leading trade association in the dietary supplement industry, on January 2 as the organization’s new vice-president of botanical science and regulation.1 Dr. Borris formerly worked for Merck Research Laboratories in Rahway, NJ, for over 20 years, most recently as senior investigator in the company’s department of natural products chemistry.
“It is certainly a frame shift for me, having spent my career to date in the pharmaceutical industry, to now be part of the dietary supplement industry,” said Dr. Borris (e-mail, January 11, 2007). “Although the regulatory framework is different between the two industries, there are similarities in that both products play a role in healthcare. I’m a pharmacognosist by training, a natural products chemist by experience, and I’m particularly intrigued by how chemicals interact with biological systems-chemical biology-the underlying science of medicine. This field is equally applicable to botanical supplements as well as to drugs, perhaps with a small difference in perspective. I’m looking forward to working in an industry that promotes wellness, one where products can actually help maintain good health before we reach the need to correct the disease.”
In his new position at CRN, Dr. Borris will work to increase awareness of the evolving body of botanical research that supports the use of plant-based dietary supplements, represent CRN on botanical supplement issues before various stakeholders, regulatory authorities, legislators, and the media, and provide scientific expertise and counsel to CRN member companies.
“I am most interested in helping our members to address the problems that may be inherent to this industry-and then helping find solutions,” said Dr. Borris (oral communication, January 9, 2007). Dr. Borris explained that he would like to take a critical view of the development of a traditional natural product, from the harvesting of its raw materials to its final completion, and work to determine ways to anticipate where problems could arise throughout the process and how such problems could be resolved. He also noted that regulations for dietary supplements and natural products could foreseeably become more stringent in the future. “I would like to work with CRN members to advise regulating agencies and legislators to make sure that any future regulations are based on science and not on the reports in the evening news.”
Dr. Borris added that he would also like to poll members of CRN to get a clear view of their needs and concerns. “I’m interested in looking critically at the needs of the organization and setting up my office as a resource for addressing those issues,” Dr. Borris said.
“We are excited to welcome Dr. Borris to CRN’s team,” said Steve Mister, president and CEO of CRN in a press release.1 “His specific expertise makes our well-respected scientific team even stronger and rounds out our coverage of all supplement categories. He brings not only an impressive knowledge of natural products chemistry, but his pharmaceutical industry background will bring a unique perspective to this category, one that will be useful as this industry continues efforts to apply appropriate scientific standards and rigorous discipline to botanical products. His hiring underscores CRN’s commitment to sound science across all product categories for this industry.”
At Merck, Dr. Borris was head of the company’s phytochemistry program and its two major biodiversity collaborations with the National Biodiversity Institute in Costa Rica (INBio) and the New York Botanical Garden, and his expertise included acquisition of biodiversity resources.1 “My career in the pharmaceutical industry revolved around the discovery of new natural products as leads for drug discovery,” explained Dr. Borris (e-mail, January 11, 2007). “In that capacity, I was involved in all aspects of natural products research, ranging from the field collection of samples for screening and investigation to the preparation of kilogram quantities of active compound for preclinical studies. Having headed the phytochemistry program of a major drug company, I have been intimately involved with issues such as intellectual property rights, sustainable harvesting of plants, and compensation of indigenous peoples, as well as the laboratory science of drug discovery. There are many similarities between these experiences and the issues facing the dietary supplement industry.”
“I’m also fairly well-versed in how regulating agencies view drugs, on the one hand, and how they view dietary supplements,” he added (oral communication, January 9, 2007). “Expectations of the products are bound to be different. I’m in a position to help the agencies define what those expectations should be.”
Dr. Borris earned his PhD in pharmacognosy from the University of Illinois in Chicago (UIC) in 1981, where he worked with and was taught by internationally-respected pharmacognosist Norman R. Farnsworth, PhD, who among his many distinctions is a co-founder and trustee of the American Botanical Council. “I am honored to describe myself as a product of Norm Farnsworth’s department” at UIC, Dr. Borris said. “While Norm was not my thesis advisor (Geoff Cordell has that distinction), he has played a major role in my professional life. For nearly 30 years, Norm has been a good friend, colleague, advisor and mentor.”
- Courtney Cavaliere
Reference
1. CRN announces new vice president, botanical science & regulation [press release]. Washington DC: Council for Responsible Nutrition; December 11, 2006.
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