Plants, animals, and microbes such as fungi harbor vast undiscovered bioactive compounds with transformative potential. A prime example is artemisinin, a malaria treatment derived from Artemisia annua, which has saved millions of lives globally. Meanwhile, modern agriculture’s overreliance on broad-spectrum agrochemicals poses severe environmental risks underscoring the urgent need for targeted, sustainable bio-innovations. To address these challenges, our team leverages cutting-edge bio- and computational techniques, including machine learning, to systematically mine Africa’s biodiversity for novel, eco-friendly solutions bridging traditional knowledge with next-generation discovery.

Research Fields

Drug Discovery

Drug Discovery

Nutraceuticals

Nutraceutical development

Functional foods

Biofortification

Biofertilizers

Biofertilizer development

Biopesticides

Biopesticide discovery

Medicinal plant conservation

Medicinal Plant Conservation

Publications

    2025
  1. Identification Of Potential Sglt2 Inhibitors for Antidiabetic Drug Repositioning Using Machine Learning
  2. Kalungi, F., & Anywar, G. (2025). Kava (Piper methysticum G. Forst. Piperaceae). In Comprehensive Guide to Hallucinogenic Plants (pp. 292-297). CRC Press.
  3. 2023
  4. Kalungi, F., Nsubuga, A., & Anywar, G. (2023). Network analysis and molecular docking studies of quercetin as a potential treatment for prostate cancer. In Silico Pharmacology, 11(1), 24.
  5. Kalungi, F., Kumar, P., Valdez, I. R. V., & Anywar, G. (2023). Curcumin’s molecular mechanism of action and targets in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: A network analysis and molecular docking study.

Ongoing Projects

  1. Identification of natural antagonists of the androgen receptor via machine learning
  2. Development of database of Uganda medicinal plants and their associated bioactivities