The Department of Pharmacognosy and Chemistry of Natural Products of the School of Pharmacy (University of Patras) is focused on the exploration of natural products and medicinal plants via both analytical and synthetical tools of Chemistry.

Patras, the host city of the University, is the capital of Achaia Province at the northwestern edge of Peloponnesus with a quarter million inhabitants. Located 200 km west of Athens is linked to the world by land, sea and air. Laying between the mountain Panachaico and the Gulf of Patras is in close proximity to some of the most famous centers of Greek antiquity such as Ancient Olympia, Delphi, Epidaurus and Mycenae. Patras is a place to study and enjoy, a warm and welcoming place to live.

The University Campus is 7 km east of the city of Patras, in the area of Rion. It is self-contained campus in a beautiful location at the foot of the mount Panachaico with a view over the Gulf of Corinth to the mountains of Central Greece across the water. The School of Pharmacy was originally founded in 1977 and its first undergraduate students were admitted in 1978. The School is comprised of 8 Departments (Laboratories) with a full range of instruments for pharmaceutical research

The Laboratory is in operation since the year 1989. The official foundation and its by-law were approved by the Greek government in 1995 (Official Journal of the Hellenic Republic 38/22.02.95). Its Founder and Director for decades was the late Professor Paul Cordopatis. Under his direction, the Laboratory constituted the basic Unit of a National Network of Laboratories, which was granted from the First Operational Program of Research and Technology of Greece (Stride 1991-1994, Project 91). The main aim of the project was the creation of the Unit of Synthetic Peptides with the essential infrastructure for the promotion of the basic and mainly applied research on bioactive peptides of pharmaceutical importance.

The participation of the Laboratory in a second Network of laboratories and in various competitive Programs of the General Secretariat of Research and Technology of Greece, the European Union, and other internal constitutions, had as result the completion of the infrastructure with high technology equipment.

The Department has the privilege to be presented in two actions in the official portal (http://excellence.minedu.gov.gr ) created by the Ministry of Education in order to present academic and scientific excellence: 1)research activity on structure-activity studies on bioactive peptides (http://excellence.minedu.gov.gr/listing/98-peptidia ) and 2) the neuroprotective potential of blueberry polyphenols (http://excellence.minedu.gov.gr/listing/96-myrtilla ).