National Seminar on Marine Biotechnology- SEMBIOT ‘10, India

National seminar on Marine Biotechnology is being organised by the Centre for Development of Marine Biotechnology, School of Marine Sciences, CUSAT, Cochin, during 25-27 March 2010 at the School of Marine Sciences.

The seminar will cover the latest developments and applications of marine biotechnology and its implications to the management of marine environment.

Topics to include:

• Marine natural products and composite materials
• Bioactive marine natural products
• Drugs from the sea
• Marine natural products, biopolymers and enzymes for industries
• New types of composite materials

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International MareLife Innovation Workshop to run a parallel session on second day of The North Atlantic Seafood Forum, Oslo, Norway 3-4. March, 2010

The main objective of the workshop is to provide a meeting place to enhance bio marine innovation through the facilitation of alliances and synergy across otherwise distant sectors and players.

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Scripps researchers win race to synthesize marine natural product Palau’amine

The compound Palau’amine, discovered in 1993,  is so chemically complex that finding a way to produce it in the laboratory became the most hotly pursued synthetic chemistry goal in modern history. Groups around the globe dedicated millions to the challenge, but it is a team of scientists from The Scripps Research Institute that has finally completed the quest.

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GRC hosts Marine Natural Products conference in California, Feb 2010

The mission of the 2010 MNP GRC is to bring traditional participants in this area, including natural products chemists, synthetic chemists and marine biologists, together with specialists in newly emerging areas of marine microbiology, molecular biology, genetic engineering and genomics in a highly interactive forum where new avenues of research will be developed.

Applications for this meeting must be submitted by February 7, 2010.

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Microbial products being developed to combat invasive mussels in open water situations

Marrone Bio Innovations (MBI) announces it will join forces with SePRO Corporation (SePRO), to develop MBI’s microbial‐based product, Zequanox, for use in controlling invasive mussel species in open water situations. Invasive mussel populations have been widespread in the Great Lakes and Midwest regions of North America for two decades. More recently, quagga mussels have established themselves in the Colorado River and are rapidly spreading to other water bodies in western states.

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Collaboraton working with deep sea microorganisms for agriculture solutions

Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc. (MBI), is collaborating with the laboratories of research microbiologist Dr. Paul Jensen and Professor William Fenical at the University of California at San Diego, Scripps Institute, to find deep sea microorganisms with potential applications for pest management. UC’s Industry University Cooperative Research Program (IUCRP) awarded Dr. Jensen’s Lab a Discovery Grant for the joint project.

Dr. Jensen’s lab collaborates with the lab of Dr. William Fenical who is internationally recognized for significant discoveries of new pharmaceutical compounds from naturally occurring marine microorganisms. MBI is also developing a novel marine microorganism discovered by Dupont and Biomar, S.A. for use as a rice herbicide.

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Federal stimulus dollars go to cooperative group targeting discovery of marine-derived anticancer leads

The overall goal of the National Cooperative Drug Discovery Group (NCDDG) program is to discover marine natural product leads for cancer  chemotherapy. There are four laboratory programs operating in a close and synergistic fashion as follows:

• Lab Program #1 led by Prof. Phillip Crews (PI of this NCDDG), University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC)
• Lab Program #2 led by Prof. William Gerwick, Oregon State University (OSU)
• Lab Program #3 led by Dr. Amy Wright, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution (HBOI)
• Lab Program #4 led by Prof. William Fenical, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego (SIO-UCSD).

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Fish Byproducts used to exterminate rats in Philippines

Fish paste, a fish by-product, has been proven an effective rat exterminator, particularly with its somehow offensive odor that attracts rodents like commercially produced chemicals, agriculture officials in the Philippines say.

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US West Coast Companies Partner to Produce Biochemicals from Microalgae

Under a new partnership, Seattle-based Blue Marble Energy Corp. will produce its biochemicals using a supply of microalgae from algae producer Bionavitas, Redmond, Washington.

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Biodiesel catalyst technology company announces new algae project

Biodiesel catalyst technology company Catilin Inc. announced a new three-year, $5.3 million project as part of the $44 million U.S. DOE Investment for Advanced Biofuels Research and Fueling Infrastructure award made to Catilin’s consortium, National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts.

Catilin and its partner, Iowa State University-Center for Catalysis, will provide key extraction, sequestration and conversion technologies. The NAABB consortium is made up of 26 groups from both the private and public sector and is led by the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center.

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