Aquapreneur » marine drugs

Researchers worry that damage to the oceans could mean some species — and whatever chemicals they produce — will be lost before they’re found

Admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 20:45:20 +0000

Marc Slattery, a marine biologist by training, looks to sponges and coral as possible sources of drugs. As stationary species in the open ocean, these organisms have developed many chemical defenses to protect themselves. Slattery studies whether those chemicals could protect us, too. Maybe the same compounds that fend off fish could battle viruses, kill bacteria, and even fight cancer.

“These organisms are producing some nasty sorts of chemistry,” Slattery explains. “If you focus on the biotech side of things, there may be a drug in that” — or, he suspects, many.

After a long history of success on land, pharmacognosy — the search for substances in nature that have pharmaceutical potential — is finally getting its sea legs. Slattery, a pharmacognosy professor at the University of Mississippi, is one of the researchers scouring the oceans for cures.

Ocean acidification, warming water temperature and pollution all threaten sensitive corals and the symbiotic species that live on the reefs. Says Michael Lesser, a coral reef biologist at the University of New Hampshire who collaborates with Slattery, “We could lose something that could have great value to us as human beings, and not even know it.”

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MDPI Publishes New Marine Drugs Issue: Volume 8, Issue 6

Admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:16:40 +0000

MDPI AG announce the publication of the following issue: Mar.
Drugs, Volume 8, Issue 6 (June 2010), Pages 1731-1961 at
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/6/

Table of Contents:

Sonia de Caralt, Javier Sánchez-Fontenla, María J. Uriz and Rene H.
Wijffels
Article: In Situ Aquaculture Methods for Dysidea avara (Demospongiae,
Porifera) in the Northwestern Mediterranean
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(6), 1731-1742; doi:10.3390/md8061731
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/6/1731

Charles Santhanaraju Vairappan, Takahiro Ishii, Tan Kai Lee, Minoru Suzuki
and Zhan Zhaoqi
Article: Antibacterial Activities of a New Brominated Diterpene from
Borneon Laurencia spp.
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(6), 1743-1749; doi:10.3390/md8061743
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/6/1743

Ruth Harris, Elena Lecumberri and Angeles Heras
Article: Chitosan-Genipin Microspheres for the Controlled Release of
Drugs: Clarithromycin, Tramadol and Heparin
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(6), 1750-1762; doi:10.3390/md8061750
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/6/1750

João C. Fernandes, Humberto Spindola, Vanessa de Sousa, Alice
Santos-Silva, Manuela E. Pintado, Francisco Xavier Malcata and João E.
Carvalho
Communication: Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Chitooligosaccharides in Vivo
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(6), 1763-1768; doi:10.3390/md8061763
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/6/1763

Xiaomei Wei, Tim S. Bugni, Mary Kay Harper, Imelda T. Sandoval, Elizabeth
J. Manos, Jennifer Swift, Ryan M. Van Wagoner, David A. Jones and Chris M.
Ireland
Article: Evaluation of Pyridoacridine Alkaloids in a Zebrafish Phenotypic
Assay
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(6), 1769-1778; doi:10.3390/md8061769
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/6/1769

Annarita Poli, Gianluca Anzelmo and Barbara Nicolaus
Review: Bacterial Exopolysaccharides from Extreme Marine Habitats:
Production, Characterization and Biological Activities
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(6), 1779-1802; doi:10.3390/md8061779
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/6/1779

Susan Matthew, Ranjala Ratnayake, Mikel A. Becerro, Raphael
Ritson-Williams, Valerie J. Paul and Hendrik Luesch
Article: Intramolecular Modulation of Serine Protease Inhibitor Activity
in a Marine Cyanobacterium with Antifeedant Properties
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(6), 1803-1816; doi:10.3390/md8061803
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/6/1803

Li Liu and Kathleen S. Rein
Review: New Peptides Isolated from Lyngbya Species: A Review
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(6), 1817-1837; doi:10.3390/md8061817
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/6/1817

Amandine Caillaud, Pablo de la Iglesia, H. Taiana Darius, Serge Pauillac,
Katerina Aligizaki, Santiago Fraga, Mireille Chinain and Jorge Diogène
Review: Update on Methodologies Available for Ciguatoxin Determination:
Perspectives to Confront the Onset of Ciguatera Fish Poisoning in Europe
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(6), 1838-1907; doi:10.3390/md8061838
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/6/1838

Bárbara Frazão, Rosário Martins and Vitor Vasconcelos
Article: Are Known Cyanotoxins Involved in the Toxicity of Picoplanktonic
and Filamentous North Atlantic Marine Cyanobacteria?
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(6), 1908-1919; doi:10.3390/md8061908
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/6/1908

Chen Zhang and Se-Kwon Kim
Review: Research and Application of Marine Microbial Enzymes: Status and
Prospects
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(6), 1920-1934; doi:10.3390/md8061920
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/6/1920

Christine J. Band-Schmidt, José J. Bustillos-Guzmán, David J.
López-Cortés, Ismael Gárate-Lizárraga, Erick J. Núñez-Vázquez and
Francisco E. Hernández-Sandoval
Review: Ecological and Physiological Studies of Gymnodinium catenatum in
the Mexican Pacific: A Review
Mar. Drugs 2010, 8(6), 1935-1961; doi:10.3390/md8061935
http://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/8/6/1935

Aquapharm and AMRI Enter Into a Novel Marine Chemistry Collaboration

Admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 19:01:45 +0000

Aquapharm Biodiscovery, a leading marine biotechnology company, has signed a research agreement with Albany Molecular Research to identify novel drug-like compounds and scaffolds with anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory activity from Aquapharm’s marine natural products library derived from its extensive collection of marine micro-organisms.

Under the terms of this agreement, drawing on its substantial experience and expertise from previous screening campaigns with its terrestrial natural products library, AMRI will screen Aquapharm’s library against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and an undisclosed anti-inflammatory target and will isolate and elucidate the structures of novel hits. Aquapharm retains all rights to compounds resulting from the collaboration.

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5th International Conference on Marine Bioprospecting, Tromso, Norway

Admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:47:40 +0000

23-25th February 2011

Registration and preliminary program available in September

BIOPROSP is a leading international biennial conference series on bioprospecting from cold marine environments. These conferences aim to present explorative research and its industrial applications in an integrated fashion. On behalf of the Scientific Committee, you are invited to Tromsø and the BIOPROSP Conference 2011.

The focus in the 2011 conference will be industrial biotech and bioprospecting as a stepping stone towards the bioeconomy.

Target group: Academic and industry researchers, decision makers, regulatory experts, investors and public facilitators.

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New Deep Sea Species Uncovered

Admin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:14:56 +0000

Scientists completing the last leg of MAR-ECO – an international research program and part of the Census of Marine Life, just returned from a voyage with samples of rare animals and more than 10 possible new species in a trip which they say has revolutionised their thinking about deep-sea life in the Atlantic Ocean.

The University of Aberdeen is leading the UK contribution to the project which involves scientists from 16 nations. Key collaborators in the UK include Newcastle University and the National Oceanography Centre.

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Indonesia And US Launch Deep-Sea Expedition

Admin — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 22:10:47 +0000

The first joint expedition by the Republic of Indonesia and the United States to explore unknown deep-sea areas in Indonesian waters is currently under way.

The expedition is the first activity in a multi-year partnership to advance ocean science, technology and education. This is the first expedition of the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer, and the first joint international expedition to send live images and other data from sea to scientists on watch at Exploration Command Centers ashore both in Indonesia and the United States.

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Euromares 2010, held recently in Spain — results in advancement of marine and maritime policies of the EU

Admin — Fri, 21 May 2010 19:12:04 +0000

The latest advances and emerging ideas in the field of marine research, maritime innovation and the evaluation of the marine medium were at the forefront of the debates in the conference Euromares 2010, held from 18 to 19 May in Guijon, Spain.

Some 200 scientists, managers, politicians, authorities related to research and planning of the marine medium, NGO, the maritime industry and leaders of the maritime industry of all the Member States of the European Union (EU) participated in the event.

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Trius Therapeutics Awarded U.S. Department of Defense Contract to Develop Novel Antibiotics from Marine Natural Product Libraries

Admin — Fri, 21 May 2010 15:33:40 +0000

Trius Therapeutics, Inc. today that it has been awarded a new four and a half year contract from the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), an agency within the U.S. Department of Defense, for the development of novel antibiotics directed against gram-negative bacterial pathogens. Trius may receive up to $29.5 million in support of development efforts under the new DTRA contract, which is funded as part of DTRA’s Transformational Medical Technologies Initiative (TMTI). Pursuant to the contract, Trius will apply its proprietary Focused Antisense Screening Technology (FAST) discovery platform to identify the targets of antibacterial compounds from marine natural product libraries developed in the laboratory of Dr. William Fenical, Distinguished Professor of Oceanography at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego.

Trius will then apply its structure-based drug design and development capabilities in an effort to optimize promising antibacterial compounds for activity against gram-negative biodefense pathogens such as Yersinia pestis, Francisella tularensis and Burkholderia pseudomallei. Trius believes that these compounds will also be active against gram-negative pathogens involved in common hospital acquired infections.

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Unigen and University of Prince Edward Island Embark on Major Scientific Marine Collection Project

Admin — Fri, 14 May 2010 18:33:27 +0000

Unigen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading natural products R&D company and proprietary rights supplier, and the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), have announced a partnership, which is the first step in an exciting process of collecting marine organisms from the Atlantic Ocean, with an eye to screening the samples for creating therapeutic and commercial products.

Unigen has been collecting plants and other organisms since 1997. Their research and discovery includes extensive work at both the human cell and gene level. Unigen focuses on identifying and studying the unique ingredients of medicinal botanicals and then developing proprietary raw materials for use in cosmeceutical, nutraceutical, functional food and pharmaceutical products. However, the current project will be the first time the company has developed a marine collection.

Researchers anticipate collecting a diverse range of marine organisms – invertebrates such as sponges, corals (non-reef builders), tunicates, and echinoderms, as well as algae, all of which will provide a wealth of information that will lead to discoveries of new chemical entities and novel natural, therapeutic commercial products.

Leading the collection process is Dr. Russell Kerr, Canada Research Chair in Marine Natural Products at UPEI. Dr. Kerr has been collecting and studying specimens in the Florida Keys and the Bahamas for over 20 years.

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Final Program Available for Marine Biodiscovery Event in the UK, June 2010

Admin — Fri, 14 May 2010 18:08:07 +0000

This meeting, coinciding with the opening of the new £1.6M Marine Biodiscovery Centre, will address the potential for new products and processes from the marine environment, with a particular emphasis on the technical challenges and realising successful outcomes. This will cover novel pharmaceuticals and high value chemicals such as biomaterials, nutraceuticals and personal care products as well as novel enzymes with unique activities. Academic and industrial aspects will be presented and there will be a showcase for Scottish companies and facilities.

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