Contention 1 is Inherency – The National Ocean Policy is a failure. Budget and coordination efforts hamstring holistic strategy for exploration



Download 0.6 Mb.
Page6/13
Date03.03.2018
Size0.6 Mb.
#42027
1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   ...   13

Adv – Pharmaceuticals



Oceans have Essential Medicines

The ocean is now an incredible source of biomedical resources; over 100 essential drugs today exist because of ocean exploration.


UCSD 03 (Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California – San Diego, A group of researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, have for the first time shown that sediments in the deep ocean are a significant biomedical resource for microbes that produce antibiotic molecules; “Scripps Scientists Discover Rich Medical Drug Resource In Deep Ocean Sediments”; January 20, 2003, http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/01/030120100702.htm, RJ)

Although the oceans cover 70 percent of the planet's surface, much of their biomedical potential has gone largely unexplored. Until now. A group of researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, have for the first time shown that sediments in the deep ocean are a significant biomedical resource for microbes that produce antibiotic molecules. In a series of two papers, a group led by William Fenical, director of the Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine (CMBB) at Scripps Institution, has reported the discovery of a novel group of bacteria found to produce molecules with potential in the treatment of infectious diseases and cancer. "The average person thinks of the bottom of the ocean as a dark, cold, and nasty place that is irrelevant, but we've shown that this environment may be a huge resource for new antibiotics and drugs for the treatment of cancer," said Fenical. The first paper, published in the October, 2002 issue of Applied and Environmental Microbiology, highlights the discovery of new bacteria, called actinomycetes, from ocean sediments. For more than 45 years, terrestrial actinomycetes were the foundation of the pharmaceutical industry because of their ability to produce natural antibiotics, including important drugs such as streptomycin, actinomycin, and vancomycin. The data from this paper provide the first conclusive evidence of the widespread occurrence of indigenous actinomycete populations in marine sediments. The second paper, published in the Jan. 20, 2003 issue of the international edition of the chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie, identifies the structure of a new natural product, which Fenical's group has named Salinosporamide A, from this new bacterial resource. The new compound is a potent inhibitor of cancer growth, including human colon carcinoma, non-small cell lung cancer, and, most effectively, breast cancer. January's report cracks the door open for a line of similar discoveries from the recently discovered Salinospora genus. "The second paper shows the potential for the production of materials that are highly biologically active and very chemically unique. This is likely to be the tip of the iceberg of diverse chemical formulas that are out there," said Fenical. Although more than 100 drugs today exist from terrestrial microorganisms, including penicillin, arguably the most important drug in medicine, the potential from land-based microbial sources began dwindling nearly 10 years ago. Pharmaceutical investigators searched high and low around the globe for new terrestrial, drug-producing microbes, but with diminishing payback. According to Fenical, when considering the ever-increasing resistance of bacteria to existing antibiotics, the need to make new discoveries becomes essential. Surprisingly, the oceans, with some of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, were largely ignored as a potential source for actinomycete bacteria. Given this omission, it was natural for Fenical's group at the Scripps CMBB to initiate studies of marine environments for new microorganisms important in pharmaceutical discovery. His group developed new methods and tools for obtaining a variety of ocean sediments, including a miniaturized sampling device that efficiently captures samples from the deep ocean. They derived bottom muds from more than 1,000 meters deep from the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of California. They also developed new methods for sifting through these samples (which contain roughly one billion microorganisms per cubic centimeter), culturing the microorganisms, identifying them by genetic methods, and screening their metabolic products for anticancer and antibiotic properties. By genetic and culture analysis, Fenical's group discovered the new genus Salinospora, a type of actinomycete bacteria found in tropical and subtropical oceans, but never seen before on land. The results from their biomedical studies were extraordinarily positive. Of 100 strains of these organisms tested, 80 percent produced molecules that inhibit cancer cell growth. Roughly 35 percent revealed the ability to kill pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Based on the worldwide distribution of Salinospora, Fenical estimates that many thousands of strains will be available. "I would even go as far as to say that never before has this level of biological activity been observed within a single group of organisms," said Fenical. These discoveries have been patented by the University of California and licensed to Nereus Pharmaceuticals Inc. for subsequent development. Nereus is a four-year-old biotech company in San Diego, Calif. dedicated to the development of new drugs from this new source for drug discovery. "These extraordinary marine discoveries by Scripps Institution, coupled with their industrialization by Nereus Pharmaceuticals, could provide the next great source of drug discovery for the pharmaceutical industry," said Kobi Sethna, president and CEO of Nereus Pharmaceuticals. "These discoveries speak to the future of antibiotic discovery," said Fenical. "They point to the fact that the ocean is an incredibly exciting new microbial resource. They indicate how little we know, and they demonstrate how much we need to invest in further exploration of the oceans." In addition to Fenical, coauthors on the papers include Tracy Mincer, Paul Jensen, Christopher Kauffman, Robert Feling, and Greg Buchanan.

Exploring the deep could lead to incredible medical discoveries.


Mckie 2012 (Robin, science and technology editor for the Observer, Marine 'treasure trove' could bring revolution in medicine and industry, 11/10/2012 http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/nov/10/marine-treasure-trove-medicine MB)

Scientists have pinpointed a new treasure trove in our oceans: micro-organisms that contain millions of previously unknown genes and thousands of new families of proteins. These tiny marine wonders offer a chance to exploit a vast pool of material that could be used to create innovative medicines, industrial solvents, chemical treatments and other processes, scientists say. Researchers have already created new enzymes for treating sewage and chemicals for making soaps from material they have found in ocean organisms.¶ "The potential for marine biotechnology is almost infinite," said Curtis Suttle, professor of earth, ocean and atmospheric sciences at the University of British Columbia. "It has become clear that most of the biological and genetic diversity on Earth is – by far – tied up in marine ecosystems, and in particular in their microbial components. By weight, more than 95% of all living organisms found in the oceans are microbial. This is an incredible resource." However, the discovery of the ocean's biological riches, including hundreds of thousands of new sponges, bacteria and viruses, also raises worries about the damage that could ensue from the new science of marine biotechnology. In particular, scientists worry that precious sources, including hydrothermal vents where bacteria and simple plants thrive in water above boiling point, could be damaged or destroyed in a free-for-all rush to exploit these wonders. In addition, major worries focus on developing nations whose waters contain rich sources of marine life that could be targeted and exploited by western chemical companies. On land, patents can provide protection for products derived from local animals or plants. In the sea, where currents carry fish, sponges and microbes from place to place, such protection could be far trickier to enforce. The issues are set to top the agenda at a biotechnology forum, The Evolving Promise of the Life Sciences, that the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the UK Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) genomics forum are holding in Paris on Monday. "We have controls for regulating the exploitation of animals, plants and microbes on land, but regulating them at sea is going to be much more difficult," said Professor Steve Yearley, head of the ESRC genomics forum and organiser of tomorrow's meeting. "We cannot stop pirates off Somalia, so how is someone supposed to protect rare sponges that they find in their coastal waters?" Sponges turn out to be a particularly promising marine resource. The sponge Tethya crypta, found in Belize and other parts of the Caribbean, has been found to contain chemicals that have anti-cancer and anti-viral properties. Similarly, the cancer drug Halaven was derived from sponges of the Halichondria family. To date, only a handful of drugs derived from marine biotechnology sources have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. However, more than 1,000 new ones are undergoing pre-clinical tests. These include products derived from molluscs, snails, marine microbes and fish. The science of marine biotechnology was kickstarted five years ago by the entrepreneur Craig Venter. One of the scientists involved in the sequencing of the human genome, Venter set off in his yacht in a round-the-world cruise intent on demonstrating the potential of the biological material that is found in sea water. In the end, he made two journeys, one from 2006-8 and the other from 2009-11. On both expeditions, scientists took 200-400 litre samples of sea water every 200 miles, put these through progressively smaller filters to capture the organisms in the samples, then froze the captured micro-organisms for shipment back to his laboratory. There scientists sequenced their DNA using techniques developed by Venter on sequencing the human genome.¶ The results were staggering. According to Venter, his team discovered around 20m new genes and thousands of new families of proteins in the samples they scooped up on their journeys through the world's oceans. As yet, no one knows what these genes and proteins do, although most researchers believe many of them must have potential as sources of new drugs. We are struggling to develop the right techniques to isolate and understand the marvels we are finding in the waters around the planet," said Yearley. "Once we have done that, then we will have a much better idea just what we are looking at and just how careful we need to be when it comes to ensuring this resource is protected for the future."

Ocean Is The most promising frontier for sources of new drugs


National Research Council 9 The National Academics Advisors to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine, 2009, http://dels.nas.edu/resources/static-assets/osb/miscellaneous/Oceans-Human-Health.pdf) jml

In 1945, a young organic chemist named Werner Berg- mann set out to explore the waters off the coast of south- ern Florida. Among the marine organisms he scooped from the sand that day was a Caribbean sponge that would later be called Cryptotethya crypta . Back in his lab, Bergmann extracted a novel compound from this sponge that aroused his curiosity. The chemical Bergmann identified in this sponge, spongothymidine, eventually led to the development of a whole class of drugs that treat cancer and viral diseases and are still in use today. For example, Zid- ovudine (AZT) fights the AIDS virus, HIV, and cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C) is used in the treatment of leuke- mias and lymphomas. Acyclovir speeds the healing of eczema and some herpes viruses. These are just a few examples of how the study of marine organisms con- tributes to the health of thousands of men, women, and children around the world. New antibiotics, in addition to new drugs for fighting cancer, inflammatory diseases, and neurodegenerative diseases (which often cannot be treated successfully today), are greatly needed. With drug resistance nibbling away at the once-full toolbox of antibiotics, the limited effectiveness of currently available drugs has dire conse- quences for public health. Compounds with medical potential have been found in several species of marine sponges, such as this bright orange sponge. (Image from Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Fort Pierce, Florida) _ OCEAN SCIENCE SERIES exploring the promises of ocean science OCEANS AND HUMAN HEALTH 3 Historically, many medicines have come from nature —mostly from land-based natural organisms. Because scientists have nearly exhausted the supply of terrestrial plants, animals, and microorganisms that have interesting medical properties, new sources of drugs are needed. Occupying more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, the ocean is a virtually unexplored treasure chest of new and unidentified species—one of the last frontiers for sources of new natural products. These natural products are of special interest because of the dazzling diversity and uniqueness of the creatures that make the sea their home. One reason marine organisms are so interesting to sci- entists is because in adapting to the various ocean environments, they have evolved fascinating repertoires of unique chemicals to help them survive. For example, anchored to the seafloor, a sponge that protects itself from an animal trying to take over its space by killing the invader has been compared with the human im- mune system trying to kill foreign cancer cells. That same sponge, bathed in seawater containing millions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi, some of which could be pathogens, has developed antibiotics to keep those pathogens under control. Those same antibiotics could be used to treat infections in humans. Sponges, in fact, are among the most prolific sources of diverse chemical compounds. An estimated 30 percent of all potential marine-de- rived medications currently in the pipeline—and about 75 per- cent of recently patented marine-de- rived anticancer compounds—come from marine sponges. Marine-based microorganisms are another particu- larly rich source of new medicines. More than 1_0 drugs available today derive from land-based microbes. Scien- tists see marine-based microbes as the most promising source of novel medicines from the sea. In all, more than _ 0,000 biochemical compounds have been isolated from sea creatures since the 1980s. Because drug discovery in the marine frontier is a relatively young field, only a few marine-derived drugs are in use today. Many others are in the pipeline. One ex- ample is Prialt, a drug developed from the venom of a fish-killing cone snail. The cone snails produce neuro- toxins to paralyze and kill prey; those neurotoxins are being developed as neuromuscular blocks for individuals with chronic pain, stroke, or epilepsy. Other marine- derived drugs are being tested against herpes, asthma, and breast cancer. The National Research Council report Marine Biotechnology that the exploration of unique habitats, such as deep-sea environments, and the isolation and culture of marine microor- ganisms offer two underexplored opportuni- ties for discovery of novel chemicals with thera- peutic potential. The successes to date, which are based upon a very limited investigation of both deep-sea organisms and marine microorganisms, suggest a high potential for continued discovery of new drugs.

Ocean key to medical breakthroughs


Kay 01 (Sharon, “Scientists Seek New Medicines From the Ocean”, National Geographic, August 7, 2001, http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/08/0807_wireseamed1.html) KD

Male toadfish use their bladder muscles to dazzle females with a unique mating call that sounds like a bullfrog. But, these days, toadfish are also wooing scientists who want to apply lessons of toadfish anatomy to everything from heart disease to human nerve regeneration. After all, muscles that can contract and relax as fast as a toadfish bladder could provide clues on how to help failing human muscles of all kinds. "When you want to develop a new system for a Ford Escort, you use the Formula One model to see the extreme version of motor performance," explained muscle physiologist Iain Young, who is spending the summer at the Marine Biological Lab in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, to study the Formula One muscle of the sea. Once regarded as either dinner or a research novelty, creatures of the sea are getting increased respect among scientists looking for the medicines and therapies of the future. From the ancient horseshoe crab, whose blood provides a common test for bacterial contamination, to the lowly sea urchin, which played a key role in test-tube fertilization of embryos, marine life is starting to take its place alongside more established lab animals, such as the mouse, in medical and basic biological research. "I believe marine organisms can be used to eliminate disease and human suffering," said William Speck, a pediatrician who is now director of the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole. "We now have the technology to visit the deep ocean floor, and, because of DNA technology, to more deeply understand life and ourselves." In addition to covering three quarters of the planet surface, oceans support the greatest variety of life on Earth, many of them adapted to extreme environments—fish that can see in pitch blackness, marine mammals that can accurately find the source of sound underwater, creatures that thrive at pressure levels that would kill a human. Understanding how these animals function enables scientists to experiment with more complex mammal systems in order to understand and cure diseases.


Reefs K/T Pharm



Further studying of Coral reefs could lead to medical breakthroughs


Levins No Date (Nicole Levins, Nicole Levins is an online media manager at The Nature Conservancy, Oceans and Coasts Coral Reefs: Nature's Medicine Cabinet, No Date, http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/habitats/oceanscoasts/explore/coral-reefs-and-medicine.xml)

Surprisingly, coral reefs hold the cures to some of our most common medical ailments.¶ Climate change is affecting the health of coral ecosystems — and that puts a strain on the medicinal benefits derived from our oceans. By protecting marine environments across the world, The Nature Conservancy is safeguarding marine biodiversity and ensuring coral reefs will be around for future medicinal discoveries. “A DEVASTATING LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY COULD MEAN THAT FEWER SPECIES WILL BE AROUND FOR FUTURE MEDICINAL RESEARCH AND BIOMEDICAL STUDIES.” Stephanie Wear, Nature Conservancy marine scientist. What are some of the things you think about when you hear the words “coral reef”? Maybe the threats faced by these fragile ecosystems cross your mind: climate change, ocean acidification and unsustainable fishing practices. Or maybe, if you’re more of a “glass-half-full” type, you visualize the happy images: starfish and sea urchins, clownfish and parrotfish, sea turtles and giant clams. But you probably don’t think about medicine. It’s true — these colorful and sometimes crazy-looking underwater structures host a lot more than just cool sea creatures. Coral reefs could hold the cures for some of the human race’s most common — and most serious — ailments. By protecting these “rainforests of the sea,” The Nature Conservancy is ensuring that coral reefs will be around — and healthy enough — to facilitate future medicinal discoveries. Find out how you can help by adopting a coral reef today AN UNDERWATER PHARMACY Scientists have already developed many medical treatments from resources found in the world’s oceans, For instance:¶ Secosteroids, an enzyme used by corals to protect themselves from disease, is used to treat asthma, arthritis and other inflammatory disorders. Bryozoan Bugula neritina, a common fouling organism (similar to barnacles) that’s found in both temperate and tropical climates, is a source for the anti-cancer compound bryostatin 1. The U.S. National Cancer Institute recently collected more than 26,000 pounds of the organism from docks and pilings with little impact on the population. Blue-green algae, commonly found in Caribbean mangroves, are used to treat small-cell lung cancer. The National Cancer Institute also endorsed blue-green algae for the treatment of melanoma and some tumors.Two drugs currently on the market for cancer and pain come from marine sources. Twenty-five more marine-derived medicines are being evaluated in human trials right now. Yondelis®, the first new treatment in 30 years for soft-tissue sarcoma, is extracted from the sea squirt, a sac-like filter feeder. And with just a few more years of research, it seems likely that scientists will uncover even more therapeutic secrets in the sea:¶ A series of organic chemicals isolated from a soft coral called the Caribbean sea whip seem to have an impressive anti-inflammatory effect on human skin. Bioactive molecules produced by marine invertebrates such as sea sponges, tunicates and sea hares have displayed potent anti-viral, anti-tumor and antibacterial activity. Researchers are studying bivalves, a class of mollusks, to learn more about aging processes, including metabolic activity and environmental stressors.¶ In fact, one coral reef ecologist says that we’re 300 to 400 times more likely to find new drugs in the oceans than on land.¶ PROTECTING REEFS FOR HUMAN AND MARINE HEALTH Climate change is already affecting the health of coral ecosystems. Microbial communities — where many new drugs could likely be found — are especially susceptible to these changes, and some are already beginning to decline or migrate. “An estimated 95 percent of the world’s oceans remain unexplored, so it’s possible that we might lose significant marine organisms without ever knowing they existed in the first place,” explains Stephanie Wear, a marine scientist on the Conservancy’s Global Marine Team. “A devastating loss of biodiversity could mean that fewer species will be around for future medicinal research and biomedical studies.” By protecting marine environments through the creation of marine protected areas and the development of adaptation strategies, the Conservancy is safeguarding marine biodiversity. People and nature are already benefitting in so many ways from these marine protected areas. Just imagine what medical benefits may still lay undiscovered beneath the sea.

Mountain Ranges K/T Pharm

Exploring Underwater Mountains Could Drive New Medical Discoveries


D'oliveira 98 (Steve, Editor / Education Law Newsletter at LRP Publications Editor & Publisher at Florida Underwater Magazine Reporter at Fort Lauderdale News & Sun-Sentinel Heed The Call Of The Oceans, Urges Explorer Who Discovered The `Titanic', http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/1998-04-09/news/9804080462_1_oceans-robert-ballard-earth, April 9, 1998)

The United States has sent men to the moon and robots to traverse the terrain on Mars. Yet it has not sponsored an exploration of the mid-ocean range, a huge underwater mountain ridge in the Southern Hemisphere. The heavens may beckon, but so do the oceans right here on Earth. That was the message Robert Ballard, the pioneer oceanographer who discovered the Titanic, delivered to 500 people on Wednesday in Dania and Boca Raton at speeches sponsored by Nova Southeastern University's Breakfast and Luncheon Forums.¶ The mid-ocean ridge, a chain of active volcanoes, stretches for 42,000 miles under several oceans as it encircles the Earth like the raised seams on a baseball. ``It covers 23 percent of the Earth's total surface area, yet it wasn't until after Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon that humans entered the largest feature on Earth, which I find quite amazing,'' Ballard said. ``In fact, we have only explored one-tenth of 1 percent of this great mountain.¶ ``That's pretty staggering, to realize how poorly explored Earth is,'' he said.¶ There are many practical reasons for exploring the seas, he said. Not only do the oceans drive the Earth's weather system, but marine organisms are vital to medicine and finding new drugs. Deep-ocean bacteria also may have industrial applications, because of their ability to withstand extreme heat and pressure. As an example of just how little is known about the seas, Ballard cited the long-held assumption that the deep oceans _ where light cannot penetrate _ harbored little life.¶ That was proved wrong, Ballard said, when scientists discovered 9-foot tube worms and large white clams living on top of fresh volcanic lava. They can survive, he said, because the organisms learned how to duplicate photosynthesis in the dark. Ballard, who said life may have originated deep in the Earth's oceans, said life also may exist on ice-covered Europa, one of Jupiter's moons. Scientists think Europa harbors a 60-mile ocean, perhaps kept warm by active underwater volcanoes.¶ ``The question is, `How smart are the clams on Europa?' '' Ballard said.¶ He made his remarks Wednesday afternoon at the Boca Raton Marriott, where he showed slides from the Titanic.¶ He found the wreck in 1985 using cameras mounted on a remotely operated vehicle, a technology he helped pioneer in the late 1970s. Discovering the Titanic not only brought attention to the new technology used to find it, but Ballard said it also ``created a tremendous sensitivity about the ocean.''¶ The so-called ``unsinkable'' ocean liner sank in the North Atlantic after striking an iceberg on its maiden voyage on April 15, 1912. Ballard's last public visit to South Florida was in 1996, when he helped produce Jason Project VII, Adapting to a Changing Sea, an educational and interactive-television program designed to excite students about science.Ballard, a tenured senior scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts, most recently discovered the largest concentration of ancient shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea, 70 miles west of Sicily.

Empirics Prove

Empirical Examples Of Cures From The Oceans

Hagan, 13 (Pat, health journalist working mainly for national newspapers like the Daily Mail, Daily Express and The Sun Specialised in case study-led features and research-based news stories, Deep sea cures, June 4, 2013, http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/404738/Deep-sea-cures, -MB)


Now scientists are increasingly turning their attention to the sea with ocean plants and creatures providing the key to a variety of drugs that can treat everything from cancer to sinus trouble. Experts hope the multitude of largely unexplored life forms lurking in the depths will lead to many more medical breakthroughs in years to come. Here is our guide to the treatments that originate deep in the ocean. SEAWEED Used for: Blocked sinuses A nasal spray made from an organism found on seaweed could be a radical new treatment for blocked sinuses, which affect up to three million people in the UK. British scientists are developing the spray after discovering that the marine organism can break down the cells, which act like a glue to hold mucus together inside the nasal cavity.They came up with the idea of targeting blocked sinuses after originally researching the seaweed bug as a means of cleaning the hulls of ships, which can become covered in a layer of biofilm similar to mucus. Now laboratory tests at Newcastle University show the seaweed enzyme can help to clear blocked sinuses by “dissolving” the glue that binds bacteria together and acts as a shield against existing sprays or antibiotics. BARNACLES Used for: Surgical glue Barnacles have an amazing capacity to stick to wet surfaces such as rocks or the hull of a boat even in the roughest conditions. Now scientists have taken the substance that helps them do this and turned it into a medical superglue. Called Medhesive, it can help wounds repair in under a minute and like the barnacle substance, works in either wet or dry conditions. This means that surgeons could potentially use it on major organs with a rich blood supply such as the heart, kidneys and liver. The glue is known as one of nature’s most powerful adhesives. It cannot be dissolved by strong acids, resists temperatures up to 440F and is completely resistant to bacteria. MARINE SNAILS Used for: Pain relief A drug that harnesses the power of deadly sea snail venom is being used to treat chronic pain in patients who cannot tolerate treatments such as morphine. Given the name Prialt (ziconotide), it is based on a toxin released by a sea snail called the magician’s cone, which is usually found in tropical waters such as the Great Barrier Reef and the South Pacific. The snail uses venom to paralyse passing fish. However nearly 30 years ago scientists found one of the chemical components in the poison could also block pain signals in the human brain. A synthetic version of the chemical was developed which forms the basis of the drug in use today. CORAL Used for: Osteoarthritis of the knee Around eight million people in Britain have some degree of osteoarthritis where cartilage that allows joints to move easily is gradually worn down. Cartilage soaks up the impact from walking, running or lifting so that bones do not rub together and disintegrate. Once it breaks down, the bones come into contact with each other, which causes severe swelling and pain. Around 60,000 people a year end up needing a knee replacement because their joints are too badly eroded. Now a tiny implant made from coral could be the solution. It helps to stimulate the growth of new cartilage from stem cells, the body’s own immature cells that can turn into any type of tissue. Scientists chose coral because its structure resembles human bone so closely that it provides the perfect scaffold for new cartilage and blood vessels to form inside the knee.

Called Agili-C, the implant has been cleared for sale in the UK and Europe and could be launched later this year. One of the first patients in the world to have it fitted, a 47-year-old man from Slovenia, was reportedly skiing and cycling again within six months. SEA SHRUB Used for: Dry eyes Sea buckthorn is a thorny deciduous shrub that grows along some of Britain’s coastal areas. A recent study found that the oil extracted from the plant provides considerable relief for dry eye syndrome, reducing the rate at which tears evaporate, easing soreness and redness.

Dry eye syndrome is a common condition that develops when the eyes do not make enough tears or the tears they do produce evaporate too rapidly. Around one in 13 people in their 50s is affected but for those in their 60s this rises to one in three. Volunteers who took a capsule containing two grams of sea buckthorn oil every day for three months during autumn and winter suffered significantly milder symptoms than those who took a placebo capsule. The oil is thought to work due to its relatively high content of linolenic acid, a type of fatty acid often found in plant oils and rich in beneficial omega 6. Researchers think the anti-inflammatory effects of linolenic acid may help to combat swelling and irritation in the eye. MARINE SPONGES Used for: Breast cancer In the mid-Eighties Japanese scientists investigating the properties of a marine sponge called halichondria okadai discovered something remarkable. It contained a compound that seemed to stop cancer cells in their tracks. The compound was fast-tracked for development as a new drug and finally in 2010 was licensed as a new drug called eribulin, a type of chemotherapy medicine used specifically for advanced breast cancer. It works by stopping virulent cancer cells from dividing into two, halting or slowing its spread. SHARK LIVER Used for: Treating vision loss An antibiotic found in shark liver could soon be used in eye drops designed to prevent a leading cause of blindness known as wet age-related macular degeneration. The drug, called squalamine, is a compound found in the liver of dog sharks.

New research suggests it halts the abnormal growth of tiny blood vessels in the eye which leads to blindness. The drops are being trialled and could be a popular alternative to current drugs that have to be injected into the eye.


San Diego-based Pharmaceuticals have already found deep ocean fungus that can cure cancer, and their research has lead to massive breakthroughs like penicillin.


Timmerman 09 (Luke Timmerman is an award-winning journalist specializing in life sciences. He has served as national biotechnology editor for Xconomy and national biotechnology reporter for Bloomberg News; “Having Scoured the Ocean for Cancer Drugs, Nereus Aims to Prove Its Concept Works”, February 26, 2009; http://www.xconomy.com/san-diego/2009/02/26/having-scoured-the-ocean-for-cancer-drugs-nereus-aims-to-prove-its-concept-works/, RJ)

Off the coast of the Bahamas, in sea grass more than a half-mile deep, San Diego-based Nereus Pharmaceuticals found a fungus that may be the key ingredient for an innovative new cancer drug. This will be a key year for gathering evidence that will either support or debunk the idea. I got the download on Nereus last week in a conversation with co-founder and CEO Kobi Sethna and Charles White, the company’s chief business officer. Nereus has raised a whopping $125 million in venture capital in almost a decade of business, from big name investors like Roche Venture Fund, Alta Partners, and San Diego-based Forward Ventures, among others, so I figured it was worth taking a look. The company is built on the idea that many of the biggest pharmaceutical breakthroughs, like penicillin, come from natural microbes. The bulk of these fungi and bacteria that led to drugs come from land, but, of course, Mother Nature has plenty of more biodiversity in the ocean. After years of sailing expeditions that trawled up potential drug candidates in hot and cold water, shallow and deep, from the Pacific and the Atlantic, Nereus has looked at hundreds of candidates for treating autoimmune disease and cancer—and now has settled on two lead horses against cancer that it thinks have a real shot. So the sailing expeditions are over, and now it’s time to push through the hard, unpredictable slog of clinical trials to see if these drugs really work in people. “In this business, you’ve got to be focused. It’s the name of the game,” Sethna says. “We’ve morphed into an oncology company.” So what does Nereus have to show for all that investment? The lead candidate (the one found off the coast of the Bahamas) is called NPI-2358. It’s a small-molecule drug synthesized in the lab to be similar in structure to a unique fungus it found in the ocean. This drug is designed to be a “vascular disrupting agent” to tumors. It’s made to attack existing blood vessels in tumors, unlike big-name cancer drugs like Genentech’s bevacizumab (Avastin) or Pfizer’s sunitinib (Sutent) that are meant to block the formation of new blood vessels to tumors, White says. The reason the Nereus drug is still alive in the clinic is that it showed a long-lasting, potent ability to disrupt tumor blood flow, without causing the heart damage that has plagued other vascular-disrupting drugs in the class, White says. The first clinical trials supported further testing, confirming the drug wasn’t harming the heart while shrinking tumors at least partially for about three-fourths of patients when given in combination with Sanofi-Aventis’ docetaxel (Taxotere). This molecule is in competition with Waltham, MA-based Oxigene’s OXi4503, which is in early clinical trials, and about “five or six others” still in animal testing, White says. The advantage he sees with the Nereus drug is that it appears to enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy, without adding on any new layers of toxic side effects, as often happens with chemo cocktails. The drug is currently being tested against lung cancer, the leading cancer killer in the U.S.

Sponges Could Hold Cancer Cures More Exploration Needed


Penfold 12 (Curtis, College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Rare Sponges May Carry a New Cure for Cancer, October 30, 2012, http://cpms.byu.edu/castle-cancer-research/)

Cancer-killing chemicals in sea sponges? Sounds too good to be true. But it’s not. Two years ago, Japanese scientists found a chemical compound inside of deep-sea sponges that helps destroy certain cancer cells.The compound yaku’amide A is likely produced by bacteria that only grow in a certain type of deep-sea sponge. But it grows in such low quantities that it’s rather impractical to try to harvest. The more practical solution is to synthesize the chemical compound in a lab, although the research to do so has proved difficult. This is where chemistry professor Steven Castle steps in. For the past few months, he and his research team have been trying to recreate yaku’amide A. Yaku’amide A is toxic to cells of lung cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, and leukemia. But it’s not toxic to all cancers.“Usually you want a compound that is selective rather than a nonselective compound that kills many types of cancer cells,” Castle says, “because nonselective compounds are usually too toxic to be used as drugs.” Castle’s research has led him to Japan, where he stayed for four and a half months this summer, studying with a fellow synthetic chemist, Professor Masayuki Inoue. Together, they did some research (soon to be published) on the immediate difficulties of synthesizing yaku’amide A.



The biggest obstacle the team faces in trying to synthesize yaku’amide A is creating the chemical compound without creating a mirror image of it at the same time. Mirror images are reversed replicas of a chemical compound, and thus cannot perform the same function inside cells and organisms as their counterparts. “It’d be like taking your right hand and your left hand, and having a right-handed baseball mitt,” Castle said. “Your right hand will fit the baseball mitt, while your left hand will not.” Despite the daunting task ahead of him and his research team, he remains enthusiastic. “I’m pretty optimistic, pretty positive that at some point, we’ll figure it out,” Castle said. Optimism in cancer research. That’s what we like to hear.


Download 0.6 Mb.

Share with your friends:
1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   ...   13



The database is protected by copyright ©ininet.org 2024
send message
    Main page
general public
national oceanic