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Published on: October 31, 2019
Drug discovery from marine microbes.
William H Gerwick1, Amanda M Fenner
1Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA. wgerwick@ucsd.edu
Microbial Ecology
|January 1, 2013
Summary
Marine natural products offer valuable drug leads, with symbiotic microbes in invertebrates being key sources. Research highlights innovation in discovering these marine-derived compounds for therapeutic use.
Area of Science:
- Marine biology
- Natural product chemistry
- Drug discovery
Background:
- The marine environment has yielded over 20,000 natural products in 50 years.
- Marine natural products have led to 9 approved drugs and 12 clinical trial agents.
- Historically, shallow-water tropical marine invertebrates were primary collection sources.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the significance of marine natural products in drug discovery.
- To emphasize the crucial role of symbiotic microorganisms as the source of these compounds.
- To underscore the innovative and multidisciplinary nature of this research field.
Main Methods:
- Review of marine natural product discovery literature.
- Analysis of drug development pipelines originating from marine sources.
- Identification of trends in marine natural product research.
Main Results:
- Marine natural products have resulted in significant pharmaceutical successes.
- Symbiotic microorganisms within marine invertebrates are increasingly recognized as the true producers.
- The field is characterized by high levels of innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Conclusions:
- Marine microorganisms are a vital, largely untapped resource for novel drug discovery.
- Future efforts should focus on exploring microbial symbionts for new therapeutic agents.
- Continued innovation is essential for advancing marine natural product-based drug development.
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