Symposium

12: Health Benefits from Oceans

Coordinator: Daniel G. Baden, Ph.D.  Director, Center for Marine Science, UNC Wilmington, Wilmington NC

Speakers:

1. Dimitri Deheyn, PhD. Project Scientist, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, UCSD
2. Andrea Bourdelais, PhD. Assay Development Program Leader,  MARBIONC, Wilmington NC
3. BjØrn Skjӕvestad, Ph.D., Owner and President of Altavida Inc.
4. David J. Newman, PhD. Chief, NCI-FCRDC Natural Products Branch NIH DHHS, Bethesda MD

Summary:

We are most familiar with the “molecular mining” history with respect to cytotoxicity and its relationship to cancer chemotherapeutic agent development.  While important, the relationship between oceans and human health is much broader.  Discovery of new bioactive materials is an ongoing quest. Isolated molecules are often followed by description of chemistry and molecular mechanism; mechanism providing crucial drug development information.  The symposium introduces the audience to speakers from academia, industry, and the governmental technology development realms.  Examples of product development stage range from initial discovery, to broad mechanism-based application, and to adaption of ocean nutraceuticals for optimum uptake.  The potential of marine natural products to act as promoters of human well-being will be considered, and the steps needed to successfully translate discovery into product, addressed.