Sponges reveal secrets for marine biotech products Marine organisms studied by European scientists have proved to be a source of novel compounds that could revolutionise the biomedical sector. The first products have been developed for innovative applications. Food and Natural Resources Health © mauriziobiso, Thinkstock Sponges and other marine invertebrates and their associated microorganisms can provide an inexhaustible source of bioactive compounds with biomedical applications. Successful industrial exploitation of this natural resource begins with the genes that encode the bioproducts, or the pathways that synthesise them, thereby ensuring that the active molecules are obtained in sufficient quantities. The EU-funded project BLUEGENICS (BlueGenics – From gene to bioactive product: Exploiting marine genomics for an innovative and sustainable European blue biotechnology industry) combined knowledge of marine genomics and advanced chemistry to produce novel compounds, which included secondary metabolites and pharmaceutically active compounds. BLUEGENICS was driven by high-tech genomics-based SMEs dedicated to bringing to market marine biotechnology-derived products such as extracts of marine sponges and other marine organisms. These were screened to identify anti-kinase activities as well as anti-Alzheimer's microbial and antimicrobial activities. The first products developed were medical skin repair strips, which involved innovative nanoparticles that encapsulates bioactive natural compounds into morphogenetically active, natural polymers. In addition, a screening platform for anti-protozoan activity has been established, identifying a simplified analogue of the antibiotic plakortin. The analogue showed antimicrobial properties against cloroquine-resistant compound strains of the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. BLUEGENICS has also developed new drug candidates and other products that can be introduced into clinics or biomedicine/biotechnology. They relate to areas such as osteoporosis and neurodegenerative diseases (particularly Alzheimer's disease) as well as wound healing products for the growing cosmeceutical market. The main bottleneck in marine drug development, the supply problem, can only be solved by the molecular biology-based approaches demonstrated in the BLUEGENICS initiative. Therefore, the technological solutions demonstrated will help mitigate this obstacle in the marine biodiscovery pipeline, thereby making it more attractive to investors. Moreover, the advanced technologies introduced for drug discovery/development will help to strengthen both EU leadership in science and technology and the competitiveness of the European biotechnology industry. The success of BLUEGENICS will promote long-lasting, industry-driven, molecular biology-based marine drug discovery, thereby enabling sustainable exploitation of the ocean's molecular biodiversity and ensuring that European SME-based biotechnology leads the world. Keywords Bioactive, BLUEGENICS, marine genomics, biotechnology, plakortin, biodiscovery
