Science Spin November 2008 : Sponsored Content - Marine Institute

Biodiversity in our seas

Ireland's extensive marine territory is home to a diverse range of novel species of plants, animals and bacteria. These species survive in deep, hostile environments resistant to extremes of pressure, temperature and the presence of toxins. Some exist in total darkness while others languish under the sun's rays. All contain complex chemical and genetic properties to allow them to survive and thrive in their individual environments. Why doesn't seaweed get sunburned? What does it have in its make up that protects it and could we use this to develop better sunscreens? Do other marine species hold the key to cancer treatments?

The potential of sourcing natural products for commercial use from the diverse habitats in Irish territorial waters is huge. The challenge however, lies in accessing, collecting and cultivating these sources.

Biodiscovery

Marine Biotechnology is a technological application that uses marine organisms or their derivatives to make or modify products or processes for specific uses. For Ireland to move forward in this new and exciting arena, it's essential that we develop the necessary capabilities in biodiscovery: the process by which marine based organisms are collected, identified, screened for bioactive components, purified and validated. (The 'bioactivity' of a substance describes its beneficial or adverse effects on living matter).

Marine Biotechnology finds applications in almost every major industry, including food, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, advanced materials, energy, environment and ocean engineering and electronics.

Current status

The Marine Institute, in partnership with a range of national and international centres of expertise, has developed a national Marine Biodiscovery Programme.
"The objective of the Programme is to develop interdisciplinary partnerships to study marine organisms, their taxonomy, distribution, their complex chemical structures and adaptive mechanisms" says Eoin Sweeney of the Marine Institute. "Ultimately we hope this will provide for the development of new bio-products, drugs and other materials."

The Beaufort Marine Research Awards provided a grant of €7.3 million to develop a distributed national centre of excellence in Ireland in Marine Biodiscovery. In partnership with the Marine Institute, the Awards were granted to three institutions: NUI, Galway, University College Cork and QUB. In addition, the Marine Institute funded three IRCSET PhD Scholarships in Marine Biodiscovery in DCU and UCD.

Ireland has a relatively strong and growing research base and a high output of trained graduates. The Marine Institute's two national research vessels the RV Celtic Explorer and RV Celtic Voyager, as well as the new deep water remotely operated vehicle (ROV) which will come into service during 2009, provide the facility to collect samples and explore deepwater habitats anywhere within our territorial waters. There also exists a small group of Irish marine and biotechnology companies that could develop the outcomes of the marine biotechnology programme into commercial opportunities.

Medicine and food

There have been some significant successes internationally in the area of marine biotechnology. Marine bacteria and invertebrates have yielded pharmaceutical products such as novel anti-inflammatory agents, anti-cancer agents and antibiotics. Anti-virals -- the type of medicines used to treat viral disease such as aids, rubella and influenzas have been created from marine sponges.

The Marine Institute and Teagasc are working in partnership with five Irish universities on a national functional food research initiative that will target marine species which are commonly found in Irish waters to secure ingredients that can be incorporated into Irish food products. Functional foods (for example essential oils like Omega -3 or foods with antioxidant properties) have the ability to contribute beneficially to human body functions by way of improving the state of well-being and reducing the risk of disease, as well as meeting basic nutritional requirements.

Cost and benefits

Traditionally only 1 out of 10,000-20,000 molecules extracted from land based micro-organisms, plants or animals finally reach the market. Development can take 10 to15 years and costs can go up to $800m before a single cent can be earned from a commercial product. The chances of finding successful candidates in the marine environment are considered to be much higher than from the terrestrial environment. This is because of the greater level of biodiversity in the oceans and the extreme environments in which these species survive.

The future

"Ireland's seabed has several unusual, if not unique, sources of organisms, including carbonate mounds and cold-water reefs. There are indications from international sources that marine algae, and invertebrates are a rich source of novel compounds," says Eoin "It's also thought that temperate organisms are likely to produce more usable toxins than tropical organisms."

The Marine Biodiscovery Programme creates an opportunity to work collaboratively where disciplines from marine science to food science and even economic and engineering sciences can come together to combine expertise and develop the opportunities in this emerging industry.