Marine or Blue biotechnology is unlike other areas of biotechnology in that it is defined in terms of its source material rather than the market it serves and has been defined as “The exploration of the capabilities of marine organisms, at the whole cell and molecular level, to provide solutions to today’s problems coupled with the use of technology to advance the understanding and accessibility of marine biological material.”
Description
The first samples analyzed in Morphogenesis' BlueBio™ platform were core samples from the SS Republic which was lost in a violent hurricane on October 25, 1865. The shipwreck was discovered by Odyssey Marine Exploration on the seabed approximately 1,700 feet deep 100 miles off the Eastern Seaboard. Future samples will be provided by Odyssey and other companies which have access to deep ocean samples.
Implications
Blue biotechnology is a relatively new field that involves the discovery and application of products and processes derived from marine organisms. Marine biotechnology’s promising future reflects the tremendous biodiversity of the world's oceans and seas. The oceans and seas cover more than three-quarters of the earth's surface. Marine organisms account for a major share of the Earth's biological resources. Most major groups of living organisms are primarily or exclusively marine. Science has identified close to 200,000 species of marine algae, animal bacteria, fungi and viruses, with perhaps as many as four times this number of organisms as yet unidentified.
The promise of marine biotechnology also reflects the fact that many marine organisms' need to adapt themselves to the extremes of temperature, pressure and darkness that are found in the world's oceans. The demands of the marine environment have led these organisms to evolve unique structures, metabolic pathways, reproductive systems, and sensory and defense mechanisms. In spite of the sea's vast potential as a source of new biotechnologies, this domain remains relatively unexplored.
Development
Relatively few marine biotechnology products and services have been commercialized to date. Indeed, the vast majority of marine organisms (primarily microorganisms) have yet to be identified. Even for known organisms, there is insufficient knowledge to permit their intelligent management and application. Morphogenesis holds an exclusive license from St. Joseph’s Hospital for the material recovered from the SS Republic and the products which may be discovered from that material. Included in this license are the polypeptide antibiotics produced by bacteria isolated from marine environments. Bacterial isolate SJCH-12 produces a highly antimicrobial peptide identified as 08-1083 which is active against methicillin-resistant S. aureus, MRSA.
BlueBio™ Biologics
BlueBio™ Biologics
Changing the way new drugs are discovered
2203 N Lois Avenue, STE 900, Tampa, FL 33607
Change is the way of life
