Pharmacological techniques are being used to select prospective drug candidates, which can then be launched onto the development pathway towards clinical use. This study will receive significant support from NuFarm during 1999-2000. Prospective drug candidates are identified using a variety of bioassays and the structures of active compounds are elucidated with a range of techniques including NMR and advanced mass spectroscopy. Once identified, chemical methods for synthesis are sought to replace the need for further collections from living sources. Marine microbes have great potential as a source of drug candidates.
Researchers target unusual microbes, and are constantly expanding the inventory of such organisms.
This sub-project investigates the physiological and biochemical adaptive responses of marine organisms to light and other environmental stresses. It thereby provides a model for the development of novel commercial and biomedical applications. Chris Battershill, Walter Dunlap, Lyndon Llewellyn, Peter Murphy, Andrew Negri, Diane Tapiolas.