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Marine Genetic Resources: Research, Commercial Uses and a Databaseon Marine Bioprospecting: 

Marine Genetic Resources: Research, Commercial Uses and a Database on Marine Bioprospecting UNU-IAS/UNESCO side event at Eighth Meeting of the ICP AGENDA 1. Opening remarks - Mr. Sam Johnston, Senior Research Fellow, UNU-IAS 2. Status of scientific research on marine genetic resources, the changing perspectives of scientists and commercial uses of marine genetic resources – Dr. Salvatore Arico, UNESCO 3. Towards the development of a global database on marine bioprospecting - Dr. Marjo Vierros, UNU-IAS 4. Update from other international organizations and programmes Discussion Concluding remarks – Mr. Sam Johnston

Slide2: 

Scientific aspects, commercial use and potential values of marine genetic resources

Scientific aspects of marine genetic resources: 

Scientific aspects of marine genetic resources Status of scientific knowledge on marine genetic resources Information found largely refers to marine biotechnology research in shallower waters and largely in areas of national jurisdiction The focus of research on marine genetic resources is gradually becoming broader and also encompasses deep sea genetic resources as well as genetic resources from other areas beyond national jurisdiction such the deep seabed and Antarctica

Slide4: 

The number of scientific articles on marine genetic has steadily increased between 1977 and present In 1980 there were 108 publications related to marine biotechnology, and from 1994 to 1996 the number of publications in the USA alone amounted to 700

Scientific aspects of marine genetic resources: 

Scientific aspects of marine genetic resources Scientific findings Marine biodiversity, which is yet modestly explored, is believed to give rise to an equally high diversity of secondary metabolites synthesized by the marine microfauna and microflora and therefore is increasingly recognized as a source of novel chemical entities

Scientific aspects of marine genetic resources: 

Scientific aspects of marine genetic resources Research related to substances with an anti-inflammatory function Cacospongionolide B and petrosaspongiolide M are representative examples of anti-inflammatory compounds in experimental models of acute or chronic inflammation which have been isolated from marine invertebrates Research related to substances with an anti-cancer and anti-tumor function Scientific articles describing the anti-tumor and cytotoxic properties of numerous marine natural products belonging to four main structural types: polyketides, terpenes, nitrogen-containing compounds and polysaccharides from tunicates, nudibranchs, sponges, octocorals, bryozoans…, algae, fungi and bacteria

Scientific aspects of marine genetic resources: 

Scientific aspects of marine genetic resources Examples of anti-tumor substances isolated from marine organisms Didemnin B from a marine tunicate Bryostatin 1 from marine bryozoa Dolastatin 10 from sea hare Anti-tumor marine sponge constituents such as halichondrin B, calyculin A and mycalamides A and B These substances have created exciting new means for disrupting tumor-specific cell signaling, cell division, energy metabolism, gene expression, drug resistance and, in essence, may revolutionize cancer treatment

Other anti-tumor agents: 

Other anti-tumor agents Squalamine is a natural chemical which has been isolated from the tissues of dogfish shark and which has properties in cancer treatment Actinomycetes have potentially great value as a source for new products. Work on the genus Salinispora has revealed that it yields many new chemical structures, including a potent anti-cancer agent, salinosporamide A, which has shown in vivo efficacy against human tumors in mouse models when administered orally Between January 2001 and December 2006, 128 marine cyanobacterial alkaloids have been described in the scientific literature and highly cytotoxic compounds derived from prokaryotic marine cyanobacteria such as hectochlorin, lyngbyabellins, apratoxins and aurilides have been identified as potential substances for anticancer agent

Scientific aspects of marine genetic resources: 

Scientific aspects of marine genetic resources Research related to substances with an anti-HIV function More than 150 natural products with promising levels of anti-HIV activity have been isolated from aqueous or organic extracts of marine organisms Cyanovirin-N, a protein from a blue green alga Various sulfated polysaccharides extracted from seaweeds (i.e. Nothogenia fastigiata and Aghardhiella tenera) The peptides tachyplesin and polyphemusin, which are highly abundant in hemocyte debris of the horseshoe crabs Tachypleus tridentatus and Limulus polyphemus Sponge metabolites such as avarol, avarone, ilimaquinone and several phloroglucinols A number of metabolites from marine fungi such as equisetin, phomasetin and integric acid

Other biomedical applications: 

Other biomedical applications Research related to applications against other infectious diseases Anti-fungal, parasitic, bacterial and viral diseases compounds Anti-malaria compounds Research related to other medical applications Compounds from seaweeds with potential anticoagulant activity Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs), which are vital for in-fetal and neonatal development of brain and retinal tissues Metabolites for the treatment of migraine from marine cyanobacteria

Scientific aspects of marine genetic resources: 

Scientific aspects of marine genetic resources Research related to industrial applications Marine biopolymers (applications e.g. petroleum and shipping) such as adhesives, bioremediation Pigments (e.g. melanin, the chromophoric properties of which are exploited for sunscreens, dyes and coloring) Polyesters, be used to form biodegradable, thermoplastic polymers Marine-derived compounds with insecticidal, herbicidal and fungicidal activity, useful in agriculture

Scientific aspects of marine genetic resources: 

Scientific aspects of marine genetic resources Research related specifically to deep seabed genetic resources Novel enzymes for use in a range of industrial and manufacturing processes (including chemical and industrial processes involving high temperatures). A number of commercially viable enzymes have already been developed from hydrothermal vent microbes and are on the market. DNA polymerases for use in life sciences research and diagnostics Microbial exopolysaccharides isolated from deep sea hydrothermal vents which display interesting properties are currently under evaluation for therapeutic uses, principally in the areas of tissue regeneration and cardiovascular diseases Investigations on the possibility of making artificial blood from the hemoglobin found in the blood of tubeworms

Scientists’ perspectives: 

Scientists’ perspectives In general, scientists’ current thinking reflects a certain confidence in the potential of marine organisms to provide genetic resources for developing scientifically and commercially important applications Divergences in recent and relatively recent views: ‘None of them would succeed in conquering the pharmaceutical market’ (Faulkner, 2000) ‘There will come a time when the commercialization of marine products will happen more rapidly’ (Thoms and Schupp, 2005) ‘…their full biotechnological potential remains unquantifiable’ (Juniper 2006) ‘There is a need for developing framework models for engaging in ethical bioprospecting, thus maximizing economic, scientific, and environmental benefits’ (Christoffersen and Mathur, 2005)

Commercial uses: 

Commercial uses Current scientific knowledge on marine genetic resources is robust and seems to indicate that the potential of marine genetic resources is high. This finding is corroborated by the many patents that have been filed Because of the importance of patents in the commercialization cycle, they can be considered as a proxy of the value, at least the commercial value, of discoveries

Commercial uses: 

Commercial uses Number of patents involving marine genetic resources filed between 1973 and present

Commercial uses: 

Commercial uses Percentage of patents per category of application

Examples of patents: 

Examples of patents Chemistry sector (53.5%) Patent WO2006127823, which describes the use of a Silibacter sp. for the genetic transformation of marine algae and production of antibiotic agents; Patent US5089481, which described polysaccharides extracted from marine algae and an antiviral drug containing active polysaccharides extracted from seaweeds; and Patent JP10120563, which describes how culturing a type of marine bacteria to produce cycloprodigiosin for obtaining a new immunosuppressant, apoptosis inducing agent and treating agent for leukemia. Pharmacology sector (32.2%) Patent JP2000080024, which describes an anti-inflammatory composition from an extract of marine algae; Patent JP2000229977, which shows a novel compound with proliferation inhibitory action against cancer cells; and Patent WO0238121, which describes a cosmetic skin treatment, care or protection composition contained in an extract from the green alga Prasiola crispa ssp. Antarctica.

Examples of patents: 

Examples of patents Food sector (5.7%) Patent JP2002101847, which describes the use of yeast belonging to the Candida group and which can decompose the soy sauce oil; and Patent JP2004065152, which describes a starch-based food product or a flour-based food product obtained from Antarctic krill. Agriculture sector (1.7%) Patent WO03081199, which describes a halogenated tryptophane residue derivative having antifouling effects; and Patent JP2005145923, which shows how to obtain an antibacterial agent for adhesive marine bacteria having excellent sustained antibacterial power. Cosmetics sector (1.2%), the description of their potential applications of which was vague and therefore could not be reported 5.7% of the patents identified correspond to other applications such as devices allowing the sampling or rearing extracts of marine species

Patents concerning marine genetic resources from extreme environments such as Antarctica and the deep sea: 

Patents concerning marine genetic resources from extreme environments such as Antarctica and the deep sea Patent US5506137, which describes a purified thermostable DNA ligase isolated from the archaebacterium Pyrococcus furiosus Patent US5604119, which describes a process for preparing triglyceride in the presence of a mixture of lipase A and B obtained from Candida Antarctica Patent JP10084988, which describes the use of a lipase from Candida antarctica to obtain a (D)-3(2H)-furanone compound having a sweety fruity fragrance and useful as a food perfume Patent WO9833895, which describes an enzyme preparation obtainable from or endogenous to a strain belonging to Archaebacteria

Potential values of marine biotechnology: the big picture: 

Potential values of marine biotechnology: the big picture The biotechnology industry worldwide is growing In 2006, the industry generated over US$60 billion in revenue and has created hundreds of products in the area of human health alone In 2002, global sales of marine biotechnology products, including anti-cancer compounds, antibiotics and antivirals, were estimated at about US$2.4 billion.

The pharmaceutical industry: 

The pharmaceutical industry The world market for pharmaceuticals was valued at $643 billion in 2006 Of the total product in the pipeline, 27 percent were biological in nature In 2005 the annual profits from a sea sponge compound used to treat herpes are between $50m and $100m, and cancer fighting agents derived from marine organisms are worth $1bn A new cancer might generate similar annual sales to drugs such as Avastin ($2.7 billion per year) or Herceptin ($1.3 billion per year)

The pharmaceutical industry: 

The pharmaceutical industry A new HIV treatment might generate revenues similar to experimental HIV treatment Prezista, with estimated annual sales of $25 million in 2006 and $181 million 2007 (although experimental medicines are more likely to fail than to succeed It can take as long as 15-20 years and cost as much as $800 million to develop and market a new drug For every 5,000 novel compounds found to have biomedical potential, an average of only five make it into human clinical trials, and only one will receive final approval for commercial patient use

The enzyme industry: 

The enzyme industry Full potential of the global enzyme market is valued at a minimum of $50 billion a year. Valley "Ultra-Thin™" uses genes recovered from a deep sea hydrothermal vent. This product is currently marketed for use in the production of ethanol. Estimated value $150 million Luminase enzymes from a geyser used for improved processing of wood pulp in the manufacturing of paper goods. Estimated value $20-30 million

The cosmetics industry: 

The cosmetics industry Marine genetic resources have been relatively commonly utilized in the cosmetics and skincare industries The value of the cosmetics industry in 2005 was $231 billion, with more than 156,000 new products hitting store shelves in 2006 Examples of annual sales of products difficult to find, but generally range from a few million to several hundred million

Summary: 

Summary

Conclusions and recommendations: 

Conclusions and recommendations The potential of marine genetic resources for development is substantial There is a need to increase the information base on marine genetic resources, which tends to be scattered and difficult access to the non-specialized public, through the development of a database The steady increase in the number of scientific publications and patents on marine genetic resources observed demonstrates that this area is of growing importance to both the scientific community and to those involved in bioprospecting

Conclusions and recommendations (…/…): 

Conclusions and recommendations (…/…) It would be important to further clarify the perspectives of the scientific community on marine genetic resources, in particular, with regard to how research in this field should be conducted and funded Clarifying the relationship between the research community and private companies involved in biotech, pharma and other applications would be very necessary so as to lay the groundwork for further opportunities for synergistic arrangements between the scientific community and the private sector in the future, reflecting relevant international policies and debates Other important issues relevant to marine genetic resources that need to be addressed in the future are: - Environmental impacts of scientific research and of commercial sampling on marine genetic resources - Non-economic values of marine genetic resources

Slide28: 

Towards the development of a database on marine bioprospecting

The need for a database on marine bioprospecting: 

The need for a database on marine bioprospecting Need to improve informational basis Need to make comprehensive information on the commercial uses of marine genetic resources widely available There is a need to know about What types of genetic resources are being collected? What are their potential and actual commercial applications? What types of products are being developed/marketed and by whom? What are their potential/actual values? What types of benefit sharing agreements have been developed?

Developing the database: 

Developing the database UNU-IAS is in the process of developing a web-based database that provides information about bioprospecting activities in: Antarctica (funded by Belgian Federal Ministry of Environment and UNEP) Pacific Island countries (funded by the Christensen Fund) Arctic (D. Leary posdoctoral research) Marine areas (in collaboration with UNESCO) These database components can be searched either separately or together

Database fields: 

Database fields The database will include information on the use of genetic resources by pharmaceutical, biotechnology, enzyme, cosmetic and personal care and food and beverage industries The database will have the following informational fields:  Project information;  Companies using research on genetic resources;  Research organizations working with companies;  Parties approving/sponsoring relevant research;  Benefit sharing terms;  Patents or other forms of Intellectual Property;  Common and scientific names of the source organism  Geographical area where the organism was collected Publications; Databases; and Commercialized products.

Next steps: 

Next steps Populating the database Peer review/feedback process Marine database: presented for feedback at the 2nd meeting of the Ad hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group to Study Issues Relating to the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity Beyond Areas of National Jurisdiction. Antarctic database: presented for feedback at XXXI ATCM in 2008. Pacific Islands database: made available for discussion and comments at the 8th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas in October 2007. Regular updating and maintenance Collaboration with others important

Thank you!: 

Thank you!