Biotechnological potential of marine sponges

Marine sponges (Porifera) have attracted significant attention from various scientific disciplines. Remarkable traces, left by sponges in the fossil records have been studied by paleontologists and evolutionary biologists. As sponges produce various novel chemical molecules, they have been a goldmine to chemists and also found their way into biotechnological applications. Microbiologists became fascinated by these unique animals with the discovery that sponges contain an abundance of unusual microorganisms, having potential for drug discovery. Cell biologists are investigating these simple animals to understand their basic organization on the cellular and skeletal level. Since the last few years, molecular biologists are working on sponge genome, which will contribute to the understanding of the evolution of molecular mechanism of metazoan genes and diseases. This review aims to provide an overview of the different interdisciplinary approaches involved in the exploration of marine sponges for their biotechnological potential.