The Biomedical Potential of California Marine Organisms

Despite tremendous advances in medicine, there are no cures for some of the most deadly and crippling diseases. HIV/AIDS, arthritis, several types of cancer, and many viral and fungal diseases are some examples of horrible affl ictions that cannot yet be cured. There are also previously curable illnesses (e.g., strains of tuberculosis) that have become resistant to standard antibiotic therapies. Now, as much as ever, new treatments are needed to save and improve human lives. Currently, about half of all prescribed medicines are extracted or derived from terrestrial plants and microorganisms. Many synthetic drugs, it should be noted, were originally inspired by novel compounds discovered in terrestrial organisms. Although few marine natural products are currently on the market or in clinical trials, marine organisms represent the greatest unexploited source of potential pharmaceuticals. Because of the unusual diversity of chemical structures isolated from marine organisms, there is intense interest in screening marine natural products for their biomedical potential.