The Journal Marine Drugs and the First International Symposium on Marine Drugs (2004)

It is my great pleasure to write a few words for the first issue of the journal Marine Drugs [1] to be sponsored by the Ocean University of China. The Chinese Journal of Marine Drugs published in Qingdao in Chinese has been quite successful. We now launch Marine Drugs as an international journal in English in order to promote international collaboration [1]. My colleagues from the Marine Drugs and Food Institute at the Ocean University of China in Qingdao have been very enthusiastic about this publication project. The great contribution from the international editorial board has been indispensable. Dr. Shu-Kun Lin from Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI), Switzerland, also a professor of the Ocean University of China and director of the Marine Drugs Editorial Office at the Ocean University of China will serve as its publisher, and will be responsible for releasing the accepted papers to the public media in online, CD and print formats. The Canadian chemist Dr. Derek McPhee, Managing Editor of Molecules, will carry out English corrections and serve as the supervisor for the production team. Dr. Ning Gong is the full-time editorial assistant at the Editorial Office. I also want to use this opportunity to announce some news regarding the First International Symposium on Marine Drugs (ISMD-2004) [2], also sponsored by the Ocean University of China, and to be held in Qingdao on October 18-22, 2004. This Symposium will be organized with the participation of the Editorial Board members, the authors and the readers of Marine Drugs. About two thirds of the earth is oceanic waters. They harbor a unique biota, distinct from that of terrestrial and freshwater habitats. The biomass produced from the marine ecosystems provides abundant resource for research, development and production of new pharmaceuticals. I hope the