Aberdeen scientists to explore African seas for drug discoveries
Research could lead to new treatments for cancer and MRSA
A team will travel to Ghana next month to search the waters for unique marine organisms that could be used to develop new medicines.
The scientists hope to find previously undiscovered species of corals, sponges and sea squirts. They will examine these organisms for new molecules, bacteria and fungi, which could be used in the creation of new treatments for diseases prevalent in Africa – including tuberculosis and parasitic diseases such as malaria.
Professor Marcel Jaspars, director of the Marine Biodiscovery Centre, said: ‘Drug discovery work in West Africa has historically focused on land, investigating how molecules in plants can be used in the development of new medicines.
‘Our project marks the first time waters off the coast of West Africa have been explored to assess the diversity of marine organisms available in this area, and the potential they could harbour in the treatment of a number of diseases.’
Jaspars said the team would collect samples at low tide around the Gulf of Guinea and Guinea Basin, where they believe they will find new species.
The Aberdeen scientists will work with the University of Ghana during the trip, which marks the beginning of a three-year collaborative project between the two institutions.
The £1.6m Marine Biodiscovery Centre – which brings together chemists and biologists to work on the development of new pharmaceuticals from organisms from the depths of the world’s oceans – opened in June. It is one of only three in Europe dedicated to the exploration of the natural resources from our seas.
The project is funded by the Leverhulme Trust and co-ordinated by the Royal Society.
You may also like
Trending Articles
You may also like
You need to be a subscriber to read this article.
Click here to find out more.
Click here to find out more.
Research & Development
Building resilient outsourcing strategies: safeguarding oncology research samples against disaster risk (part II)
Part II of this article focuses on defining what “good” looks like in biorepository infrastructure, validation and documentation, providing practical guidance to create resilient, compliant storage solutions that underpin successful oncology research
Research & Development
Daiichi Sankyo launches third global research institute in San Diego
The company expands its international research footprint with a new San Diego institute, strengthening collaborations in one of the world’s leading life-science hubs and advancing its global drug discovery strategy
Research & Development
Bath scientists design peptide "switch" that keeps Parkinson’s protein in its healthy form
Researchers at the University of Bath, in collaboration with the Universities of Oxford and Bristol, have developed a molecule that prevents the clumping and build-up of a protein linked to Parkinson’s disease and related dementias