9.4 Marine Biotechnology
Marine organisms have evolved unique biochemistry in extreme environments. Marine biotechnology harnesses this diversity for pharmaceuticals, enzymes, biofuels, and novel materials.
Marine Natural Products
Pharmaceuticals
~30,000 compounds discovered. Anticancer (trabectedin), antiviral (Ara-A), pain (ziconotide from cone snails).
Enzymes
Extremophile enzymes stable at high T, pressure, salinity. PCR uses Taq polymerase (thermophile).
Biopolymers
Chitin (from crustaceans), alginate (from seaweed). Medical, food, and industrial applications.
Marine Biofuels
Microalgae
High lipid content (20-50%). 10-100× oil yield vs terrestrial crops. CO₂ capture.
Seaweed
Fast growth. No freshwater/fertilizer needed. Bioethanol, biogas potential.
FDA-Approved Marine Drugs
Cytarabine (Ara-C)
From sponge. Leukemia treatment. 1969.
Ziconotide (Prialt)
From cone snail. Severe pain. 2004.
Trabectedin (Yondelis)
From tunicate. Soft tissue sarcoma. 2015.
Omega-3 fatty acids
From fish oil. Heart disease prevention.
Python: Drug Discovery Pipeline
#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""marine_biotechnology.py - Drug discovery statistics"""
import numpy as np
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
# Marine natural product discovery rates
years = np.arange(1960, 2025, 5)
# Approximate cumulative compounds discovered
compounds = np.array([100, 500, 2000, 5000, 10000, 15000,
20000, 24000, 27000, 29000, 31000, 33000, 35000])
# Source organisms
sources = ['Sponges', 'Cnidarians', 'Mollusks', 'Bacteria', 'Algae', 'Other']
proportions = [35, 20, 15, 12, 10, 8]
fig, (ax1, ax2) = plt.subplots(1, 2, figsize=(12, 5))
ax1.plot(years, compounds, 'g-o', lw=2)
ax1.set_xlabel('Year')
ax1.set_ylabel('Cumulative Compounds')
ax1.set_title('Marine Natural Products Discovered')
ax1.grid(True, alpha=0.3)
colors = ['coral', 'pink', 'lightskyblue', 'lightgreen', 'khaki', 'lavender']
ax2.pie(proportions, labels=sources, colors=colors, autopct='%1.0f%%')
ax2.set_title('Source Organisms')
plt.tight_layout()
# Drug development pipeline
print("Marine drug development pipeline:")
print(" Compounds discovered: >35,000")
print(" In preclinical: ~1,000")
print(" In clinical trials: ~30")
print(" FDA approved: ~15")
print(" Success rate: ~0.04%")