U.S. Department of the Interior News
Date: June 27, 2008
Interior
Department Deputy Secretary Scarlett
Announces Biotech Study
Research Analyzes Marine Organisms on Southern California Offshore
Platforms
CAMARILLO,
Calif. The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Minerals
Management Service (MMS) today released a report that identifies
three marine organisms that may be useful for biomedical research
potentially leading to new treatments for human diseases.
Under a research
agreement sponsored by MMS, University of California at Santa
Barbara (UCSB) researchers studied marine organisms collected from
offshore oil and gas platforms in California’s Santa Barbara Channel
and found that two invertebrate species contain compounds that
inhibit the division of cancer cells grown in the laboratory.
Additionally, a compound isolated from algae collected from oil
platforms in the Gulf of Mexico has been shown to block cell
division and enhance the activity of the cancer drug Taxol.
“This research
is an exciting advancement in our understanding of how marine life
may hold a key to unlocking treatments to improve our health,” said
Deputy Secretary of the Interior Lynn Scarlett. “Like the
rainforest, our oceans may contain untold biological components that
may one day help us in the fight against some of society’s most
challenging diseases. This first step in understanding the marine
environment’s potential for biomedical application is a testament to
the vision of MMS’s premier ocean science program and to the
talented research team at UCSB.”
The report is
the result of a multi-year research initiative between the MMS and
UCSB that examined pharmaceutical applications of marine organisms
growing on offshore oil and gas structures along California’s coast.
The compound
produced by the algae may have similar activities that would make it
a candidate for use as a cancer chemotherapeutic. UCSB researchers
state that while these results are highly promising, years of
additional research are needed to isolate and purify the compounds
and to assess their application for the treatment of cancer or other
diseases. Regardless of the final outcome of the research, the
discovery validates their approach of continuing to identify
potentially useful organisms that have established a habitat on
offshore oil platforms.
The final
report, titled “Advancing Marine Biotechnology: Use of OCS Platforms
as Sustainable Sources of Marine Natural Products,” follows
worldwide studies of the potential use of pharmaceutically-important
products contained in various marine species. Interest in marine
natural products for use in medical applications continues to grow
worldwide but the need to conserve ocean resources suggests that
organisms found on structures such as offshore oil and gas platforms
may provide a sustainable source of future pharmaceutical products.
The research
findings will be submitted for publication in peer review journals.
The study, which
began in 2001, cost approximately $1 million and was co-funded
equally by the MMS and UCSB. Lead university researchers conducting
the study were Dr. Jenny Dugan, Dr. Mark Page, Dr. Leslie Wilson,
Dr. Scott Hodges, Dr. Steven Gaines, Dr. Russell Schmitt, Dr. Doug
Thrower and Dr. Robert Jacobs. MMS senior scientist Dr. Fred Piltz
managed the overall study.
The final report
is available from the Minerals Management Service website at:
http://www.mms.gov/omm/pacific/.
Contact:
John
Romero 805-389-7533
MMS: Securing Ocean Energy & Economic Value for America
U.S. Department of the Interior
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