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Turning to the Sea: America’s Ocean Future
Evaluation of Oil and Gas Platforms on the Louisiana Continental Shelf for
Organisms with Biotechnology Potential
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During
the month of May, 2002, personnel from the Minerals Management Service,
Louisiana State University’s Coastal Marine Institute Biotechnology Team of
Scientists, and the Science Journalist and photographer for the Smithsonian
Magazine, participated in the field survey portion of the current Biotechnology
Study in the Gulf of Mexico. A similar study also supported by Minerals
Management Service is being conducted offshore California by the University of
California, Santa Barbara. Both universities are involved in an effort to
investigate offshore oil and gas platforms for the potential source of marine bioproducts. |
| Underwater recovery team retrieving samples of biofouling community. |
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| Participants of Biotech field survey May 3 - 6, 2002,
include Minerals Management Service, LSU, and the Smithsonian Magazine (photo
courtesy Jeff Rotman) |
History of Biotechnology in the Marine Environment and MMS
In 1998, the National Ocean Conference (NOC) convened in Monterey, California.
The report of this conference, Turning to the Sea: America’s Ocean Future,
identified biotechnology as a high-priority issue for the nation. The report
identifies a lack of information about baseline conditions of the marine
environment, which make environmental impacts of biotechnology difficult to
assess. Among the recommendations identified were:
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increased support for sustainable harvesting and testing of marine compounds
by both government agencies and commercial pharmaceutical companies as possible
treatments for AIDS, inflammatory or infectious diseases, and certain types of
cancers, and
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support of research on the environmental effects of extracting marine
organisms for biotechnology purposes.
In response, the Minerals Management Service recognized that offshore oil and
gas platforms may serve as a harvestable source of organisms with pharmaceutical
or other commercial application, and developed a study program to investigate
these potential that may exist in the Gulf of Mexico and California offshore.
Louisiana State University (LSU) and the Coastal Marine Institute’s (CMI)
Mission
In conjunction with the Minerals Management Service’s recognition of the
potential that exists in the Gulf of Mexico regarding Biotechnological Advances,
LSU’s Coastal Marine Institute is currently addressing the following questions:
- What is the composition of the biofouling (organisms that are attached and
grow to the structure) communities on these platforms?
- Are any of these organisms potential sources of pharmaceuticals or other
natural products:
- How do these organisms populate the platforms? What is the distribution and
abundance of the organisms on a platform and how is the distribution different
between platforms, depth and time?
To date, the following organisms have been identified as having potential as a
bioproduct suitable for pharmaceutical applications:
- Bacteria
In 1997, 34% of the 25 best-selling drugs were derived from natural products.
Prokaryotes in general, and members of Actinobacteria in particular, have
yielded numerous bioactive compounds.
- Algae
A major component of platform biota is algae. Marine algae already provide
various natural products from agar to pharmaceuticals; the question is “can
platforms be a major source of useful natural products?”
- Bryozoans
To date, the only marine compound to enter the clinical trials is Bryostatin
derived from the bryozoan Bugla neritina. Bryostatin combats the growth of
cultured cancer cells and has shown some promise in fighting non-Hodgkin’s
lymphoma and lymphocitic leukemia.
- Molluscs
Pharmacological uses of mollusc-derived compounds have been studied for decades.
Compounds extracted from molluscs include:
Hypotensive agents
Cardioactive substances
Muscle relaxants
Antibiotics
Antiviral agents
Antitumor agents
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| Organisms growing on platform legs
develop as biofouling communities. |
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| Bryozoan growing on leg
of oil and gas platform. |
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| Molluscs comprise the
largest portion of biomass on many offshore platforms in the Western Gulf of
Mexico. |
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This was the first trip to the Gulf of Mexico for the Smithsonian Magazine
participants and they expressed their appreciation for MMS' support of their
participation in this project. Both were completely impressed with the entire
endeavor. They are preparing a feature article for the magazine based on the
Biotechnology Studies currently underway at LSU and the University of
California, Santa Barbara.
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