The ocean is a source of unique natural products, mainly accumulated in living organisms. The c.4000 species of tunicates or sea squirts (Phylum, Chordata; Subphylum, Urochordata) are a high-potential yet under-studied source of bioactive compounds for pharmaceuticals. The secondary metabolites such as alkaloids isolated from these organisms have led to the discovery of an approved anti-tumor drug, anti-cancer drugs Yondelis® and Aplidin®, as well as many others in clinical trial. There is an urgent need for more research on the bioactive compounds of marine tunicates and better knowledge about the identification and biology of these species. This is the first focused book to meet this need. The taxonomy, common name, global distribution, habitat, diagnostic features and pharmaceutical compounds (along with their activities) of 165 key species of tunicates are given, with high-quality illustrations. Contributed by scientists of both Marine Biology and Pharmacy disciplines, this book will serve as a standard reference for researchers, teachers and students of Fisheries Science, Marine Biology, Life Sciences, Biotechnology, Natural Products, and Pharmacy, and as a valuable guide for pharmaceutical companies involved in the development of new drugs from marine organisms.

The ocean is a source of unique natural products, mainly accumulated in living organisms. The c.4000 species of tunicates or sea squirts (Phylum, Chordata; Subphylum, Urochordata) are a high-potential yet under-studied source of bioactive compounds for pharmaceuticals. The secondary metabolites such as alkaloids isolated from these organisms have led to the discovery of an approved anti-tumor drug, anti-cancer drugs Yondelis® and Aplidin®, as well as many others in clinical trial. There is an urgent need for more research on the bioactive compounds of marine tunicates and better knowledge about the identification and biology of these species. This is the first focused book to meet this need. The taxonomy, common name, global distribution, habitat, diagnostic features and pharmaceutical compounds (along with their activities) of 165 key species of tunicates are given, with high-quality illustrations. Contributed by scientists of both Marine Biology and Pharmacy disciplines, this book will serve as a standard reference for researchers, teachers and students of Fisheries Science, Marine Biology, Life Sciences, Biotechnology, Natural Products, and Pharmacy, and as a valuable guide for pharmaceutical companies involved in the development of new drugs from marine organisms.

Marine Biopharmaceuticals: Scope and Prospects is a collaboration of experts in pharmacology, biology and biochemistry with a focus on Marine Bioprospecting. The book provides an in-depth exploration of promising pharmaceutical compounds found in various marine biota and their therapeutic applications. The comprehensive contents cover marine ecosystems, marine biopharmaceutical, and delve into the chemistry and therapeutic applications of compounds from diverse marine organisms such as seaweeds, sponges, cnidarians, bryozoans, worms, shellfish, tunicates, and fishes. The chapters also highlight approved and marketed marine biota-derived drugs and marine biota-derived drug candidates currently under clinical trials. Marine biopharmaceutical compounds targeting SARS-CoV-2 are also covered, reflecting the latest developments in the field. The editors conclude the book by advocating for the establishment of professional grade Marine Biopharmacy courses at university level to contribute to this emerging field. This reference serves as a guide for researchers and instructors in disciplines such as Pharmaceutical Sciences, Marine Biology, Marine Microbiology, Marine Biochemistry, and Marine Biotechnology. Moreover, it is positioned as a standard reference for libraries in colleges and universities, offering critical insights for drug companies engaged in the development of new drugs from marine biopharmaceuticals. Readership Academics, instructors and professionals in the field of pharmacology and marine science.

This inter-disciplinary volume provides information on anticancer medicines derived from marine organisms. Eight edited reviews extensively list the variety of organisms including marine plants, sponges, cnidarians and fish. Emphasis is placed on the source of the compounds, their structure and mechanism of action. Anticancer peptides from sponges are covered in a dedicated chapter. The specific biology and ecology of marine organisms yielding these anticancer compounds is also highlighted where appropriate. All chapters include detailed references for advanced readers. This volume is a standard text-cum-reference for teachers, students and researchers of various disciplines such as Biomedical Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Marine Biology, and Fisheries Science, it also serves as a guide to marine anticancer compounds for professionals in the pharmaceutical industry who are involved in the development of new marine-derived anticancer drugs.

Key features: Serves as a standard reference for researchers, teachers and students of various disciplines such as Fisheries Science, Marine Biology, Life Sciences, Biotechnology, Natural Products, and Pharmacy, their libraries, and as a valuable guide for pharmaceutical companies involved in the development of new drugs from marine sponges Presents the taxonomy, common name, global distribution, and habitat of 250 species of marine sponges Provides the diagnostic features and pharmaceutical compounds (along with their chemical structure and activities) of 450 species of marine sponges Includes more than 500 detailed illustrations Biology and Ecology of Pharmaceutical Marine Spongesis the first comprehensive book of its kind written by scientists from both the Marine Biology and Pharmacy disciplines to fill the long-felt need for a marine natural products book devoted exclusively to sponges. Sponges are the most primitive multicelled animals that have existed for 700 - 800 million years. Despite their wide range of functional roles, not much is known about them. Marine sponges are responsible for more than 5,300 pharmaceutical products and some species have the potential to provide future drugs to prevent and treat important medical conditions such as cancer, a range of viral diseases, malaria, and inflammatory diseases. Nucleosides derived from sponges were the basis for the synthesis of Ara-C, the first marine-derived anticancer agent, currently used in the routine treatment of patients with leukemia and lymphoma. Marine sponges are the potential sources of many unique metabolites with anticancer,anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, antiviral, antimalarial, and immune or neurosuppressive properties. Although many bioactives have been discovered in marine sponges, only a few of these compounds have been commercialized. This book hopes to change that, providing the taxonomy, common name, global distribution, habitat, diagnostic features and pharmaceutical compounds (along with their chemical structure and activities) of 450 species of marine sponges, accompanied by high-quality illustrations. The book should be a standard reference for students, researchers and teachers of disciplines such as Fisheries Science, Marine Biology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology and Pharmacy and a valuable guide for pharmaceutical companies involved in the development of new drugs from marine sponges.

Diverse and abundant, marine-derived bioactive compounds offer a plethora of pharmacologically active agents with the potential to produce valuable therapeutic entities. Marine-derived organisms, including some macroalgae, microalgae, blue-green algae, invertebrates, and vertebrates-valued in traditional Chinese medicine since ancient times-are now

Biotechnology may be defined as the application of scientific and engineering principles to the processing of materials by biological agents to provide goods and services (Bullet al. , 1982, p. 21) or as any technique that uses living organisms (or parts of organisms) to make or modify products, to improve plants or animals, or to develop microorganisms for specific use (OTC, 1988). In line with these broad definitions we can consider marine biotechnology as the use of marine organisms or their constituents for useful purposes in a controlled fashion. This series will explore a range of scientific advances in support of marine biotechnology. It will provide information on advances in three categories: (1) basic knowledge, (2) ap plied research and development, and (3) commercial and institutional issues. We hope the presentation of the topics will generate interest and interaction among readers in the academic world, government, and industry. This first volume examines chemical and biological properties of some natural products that are useful or potentially useful in research and in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. One chapter describes a system for producing such substances on a large scale. Biotechnology incorporates molecular biology in order to go beyond tradi tional biochemical technology such as the production of antibiotic drugs from bacterial cultures in bioreactors. Development of the technology for production of antibiotics in this way resulted from fundamental advances in chemistry, phar macology, microbiology, and biochemical engineering.

This book presents the latest advances in marine structures and related biomaterials for applications in both soft- and hard-tissue engineering, as well as controlled drug delivery. It explores marine structures consisting of materials with a wide variety of characteristics that warrant their use as biomaterials. It also underlines the importance of exploiting natural marine resources for the sustainable development of novel biomaterials and discusses the resulting environmental and economic benefits. The book is divided into three major sections: the first covers the clinical application of marine biomaterials for drug delivery in tissue engineering, while the other two examine the clinical significance of marine structures in soft- and hard-tissue engineering, respectively. Focusing on clinically oriented applications, it is a valuable resource for dentists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, and students and researchers in the field of tissue engineering.

Marine ecosystems, a very wide topic, includes many different processes, groups of organisms and geographical peculiarities. The objective of this book is to present various topics of great importance for understanding the marine ecosystems, what they are, how they work and how we can model them in order to forecast their behaviour under changing conditions. They have been thoroughly reviewed and accepted for publication. The chapters cover aspects such as: Threats to ultraoligotrophic marine ecosystems (Ch. 1); Modelling the pelagic ecosystem dynamics: the NW Mediterranean (Ch. 2); The marine ecosystem of the Sub-antarctic, Prince Edward Islands (Ch. 3); Meiofauna as a tool for marine ecosystem biomonitoring (Ch. 4); Chemical interactions in Antarctic marine benthic ecosystems (Ch. 5); An Interdisciplinary Approach on Erosion Mitigation for Coral Reef Protection- A Case Study from the Eastern Caribbean (Ch. 6); A revisit to the evolution and ecophysiology of the Labyrinthulomycetes (Ch. 7); Seabed mapping and marine spatial planning: a case-study from a Swedish marine protected area (Ch. 8); Management strategies to limit the impact of bottom trawling on VMEs in the High Seas of the SW Atlantic (Ch. 9); Hydrocarbon contamination and the swimming behavior of the estuarine copepod Eurytemora affinis (Ch. 10), and Interactions between marine ecosystems and tourism on the Adriatic and Mediterranean (Ch. 11).

This book offers a comprehensive study of biological molecules acquired from marine organisms, which have been exploited for drug discovery with the aim to treat human diseases. Biomolecules have potential impacts on a diverse range of fields, including medical and pharmaceutical science, industrial science, biotechnology, basic research, molecular science, environmental science and climate change, etc. To understand and effectively apply medicinally important biomolecules, multidisciplinary approaches are called for. The ocean remains a rich biological resource, and the vast untapped potential of novel molecules from marine bio-resources has caught the interest of more and more researchers. These novel biological compounds have never been found in terrestrial or other ecosystems, but only in this rich niche. Advances in sampling techniques and technologies, along with increased funding for research and nature conservation, have now encouraged scientists to look deeper in the waters. Aquaculture supports both tremendous seafood production and the bulk production of marine-derived drugs. Furthermore, molecular methods are now being extensively employed to explore the untapped marine microbial diversity. With the help of molecular and biotech tools, the ability of marine organisms to produce new biosynthetic drugs can be greatly enhanced. This book provides an extensive compilation of the latest information on marine resources and their undisputedly vital role in the treatment of diverse ailments.