SYDNEY, Australia (17 Sep 2004) -- Chemicals derived from sea sponges and ocean algae could become the next generation of cancer-fighting medicines, Australian marine scientists said. In a landmark deal, the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) has forged a partnership with an Austrian company to have its research developed into anti-cancer drugs. "We have discovered organisms which have been identified as having potent activity against things like breast cancer and leukaemia," AIMS marine pharmacologist Dr Lyndon Llewellyn said. "There's a range of sponges and some algae which have this activity. "There are chemicals in those organisms which are killing the cells and there are a number that have already been identified and which are at the pre-clinical stage." Early clinical trials of drugs made from the sponge and algae-derived chemicals are expected to begin within two or three years, Dr Llewellyn said. AIMS has been combing the ocean for potential cancer treatments since the mid-1980s, and has developed one of the world's largest publicly-owned collections of biotic extracts from more than 20,000 Australian marine organisms. "We look for biological clues that may indicate that an organism might have something nasty in it that could be helpful," Dr Llewellyn explained. | | Sponge "The compounds are then screened against cell lines from every cancer known to mankind and through that they might find that a particular extract may be very effective against cells that have come from breast cancers so you focus on breast cancer activity." The chemicals being developed for breast cancer and leukaemia medicines were found locked inside the animals' tissues in "extremely small amounts", he said. Under the agreement with the Austrian company, Faustus, AIMS will retain intellectual property ownership of any new and useful compounds discovered. SOURCE - AAP |
