Status of marine biological prospecting Marjo Vierros, UNU-IAS

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Status of marine biological prospectingMarjo
Vierros, UNU-IAS
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The need for improved information on marine
biological prospecting

• There is a lack of detailed information about
  marine genetic resources, including in areas
  beyond national jurisdiction, to inform the
  policy debate.
• This includes information about
• What types of genetic resources are being
  collected and where?
• Does the collection lead to commercial
  applications?
• What types of products are being
  developed/marketed and by whom?
• What are their potential/actual values?
• What types of benefit sharing agreements have
  been developed?

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Developing the tools

• UNU-IAS has developed web-based resource tools
  that provide information about bioprospecting
  activities in
• Antarctica (funded by Belgian Federal Ministry
  of Environment and UNEP, proposal welcomed at XXX
  ATCM in 2007, and product to be presented at XXXI
  ATCM in 2008 )
• Pacific Island countries (in collaboration with
  SPREP and others, recognized need by member
  states of SPREP. Presented at the 8th Pacific
  Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and
  Protected Areas in October 2007)
• Marine areas (in collaboration with UNESCO)
• Arctic (UNU-IAS)
• The resource tools include searchable databases

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http//www.bioprospector.org/bioprospector/
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Deep seabed genetic resources

• Information difficult to find due to its
  commercially sensitive nature
• Several biotechnology and other companies
  involved in patenting of deep sea genetic
  resources, product development and collaboration
  with research institutions
• Most of the interest has focused on deep sea
  microbes (extremophiles), mainly from
  hydrothermal vents, but also sediments, methane
  seeps and other deep sea environments
• Development of novel enzymes for industrial and
  chemical processes
• DNA polymerases, pharmaceutical and cosmetics
  applications
• Several patents exist and a number of enzymes
  from hydrothermal vent bacteria are now on the
  market - include samples sourced from the
  Midocean Ridge
• Difficult to tell whether samples collected from
  areas beyond national jurisdiction

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Some examples of commercial developments

• Fuelzyme enzyme was developed on the basis of
  samples collected from a deep-sea hydrothermal
  vent, likely from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This
  enzyme, which is currently marketed by Verenium
  (USA), is used in ethanol production from corn
• Vent polymerase is a thermostable enzyme sourced
  form a hydrothermal vent archaebacteria in Italy.
  It is marketed by New England Biolabs (USA) for
  use in DNA cloning, sequencing and amplification.
• Venuceane is an enzyme showing antioxidant
  properties, based on a bacteria collected from
  Guyamas Basin in the Gulf of California. It is
  marketed for use in cosmetics by Sederma (France)
• The enzyme market is expected to grow 7.6 per
  year to 6 billion in 2011

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Other marine organisms used for commercial
purposes

• Marine sponges
• have shown promise for treatment of cancer,
  asthma, alzheimers, arthritis, inflammation, etc.
• Several are in clinical trials
• At least one potential cancer drug from deep sea
  sponge (Gulf of Mexico)
• Sponge reefs beyond national jurisdiction may be
  of interest to bioprospecting
• Corals (particularly soft corals), molluscs (sea
  slugs, sea hares, cone snails), tunicates, worms
  (including hydrothermal vent tubeworms),
  bryozoans, vertebrates (fish, sharks)

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Some examples

• Pain medication Prialt, based on a synthetic
  derivative from marine cone shell venom from
  Indonesia, marketed by Elan Corporation (Revenue
  from sales 12.1 million in 2006)
• Yondelis, an anti-cancer agent originally
  sourced from a Caribbean sea slug, has received
  Authorization for Commercialization from the
  European Commission for advanced soft tissue
  sarcoma. It is marketed by the Spanish company
  PharmaMar.
• Anti-freeze proteins from cold ocean fish are
  being marketed for uses ranging from improving
  the survival of biological materials, for example
  in transplant surgery to lengthening the shelf
  life of frozen foods, such as ice cream.
• The Antarctic marine algae Durvillea antarctica
  is one of the ingredients in Extra Firming Day
  Cream produced by the French Company Clarins.

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Antarctica

• The majority (56) of the records in the
  Antarctic Biological Prospecting database
  originate from the marine environment of the
  Southern Ocean
• They cover a number of actual or proposed uses,
  including in the food and beverage industry, as
  pharmaceuticals, in industrial applications,
  biotechnology, cosmetics and personal care
  products, chemical processing, aquaculture and
  agriculture and environmental remediation
• Most (60) of these are based on various products
  derived from krill, while the rest consist mainly
  of products derived from sponges, bacteria, fish
  and algae.

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Patents filed on Antarctic marine organisms

• Over 500 patents filed for krill
• Krill pink gold

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Environmental impacts

• In general, initial sampling consists of
  relatively small quantities (ex. an individual
  sponge or other organism)
• Repeated collection of promising organisms may
  cause environmental impact, as the quantities
  required may be larger. Sensitive and pristine
  habitats and rare species, and species with
  limited distribution may be particularly at risk
• Laboratory techniques to produce synthetics and
  derivatives may lessen environmental impact, and
  also produce economic benefits to companies
  (repeated sampling is costly) - however not
  always done (ex. Krill)
• Scale of bioprospecting activity is not always
  known, and information about the population and
  life history parameters of the source organism
  are not always available.
• Precautionary approach important

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Benefit-sharing

• Information about benefit-sharing difficult to
  find
• The developers of Bengamides, compounds extracted
  from a marine sponge in Fiji with potential
  cancer-fighting potential, have committed 2-5 of
  the proceeds from sales to support further
  research in Fiji.

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Thank you!