06.06.2016: Antrittsvorlesung

Veranstalter: Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät

13:00 - 14:00 Uhr; Hörsaal GEOMAR (Raum B.54), Düsternbrooker Weg 20, 24105 Kiel

Oceans encompass over 90% of the known biosphere volume. Considering the half of the drugs used today originate from Nature, it is obvious that the potential of marine biological resources for biodiscovery surpasses any other environment on Earth. The intensive exploration of this rich environment over the past few decades has led to the discovery of over 25.000 new compounds (marine natural products: MNPs), some of which have been developed into life-saving drugs, or other products that increase the well-being of human. Marine bioprospecting requires a multidisciplinary approach including analytical and natural product chemistry, biology, microbiology, pharmacology and ecology, and is often hampered by the supply issue. Both discovery and development of MNPs are linked to many fundamental research questions, such as the natural origin/the site of biosynthesis, the function(s), upon which host-microbe interactions they are produced for or spatial and geographical variations of the compound of interest. This lecture will focus on the potential of marine biological resources mainly in human health, and discuss the challenges and opportunities in sustainable development of MNPs. Specific focus will be put on the use of modern analytical chemistry techniques for their rapid identification and characterization as well as biotechnological applications.