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There's a medical gold rush going on, not in the laboratory but on the sea floor. Marine scientists called "bioprospectors" are scouring the ocean for microorganisms and plants that naturally produce chemical compounds used for biological defense and health enhancement.
Scientists then analyze, extract or synthesize these compounds for potential human use. With literally billions of undersea life forms that have yet to be studied, scientists are finding that the oceans could become the biological mother load for deriving 21st century medicines.
See how the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution's (HBOI) Division of Biomedical Marine Research (DBMR) and partnering institutions use the JSL submersible to discover new anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer agents.
Find out how "Discodermolide," an anti-cancer agent now in human clinical trials, has been harvested from primitive deep sea sponges. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimates that 65 percent of all cancer drugs come from natural products. Drugs from the sea are without question one of the most promising new directions of marine science today.
Explore the Web
Visit these Websites to find out all there is to know about Medicines from the Sea Click here.
Coral 101
See how scientists study coral and its effect on deep sea life. Click here
Robots of the Deep
Find out how robots are being used to help us understand the vastness of the world's oceans. Click here.
The Wreck of the Portland
Discover what scientists believe may have been the fate of the Portland. Click here.
