Marine Natural Product

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The Marine Natural Products theme focuses on the different aspects of the chemistry of natural substances with, mainly, the characterization and production of small natural molecules identified among the secondary metabolites of invertebrates and marine microorganisms. Many marine organisms, in particular invertebrates which are often associated with symbiotic microorganisms, represent an under-explored source of new natural products which are responsible for various biological activities in situ (antibiotic, antifungal, antifouling, etc.). even likely to be valued. These secondary metabolites frequently have original structures, often bioactive, different from those of the terrestrial environment. These are tools used in ecophysiology (toxins), biology (taxonomy), pharmacology or cosmetics. In the search for new therapeutic agents from the sea, about twenty molecules are at various stages of the clinical phases and five drugs of marine origin are currently marketed. The latest anticancer drugs are Trabectedine® (or Yondelis, PharmaMar™), isolated from the colonial ascidian Ecteinascidia turbinata, and Halaven® (or Eribulin mesylate, EISA™), a synthetic analog of halichondrin B isolated from the sponge marine Halichondria okadai, marketed in 2007 and 2010.
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Contact

Dr. M. MEHIRI

  • Université Nice Sophia Antipolis,
    U.F.R Sciences,
    Institut de Chimie de Nice, UMR CNRS 7272,
    28 avenue de Valrose,
    06108 Nice, Cedex 2,
    France
  • mehiri@unice.fr
  • +33492076154
    +33492076151