Blockbuster Ocean Drugs on the Horizon?

As leads for new drugs on land dry up, medicine hunters are plunging
into the ocean in search of the next blockbuster
pharmaceutical.Harvesting ocean organisms for medicinal
purposes—called marine bioprospecting—has accelerated in recent years
as scientists seek new antibiotics and cancer treatments. Of the 36
known phyla—a taxonomic rank below kingdom—17 occur on land and 34
live in the ocean, making the seas "by far the highest biodiversity
environment on the planet," said William Fenical, distinguished
professor of oceanography and pharmaceutical science at University of
California, San Diego. Close to 25 drugs derived from marine life—such
as bacteria, sponges, and tunicates—are currently in clinical trials.
Fifty percent of drugs made for humans are derived in some way from
nature, Fenical said. But by the 1970s, scientists had realized that
terrestrial microorganisms had been thoroughly explored, prompting a
few early "pioneers" to turn their gaze seaward, Fenical said. These
pioneers were attracted by unique ocean organisms with special
chemical properties not seen on land.For instance, the severe ocean
environments of little to no light and extremely cold temperatures
have given rise to unusual—and mostly unstudied—survival strategies in
ocean creatures, scientists say.Such survival strategies
coincidentally fight diseases in people as well. For instance, some
marine organisms produce population-control compounds that, when given
to a person, work in a similar way: Instead of reducing the number of
offspring, the compounds inhibit the growth of malignant tumors. Many
of the drugs are easily synthesized into molecules in the lab, so that
just a small amount of an organism, such as half a sponge, is all that
needs to be collected.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/05/090514-marine-drugs_2.html