Reef may hold treatments, even cures, for serious diseases . Keynoter Publishing December 5, 2014 .
... The list is impressive.
Blue-green algae, commonly found around Caribbean mangroves, is the source of a toxin that is being used to treat small-cell lung cancer and has been endorsed by the National Cancer Institute for the treatment of melanoma.
Yondelis, the first new treatment in 30 years for soft-tissue sarcoma, is extracted from the sea squirt, a sac-like filter feeder.
The spiral tufted bryozoan (Bugula neritina), a colonial animal that grows upright in bushy, branching tufts is a source for the anti-cancer compound bryostatin.
Secosteroids, an enzyme used by soft corals to protect themselves from disease, is used to treat asthma, arthritis and other inflammatory disorders.
Bioactive molecules produced by marine invertebrates such as sea sponges, tunicates and sea hares have displayed potent anti-viral, anti-tumor and antibacterial activity.
Certain marine-based medicines for the treatment of lymphoma and ovarian, breast and prostate cancers have gone through clinical trials.
Others show promise in the treatment of strokes and Alzheimer’s disease.
With just a few more years of research, it is likely that scientists will discover even more therapeutic secrets in the sea .
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