Cancer Killer Found in the Ocean

Reported November 2007

SAN DIEGO, Calf. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- It's estimated that over 1.4 million Americans will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and for more than 500,000 it will be fatal. But now, scientists have found a new weapon against it. The ocean! You run in it … play in it … splash in it… but what’s found at the bottom of it can kill cancer!

“This bacteria makes a really potent anti cancer agent,” Bradley Moore, Ph.D., marine biochemist at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, Calf., told Ivanhoe.

The bacterium was discovered in 1991, but just recently researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography unlocked the genomic sequence, revealing this bacteria’s cancer fighting potential.

“That’s how new drugs are discovered. We really have to go out there and grow bacteria, look at the genomes,” Dr. Moore said. "What we’ve recently been able to do is take the enzymes out of the cell, put them in a test tube, and then play God and manipulate these enzymes and make new chemistry.”

And make new drugs. There’s a major search underway for better drugs to treat cancer and one way to find these new medicines is to look to nature," Paul Jensen, Ph.D., associate research scientist at Scipps Institution of Oceanography, told Ivanhoe.

And unlike most of the drugs used to fight cancer today -- this bacterium is not found on land.

“When you look at a globe … there’s more blue than there is land,” said Dr. Moore.

Revealing that our oceans maybe an even more valuable resource than we realize. A clinical trial is already underway. A San Diego pharmaceutical company is using it to treat patients that have a form of bone marrow cancer -- and it could soon be tested to treat other cancers.

The American Geophysical Union and the American Society for Microbiology contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.

Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:

Mario Aguilera (PAO)
(858) 534-3624
Maguilera@ucsd.edu

American Society for Microbiology
Washington, DC 20036-2904
(202) 737-3600
http://www.asm.org

American Geophysical Uniony
Washington, DC 20009-1277
1(800) 966-2481
http://www.agu.org

A Chef's surveillance system … to a computer you'll wear on your face, these gadgets can transform any home into a high-tech haven.

Think generation Y is the only demographic to jump on the technology bandwagon? Think again! Grandma and Grandpa are about to catch the technology fever too!

Monitoring children with disabilities can be crucial to guiding their development. These cameras will catch everything our eyes can't.

Testing for diabetes doesn't have to be painful, this new state-of-the-art test can diagnose diabetes by simply shining a light.

Alcohol related accidents are on the rise. This new tool uses light and will help police get drunk drivers off the road without any guesswork.

When an earthquake heats up, buildings can come down. These structural advances can help homes survive even the worst shake.

Move over Jaws! A new predator is lurking in the deep, but its victims aren’t people, this killer is preying on cancer!

Tired of lathering up to stay protected from the sun? This pill could be the answer to keeping your skin safe without the messy lotion.

Want to stay awake while you go under the knife? Well, you can -- and you won't feel a thing!

MRI machines used to be off-limits for patients with certain heart conditions, but new MRI technology is making that a thing of the past.

You don't have to be a jock to master the perfect jump shot. A little time spent studying science could help you master your moves on the court.

Remember the game Pong? This young game designer has taken the classic game to a psychedelic new level.