SHIRLEY A., Pomponi; Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Inc.: Sponges as Chemical Factories

Marine sponges are known to produce thousands of biologically active natural products with potential as pharmaceuticals and other bioproducts. These secondary metabolites encompass a broad variety of chemical classes with bioactivity known to date in cancer, inflammation, and neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, and infectious diseases. Although the biomedical mechanism of action has been elucidated for some of these sponge-derived metabolites, it is not known how�or why�many of these compounds produce a therapeutic effect in mammalian cells. Moreover, the role these metabolites play in the sponge that produces them is poorly understood, except for feeding deterrence and other defense-related functions described for some sponge metabolites. Research on secondary metabolites of sponges continues in three primary areas: (1) drug and bioproduct discovery, (2) chemical ecology, and (3) sustainable use (i.e., development of techniques for production of bioactive metabolites through sponge cell culture, aquaculture, and recombinant production). A discussion with current examples of each of these areas of research will be presented.