"Marine Chemical Ecology: Applications in Marine Drug Discovery" • Dr. Susan Sennett About the Lecture - 2004 The marine environment continues to provide a wealth of organisms from which to discover unique bioactive secondary metabolites with pharmaceutical potential. Environmental pressures including competition for space, light, and resources, as well as extreme environments such as the deep sea, have driven the evolution of these defensive chemicals in benthic invertebrates and algae. But what to collect from this vast resource? Chemical ecology - the study of interactions among producing organisms - may provide clues. Examples of these interactions and the information they might provide will be discussed. About the Speaker Susan Sennett is an Assistant Scientist in the Division of Biomedical Marine Research. She holds a B.S. in Marine Biology from Southampton College of Long Island University and a M.S. and Ph.D. in Marine Studies from the University of Delaware Graduate College of Marine Studies. In addition to her graduate training, she spent two summers interning with the Sea Pharm Project at Harbor Branch. She rejoined Harbor Branch as a Postdoctoral Fellow in 1989 in the Division of Biomedical Marine Research and was subsequently hired as a staff scientist in 1991. Susan has been involved in several aspects of the drug discovery program including natural products chemistry and biological evaluation. Most recently, her focus has been the localization of bioactive natural products in marine invertebrates and self-protection mechanisms in organisms that produce bioactive compounds. In addition to her research interests, she has had the opportunity to be involved in a variety of K-20 educational programs offered by Harbor BranchÕs Division of Marine Education.

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