HARBOR BRANCH - OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

HARBOR BRANCH SCIENTIST TO DISCUSS THE SEARCH FOR NEW DRUGS FROM THE SEA

Ft. Pierce, Fla. - Jan. 29 -- Though largely unexplored, the seafloor rivals the rainforests and all other land habitats as a source for new chemicals with the potential to treat or cure such diseases as cancer and Alzheimer's. On Feb. 4, for the next event in the HARBOR BRANCH Ocean Science Lecture Series, marine scientist Dr. Susan Sennett will introduce the ocean drug discovery process, and HARBOR BRANCH's role in this global quest for new pharmaceuticals.

Her focus will be on clues that HARBOR BRANCH scientists can use while collecting samples to zero in on the animals that are most likely to produce chemicals with pharmaceutical potential. Such clues might include zones around specific animals where growth of other animals is effectively inhibited, or an absence of overgrowth on a particular animal. Both can indicate production of potent chemical defenses that may also have important disease-fighting effects. With an estimated 98% of the seafloor still unexplored, and countless marine animals waiting to be collected and studied, such narrowing of focus is of vital importance for allocating inevitably limited resources.

The talk will also cover geographical and other trends identified from past successes that guide researchers in determining where to search for new drugs, as well as some of the reasons why the ocean environment contains such a wealth of novel chemical compounds with pharmaceutical potential.

Dr. Susan Sennett is an Assistant Scientist in the Division of Biomedical Marine Research, and she first came to HARBOR BRANCH in 1985 as an intern. Her current work is aimed at identifying the specific locations within animals where chemicals that have shown cancer-fighting or other potential are produced. This can be critical to the development of techniques for producing new drugs once they have been discovered. Dr. Sennett is also involved in a variety HARBOR BRANCH's marine educational programs for students from kindergarten to university age. She received her master's and doctorate degrees rom the University of Delaware Graduate College of Marine Studies.

Dr. Sennett will give her talk, titled Marine Chemical Ecology: Applications in Marine Drug Discovery, at both 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Feb. 4 at the main auditorium of the Johnson Education Center at HARBOR BRANCH Oceanographic Institution, 5600 U.S. 1 North, Fort Pierce, Fla. The talk is free to the public. For more information, please contact the Marine Education Office at 772-465-2400, ext. 506, or email education@hboi.edu.

Ocean Science Lecture Series 2004 Schedule - CLICK HERE for more information

January 14 - Shirley Pomponi - The Census of Marine Life: How Many Fish Are in the Sea?

January 21 - Ned Smith - The Indian River Lagoon System: Five Lagoons, Five Inlets, Five Sound Bites

January 28 - Mark & Diane Littler - Waterways & Byways of Indian River Lagoon

February 4 - Susan Sennett - Marine Chemical Ecology: Applications in Marine Drug Discovery

February 11 - John Scarpa - Clam Strips and Oyster Po'Boys: Florida Aquaculture and the Environment

February 18 - Greg Bossart - The Indian River Lagoon Bottlenose Dolphin Health Assessment Program: "Flipper" Gets an Overdue Physical Examination

February 25 - Tammy Frank - Do Fish See Color?

March 3 - Sarath Gunasekera - Search for Anti-cancer Drugs and Success Stories

March 10 - Ken Riley - Integrated Aquaculture Education: Food for Thought

March 17 - Brian Lapointe - Invasion of Green Tides

March 24 - Tracey Sutton - Predators of the Deep

HARBOR BRANCH Oceanographic Institution was founded in Ft. Pierce, Fla., in 1971 to support the exploration and conservation of the world's oceans. The institution has held to this mission and grown into one of the world's leading oceanographic institutions with a 500-acre campus, over 200 personnel, and a fleet of sophisticated research ships and submersibles.