DRUGS FROM THE SEA: A NEW BLUE WAVE
25th of May 2025
Time: 11:00
Language: Portuguese
Capacity: 25 people
Access: Entrance through the Quinta gate – Rua Bartolomeu Velho, n.º 141
Panoramic Room – Quinta do Parque de Serralves
Free access, but mandatory registration via this link.
Language: Portuguese
In this talk, we’ll discuss the discovery of new drugs and how the oceans are a privileged source of active substances. How can we draw inspiration from molecules produced by marine organisms to create sustainable products? Let’s dive into the pharmacy of the sea…
At the Marine Natural Products and Medicinal Chemistry Group (GPNMQM) at CIIMAR, synthetic processes are developed to obtain products with diverse chemical structures and a wide range of applications — namely pharmacological (antimicrobial, antitumoral), cosmetic, and industrial (anti-fouling). These are based not only on raw materials of marine origin (bioactive compounds from fungi, sponges, and marine invertebrates) but also on compounds modeled after marine molecules. The processes used are based, whenever possible, on principles of sustainability — both in synthesis and production — through total synthesis, semi-synthesis, and design based on analogues. The resulting products are studied for structure–property–activity relationships, optimization of bioactive compounds, and pre-formulation studies, aiming toward practical applications.
A scientific curiosity: the first cephalosporin — an antibiotic that continues to inspire generations of cephalosporins — was discovered from a fungus found in the bay of Sardinia island. In 1945, wondering why typhoid fever was less virulent in his city, Giuseppe Brotzu (a professor at the University of Cagliari, Italy) observed the bay’s clear waters near the sewage outflows?!
Researcher: Maria Emília Sousa
More on the event here.
