cancer. These compounds are novel both chemically and pharmacologically, and they hold considerable future promise.

The major biodiversity in the oceans, however, does not reside in the plants and animals, but in the enormous diversity of microbial life that can be found in marine waters, on the surfaces of plants and animals, and in the deep-sea sediments, which compose the major surface area of the planet. One milliliter of ordinary seawater contains 1 million microorganisms that are mostly uncultured and unknown. The surfaces and internal spaces of plants and animals are habitats that have been colonized by microorganisms as part of complex adaptations for survival. The bottom sediments, which are the repository of all organic matter in the ocean, are inhabited by a diversity of microorganisms, the complexity of which is only now being appreciated. Bacteria and fungi form the major classes found, but there are numerous other groups, such as the Stramenopila, which are essentially undefined. New actinomycetes are now being found as major inhabitants of marine sediments. Because these organisms reach densities of up to 10,000 cells per cubic centimeter, they might be the most abundant microorganisms available for drug discovery. Given the successful history of terrestrial microorganisms in the development of new drugs (over 120 marketed today), a systematic investigation of marine microbes is fully warranted. To achieve success in this endeavor, obstacles to the discovery and culture of these organisms must first be overcome. We must re-evaluate the marine environment, contrast it to the nutrient pools in terrestrial environmental and mammalian systems, and design new ways to isolate and culture marine microbes. It has become clear that marine systems harbor new genera and perhaps new major taxa of microbial life. We must meet the challenge to find ways to isolate and cultivate these organisms and thus to realize their contributions to the treatment of human disease.

Guy T. Carter, Ph.D.

Director, Natural Products Chemistry and Discovery Analytical Chemistry Wyeth-Ayerst Research

It has been stated that the “search and discovery of exploitable biology” is undergoing a “paradigm shift” as a “consequence of the bioinformatics

Front Matter (R1-R12)

Executive Summary (1-2)

Biomedical Applicaions of Marine Natural Products: Overview of the 2001 Workshop (3-28)

Environmental Aspects of Marine Biotechnology: Overview of the 1999 Workshop (29-36)

Keynote Address (37-44)

Session 1: Drug Discovery and Development (45-64)

Session 2: Genomics and Proteomics (65-68)

Session 3: Biomaterials and Bioengineering (69-86)

Session 4: Public Policy, Partnerships, and Outreach (87-100)

Appendix A: Committee and Staff Biographical Sketches (101-105)

Appendix B: National Research Council Project Oversight Boards (106-108)

Appendix C: 2001 Marine Biotechnology Workshop: Biomedical Applications of Marine Natural Products - Agenda (109-113)

Appendix D: 2001 Marine Biotechnology Workshop: Biomedical Applications of Marine Natural Products - Participants (114-115)

Appendix E: 1999 Marine Biotechnology Workshop: Opportunities for Advancement of Environmental Marine Biotechnology - Participants (116-118)