January 20: Dr. Shirley Pomponi - Drugs from the Sea: Sponges as Chemical Factories

About the Lecture

Sponges have been around for more than 600 million years, and one reason that they have been so successful is their ability to live in most aquatic environments. Sponges have evolved a sophisticated chemical cache that enables them to compete for space, defend against predators, communicate with other sponges, reproduce, and even prevent infections. As we learned last week from Dr. Amy Wright, these same chemicals are being studied for their potential development as drugs to treat human disorders and diseases. But what happens if we discover a sponge-derived chemical that is useful as a drug? It is not ecologically feasible to harvest sponges to obtain enough of the chemical for drug development or marketing. The most common option is synthesis of the chemical in the laboratory. Another option we are exploring is growing sponge cells and stimulating them to produce chemicals in the lab. Today's lecture will introduce why and how we can use Sponges as Chemical Factories.

About the Speaker

Dr. Shirley Pomponi has two professional passions: sponges and ocean exploration. You will hear about her sponge passion today. An explorer at heart, she feels very lucky to have led or participated in numerous research expeditions during her 25 years at Harbor Branch. A highlight of her career at HBOI is the opportunity she has had to make more than 300 dives in the Johnson-Sea-Link submersibles. Although Dr. Pomponi would much rather be in the lab or at sea, she participates in a number of national and state organizations where she can help develop priorities for ocean and coastal research. Dr. Pomponi is the Executive Director and Principal Investigator of the recently-awarded NOAA Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research, and Technology, and hopes that she can get back out onto the ocean on a regular basis very soon!

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