Marine Biotechnology in the 21st Century:

Fulfilling the 20th Century promise?

Rachael Ritchie, DPhil

University of British Columbia,

Vancouver, Canada

Marine biotechnology : Use of marine organisms as the source or target of biotechnology

Much needed new source of innovation and economic growth in many countries …

Viewed as a way to address global grand challenges:

Pursuing human health and well-being

Sustainable supply of high quality food

Developing sustainable sources of energy alternatives to crude oil and gas

New industrial products and processes with lower GHG emission

Protection and management of the already stressed marine environment

Caribbean sponge Tethya crypta, source of

spongothymidine, led to synthesis of new

class of arabinosyl nucleosides.

Cytarabine,

FDA approval 1969

Vidarabine

FDA approval 1976

Marine natural products (1950-60s)

Ecteinascidia turbinata Cone snail Conus magus

Trends in Marine Natural Product Discovery

FT-NMR

Superconductor

magnet

2D-NMR

Hu et al., (2011) Marine Drugs, 9(4), 514-525; doi:10.3390/md9040514

Scuba

technology

PCR

HTSequencing

“Drugs from the Sea”

(1967), Rhode Island

* *

Global marine pharmaceutical pipeline (2012)

FDA

approved:

7

Clinical pipeline: 11

Chemistry marine natural products: 8,940

Preclinical pipeline: 1,458

Mayer (2012) OECD Marine Biotechnology Workshop, Vancouver, May 2012 ; Mayer et al. (2011) Comparative Biochemistry

and Physiology Part C153, 191-222.

Antitumour

Antibacterial

Antifungal

Antiviral

Antimalarial

Antituberculosis

Antiprotozoal

Anticoagulant

Cardiovascular

Anti-inflammatory

Immune system

Nervous system

Variety of molecular targets

enzymes

receptors

Marine microbes (1980s)

Novel compounds from the sea: industrial and

biotechnological purposes

Thermus aquaticus PCR DNA amplification

1989 Science

‘Molecule of the Year’

The DNA polymerase world

market is currently more than

USD 350 million and growing

(2012) www.in-

pharmatechnologist.com)

Symbolized the potential for marine biotechnology

Transformed the field, allowing access to & study of ‘unculturable’ organisms

Metagenomics of marine environment 2000s

DNA

extraction

Environmental

sample

Sequencing of selected taxa

DNA of all species

present in the

environment

Next generation

sequencing (NGS) of

global diversity

Venter, et al., (2004) Science Vol. 304 no. 5667 pp. 66-74; Pawlowski (2012) OECD Marine Biotechnology Workshop,

Vancouver, May 2012.

2004 Global Ocean Sampling Expedition (GOS)

Sampling of Sargasso Sea

1.045 billion base pairs of nonredundant sequence

…derived from at least 1800 genomic species

> 1.2 million previously unknown genes

Intensive Aquaculture 1970s

”40 years of technology development has

changed the industry completely”

Arnesen (2012) OECD Marine Biotechnology Workshop, Vancouver, May 2012

Increasing global aquaculture production is essential to meet increasing demand for food

Source: FAO

Molecular aquaculture: Vaccine development, fish health diagnostics, selective breeding…

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200,000

300,000

400,000

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Produksjon Antibiotika per tonn fisk

Arnesen, OECD Marine Biotechnology Workshop, Vancouver, May 2012

Aquaculture today ”… the fish farming industry must be able to document that the production is

truly sustainable. Both the fishery and the fish farming industry must have the

perspective of eternity. Industry and nature must go hand in hand”

Minister of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs Lisbeth Berg-Hansen .

"If Aquaculture did not exist we would have to invent it. … the declining

European fisheries stocks complicate the supply of fish. Aquaculture plays a

significant role in offsetting this ever-increasing gap …"

European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries

Maria Damanaki .

"Farmed fish is an excellent source of protein and, when produced well, helps

protect the environment. I am totally convinced that aquaculture is the most

sustainable way to feed the world.”

Director WWF Aquaculture Program Jose Viallon .

“The strongest growth (in animal production) is expected in the consumption of

farmed fish and chicken. By convenient coincidence, these also seem to be

the animal protein sources with the smallest carbon footprint.”

Director-General of the FAO Dr. Jacques Diouf .

(bioethanol)

Novel bioactive

compounds

(bioprospecting)

Food/Ingredients

Soil improvement

Alginate

Agar

Carrageenan

Fjord management

Rehabilitation of

ecosystems

Sukkertare is a

nearly extinct

species

Feeds/feed

ingredients

Macro algae offers a lot!

Lie (2012) OECD Marine Biotechnology Workshop, Vancouver, May 2012. :

Slide: Karl Almås, Adm dir. SINTEF Fiskeri & Aquaculture;

Algal Biofuels vs plant feedstocks

Very high growth rates1

Growth at non-arable locations

Improved solar conversion efficiencies

High oil yields

No lignin

Exploit salt and brackish water supplies

1 Day et al. (2012). Bioresource Technology 109, 245-251

Crop Oil yield

[gallons (acre)-1]

Corn 18

Cotton 35

Soybean 48

Mustard seed 61

Sunflower 102

Rapeseed 127

Jatropha 202

Oil palm 635

Algae 10,000

Synthetic biology to improve processing

and extraction--engineered a microbe to

degrade and a pathway to metabolise

alginate, the most abundant sugar in

seaweed

Biorefinery concept

Over coming algal biofuels challenges

Wargacki, et al., (2012) Science Vol. 335 no. 6066 pp. 308-313

Development of improved growth strains

Genomic modification of algal strains to

better suit production scenarios

Modified by altering bioreactor-based

growing conditions

Boardman, Oregon: Conversion of woody biomass

into acetic acid and ethyl acetate (250,000 gal y-1)

Monitoring/protecting marine environment

Ecosystem services

-- valued at US$20.9 trillion/year,

equivalent to the global GNP

Tools to monitor health of ocean

The promise of marine biotechnology may be driven by scientific and technological advances…

…but the promise can only be realised through sound policy and investment.

«The bioeconomy offers technological solutions for

many challenges facing the world…achieving its

potential will require appropriate national, regional and

in some cases global policies»

- OECD: The Bioeconomy to 2030: designing a policy agenda

Review the potential of marine biotechnology

Identify challenges to realising this potential

Identify areas of focus for future policy work:

1.Governance of marine bioresources and ecosystems

2.Measures and indicators for marine biotechnology

3.Development of new research and development infrastructure

OECD Global Forum on Biotechnology: Marine Biotechnology Enabling Solutions for Ocean Productivity and Sustainability (Vancouver, Canada, 30-31 May 2012)

>> international collaboration and coordination & stakeholder dialogue <<

Thank you

Rachael Ritchie, DPhil

University of British Columbia,

Vancouver, Canada