The Ocean’s Role in Human Health David Yun March 22, 2006

Structure of Website

Hazardous to Your Health

Waterborne Diseases The ocean is used for many things by the San Diego community: recreation, transportation, food, and many other things. But the result of this, and the integration of waste, both human and industrial, that is poured into the ocean leads to pollution that damages the ocean, and ultimately puts our health at risk. Viruses like Hepatitis A and bacteria like vibrio cholerae are transmitted by the consumption of undercooked or raw sea food, and water ingestion. In recent months, it’s been noted that during times of heavy rainfall, sewage lines are apparently close enough to the water runoffs to the ocean to spillover, leading to waste being dumped out into the ocean.

Harmful Algal Blooms Any La Jolla resident with familiar with the local beach knows what “Red Tide” is, but may not know what causes it. Red tide is a marine algal bloom that is caused by a species of dinoflagellates (microscopic organisms), that congregate in the millions, turning the water red. Blooms occur naturally, but have become much more commonplace due to warmer ocean temperatures and human activity that place excess nutrients in the ocean, providing the dinoflagellates with an abundance of nutrients to expand to such numbers.

Red Tide

Dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans

Noctiluca Scintillans The culprit behind the red tide you see right here in La Jolla is Noctiluca Scintillans, a bloom-forming species that has been found in many parts of the world, from England to Japan to our beaches here in San Diego. Algal blooms have been known to be toxic to humans, but this species has only been associated with fish and marine invertebrate mortality events. The species does not produce a toxin, but it has been found to accumulate toxic levels of ammonia that are excreted into surrounding waters which acts as the killing agent to marine life, having a detrimental impact on the fisheries in the area.

Life Cycle of a Harmful Alga Life Cycle

How it affects us

How It Affects Us The ocean ecosystem is represented in the form of a food web that ultimately affects us. Harmful algal blooms (HABs) begin on a microscopic level and work up the food chain from phytoplankton to zooplankton, to fish, to bigger fish, and finally to marine mammals, birds, and humans. Although the species common in San Diego is not known for its toxicity, HABs over the world are known for their toxins that cause a variety of illnesses, and in some cases, even death. Amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) can cause permanent short-term memory loss and death. Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) causes tingling, numbness, drowsiness and other symptoms, and can be fatal within 24 hours of eating affect shellfish.

How It Affects Us (cont.) Harmful Algal Blooms occur all over the world and impact economies. In a recent estimate, HABs costed the U.S. 450 million dollars in public health, commercial fishery and recreation. A better understanding of the biology and ecology of HABs is need before scientists can control or even accurately predict when one will occur. There are many poorly understood factors that lead to algal blooms and scientists continue to study the patterns and causes of HABs, while in the meantime HABs continue to affect commercial industries, publich health, and the local marine environment.

The Ocean: Our Friend

Phases of Medicine

The Ocean Resource The Ocean covers 70% of the planet’s surface, but it’s biomedical potential has largely gone unexplored. The average person probably pictures the ocean as a world that is irrelevant and has no use to them besides recreation and fishing. But in the past few years, research by Scripps’ very own William Fenical has shown that sediments in the deep ocean are significant biomedical resources for microbes that produce antibiotic molecules.

Decrease of terrestrial sources Sharp decrease in terrestrial resources Steady increase in marine resources

Dr. William Fenical Director of the Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine (CMBB) here at Scripps

Fenical With the increasing resistance of bacteria to existing antibiotics, the need for new sources of medicine has been essential. Fenical’s research was successful in culturing microorganisms, identifying them by genetic methods, and screening their metabolic products for anticancer and antibiotic properties. The result of his studies showed that of 100 strains of the organism Salinospora, 80% produced molecules that inhibit cancer growth.

Research Closer to Home Scripps professor Margo Haygood discovered the gene “bryA” that could help produce anticancer agents discovered in the marine invertebrate Bugula Neritina. Animals like Bugula Neritina live in a symbiotic relationship with the bacteria that act as a chemical defense mechanism for the host animal. Haygood and her laboratory found that bacteria from Bugula neritina were the source of bryostatins, a family of chemical compounds being closely studied for their potential as anticancer pharmaceuticals. The problem with producing these byostatins was that the bacteria could not be grown in labs, and to collect large numbers of these animals would be harmful to the ecosystem. Haygood’s research was aimed at cloning the gene bryA, which is a catalyst for bryostatin formation. Now that the gene has been isolated, the next and current step in Haygood’s research has been to use bryA to develop bryostatin and derivatives to use in the fight against cancer.

Professor Margo Haygood

Bugula neritina

One More Clip

From the Lab to the Company William Fenical’s discoveries were patented by the University of California San Diego and licensed to Nereus Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biotech company in San Diego, and are nearing the closing stages of developing new drugs from the ocean sediment source Margo Haygood’s work has led to a U.S. patent. The licensing rights have been bought by CalBioMarine Technologies, Inc., also a company located in San Diego. Bryostatin is now in its clinical trail phase for use in humans.

Significance? The impact on the immediate La Jolla community is significant. Biotech companies have been flourishing all over San Diego due to the work and discovery of research institutions like Scripps, which continues to lead the way in marine biotechnology and biomedicine. Discoveries like those of Fenical and Haygood continue to add prestige and regard to the La Jolla community and for the type of work that is done. More importantly, research like this may have monumental impacts on not only the local community, but ultimately the global as well. Cancer and its multitude of forms are currently the leading causes of death in the United States. But if the ocean becomes a main focus of biomedical research, then more and more drugs can be discovered to fight not only cancer, but the myriad number of other diseases and conditions that exist in the world.