Preface

2012 ◽  
Vol 84 (6) ◽  
pp. iv
Author(s):  
Anthony R. Carroll
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Cross Section ◽  
Marine Invertebrates ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Neglected Diseases ◽  
Rich Diversity ◽  
Broad Cross Section ◽  
Poster Presentations ◽  
The University ◽  
New Metabolites

The IUPAC-sponsored joint meeting of the 27th International Symposium on the Chemistry of Natural Products (ISCNP-27) and the 7th International Conference on Biodiversity (ICOB-7) was held in Brisbane, Australia from 10 to 15 July 2011. The meeting was co-chaired by Prof. Ron Quinn from Griffith University and Prof. Mary Garson from the University of Queensland.The meeting brought together a broad cross-section of highly renowned scientists from academia, government, and industry, who presented their findings in 42 plenary and invited talks. An excellent diversity of contributed short talks were provided by a further 20 speakers. Three successful sessions were devoted to short (3 min) oral poster presentations given by 18 early-career scientists describing the research presented in their posters. A total of 76 posters were also presented. Scientists from 24 countries presented their research at the conference. Topics covered at the symposia included: discovery of new metabolites, isolation and structure elucidation, synthesis, neglected diseases, biosynthesis, engineered biosynthesis, chemical ecology, new methodology, and biodiversity. The chemistry from a rich diversity of sources was covered, including marine invertebrates, insects, plants, fungi, bacteria, myxobacteria, cyanobacteria, and even mammalian venoms.The 14 papers included in this issue of Pure and Applied Chemistry are based upon lectures presented at ISCNP-27/ICOB-7. The papers represent a good cross-section of the major themes in natural products research presented during the meeting and demonstrate the multidisciplinary nature and extensive breadth of applications that natural products research can provide to the wider community. The next meeting in this series is scheduled to take place in Shanghai in 2013.Anthony R. CarrollConference Editor

scholarly journals The The colourful chemistry of South African latrunculid sponges

2019 ◽  
Vol 115 (5/6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael T. Davies-Coleman ◽  
Edith M. Antunes ◽  
Denzil R. Beukes ◽  
Toufiek Samaai
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
South African ◽  
Marine Natural Products ◽  
Marine Invertebrates ◽  
Short Review ◽  
Marine Sponges ◽  
Organic Chemical ◽  
Sponge Tissue ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Rich Diversity

Marine sponges – in common with many other sessile marine invertebrates seemingly devoid of obvious physical forms of defence against predators, e.g. spines or shells – are the sources of a diverse array of organic chemical compounds known as marine natural products or secondary metabolites. Recent research has indicated that the production of natural products via cellular secondary metabolic pathways in some sponge species may not occur within the sponge cells themselves, but rather in microbial endosymbionts which inhabit the surface and interstitial spaces within the sponge tissue. Regardless of their biosynthetic origin, the bioactivity, e.g. toxicity, of many of these marine natural products may be utilised by sponges as chemical feeding deterrents to discourage predation or to provide a chemical anti-fouling competitive edge in the intense competition for living space amongst filter-feeders on space-limited benthic reefs. Paradoxically, a small number of sponge natural products have serendipitously shown potential as new pharmaceuticals, e.g. novel anti-cancer drugs. Marine biodiscovery (or bioprospecting) is the search for new pharmaceuticals from marine organisms. Exploration of the taxonomy, natural products chemistry and biomedicinal potential of the rich diversity of South African latrunculid sponges (family Latrunculiidae), at Rhodes University, the South African Department of Environmental Affairs and the University of the Western Cape has continued unabated for over a quarter of a century as part of a collaborative marine biodiscovery programme. A short review of this multidisciplinary latrunculid sponge research is presented here.

scholarly journals Current Trends in Natural Products Research from the CBNP10 Symposium at Warwick

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 158-166
Author(s):  
Fabrizio Alberti ◽  
Fabrizio Alberti
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Structural Diversity ◽  
Early Career ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Common Source ◽  
Natural Product Research ◽  
Leading Position ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
The University ◽  
New Compounds

Natural products are compounds that are produced by living organisms. They have numerous applications in our everyday life, from antibiotics to herbicides. They possess great chemical and structural diversity, which gives them a leading position as a source of new drugs. Many institutions worldwide are focusing more and more on natural product research, with microorganisms and plants being the most common source for discovery of new compounds. On the 30th June and 1st July 2016, early-career scientists working in the field of natural products gathered at the University of Warwick for the 10th edition of the Chemistry and Biology of Natural Products Symposium (CBNP10). This critical reflection reviews, in the context of the current research in the field, the major considerations that arose from this meeting.

Strenæ Natalitiæ

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Gibson
Keyword(s):  
Cross Section ◽  
University Of Oxford ◽  
Vice Chancellor ◽  
The University

This chapter looks at Strenæ Natalitiæ, a volume of poems produced by the University of Oxford to celebrate the events of the birth of the Prince of Wales in 1688. The University of Oxford's Strenæ Natalitiæ was a volume of over a hundred poems, with an obligatory introductory poem contributed by vice-chancellor Gilbert Ironside. The contibutors to Strenæ Natalitiæ were not simply a cross-section of the university's membership and poetic talent, but also of its politics. In some respects, youthful naivety might have been a cause of some of the authors' willingness to embrace the birth of James Edward, despite the anxiety felt by some of their fellow authors. Some of the verse was simple, and naïve in tone. Other verses were marked by a more mystical and prophetic tone. Ultimately, the verses in Strenæ Natalitiæ were predictable in their expressions of congratulation and celebration, though some also contained carefully muted expressions of equivocation.

scholarly journals Natural Products from Tongan Marine Organisms

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (15) ◽  
pp. 4534
Author(s):  
Taitusi Taufa ◽  
Ramesh Subramani ◽  
Peter Northcote ◽  
Robert Keyzers
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Marine Sponges ◽  
Marine Organisms ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
Geographic Variability ◽  
South Pacific Ocean ◽  
New Novel ◽  
Rich Diversity

The islands of the South Pacific Ocean have been in the limelight for natural product biodiscovery, due to their unique and pristine tropical waters and environment. The Kingdom of Tonga is an archipelago in the central Indo-Pacific Ocean, consisting of 176 islands, 36 of which are inhabited, flourishing with a rich diversity of flora and fauna. Many unique natural products with interesting bioactivities have been reported from Indo-Pacific marine sponges and other invertebrate phyla; however, there have not been any reviews published to date specifically regarding natural products from Tongan marine organisms. This review covers both known and new/novel Marine Natural Products (MNPs) and their biological activities reported from organisms collected within Tongan territorial waters up to December 2020, and includes 109 MNPs in total, the majority from the phylum Porifera. The significant biological activity of these metabolites was dominated by cytotoxicity and, by reviewing these natural products, it is apparent that the bulk of the new and interesting biologically active compounds were from organisms collected from one particular island, emphasizing the geographic variability in the chemistry between these organisms collected at different locations.

scholarly journals Natural Products in Polyclad Flatworms

Marine Drugs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Justin M. McNab ◽  
Jorge Rodríguez ◽  
Peter Karuso ◽  
Jane E. Williamson
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Marine Invertebrates ◽  
Symbiotic Bacteria ◽  
Chemical Defences ◽  
Number Of Species ◽  
Bioactive Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Potential Sources ◽  
Polyclad Flatworms

Marine invertebrates are promising sources of novel bioactive secondary metabolites, and organisms like sponges, ascidians and nudibranchs are characterised by possessing potent defensive chemicals. Animals that possess chemical defences often advertise this fact with aposematic colouration that potential predators learn to avoid. One seemingly defenceless group that can present bright colouration patterns are flatworms of the order Polycladida. Although members of this group have typically been overlooked due to their solitary and benthic nature, recent studies have isolated the neurotoxin tetrodotoxin from these mesopredators. This review considers the potential of polyclads as potential sources of natural products and reviews what is known of the activity of the molecules found in these animals. Considering the ecology and diversity of polyclads, only a small number of species from both suborders of Polycladida, Acotylea and Cotylea have been investigated for natural products. As such, confirming assumptions as to which species are in any sense toxic or if the compounds they use are biosynthesised, accumulated from food or the product of symbiotic bacteria is difficult. However, further research into the group is suggested as these animals often display aposematic colouration and are known to prey on invertebrates rich in bioactive secondary metabolites.

The Pransky interview: Dr Yoky Matsuoka, Vice President Technology, Nest Labs

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 481-486
Author(s):  
Joanne Pransky
Keyword(s):  
Computer Science ◽  
Mechanical Engineering ◽  
Academic Career ◽  
Industrial Robot ◽  
Vice President ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Smoke Detector ◽  
Foundation Engineering ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The University

Purpose – This article is a “Q&A interview” conducted by Joanne Pransky of Industrial Robot Journal as a method to impart the combined technological, business and personal experience of a prominent, robotic industry engineer-turned entrepreneur regarding the evolution, commercialization and challenges of bringing a technological invention to market. Design/methodology/approach – The interviewee is Dr Yoky Matsuoka, the Vice President of Nest Labs. Matsuoka describes her career journey that led her from a semi-professional tennis player who wanted to build a robot tennis buddy, to a pioneer of neurobotics who then applied her multidisciplinary research in academia to the development of a mass-produced intelligent home automation device. Findings – Dr Matsuoka received a BS degree from the University of California, Berkeley and an MS and PhD in electrical engineering and computer science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She was also a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT and in Mechanical Engineering at Harvard University. Dr Matsuoka was formerly the Torode Family Endowed Career Development Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington (UW), Director of the National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering and Ana Loomis McCandless Professor of Robotics and Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. In 2010, she joined Google X as one of its three founding members. She then joined Nest as VP of Technology. Originality/value – Dr Matsuoka built advanced robotic prosthetic devices and designed complementary rehabilitation strategies that enhanced the mobility of people with manipulation disabilities. Her novel work has made significant scientific and engineering contributions in the combined fields of mechanical engineering, neuroscience, bioengineering, robotics and computer science. Dr Matsuoka was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in which she used the Genius Award money to establish a nonprofit corporation, YokyWorks, to continue developing engineering solutions for humans with physical disabilities. Other awards include the Emerging Inventor of the Year, UW Medicine; IEEE Robotics and Automation Society Early Academic Career Award; Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers; and numerous others. She leads the development of the learning and control technology for the Nest smoke detector and Thermostat, which has saved the USA hundreds of billions of dollars in energy expenses. Nest was sold to Google in 2013 for a record $3.2 billion dollars in cash.

scholarly journals Chemical Diversity and Biological Activity of Secondary Metabolites Isolated from Indonesian Marine Invertebrates

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (7) ◽  
pp. 1898
Author(s):  
Fauzia Izzati ◽  
Mega Ferdina Warsito ◽  
Asep Bayu ◽  
Anggia Prasetyoputri ◽  
Akhirta Atikana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Bioactive Compounds ◽  
Marine Natural Products ◽  
Biological Function ◽  
Marine Invertebrates ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Structural Diversity ◽  
Chemical Diversity ◽  
Soft Corals ◽  
High Chemical

Marine invertebrates have been reported to be an excellent resource of many novel bioactive compounds. Studies reported that Indonesia has remarkable yet underexplored marine natural products, with a high chemical diversity and a broad spectrum of biological activities. This review discusses recent updates on the exploration of marine natural products from Indonesian marine invertebrates (i.e., sponges, tunicates, and soft corals) throughout 2007–2020. This paper summarizes the structural diversity and biological function of the bioactive compounds isolated from Indonesian marine invertebrates as antimicrobial, antifungal, anticancer, and antiviral, while also presenting the opportunity for further investigation of novel compounds derived from Indonesian marine invertebrates.

First person – Fanny Jaudon and Martina Albini

2021 ◽  
Vol 134 (16) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Neurotrophic Factor ◽  
Neurological Disorders ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Neurological Diseases ◽  
Early Career ◽  
First Person ◽  
Early Career Researchers ◽  
And Function ◽  
The University ◽  
Selection Of

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Fanny Jaudon and Martina Albini are co-first authors on ‘ A developmental stage- and Kidins220-dependent switch in astrocyte responsiveness to brain-derived neurotrophic factor’, published in JCS. Fanny is a postdoc at the University of Trieste in the lab of Lorenzo A. Cingolani at Center for Synaptic Neuroscience and Technology, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy, investigating the molecular mechanisms controlling development and function of neuronal circuits and implementing genome-editing approaches for the treatment of neurological disorders. Martina is a PhD student at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia in the lab of Fabio Benfenati and Fabrizia Cesca investigating neurotrophin biology and its involvement in neurological diseases.

scholarly journals Cytotoxic activity of marine sponge extracts from the sub-Antarctic Islands and the Southern Ocean

2016 ◽  
Vol Volume 112 (Number 11/12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth K. Olsen ◽  
Christopher K. de Cerf ◽  
Godwin A. Dziwornu ◽  
Eleonora Puccinelli ◽  
Isabelle J. Ansorge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Products ◽  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Cytotoxic Activity ◽  
Marine Invertebrates ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Benthic Invertebrate ◽  
Marine Sponges ◽  
Bioactive Natural Products ◽  
Prince Edward Islands

Abstract Over the past 50 years, marine invertebrates, especially sponges, have proven to be a valuable source of new and/or bioactive natural products that have the potential to be further developed as lead compounds for pharmaceutical applications. Although marine benthic invertebrate communities occurring off the coast of South Africa have been explored for their biomedicinal potential, the natural product investigation of marine sponges from the sub-Antarctic Islands in the Southern Ocean for the presence of bioactive secondary metabolites has been relatively unexplored thus far. We report here the results for the biological screening of both aqueous and organic extracts prepared from nine specimens of eight species of marine sponges, collected from around Marion Island and the Prince Edward Islands in the Southern Ocean, for their cytotoxic activity against three cancer cell lines. The results obtained through this multidisciplinary collaborative research effort by exclusively South African institutions has provided an exciting opportunity to discover cytotoxic compounds from sub-Antarctic sponges, whilst contributing to our understanding of the biodiversity and geographic distributions of these cold-water invertebrates. Therefore, we acknowledge here the various contributions of the diverse scientific disciplines that played a pivotal role in providing the necessary platform for the future natural products chemistry investigation of these marine sponges from the sub- Antarctic Islands and the Southern Ocean.

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