Marine Biodiscovery - Research and Applications

Marine Biodiscovery: Research & Applications

15-16 June 2010 – University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK

This meeting, coinciding with the opening of the new £1.6M Marine Biodiscovery Centre, will address the potential for new products and processes from the marine environment, with a particular emphasis on the technical challenges and realising successful outcomes. This will cover novel pharmaceuticals and high value chemicals such as biomaterials, nutraceuticals and personal care products as well as novel enzymes with unique activities. Academic and industrial aspects will be presented and there will be a showcase for Scottish companies and facilities. The meeting will run from 13:00 Tue 15 June to 13:00 Wed 16 June to allow for travel.

Speakers & Topics:

Frithjof Küpper, Scottish Association of Marine Science, UK
Accessing and assessing marine biodiversity

Ute Hentschel, University of Würzburg, Germany,
Single-cell genomics, metagenomics and cultivation-based approaches towards natural products discovery from marine sponge-associated microbiota

Phil Crews, University of California, Santa Cruz, USA
Inspirational structures of bioactive marine natural products

Peter Sadler, University of Warwick, UK
Metal Speciation: the crucial role of ligands in biological activity

Marc Diederich, Laboratoire de Biologie Moleculaire et Cellulaire du Cancer, Luxembourg
Marine compounds as inhibitors of pro-inflammatory, proliferative and anti-apoptotic mechanisms

Steve Winwood, Martek, USA
Omega-3 DHA suitable for use in infant formula by controlled fermentation of marine algae

Jan Buch Andersen, Biotec Marine Biochemicals, Norway
Industrial enzymes from cold-adapted organisms

Simon Munt, Pharmamar, Spain
Taking marine-derived compounds into the clinic – the Yondelis story.

Dan Morse, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA (Plenary)
From silica skeletons of sponges to dynamically tunable photonics in squid: bio-inspired materials open new horizons for marine biodiscovery

Showcase for Scottish Companies and Facilities

-Andrew Mearns-Spragg, Aquapharm Biodiscovery, UK
-Charlie Bavington, Glycomar, UK
-Peter Green, NCIMB, UK
-Ursula Witte, Oceanlab, UK
-Steven Dodsworth, Marine Science Park, Highlands and Islands Enterprise

Sponsors: The Royal Society of Chemistry, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Biosciences Knowledge Transfer Network, Thermo, Varian Inc., Syngenta, Aquapharm Biodiscovery, Glycomar

Cost for meeting: £50 (£25 for students)

Reaching Aberdeen: Aberdeen is well connected by air to many UK and several international airports (Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Oslo) and by mainline rail and road. We will endeavour to assist you in finding local accommodation.

Registration is now open: https://www.store.abdn.ac.uk/
Under ‘Conference & Events’

Further information: Contact Marcel Jaspars – marinebiodiscovery@abdn.ac.uk