Petri dishes of medicine

Sources of medicine The ocean is an amazing source of chemicals and compounds with the ability to heal all sorts of illnesses. The U.S. National Cancer Institute receives more than 1,000 of these potentially beneficial chemicals for testing each year, and many of these come from very unusual sources. Interestingly, fish slime may be a possible antibacterial agent, and some fish venoms appear to be effective against some types of cancer. The sea contains huge potential for future medicines, and many regions, such as deep-sea environments, are all but unexplored. Maintaining as much biodiversity as we can is critical to maximize the chance of discovering useful chemicals. « Previous | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Next »   Sources: Krajick, K. (2004). Medicine from the Sea. Smithsonian.com. Retrieved March 9, 2008, from http://www.smithsonianmag.com/specialsections /ecocenter/medicine.html   BBC. (2004) Fish slime may have medical uses. BBC. Retrieved March 9, 2008, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/bristol /somerset/3752554.stm   Sri Balasubashini, S. et al. (2006). Fish venom (Pterois volitans) peptide reduces tumor burden and ameliorates oxidative stress in Ehrlich’s ascites carcinoma xeno-grafted mice. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters. Retrieved March 9, 2008, from http://www.sciencedirect.com.