Marine Bioactive Natural Substances and Bio-Sustainable Production

Discovery of bioactive compounds from marine natural sources (invertebrates, microorganisms) useful for the development of new drugs, cosmetics and/or biotechnology applications. These objectives are achieved primarily through the isolation and spectroscopic characterization of new molecules, and by partial or total synthesis of lead compounds.


Research groups

  • NPBiotech

The interest of the NPBiotech research group is directed to the identification and sustainable production by biotechnological methods of new natural products by macro- and micro-sea organism, to be used as lead compounds for the design of new classes of anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory drugs. The biotechnological production of bioactive natural products using their own biosynthetic genes by recombinant technologies, is the exciting new frontier in the study of natural products, in that it promises to overcome the supply problems which have so far prevented their wide practical exploitation.
The key activities for this research can be summarized as follows: isolation and structural elucidation in the microgram scale of bioactive natural products produced by marine organisms, or from their symbiotic microorganisms; study of metagenomes of macro-organisms, or the genomes of microorganisms, for the identification and engineering of the biosynthetic genes of natural products; expression of biosynthetic genes of natural products in heterologous hosts; chemical analysis of cultures of transformed microorganisms and profiling of their secondary metabolites.

Research Team:
 
  • TheBlueChemistryLab

 

TheBlueChemistryLab focuses on exploring the unique natural products of marine sponges and cyanobacteria as lead compounds for pharmacological (anti-tumor drugs, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial) applications. This research line is flanked by the study of the total synthesis of glycolipids with immunomodulatory activity and of peptide/polyketide compounds. More recently, TheBlueChemistryLab group has also applied the chemical knowledge to explore the QQ and the QS system in sponge symbiotic bacteria with the goal to create novel leads in antibacterial drug discovery, in collaboration with the group of Dr. L. Steindler (University of Haifa, Israel).
The group has been working for years on the study of cyanobacteria both as a source of new lead compounds and as producers of toxins. In this regard, in collaboration with ARPAC (Campania Region Environmental Protection Agency) and "Parthenope" University, a pilot project has been launched aimed at monitoring cyanobacteria in Campania coastal waters through a multidisciplinary method that combines advanced remote/proximal sensing techniques with innovative strategies of chemical-biological analyses.
 
Research Team:
CASO Alessia (PhD Student)
DELLA SALA Gerardo (Associated Researcher)
 

Website: www.facebook.com/BlueChemistryLab

 

  • SIDG

Identification and design of leads for the treatment of cancer, malaria, inflammatory and bacterial diseases.
 

Research Team:
 
  •  NATLEAD

Identification of natural leads from terrestrial and marine sources, aimed at novel therapeutic approaches for human diseases.

Research Team:
FESTA Carmen (Fellow)