Pharmaceutical and Bioactive Natural Products, Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1993

Biotechnology may be defined as the application of scientific and engineering principles to the processing of materials by biological agents to provide goods and services (Bullet al. , 1982, p. 21) or as any technique that uses living organisms (or parts of organisms) to make or modify products, to improve plants or animals, or to develop microorganisms for specific use (OTC, 1988). In line with these broad definitions we can consider marine biotechnology as the use of marine organisms or their constituents for useful purposes in a controlled fashion. This series will explore a range of scientific advances in support of marine biotechnology. It will provide information on advances in three categories: (1) basic knowledge, (2) ap­ plied research and development, and (3) commercial and institutional issues. We hope the presentation of the topics will generate interest and interaction among readers in the academic world, government, and industry. This first volume examines chemical and biological properties of some natural products that are useful or potentially useful in research and in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. One chapter describes a system for producing such substances on a large scale. Biotechnology incorporates molecular biology in order to go beyond tradi­ tional biochemical technology such as the production of antibiotic drugs from bacterial cultures in bioreactors. Development of the technology for production of antibiotics in this way resulted from fundamental advances in chemistry, phar­ macology, microbiology, and biochemical engineering.

Biomedical Potential of Marine Natural Products; C.M. Ireland, et al. Isolation, Structural, and Mode of Action Studies on Bioactive Marine Natural Products; Y. Naya, et al. Pharmacological Studies of Novel Marine Metabolites; R.S. Jacobs, et al. Eicosanoids and Related Compounds from Marine Algae; W.H. Gerwick, M.W. Bernart. Marine Proteins in Clinical Chemistry; G.M. Sharma, M.K. Sahni. Medical and Biotechnological Applications of Marine Macroalgal Polysaccharides; D.W. Renn. Antitumor and Cytotoxic Compounds from Marine Organisms; F.J. Schmitz, et al. Antiviral Substances; K.L. Rinehart, et al. The Search for Antiparsitic Agents from Marine Animals; P. Crews, L.M. Hunter. Dinoflagellates as Sources of Bioactive Molecules; Y. Shimizu. Academic Chemistry and the Discovery of Bioactive Marine Natural Products; D.J. Faulkner. 2 additional articles. Index.