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Subscribe to RSSThe chemicals that help corals and sponges survive are also helping people. Halaven, a drug derived from a sea sponge compound came on the market in Nov. 2010, and has improved survival among women who have metastatic breast cancer. NBC's Anne Thompson reports.
By Christina Caron
NBC News
KEY WEST -- The kaleidoscope of life in the coral reefs under the turquoise waters of the Florida Keys is a magnet for tourists, but it’s not just a pretty view.
The same chemistry that helps corals and sponges survive is also helping people fight cancer.
“What we’re doing is taking advantage of that chemistry and turning those chemicals into drugs to save lives,” said Stephanie Wear, director of coral reef conservation at the Nature Conservancy.
Wear describes the reefs as the "New York City" of the oceans, “where everything is happening,” because it is 400 to 600 times more likely to find a source for a drug in the ocean than on land -- and the densely packed coral reefs are an even more plentiful source.
But climate change and waterway pollution threaten the sea life that house these healing properties.
“The [coral reef] population is diminished by about 90 percent across the Caribbean,” said James Byrne, the marine science program manager at the Nature Conservancy.
With corals under siege, scientists at the Nature Conservancy have created coral farms --- currently supporting more than 30,000 corals across Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands -- to sustainably harvest the life-saving properties of the reef.
“We’re taking these corals and growing them out in nurseries just like a tree farm would and replanting them back on the reef and doing it in a way that we’re really maximizing that potential for reproduction in the future,” said Byrne.
In the clear waters of the Florida Keys, scientists glue some of the corals to cinder blocks on the ocean floor, and hang others from a rope resembling a laundry line, allowing them to float in the water. Eventually, they hope to put out up to 4,000 corals a year – all to battle some of the worst diseases known to humankind: cancer, leukemia, AIDS -- and perhaps even Lupus, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.
The Staghorn coral population has been decimated by warming oceans and disease. The Nature Conservancy scuba team is working to regrow coral in nurseries on the ocean floor.
Arden O'Connor, a 34-year-old who lives in Boston, Mass., beat leukemia with help from Ara-C, a chemotherapy drug originally derived from sea sponges that thrive in the coral reefs.
Without it, O'Connor said, she could have died at age 26.
“I’ve spent most of my life swimming in the ocean but absolutely didn’t assume it would have anything to do with my cancer,” said O’Connor, who has been cancer-free for seven years.
Halaven, another drug also derived from a sea sponge, came on the market in Nov. 2010, and has improved survival among women who have metastatic breast cancer.
“Without the reefs and without doing that biodiversity conservation, we have no starting points,” said Dr. Edward Suh, who develops new drugs at Japanese pharmaceutical company Eisai, the lab that produces Halaven.
Caption: The Earth's oceans are natural medicine chests and scientists derive medications from sea sponges to treat diseases like breast cancer. Dr. Linda Vahdat, Director of the Breast Cancer Research Program at Weill Cornell Medical College, discusses Halaven, a new cancer drug.
Using the chemicals present in the sea sponge saves time during the drug production process, he added.
“In order to make this natural product a drug by synthesis, we would require over 60 steps,” he said. “And the typical drug is about 10 steps or less.”
For many doctors, the drug has proven to be an exciting option for their patients.
“Sometimes patients are interested in where the drugs come from … and it’s interesting because when you mention to them that it’s derived from a natural product they seem to be a little bit better with the concept of getting these types of therapies,” said Dr. Linda Vahdat, the director of the breast cancer research program at Weill Cornell Medical College. “For millennia there have been natural products used to treat tumors and we know it from the ancient Egyptian writings -- and certainly moving into contemporary space we use a lot of natural products to treat our patients with breast cancer.”
NBC's Mario Garcia contributed to this report.
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Nice...Humans are now going to exploit our reefs that are already in trouble due to humans bull@!$%#.
is it to far fetched to believe that other living creatures on earth have developed their own ability to fight disease, and we are now starting to understand that the biological gardens of the land and sea may yet save us from destruction by disease ?
Stephanie, the only reason humans would be compelled to save ANYTHING on this planet would be if there was some benefit to them. This is good news for the preservation of reefs.
I'd have to agree, Pedestrian. Common sense would suggest that we should live within out means not out of it and we should also strive to protect the world that we are living on. However we can't claim we all have that common sense. It's actually a wonderful thing for these reefs to be acknowledged for the benefits they present humankind, if only for the fact that people will try to protect them now instead of just shrug and say "it's not their concern."
They said in the article that in addition to farming corals for research, they are using the farms to repopulate reefs. Why is that a bad thing?
To those who have had cancer will all say this is a most wonderful new medicine. I have more hope for the corals replenish fast.
I do not know what your problem is. The article clearly says they are farming these corals and sponges, not decimating natural reefs, to get what they need. They are even using these farms to help restore natural reefs that have been damaged. I do not see anything in this that is a bad thing. This is a positive all the way around. In addition to the new medicines that have been developed, this will help call attention to the damage that is being done to the reefs and get people to pay attention and understand how important these reefs are. The discovery of these new drugs will only serve to help with efforts to conserve and restore coral reefs.
As a life long diver I have always had a great appreciation for the ocean and the life in it. The fact that we have found that some of the organisms in the ocean can help treat disease does not come as any surprise to me. This is because the use of natural medicines to treat disease has been around for thousands of years. It is a shame that for a time science turned it's back on these natural cures, looking at them like they were voodoo. We are only now rediscovering natural treatments for disease that were used thousands of years ago by our ancestors. It is good to see science turning back to nature to find cures for modern diseases. I feel that this relatively new push towards looking to nature for medicines will one day lead to cures for things like cancer.
I'm wondering what your opinion would be if you were sitting in front of your doctor and he just diagnosed you with breast cancer. They are also "farming" and "growing" new coral reefs. Or did you miss that part in your blindness? In the meantime I am sure you can go hug your tree.
Stephanie, maybe someday, if you get cancer, you can turn down this life saving treatment. That way, you will be able to say that you didn't contribute to the exploitation of the reefs.
dnftt
Stephanie Did you miss the part about them growing the coral in nurseries?
Having natural chemicals for feedstocks and gene splicing in E coli produce some of the best drugs on the market today. Losing biodeversity from unrestrained human behavior is just senseless.
Farm quality is never as good as wild quality.
They are only kept separate long enough for them to grow to a size where they can be put on the reef. From what I have seen on PBS, the coral all release their eggs at once, once a year. I would expect that the eggs are gathered from the wild to keep the diversity going.
It depends on what type of coral it is, some split by division, some the egg way, etc and reproduction times vary, each coral has different "triggers" to get them to spawn/multiply.
Most of the man made "farming" they take a coral, this is hard corals mind you, in the ocean and cut off a chunk of it, leaving the original coral there. Then they attach the cutting to a rock, wait for that little chunk to grow big, cut chunks off of it, and the cycle continues. It's commonly referred to as "fragging".
In the Reef industry growing corals in ocean farms is commonly referred to as Aquacultured.
This is easier than trying to collect the eggs, hope they attach, and live through the ordeal. When you compare it to fragging, fragging is much simpler.
That is really interesting to know Jeff! Thanks for the info! It's better to be educated than to stay in the dark. People are going to see this anyway they want to, but at the end of the day--cancer is affecting more and more people today and if people are half as smart as I hope they are, they'll get the message. Actually take a look around the next time you're outside, especially the ground. The garbage pile up is outrageous, and the laws prohibiting pollution are not really doing the trick fully. This has an impact for the overall good, and hopefully we'll see a great change that this world needs.
Doesn't matter! As long as Congress is beholden to energy interests, nothing will change. Big Oil has wads more cash to buy votes than Big Pharma. Wave the flag for the "American" aka GOP way.
Videos for coral reproduction
Coral reproduction - part II: Challenges and future perspectives
Yes and humans are also destroying this resource, just like the Amazon. We humans possess God given intelligence, but far too often we get lazy and choose to not use it which probably means we will inevitably extinct ourselves.
Morlack...Don't forget greedy and ignorant.
Morlack My take exactly.
Softdude your point is not valid if they are "harming" the existing the reefs to get the material to grow in nurseries. That is just like saying that it is ok to deforest South America because those who rip the trees down do re-plant new tress. See the problem with that is it takes YEARS for trees to grow to the size that they are for and therefore the animals and humans have less shelter and less resources because the animals will move on to gain that forest coverage to survive.
The reefs are dying fast enough by what we have already done to the. Taking a few of the billions of eggs released each year will not affect what is already there. I could be wrong about them growing from eggs but I doubt they are pillaging the reef in the name of saving it.
Except they don't "collect" the eggs. If you're gonna post over and over with the same response, at least make sure it's a fact, not just assumptions.
This is actually quite an interesting article, and it's exciting to know that modern science is still looking at nature for important cures. It should be noted however that the coral reefs are dying off because about 99% of the sea urchins died in the early 1980's. Urchins act almost as nature's vacuum cleaner and they kept the coral free of algae. Without the sea urchins, the algae has been growing out of control and smothering the living coral.
There are several different coral reef restoration projects in the Florida Keys that are working to help reestablish the fastest growing types of coral. In fact it's even possible for certified divers to participate as volunteers. That's a great way to learn something new, and to help out with a worthwhile project.
The coral reefs in the Florida Keys are vital to the area's economy, and they also protect the small chain of islands from heavy wave action. Now that we know the reefs have medical value, their importance is underscored, and the need to protect them becomes even more vital.
A global documentary is currently being developed which focuses on different communities and the coral reef restoration techniques they implement. To read more about this documentary, coral reefs, and coral reef restoration projects in general, you may want to check out this interview at www.florida-keys-vacation.com/Coral-Reef-Restoration.html
A few years ago extremely cold winter weather killed coral off of Florida. In many places where coral is declining it is the result of overfishing of parrot fish. The newest studies show that many corals do better with warmer water and more CO2.
And coral has survived millions of years back when the Earth was much warmer and had much more CO2 in the air and water.
Nice try but folks that actually check all the facts and all the history aren't as easy to fool.
http://www.australianclimatemadness.com/2012/02/warmer-waters-good-for-coral-growth/
http://www.c3headlines.com/2012/03/ocean-acidifcation-fears-debunked-coral.html
economykiller - Thank you for the facts. Us humans are so convinced of our
importance that we think that organisms that have survived millennia through
diverse ecological conditions are going to shrivel up and die if we fart too
much. The coral will come back from that cold snap. Coral and many other
species will be around long after our race is gone, I suspect
economykiller - Thank you for the facts. Us humans are so convinced of our importance that we think that organisms that have survived millennia through diverse ecological conditions are going to shrivel up and die if we fart too much. The coral will come back from that cold snap. Coral and many other species will be around long after our race is gone, I suspect
You suspect, meaning you have no definitive answer. But if you see humanity as one gigantic organism engaged with the planet its easier to understand that yes, we do have profound effects on our world. We have completely killed off species of life or decimated them to meaningless numbers, which changes ecosystems dramatically, for one. Some people can dismiss facts to a profound level simply to support their moral belief system and that is a big problem.
It makes you wonder what wonder drugs we'll never know about from the corals reefs and other unique natural ecosystems that have been lost forever because of man.
so true and don't forget the 99.9% of life that has disappeared since life began. but then again if life did not end and new ones arrive would would have any wonder drugs at all? something to think about.
"We've develpoed life saving drugs ......... that'll be 3,000 dollars please."
Happy 420
right on, everybody is missing the point of this nobel sounding story, yeah doctors are developing new medicines from corals. doctors working for the drug companies and charging huge amounts that very few will be able to afford in america. however, well help out a bunch of other countries and give it away to them practically for free, then make it a criminal offense to import it here even if you can save over 90% of the cost that we have to pay for the cure to live. another thing that is true is that evrything gets synthesized after finding the original chemical makeup. people dont really understand that part. oh one more thing to mention.... thatll be 3000.00 please. for each treatment, youll need at least ten treatments a year to live.
Well, simple, the best thing for you to do would be to avoid doctors altogether.
That advice was free.
eribulin (Halaven) is a fully synthetic macrocyclic ketone of the marine sponge natural product. This is a synthetic requiring no harvesting of anything from coral. All a scam to get government money for environmentalists. Not that MSNBC would lie or anything.
Cytarabine was first synthesized in 1959 requires no harvesting of anything from coral. Yet another scam to get government money for environmentalists. At least MSNBC isn't confusing anyone by trying to be truthful.
Cytarabine was first synthesized in 1959 requires no harvesting of anything from coral. Yet another scam to get government money for environmentalists. At least MSNBC isn't confusing anyone by trying to be truthful.
was this developed by a private company or the billions we spend on government research? considering it does not say, i will have to guess.
Sponge Bob to the RESCUE Yeahhhhh!!!!!
So it goes.......... of the thousands we have discovered, how many cures / treatments have come directly from natural compounds ? Oodles. Hemp oil is purported to have many cancer-fighting qualities, supported through scads of anecdotal evidence, yet for some reason, our government (and others) flat-out refuses to allow its use, and no big pharma is "interested" in it either. My guess is it has something to do with the fact that, if it were proven effective, what logic could be used to prevent people from self-curing therefore allowing the big $$ to continue making the big $$ they do from cancer treatments...............
Nahhhhhhhh that would be almost like some sort of conspiracy..................
Look at the date on this article. This was almost 4 years ago. You will all be eating soylent green in a few short years. The oceans are dying. We have pushed it past the point of no return. The only chance the coral and the rest of the life on this planet have of surviving extinction is if we become extinct. Google search this ... coral reefs face extinction
Google search this ... coral reefs face extinction ..Time life article 4 years ago. "soylent green" watch the movie. wake up
Note: The Coral in the picture representing Staghorn Coral is actually Elkhorn Coral, which is not as fast growing as Staghorn. It is an entirely different type, and is very much a major reef builder. Though protected, it is not recovering enough to truly improve reef rebuilding.
Peace
Another reason the wanton destruction of wildlife and vegetation on this planet is not good, from a selfish standpoint many miraculous things can be derived from some of these lifeforms.
Well, they better get cracking because the reefs are dying. Ironic that we are destroying the things that could save us. To all those who think global warming isn't real, it really doesn't matter if you do or not, you will have to experience the same thing as everyone else. There is no place on the planet where the flat-landers will be exempt, regardless of your income. Every disease existing on the planet has a cure somewhere on the planet, if not, some organism would have snuffed out life here long ago, viruses replicate until they kill their host. We just need to find out what and where, assuming they are still there to be found.
Good news to hear. You never hear of drugs made from petroleum products. That would not make the news and that is sad.
save the environment, our survival might depend on it. many lifeforms hold plenty more secrets to yet acquire for our benefit, if they can survive our destructive behaviors. we are just at the begining of these findings.
Changing or environment for better or worst , makes no differance. Natural Selection is at work.
If Natural Selection was so fast to occur, you'd likely not be here posting.
“Sometimes patients are interested in where the drugs come from … and it’s interesting because when you mention to them that it’s derived from a natural product they seem to be a little bit better with the concept of getting these types of therapies,” said Dr. Linda Vahdat, the director of the breast cancer research program at Weill Cornell Medical College. “For millennia there have been natural products used to treat tumors and we know it from the ancient Egyptian writings -- and certainly moving into contemporary space we use a lot of natural products to treat our patients with breast cancer.”
Why are people put off or should I say the pharmaceutical companies about using natural products without a molecule tweak to make money on.The 3rd worldwide treatment for cancer is derived from a medicinal mushroom ,but not approved in U.S. And don't forget about vitamin D the amount of research on for cancer is bogeling.
More reasons to save the planet that keeps ALL of us alive! Happy Earth Day!
Soon you will see television ads asking you to consult your doctor about this new amazing drug and ask him to prescribe it for you. A year later you will see ads asking you to call a law firm if you or any family member were harmed from taking this medication.