Our Marine Natural Products (MNP) Group at UPMSI has projects on the isolation and purification of bioactive marine compounds or "marine natural products" (MNPs) from marine invertebrates, e.g., sponges, sea squirts and associated marine microorganisms (MMOs) that live in coral reefs. These samples have been collected from different biogeographic regions of the country, led by my colleague, Dr. Porfirio M. Aliño, who heads the UPMSI Marine Chemical Ecology and Biodiversity (MCEB) Group. Compounds with potential anticancer, antimicrobial, anti-TB, anti-platelet aggregating and immunosuppressant activity have been isolated and are being studied intensively. Several international publications have resulted from the work of the MNP Group and its collaborators in the last few years. We have also produced a number of patentable results for which we are filing patent applications in the name of UP, the collaborators and funding agencies.

We pioneered in the collection of marine microorganisms (MMOs) associated with marine invertebrates, realizing that these MMOs are almost completely unexplored and could therefore be a good source of novel bioactive compounds. An additional advantage is that while only a limited amount of sponges or sea squirts can be collected by scuba diving, MMOs may be cultured in the laboratory to produce the bioactive compounds. The MNP Group currently has a collection of over a thousand marine invertebrates and over a thousand MMOs in storage at UPMSI, maintains a "PharmaSeas" database to document these samples and, in addition to a natural products chemistry lab, runs a bioassay lab, a mammalian cell culture lab, a microbial culture lab, an immunology lab, and a small animal testing facility. Our team consists of about 20 researchers and thesis students. We interact closely with other research groups at UPMSI, other UP Diliman units, other local universities, local government research institutions and hospitals, local foundations and foreign universities. Our major funding sources are the Philippine and US governments and international foundations. But in spite of this support, we are still unable to pursue many of our promising bioactive marine samples because of limited research equipment, supplies and manpower.

Our vision is to continue building multidisciplinary, coordinated research programs in the marine biomedical field. We would like to explore our vast marine biodiversity as a source of small molecule drugs for the treatment of serious diseases. We believe that this is one area of competitive advantage for our country. Our immediate goal is to contribute to the development of an anticancer therapy making use of marine compounds or MNPs isolated from Philippine marine organisms. Related projects undertaken to help attain this goal include the chemical modification and synthesis of MNPs to improve anticancer activity, linking of MNPs to antibodies that target cancer cells to improve specificity and reduce toxicity, attachment of MNPs to polymers to improve drug delivery, and the determination of molecular targets of MNPs to understand their mechanism of action. An end goal is to be able to demonstrate "proof of principle" or in vivo activity of the anticancer therapy in an animal tumor model.

Very significantly, in 1998, the first Commercial Research Agreement (CRA) signed in the country for marine bioprospecting was for the project of the UPMSI MNP Group with the University of Utah on marine drug discovery for cancer. The CRA allowed us to collect marine samples from the different biogeographic regions of the country. This CRA, between UP-Utah and the Department of Agriculture (DA), was the first and for a long time the only case of implementation of Executive Order 247 (access regulation on the collection of biological and genetic materials; predecessor of the Wildlife Act) in the country. While other foreign universities have discontinued collaborations with other Philippine universities because of difficulty in obtaining a CRA and complying with bioprospecting rules, we succeeded in having our CRA renewed in 2003.

The UPMSI MCEB and MNP Groups pioneered in conducting the public consultation and PIC (prior informed consent) process among local communities living near marine collection sites, which is required prior to the granting of a CRA. Further, the MNP Group has faithfully and satisfactorily complied with the government’s reporting requirements and the execution of a proper Material Transfer Agreement (MTA) of samples to a third party. The UPMSI’s CRA and bioprospecting activities have been cited by NGOs as a model of compliance with government regulations and of good bioprospecting practices. These actions indicate that UPMSI recognizes the role and importance of the various stakeholders in the marine drug discovery and development process. Together with government lawyers and technical staff, we worked hard to negotiate equitable terms of benefit sharing for the local communities, the Philippine government, UP and Utah, in the event that a marine compound or MNP from a Philippine marine organism is developed into a drug or used in a therapeutic preparation in the future.

(The sponges, sea squirts, microorganisms and marine compounds and their biological and pharmacological activities that we have studied will be the subject of another article.)

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Gisela "Giselle" Padilla-Concepcion, Ph.D. in Chemistry, is an associate professor at the UP Marine Science Institute, Diliman, Quezon City, where she teaches graduate courses and heads the Marine Natural Products Research Group. Send comments and inquiries to gpconcepcion@yahoo.com.