{"id":64821,"date":"2017-11-28T10:21:04","date_gmt":"2017-11-28T16:21:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=64821"},"modified":"2017-11-30T10:40:04","modified_gmt":"2017-11-30T16:40:04","slug":"underthesea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/underthesea\/","title":{"rendered":"Under the sea: The search for potential miracle cures"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Yvaine Ye<\/strong>
\nMedill Reports<\/em><\/p>\n

What mysteries lurk in the blue water that covers more than 70 percent of the earth\u2019s surface? No one truly knows, not even scientists. But many suspect the next miracle cure could be swimming in vast oceans amongst tiger sharks and stingrays.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Scientists believe the ocean, which remains 95 percent unexplored, hides chemicals that can be turned into drugs to treat human diseases. But these yet-undiscovered substances are potentially being imperiled by climate change, which is influencing the ocean ecosystem in unpredictable ways, experts say.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen climate changes then biodiversity is going to be influenced for good or for bad,\u201d says Brian Murphy, a chemist at the University of Illinois Chicago. \u201cWhen biodiversity is influenced, chemical diversity is also in turn influenced.\u201d<\/p>\n

Murphy\u2019s work focuses on drug discovery from natural products, which are small chemicals produced by organisms in nature. Natural products serve as inspirational cues for scientists developing antibacterial and anticancer drugs.<\/p>\n

\u201cOrganisms evolve to combat other organisms in their environment, and a lot of time they fight each other with natural products,\u201d Murphy says.<\/p>\n

The operating theory is that if other organisms can use these products to kill bacteria, why can\u2019t humans? That promise has scientists looking toward uncharted waters. Compared to dry land, the ocean is barely explored because of physical and technological limitations. To scientists, the ocean is the Newfoundland \u2014 this time with a blue hue.<\/p>\n

\"Cultivating
A scientist cultivates bacteria in search of new natural products (Tiffany Chen\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe marine environment is a vast and barely scratched reservoir of useful leads for potentially all diseases of mankind,\u201d says David Newman, former chief of the natural products branch at the National Cancer Institute. \u201cAlmost all of the agents initially used against HIV, and other viral diseases\u2026 owe their \u2018chemical birth\u2019 to work done with a Caribbean sponge.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the journey of fishing for new medicines in the ocean continues, climate change has led to warming water, ocean acidification and decreasing ocean oxygen content, according to Kevin Trenberth, a senior scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Although it\u2019s difficult to conclude the overall impact of climate change on the ocean due to a lack of good data, researchers have stated these changes are hostile to at least some organisms.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe marine environment is a vast and barely scratched reservoir of useful leads for potentially all diseases of mankind” \u2014 David Newman<\/div>\n

\u201cAbout a quarter of carbon dioxide goes into the ocean. As a result, there is acidification of the ocean, which affects many organisms, especially organisms that produce bones and shells of all kinds,\u201d Trenberth says.<\/p>\n

Corals, whose skeletons are composed of calcium, are on the in-danger list. Ocean acidification can weaken their skeletons, so they may be washed away when a big wave strikes.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoral reefs are hubs of biodiversity,\u201d chemist Brian Murphy says. \u201cIf you have a changing climate that impacts the coral reef and decreases the biodiversity, this in turn decreases the treasure chests I\u2019m able to pick out of to find natural products.\u201d<\/p>\n

Acidification is just one of the threats. Increased ocean temperature and pollution could kill algae that grow on a coral. These algae give corals their colors and at the same time serve as their food source. As a result of environmental changes, corals become feeble and turn completely white, a phenomenon referred to as coral bleaching.<\/p>\n

\"Samples
Samples collected from marine sources are studied in laboratories (Tiffany Chen\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The U.S. lost half of its coral reefs in the Caribbean in one year due to a massive bleaching event in 2005. In total, 25 types of coral are listed as either endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.<\/p>\n

Will climate change impede scientists from finding the next miracle drug? Maybe. Maybe not.<\/p>\n

As the changes happen above and below sea level, indigenous species may disappear or move to new homes while other microbes and organisms step up to take over the abandoned piece of land. That means the ocean still remains a place of possibility for inquisitive scientists.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is of concern, but you don\u2019t know how much to say it\u2019s a concern,\u201d Newman says of the effects of climate change. \u201cYes, we are going to lose something, but we are also going to gain something.\u201d<\/p>\n

PHOTO AT TOP: The ocean is one of the planet’s most biodiverse ecosystems, and researchers believe it could hold the key to potential medical breakthroughs (Yvaine Ye\/MEDILL)<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Yvaine Ye Medill Reports What mysteries lurk in the blue water that covers more than 70 percent of the earth\u2019s surface? No one truly knows, not even scientists. 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