Research in favor of diversity

We always relate to the sea with the sun, the beach, the bikinis, and of course, the holidays. However, this not only represents a tourist and economic attraction, but also a medical one.

An example is the marine pharmacology , a discipline that seeks to develop new compounds for human health. Some marine organisms produce substances when defending themselves or adapting to their environment, these could contribute in the treatment of some diseases.

The doctor Judith Sánchez Rodríguez , researcher of Institute of Marine Sciences and Limnology (ICMyL) in the Academic Unit Puerto Morelos of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) , commented that with the development of new technologies to explore the seabed and its species, in the future, they will be more accessible to scientists. "That makes marine pharmacology a promising discipline."

 

Research in favor of diversity

The researcher explains that in places where biological diversity is greater, marine beings produce in their organisms different substances that they use to defend themselves from their predators or to feed themselves.

"The species from which these compounds can be obtained are very diverse and range from microbes to large organisms such as sponges, crustaceans or molluscs. My field of study is the cnidarians that include anemones, jellyfish and corals. "

From the study of anemones and jellyfish, the group of the doctor Sánchez Rodríguez has managed to find substances that have antitumor, antiparasitic and antimicrobial activity. Other compounds have activity in the sodium and calcium channels of the cells.

"Once a compound with pharmacological potential is found, it will not be obtained directly from marine organisms (such as jellyfish or anemones), as this would affect the marine ecosystem. The proposal is to use biochemical tools to synthesize them artificially, without affecting the populations of these species in the sea.


Video Medicine: Confronting Challenges to Diversity in the Research Workforce (March 2024).