It is well known that oceans are home to an enormous biological diversity and represent a reservoir, barely explored, of a multitude of bioactive molecules with potential applicability in different fields such as human health. The path from collecting marine organisms, detecting molecules with biological activity, all the way until these reach the market as a pharmacological product, is extremely complex.
In this context, the Centro Tecnológico del Mar (CETMAR) organised on November 9, 2018, under the project BlueHuman, a seminar entitled “From the ocean to the laboratory: Marine genetic resources and their application in the development of new bioactive molecules”.
The purpose of this seminar was to know in depth aspects related to this complicated process, including the legal aspects surrounding the use of genetic resources for commercial purposes. The seminar involved multiple stakeholders from the scientific community, industry, civil society and policymakers.
The researchers Antonio Villanueva, Belén Sánchez and Laura Movilla from the University of Vigo represented the EBB team at the seminar.