Smithsonian uncovers anti cancer compounds in Coiba fauna

(PanamaNewsRoom) A different kind of “mining” has been quietly going on in Panama, promising possible benefits for  cancer and malaria sufferers and financial returns to the country.

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) biologists, at work in  Coiba National Park, have discovered  over 45 compounds with anti-carcinogenic and anti-malaria properties.

The compounds were found in marine fauna in the Park, which covers 270,125 hectares protecting marine, coastal, and island ecosystems in the Pacific.

The International Collaborative Biodiversity Group (ICBG), launched within the STRI by researchers from the University of Utah, is made up of of both American and Panamanian scientists.

To date date, the research has focused on populations of coral, sponges, plants, fungi, and bacteria associated with sea urchins, tunicates, and fish.

Among the promising chemical-providing sources, include blue-green algae, which produce  "Coibamida A,” a compound that has proven extremely active against cancer cells.

Additional findings include "veraguamida A", an anti-carcinogenic compound named after the western province of Veraguas, Panama, and "santacruzamate", an anti-parasitic compound referring to Santa Cruz Island in the Pacific.

The University of Panama has isolated substances called "coibanoles," obtained from fungi growing inside the leaves of the Desmotes incomparabilis, a plant only found on Coiba Island.

The research project provides training benefits for Panama  including intellectual property rights and monetary compensation if the compound is developed into pharmaceutical drugs.

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Original Source: PanamaNewsRoom

Date Retrieved: March 10, 2011.