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Actiquim: Exploring the marine ecosystems of the Antarctic

By 24 de November de 2011November 18th, 2020No Comments
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 24.11.2011

Actiquim: Exploring the marine ecosystems of the Antarctic

The Barcelona Science Park and PharmaMar company will participate in new research campaign Actiquim-II, which is due to begin in December with the aim of broading the scope of the existing Actiquim project, launched in 2007, which focuses on the chemical ecology of marine invertebrates that inhabit the sea floors of the Antarctic.The campaign Actiquim-II will study the role of natural marine products in Antarctic ecosytems and determine their potential for use in pharmacological applications.


The Actiquim project, funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and coordinated by the lecturer Conxita Àvila from the UB’s Department of Animal Biology, draws on the experience of experts from the Faculty of Biology, the Faculty of Pharmacy (coordinated by the lecturers Amèlia Gómez and M. Antònia Ribera), Barcelona Science Park, The Spanish Institute of Oceanography in Gijón, the University of Bonn (Germany), the University of Alaska (USA) and the National Research Council, Naples (Italy), in collaboration with PharmaMar and other biotech partners.

To date, work in this field has formed the basis of several doctoral theses and scientific articles on the discovery of new species in polar ecosystems. In the specific area of pharmacology, seven molecules found in the species Aplidium cyaneum (a benthic tunicate that inhabits Antarctic ecosystems) have exhibited anti-cancer activity in laboratory tests, leading to the registration of a patent under the ownership of PharmaMar.

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