Marine macroorganisms continue to be an extraordinarily rich source of bioactive metabolites, some with utility in biomedicine, and others with value as tool compounds or pharmacological probes. While chemical synthesis continues to be one of the best methods for the production of analogs as well as needed quantities of a new compound for in depth biological testing, the effective integration of natural products chemistry and synthetic organic chemistry is quite scarce and the connections between individuals from these two disciplines is not optimal. This workshop will provide a venue for establishing new collaborations between synthetic chemists in the US and Japan focusing on marine natural products and other marine natural products researchers.
With this award, the Office of International Science and Engineering and the Organic and Macromolecular Chemistry Program are supporting a US-Japan Seminar on Marine Natural Products Research, to be held In Park City, Utah on July 1-6, 2007. The objective of the workshop, organized by Professor Chris M. Ireland, of the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Utah, is to exchange information and explore future prospects on a broad range of topics. Themes planned for the meeting are: (a) marine-derived micro and macro organisms as unique sources of chemical diversity; (b) biomedical potential of marine micro and macro organisms; (c) marine natural products as tools in molecular biology and biotechnology; (d) interactions between species mediated by secondary metabolites; (e) marine biosynthesis studied by classical as well as molecular genetic methodologies, and (f) chemical synthesis and properties of biomedically important marine metabolites. These topics will provide opportunities to explore a variety of fundamental subjects along with emerging new techniques. The format for this workshop will emphasize the presentation and discussion of ideas which will underlie future research to be conducted in this field, and will necessarily stimulate new bilateral collaborations on these important biomedical topics. The list of participants includes representatives from major academic, industrial, and government laboratories, and provides a balance of established investigators, individuals at early stages of their careers, minorities and women.
