SA's sea sponges could hold key to developing cancer, malaria medication

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Cape Town – Sea sponges found exclusively in South African waters could hold the key to developing medication to fight cancer and malaria. Studies to determine just that are under way at the University of the Western Cape (UWC). Dean of the Natural Sciences Faculty, Professor Michael Davies-Coleman, said that while there was still a long way to go they were looking at how a potent chemical substance produced by a group of sponges - known as latrunculid sponges - which serves as a feeding deterrent to predators and gives these sponges their colour, could possess not only anti-cancer and anti-malaria properties but anti-microbial properties as well. “‘The challenge with these compounds in the sponges is that they don’t just target cancer cells or malaria parasites, but normal cells as well. "What we are trying to do now is link the compounds to small particles to target the cancer cell as opposed to inject a person and kill other cells.”

He said the research into the chemistry and microbiology of latrunculid sponges is the most comprehensive, multidisciplinary investigation of any group of African marine sponges and has been going on for years.

“We have spent 25 years studying these sponges in South Africa. We have valuable marine resources that we know little about.

“We are the most diverse marine environment in the world and we know only a fraction of what is there.”

“If we made a breakthrough it would probably be kept quiet and it would go to stages of development. There would be testing in cells and animal type models."

Cape Times

"Then from there if it looks okay, there would be clinical trials on various patients for a while then it will have to be approved by FDA and others.

"Over 15 years if it comes out it would be a miracle and it would be billions of dollars. It could fail at any stage, the risk factor is huge,” he said.

Cape Times