Victor Pretorius research seminar

 South African Marine Natural Products –

Opportunities and Challenges

 Professor Mike Davies-Coleman FRSSAf

Dean of Natural Sciences and Professor of Chemistry

University of the Western Cape

 South Africa

Marine bacteria and macro-invertebrates e.g. sponges, soft corals sea squirts and their associated predators, eg seaslugs are reservoirs of new natural products, some of which exhibit medicinal potential. The search for these pharmaceutically relevant natural products from marine organisms is known as marine biodiscovery. South Africa’s ongoing contribution to the international field of marine drug discovery will be overviewed with emphasis given to the impact of South African marine natural products in malaria, oesophageal cancer and antibiotic research. Recent advances in medicinal chemistry studies around a South African marine bis-indole imidazole, with low nano-molar activity against a methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus pyruvate kinase target, will be highlighted.

Date:     Friday,  13 September 2013

Time:    11:30 - 12:30

Venue: The Avogadro (3.22) – Chemistry Building

CONTACT PERSON: Mrs Ria Swart (012) 420 3772       [email protected]