As a subfield of biotechnology, marine biotechnology has received a great deal
of attention in recent years (Kim and Venkatesan 2015). Because its focus is on
resources and new materials originating from the sea, its possibilities are arguably
more open and unlimited than in other fields where resources require money.
In terms of its definition and general meaning, marine biotechnology refers to a
field or industry that studies marine organisms and their components, systems, and
biological functions, with the ultimate goal of providing products and services to
serve human welfare (Jha and Zi-Rong 2004).
This in turns requires the development of a wide range of basic technologies for
preserving and using marine organisms and manipulating their functions. Because
of its multidisciplinary nature, biotechnology is rooted in a wide range of traditional
marine sciences (including marine biology, marine chemistry, and fishery sciences),
while entailing additional biological studies in areas such as molecular biology,
immunology, biochemistry, pharmacology, and biotechnology. A number of
cutting-edge methods such as genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and bioinformatics have also been put to use recently in the field of marine biotechnology.
Covering 70.8% of the earth’s total surface area, the oceans account for 30% of
primary or total production. Yet only a very small fraction of that production is used
by humans. By further developing marine bio-resources and biotechnology, we
may be able to promote usage of yet unexplored marine resources.
1.2 Biotechnology, Past and Present
A large number of biological and pharmaceutical materials that are highly effective
and quite safe to the human body have been developed from natural substances. For
the most part, the focus has been on land-based animal and plant life, fungi, or
microbes such as bacteria. As a result, the development of new materials and
substances using land-based bio-resources has reached a limit in terms of dwindling
numbers of subjects. This in turn has led to a recent trend in advanced economies
and coastal countries of gradually shifting their bio-material development focus
from land-based to marine bio-resources.
Marine organisms inhabit a completely different environment from land-based
ones, and differ in many ways in terms of their physiological and metabolic processes. For this reason, it is believed that the metabolites that they produce may
yield an abundance of new materials. Marine bio-resources have drawn particular
attention as an alternative to land-based ones thanks to their great variety and the
knowledge that around 80% of all organisms on Earth—some 300,000 species—
dwell in the sea. Because these marine organisms yield only very small quantities of
metabolites, it remains difficult to ascertain their biological activities or structure.
Recent advancements in structural analysis techniques, however, have led to the
development of a wide range of bio-assay methods, resulting in a growing
understanding of the functionality of marine organism-derived active components.
2
1 What Is Marine Biotechnology?
of attention in recent years (Kim and Venkatesan 2015). Because its focus is on
resources and new materials originating from the sea, its possibilities are arguably
more open and unlimited than in other fields where resources require money.
In terms of its definition and general meaning, marine biotechnology refers to a
field or industry that studies marine organisms and their components, systems, and
biological functions, with the ultimate goal of providing products and services to
serve human welfare (Jha and Zi-Rong 2004).
This in turns requires the development of a wide range of basic technologies for
preserving and using marine organisms and manipulating their functions. Because
of its multidisciplinary nature, biotechnology is rooted in a wide range of traditional
marine sciences (including marine biology, marine chemistry, and fishery sciences),
while entailing additional biological studies in areas such as molecular biology,
immunology, biochemistry, pharmacology, and biotechnology. A number of
cutting-edge methods such as genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and bioinformatics have also been put to use recently in the field of marine biotechnology.
Covering 70.8% of the earth’s total surface area, the oceans account for 30% of
primary or total production. Yet only a very small fraction of that production is used
by humans. By further developing marine bio-resources and biotechnology, we
may be able to promote usage of yet unexplored marine resources.
1.2 Biotechnology, Past and Present
A large number of biological and pharmaceutical materials that are highly effective
and quite safe to the human body have been developed from natural substances. For
the most part, the focus has been on land-based animal and plant life, fungi, or
microbes such as bacteria. As a result, the development of new materials and
substances using land-based bio-resources has reached a limit in terms of dwindling
numbers of subjects. This in turn has led to a recent trend in advanced economies
and coastal countries of gradually shifting their bio-material development focus
from land-based to marine bio-resources.
Marine organisms inhabit a completely different environment from land-based
ones, and differ in many ways in terms of their physiological and metabolic processes. For this reason, it is believed that the metabolites that they produce may
yield an abundance of new materials. Marine bio-resources have drawn particular
attention as an alternative to land-based ones thanks to their great variety and the
knowledge that around 80% of all organisms on Earth—some 300,000 species—
dwell in the sea. Because these marine organisms yield only very small quantities of
metabolites, it remains difficult to ascertain their biological activities or structure.
Recent advancements in structural analysis techniques, however, have led to the
development of a wide range of bio-assay methods, resulting in a growing
understanding of the functionality of marine organism-derived active components.
2
1 What Is Marine Biotechnology?