Acronym MAREX
Category
Aquaculture
Title Exploring Marine Resources for Bioactive Compounds: From Discovery to Sustainable Production and Industrial Applications Programme FP7
Instrument (FP6)
Contact Type (FP7)
Strand (Interreg)
FP7 - Large-Scale Integrating Project
Theme (FP7)
Activity Area (FP6)
Regional Area (Interreg)
Action (COST)
KBBE – Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, and Biotechnology
Specific Programme (FP7)
Cooperation
Funding source European Coordinator Heikki Vuorela Coordinator email heikki.vuorela@helsinki.fi
Coordinator institution
UH - University of Helsinki (Finland)
Institutions involved
ABO - Abo Akademi University (Finland) ,
AUB - American University of Beirut (Lebanon) ,
NA - BiotechMarine (France) ,
NA - Biovico Sp. z o.o. (Poland) ,
EÜ - Ege University (Turkey) ,
NA - Euroespes Bioetcnologia SA (Spain) ,
NA - Imego AB (Sweden) ,
NIO - National Institute of Oceanography (India) ,
VTT - Technical Research Centre of Finland (Finland) ,
UCN - Universidad Católica del Norte (Chile) ,
UA - University of Antofagasta (Chile) ,
UG - University of Gdańsk (Poland) ,
ULL - University of La Laguna (Spain) ,
UNI-LJ - University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) ,
UNINA - University of Naples Federico II (Italy) ,
NA - University of Strasbourg (France) ,
UCLouvain - Université catholique de Louvain (Belgium) ,
NA - Xention Limited (United Kingdom) ,
Start year 2010 End year 2014 Funding (€) € 7,895,272 Website https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/245137 Summary Biodiversity in the seas is only partly explored, although marine organisms are excellent sources for many industrial products. Through close co-operation between industrial and academic partners, the MAREX project will collect, isolate and classify marine organisms, such as micro- and macroalgae, cyanobacteria, sea anemones, tunicates and fish from the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans as well as from the Mediterranean, Baltic and Arabian Seas. Extracts and purified compounds of these organisms will be studied for several therapeutically and industrially significant biological activities, including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and anticoagulant activities by applying a wide variety of screening tools, as well as for ion channel/receptor modulation and plant growth regulation. Chromatographic isolation of bioactive compounds will be followed by structural determination. Sustainable cultivation methods for promising organisms, and biotechnological processes for selected compounds will be developed, as well as biosensors for monitoring the target compounds. The work will entail sustainable organic synthesis of selected active compounds and new derivatives, and development of selected hits to lead compounds. The project will expand marine compound libraries. MAREX innovations will be targeted for industrial product development in order to improve the growth and productivity of European marine biotechnology. MAREX aims at a better understanding of environmentally conscious sourcing of marine biotechnology products and increased public awareness of marine biodiversity and potential. Finally, MAREX is expected to offer novel marine-based lead compounds for European industries and strengthen their product portfolios related to pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetic, agrochemical, food processing, material and biosensor applications.
Keywords
Biomaterial;
Ascidian;
Biosensors;
Fish;
Human food;
Bioprospecting;
Algae;
Human health;
Technology;
Cosmetics;
Bioactive compounds;
Bacteria;
Marine Region
30
Porcupine Bank (27.VIIc)
28
Rockall (27.VIb)
72
Gulf of Hammamet (GSA 13)
48
South Tyrrhenian Sea (GSA 10)
62
Aegean Sea (GSA 22)
17
Bothnian Sea (27.IIId.30)
39
North of Azores (27.XIIa, 27.XIIb, 27.XIIc)
37
Southeast Greenland (27.XIVb)
36
Iceland Grounds (27.Va)
42
Barents Sea (27.I)
9
Western English Channel (27.VIIe)
67
Levant (GSA 27)
19
Gulf of Finland (27.IIId.32)
49
Gulf of Lions (GSA 7)
21
Southern Central Baltic-East (27.IIId.26)
56
Alboran Island (GSA 2)
38
Portuguese Waters (27.IXa,27.IXb)
70
Malta Island (GSA 15)
40
Azores Grounds (27.Xa, 27.Xb)
11
Celtic Sea South (27.VIIh)
15
Bay of Biscay Central (27.VIIIb)
16
East of Gotland or Gulf of Riga (27.IIId.28)
4
Eastern English Channel (27.VIId)
23
Baltic West of Bornholm (27.IIId.24)
14
Skagerrak, Kattegat (27.IIIa)
43
Northeast Greenland (27.XIVa)
52
Northern Alboran Sea (GSA 1)
20
Archipelago Sea (27.IIId. 29)
32
Southwest of Ireland-West (27.VIIk)
7
Irish Sea (27.VIIa)
57
Southern Alboran Sea (GSA 3)
34
Bay of Biscay offshore (27.VIIId)
22
Southern Central Baltic-West (27.IIId.25)
66
Cyprus Island (GSA 25)
29
West of Ireland (27.VIIb)
47
Ligurian and North Tyrrhenian Sea (GSA 9)
2
Canarias and Madeira Islands (34.1.2)
31
Southwest of Ireland-East (27.VIIj)
60
Western Ionian Sea (GSA 19)
46
Corsica Island (GSA 8)
55
Algeria (GSA 4)
50
Sardinia (east) (GSA 11.2)
64
Crete Island (GSA 23)
68
South Levant (GSA 26)
3
Marocco coast (34.1.1)
25
Faroes Grounds (27.Vb)
53
Northern Spain (GSA 6)
75
Northern Tunisia (GSA 12)
18
West of Gotland (27.IIId.27)
71
South of Sicily (GSA 16)
54
Balearic Island (GSA 5)
6
Central North Sea (27.IVb)
13
Northern North Sea (27.IVa)
69
Gulf of Gabes (GSA 14)
12
Bay of Biscay North (27.VIIIa)
24
Sound, Belt Sea or Transition Area (27.IIIb,c)
58
Southern Ionian Sea (GSA 21)
10
Celtic Sea North (27.VIIg)
27
Bothnian Bay (27.IIId.31)
1
Northern Oceanic (34.2)
61
Eastern Ionian Sea (GSA 20)
51
Sardinia (west) (GSA 11.1)
5
Southern North Sea (27.IVc)
26
Northwest Coast of Scotland and North Ireland (27.VIa)
33
Bay of Biscay Southern (27.VIIIc)
8
Bristol Channel (27.VIIf)
44
Spitzbergen and Bear Island (27.IIb)
74
Northern Adriatic (GSA 17)
35
West of Bay of Biscay (27.VIIIe)
45
Southern Adriatic Sea (GSA 18)
41
Norwegian Sea (27.IIa)
65
North Levant (GSA 24)
72
Marine Region Map
