University of Western Australia
A groundbreaking research initiative is set to explore the untapped medicinal potential of marine sponges found at Busselton Jetty, with the goal of identifying new lead candidates for cancer treatment options.
Led by Dr Darren Holland from The University of Western Australia’s School of Molecular Sciences, the project aims to investigate the unique compounds produced by the ancient organisms, contributing to the fight against cancer.
Dr Holland, who recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in the United States, is working with Associate Professors Heng Chooi and Gavin Flematti from UWA and Busselton Jetty CEO Lisa Shreeve in the unique collaboration.
With expertise in marine invertebrate chemistry and drug discovery, Dr Holland said that natural products, the focus of the study, were molecules produced by nature that played vital roles in defence, communication and adaptation among organisms.
Image: Dr Darren Holland in the lab at UWA.
“Natural products have evolved to interact with living systems, which is why they have been such a valuable source for medicines. In fact, many of today’s drugs, especially those used in anti-cancer treatments, are either directly from or inspired by natural products,” he said.
“Marine sponges have evolved in Earth’s oceans for millions of years, competing for space on coral reefs and co-existing with pathogenic microbes and viruses. These unique adaptations make them a rich source of natural products offering immense potential for new drug discovery.”
Dr Holland said Busselton Jetty, home to Australia’s largest artificial reef, contained a remarkable biodiversity, including more than 300 marine species and a wealth of unexplored temperate marine sponges.
“With three sponge-derived drugs already approved for use worldwide and several others in clinical trials, the potential for discovering new therapeutic agents is vast,” he said.
“Previous studies have already highlighted promising sponge-derived compounds from Western Australia, such as phorboxazole A and aurantoside C, both of which exhibit significant anticancer properties, and our project hopes to build on that.”
The preliminary phase of the study will involve the collection and analysis of approximately 20 sponge species from Busselton Jetty, creating an extract library for in vitro anticancer screening.
Image: The pylons at Busselton Jetty, covered in sea sponges. Photograph courtesy of Busselton Jetty.
“Phase one will focus on identifying sponges with anti-cancer activity, with an emphasis on engaging the local community through the Marine Discovery Centre at Busselton Jetty,” Dr Holland said.
The team hopes to attract funding for a long-term investigation into the sustainable production of sponge-derived compounds, integrating aquaculture and DNA sequencing, to enhance marine pharmacology in Western Australia.
Photograph at top of page courtesy of Busselton Jetty.