In today’s episode of the I AM BIO Podcast, BIO’s host Jim Greenwood dives under the sea to take a look at the fascinating links between human health and the ocean—including some discoveries that could help treat COVID-19.
Why study the links between human health and the ocean? Humans are about 2/3 saltwater and basically have “little oceans within,” explains Dr. Timothy Bouley, a surfer-turned-doctor who worked on One Health policy at the World Bank. (He actually got COVID-19 himself.)
He now runs two companies dedicated to exploring links between marine biotech and human health: Emergent Ocean, which invests in ocean biotech startups, and BioFeyn, which studies how we can apply human biomedical advances to aquaculture to improve fish health and the sustainability of the industry.
Enough small talk. How will the ocean help us treat COVID-19? For starters, Gilead’s promising antiviral remdesivir is made from nucleotide analogs, compounds that interfere with viral replication—which were first discovered in sea sponges off the coast of Florida in 1945.
The compounds helped the sea sponges defend themselves against viruses and bacteria in the ocean—and in addition to remdesivir, they’ve been used in medications for HIV, herpes, and cancer, too.
Sea worms might also help COVID-19 patients. The lug worm has adapted to breathe on land thanks to a specialized hemoglobin, which researchers think could be used to help patients in respiratory distress due to COVID-ridden lungs, explains Dr. Bouley.
There’s also a marine enzyme that might make PCR (polymerase chain reaction) COVID testing more accurate—a breakthrough discovered in hot springs at Yellowstone National Park.
This has medical implications beyond COVID, too. Thanks to sharks in particular, we’ve made big advances in the adaptive immune system as well as how to make bioengineered antibacterial material that’s similar to shark skin for use in medical instruments.
Why it matters: As Jim said in the episode, we can expect to see a lot more outbreaks like COVID-19 unless we implement health programs to monitor infectious disease hotspots and explore the links between humans, animals, and the environment. With One Health policies, we can be better prepared for the next outbreak and build resiliency—and this includes exploring the natural world to find compounds that could help treat zoonotic disease.
Listen to the whole thing at www.bio.org/podcast or anywhere you get your podcasts, including Apple, Google, and Spotify.
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