AQUACULTURE PRODUCTION OF TUNICATE NATURAL PRODUCTS

WE WILL ADDRESS THE SYSTEM DESIGN, ENGINEERING, COST ANALYSIS, PROTOTYPE CONSTRUCTION, AND LAB-SCALE PRELIMINARY CULTURE TRIALS FOR INTENSIVE, HIGH-YIELD CULTURE OF MARINE COMPOUND TUNICATES TO YIELD ANTICANCER AND ANTIVIRAL COMPOUNDS. THE AIM IS TO CREATE A RELIABLE, HIGH-YIELD AQUACULTURE BIO-PRODUCTION SYSTEM WHICH WILL SUPPLY CHEMICALLY CONSISTENT, ECONOMICAL MARINE NATURAL PRODUCTS FROM TUNICATES. THE SYSTEM WILL BE APPLICABLE TO HIGH-YIELD CULTURE OF OTHER SESSILE MARINE INVERTEBRATES AND THEIR DESIRED SECONDARY METABOLITES. WHEN EXPANDED INTO A COMMERCIAL SCALE MARINE PHARMACEUTICALS BIO-MANUFACTURING FACILITY, THE SYSTEM COULD BECOME THE SOURCE OF INVERTEBRATE BIOMASS FOR DRUG PRODUCTION, ESPECIALLY FOR COMPOUNDS THAT CANNOT BE ECONOMICALLY SYNTHESIZED. DURING PHASE I A COMMERCIAL PROTOTYPE WILL BE DESIGNED, ENGINEERED AND COSTED. IN ADDITION, ECTEINASCIDIA TURBINATA TUNICATES WILL BE COLLECTED FROM THE OCEAN AND STOCKED INTO A MULTI-AQUARIUM EXPERIMENTAL SYSTEM FOR STUDYING OPTIMAL GROWTH AND REPRODUCTION. DURING PHASE II, THE PROTOTYPE AQUACULTURE SYSTEM WILL BE BUILT USING A RECIRCULATING RACEWAY-TYPE TANK IN A GREENHOUSE BUILDING. THE SYSTEM WILL BE STOCKED WITH ECTEINASCIDIA TURBINATA, A CARIBBEAN SPECIES FROM WHICH EXTEINASCIDINS 729 AND 743 (ANTICANCER COMPOUND PRESENTLY IN CLINICAL TRIALS) HAVE BEEN ISOLATED. GROWTH TRIALS WILL BE RUN FOR ONE YEAR TO DISCERN GROWTH RATES AND POSSIBLE COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION RATES.