Centre for Marine Natural Products (KiWiZ) at GEOMAR

Organisation Background

Blue Biotech from Kiel: New Natural Products from Marine Microorganisms. The focus of the Kieler Wirkstoff-Zentrum KiWiZ at GEOMAR (Centre for Marine Natural Products) is on identification, production and promotion of new natural products from marine sources and the investigation of their biological activities and ecological function. The KiWiZ is engaged in partnerships with national and international academic research facilities and commercial enterprises to promote natural products to the market for pharmacy, cosmetics, plant protection and food development. The KiWiZ offers the spectrum of available methods including bioassays, chemical structure analysis, identification of microorganisms and fermentation to academia and industry. The KiWiZ is the co-ordinator of the EU project MARINE FUNGI (EU 265926).

Involvement in Marine Biotechnology projects :

1. Partners in the SUBMARINER project and organisers of the Blue Biotechnology Cooperation Event in Kiel, Germany on 9–10 May 2012. See role here.
2. MARINE FUNGI (EU 265926): Natural Products from Marine Fungi for the treatment of cancer. The urgent need for novel substances for the treatment of severe human diseases such as cancer and inflammatory disorders, combined with the recognition that marine organisms provide a rich potential source of such substances support the intensive exploration of new substances from marine organisms. Therefore, the consortium encompasses research on marine natural products by using microorganisms that enable production of marine natural products in the laboratory and also in large scale cultures, avoiding harm to the natural environment. The focus will be on the isolation and characterisation of new anti-cancer compounds from marine fungi, a group of organisms with high potential for biotechnological and industrial applications.

Contacts

Johannes F. Imhoff
Phone: +49 431–600 4450
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Address

Am Kiel-Kanal 44
24106 Kiel, Germany
www.kiwiz.org