Preface

Our marine ecosystems including the seas and oceans cover about 70% of the earth’s surface and contain over 80% of the world’s biodiversity. Unfortunately, only 5% of these ecosystems have so far been explored and only 9% (about 200,000) of the total species have been adequately researched. The marine biodiversity is an exceptional reservoir of natural products (bioactive compounds or secondary metabolites) owing to their different structural features from those of terrestrial natural products. During the last 50 years, about 15,000 bioactive compounds with potential applications as medical drugs have been isolated from these species. However, only less than 1% of these compounds have so far been examined for their pharmacological activities. The study of marine organisms for their bioactive potential has therefore increased in recent years. As there is a great demand for the discovery of new medicines, researchers are nowadays increasingly looking towards these marine ecosystems

for the isolation and development of novel compounds, treatments, and solutions to combat human disease.

Though some books are presently available on marine natural products, a comprehensive book on marine biopharmaceuticals and their scope and prospects is still needed. Further, a book dealing with the most promising pharmaceutical compounds derived from the major groups of marine organisms with an aim of utilizing them in the development of new drugs is the need of the hour. Keeping these in consideration, this publication is being brought out for the first time by bringing together the experts in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Marine Biology, and Marine Biochemistry disciplines. Aspects relating to Marine Bioprospecting; Promising Pharmaceutical Compounds of Marine Biota with their Therapeutic Applications; Marine Biopharmaceuticals in the Pipeline; and Scope and Career Prospects of Marine Bio-Pharmacy (= Marine Biopharmaceutical Sciences) and Pharmaceutical Marine Biology courses are dealt with .It is strongly hoped that this title would largely help the researchers and students of disciplines like Marine Bio-Pharmacy, Marine Biology, Marine Microbiology, Marine Biochemistry and Marine Biotechnology; as a standard Reference for all Libraries of Colleges and Universities; and as a guide for the drug companies involved in the development of new drugs from marine biopharmaceuticals.