Marinebiotech

Marinebiotech, also known as marine biotechnology, is the interdisciplinary field that applies biotechnological methods to marine organisms, ecosystems, and processes for research, development, and commercial use. It encompasses the discovery and exploitation of marine genetic, enzymatic, and metabolic capabilities to create products and technologies in medicine, industry, and environmental management, with an emphasis on sustainability and biodiversity protection.

Key components include discovery of natural products from marine life (sponges, algae, bacteria), marine enzymes and biocatalysis, marine biopolymers and materials, and tools for aquaculture improvement and environmental sensing.

Applications span pharmaceuticals (antitumor and antimicrobial agents), nutraceuticals and cosmetics, industrial enzymes for green chemistry, biopolymers such as alginates and chitosan, and environmental uses such as bioremediation and aquatic health monitoring.

Challenges include biodiversity conservation, access and benefit sharing under international agreements, regulatory and safety hurdles, and the need for scalable production and sustainable supply chains.

The field relies on genomics, metagenomics, high-throughput screening, and synthetic biology, with research concentrated in Europe, North America, and parts of Asia. Collaboration among academia, industry, and policy makers is essential to translate discoveries into safe, sustainable technologies.