Scientists go 3,000 feet deep for cures

The sponge Teichaxinella is a source of an anti-tumor compound

August 13, 1999
Web posted at: 4:42 p.m. EDT (2042 GMT)

An international team of scientists is diving to depths of 3,000 feet in the waters of the Florida Keys and the Gulf of Mexico in search of undiscovered chemical compounds and species that may cure diseases such as cancer and AIDS.

The scientists, sponsored by the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, left from Fort Pierce, Fla., on Aug. 5. They will be at sea until Aug. 25. Daily updates from the expedition are posted on a Web site to keep the public informed.

Activities to date have focused on the collection of sea sponges that are thought to contain a tumor-fighting compound. "We have isolated two compounds that have been very very promising," said Jan Petri, an institution spokesman.

The Johnson Sea Link submersible will take researchers to depths of 3,000 feet below the sea

The scientists are analyzing the sponges in their onboard lab as the boat cruises out to the Gulf of Mexico where the researchers will make the deepest of their dives.

The deepest dives will be made with the assistance of a submersible that will take the researchers to depths never before explored.

"It is just a matter of going down there and just looking around. Who knows what you might find?" said Petri when asked why the researchers wanted to go to such depths.

"We will be carefully observing, documenting and collecting samples and assessing their potential to yield new drugs for human benefit," Shirley Pomponi, the leader of the expedition, said in a pre-launch statement.

The researchers will also conduct a biodiversity survey of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. It will be the first at such depths and will provide a snapshot of life in the sanctuary that resource managers can use in their conservation efforts.

To follow along, visit the Keys to Cures Web site.

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