If research is given the necessary resources, algae, as well as worms, sponges, and bacteria, could provide valuable molecules for our health.
On January 1, 2025, the Year of the Sea was launched in France. It aims to give a new impetus to the attention given to essential environments such as seas and oceans, helping us better understand and preserve them. And perhaps to (re)discover their potential.
« We became human thanks to the sea, » recalls Vincent Doumeizel, UN oceans advisor and author of La Révolution des algues. « But twelve thousand years ago, we socially decided to focus on the resources of the land, forgetting those offered by the sea. Today, it is necessary to turn back to them. »
Among these resources, algae and plankton (a type of microalgae) are particularly significant. « Plankton alone represents 95% of the biomass of the oceans, » the expert points out. « Algae constitute the world’s largest untapped resource. » He sees almost no limits to the services algae could offer us.
« An innovation library »
Like some scientists, Vincent Doumeizel is convinced: if research is given the means, the oceans could become our medicine cabinet. Algae, as well as a whole marine fauna (worms, sponges, bacteria…), could harbor valuable molecules for our health.
« Logically, after all. If we talk about time immemorial, we indeed ‘descend’ from marine animals. And our bodies still bear the trace of it. ‘Four hundred and fifty million years ago, certain species emerged from the oceans to colonize the land. We are originally from the sea, and all the physiological and metabolic processes of our bodies were initially developed in the marine environment,’ explains Franck Zal, a marine biologist, founder in 2007 of the biotechnology company Hemarina.
‘The ocean is a library of innovation for our health,’ he adds. The problem is, these ‘marine books’ are not within easy reach. ‘Marine exploration requires resources like diving suits and submarines. That’s why we often begin exploring the intertidal zone or the shore.' »
The Hemoglobin of Marine Worms
It is on a small marine worm, the lugworm, found on the beaches of Finistère, that Dr. Zal has focused his research. This worm has a remarkable molecule: a hemoglobin capable of binding oxygen in quantities far beyond that of our red blood cells.
« This extracellular hemoglobin can bind 40 times more oxygen than our hemoglobins, » the scientist explains. « It is what allows the worm to breathe at low tide. It has completely adapted to issues that we face daily in medicine: ischemia and reperfusion. »
Ischemia refers to a state of tissue suffocation due to lack of oxygen, and reperfusion refers to a sudden and excessive influx of oxygen following the « unblocking » of circulation. Both are high-risk situations. The hemoglobin of marine worms, by playing its role as an « oxygen bottle » for human tissues, is useful in several medical applications.
Hemarina has already transformed its discovery into several health products currently in development. « We started by demonstrating, through the HEMO2life medical project, the usefulness of our molecule in the preservation of grafts, » says Dr. Zal. « We are also working on the healing of hypoxic wounds [in which blood does not deliver enough oxygen to tissues, Ed.] that sometimes result in amputations. »
A thirty-year-old burn victim, with 85% of his body burned, benefited from this technology, which is also useful in certain periodontal diseases. A study conducted by the Institute of Genetic Diseases (Imagine) on animal models, showing the effectiveness of this marine hemoglobin in the « occlusive crisis » phase seen in patients suffering from sickle cell anemia, will be published in a scientific journal.
A substance from a marine sponge
« We are the first company to have developed therapeutic products from an idea sourced from the marine world, » emphasizes the marine biologist, who advocates for the exploitation of the « monstrous » potential of our oceans. While marine therapeutic solutions still require further research and development, progress is being made.
According to Business Research Insights, with an estimated annual growth rate of 8.8%, the global market for marine-derived pharmaceutical products could increase from 26 billion euros in 2021 to 61 billion euros by 2031. Many hopes are emerging from the more or less deep waters. The Breton biotechnology start-up Perha Pharmaceuticals has just begun clinical trials with a very promising molecule.
Inspired by Leucettamine B, a natural substance derived from a marine sponge, the biotech has developed Leucettinib-21, which inhibits a protein kinase responsible for cognitive disorders. The drug candidate could address cognitive deficits observed in both patients with Down syndrome and those affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
« Magical » molecules
Noelle Callizot, pharmacologist and director of Neuro-Sys, another French biotech company, is convinced that one of the therapeutic keys to neurodegenerative diseases could be found in the sea. But where can these « magical » molecules be found in the vastness of the oceans? She took a pragmatic approach, starting with what traditional medicine has already achieved. « We became interested in sponges used in cosmetics, » she explains. « The cytoskeleton was used. All the ‘milk’—the active ingredients—was removed. »
By examining their composition, she and her team noticed the presence of pharmaceutical classes very similar to those found in plants traditionally used for neurological disorders. « This encouraged us to investigate further. »
Neuro-Sys is currently conducting preclinical trials on animals in the context of Alzheimer’s disease. Among the molecules being tested are dictyostatin and its derivatives, which appear to have an anti-Tau protein effect—an accumulation of which is implicated in Alzheimer’s disease—and a neuroprotective effect. France, the second-largest maritime power in the world, has the resources to become a leader in marine research. It’s time to ride the wave.
Source: Le point
