{"id":4880,"date":"2024-09-06T13:42:09","date_gmt":"2024-09-06T13:42:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/?p=4880"},"modified":"2024-10-17T18:57:21","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T18:57:21","slug":"smu-researcher-helps-pioneer-technique-to-unlock-oceanic-mystery-compounds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/smu-researcher-helps-pioneer-technique-to-unlock-oceanic-mystery-compounds\/","title":{"rendered":"SMU Researcher Helps Pioneer Technique to Unlock Oceanic Mystery Compounds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-blockquote uagb-block-e7eb3fc3 uagb-blockquote__skin-border uagb-blockquote__stack-img-none\"><blockquote class=\"uagb-blockquote\"><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__content\">SMU&#8217;s Alexander Chase leads a groundbreaking study using Small Molecule In situ Resin Capture (SMIRC) to collect oceanic microbial compounds in their natural habitat, paving the way for new pharmaceutical discoveries.<\/div><footer><div class=\"uagb-blockquote__author-wrap uagb-blockquote__author-at-left\"><\/div><\/footer><\/blockquote><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-content-justification-space-between is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-b0ffac9c wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\"><div style=\"font-size:16px\" class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-author\"><div class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\"><p class=\"wp-block-post-author__name\">The University Network<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share uagb-social-share__outer-wrap uagb-social-share__layout-horizontal uagb-block-ee584a31\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-ec619ce7\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"facebook\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M504 256C504 119 393 8 256 8S8 119 8 256c0 123.8 90.69 226.4 209.3 245V327.7h-63V256h63v-54.64c0-62.15 37-96.48 93.67-96.48 27.14 0 55.52 4.84 55.52 4.84v61h-31.28c-30.8 0-40.41 19.12-40.41 38.73V256h68.78l-11 71.69h-57.78V501C413.3 482.4 504 379.8 504 256z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-32d99934\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"twitter\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 512 512\"><path d=\"M389.2 48h70.6L305.6 224.2 487 464H345L233.7 318.6 106.5 464H35.8L200.7 275.5 26.8 48H172.4L272.9 180.9 389.2 48zM364.4 421.8h39.1L151.1 88h-42L364.4 421.8z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-uagb-social-share-child uagb-ss-repeater uagb-ss__wrapper uagb-block-1d136f14\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__link\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?url=\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"linkedin\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-wrap\"><span class=\"uagb-ss__source-icon\"><svg xmlns=\"https:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 448 512\"><path d=\"M416 32H31.9C14.3 32 0 46.5 0 64.3v383.4C0 465.5 14.3 480 31.9 480H416c17.6 0 32-14.5 32-32.3V64.3c0-17.8-14.4-32.3-32-32.3zM135.4 416H69V202.2h66.5V416zm-33.2-243c-21.3 0-38.5-17.3-38.5-38.5S80.9 96 102.2 96c21.2 0 38.5 17.3 38.5 38.5 0 21.3-17.2 38.5-38.5 38.5zm282.1 243h-66.4V312c0-24.8-.5-56.7-34.5-56.7-34.6 0-39.9 27-39.9 54.9V416h-66.4V202.2h63.7v29.2h.9c8.9-16.8 30.6-34.5 62.9-34.5 67.2 0 79.7 44.3 79.7 101.9V416z\"><\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Alexander Chase was a young boy, he was captivated by the extraordinary diversity of plants in Earth\u2019s tropical rainforests. This early fascination with nature\u2019s untouched wonders led him to a pivotal role at Southern Methodist University (SMU), where he&#8217;s pioneering a groundbreaking method to explore the hidden treasures of the ocean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chase, an assistant professor in the Roy M. Huffington Department of Earth Sciences at SMU, has developed an innovative technique known as Small Molecule In situ Resin Capture (SMIRC). This method is shedding new light on the enigmatic world of oceanic microbes, potentially unlocking a treasure trove of novel compounds that could lead to next-generation antibiotics and other critical medicines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Microbial natural products, often derived from tiny organisms invisible to the naked eye, are the backbone of many essential medicines, particularly antibiotics. Traditional methods for discovering these compounds involve culturing individual strains from wild samples in the laboratory \u2014 a process that has, over time, become less fruitful in yielding new chemical scaffolds. These scaffolds form the essential structure upon which new chemical compounds are built but are becoming increasingly similar to known types.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRight now, when we collect new samples and culture the microbes, we\u2019re discovering scaffolds that essentially are very similar to the ones we already know about,\u201d Chase said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.smu.edu\/news\/research\/new-technique-to-explore-oceanic-microbes\" title=\"\">news release<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s been really difficult over the last few decades to find something that is new with the \u2018microbe-first\u2019 approach, which essentially limits us to the same or similar bacterial strains and their chemical compounds that represent only a fraction of the natural diversity out in the ocean. That\u2019s where SMIRC comes in; it allows us to explore the unknown.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ambitious new approach, detailed in a recent study <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41467-024-49367-x\" title=\"\">published<\/a> in Nature Communications by Chase and his colleagues from the University of California San Diego and the University of California San Francisco, illustrates how SMIRC facilitates the collection of microbial natural products directly in their natural oceanic environment without laboratory culturing. This technique leverages an absorbent resin called HP-20, which functions like a sponge to capture chemicals released by microbes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Initial trials using SMIRC in seagrass-covered areas near San Diego yielded promising results. The team discovered an antibiotic compound and chrysoeriol, a plant-derived chemical with antibacterial properties. Further tests involved blending the resin with agar to promote microbial growth, which led to the discovery of aplysiopsene A, reinforcing the efficacy of SMIRC in recovering useful compounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a particularly thrilling trial at Cabrillo National Monument, a protected marine reserve, the technique amassed larger samples rich in complex chemical mixtures. One notable discovery, cabrillostatin, exhibited bioactivity and is being explored as a possible new pathway in cancer and heart care treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe ocean is one of the least explored areas on Earth, especially the deep ocean,\u201d Chase added. \u201cThere\u2019s so much we don\u2019t understand about marine microorganisms and the compounds they produce. Because of antibiotic resistance and other health challenges, there is a high priority for natural product research. With SMIRC, we now have an easily deployable system that makes it possible for researchers to study compounds previously out of reach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The broader implications of Chase&#8217;s work are immense. In an era plagued by antibiotic resistance and other emerging health crises, the discovery of novel compounds from the largely uncharted marine environment holds tremendous potential. The pioneering SMIRC technique could redefine how scientists approach natural product discovery, offering new hope and possibilities for the development of treatments that could save countless lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Alexander Chase was a young boy, he was captivated by the extraordinary diversity of plants in Earth\u2019s tropical rainforests. This early fascination with nature\u2019s untouched wonders led him to a pivotal role at Southern Methodist University (SMU), where he&#8217;s pioneering a groundbreaking method to explore the hidden treasures of the ocean. Chase, an assistant [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"single-no-separators","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-science"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"The University Network","author_link":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/author\/funky_junkie\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"When Alexander Chase was a young boy, he was captivated by the extraordinary diversity of plants in Earth\u2019s tropical rainforests. This early fascination with nature\u2019s untouched wonders led him to a pivotal role at Southern Methodist University (SMU), where he&#8217;s pioneering a groundbreaking method to explore the hidden treasures of the ocean. Chase, an assistant&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4880"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4880\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4928,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4880\/revisions\/4928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}