University of Waikato Public Lecture

Professor Marcel Jaspars: 'Realising the potential of blue biotechnology'.

What are the challenges and opportunities facing marine, or 'blue', biotechnology? The University of Waikato Faculty of Science and Engineering is hosting Marcel Jaspars, Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Aberdeen.

Professor Jaspars will explore the issues surrounding marine biotechnology based on his research of natural products, particularly those from marine organisms. He will shed light on how New Zealand can realise its potential to make a global contribution. Marine organisms have developed complex biochemical machinery to protect themselves and cope with changing environments and scientists are using these findings to generate innovative biomedicinal and agrichemical leads.

Diverse marine environments, such as the Bay of Plenty, offer considerable research opportunities, but national and international changes in policy, science funding, administration and education must be made to fully exploit the unique bioresources available.

Author of more than 100 research papers and reviews, and consultant for several UK marine biotechnology companies, Professor Jaspars recently established the Marine Biodiscovery Centre, the first interdisciplinary centre of its kind in the UK.

Event listed by Chris Armstrong

View their other events or contact promoter