Florida scientists trace a cancer-fighting compound to its true ocean source

For years, scientists have known that sea creatures make some of the most powerful anti-cancer compounds ever found — but for many of them, nobody knew which organism actually produced them. Now, University of Florida researchers Hendrik Luesch and Yousong Ding have identified the marine cyanobacterium Dapis as the true natural source of dolastatin 15, a potent anti-cancer compound. Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the work maps the genes behind the compound's creation — a first step toward brewing future cancer drugs with biotechnology instead of harvesting them from the sea.