Bioprospecting involves exploring biological resources for commercially valuable properties. It focuses on extreme environments that are home to extremophiles with unique survival mechanisms. These organisms provide enzymes used in products like detergents. While bioprospecting seeks resources to improve human health and develop drugs, it faces challenges around conservation versus exploitation, lack of legal clarity on benefit sharing, and potential environmental impacts if not properly regulated. A comprehensive bioprospecting policy requires legislation, benefit sharing mechanisms, capacity building, and monitoring.

1. Bioprospecting
Presented by
R. Bharathi Rathinam

2. What is Bioprospecting?
• Bioprospecting, also known as biodiversity
prospecting, is the exploration of biological
material for commercially valuable genetic and
biochemical properties.
• In simple terms this means the investigation of
living things to see how they can be
commercially useful to humans.

3. • When biodiversity or related knowledge is collected
without permission from the owners of these resources
and then patented, it is known as biopiracy.
• Traditional or indigenous knowledge (IK).

4. Concept of Bioprospecting
• Extreme environments, provide habitats for
“extremophiles”, organisms with unique characteristics
developed for survival.
• The biological processes and materials which enable
these extremophiles to survive in extreme temperatures,
pressures, salinity etc, and other unique conditions are
sources of great potential for scientific advancement and
commercial application.

5. • These Enzymes derived from extremophiles have been
used in detergents, food processing, cleaning, dyeing,
medical diagnosis, skin protection products, and
forensics.
• Bioprospecting of marine environments is conducted
almost exclusively in regions at extreme depths
specifically around submarine trenches, cold seeps,
seamounts and hydrothermal vents.

6. Examples
• Thermus aquaticus – PCR
• Aequorea victoria – GFP for glofish
• Antarctic ice fish – anti freeze protein
• LAL - Limulus amebocyte lysate (Rapid microbiological
test)

8. Why is it needed?
• The underlying aim of bio prospecting is to find new
resources and products from nature that can be
used by humans.
• Improving human health, through both medicine and
better nutrition are key focal areas.
• It plays a dominant role in discovering leads for drug
development, since existing/known compounds for
developing drugs for human use are limited.

9. • A study showed that between 1983 and 2003, almost
two thirds of anti-cancer agents being investigated as
drug candidates were derived from natural products..
• Other related sectors, such as crop plant biotechnology,
screen natural resources for useful traits, such as
disease resistance.

10. Where?
• Although bioprospecting can happen wherever there is
biodiversity, it tends to be focused where biodiversity is
at its richest, as this raises the chances of finding
something useful.
• Statistically, the chance of a successful “hit” is one in
10,000 for synthetic compounds and one in 30,000 or
40,000 for natural products.
• Extreme environments and unique ecological niches are
also good sources for diversity, such as Antarctica. Yet,
only a tiny fraction of the world’s biodiversity has actually
been explored and the richest areas of biodiversity tend
to be in developing countries.

11. Process of Bioprospecting
• As a process, it generally consists of four phases:
• Phase 1: on-site collection of samples;
• Phase 2: isolation, charactisation and culture of specific
compounds;
• Phase 3: screening for potential uses, such as
pharmaceutical or other uses; and,
• Phase 4: product development and commercialisation,
including patenting, trials, sales and marketing.

15. Who does bioprospecting?
• Pharmaceutical, agribusiness (biotechnology,
seed, crop protection and horticulture), cosmetic
and personal care, fragrance, botanicals, and
the food and beverage industries.
• The pharmaceutical and agri-business sectors
are more involved.

16. • Natural products research is very resource intensive –
requiring lots of money, people and expertise, making
large companies reluctant to get involved again
significantly.

17. Sea Squirt and Spiny dogfish
• Ecteinascidin 743 and Aplidinen isolated from the Sea
Squirt Ecteinascidia turbinate from the Carribean Sea
are undergoing trials for use as an anti cancer
medication.
• Squalamine isolated from the Spiny dogfish Squalus
acanthias found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans is an
antibiotic substance under development.

18. Tunicates
• Aplidine,isolated from the Mediterranean tunicate,
Aplidium albicans, has shown activity against certain
types of tumor.

19. Added potential
environmental impacts of
Bioprospecting
• In situ experiments in and around the Deep Seabed can
introduce light and noise or change water temperature,
which, in-turn, can affect procreation and the survival of
organisms in these areas.
• Bioprospecting activities can also produce pollution in
the form of debris or discharge from vessels and
equipment.

20. • Additionally, inadvertant movement of organisms through
disrupting currents or discarding of scientific samples
can lead to biological contamination.
• Finally, there is the usual possibility of over-exploitation
in harvesting organisms in these regions and the flow on
environmental impacts.

21. Key issues & challenges
• Conservation versus exploitation:
Conservation is not always the top priority of
nations, and some seek to make a quick profit from their
natural resources rather than preserving them. As a result,
the biodiversity they wish to exploit is disappearing.

22. • Lack of legal clarity:
There is a need for clearer, more specific rules
on how origins of samples and IK are recorded and their
benefits shared, both nationally and abroad.
The commercial benefit should be accrue to
those who discovered the active ingredient or the biotech
company able to identify/ improve on this key ingredient

23. • Greater sector involvement:
Many sectors actively involved in bioprospecting
remain ignorant of the regulations, and are committing
biopiracy. Education and participation in relevant
international and national discussions is needed to ensure
regulation across all sectors.

24. A comprehensive
bioprospecting policy
• Legislation and regulation:
Appropriate legislation and regulations are the basis for
implementation of the policy, and are needed in order to make it
enforceable. Probably the most crucial issue to be addressed is
regulation of access to biological resources, and to the
associated knowledge.
Legislation and regulations should (i) ensure that clear
conditions and procedures govern access to genetic
resources, (ii) make access subject to written agreement
based on prior informed consent and (iii) require fair and
equitable sharing of the benefits. Enforcement is needed to
ensure that the handling of genetic resources, both by nationals
and foreigners, is consistent with the national policies and laws.
•

25. • Benefit sharing mechanisms: a mechanism for benefit
sharing should be developed. Benefits should be
distributed fairly and equitably among all parties
concerned, including local communities, indigenous
groups, universities, etc.
• Capacity building: building technological capacity,
including the capacity to innovate, is important in order to
increase the possibilities to add value to genetic resources,
thus generating greater social and economic benefits.
Similarly, education and training are needed to
encourage the protection of biodiversity. Institutional
development should also be included in capacity building
efforts.

26. • Financing: obviously, sources of funding will have to
be identified for the development and
implementation of the policy. Often, the process of
formulating a policy is as important as its contents, since
it can generate commitment and thereby facilitate
implementation.
• • Assessment or situation analysis: a sound
assessment of relevant aspects, notably the
opportunities, needs, resources and capacities of a
country to make sustainable use of its biological and
genetic resources should be the basis for developing
an appropriate policy and for devising sound strategies
on bio prospecting and access. National capacity should
also be assessed in order to make optimal use of
existing opportunities.
• •

27. • • Monitoring and evaluation: procedures for monitoring
and evaluation should be put in place, so that progress -
or the lack thereof- can be assessed. Moreover, this
will allow for adjustment of policy goals and strategies as
and when needed.