Which famous drug are these statues associated with?
Tropical climates yield high levels of biodiversity. So, perhaps it’s not surprising that the natural resources of many tropical islands have made significant contributions to the development of some very big (and some not so big) name drugs.
- Easter Island (Rapa Nui):
- Rapamycin (Sirolimus): Discovered in the soil of Easter Island, home of the moai statues, rapamycin is a molecule derived from a bacterial strain which actually takes its name from the island. Rapamycin is used as an immunosuppressant in organ transplantation and has potential applications in cancer therapy and has become the star of longevity research.
Other tropical islands that have given us drugs include:
- Madagascar:
- Vincristine and Vinblastine: These widely used chemotherapeutic drugs were derived from the Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus), and have been used in the treatment of various types of cancer, including leukemia and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
- Caribbean Islands:
- Ziconotide (PrialT): Derived from the venom of the cone snail found in the Caribbean, ziconotide works by blocking calcium channels on nerve cells and is used to treat severe chronic pain.
- Hawaiian Islands:
- Halichondrin B Derivatives (e.g., Eribulin): Originally isolated from a marine sponge found near Hawaii, eribulin is a chemotherapeutic agent that binds to the microtubules of dividing cells and is used in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer.
- Fiji:
- Didemnin B: Originally isolated from a marine tunicate found in the waters around Fiji, didemnin B was one of the first marine natural products to enter clinical trials for cancer treatment. Although it was not ultimately marketed, it paved the way for further research into marine-derived compounds.
- Auckland Island
- Pig cell therapeutics: Well, its not tropical and the resource is not natural, but this island, hundreds of miles south of New Zealand, was stocked by seafarers in the 19th century with pigs to use as provisions but then abandoned. Turning feral, the pigs isolation from modern global pathogens has been exploited to develop cellular therapeutics for the brain, kidney and pancreatic islets. Fascinating!
IMAGE Rapa Nui CREDIT: Phil Whitehouse
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