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We know little about why or how marine organisms like
sponges, produce chemical substances, although many of them can be used for
human wellbeing including drugs to treat cancer and manage pain. On September
12th in her inaugural address upon taking up the post of Special Professor of
Marine Biotechnology at Wageningen University Prof. Dr Shirley Pomponi will
present how marine animals use a broad range of fine chemicals to defend
themselves against infection, overgrowing and other threats. Her effort is to
identify these chemicals, to let them be produced in a sustainable way and to
develop innovative bioproducts for human health.