Marine biotechnology researcher Shirley Pomponi will share her research on sponges and their uses beyond the marine ecosystem as the keynote speaker of the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science’s Seventh Annual Alumni Lecture.

Pomponi, executive director of ocean science, technology, and development at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University, will present her research on Tuesday, March 2 at 5:30 p.m. in the Rosenstiel School Auditorium.

Pomponi’s research focuses on marine biotechnology in general and on sponge cell culture in particular. Sponges have been around for more than 600 million years, and one reason that they’ve been so successful is because they have evolved a sophisticated chemical cache that enables them to compete for space, defend against predators, communicate with other sponges, reproduce, and even prevent infections. These same chemicals are being studied for their potential development as drugs to treat human disorders and diseases.

When it is not ecologically feasible to harvest sponges to obtain enough of beneficial chemicals for drug development or marketing, the most common option is synthesis of the chemical in the lab. Pomponi, who received her Ph.D. from the Rosenstiel School in 1978, and her team are exploring ways to grow sponge cells and stimulate them in order to produce these beneficial chemicals for pharmacological uses.

For more information on the lecture, please call 305-421-4207 or visit www.rsmas.miami.edu/alumni.