MEDINA Invited Seminar Series – Dr Paul Jensen
Granada, May 6, 2026
MEDINA is co-organising the next online seminar in the EUREMAP Seminar Series, to be held on 27 May at 16:00 (CEST) . This seminar series aims to promote knowledge exchange and discussion around the latest research in marine biodiscovery, biotechnology and related scientific fields.
The seminar will be delivered by Dr Paul Jensen, from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, with a talk entitled “Changing paradigms in Natural product discovery”.
To attend the seminar, prior registration is required via the following link
Abstract
Marine microbes have proven to be a prolific source of novel natural products. Yet the compounds discovered to date largely originate from the relatively few taxa that can be obtained in culture. This suggests that much of the ocean metabolome has yet to be accessed, which is supported by metagenomic analyses that reveal extensive, unrealized biosynthetic potential across marine microbiomes. Exploiting advances in environmental metabolomics, we developed the Small Molecule In situ Resin Capture (SMIRC) technique to capture natural products directly from the environments in which they are produced. SMIRC represent a molecule first approach that bypasses the need for microbial cultivation. Instead, it relies on nature to provide the conditions needed for growth and natural product biosynthesis. SMIRC metabolomes are distinct across biomes, suggesting significant opportunities for discovery. Extract yields have been sufficient for isolation and NMR-based characterization, yielding an extraordinary wealth of chemical diversity including new carbon skeletons with structural features not previously observed among natural products. SMIRC provides a unique approach to access the biosynthetic potential of marine microbes without cultivation or the need to understand the conditions needed to induce biosynthesis.
