The sponge species was discovered recently by researchers from the Harbor Branch Biomedical Marine Research in Fort Pierce, Fla.
Researchers believe the yet-unnamed species holds medical potential that could save lives.
“We were really excited,” says Amy Wright, director of the group. “I was just dancing around.”
A healthy population of the sponge was found after much careful planning at a depth of about 1,000 feet in an area known as the Dead Zone.
When bits of the sponge were first found in 1984, preliminary tests showed a chemical within it was about 400 times more potent than Taxol, a drug currently used to treat breast cancer.
The initial tests were so promising that lab workers used the chemical to kill cancer cells injected into mice. Those results were also promising. Then they ran out of the sponge, setting off the scramble to find more of it.
With the latest discovery, Wright hopes a new, highly effective pancreatic cancer drug will soon emerge.
UPI
