Marine Biotechnology

Biotechnology based upon genes from the marine environment (sometimes referred to as "blue-biotechnology") has a considerable, if hitherto relatively unused, potential because of the enormous phylogenetic diversity of marine organisms and the potential for novel undiscovered biological mechanisms, including biochemical pathways. The increasing knowledge of marine genomics has started to have a major impact on the field of marine biotechnology. The advent of the sequenced genome and the development of important metagenomic resources is providing new access to the metabolic diversity of the oceans and is thereby greatly facilitating the development of new products derived from marine biotechnology. This chapter is a brief description of the field of marine biotechnology describing some of the products that have been realised and an analysis of how new genomic resources are being acquired and how they will change the landscape of future marine biotechnology.