Experts say the effort to discover drugs found within ocean organisms must proceed hand in hand with conservation.
In the vastness of the ocean lie many unique organisms, genes and molecules. They offer huge potential for new medicines to fight disease but the pipeline for their development is nascent.
Most drugs on the market originate from terrestrial sources. But the companies working to derive drugs from marine animals and plants were paying attention in January, when an agreement to manage biodiversity in waters beyond national jurisdiction came into effect: the high seas treaty.
A basic tenet of this treaty, also known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction agreement, is that the benefits of drugs derived from marine genetic resources should be fairly shared among nations. This would include using the proceeds generated by these drugs to fund the conservation – and sustainable use – of ocean life.
In China, a member state of the treaty, scientists are on the quest to find cures in the ocean following a government push. Dialogue Earth talked to experts about the country’s progress on marine-derived drug discovery and how it interacts with ocean protection.
Huge potential, limited results
More than 40 research projects to discover new marine drugs have been set up in China. Industry clusters have started to form in the coastal areas of Shandong, Guangdong and Jiangsu. Local governments there regard pharmaceuticals as a growth point for the marine economy during China’s 15th Five Year Plan period (2026-2030).
In 2024, added value from marine pharmaceuticals and “bioproducts” – meaning mostly medical and health products and supplements – reached CNY 78 billion (USD 11 billion), according to government statistics. That was up 1.9% on the previous year.
Marine organisms, such as sponges, corals and algae, show such promise for pharmaceutical discoveries because they often live in extreme environments: cold, saline, dark, high pressure. Over millions of years, many have evolved complex and unique chemical structures that are not found on land.
These structures allow the organisms to produce bioactive compounds to survive, deter predators and even communicate with each other. These compounds display antimicrobial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties, making them promising sources for groundbreaking drugs.
Geng Lihua has been working on marine pharmaceuticals for over a decade. She is now an associate researcher working on algae-derived drugs at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Oceanology.
Geng tells Dialogue Earth that China has a long recorded history of using marine drugs, dating back to the Qin dynasty (221-206 BCE). But the sources of those drugs prevail into the present day – kelp, cuttlefish, clams.
As of 2022, scientists around the world have uncovered at least 18 pharmaceuticals that now help patients to fight cancer, relieve pain, combat viral infection and manage cardiovascular conditions or other diseases. For example, propylene glycol alginate sodium sulphate (PSS) was developed by Chinese scientists in the 1970s. It originates in Antarctic brown seaweed and is used to treat cardiovascular diseases, mainly in China.
Meanwhile, the haikun shenxi capsule was approved for clinical use in 2003. Developed at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing by a team led by the scientist Xu Zuhong, this kelp-derived traditional Chinese medicine formula treats renal failure.
Since the breakthrough of PSS, very few new marine drugs have been certified by China’s State Drug Administration. Recent years have seen a number of algae-derived drugs enter clinical testing in China, including BG136, a cancer drug, and TGC161, which can fight the sexually transmitted infection HPV.
Why is it so slow and challenging?
A drug’s journey from initial identification to final product is a long and expensive one.
Marine organisms must be obtained and synthesised in a lab at scale, then a candidate drug identified and subjected to three stages of clinical testing.
It takes 10 to 15 years to bring a terrestrial-source drug to market, one industry worker in China, who preferred to remain anonymous, tells Dialogue Earth. They say the processes for marine drugs are much longer and pricier.
There are also complex approvals processes before a drug can be sold in China, and reapproval is required after four to 10 years. Selling on international markets requires another round of compliance checks and further clinical data to meet international standards.
The challenges can be illustrated by GV971, another seaweed-derived drug, this time intended to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Chinese scientists worked with Shanghai Green Valley Pharma to develop GV971. The company went through an international registration process and was keen to find export opportunities.
However, the clinical research and efficacy were called into question by scientists both in China and overseas. In 2022, the company halted overseas clinical trials, citing a lack of funds and the impact of the pandemic. In 2025, it failed a domestic re-approval process and production halted.
Understanding the oceans
Geng Lihua says current policy is focused on developing more drugs, but our understanding of the ocean and its complex chemical compounds remains far from adequate to optimise this process.
Geng focuses on the upstream development of polysaccharide drugs, derived from algae.
Polysaccharides are huge and complex molecules, representing a potential reservoir of new drugs that could be used to treat cancer, inflammation and metabolic diseases, she says. “But in China and even globally, research into polysaccharides is moving slowly.”
We still do not know enough about the structure of polysaccharides and how to synthesise them, she adds.
Although developing drugs from polysaccharides does not require a full understanding of their structure, a lack of knowledge is hampering key stages. These include improving the structures to make them more suitable as medicines, and scaling up synthesis.
What about the ecosystems?
The European Union, the US, India and Japan are also making efforts to develop marine pharmaceuticals. But at the same time, international society has become more concerned about how organisms are surveyed and used, and about sharing the benefits of marine genetic resources equitably. Planning for that fairer use, and ensuring sustainability, is a focus of international talks on the ocean.
“The identification of marine chemicals and drugs has only minor impacts on the environment,” says Geng Lihua.
She says researchers extract substances from microorganisms or plants and then study their structure and potency. Little actual material is needed. And if a useful product is identified, it is produced by synthesis or genetic engineering, rather than extracted directly from plants or animals.
Currently, samples for drug development are most commonly taken from coastal ecosystems. But as technology improves, scientists are turning to more distant and deeper environments, such as the vulnerable ecosystems surrounding hydrothermal vents. Experts worry these will be harmed by surveying and sampling, and that conflict over resources may arise.
Erik Zhivkoplias, a researcher at the Stockholm Resilience Centre in Sweden, says as we begin to use these habitats’ genetic resources, we must invest in understanding how to protect the species that live there. In other words, we need to ensure that our understanding keeps pace with our impact. “The ocean has proven its value as a reservoir of innovation,” he says. “But if ecosystem functions are degraded, we risk losing that ‘innovation box’ entirely over the long term.”
Zhou Haichao, a researcher at China’s Shenzhen University, focuses on the conservation and sustainable use of mangroves, including drug discoveries in these ecosystems. He says he hopes the profits generated through science-based, rational use of marine resources can be directed to conservation efforts. For example, revenues could be used to create more employment opportunities for local communities, or to expand mangrove conservation initiatives.
“Commercial capital can easily lead to unchecked profit-seeking. Therefore, cautious government management is necessary,” he adds.
Who profits?
When the high seas treaty came into force last month, it set down a clearer framework for countries to work to. Over 80 countries, including China and Japan, have ratified the treaty.
As habitats and resources on the high seas do not belong to any one country, there was a governance blind spot prior to the treaty coming into force. Who should the profits made from those resources accrue to?
Erik Zhivkoplias says that, alongside requiring environmental impact assessments, the treaty makes it clear the benefits should be shared globally.
Those rules ensure “the global commons serve humanity rather than only those nations with advanced scientific and technological capacities.”
Zhou agrees that countries with the necessary technology should share knowledge, capabilities and benefits with the local communities where marine resources are found.
China has actively participated in international conventions with an open mind, says Zhou, but “current international standards are mostly dominated by the US and European countries.”
“China could also begin proposing standards better suited to its own circumstances and those of other Asian countries, potentially becoming a new force in marine conservation and development,” he adds.
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