ERC coral grant to tackle cancer
A UK researcher who has won a European Research Council grant is set to investigate how coral can help reduce the effects of cancer.
Professor Jörg Wiedenmann, based at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, England, has been awarded over £1m to continue and expand the centre’s vital work. The research funding will focus on investigating the medical benefits of coral and how it can survive in different environments throughout the world.
Speaking to the local newspaper, The Daily Echo, Professor Wiedenmann said: “The study of corals and life on a coral reef is very important for many reasons. Not only are they relied upon as a food source for many places around the world as they sustain fishing communities and also provide coastal protection, we have also been able to use their properties to open pathways into biomedicine.”
Wiedenmann hopes to establish a new coral laboratory to assist with display, research and teaching activities. A new tank will also be constructed with the ability to demonstrate the fluorescing nature of the corals and anemones when they are exposed to different lights. A core focus of the research is a fluorescing pigment, which occurs naturally in corals and anemones, and can act as a screen against the harmful effects of the sun. The coral is used in biomedical research as marker dyes to track how tumours react to different treatments.
New employment opportunities for research assistants are also expected to arise from the grant.
