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Scientists Scour Beaches For Seaweed That Could Replace Antibiotics
PRESS & JOURNAL (IAIN GRANT) 14 July 2004

Scientists in Caithness have embarked on a project to establish if seaweed in the Highlands could be a source of natural antibiotic drugs.
And another pioneering study is seeking to gauge the amount of used medicines which may find their way into Scottish reservoirs.

The team of postgraduates, based at the Environmental Research Institute in Thurso, is carrying out the research under the guidance of research director Dr.Stuart Gibb and his colleagues. They include five young scientists recruited from more than 650 who applied from the UK and abroad for the posts.

Their trailblazing work is being made easier thanks to new detection equipment worth £200,000. It includes a high-resolution chromatographic mass spectrometer which can break down complex mixtures and identify and quantify individual components.

Dr Gibb said: "It's the most sensitive technology available to research scientists today."

Used to uncover drugs cheats in sport, the machine can process a vast array of natural compounds, including herbicides, pesticides, drugs and vitamins. It operates at the level of nanogrammes per litre, which means that it could pick up and identify a teaspoonful of material in a tank the size of 1,000 Olympic-size swimming pools.

Swiss postgraduate student Diane Ruchonnet is in the throes of examining seaweed samples taken from Thurso beach. Her quest is to expose particular constituents of the seaweed to bacteria to establish whether they could be harvested to serve as an antibiotic.

Dr Gibb said the project was particularly exciting as it could create an opening for a new local business. He added: "In a lot of the projects we have started up, we have an eye on the commercial opportunities that could be developed."

Spaniard Carolina Nebot is carrying out the first study in Scotland to monitor for the presence of prescribed drugs in Scottish waters. It follows a re-assessment of the potential risk associated with traces of used drugs, such as antibiotics, steroids, hormones, analgesics and tranquillisers resurfacing in the human environment.
Of particular concern are pain-killers and anti-inflammatory and anti-epileptic drugs which are not fully broken down by sewage treatment works.




	Scientists Scour Beaches For Seaweed That Could Replace Antibiotics PRESS & JOURNAL (IAIN GRANT) 14 July 2004 Scientists in Caithness have embarked on a project to establish if seaweed in the Highlands could be a source of natural antibiotic drugs. And another pioneering study is seeking to gauge the amount of used medicines which may find their way into Scottish reservoirs. The team of postgraduates, based at the Environmental Research Institute in Thurso, is carrying out the research under the guidance of research director Dr.Stuart Gibb and his colleagues. They include five young scientists recruited from more than 650 who applied from the UK and abroad for the posts. Their trailblazing work is being made easier thanks to new detection equipment worth £200,000. It includes a high-resolution chromatographic mass spectrometer which can break down complex mixtures and identify and quantify individual components. Dr Gibb said: "It's the most sensitive technology available to research scientists today." Used to uncover drugs cheats in sport, the machine can process a vast array of natural compounds, including herbicides, pesticides, drugs and vitamins. It operates at the level of nanogrammes per litre, which means that it could pick up and identify a teaspoonful of material in a tank the size of 1,000 Olympic-size swimming pools. Swiss postgraduate student Diane Ruchonnet is in the throes of examining seaweed samples taken from Thurso beach. Her quest is to expose particular constituents of the seaweed to bacteria to establish whether they could be harvested to serve as an antibiotic. Dr Gibb said the project was particularly exciting as it could create an opening for a new local business. He added: "In a lot of the projects we have started up, we have an eye on the commercial opportunities that could be developed." Spaniard Carolina Nebot is carrying out the first study in Scotland to monitor for the presence of prescribed drugs in Scottish waters. It follows a re-assessment of the potential risk associated with traces of used drugs, such as antibiotics, steroids, hormones, analgesics and tranquillisers resurfacing in the human environment. Of particular concern are pain-killers and anti-inflammatory and anti-epileptic drugs which are not fully broken down by sewage treatment works.

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