The University of the Azores remains at the forefront of marine scientific research.
The "Azoalg" is a biological project aimed to develop a potential drug through some species of algae on the shore of the Azores. Speaking to the island daily, responsible, Maria do Carmo Barreto said that it "is a project that is being developed on the island of San Miguel since 2006 and has reached some preliminary results. We chose locally existing algae, which are not exclusive and are abundant in the island; we are not dealing with endangered species. Then we wanted to algae that can be collected at low tide, without recourse to diving because of the economic point of view will be much more interesting". The results, guaranties, are optimistic, "we chose five species and already tested anti-tumor and anti-oxidant activity, in the laboratory. Almost all species recorded both with very good results. "A promising scenario that has already sparked the interest from other universities at the national level, in particular, Aveiro and Porto, as well as the scientific center of Laguna in the Canary Islands. The contribution of these researchers is of vital importance as it will helped to include the identification of biological components that result in the molecule that will result in the medicine, as declares the scientist, "would be ideal, although we are aware of the difficulty of that happening. In economic terms, the impact would be important. That will permit to get a patent and sell it to a pharmacy company. "The "azoalg" have a sustainable aspect, i.e., does not compromise the rarest species of algae exist in the Azores archipelago. The aim is to use the most common specimens that appear in the surface rocks, without jeopardizing existing marine ecosystems and may thus enhance future economic activity.
http://www.uac.pt/noticia/projeto-da-universidade-dos-acores-ja-identificou-atividade-antitumoral-em-algumas-especies-algas-da-costa-acoriana-podem-agir-contra-o-cancro-1
http://centrocienciaah.com/galeria/intertidal
