Alternative cures from the deep.

So vast are the oceans that new cures for diseases such as cancer are yet to be discovered. However a break-though is just around the corner. I found this article about alternative cures from the sea.

Medicines From the Deep

Many drugs that are used today -- like statin drugs used to lower cholesterol and aspirin -- have originated from natural sources. Now researchers are hoping to find compounds that could one day soon be used to treat everything from infectious diseases to cancer under the sea. Some of the most intriguing discoveries to date include:

Iscodermolide: A potent anti-tumor agent isolated from a deep-water sponge.
Topsentin: An anti-inflammatory substance from a deep-water sponge that could help treat arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and skin irritations, and protect against colon cancer and Alzheimer's disease.
Horboxazole: A substance made by an Indian Ocean sponge that can inhibit the growth of a wide range of tumor cell types. "It uses a different mechanism to any known drug, it's unlike anything else," said Tadeusz Molinski, a professor of chemistry at the University of California, Davis.

Marine life can survive extreme conditions like cold, darkness and intense pressure, and many contain unique toxins to ward off enemies. Many of these compounds could have potential uses in treating human disease.

Discodermolide: A compound produced by a deep-water sponge from the Bahamas that is being tested as a potential cancer treatment.
Prialt: A drug approved in the United States that's made from the venom of the Pacific cone snail. More powerful than morphine, but without the addicting effects, the Pacific cone snail's venom was used to make this potent painkiller. NOTE: (taken from the drug's Web site) Severe psychiatric symptoms and neurological impairment may occur during treatment with PRIALT. Patients with a pre-existing history of psychosis should not be treated with PRIALT.