The unique field of Marine Natural Products emerged in the late 1960's, primarily through the pioneering work of US academics. The initial discoveries were quickly recognized as being significant, which sparked complementary and new investigations in laboratories throughout the world. The first generation of research on this subject focused on the isolation and structure elucidation of new compounds from marine macro-organisms. Currently there are more than 17,000 substances known from both macro- and microorganisms. As the field developed, the research on marine natural products evolved into a multidisciplinary venue involving collaborative efforts by scientists from wide-ranging fields including: pharmacology, chemical ecology, biosynthesis, molecular biology, genomics, metabolomics, chemical biology, and chemical genomics.

The first Gordon Research Conference on Marine Natural Products was held in 1975 in Santa Barbara. This conference was well attended and included lively discussions. Though, the initial scope of topics in this burgeoning conference was somewhat limited, the interactions that occurred paved the way for profound future developments. The goal of the February 2008 conference is to highlight breaking developments in the field of marine natural products through discussion of exciting new compounds and the exploration of hitherto untapped resources. Additional new methodologies and techniques, such as a metabolomic approaches to the discovery of new marine products, are also of importance. Discovery of "Drugs from the Sea" continues to be an important undertaking and the recent clinical approval of the ω-conotoxin compound analogue, MVIIA (Prialt ®) for use as an analgesic and ecteinascidin 743 for cancer chemotherapy, represent significant milestones.

Currently, there are 14 small molecule marine natural products in clinical development as anticancer drugs. During the past decade there has been an additional eight such compounds evaluated in the clinic but dropped from further studies due to a variety of circumstances. These developments now clearly show that the past, almost insurmountable challenge of "supply" has been effectively overcome. Another outcome is that the possibility of cloning biosynthetic gene clusters that guide the production of complex marine natural products is being vigorously addressed. Gaining an understanding of the role of symbiotic microorganisms in producing novel marine natural products continues to be questioned and studied. Research seeking understanding on the mode of action mechanisms and molecular targets of marine natural products are similarly important. Likewise, many labs seeking to broaden the understanding about various phenomena in marine environments are pursuing the analysis of the molecular basis for intra- and inter-specific interactions of marine organisms.

Over the last 30 years, US luminaries in the field of marine natural products have often traced the seeds for new research initiatives to insights gained at a Gordon Conference on Marine Natural Products. This gathering will be organized to continue that tradition. Thus, the conference format will emphasize the presentation and discussion of ideas, which will undoubtedly underlie future research to be conducted in the Marine Natural Products field. The list of potential participants includes representatives from major academic and industrial laboratories. The list of invited lectures includes cutting edge contributors to the various scientific areas. The diversity represented by the speakers will encourage participation by colleagues from all over the world. In addition, the program is especially designed to encourage participation by young investigators. Finally, the Poster Sessions will be organized to highlight the contributions of additional attendees. Several of these posters will be selected for a short (3-5 min.) oral presentation.

This will be the 17th GRC devoted to Marine Natural Products. The goal is to stimulate cutting edge discussions via the presentation of unpublished work. Participation by the leaders in the field is a must, motivating the future pioneer is essential, while another challenge is to insure diversity among the speakers and conferees.