Nature's bounty

Abstract

An intensive investigation of nature as a source of novel bioactive agents was reported. The continuing potential for the novel drug discovery from microbial sources was highlighted by isolation of an insulin mimetic from a strain of the fungus Pseudomassaria sp. The most notable discovery of biologically active compounds from marine sources was the serendipitous isolation of the C nucleosides spongouridine and spongothymidine from the Caribbean sponge. By manipulating biosynthetic pathways, it was possible to generate compounds with enhanced bioactivities.