In a series of recent papers, including one published Jan. 2 in the journal Chem, Jeff Rudolf’s group, a chemist at the University of Florida, in collaboration with Sandra Loesgen, a professor of chemistry at the University of Florida Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, discovered how bacteria craft unusual versions of terpenoids, known as eunicellanes.
Originally spotted in corals, the eunicellanes show some promise as anti-cancer drugs. The discoveries by the team could open up new avenues to explore the eunicellanes as drug candidates.