The oceans account for 71% of earthly landmass and are rich in marine organisms. Secondary metabolites with novel structures and unique bioactivity from marine organisms are important resources for the discovery and development of novel drugs or drug lead compounds for the treatment of major diseases. Marine Pharmacology is a newly developed cross-discipline that utilizes modern chemical and biological techniques to discover and develop novel drugs from marine biology. Marine Pharmacology has become a new field of pharmaceutical sciences and new drugs¢ research and development (R&D) in the 21th century. This course will focus on the introduction of: (1) the basic concept and history of Marine Pharmacology, (2) the methods for the research and development of marine drugs, (3) the major marine organism resources for the discovery and development of marine drugs, (4) the important marine drugs used in clinic and representative drug lead compounds, (5) the development trends and challenges in the research of marine drugs, and (6) the literatures and databases in the research field of marine drugs.
