Under the sea

College of Pharmacy alumna and supporter Debbie DeSantis and Hendrik Luesch, Ph.D., an associate professor of medicinal chemistry, share a mutual interest in natural products. In May, the pair enjoyed a rare opportunity to connect in the Florida Keys to collect cyanobacteria, organisms that produce several medically important compounds that could be useful to treat cancer and other diseases. In the shallow waters off the coast, the pair spent the day snorkeling in search of the seaweed-like organisms. Once removed from the water, the cyanobacteria were stored in plastic bags, frozen and transported back to the laboratory where researchers will use solvents to tease out a mixture of different compounds that may one day be effective in treating various diseases. — Matt Splett