Project’s budget: 32450 milion VND (including 06 Parts: Part 1, head of project Prof. Dr. Phan Van Kiem, 5800 milion VND; Part 2, head of project Dr. Nguyen Hoai Nam, 5850 milion VND; Part 3, head of project Dr. Nguyen Xuan Cuong, 5650 milion VND; Part 4, head of project Prof. Dr. Pham Van Cuong, 5400 milion VND; Part 5, head of project Prof. Dr. Pham Quoc Long, 5600 milion VND; Part 6, head of project Dr. Nguyen Van Thanh, 4150 milion VND).

Long Goals and Objectives: Investigation on bioactive compounds from marine medicinal materials in the North-East area of Vietnam sea for evaluating the potential usage of marine medicinal materials in people’s health-care. Training the researchers of Vietnam to reach the research level in Asian countries regarding marine bioactive compounds. Improvement of the publications on books, patents (invention or utility solution), national journals, and international journals of marine research in Vietnam.

Recent Goals and Objectives:

1. Obtain the full and systematic documentation about marine organisms in the North-East area of Vietnam sea.
2. Establishment of processes for isolating bioactive compounds from selected marine organisism.
3. Evaluation of potential usage of researched species in people’s health-care.

Theoretical results:

1. 310 samples were collected in the North-East area of Vietnam sea including 136 species, 90 genera, 66 families belong to 6 marine organism groups (Mollusks, echinoderms, sponges, hard corals, soft corals, seaweed, and sea grass).
2. 13 abundant areas of marine medicinal materials in the North-East area of Vietnam sea, of which, Co To - Thanh Lan, Bai Tu Long, Ha Long - Cat Ba areas are important sites with abundance of marine organisms (Mollusks, echinoderms, sponges, hard corals, soft corals, seaweed, and sea grass). This result indicated the potential and promisingexploitation of marine medicinal materials in the North-East area of Vietnam sea.
3. 143 strains of microorganisms were isolated from 161 samples collected in the North-East area of Vietnam sea. The isolated strains were stored in glycerol at -20^oC to –80^oC. These will be valuable marine microorganisms for investigations to explore bioactive secondary metabolites and evaluation forconservation of gene resource from Vietnamese marine microorganisms.
4. Successful isolation and structure elucidation of 329 compounds with 97 compounds from 10 sponges, 74 compounds from 11 soft corals, 65 compounds from 12 echinoderms, 82 compounds from 15 marine microorganism strains, 06 compounds from two seaweeds, and 05 compounds form mollusk. Of the isolates, 49 compounds are new. Many compounds have novel structures or can be used as chemical markers for taxonomic identification of investigated marine organism species.
5. Systematic evaluation of in vitro bioactivities (cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, anti-microbial, anti-tuberculosis, and antioxidant effects) of crude extracts and pure compounds isolated from the selected sponges,soft corals, echinoderms, marine microorganisms, mollusks, seaweed, and sea grass. Many extracts and compounds exhibited potential bioactivities generating the scientific basis for further investigations.
6. Successful determination of acute toxicity and evaluation of sub-acute toxicity oftwo functional foods (Linstata and VEDA-K⁺), one experimental product (SPMW7525), two fractions from sponges (PĐ1 and PĐ2) and one pure compound from sponge (HC1).
7. Successful evaluation of in vivo antitumor effects of the functional food Linstata, two fractions from sponges (PĐ1 and PĐ2) and one pure compound from sponge (HC1).

Applied results:

1. Establishment of 01 process for making experimental product, two processes for making fractions, and 16 processes for isolating pure compounds with potential bioactivities from some marine organisms. Of these, 6 processes were registered for patents and the applications were officially accepted by National Office of Intellectuall Property of Vietnam.
2. Establishment of processess for isolation and purification of 9 reference compounds from marine organisms including: 3 compounds from soft corals, 2 from sponges, 2 from microorganisms, and 2 from echinoderms. The purity of all reference compounds are over 98% and their weight are more than 30 mg. The reference compounds were used as standards for establishment of quantitative methods of these compounds in marine organisms. These methods can be used for quantitative analysis of bioactive compounds in other marine organism in order to search suitalbe sources of bioactive compounds for search and development of pharmacal materials.
3. Establishment of processess to produce the functional food Linstata from the extract of echinoderm (stafish) and Reishi.
4. Establishment of processess to produce the functional food VEDA-K⁺ from the enzyme hydrolysis power Pacific oyster.

1. Found 49 new compounds including 12 steroids, 02 biscembranoids, 01 diterpenes, 17 sesquiterpenes, 05 holothurins, 01 asterosaponin, 02 steroid glycosides, and 09 other compounds from sponges, soft corals, echinoderms, and marine microorganisms.
2. Successful creation of the two functional food namely Linstata from from the extract of echinoderm (stafish) and Reishi and VEDA-K⁺ from the enzyme hydrolysis power Pacific oyster.
3. During a collaboration with the scietists of the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), USA, an actinomycete strain Micromonospora sp G006 was determined to be able to produce chloramphenicol (G006-1), an antibiotic molecule which is currently used as an antibiotic drug. This discovery could led to the optimization of fermentation condition for the production of chloramphenicol by the strain Micromonospora sp G006.
4. Built a lipid DATABASE of marine species in northeast coast of Vietnam (61 coral samples, 60 samples of seaweed algae, 30 echinoderms samples, 17 molluscs samples) include information on species, total lipid content, composition and concentration of the lipid layer, the composition and content of fatty acids. Research on the change of the lipid composition at the fluctuations of sampling temperature environment.

1. Documents and speciemens of 310 marine organism samples.
2. 329 isolated compounds and coresponding spectra for structure elucidation.
3. 09 reference compounds from marine organisms living in the North-East area of Vietnam sea with purity above 98% and amount above 30 mg.
4. Training: 06 PhD students and 09 masters.
5. Publication: 21 ISI papers and 52 national papers.
6. Patents (invention/utility solution): 01 invention was issued and 06 applications for investion were officially accepted by National Office of Intellectuall Property of Vietnam.
7. The functional food namely Linstata made from the EtOH extracts of echinoderm (stafish) and Reishi for strengthen the body resistance, improve the immune, prevent and contribution of therapies to reduce sarcoma. Reduce side effects of chemical and radiation therapies. Contribution to treat inflamatory related diseaes.
8. The functional food namely VEDA-K+ from the enzyme hydrolysis power Pacific oyster provide necessary amino acids, subplement necessary fatty acids to recover the health and improve the body defence.

1. Contituous production of the functional foods Linstata and VEDA-K⁺ for selling in the market.
2. Carry our further studies on fractions and compounds with potential bioactivities directing for applicative investigations.