Marine Biomedical Research Program
Carl Luer, Ph.D.
Senior Scientist, Program Manager
The Marine Biomedical Research Program focuses on basic and applied research working with marine organisms as laboratory animal models.  Areas of interest include biochemistry, physiology, immunology, reproductive biology and embryonic development.

A major research effort in the program is directed at understanding why sharks and their skate and ray relatives have a low incidence of disease, including cancer. The ultimate goal is to use results from these studies to contribute to a better understanding of health problems in higher animals, including humans, and to benefit the wild populations of the particular organisms studied.
Current Projects:
  • Cytotoxic factors produced by cultured shark immune cells: This project’s goal is to isolate and characterize the bioactive factors that are produced by short-term cultures of shark immune cells. Mote studies have shown that these immune-cell derived factors can inhibit the growth of human tumor cell lines.  Studies also focus on understanding the cellular pathways activated by these factors that result in tumor cell death. This project is in collaboration with Dr. Cathy Walsh of Mote’s Marine Immunology Program and Dr. A.B. Bodine at Clemson University. The project is funded by the Henry L. and Grace Doherty Charitable Foundation and numerous matching grants.
  • Novel antimicrobial compounds from epidermal mucus: This project is looking at the microbial makeup of the epidermal mucus produced by stingrays in order to determine whether the mucus contains antibiotic properties that could be used in human health applications. Dr. Luer is the lead investigator on this multi-institution project that includes Mote scientists (co-investigators Dr. Cathy Walsh, Marine Immunology, Dr. Kim Ritchie, Marine Microbiology Program), Daemen College (Dr. Laura Edsberg; Dr. Jen Wyffels), USF Center for Biological Defense (Dr. Andy Cannons, Dr. Vicki Luna) and Clemson University (Dr. A.B. Bodine). The project is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense.
  • Mechanisms of cell death in normal and transformed cells treated with epigonal conditioned medium: The goal of this project is to determine relative activation of cell membrane targets (death receptors) in malignant/non-malignant pair cell lines to understand preferential killing of tumor cell lines through bioactivity of factors produced by cultured shark immune cells. Co-investigator with Dr. Cathy Walsh. This project is funded through a Florida High Tech Corridor Industry Seed Grant. (Title: “Membrane targets in tumor cells vs. normal cells exposed to shark immune cell-derived anti-tumor compounds.”)

About Us

Mote Marine Laboratory has been a leader in marine research since it was founded in 1955. Today, we incorporate public outreach as a key part of our mission. Mote is an independent nonprofit organization and has seven centers for marine research, the public Mote Aquarium and an Education Division specializing in public programs for all ages.

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