• Breakthrough in marine invertebrate cell culture : Sponge cells divide rapidly in improved nutrient medium 

      Conkling, Megan; Hesp, Kylie; Munroe, Stephanie; Sandoval, Kenneth; Martens, Dirk E.; Sipkema, Detmer; Wijffels, Rene Hubertus; Pomponi, Shirley A. (Peer reviewed; Journal article, 2019)
      Sponges (Phylum Porifera) are among the oldest Metazoa and considered critical to understanding animal evolution and development. They are also the most prolific source of marine-derived chemicals with pharmaceutical ...
    • CRISPR/Cas12a-mediated gene editing in Geodia barretti sponge cell culture 

      Hesp, Kylie; Alvarez, John L. Flores; Alexandru, Ana-Maria; van der Linden, Jip; Martens, Dirk E.; Wijffels, Rene Hubertus; Pomponi, Shirley A. (Peer reviewed; Journal article, 2020)
      Sponges and their associated microorganisms are the most prolific source of marine natural products, and many attempts have been made at creating a marine sponge cell line to produce these products efficiently. However, ...