Abstract:Naturally produced polybrominated molecules pervade the marine ecosystem. A subset of these polybrominated molecules-such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) bioaccumulate in the marine environment, magnify at higher trophic levels in the marine food web, and are likely passed on to us via our dietary connections to the sea leading to their detection in human plasma and breast milk. PBDE molecules are potent endocrine disruptors and are implicated in a myriad of toxicological impacts. The producers of PBDEs in the oceans and the biogenetic bases for their production are unknown. This seminar takes chemical logic guided retrobiosynthetic approach to finding producers of PBDEs in the oceans and discover novel biological chemistry involved in PBDE production. The approach described in this seminar is further extended to investigate other exceptionally abundant marine polybrominated natural products that are also potent environmental pollutants or potential pharmacological candidates. In all, the inception of a highly interdisciplinary and a highly collaborative research program at the forefront of environmental and human health will be motivated.