This Springer Handbook provides, for the first time, a complete and consistent overview over the methods, applications, and products in the field of marine biotechnology. A large portion of the surface of the earth (ca. 70%) is covered by the oceans. More than 80% of the living organisms on the earth are found in aquatic ecosystems. The aquatic systems thus constitute a rich reservoir for various chemical materials and (bio-)chemical processes.

Edited by a renowned expert with a longstanding experience, and including over 60 contributions from leading international scientists, the Springer Handbook of Marine Biotechnology is a major authoritative desk reference for everyone interested or working in the field of marine biotechnology and bioprocessing - from undergraduate and graduate students, over scientists and teachers, to professionals.

Marine biotechnology is concerned with the study of biochemical materials and processes from marine sources, that play a vital role in the isolation of novel drugs, and to bring them to industrial and pharmaceutical development. Today, a multitude of bioprocess techniques is employed to isolate and produce marine natural compounds, novel biomaterials, or proteins and enzymes from marine organisms, and to bring them to applications as pharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals or nutraceuticals, or for the production of bioenergy from marine sources. All these topics are addressed by the Springer Handbook of Marine Biotechnology.

The book is divided into ten parts. Each part is consistently organized, so that the handbook provides a sound introduction to marine biotechnology - from historical backgrounds and the fundamentals, over the description of the methods and technology, to their applications - but it can also be used as a reference work.

Key topics include:
- Marine flora and fauna
- Tools and methods in marine biotechnology
- Marine genomics
- Marine microbiology
- Bioenergy and biofuels
- Marine bioproducts in industrial applications
- Marine bioproducts in medical and pharmaceutical applications
- and many more...

Prof. Dr. Se-Kwon Kim has more than 40 years of experience as a marine biochemist, working in the field of marine bioprocess and biotechnology. He holds a professorship of marine biochemistry at the Pukyong National University, Pusan, South Korea and is the director of the Marine Bioprocess Research Center in Pusan, Korea. Prof. Kim obtained his PhD from the Pukyong National University, before joining the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (USA) for postdoctoral research. In 1999-2000, he has been visiting professor at the Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. To date, his research has been documented in more than 450 original research papers, 76 patents and several books.

Prof. Kim's major research interests are bioactive substances derived from marine organisms and their various applications (e.g. as pharmaceuticals, cosmeceuticals, nutraceuticals or for dietary supplements).