   In the warm waters off Craig Key, Hendrik Luesch, a UF
College of Pharmacy associate professor, is snorkeling for
algae.  "That's a Cyanobacteria, exactly the stuff we were
looking for,” Luesch said. “It's not visually appealing but very
useful.”  The cyanobacteria are slimy and are thought to cradle
an active ingredient essential for next-generation cancer drugs.
"The ocean itself holds great promise to if not cure, treat a
variety of diseases," Luesch said.  Luesch and his team of
researchers harvest Cyanobacteria in Ziploc bags and collect it
by the bucket full before taking it back to their Gainesville
lab.  The bacteria are survivors and fighters. Scientists
believe they've fended off prey for billions of years.
"Cyanobacteria are presumed to be the oldest organisms on
earth," Luesch said. "They have presumably evolved chemistry to
deter predators, and those chemical parts are what we exploit
the bacteria."  Luesch's team found that the bacteria's chemical
makeup has a benefit against a devastating