PHARMA MAR SA

Their core work

PharmaMar is a Spanish biopharmaceutical company specializing in discovering and developing anticancer drugs derived from marine organisms. They are one of the world's leading companies in marine-based drug discovery, with approved oncology treatments on the market. In H2020 projects, they contribute expertise in marine bioactive compounds, marine enzyme applications, and pediatric oncology preclinical research, bridging the gap between ocean biodiversity and therapeutic or industrial applications.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

PharmaMar's early H2020 involvement (2015-2019) centered on marine biodiscovery — mining extremophile enzymes, genomics, and bioactive compounds from ocean environments. Their later projects shifted toward two distinct directions: pediatric cancer preclinical platforms (ITCC-P4) and engineered biosurfactants from natural sources (SECRETed). This evolution suggests a move from raw marine biodiscovery toward more applied, translational work — both in oncology and in industrial biotechnology derived from marine biology.

PharmaMar is expanding from pure marine drug discovery into engineered bio-based compounds and pediatric oncology platforms, signaling interest in both industrial biotech applications and precision medicine collaborations.

How they like to work

PharmaMar consistently participates as a partner rather than leading consortia — zero coordinator roles across four projects. They work in large, diverse consortia (79 unique partners across 18 countries), suggesting they are valued as a specialist contributor rather than a project driver. This makes them a reliable partner to invite when marine biology or oncology expertise is needed, though they are unlikely to take on consortium management responsibilities.

PharmaMar has collaborated with 79 unique partners across 18 countries, giving them a broad European network. Their partnerships span academic institutions, research centers, and pharma companies involved in marine biology and oncology research.

What sets them apart

PharmaMar occupies a rare niche as one of very few large pharmaceutical companies globally whose core business is discovering drugs from marine organisms. This gives them unmatched access to marine compound libraries, screening infrastructure, and regulatory experience in bringing ocean-derived molecules to market. For consortium builders, they offer a direct bridge between academic marine research and commercial pharmaceutical development — a combination that is extremely hard to replicate.

Highlights from their portfolio

• INMARE
  Large-scale marine enzyme mining project connecting extremophile genomics to industrial biocatalysis — directly aligned with PharmaMar's core marine biodiscovery competence.
• ITCC-P4
  Major pediatric cancer preclinical platform (2017-2023) involving organoids, PDX models, and biomarker discovery — shows PharmaMar's reach into precision oncology beyond marine biology.
• SECRETed
  Most recent project (2021-2025) and highest single funding (EUR 334,730), representing their move into engineered biosurfactants and 'design-build-test' synthetic biology approaches.