Cure: Old and New

October 22nd, 2008 • Related • Filed Under
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Scientists have it that there are still millions of diseases to be discovered. A never-ending search and development of antibiotics and cure drugs has been their main goal and eighty years after the discovery of penicillin, researchers say they are on the verge of developing a new class of antibiotics. First isolated decades ago from naturally occurring antibacterial substances in soil (ever wonder if microscopes can be linked to a CCTV equipment for better viewing?), a group of antibiotic compounds have been described. This compound called myxopyronin show great promise and has been synthesized in the lab and shown to be safe in animal trials but has not been tested on humans yet. Cell-based experiments suggest that it is potent enough to kill a wide range of stubborn bugs, including drug-resistant stains of tuberculosis and the deadly type of staph known as MRSA. So much for using really old drugs to fight very new diseases!

  

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