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Bug surprise for drug traffickers - Microbiology Today: May 2004 issue
May 17, 2004Bacteria could be the new weapon in the fight against drug trafficking, according to an article published in the May 2004 issue of Microbiology Today, the quarterly magazine for the Society for General Microbiology. Researchers at CNAP, University of York, have found bacteria that grow on heroin and morphine and believe that two special proteins from these bugs could be used to detect heroin.
"This is hugely important", explains Professor Neil Bruce of CNAP, "since the need for a rapid, hand-held detection system for use by Customs officers has never been greater."
The team have also found bacterial proteins that can be used to treat drug overdoses, while other proteins were found to improve the production of morphine-like painkillers.
Microbes have long been associated with drugs and this issue of Microbiology Today takes a look at the close relationship that microbes have with a wide range of drugs - from narcotics to antimicrobials. The introduction of antibacterial agents, chemical disinfectants and antiseptics, had already made significant improvements in public health, long before the famous discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming in the 1920's. Later developments brought antiviral and antifungal drugs, and studies of the immune system highlighted the promise offered by host defence peptides. Now genomics is helping in the quest for new drugs.
Other features in the May 2004 issue of Microbiology Today include:
Antimicrobials - where next? (page 55)
Antiviral drugs - a short history of their discovery and development (page 58)
Live and let die (page 62)
New drugs by manipulating Streptomyces genes (page 64)
Host defence peptides (page 70)
Structural pathogenomics (page 74)
Cold rush for drugs? (page 112)
These are just some of the articles that appear, together with all the regular features and reports of Society activities.
Society for General Microbiology
Peptides Current Events and Peptides News RSSResearcher invents lethal 'lint brush' to capture and kill cancer cells in the bloodstream
In a new tactic in the fight against cancer, Cornell researcher Michael King has developed what he calls a lethal "lint brush" for the blood -- a tiny, implantable device that captures and kills cancer cells in the bloodstream before they spread through the body.
Computation and genomics data drive bacterial research into new golden age
A potent combination of powerful new analysis methods and abundant data from genomics projects is carrying microbiology forward into a new era.
Leeds researchers reshape the future of drug discovery
Scientists in Leeds have devised a new way to create the next generation of man-made molecules in a breakthrough that could revolutionise drug development.
Conference report highlights new research into drug delivery to treat eye disease
Researchers are investigating microneedles, nanoparticles and polymer carriers as potential new techniques to combat the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness in the United States, according to a report from the Third Annual ARVO/Pfizer Ophthalmics Research Institute Conference.
Fatty diet during pregnancy makes new cells in fetal brain that cause early onset obesity
A study in rats shows that exposure to a high-fat diet during pregnancy produces permanent changes in the offspring's brain that lead to overeating and obesity early in life, according to new research by Rockefeller University scientists.
Lack of vitamin D linked to Parkinson's disease
A majority of Parkinson's disease patients had insufficient levels of vitamin D in a new study from Emory University School of Medicine.
Discovery of natural compounds that could slow blood vessel growth
Using computer models and live cell experiments, biomedical engineers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have discovered more than 100 human protein fragments that can slow or stop the growth of cells that make up new blood vessels.
Form of Crohn's disease traced to disabled gut cells
Scientists report online this week in Nature that they have linked the health of specialized gut immune cells to a gene associated with Crohn's disease, an often debilitating and increasingly prevalent inflammatory bowel disorder.
What can we do for prevention and therapy of anaerobe-associated infections?
Anaerobic microorganisms are important constituents of both human and animal intestinal microbiota. Infections caused by anaerobic bacteria are increasingly being recognized as major problem in clinical medicine.
Bio-imaging mass spectrometry techniques reveal molecular details about complex systems
Understanding biology at the systems level is difficult, especially when studying complex specimens like tissue slices or communities of organisms in a biofilm. Scientists must be able to identify, quantify and locate the molecules present in the samples.
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