Researchers set sights on new target against tuberculosis
Scientists continue to find new, more efficient ways of attacking disease-causing germs, and the research may lead to novel drugs available through Canadian and international pharmacies.
Scientists continue to find new, more efficient ways of attacking disease-causing germs, and the research may lead to novel drugs available through Canadian and international pharmacies. One such pathogen is Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes TB. A study team from Silicon Valley has identified a potential new target for tackling this bacterium.
The pathogens need an enzyme known as DNA gyrase to live, according to scientists at SRI International. The enzyme is made of two subunits: gyrase A, which is targeted by antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin, and gyrase B. A team from SRI International is trying to create the first antibiotic to designed for gyrase B, which, when attacked, causes both active and dormant TB bacteria to die in the lab, as published in the November issue of the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.
"One of the greatest needs in infectious disease treatment is a drug that allows a shorter length of treatment," said Peter Madrid, Ph.D., of SRI Biosciences Division. "Though our program is still in the preclinical phase of research, with a number of years of required testing ahead, our goal is to develop a drug that will improve the treatment process for TB patients."
Some people who contract TB may carry a latent infection, in which they do not have symptoms and are not contagious, but remain in danger of developing an active infection., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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