CHENNAI: The Tuberculosis Research Centre (TRC) in the city, on Wednesday, announced that it had isolated a molecule that fights both tuberculosis and some strains of HIV. Researchers isolated the molecule from a marine microorganism Streptomyces sp found in soil collected near coral reefs off the Rameshwaram coast. They found that the molecule was effective against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes most forms of TB. The molecule also acts against the B and C strains of HIV, that are the most common. The TRC collaborated with Periyar University and IIT-Madras on the research which first began in 2008.Dr Vanaja Kumar, the principal investigator, and head of department of Bacteriology, TRC, said the compound had been named Transitmycin. “This one was selected as it was from an extreme environment which man is not part of, and therefore cannot be immune to. It is also pigmented and has a simple structure with a small molecule.”These factors meant the molecule could be easily absorbed by the human body and if developed into a drug, it’s side effects would be minimal. According to Dr Mukesh Doble, of the department of Biotechnology, IIT- Madras, a co-investigator on the project, as Transitmycin was a simple compound, its structure could be changed every few years. “This will help in preventing resistance from forming,” he said pointing out that the bacteria causing TB had developed a multidrug resistance making the effective treatment of patients more difficult. Dr Luke Elizabeth Hanna, scientist, TRC had also started testing the new molecule on the most common HIV strain in India — HIV C. Over the last two weeks, she found that it the molecule had an inhibitory action on the virus. “This is a breakthrough,” she says, “Those with HIV are very prone to TB. Some drugs for TB cannot be given at the same time as the treatment for HIV. When developed, this would have the potential to be a single cure for both diseases.”The next stage of research would involve pre-clinical trials and animal and human testing. Dr Vanaja said that the molecule had been tested on human cell lines. “The toxicity is within permissible levels. We have filed a patent for intellectual property rights and have requested funding.” Dr Doble estimated that a minimum of `200 to `300 crore would be required for the next stages.Dr Vanaja added that a drug made with the molecule would not be ready for the next seven to 10 years. “TB is a disease which develops slowly in both animals and humans. So the clinical trial will take longer,” she said. “Even if we find a more effective cure, we will continue research on Transitmycin. The world could do with many different medicines against TB,” she added.
Comments
0 comment