Bacitacin is a new hope in the fight against serious viral diseases. Dr. Kamila Stokowa-Sołtys discovered a new use of this antibiotic. Until now, antibiotics were drugs that had therapeutic use only in the case of diseases caused by bacteria.
Antibiotics are substances that act on bacteria and most often cause their death by changing the metabolism of these microorganisms. In her doctoral thesis, Dr. Kamila Stokowa-Sołtys conducted research on the properties of antibiotics, including bacitracin, and found that this particular agent has the ability to degrade virus RNA (thus destroying the virus).
Potential viral diseases that can be treated with bacitracin include AIDS, hepatitis and polio, and topical application will be able to fight rapidly multiplying DNA viruses such as the herpes virus.
Bacitracin was the only one of the tested antibiotics to show the property of RNA acid degradation. It is not known yet why bacitracin is so unique and its mechanism of action is unknown. Initial in vitro studies were conducted. There is still a long way to go to in vivo tests on living organisms, but as Dr. Kamila Stokowa-Sołtys claims, the preliminary results are very promising.
The road from the discovery of a new molecule with a potentially therapeutic effect to its appearance as a drug in a pharmacy is very long, as it takes about 10-15 years. Bacitracin is a drug that is already used, so the tests that should be carried out, among others: to confirm its effectiveness, will be shorter. The factor that now limits the entire process is money – the need for huge financial outlays for conducting appropriate research.
The research carried out by Dr. Kamila Stokowa-Sołtys was carried out as part of the Biotechnologies and Advanced Medical Technologies – BioMed project of the Wrocław Research Center EIT +. She was awarded the first prize in the Innovation is a Woman competition, thanks to which she will represent Poland at the 2014th International Exhibition of Inventions and Innovative Technologies Archimedes XNUMX in Moscow.
source: http://www.tvn24.pl/