ID :
200788
Fri, 08/12/2011 - 01:49
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/200788
The shortlink copeid
S. Korean scientists discover better way to treat meningitis
SEOUL (Yonhap) - South Korean research teams have found a way to eliminate the cause of meningitis in the human body, a discovery that may help develop new and significantly better drugs for the life-threatening disease, the science ministry said Friday.
Existing antifungal drugs work against cryptococcus, a genus of fungus known to be a main cause of meningitis, but their effects are limited as both mammals, including humans, and the fungus are made of eukaryotic cells, whose nuclei are surrounded by protective membranes, according to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
"Because both fungi and mammals are made of eukaryotic cells and have very similar biological pathways, it was difficult to develop fungi-specific drugs," it said in a press release.
However, the teams, one led by Prof. Kang Hyun-ah of Chung-Ang University and another headed by Prof. Bahn Yong-sun of Yonsei University, have confirmed genes that control unfolded protein response (UPR) of cryptococcus have different structures from those of human genes with similar functions.
The discovery, the first in the world, could lead to the development of drugs that specifically target UPR control genes in cryptococcus, Kang said.
"Once UPR control genes are blocked, cryptococcus can no longer multiply or survive at the temperature of a human body," the Chung-Ang University professor told Yonhap News Agency in a telephone interview.
The South Korean researchers are seeking to acquire domestic and international patents on their discovery for future development of new antifungal drugs.
Their paper was published Friday on the Internet site of PLoS Pathogens, a journal published by the U.S.-based Public Library of Science.
The global market for antifungal drugs currently amounts to about US$13 billion a year, according to the science ministry. It is expected to grow 4.5 percent annually as the number of meningitis patients is fast increasing due to the increasing number of AIDS patients with weakened immune systems.
Existing antifungal drugs work against cryptococcus, a genus of fungus known to be a main cause of meningitis, but their effects are limited as both mammals, including humans, and the fungus are made of eukaryotic cells, whose nuclei are surrounded by protective membranes, according to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.
"Because both fungi and mammals are made of eukaryotic cells and have very similar biological pathways, it was difficult to develop fungi-specific drugs," it said in a press release.
However, the teams, one led by Prof. Kang Hyun-ah of Chung-Ang University and another headed by Prof. Bahn Yong-sun of Yonsei University, have confirmed genes that control unfolded protein response (UPR) of cryptococcus have different structures from those of human genes with similar functions.
The discovery, the first in the world, could lead to the development of drugs that specifically target UPR control genes in cryptococcus, Kang said.
"Once UPR control genes are blocked, cryptococcus can no longer multiply or survive at the temperature of a human body," the Chung-Ang University professor told Yonhap News Agency in a telephone interview.
The South Korean researchers are seeking to acquire domestic and international patents on their discovery for future development of new antifungal drugs.
Their paper was published Friday on the Internet site of PLoS Pathogens, a journal published by the U.S.-based Public Library of Science.
The global market for antifungal drugs currently amounts to about US$13 billion a year, according to the science ministry. It is expected to grow 4.5 percent annually as the number of meningitis patients is fast increasing due to the increasing number of AIDS patients with weakened immune systems.
