On Sat, 7 May 2005 02:10:37 +0200, "Dolf Geldof" <d.geldof at hccnet.nl>
wrote:
>Anybody heard anything NEW about this subject since the BBC documentary in
>2000 and this info of March 2002?
>>PEPTIDE ANTIBIOTICS see: http://www.oism.org/ddp/ddpnews/ddpmar02.htm>>BBC film producer Jill Fullerton-Smith, while taping a documentary about
>crocodiles, made a startling observation: Australian salt-water crocodiles
>fight constantly, inflict horrible wounds on each other, but never get
>infected. The experts had no explanation. Analyzing a blood sample, Dr. Gill
>Diamond of New Jersey Medical School, found a peptide that ``blew away
>bacteria'' without damaging normal cells. The peptide is called crocodillin
>(Sunday Times 3/17/00).
>>Will this be developed for possible human use? About 10 years of
>bureaucratic delay and a cost of some $800 million stand in the way.
There are many of these peptide antibiotics, from various organisms.
To my knowledge, they are not yet being developed. I am not sure what
the hurdles are (beyond of course what you note). It may well be that,
as ordinary peptides, they are suitable for only topical use, and thus
would, have limited usefulness. Chemists could attempt to make more
stable analogs that might work systemically, but that would increase
the cost -- of development, and probably of production.
bob
