A TEAM of researchers from the school Of
biotechnology of Madurai Kamaraj
University (MKU) in Tamil Nadu, has
developed a new drug that could relieve
the burden of treatment expenses for
cancer patients. They have developed an
inexpensive version of the anti-cancer
antibiotic, adriamycin, which is being
imported currently. The team developed an improved strain of the microbe,
Streptomyces pencethius, from which the
antibiotic is developed. Adriamycin is
expensive because the medium used to
grow it costs a neat packet.
The researchers at MKu have used an
inexpensive material called chitin to
grow the microbial strain. When chitin
is added, the microbe produces an
enzyme called chitinase. Chitin is a
polymer which has to be broken into
monomers having both carbon and
nitrogen resources. The microbe grows
on the broken down products of chitin
and produces the antibiotic.
Adriamycin is effective against several
types of lymphomas. The team is also
working on developing derivatives with
minimal side effects.
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