UK POSSIBLE BREAKTHROUGH IN TREATING TB : Why azoles??

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UK POSSIBLE BREAKTHROUGH IN TREATING TB

Category: Science & Technology

MANCHESTER, UK - 2 April 2007

http://www.bsn.org.uk/view_all.php?id=12784

British scientists say one of the world's most infectious deadly

diseases may be defeated by common drugs used daily to combat fungal

infections.

BSN: 0714A

STORY: TB TREATMENT

LOCATION: MANCHESTER, UK

DATE SHOT: MARCH 29, 2007

TXM DATE: April 2, 2007

AUDIO: NATURAL SOUND AND ENGLISH SPEECH

DURATION: 3:35

SHOT LIST:

(University of Manchester, UK, 29 March 2007 & archive BSN 0612E

March 24, 2006)

1. GVs of clinics and hospitals in Malawi

2. GVs of laboratory at the University of Manchester

3. GVs interior, Manchester Biocentre

4. SOT (English speech) Super: Professor Munro, Manchester

Interdisciplinary Biocentre

" Tuberculosis in the UK and many other developed countries … "

5. GVs of laboratory at the University of Manchester

6. SOT (English speech) Super: Professor Munro, Manchester

Interdisciplinary Biocentre

" Whether azoles will transpire to be drugs … "

7. GVs of laboratory at the University of Manchester

8. SOT (English speech) Super: Professor Munro, Manchester

Interdisciplinary Biocentre

" What we've done is use a bit of common sense … "

9. GVs of clinics and hospitals in China

SUGGESTED INTRO:

British scientists say one of the world's most infectious deadly

diseases may be defeated by common drugs used daily to combat fungal

infections.

Researchers at the University of Manchester's new 38 million pound

purpose built Biocentre say the treatment seems to be effective even

against new, drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis.

TB, a highly contagious lung disease, was thought to have been

virtually eliminated by the 1960s, but has seen a resurgence in the

past 20 years, especially among AIDS sufferers.

SCRIPT:

Tuberculosis is a leading cause of death among HIV sufferers, but is

no longer confined to Africa and other parts of the world where AIDS

is endemic. Once thought to be virtually eliminated in the West, TB

[tuberculosis] has been on the increase across the globe for the

past 20 years. The World Health Organisation now estimates a third

of the planet's population is infected, a number which is said to be

growing at the rate of one new infection every second.

The University of Manchester, in the north of England, has recently

opened a GBP 38 million pound `Biocentre', devoted to multi-

disciplinary researches in life sciences.

SOT (English speech) Super: Professor Munro, Manchester

Interdisciplinary Biocentre

" Tuberculosis in the UK and many other developed countries was

virtually eradicated, perhaps 30, 40 years ago. The trouble was it

was never completely eradicated, and the real problem kicked in with

the spread of AIDS and the development of the AIDS virus, because

HIV leaves the patient severely compromised of course, destroys the

immune system, and that means it's just waiting for an opportunist

pathogen like tuberculosis to come on in. That has been compounded

by the development of drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis which

have come on the scene in the last decade or so, and together, this

means there's been a massive worldwide spread of TB and, more

importantly, drug and multi-drug resistant strains of tuberculosis. "

Led by Professor Munro, this team of researchers has already

identified a new compound that seems to be effective against even

drug resistant strains of TB.

They've found that a class of drugs called azoles, already in use to

fight common fungal infections like thrush, is particularly good at

killing the TB bacterium. They published their findings, and

immediately attracted interest from a major pharmaceutical company.

SOT (English speech) Super: Professor Munro, Manchester

Interdisciplinary Biocentre

" Whether azoles will transpire to be drugs that make it to the

marketplace and are widely used it's very preliminary to say,

because we have a sort of five or six year lead-in time for

evaluating the exact targets for these drugs, trying to figure out

if we can have new variants of the drugs which will be effective, so

it's a little premature to say, but in mice models, work in India

actually has shown that many azoles, or at least one azole in

particular is extremely effective at clearing tuberculosis from

mice. Mice aren't humans unfortunately, but it's the beginning of

steps in the right direction to validate them. "

The team still has much basic science to do before any kind of

breakthrough can be claimed. But while a cure is still a long way

off, the prospects are good for future research

SOT (English speech) Super: Professor Munro, Manchester

Interdisciplinary Biocentre

" What we've done is use a bit of common sense, scientific common

sense, and open people's eyes to the fact that existing drugs, or

existing classes of drugs could be effective anti-tubercular

treatments. Our problem now is to push that further, is to make sure

that we test the drugs properly, identify the targets and that this

all marches forward ad that these things can be used effectively in

clinical situations. "

The World health Organisation estimates close to 2 million people

died from tuberculosis in 2004. Work at the University of Manchester

may lead to a prevention strategy that could be as simple as taking

a few pills.

(RB/mn)