A Connecticut pharmaceutical company has tapped Dr. Michael Cynamon, the VA’s chief of infectious disease, to test new drug compounds that have shown early promise against drug-resistant TB.
Cynamon and four of his colleagues are evaluating the new compounds in the lab. If their research yields favorable results, it could lead to testing in mice and humans.
If the compounds prove effective, it would be a major breakthrough, Cynamon said.
“The reality is in much of the developing world tuberculosis is a big problem,” he said.
TB is caused by bacteria that usually attack the lungs. If not treated properly, it can be fatal.
While there is little of the disease in the United States, a drug-resistant form of TB is spreading rapidly in many other parts of the world.
An estimated 1.3 million people died of TB in 2008, according to the World Health Organization. About 440,000 people had drug-resistant TB in 2008 and a third of them died, according to WHO. Asia is bearing the brunt of the epidemic.
Drug-resistant forms of TB develop when patients take their medications irregularly or are prescribed the wrong drug regimen.
Cynamon and his colleagues are doing the work for Achillion Pharmaceuticals, a New Haven, Conn. biopharmaceutical company. The National Institutes of Health is funding the work. The VA is getting about $30,000 for its work and that number could grow significantly if the compounds prove to be effective, he said.
If the new antibacterial compounds discovered by Achillion work, it could take seven to 10 years to get a drug approved and licensed, Cynamon said.
Cynamon is nationally known for his infectious disease research and has worked with Achillion in the past. He’s also done research on compounds that target HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. He also runs an HIV clinic at the VA.
The VA has a biosafety level 3 lab which is designed to allow researchers to work with agents which could cause serious or deadly disease if inhaled. “We have a level of lab specialization that is not available everywhere,” he said.
Contact James T. Mulder at 470-2245 or firstname.lastname@example.org.