A team of researchers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego uncovered a new compound that could one day ward off diseases such as anthrax and Staphylococcus aureus also known as ”MRSA.” Anthracimycin was discovered on a 2012 dive in Santa Barbara California, where a team headed by William Fenical of Scripps collected Streptmyces, a microorganism that produces the compound. Eluding to possible development of a drug that could be defensive against the use of anthrax in biological warfare and the importance of understanding our oceans Fenical adds: “The real importance of this work is the fact that anthracimycin has a new and unique chemical structure. The discovery of truly new antibiotic compounds is quite rare. This discovery adds to many previous discoveries that show that marine bacteria are genetically and chemically unique.” Marine Biomedicine is a new field founded by Fenical and its latest discovery adds intrigue to the field while increasing the need to better understand the complexities of marine life. Read more here!… More:
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