Words about science and hiking
The short answer is no. Although nearly all plants contain antimicrobial compounds, these compounds are present only at low concentrations. Diet certainly influences microbiome composition. But this influence works through the availability of foods that different bacteria prefer. “Food antibiotics” are not a thing. Sloppy health journalists are responsible for the confusion. They often call Read More …
As a lifelong devotee of fermented malt beverages it pains me to say that this is not a great idea. Why? Because: All drugs are poisons Alcohol is also a poison Mixing two poisons is never going to lead to a good outcome. More specifically, the same enzymes that break down alcohol in the liver often either Read More …
Today’s sci journo fail is a bonus entry – it is also a history fail. The title, “COLONIALISTS ARE COMING FOR BLOOD—LITERALLY” pretty well sums up the argument: taking blood samples for therapeutic and diagnostic development purposes is exactly the same as stealing diamonds, gold, timber, arable land and people from poorer countries. Please. Blood Read More …
Let’s step back a bit on this question. We care about antibiotics and antibiotic resistance because they impact our ability to avoid suffering and death due to bacterial infections. Antibiotics are just a means to an end. Antibiotic resistance blocks one path to that end, but it is just one path; there are others. I’ll Read More …
I promised that rather than just bitching about crappy phage therapy papers I would offer some thoughts about applications where PT could be successful and have an impact. None of my suggestions will have the drama of PT swooping in to rescue a dying patient for whom doctors had given up all hope. But they Read More …
Maryn McKenna – one of the better science journalists out there – is the culprit this time. One might argue in her defense that she is simply relaying the views of a top expert, in this case Kevin Outterson of CARB-X who said “…every antibiotic we count on now will be destroyed…antibiotics will be crushed.” Read More …
Published on Forbes and Apple News There’s little question that we have been suckered into taking far more medicine than we actually require. But let’s face it – we want to be suckered. We ask for it, we demand it, and we get it. Pharma companies are enablers, but they are not all-powerful overlords forcing us to Read More …
A hundred years of phage therapy has produced many claims for its utility. Almost none of these claims are backed up by compelling evidence. By “compelling” I mean randomized controlled trials, rather than anecdotes or case studies. The problem with case studies in infectious diseases is that most patients get well on their own, even Read More …
After decades of stagnation, I believe we are witnessing a renaissance of antibiotic discovery research. There are two principal factors driving a resurgence in antibiotic discovery today: availability of public funding, and application of rational design and systems biology approaches. For several decades now, antibiotics have been (and remain) a medium-risk/low-reward proposition for drug developers. Read More …
Most news about the science and business of antibiotic development is bad. Major pharmas continue to drop their antibiotic R&D programs. Those that remain are not being rewarded: of the 16 antibiotics approved 2000-2017, only 5 had sales of more than $100M. That might seem like a lot of money to you or me, but Read More …