|
 |
UMass Dartmouth professor on the front line vs.
terrorism
|
| RALPH BUSBY, Herald
News Staff Reporter |
February
16, 2002 |
|
| DARTMOUTH -- A University of Massachusetts
Dartmouth biochemist has been awarded $1.1 million to study botulism
poisoning, one of the most deadly bio-terrorism
threats. |
Over the next three years, Bal Ram Singh, the director of the
joint UMass Dartmouth/UMass Lowell doctoral program in chemistry,
will work on an effective antidote for botulism
poisoning.
Singh, who comes from India, compared the toxicity
of botulism to the venom of the cobra, the most deadly snake in his
homeland. Botulism, he said, is about 100 million times more
toxic.
Botulism poisoning works by attacking nerves and
blocking communication between nerves and muscles. This causes
paralysis, which eventually leads to an inability to
breathe.
Singh said some countries are able to produce the
bacteria in large amounts.
"There were 90,000 liters of this
material that were produced in Iraq in 1991," Singh said.
He
also said there have been two attempts to use it in Japan in the
last three years.
An antidote to botulism poisoning currently
exists, but it is time-consuming to create, has a limited shelf life
and is difficult to effectively use, Singh said.
The current
antidote can only be used once botulinum, the bacteria that produces
the toxin which causes botulism, is in the bloodstream. Singh will
work on an antidote that prevents botulinum from attaching itself to
nerves.
"If we can find the receptor than we can block the
receptor first," Singh said.
Singh added that in warfare, it
would take 10 soldiers to treat one who contracted botulism
poisoning with the current antidote.
People can get botulism
poisoning from canned or commercially prepared food. Although there
are only about 100 cases a year in the U.S., Singh said, those cases
are more expensive to treat than any other kind of food
poisoning.
Singh said the U.S. military has been interested
in a new antidote for botulism poisoning since before Sept. 11; he
said he first heard he would receive this grant over the
summer.
Botulinum can also be used for constructive purposes,
Singh said. He noted that it is used to treat migraines and that it
is used in a wrinkle treatment which will probably receive approval
from the federal Food and Drug Administration soon.
Singh
said he was happy to bring distinction to UMass Dartmouth and
southeastern Massachusetts.
UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Jean
F. MacCormick said the grant is the result of "tremendous growth" in
research activities at the school over the last five years.
Singh said people are mistaken if they think the university
is only an instructional school.
MacCormick noted that Singh
has distinguished himself in his field. He got the grant as a result
of more than a decade of hard work, she said.
"None of these
things are done in an instant," she said.
Ralph Busby may be
reached at rbusby@heraldnews.com.
|
| �The
Herald News 2002 |
|
|
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
.jpg){kind=small}
