Cosmic Chagas

From Jungle to Space in Pursuit of New Drugs

Dina Eng

November 2000

NY Times

This story, made widely available to the public via the New York Times, discusses a unique approach to finding an effective treatment for Chagas’ Disease. Around the turn of the century, two men of very different scientific backgrounds collaborated to bring together seemingly disparate disciplines in addressing this parasitic problem annually responsible for the deaths of nearly 45,000 people in the Latin American countries to which it is endemic.

Dr. Frank Chang-Diaz, a NASA astronaut with physicist training, and Dr. Jose Zaglul, head of the Earth Institute and several agricultural courses, postulated that an effective treatment compound might be found in the vast vegetation of the Amazon Rainforest in South America. To better target their search, the scientists needed to gain more information about the pathological mechanisms of the parasite itself. They decided that an outer space scientific laboratory would provide an optimal environment to explore such important issues due to its pure conditions, such as microgravity, that cannot easily be simulated on Earth.

After recruiting a band of supporters, the scientists made this endeavor a reality. Experiments on several space shuttle missions attempted to isolate proteins involved in the parasite’s mechanism of action, as well as focusing on a particular enzyme to elucidate its structure and function. They also tested various compounds for efficacy in inhibiting this enzyme (which was unnamed in the article). The most promising compound was derived from a rainforest tree called the Gumbo-Limbo tree, or Bursera simaruba.

Aside from potentially making inroads into finding a novel treatment for Chagas’ disease, this scientific investigation tied together several disciplines in an unprecedented manner. It made a connection between the space frontier, biodiversity, biomedicine, and more fields. The impact of these new connections may be felt in non-scientific realms as well, such as connecting South America to the space missions.

http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/28/health/from-jungle-to-space-in-pursuit-of-new-drugs.html