Magic Bullets

1. Magic Bullets Prevention is better than Cure Unless you have got the Disease!

2. Prevention • Cause • Cure

3. Behring’s Biological Bullets • Part of Koch’s research team • He recognised that animals try to produce anti-bodies to fight any invading bacteria • He successfully identified the anti-bodies that fought Diphtheria • Removed the clotting agents • Injected it into infected people • The anti-bodies killed the germs but nothing else • Magic Bullet

4. Salvarsan 606 • Paul Ehrlich • Part of Koch’s staining team • Had worked with Behring • He wanted to create a chemical version of the Behring’s anti-bodies • Chemicals which killed the germs but nothing else • Using Dyes to kill the Syphilis Bacteria • These were not harmful enough to the germs • He switched to Arsenic compounds • After 605 attempts at varying the dosage they still had no luck • Compound 606 worked • They nearly missed it! Only when Hata retested it

5. Prontosil • Gerhardt Domagk • Experimented with Dyes to fight Blood Poisoning • Some reasonable success using mice • His daughter accidentally chased her Guinea Pig into his research room and infected herself with some contaminated blood • Domagk was forced to try out his discovery • Luckily it worked • The second chemical bullet had been discovered

6. Industrialising Production of the Magic Bullets • How did Prontosil work • What was the active ingredient of Prontosil • Electron Microscope invented 1931 • Sulphanomide • Extracted from Coal Tar • Sulphanomides adapted by Drug Companies • Scarlet fever, meningitis, Gonorrhoea, Pneumonia • See graph page 155 for effectiveness of sulphanomides

7. Penicillin – The Guided Missile • Most infections caused by the powerful germs: • Staphylococci • Streptococci • No drugs effectively killed these germs • Infections would spread across the whole body • Death likely

8. Alexander Fleming’s Accidental Discovery • In 1928, Fleming was researching the Staphylococci germ • He had lots of Culture plates lying around (in the sink) • He went on holiday and left the window ajar • On his return and before he cleaned up, he noticed that the Staphylococci on one of the plates had been killed off • He immediately rushed to see what was responsible • A small fungus called Penicillium had blown through the window • He wrote a paper explaining what had happened but he could not figure out a way of growing the fungus

9. Mass Producing Penicillin • Howard Florey and Ernst Chain • Read Fleming’s paper with interest • World War II broke out in 1939 • Government grants to discover a way of growing Penicillium • The Milk Bottle Process • They needed as much surface area as possible to grow the mould • Slowly gathered a few grams of penicillin

10. Does it work? • Testing process of Penicillin • On mice • 8 mice were injected with Staphylococci • 4 were given Penicillin, 4 were not • Which 4 died? • On a policeman in 1941 • With a spreading infection • Immediately he improved but there was not enough Penicillin to give him • Recycled through his urine • Unfortunately, he died as the dosage required was more than they had. • Obviously, it was a very powerful drug, but it was so hard to produce

11. The USA Helps Out • Research was difficult in war torn Britain • Florey was sent to the USA to continue his research • Spores were spread on his jacket • December 1941 • US Government invests $80 Million • 4 Multi-National Drug companies were told that the development of Penicillin was their top priority • Huge factories were set up to mass produce the fungus • 1943 • Field Trials in North Africa • 1944 • Enough to supply all the casualties on D-Day • The Germans relied on the inferior Sulphanomides for the duration of the war