Mitchell Snyder

Bio 1090

News Analysis

In an article from the New York Times, scientist have found a potential
antibiotic from the blood of a Komodo Dragon. The scientist isolated a
substance found in the blood and created a chemical compound called
DRGN-1. They then tested DRGN-1 on mice that had two types of bacteria
found within skin wounds. The chemical compound had three advantageous
qualities. It punched holes in the outer membranes of both gram-negative
and gram-positive bacteria, it dissolved the biofilms that glue bacteria
together, and it sped skin healing (McNeil,2017).
This study was published in the Biofilms and Microbiomes journal. The
abstract from the journal shows the bacteria tested and the results. It
showed that DRGN-1 did as the original article said and had considerable
antimicrobial and anti-biofilm properties.
The results were very significant and the researchers are now
advocating for drug industry backing. With more and more strains of bacteria
becoming drug resistant, the need for new antibiotics is at an all-time high. If
DRGN-1 can be used in a medicinal application it will provide a new way to
fight bacteria.
The work and study of DRGN-1 was provided by the militarys Defense
Threat Reduction Agency. This article was published yesterday and I have
not found any information regarding any other scientists disagreeing with the
study and development of DRGN-1.
Before reading this article, I had previous knowledge of Komodo
Dragons having a poisonous toxin found in their saliva but had no inclination
of their blood having antibacterial properties. I now find myself thinking
about what other advantageous effects we could find from animals that can
heal themselves in very dirty/poor conditions. Also, the article does bring up
the question of ethics being used when finding these discoveries within
animals. I chose this article simply because of the interesting title. The
captivating opening line of the piece is as follows: Biochemists may have
discovered a type of antibiotic that sounds like something out of a fairy tale:
It is based on dragon blood (McNeil,2017).
I believe this was a well written and informational piece. The author
provided information on a very hot topic within the science and healthcare
fields. He covered why the Komodo Dragons were specimens of interest,
being that they can heal themselves from injury very quickly and in a very
dirty environment. This pushed researchers to study what makes them
capable of that. He also explains that the scientists tested the new chemical
compound against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria to describe
how it works. Overall, this was a successful and enoyable article.
Mitchell Snyder
Bio 1090

References

Mcneil, D. G. (2017, April 17). In a Dragons Blood, Scientists Discover a

Potential Antibiotic. Retrieved April 18, 2017, from
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/17/health/komodo-dragon-blood-
antibiotics.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection
%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=scienceion=stream&module
=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=6&pgtype=sectionfront&_
r=0