Okayama University Medical Research Updates （OU-MRU） Vol.91

June 23, 2021

Source: Okayama University (JAPAN), Public Relations Division
For immediate release: 23 June 2021
Okayama University research: Meeting high demand: Increasing the efficiency of antiviral drug production in bacteria.

(Okayama, 23 June) In a study published in the journal Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Biochemistry, researchers from Okayama University induce mutations in a bacterial strain to increase the production of an antiviral chemical it secretes.

The COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on the need for antiviral drugs which are effective in suppressing viruses. Sinefungin is one such antibiotic produced by the bacteria Streptomyces incarnatus NRRL8089 (S. incarnatus) and has shown efficacy against multiple viruses including the SARS coronavirus. However, to understand its full potential in clinical studies large quantities of the compound are required. Now, Professor TAMURA Takashi and his Okayama University research team have found a way to increase to triple the production efficiency of sinefungin by inducing multiple mutations in S. incarnatus.


For more information, please refer to the following URL.
http://www.okayama-u.ac.jp/eng/research_highlights/index_id137.html