Learn what the connection is between the famous book, “The Alchemist” and the antifungal, Nystatin.
Okay so that’s what happens good book what does the book the alchemist and the anti-fungal drug nystatin have in common before we go any further there will be spoilers so if you haven’t read the book stop the video go read the book then come back and continue your viewing if you’ve read the book or you don’t care carry on watching this video now in the book the
Alchemist is the story of a young boy’s search for treasure a cursed treasure of cortez himself what’s this got to do with nystatin well nystatin is an anti-fungal and much like other antifungals and antibacterials it is bacterial in origin now in the natural environment fungi and bacteria live cheek by jowl and they’re competing for natural resources and they
Develop chemical weapons to annihilate each other so they can get all those resources to themselves we humans exploit this and we purify those chemical weapons to produce antifungals and antibacterials now let’s get back to the story of the discovery of nystatin it’s a long forgotten story of the work of two female scientists probably why is not that well known
Much like the work of rosalind franklin and the discovery of dna now after the discovery made by alexander fleming of penicillin during world war ii doctors treating injured soldiers noticed that they were no longer dying from bacterial infections but they were still succumbing to fungal infections caused by the fungi candida albicans and cryptococcus neo-formans
So elizabeth hazen was tasked by the division of laboratories and research of the new york state department of health to find an antifungal so she set up her lab and she received soil samples from exotic locations and she went about analyzing the soil samples and any potential sample that showed promise she would send to her colleague rachel brown a chemist
In albany new york state rachel brown will then purify that sample create an anti-fungal drug and send it back to elizabeth hazen so she can test it in animals in a matter of a few years they tested thousands of samples and yes they did find some that could actually kill the bacteria but they were also too toxic to the animals but after a few years they hit the
Jackpot they found a drug that not only killed the fungi but was also safe to use in animals and humans and where did they find that micro organism that created that chemical weapon it was from a soil sample taken from the garden of one of elizabeth hazen’s friend jessie norse and so she named the bacteria after her streptomyces nursey so be nice to scientists
They may name a bacteria after you so the two scientists elizabeth hazen and rachel brown then presented their findings in 1950 in the new york meeting at the national academy of sciences this attracted the attention of big pharma and consequently the women became rich and famous and to their credit reinvested in a non-profit to continue their research they then
Named the drug nystatin after the new york state department of health so much like the young boy santiago in the alchemist who searched the whole world for treasure only to find it at home the two researchers elizabeth hazen and rachel brown found their own pot of gold in their friend’s backyard there’s no place like home there’s no place like home now nystatin
Is still widely used today usually to treat oral thrash or oral candidiasis nystatin is still a popular drug today with 573 043 items being dispensed in the uk in 2021 at a cost of one million one hundred and forty nine thousand 462 pounds and 74 pence
Transcribed from video
What does the book Alchemist and Nystatin Have in Common? #antifungal #antibiotics By National Medical Education Training (NMET)