Scientists in the US have found a potential drug to treat botulism, a deadly form of food poisoning and possible bioterrorism weapon. Kim Janda and colleagues at the Scripps Research Institute, California, have discovered an inhibitor of the toxic protein botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT/A) - a protein responsible for botulism. 

The team tested the inhibitor in a cell-based assay, where it proved effective against BoNT/A. The inhibitor works by preventing the cleavage of SNAP-25, a protein involved in synapse function, Janda said. It is the cleavage of this protein which can be fatal for humans - causing the paralysis of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles, said Janda. 

Although there are only a few hundred cases of botulism reported in the US each year, there is growing concern that botulinum neurotoxins could be used as biological warfare agents, Janda said. The proteins are 'considered category A agents by the US centers for disease control and prevention and are thus a top terrorist threat,' he explained. 'There are no antidotes; the only 'cure' is to be put on a respirator and it takes weeks before recovery.' 

In the future, the inhibitor will be investigated in vivo and, if successful, in clinical trials, said Janda. Also, a potential binding pocket of the inhibitor has been identified in a modelling study and this could be used as the basis of designing other inhibitors, Janda explained.

Alison Stoddart