3-D Structure Of Anthrax Toxin Complex Solved

Scientists have determined a three-dimensional (3-D) molecular image of how anthrax toxin enters human cells, giving scientists more potential targets for blocking the toxin, the lethal part of anthrax bacteria. The finding also points to a possible way to design anthrax toxin molecules that selectively attack tumor cells, as described in the journal Nature published online July 4. The study, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, was led by Robert C. Liddington, Ph.D., of the Burnham Institute in La Jolla, CA. "This elegant work provides important new leads for the development of novel antitoxins to protect people from anthrax, a dangerous and serious bioterror threat," says NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. "It also leads us closer to therapies that could save lives late in the disease when large amounts of toxin are present and antibiotics are less effective."