Kris-Kandarpa-Introductionb PPt
Kandarpa MD PhD
Kris Kandarpa MD PhD
One million years ago Rano Kau Volcano erupted violently through the Nazca tectonic plate beneath the South Pacific Ocean creating part of present day Rapa Nui. In recent history, the island has gained notoriety as a poster-child for man-made ecological disasters. In the middle of the 20th Century, scientists were curious as to why native islanders, who walked barefoot over the sharp surfaces of volcanic rock, did not acquire tetanus. Attempting to solve this mystery, a group of them collected soil samples from several locations on the island. In 1972, soil samples found on the far side of Rano Kau crater were discovered to contain the bacterium Streptomyces hygroscopicus, which produced the antibiotic Rapamycin, named for the island of its origin. Rapamycin was the mythical ‘pot of gold’ at the end of the rainbow – scientific studies soon showed that it exhibited multiple properties including antibacterial activity, antifungal and immunosuppressive effects. Although counterintuitive, a sample of rapamycin was shipped to the National Institute of Health for anti-tumor activity screening. Rapamycin was found to inhibit the growth of a number of tumor cell lines, and was declared a priority drug by the NCI. Since then, Rapamycin has found several medical applications beyond cancer including auto-immune diseases, organ transplantation, cardiovascular disease (coated vascular stents), and diabetes. Recent studies in mice suggest that rapamycin may prolong life span. Today the crater is off limits to humans – and it stands as a monument to nature’s destructive & creative forces. Kris Kandarpa MD PHd
Kris Kandarpa MD PhD
Kris Kandarpa MD PhD
Kris Kandarpa MD PhD
Kris Kandarpa MD PhD
Kris Kandarpa MD PhD
