Anthrax Bacteria Killed By Simple Sugar Compound Called Cyclodextrin. Is CDC Looking Into This?

We all remember the Anthrax-laced letters that killed five people and severely rattled the country post-9/11. Just when you thought there might not be a way to stop this lethal infectious disease along comes beta cyclodextrin, a non toxic sugar compound.

A researcher by the name of Vladimir Karginov at a company called Innovative Biologics is working with beta cyclodextrin and Anthrax.  Karginov has designed and synthesized a number of beta-cyclodextrin derivatives and evaluated their ability to inhibit the lethal toxin action of Anthrax.  Several compounds displayed anti-toxin activity at low micromolar concentrations in cell-based assays and preliminary toxicity and efficacy studies in rodents produced very promising results.  You can read about the research project here.

Anthrax is a highly lethal and infectious disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis, a bacteria that forms spores, or dormant cells, which can come to life under the right temperature, nutrients and other conditions to allow growth. Anthrax occurs in humans after exposure to an infected animal or infected animal tissue or when anthrax spores are used as a bioterrorist weapon.   There are some effective vaccines against anthrax, and some forms of the disease respond well to antibiotic treatment shortly after exposure. But there is need for new, safe and effective treatments approved by the FDA to supplement traditional intravenous and oral antibiotic therapy such ciprofloxacin (cipro), doxycycline or vancomycin.

I have now reported on beta cyclodextrins ability to kill the HIV AIDS virus and now the deadly Anthrax bacterium.  This same non toxic sugar compound is also being used to treat my 5 year old identical twins who have a fatal cholesterol metabolism disorder called Niemann Pick Type C, or the “childhood Alzheimer’s.”

What other lethal bacterias and viruses does this non toxic cyclodextrin compound kill?   What does the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention and the United States Department of Health and Human Services know about cyclodextrin and are they studying it?

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Cyclodextrin As A Therapeutic “Drug” For HIV AIDS, Niemann Pick Type C and other Viruses

Addi and Cassi’s first round of cyclodextrin infusions have been going smoothly at Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nevada.   We’re now into our third day of continuous infusions of hydroxy propel beta cyclodextrin (HPBCD) into the girls’ bloodstreams and they don’t seem to be experiencing any negative side effects.    I feel as if it’s having a positive and immediate effect.  Addi was talking yesterday afternoon and stringing together more than one word — “I like my toys, I’m brave enough, I need your help, “Bye” to Dr. Hastings, and “Ad” for her name Addison.  Even Cassi came out with a few words - “Mommy, No.”     This is quite encouraging to us but we’re not yet sure if it’s a result of the cyclodextrin treatment.

Addi and Cassi’s blood work-ups have come back “normal” following the cyclodextrin infusions.  There was a slight elevation in both girls’ eosinophils after 24 hours but it was minor.   We also had to change Addi’s port access needle as it was not working properly and we were unable to draw blood.   Unfortunately, we had to re-install the needle on her chest without any numbing cream.  Ouch!

I found out this morning that researchers were looking at the same cyclodextrin (HPBCD) and Niemann Pick Type C disease back in 1996 — 13 years ago!   I received this information from a scientist in Europe and I almost had a heart attack when I read the scientific abstract.

Somehow cyclodextrin research as it relates to Niemann Pick Type C was not thoroughly pursued with all angles exhausted by scientists.   This simply can not happen again — not only for Niemann Pick Type C disease but for HIV/AIDS and potentially other viruses like Herpes that are inactivated and killed by cyclodextrin.

I worry about the future of cyclodextrin research.  We can’t count on pharmaceutical companies to research cyclodextrin or bring therapeutic products with cyclodextrin to people as they are focused on profits and patents on new drugs that take millions of dollars and years to make.   Cyclodextrin is an inexpensive and non-toxic compound that can be deployed tomorrow — far too EASY!   But the HIV/AIDS pharma companies should be watching cyclodextrin very closely.  I believe the smart ones will start investing into research and try and create new patents around cyclodextrin since the Niemann Pick Type C cholesterol gene/protein on Chromosome 18 is the culprit in HIVs ability to assemble itself in the human body.

It’s time that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of AIDS Research or the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention or some other government agency steps in and redirects money into cyclodextrin research to study this potentially life-saving compound that has very broad applications.

I am also asking for help from private citizens and global foundations such as The Gates Foundation, The Clinton Foundation, Elton John AIDS Foundation, amfAR and One.org to step in and help by taking a closer look at cyclodextrin and it’s relationship to cholesterol metabolism and killer viruses like HIV/AIDS.   We must make sure cyclodextrin is properly tested as a therapeutic agent whether money can be made from it or not (which is can be!)

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