July 1, 2026
A Streptomyces Megacluster Encodes Synergistic Biotin-targeting Antibiotics
A Natural Depsipeptide Antibiotic Binds the E-site of the Bacterial Ribosome
Transcript
Elizabeth McMahon
How
a
pathology
lab
became
a
cornerstone
for
cancer
care
in
one
of
the
poorest
countries
in
Africa.
A
CAP26
speaker
gives
us
a
sneak
peek.
Plus,
new
discoveries
about
the
fighters
against
drug-resistant
bacteria
living
in
your
garden
soil.
This
is
Path
News
Network
Daily
edition
from
the
College
of
American
Pathologists.
I'm
Elizabeth
McMahon.
It's
Wednesday,
July
1st.
Imagine
building
a
pathology
lab
from
scratch
in
one
of
Sub-Saharan
Africa's
poorest
countries.
It's
a
challenge
CAP
member
Dr.
Yuri
Fedoriw
and
colleagues
from
the
University
of
North
Carolina
Chapel
Hill
took
on
in
Malawi,
a
country
of
about
18
million
people,
where
about
7%
of
the
population
is
HIV
positive.
Today,
the
vision
that
started
in
2011
in
an
abandoned
building
is
now
the
country's
only
public
pathology
lab
with
cancer
research
at
its
center.
In
Malawi,
persistent
levels
of
HIV
are
fertile
ground
for
HIV-related
and
associated
cancers
such
as
lymphoma.
Dr.
Fedoriw
says
the
UNC
cancer
program
has
grown
into
a
hub
for
clinical
studies,
diagnostics,
and
care,
but
there
are
limitations.
Dr. Yuri Fedoriw
But
certainly
from
a
diagnostic
perspective,
we
try
to
bin
it
into
categories
that
are
clinically
meaningful
with
the
therapies
available.
Elizabeth McMahon
Dr.
Fedoriw,
Global
Cancer
Pathology
Director
for
the
UNC
Institute
for
Global
Health
and
Infectious
Diseases,
will
share
the
cancer
program
story
at
the
CAP
26
plenary
session
on
October
5th
in
Las
Vegas.
He
says
collaboration
with
Malawi's
Ministry
of
Health
has
been
critical
to
the
program's
success,
which
includes
training
new
generations
of
clinicians
and
researchers.
Dr. Yuri Fedoriw
There's
now
a
medical
school
that
opens
its
first
residency
at
the
site
of
our
laboratory
now.
And
so
we
have
a
essentially
an
MMED
program
or
a
residency
program
in
pathology
that
is
now
in
its
second
year.
And
that
is
something
we're
again
very
proud
of.
Elizabeth McMahon
When
he's
not
in
Malawi,
Dr.
Fedoriw
checks
in
for
weekly
telepathology
conferences
with
three
Malawian
pathologists
who
run
the
lab.
Eventually,
the
pathology
program
will
become
an
autonomous
operation,
though
its
research
will
serve
patients
far
beyond
sub-Saharan
Africa.
He
says
this
remarkable
chapter
of
his
career
has
given
him
new
perspective
on
the
power
of
pathology.
Dr. Yuri Fedoriw
As
a
pathologist,
the
impact
of
pathology
is
so
easy
to
lose
sight
of
in
the
state
sometimes.
And
there
it's
like
that
it's
the
centerpiece
of
cancer
care.
And
so
that's
true
in
Malawi,
that's
true
in
that
African
continent,
which
is
enormous.
And
and
uh
and
I
think
that
that
that's
something
that
I
think
has
been
the
most
kind
of
exciting
is
seeing
the
impact
on
outcomes,
directly
seeing
the
impact
on
outcomes
uh
for
the
work
that
we've
done.
Elizabeth McMahon
Recent
discoveries
in
a
common
soil
bacteria
called
streptomyces
are
generating
promise
for
new
antibiotics
that
can
act
against
drug-resistant
bacteria.
The
most
recent
study,
led
by
researchers
from
McMaster
University
in
Canada,
reports
on
a
megacluster
of
genes
found
in
streptomyces
bacteria.
The
cluster's
five
compounds,
four
antibiotics
and
a
protein,
target
different
stages
of
the
production
of
biotin,
or
vitamin
B7,
which
is
essential
for
bacteria
cell
growth.
It's
much
harder
for
bacteria
to
develop
resistance
when
antibiotics
attack
multiple
parts
of
its
metabolic
process.
In
a
related
development,
University
of
Illinois
Chicago
scientists
have
introduced
an
antibiotic
called
manikomycin,
also
found
in
streptomyces.
Manikomycin
targets
a
bacteria's
protein-making
ribosome
and
stops
the
process.
Both
sets
of
researchers
emphasize
there's
a
lot
more
to
be
learned
and
improved
before
these
discoveries
can
be
used
as
medicines.
The
studies
were
published
in
the
journal
Nature.
When's
the
last
time
you
freshened
up
your
CV?
And
no,
updates
don't
count.
If
you're
on
the
job
hunt
or
just
need
practical
pointers
on
how
to
tailor
your
CV
to
the
professional
path
you're
targeting,
the
CAP's
July
14th
webinar
will
help.
The
session
will
emphasize
how
employers
and
reviewers
interpret
CVs
and
which
experiences
are
most
valued
across
practice
settings.
Participants
will
compare
and
contrast
CVs
prepped
for
academics,
private
industry,
and
clinical
settings,
and
learn
about
mistakes
common
on
each.
So
dust
off
your
document
and
register
for
the
CV
course
under
the
calendar
of
events
on
the
CAP
homepage.
And
finally,
how
can
women
climb
the
leadership
ladder
in
pathology?
Carving
out
a
clear
niche
is
important,
says
CAP
member
Dr.
Christina
Magi-Galluzzi,
who's
also
president
of
the
United
States
and
Canadian
Academy
of
Pathology.
In
a
new
interview
in
the
Pathologist
magazine,
Dr.
Magi-
Gall/uzzi
shares
her
assent
to
national
leadership,
noting
that
those
who
advance
often
do
excellent
work
in
essential
areas
of
a
field
that
get
attention.
Being
intentional
is
key,
she
says.
Be
strategic
about
saying
yes
and
no,
choose
commitments
that
align
with
your
long-term
direction,
and
remember
that
leadership
often
involves
moving
from
doing
the
work
to
shaping
how
well
it's
done.
And
just
like
being
a
new
parent,
Dr.
Magi-
Galluzzi
says
you
may
not
feel
fully
ready
to
take
a
leadership
role.
Growth
comes
from
being
slightly
ahead
of
your
comfort
zone,
she
says,
learning
in
real
time
and
allowing
yourself
to
evolve
into
the
role
rather
than
waiting
for
a
perfect
sense
of
preparedness.
That's
all
for
today's
Daily
Edition.
Be
sure
to
check
the
show
notes
for
more
information
on
today's
stories.
Got
a
story
you'd
like
us
to
cover
on
the
Daily
Edition?
Write
to
us
at
stories
at
Cap.org.
We're
back
at
5
a.m.
Eastern
for
another
episode
of
the
Daily
Edition.
I'm
Elizabeth
McMahon.
Have
a
great
day.