University of Chicago biochemist Wei-Jen Tang was researching antidotes to anthrax poisoning when out of the blue he received a call from a researcher working for a drug company.
The researcher had read about Tang's work and suggested Tang try his company's hepatitis drug, Hepsera.
Tang was skeptical, but the researcher's hunch turned out to be a good one. In test tubes, Hepsera blocks the action of a deadly poison produced by anthrax bacteria.
“This is a classic example of serendipity in science,” said Paula Flicker of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, which is helping fund Tang's work.
Source: http://www.suntimes.com/output/terror/cst-nws-anthrax17.html
[Editor: The preceding article was not written by A4M/WHN]
