KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, Louisiana |MSU Professor Studies Alligators

MSU Professor Studies Alligators

November 6, 2003
Reported by Marty Briggs

Mark Merchant, a professor of biochemistry at McNeese State, is currently studying the blood of alligators. If you were to ask him why, he might say it's because there's no one else in the world who's doing it, or he might tell you that he's intrigued by the fact that alligators have remarkable healing powers, and rarely -- if ever -- get sick, despite living in water that's filled with bacteria and fungus.

Just a little over a year and a-half ago, mark merchant searched far and wide for research done on alligator blood. Only he didn't find any. Despite hearing the rumors for years, that alligators possessed special healing powers, no one had ever done any extensive research.  According to Merchant, "The more I looked, the more I knew that this was an untapped resource for potential antibiotic drugs. And that's basically what we're looking for. We're trying to isolate these antibiotic proteins with the hope that one day they'll be able to be used by humans as a new class of antibiotics."  

Those proteins that Merchant talks about contain many similarities to the blood of humans, despite the fact we're separated by about 150 million years of evolution.  Merchant says, "there are some differences and we're starting to learn about those differences now. Those slight differences might make them more effective as an antibiotic. There also might be some quantity questions, where they might be expressing more of these proteins than humans are. We really don't know as of yet. Once you've isolated a protein that you think has antibiotic activity, and you characterize that protein to some extent, you know what types of bacteria it's effective against and things like that. The next step would be to patent that protein for use as a drug, and then start negotiations with a pharmaceutical company that might want to potentially market this type of protein for a drug for human use."  

Merchant sees the fruits of his labor coming to an end in the near future.  "I think relatively quickly. Within the next six months i think we'll have some proteins isolated that will unlock some of the keys," says Merchant.  

Merchant says alligator blood won't cure cancer or wipe out the common cold, but his research could lead to topical ointments for burn patients, who suffer from infection problems because their skin barrier has been compromised.