Mizzou researchers found the antibiotic that fought bubonic plague. That work goes on | Opinion
In the summer of 1948, a bacterium with incredible potential sprung from a patch of grass in the heartland of Missouri. The University of Missouri’s Sanborn Field, a research plot established in 1888, soon became fertile ground for a discovery that would change the face of medicine and agriculture on a global scale.
From this bacteria, soil microbiologist William Albrecht and plant mycologist Benjamin Duggar unearthed and isolated aureomycin, which Duggar referred to fondly as the “wonder drug” for reasons not unfounded. Aureomycin was the first tetracycline antibiotic created in the world, saving millions of lives from diseases such as the bubonic plague and tuberculosis. But Sanborn Field had more to give. From Albrecht and Duggar’s commitment to basic scientific inquiry, they were able to refine best practices for crop rotation and the use of manure in grain crop production — technical advances still in use today.
Basic scientific research, such as the discovery of aureomycin and its pivotal clinical applications, is fundamental to what we do in higher education and is a critical component to collaboration and discoveries that change the world. In our quest to find a cure for cancer, advance vaccine development or to drive agriculture forward using leading-edge technology, we must ensure that basic scientific inquiry — the bedrock of grander research discoveries — is funded and prioritized.
Collaboration with other universities leads to scientific breakthroughs
For public universities, collaboration is key and partnerships drive solutions as we strive toward a healthy world. These strategic relationships are united by one common goal: to seek solutions for a better future.
Research universities perform a critical role in advancing society through countless contributions, including boosting the economy, scholarly research, scientific discovery and leading-edge facilities for teaching and learning.
Recently, MU Extension partnered with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln on a $25 million award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to establish the Heartland Regional Food Business Center, a historic partnership to mobilize food resources across Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma.
In another historic partnership, the University of Missouri was awarded another $25 million Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant — the largest federal research, education and extension award MU has received to date — to examine solutions for farmers battling to sustain resources under the duress of a changing climate.
When it comes to the fundamentals of science, nothing speaks to success like Mizzou’s National Swine Resource and Research Center and researcher Randall Prather’s transformative work in the gene-editing space. Last year, Prather’s pioneering work proved foundational in supporting the first-ever partial heart transplant completed on a two-week-old baby with valve disease.
This surgery used scientific advances from one of Prather’s early studies that involve gene editing to make cells fluoresce (glow) in pigs. In the case of this transplant, this mechanism allowed the doctors to see which cells contributed to the graft, thus confirming that the mechanism worked.
By being committed to the foremost building blocks of scientific research, discoveries such as Prather’s lead not only to further investment in basic scientific inquiry, but also to advancing new, life-changing discoveries.
Boosting agricultural productivity, protecting the environment
At its core, research is about solutions. I have the privilege of leading a land-grant college in a state propelled by the success of its agricultural industry. And because of this, much of the study conducted at leading research universities in Missouri and our neighboring states centers around methods of improving agricultural productivity to benefit our society. The strides forward that we see in better animal genetics, drought resistance and higher product yields are founded on years of research that paved the way for new advancements.
In fact, MU Extension has an ambitious goal to double the economic impact of agriculture without compromising our precious natural resources.
In addition to agriculture, research in communications, medicine and veterinary medicine, chemistry, physics, biology, engineering, math, music and the arts will continue to drive innovation and inspire inquisitive minds to tackle our toughest challenges.
Seventy-five years ago, the anniversary of the clinical potential of aureomycin, Sanborn Field showed the importance of basic scientific research and its live-saving potential from the unknown value of a bacterium in a patch of grass. Today, we must stay committed to prioritizing foundational inquiry to prepare future scientists for the foremost breakthroughs that universities have always delivered.