Over The Edge Page 6 NEWS : September 21, 1999 Poets’ Corner If you compose a poem while in class, we will publish it. Please include your name (but it won’t be printed) THE WISE MAN He wears Acone with outdated pictures of Moons, stars, and planets, And he carries The bloody head of a cow, Like a blind Edomite. But it's not a dunce cap That he wears, And no one calls him a bad boy, — Nor makes him sit In a corner. He calls himself A Hindu, A Buddist, A Christian. He stamps out a cigarette In a haif-filled ashtray, And grins a quarter-moon of Nicotine-scum. He reads Nostradamis, Which he quotes Like a zealot Between gulps and guffaws At whiskey-parties, But he prefers his own predictions, And he likes to feel drunk More than he likes to drink, And he loves to quote Solomon, - And dream of the Queen of Sheba Visiting him too, one day, To marvel at his Everything. UBC Prof. Optimistic About Creating Cystic Fibrosis Treatment Merrilee Hughes (Ubyssey, University of British Columbia) VANCOUVER (CUP) — By using and old drug in a new way, a University of British Columbia professor is leading the way for a possible new treatment for cystic fibrosis (CF), a life-threatening genetic disease. David Speert, profes- sor of pediatrics and head of the Infectious and Immunological Diseases division at BC Children's Hospital, has - been involved in CF research for 20 years. And ior almost seven years, he has been investigating the appli- cations of dextran, a sugar made up of a chain of glucose mole- cules. "Dextran is definitely not a cure, but it is a treatment," said Speert, who is cautiously opti- mistic about the bene- fits of his research. JOIN Over The Edge Over The Edge is the student newspaper cover- ing the events important to students at UNBC. We need your intelligent, thoughtful writing, photography skills and editing prowess. Drop by the office in the wintergarden and talk to Aaron helping with the bi monthly publication. Over The Edge 3333 University Way (250) 960-5633 over-the-edge @ unbc.ca Alo} HE ’ : ao His collaboration with a researcher at the University of. Alberta and a Surrey-based pharmaceutical compa- ny called Novadex, has led to the identification of dextran as a possible treatment for CF lung infections.Cystic fibrosis causes mucus to thick- en and accumulate in the lungs, creating per- fect conditions for bac- terial infections. When dextran is inhaled it thins the mucus.Speert _ thinks this is one of the two ways dextran can help CF patients."We’re hop- ing that it will increase the ability of the body to clear bacteria once they have been acquired," he said. The second way deals with a particular infection, caused by a bacterium known as Pseudomonas aerugi- nosa, that almost all CF patients contract by the age of 20. Once a patient has become infected there is no known cure. The body's response to the infection results in lung damage."It can be found in many parts of the natural environ- ment, from streams to salad bars," said Speert. Because it is so prevalent, attacking it is a crucial aspect of treat- ing CF. Speerts —_ research shows that short-chain dextran could help pre- vent the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterium from attaching itself to the cells lining the respi- ratory tract. This capability sug- gests that dextran may prevent bacterial infec- tions. Although dextran has yet to begin clinical tri- als, there is no evidence suggesting the treat- ment will have any adverse effects. The glucose chain that makes dextran is too short for the body to recognise it and target antibodies against it. Speert believes the safe and inexpensive new therapy could be extremely useful, but hesitates to speculate ‘whether it will offer sig- nificant benefits com- pared to traditional treatments. "It should make a substantial difference, but it’s very hard to know, with just test-tube experiments, how this is going to work in humans," he said. Although he is hope- ful, the therapy is still in the early stages of development. It could still be sever- al years before dextran is available for wide- spread patient _treat- ment, and Speert is cautious about making any predictions. "The problem is that it raises patients hopes if we start hyping it too much," he said. "I'm really careful not to do that." The best read on campus. It’s the only read on campus. Over The Edge. In the Winter Garden.