Event Title
Keynote Speaker - The American Alligator: From Marsh to Medicine
Location
Parra Ballroom
Start Date
20-4-2012 12:30 PM
End Date
20-4-2012 1:00 PM
Description
Alligators can be very aggressive toward members of their own species. Territorial disputes often lead to serious injuries, including loss of entire limbs. These enormous injuries often heal without serious infection, despite the fact that alligators live in environments laden with potentially pathogenic microbes. This presentation will describe our quest to learn more about how alligators resist infection, and how this ancient reptile might hold the key to a new class of antibiotics for human use.
Keynote Speaker - The American Alligator: From Marsh to Medicine
Parra Ballroom
Alligators can be very aggressive toward members of their own species. Territorial disputes often lead to serious injuries, including loss of entire limbs. These enormous injuries often heal without serious infection, despite the fact that alligators live in environments laden with potentially pathogenic microbes. This presentation will describe our quest to learn more about how alligators resist infection, and how this ancient reptile might hold the key to a new class of antibiotics for human use.
Comments
A professor of biochemistry at McNeese State University, Merchant is recognized internationally for his work in the field of Alligator mississippiensis immunology. His research in alligator serum is integral in the international effort to use crocodilian proteins for disease control.
He has made numerous television appearances including National Geographic, the Discovery Channel, Good Morning America, and Fox In the Morning .