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Volume 346:1770-1771 June 6, 2002 Number 23 Next

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The story of sirolimus began in 1975 on Easter Island, in the South Pacific, a remote, enigmatic place known for the prominent stone statues that punctuate its landscape. An actinomycete, Streptomyces hygroscopicus, cultured from a sample of the island's soil, was found to produce through natural fermentation a novel macrolide antibiotic with potent antifungal, immunosuppressive, and antimitotic activities. The generic name of the resulting drug is sirolimus (see Figure); it is also known as rapamycin, after Rapa Nui, the name given to Easter Island by its inhabitants.

View larger version (54K): [in this window] [in a new window]   The Sirolimus-Eluting Stent, Shown with the Chemical Structure of the Molecule.

 
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