Micrograph of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that cause tuberculosis. Image by Janice Carr, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A man infected with extensively drug resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB) remains in isolation in a Denver hospital. In this hour of Science Friday Ira Flatow talks about plans for treating him, and his prognosis. We'll also look at how XDR TB developed, and how widespread it is. Why are there no new antibiotics to treat drug resistant TB? We'll talk about the state of new drug development for infectious diseases.

Plus, the truth about junk DNA. Once upon a time, biologists believed that large sections of the genome had no obvious purpose. Now, scientists studying the genome via the ENCODE project say there's a wealth of information in between the genes coded into our DNA. ENCODE, short for ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements, aims to identify all the functional elements in the human genome. Results from an initial pilot project looking at 1% of the genome are in. We'll talk with a scientist working on the ENCODE project and find out more. Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (2-3 Eastern). Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests:
Dr. Michael Iseman
National Jewish Medical and Research Center
Professor of Medicine, Divisions of Pulmonary Medicine and Infectious Diseases
University of Colorado
Denver, Colorado

Michael Draper
Director of Anti-Infective Drug Discovery
Paratek Pharmaceuticals
Boston, Massachusetts

Scott Franzblau
Professor, Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy
Director, Institute for Tuberculosis Research
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

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John M. Greally
Assistant Professor
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Bronx, New York

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This segment produced by Annette Heist