Brew up to beat bioterrorists?
Date: 13.8.2012
Dr Simon Richardson, Senior Lecturer in Biopharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Greenwich's School of Science, is part of a team of researchers who have discovered that a principal component of black tea can neutralize ricin, a highly toxic substance which has been at the center of a number of attempted terrorist attacks.
Dr Richardson says: "One cup of char won't cure you if you have been poisoned, but compounds extracted from tea could, with further research, provide an antidote to poisoning following a terrorist attack. I've been working on neutralizing ricin poisoning for about six years as a by-product of my work in drug delivery.
