Just in time for St. Paddy’s Day, researchers are reporting progress in using beer hops to fight disease.

In new findings presented at meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Diego, University of Idaho researchers said they have found hops — the cone-shaped buds that give beer its bitter flavor — pack a surprisingly healthful punch in knocking down bacterial infections and disease.

Lead researcher Kristopher Waynant, a university chemist, said his team has made great strides in synthesizing the healthful hops compounds in the lab, which could help scientists create medicines from these compounds.

"When researchers extract healthful chemicals from hops, they first have to determine whether they have separated out the specific compounds they're interested in," said Waynant. "But if you can figure out how to make these compounds from scratch, you know they are the right ones."

The compounds in question are called “humulones,” which are alpha acids that have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties, and “lupulones” — beta acids that have similar benefits.

Waynant and his colleagues are refining a technique that will allow scientists to synthesize a set of humulones and lupulones in the lab.

Waynant's team also plans to collaborate with biologists and medical researchers to develop active agents for pharmaceuticals to treat cancers or inflammatory diseases from these beer-inspired compounds.