Close X
Thursday, November 28, 2024
ADVT 
Health

Artificial anti-cancer molecules created in a jiffy

Darpan News Desk IANS, 04 Aug, 2014 08:28 AM
    In what could lead to new anti-cancer drugs, researchers have developed a new method to produce molecules that have a similar structure to peptides which are naturally produced in the body to fight cancer and infection.
     
    The peptide mimics have been found to be successful in laboratory tests on colon cancer cells, the study said.
     
    The new peptide mimics, called triplexes, have a similar 3D helix form to natural peptides.
     
    Artificial peptides had previously been difficult and prohibitively expensive to manufacture in large quantities, but the new process takes only minutes and does not require costly equipment.
     
    "The beauty is that these big molecules assemble themselves. Nature uses this kind of self-assembly to make complex asymmetric molecules like proteins all the time, but doing it artificially is a major challenge," said professor Peter Scott at the University of Warwick in Britain.
     
    Traditional peptides that are administered as drugs are quickly neutralised by the body's biochemical defences before they can do their job.
     
    A form of complex chemical self-assembly, the new method developed at Warwick addresses this problem by producing very stable molecules.
     
    "The chemistry involved is like throwing Lego blocks into a bag, giving them a shake, and finding that you made a model of the Death Star," Scott said.
     
    "The design to achieve that takes some thought and computing power, but once you have worked it out the method can be used to make a lot of complicated molecular objects," he said.
     
    The study appeared in the journal Nature Chemistry.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Depression increases dementia risk

    Depression increases dementia risk
    The secret of preventing memory loss in old age may lie in treating depression and causes of stress early as researchers have confirmed...

    Depression increases dementia risk

    'Blue' light at dimly-lit places keeps workers healthy

    'Blue' light at dimly-lit places keeps workers healthy
    In a first, researchers have shown that a particular kind of artificial light is capable of ensuring that biological rhythms of our body clocks are correctly...

    'Blue' light at dimly-lit places keeps workers healthy

    3D-printed organs for transplants a reality soon

    3D-printed organs for transplants a reality soon
     Producing tissues and organs via 3D printing has the potential to address the shortage of organ donations in near future, scientists hope....

    3D-printed organs for transplants a reality soon

    Eating tree nuts daily prolongs life

    Eating tree nuts daily prolongs life
    Include at least 50 grams of almonds, cashews, chestnuts, walnuts or pistachios in your diet to control blood fats (triglycerides) and sugars - two of the five...

    Eating tree nuts daily prolongs life

    Acupuncture boon for breast cancer patients

     Acupuncture can bring significant improvements in fatigue, anxiety and depression in as little as eight weeks for early stage breast cancer patients, a study shows...

    Acupuncture boon for breast cancer patients

    Most stem cell-based cosmetic surgeries fake'

    Most stem cell-based cosmetic surgeries fake'
    Next time you come across an advertisement offering cosmetic stem cell procedures not only to give your skin a glowing look but also to stop it from growing...

    Most stem cell-based cosmetic surgeries fake'