Lecture 21 Flashcards
1
Q
what is the ninetheeth century hangover?
A
- Nineteenth century medicine and pharmacy sought to associate itself with antiquity
- ‘Antiquity’ guarantees ‘reliability’ in medicine and health?
- This still shapes how we interpret prehistoric and early historical evidence
2
Q
what is the scientific method?
A
The ‘scientific method’ consists of
- organised efforts
- to come up with explanations of nature,
- always modifying and correcting these
- through systematic observations
3
Q
what are the steps of the scientific method?
A
1- make observations 2- think of questions 3- formulate hypotheses 4- deveop testable predicitions 5- gather data to test predicitions 6- refine, altr, expand or rehect hypotheses 7- gather data to test predicitions 8- develop general theories
4
Q
who was belle gibson
A
- Jess Ainscough died aged 29 of rare incurable cancer (epithelioid sarcoma)
- Used ‘Gerson diet’ – coffee enemas, vegetarian diet, raw juices
- Blog and ‘wellness’ following
- Gibson modelled her own story and career on Ainscough - but did not have cancer
- Found guilty of misleading and deceptive conduct and fined $400,000 - still unpaid
- Some individuals claim to have ceased their cancer treatment and relapsed after following Gibson’s advice
5
Q
what are some current challenges in drug development
A
- Lengthy, complex, and costly process with poor outcomes
- We don’t really understand the pathophysiology of many nervous system disorders
- Animal models can only take us so far – doesn’t always translate well
- We might need to do more genetic testing to help us prescribe better: clinical phenotyping and endotyping
- Can we still rely on published data?
- Regulatory delays in US, UK, Australia
6
Q
what is the future of pharacology research
A
- Could it be possible to follow the software industry and provide free ‘drug systems’, like software?
- Could we crowd-fund research into medications and drugs, based on popular demand?
- Can we revive old drugs from the past that we stopped using
because we developed ‘better’ new ones?
7
Q
reviving old antibiotics ?
A
- Old antibiotics from the 1950s–70s still work
- Current standards and the requirements for clinical testing have evolved over time
- These drugs haven’t been tested by modern standards
- Prescribing them may carry significant risks for patient outcomes, adverse events and the emergence of resistance
8
Q
define Pharmacogenomics
A
the study of all genes in the genome that
may determine drug response
9
Q
define Pharmacogenetics:
A
the study of variability in drug response due
to heredity
10
Q
how is medical research being effected positively in the future
A
- volunteering for clincial trials
- medical research crowdfundin sites
- shared lab notes
- mix of high and low cost projects
- improving adverse events reporting by health consumers
- reclassification of mental health disorders
