Lecture 21 : Applications of Proteins in Biomedicine

Question 1

Why proteins and not small molecules?

Answer 1

• Small molecules inhibit
• Proteins can provide activity, form more specific interactions
• Can replace deficient proteins
• Augment existing pathways
• Come from natural sources

Question 2

Insulin

Answer 2

• A protein used as a treatment for type 1 diabetes
• Produced naturally too

Question 3

Pancrelipase

Answer 3

can fix deficiencies
digestive supplement

Question 4

What are recombinanet therapeutic proteins

Answer 4

• Safer, limitless, can be modified

Question 5

What are antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs)

Answer 5

• Target diseases cells
• Monoclonal antibodies
• Bind to cell surface proteins on diseased cells
• Deliver toxins to diseased cells

Question 6

Therapeutic Proteins summary

Answer 6

Challenges :
- Costs and safe production
- Immune response is random between people

Question 7

Biomarkers

Answer 7

• can detect presence of disease
• Predict response to therapy
• Locate
• Prostate cancer treatment
• Sensitivity : % of disease cases correctly identified
• Specificity : % of non-disesase correctly identified
• CAn be used in tissue

Question 8

Pros and cons of biomarkersa

Answer 8

Pros :
- Chea
- Easy to interpret
- Fast measuring

Cons
- Limited info abt it
- Kinda inaccurate with specificity and sensitivity