Possible Sources of Medicine

Question 1

Where does Penicillin come from?

Answer 1

Originally from mould growing on melons

Question 2

What is the action of Penicillin?

Answer 2

Antibiotic-first effective treatment
-inhibits synthesis of bacterial cell walls.

Question 3

Where does Docetaxel come from?

Answer 3

Yew Trees

Question 4

What is the action of Docetaxel?

Answer 4

Treatment for breast cancer
-induces cell death by mitotic catastrophe

Question 5

Where does Aspirin come from?

Answer 5

Willow Bark

Question 6

What is the action of Aspirin?

Answer 6

Pain Killer
Anti-coagulant
Anti-inflammatory

Question 7

What are the 2 futures of medicine?

Answer 7

-Pharmacogenetics
-Synthetic Biology

Question 8

What is Pharmacogenetics?

Answer 8

-By testing peoples genome it’s now possible to detect whether a drug will work.
-Dr’s can prescribe a drug that will work rather than the ‘one’ fits all system.

Question 9

Further Pharmacogenetics?

Answer 9

-Big advances for breast cancer patients.
-Herceptin is only prescribed if cancer cells are found to have a lot of the receptors which are complementary to have it.

Question 10

What is Synthetic Biology?

Answer 10

-Development of molecule that mimic aspects of biology:
-enzymes
-cells
-pigments
-bacterial cells being built from scratch