Sources Of Medicine

Question 1

different ways in which new drugs are discovered and developed

Answer 1

• analysis of an organisms genome to find candidate genes that may code for potential drugs
• identifying molecules that fit into drug targets
• modifying drugs that already exist
• identification of useful compounds produced by organisms

Question 2

Plants as a source of medicine

Answer 2

Aspirin - willow tree = painkiller,anti-coagulant & anti-inflammatory

Artemisinin - sweet wormwood = treats malaria by killing the pathogen while it is in the RBC

Quinidine - quinidine tree = treats a fast heart rate by blocking channel proteins in cardiac muscle to reduce impulse conduction

Thus must maintain biodiversity at a global level = plants may go extinct before we have a chance to discover what drugs they can provide

Question 3

Microorganisms as a source of medicine

Answer 3

Penicillin - comes from a mould - safe , effective antibiotic capable of curing bacterial diseases

Vancomycin - derided from a soil fungus - one of the most powerful antibiotics

Prialt - derived from the venom of a cone snail from the oceans of Australia - new pain killing drug 1000 times more effective than morphine

Question 4

Personalised medicine

Answer 4

The development of more targeted and personalised drugs to treat a variety of human diseases as well as the development of synthetic tissues

Question 5

Genomic medicine

Answer 5

Uses information about an individuals genes to influence their clinical care

Question 6

Why don’t doctors prescribe drugs for an individual based on their genome ?

Answer 6

Between individuals there are differences in DNA base sequences

These differences can affect the tertiary structure of the proteins which are targeted by drugs

Question 7

Genetic screening

Answer 7

Form of personalised medicine as it allows for individuals with a high chance of developing specific diseases to be incentivised and for preventative measures or precautions to be taken

Question 8

Benefit of genetic testing

Answer 8

Information gained could be used to divide the population into subgroups according to how they are likely to respond to specific drugs —> ensure that individuals receive the most effective drugs that cause the least side effects

Question 9

Synthetic biology definition

Answer 9

Developing new molecules that mimic biological systems

Question 10

What do they actually do in synthetic biology ?

Answer 10

• Culture bacteria to act as biological factories
• in order to produce rare/ expensive drugs