Chemist discovers secret behind nature's medicines, Whoah

web.mit.edu...

MIT scientists have just learned another lesson from nature.

After years of wondering how organisms managed to create self-medications, such as anti-fungal agents, chemists have discovered the simple secret.

Scientists already knew that a particular enzyme was able to coax a reaction out of stubborn chemical concoctions to generate a large family of medically valuable compounds called halogenated natural products. The question was, how do they do it?

Chemists would love to have that enzyme's capability so they could efficiently reproduce, or slightly re-engineer, those products, which include antibiotics, anti-tumor agents, and fungicides.

Thanks to MIT chemistry Associate Professor Catherine L. Drennan's recent crystallography sleuthing, the secret to the enzyme's enviable prowess has come to light and it appears almost anti-climactic. It's simply a matter of the size of one of its parts.

"If an enzyme is a gun that fires to cause a reaction, then we wanted to know the mechanism that pulls the trigger," Drennan said. "In chemistry, we often have to look at 'molecules in, molecules out.' With halogenated natural products, though, we couldn't figure out how it happened, because the chemicals are so nonreactive. Now that we have the enzyme's structure and figured out how it works, it makes sense. But it's not what we would have predicted."

Well, i'm in a rush so i'm keeping this short
I'm pretty surprised.
But. Does this mean there is a cure for cancer? And some other deseases.
And does this mean a new door is opened for hundreds of other cures and even new elements? (I highly doubt the element part but hey. they can do almost everything these days)
So, Opinions/suggestions?


- MB

Great, more "scientists" who think they can improve upon "God's" creations, all the while not knowing anything about what they actually do. Oops, didn't mean to split that hydrogen molecule...

...I see the light....

WRONG LIGHT GENIUS!



What is funny is they, "just" figured it out.

What this could mean, is a new form of synthetic cancer. Make the cancers stronger by introducing enhanced biospliced nanogene tech or some fasdoozle.
What happens then, already we have a problem with super germs due to "anti biotics", so far these scientists havn't done anything but make the little bad bugs, just that much more bigger. (Crazy movie flashback KILL THE BUGS! :lol )

Why not just use the salves, poltices, tinctures and such with out screwing with chemical "pharms", which only treat symptoms for the most part, and not cause/s.

That and this is a cons piracy, from every thing that was intended for good, has come not but the bad. If that wasn't so, I know things would be much different.

Now lays the problem, what can be done about it?

[edit on 30-4-2006 by ADVISOR]

Why not just use the salves, poltices, tinctures and such with out screwing with chemical "pharms", which only treat symptoms for the most part, and not cause/s.

Oh yes, lets go back to a life-expectancy of 30 years. Also, those salves, poltices, tinctures treat the symptoms as well, not the causes. We no not all the causes for every type of cancer yet we've progressed to the point where if caught early, most of them are completely curable. Hell, without modern medicine I wouldn't even be alive today for a variety of reasons. I find your anti-intellectual diatribe to be repugnant.

[edit on 30-4-2006 by sardion2000]

There's a material difference between anti-intellectualism, and anti-icarusism. Saying "Don't fly too high" is always sound advice.

I think ADVISOR has a clue about the human track record with technology that you may be trying too hard to forget.

Technology is great, as long as you can control it. Without control..there is only Frankenstein!

It's a bit like zero point research, IMO. There are some doors, in this universe, that once opened may not be easily closed. How'd you like to blink out of existence one day because some yahoo at the accelerator lab let his curiosity get the best of him?

Or how about having a world over-run by fungus trees because someone got tunnelvision in their quest to eradicate world hunger.

I'm sure you get the point...

Sounds like it will allow them to greatly reduce the research time on new deseases and viruses. If they can simulate the enzyme process, they can simply feed the simulation the new virus, and with any luck, the antibodies are produced.

If its fast enough, it could revolutionise medicine production.

At the moment, we have to completley reconstruct and synthetically create medicines and anti-bodies for new viruses. A very lengthy and costly process.

Don't think it can do viri.

According to the article at least, it can do fungi and bacteria (and tumors).

Oh well, its a step in the right direction regardless.

I mean, lots of people have problems with fungi and bacteria... not to mention salmonilla for one example.

Originally posted by sardion2000
Oh yes, lets go back to a life-expectancy of 30 years.

Also, those salves, poltices, tinctures treat the symptoms as well, not the causes. We no not all the causes for every type of cancer yet we've progressed to the point where if caught early, most of them are completely curable. Hell, without modern medicine I wouldn't even be alive today for a variety of reasons. I find your anti-intellectual diatribe to be repugnant.
[edit on 30-4-2006 by sardion2000]

Not true, Sardion. I've been an herbalist for 30 years. I can't think of one herb that only treats the symptoms. Of course, maybe there are some out there, but the majority treat the cause, unlike modern medications. Western medicine is great at things like surgery, but there's some places where it is really wrong-headed. There are herbs that cure cancer even.
One example I'd like to bring up is Marinol. It is synthetic marijuana, produced in a chemistry lab. It is not nearly as effective as the real thing.

I would far rather use herbs that I've grown and nurtured than to use chemical meds. I do have to use some meds but I use herbs whenever I can. Why? Because they work and don't have side effects!

• Prosophobia = Fear of progress.
• Kainophobia, Kainolophobia, Cenophobia, Centophobia, or Neophobia = Fear of anything new.
• Pharmacophobia = Fear of medicine or drugs.
• Opiophobia = Fear of medicine prescribed by a doctor.
• Neopharmaphobia = Fear of new drugs.


Advisor,
Sounds like one or all of these may be in play here.

Originally posted by ADVISOR
Great, more "scientists" who think they can improve upon "God's" creations, all the while not knowing anything about what they actually do. Oops, didn't mean to split that hydrogen molecule...

...I see the light....

WRONG LIGHT GENIUS!

Well, I think it is pretty good what they did. You can save human lives with that.
Although i agree a little. It is still very awesome. And you can really see the progress in technology. I just hope they wont use it for anything bad.
And they probably will..

Hehe, The part of the ''I see the light'' thing. Pretty funny.

Originally posted by ADVISOR
What is funny is they, "just" figured it out.

What this could mean, is a new form of synthetic cancer. Make the cancers stronger by introducing enhanced biospliced nanogene tech or some fasdoozle.
What happens then, already we have a problem with super germs due to "anti biotics", so far these scientists havn't done anything but make the little bad bugs, just that much more bigger. (Crazy movie flashback KILL THE BUGS! :lol )

You mean that if they use this new ''technology'' on the cancer cells. the cells will improve and ''improvise'' and create a ''antidote'' against the technology?
So that means a somewhat new germ or disease will occur?
Scary thought actually.. sounds Shawn of the dead-ishh, Hehe love that movie.

Originally posted by ADVISOR
That and this is a cons piracy, from every thing that was intended for good, has come not but the bad. If that wasn't so, I know things would be much different.

Now lays the problem, what can be done about it?

It is a scary thought actually. Of what could happen.
I hope those scientists will just stop now. Unless they actually can do something about it..