Friday, September 6, 2013

Could A "molecular Flashlight" Assist Those In Tumor Research?

By Robbie Sutter


I believe that one of the reasons behind the focus on tumor research has to do with the copious amount of information that can be attained. This procedure more than brought information to a high level and I don't think that anyone will be able to argue with this. Information is needed in order for better procedures to come about. That being said, is it possible that the concept of a "molecular flashlight" can ultimately help this field of research that has many details tied into it?

Judging by the name alone, I didn't know what to expect upon first reading on the matter. However, the article on the Stanford University School of Medicine website said that researchers have been hard at work on a bioengineered peptide, which can help for the sake of imaging. This will be able to impact, amongst the many growths associated with childhood cancer, medulloblastomas. The study was done on lab mice and I had to wonder what kinds of results were to come as a result of this.

The article also talked about how amino acid sequence of a cystine knot peptide has been altered. For those of you who don't know, this originates from a squirting cucumber, which is typically seen in Europe, North Africa and Asia. How does this idea come into play for the sake of a "molecular flashlight," you may wonder? Well, this peptide can become implemented after the differentiation between the tumor and the rest of the healthy issue is seen, meaning that results may soon come about.

The fact that these peptides have been put to use for the sake of tumor research speaks volumes about just how strong they are. For example, you can place them into harsh chemicals and even though they may be impactful to other substances, it will not be the case in this regard. They are meant to be stable, unable to be broken down despite the severity of other components. This could prove itself useful and organizations such as Voices against Brain Cancer may tell you the same.

It's clear that a great deal of information is associated with tumor research and it's a very integral fact to take into accounts as well. You want to make sure that you have as much learned about a particular tumor as possible so that, in theory, better therapies may be formed. The peptide in question has proven itself as a stable one, unable to be broken down thanks to chemicals or what have you. In my mind, there's a good chance for it to come into play later on.




About the Author:



0 commentaires:

Post a Comment

Thanks for your comment.