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Drugs to Prevent Cell Suicide

Posted by Zonk on from the my-mitochondria-never-loved-me dept.

MrErlenmeyer writes "Many injuries and diseases including heart attacks, stroke, and Parkinson's cause healthy cells to kill themselves. A group of scientists at Washington University in Saint Louis believe they have a lead on how to stop apoptosis (unwanted cell suicide) and thus minimize the tissue damage that occurs as a result of these injuries. They designed drugs that halt the actions of executioner caspases, proteins that act as a molecular wrecking crew. Other scientists had found that a chemical called isatin could prevent tissue damage in rabbit hearts that were deprived of oxygen. This was the starting point for the team of researchers in Missouri. By making some changes to the molecule, they were able to develop an even more effective molecule. With some further refinement, this may lead to a new class of emergency medications."

4 of 110 comments (clear)

  1. Cancer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Since cancer is uncontrolled cell growth, has increased risk for cancer been looked at?

    1. Re:Cancer by NeverVotedBush · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I immediately thought the same thing. There is an article in the New Scientific American about how cancer cells modify their environment so that the processes that kill off cells are inhibited. This new treatment could lead to similar. On the other hand, would you rather be dead or brain dead or increase the chance you get cancer?

      This could also be a clue in how to treat and kill off cancer cells.

      Interesting stuff.

  2. From the Dept. of Inadvisably Applied Science by SwordsmanLuke · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Boy, this has got "Unintended Consequences" written all over it. Seriously, I hope that this works brilliantly and the thousands of sufferers of Parkinson's disease etc. are able to be helped by this, but it seems like it could be a very shiny wrapper around an all new Pandora's box.

    --
    Any plan which depends on a fundamental change in human behavior is doomed from the start.
  3. Re:Cancer Man would be proud! by smellsofbikes · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Your fingers are formed by apoptosis, in fact. Well, so is most everything: it all grows as tissue, and programmed cell death is what allows tissues to separate. (One interesting area of research is how the body forms hormone concentration gradients that rsult in regional apoptosis, leading to formation of eg fingers from continuous tissue.) But of course that's way prior to birth. Once you're born, having injured or marked cells commit suicide is, generally speaking, a very good thing, and messing with their ability to do so has some interesting implications.

    --
    Nostalgia's not what it used to be.