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Drugs to Prevent Cell Suicide
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."
As stated in the second paragraph of the article, apoptosis is simply the process of cell death--a something perfectly normal and required by the body. Hardly "unwanted"! See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apoptosis
The summary characterizes apoptosis as unwanted cell suicide which, in most cases, it most certainly is not. Apoptosis is one of the natural mechanisms by which the body eliminates cells which have become damaged, dysfunctional, or are simply no longer needed.
Especially with respect to cancer research apoptosis is a pathway which we seek to activate. Cells which become cancerous are supposed to enter apoptotic cycles and prevent themselves from creating tumors within the tissue. Cancerous cells manage to win the race condition between apoptotic and survival pathways but, in terms of the mechanisms at work within the cell, are tottering on the edge. Many new cancer treatments rely on this on the edge circumstance in the interest of introducing a pharmacologically active substance into the body which will cause cancerous cells, on the edge of apoptosis, to move fully into apoptotic function.
Since the cells in the body are constantly in a state of self-regulation and interregulation it is possible that cells which enter apoptosis too easily are similarly causes of diseases. It is this set of conditions that the researchers in the article wish to treat.
Don't be misled about what apoptosis actually is, though, or be swayed to view it as good or bad. Different conditions within the tissue call for different actions within the cells which make up that tissue.
the NPG electrode was replaced with carbon blac
Most suicide attempts are cries for help, you know.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
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.
This is for emergency response to strokes, heart attack, etc to prevent healthy cells from being destroyed by the enzymes which cause apoptosis. It would follow common sense that the inhibitor would be out of the system within a day or so after treatment with the drug is ended. In conclusion, RTFA.
All my cells are filled with emo-globin.
What if the Hokey Pokey really is what it's all about?
I agree, this rush to drugs to treat suicidal cells is just going to create a generation of drug-dependent artificially happy zombie cells, and the last thing I want is for my cells to be wandering aimlessly around my body with a perma-grin, glazed eyes, and an irresistible urge to eat my delicious brain. Psychotherapy should be tried before resorting to drugs. Even if drugs are determined to be the best course, they should still be coupled with regular therapy sessions.
BTW: The seemingly ultra-religious, daddy's-little-angel types have sex in high school, too. They are just better at lying about it.
A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
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.
This is a cure for death, unless I'm badly mistaken.
That'sa bit of an overstatement. It may be the beginnings of a treatment that will greatly improve survival after heart attacks, strokes, and a number of other conditions.
It could do that by limiting or preventing the damage from reperfusion. As reported in an article a couple months ago, lack of circulation/oygen doesn't ITSELF cause dath, but it does set up a condition where as soon as circulation and oxygenation resume, the person will die of massive cell death.
In theory it means that a person who collapses and has no heartbeat for some time (say, 2 hours) could be brought in to a hospital and resuscitated successfully if apoptosis from reperfusion can be prevented.
On a smaller scale, this could be very helpful in treating crush injuries and limb reattachment. It might also permit complex surgeries that are currently out of the question.
It may prolong life in the sense that it makes various medical crises in old age survivable, but it won't eliminate death. The problem there is cell senescence, that is they stop dividing.
They should probably have a related reading link for the story posted in May regarding the discovered consequences of oxygen reperfusion in the human body.
Quick summary: Doctors and scientists are finding that the cells of the heart and brain are still alive after clinical death, but they go into a dormant state. Jolting them back with oxygen and adrenaline after 4-5 minutes seems to kill the otherwise still living cells. A trial run on 34 cardiac patients indicates a significant increase in CPR success when done in a very gradual and controlled manner after that 4-5 minute mark (about 80% success opposed to around 15% for traditional CPR techniques)
Even people that believe in pre-destiny look both ways before crossing the street.