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DISCOVERY OF DNA AND THE STEM CELLS, ARE ALLOWING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THERAPEUTIC TOOLS IN THE CANCER MANAGEMENT.

Marcela Aristizabal Bedoya

Medicine student

3rd semester

FOLDING

FOLDING

INTRODUCTION

In recent years medicine and biology have experienced many revolutions that have changed dramatically and an unimaginable both basic conceptual issues as the focus of disease and therapeutic options.

Some pathological processes such as cancer, are caused by degeneration, dysfunction or death of certain cell types, and then find two news about scientific developments relating to utilization of molecular biology in medicine.

DNA DISCOVERY OPENS NEW DOOR

TO DEVELOP TOOLS, THERAPIES FOR

HEREDITARY CANCERS

SCIENCE DAILY – JULY 8, 2010

DNA Discovery Opens New Door to Develop Tools, Therapies for Hereditary CancersScience daily - July 8,2010

A specific protein, known as MutL, works within a

cell to unleash the series of events that repair DNA

when the replication machinery makes a

mistake.

Errors in DNA can arise from many types of damage including

external harm, such as UV radiation or carcinogens, as well as by intrinsic cellular processes such as DNA replication. Failure to correct these errors leads to

mutations, which results in cancer or a number of severe

genetic disorders.


The protein MutL -- a

matchmaker protein -- that

recruits other enzymes and

proteins within the cell to

recognize, remove and correct

mismatched DNA. That

mutations on the genes that

encode mismatch repair

proteins give rise to two forms

of familial cancer -- hereditary

non-polyposis colorectal

cancer and Turcot Syndrome.


The PCNA protein is necessary to correct mismatches, but we didn't know its concrete function, one of the roles of these replication proteins is to license the cutting activity of MutL The results also provide new avenues to develop alternative cancer treatments, as the hope is future cancer therapies may be focused at the molecular level and involve blocking specific pathways within the cell.

They also discovered that PCNA, another protein within the pathway, allows DNA to bind to MutL so it can be repaired.

In my opinión i think that we should investigate more about the DNA behavior to adquire new techniques and knowledge and then we can take those importan discoveries and apply them to the molecular medicine to prevent the developement of potencial carcinogenic cells.

STUDENT OPINION

BIOLOGISTS FIND A WAY TO LOWER TUMOR RISK IN STEM

CELL THERAPIES

SCIENCE DAILY- JULY 9, 2010

The embryonic stem cells have the ability to form unusual tumors called

teratomas.

These tumors, which contain a mixture of cells from a variety of tissues and organs of the body, are typically benign

Biologists Find a Way to Lower Tumor Risk in Stem Cell TherapiesSCIENCE DAILY- JULY 9, 2010

The rese

archers

report

that t

hey

have identifi

ed a new signalin

g

pathway cr

itica

l for u

nlimite

d self

propagatio

n of embry

onic ste

m

cells

.


"Human stem cell therapy involves differentiating human embryonic stem cells into the kinds of cells needed for the

treatment,“"But this differentiation is never complete, meaning that the final product is a mixture of cells

inevitably containing undifferentiated embryonic stem cells. So by transplanting these cells into

a patient, there's clearly a risk of producing teratomas."


I think this news is of great interest, since the stem cell gene therapy are becoming a boon to medical therapy. Advances in stem cell research is expanding the field of knowledge about how an organism develops from a single cell, to how healthy cells replace damaged cells, In my opinion the stem cells are of vital importance to advance in the probably discover of the treatmen of diverse cancers.

STUDENT OPINION

MEDICAL UTILITY

MEDICAL UTILITY

The genetic research has consisted of molecular studies in medicine. It

has resulted in a profound change in the understanding of the pathophysiology of diverse genetic diseases. Although many genetic

discoveries have resulted in better diagnostic tests, the application of

molecular technologies to the treatment of genetic diseases is

natural and logical.

MEDICAL UTILITY

Those discoveries can be use in the medical world, in the quickly diagnosis of strange diseases, in special genetic and hereditary diseases.

MEDICAL UTILITY

The exploration around the DNA structure and operation vinculated with the working of stem cells, the medicine should take those knowledges and use that in the treatment of the cáncer in many presentations. With the stem cells we can study the way that the organism generates the teratoma and act in the genetic part of the procreation.

University of California - San Diego (2010, July 9). Biologists find a way to lower tumor risk in stem cell therapies. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 19, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100708094605.htm ª McMaster University (2010, July 16). DNA discovery opens new door to develop tools, therapies for hereditary cancers. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 19, 2010, from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100708122613.htm

BIBLIOGRAPHY

SCIENCE IS FACTS; JUST AS HOUSES ARE MADE OF STONES, SO IS SCIENCE MADE OF FACTS; BUT A PILE OF STONES IS NOT A HOUSE AND A COLLECTION OF

FACTS IS NOT NECESSARILY SCIENCE –

HENRI POINCARE.

THANK YOU

Health & Medicine

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