By its very nature, the science of chemistry is central to medicine, medicinal products, and understanding how these products chemically react with our bodies. At its most basic form, it’s about understanding which molecules are effective at treating either specific symptoms or a variety of different symptoms, spanning the comprehensive range of human illnesses.
In the past, before humans had the ability to conduct science on a microscopic scale, it was a case of observing the cause-and-effect relationship between people’s afflictions and the substance ingested, whether that be an herb, plant, or another natural remedy.
Now, with highly capable technology and centuries of collective understanding at their fingertips, modern scientists can create vastly complex treatments and medications. Using their knowledge of which molecules are significant, as well as how molecules bond and react with each other, enables them to tackle ever-more complex ailments and inflictions.
Read on to find out more about the chemistry involved within several fields of medicine, all of which are working to improve the effectiveness of treatments, as well as target previously unconquerable illnesses.
Targeting Degenerative Diseases
One of the biggest challenges of our era of medicine is targeting degenerative diseases. With populations now increasing in age across the board, more and more resources and knowledge are required to both provide a better quality of life for those with Alzheimer’s or Dementia and discover potential solutions that can cure these diseases for good.
The understanding of various harmful proteins that accumulate in the bodies of those suffering from degenerative diseases, as well as cancer, and how their molecular make-up causes the damage that manifests in the associated symptoms, is vital in the eventual creation of a cure. X-ray diffraction devices such as those created by Malvern Panalytical allow for pinpoint analysis of molecular makeup.
Controlling the number of these harmful proteins through Targeted Protein Degradation is thought to be a possible way of targeting the disease itself, rather than preventing the proteins from causing harmful symptoms.
Advancing RNA and DNA Techniques
RNA and DNA techniques have been thrust into the spotlight in recent years, due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
mRNA technology was a huge factor in producing a large number of the Covid-19 vaccines available to the population, with understanding the biochemistry of our bodies as well as that of viruses allowing for effective immunization and prevention of symptoms.
Since there has been huge investment and success in mRNA vaccines, the technology continues to develop rapidly, with attention turning to focus on cancer, diabetes, and infectious diseases other than Covid.
Understanding Virus-Human Interactions
As mentioned previously, understanding virus-human interactions on a cellular, and molecular level allows for remedies for viruses to become increasingly effective over time.
Understanding the chemical reactions that take place when a virus infects a cell using processes such as Single Cell Metabolomics allows scientists to study the interactions at an incredible level of detail, and create more effective remedies as a result.
