• Question: What method are you using for an anti drug using sugars?

    Asked by Riyad to Steven on 14 Nov 2016.
    • Photo: Steven Street

      Steven Street answered on 14 Nov 2016:

      Hi Riyad,

      So I have designed some new drugs that have sugars like glucose and mannose attached to an aromatic carbon core, with positive charges too. These drugs are able to bind to 4 stranded DNA structures called G-quadruplexes, and by doing so stop an enzyme called telomerase from immortalising the cancer cell. 90% of cancers use this enzyme to give themselves immortality, so in theory they would work on 90% of cancers while not harming healthy cells at all!

      As far as testing goes, once I’ve made the new drugs I see if they bind to DNA, then do some more experiments to work out exactly how they bind and how strongly they bind. Finally i see if they are toxic to cancer cells!

      Steve

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