medicines

• We use many different medicines to treat many conditions and diseases, both communicable and non-communicable
• Microorganisms and plants are a source of medicines

  • Aspirin is an anti-pyretic and anticoagulant which initially derives from willow bark.
  • Digoxin is a medication used for heart failure and arrhythmias. It derives from foxgloves.
  • Vancomycin is an extremely powerful antibiotic which derives from soil fungus.
• Pharmacogenetics are also used for development of medicines. This can be referred to as personalised medicine.

  • analysis of an organism's genome to look for genes that may code for potential drugs or diseases.
  • Identifying molecules that fit into drug targets e.g. receptors/hormones/synapses.
  • Modifying drugs that already exist using computer programming.
• Synthetic biology is another newer technology which incorporates the idea of genetic engineering. An example of this is the production of Artemisinin which is an antimalarial. This is produced using E.Coli and Yeast.
• Bacteria can evolve quickly because they reproduce at a fast rate. Mutations of bacteria produce new strains. Bacteria can become resistant to certain antibiotics and cannot be destroyed by the antibiotic.
• 1. Antibiotics act as a selective pressure
  2. Some bacteria are more resistant than others
  3. When exposed the resistant survive whilst the ones without the resistant genes die
  4. Those that survive reproduce
  5. Over many generations resistant genes are passed on
  6. Eventually the antibiotics will no longer work
• Bacterial resistance is developing more quickly than the development of new antibiotics.