Finding New Drugs

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  • Finding New Drugs
    • The example of aspirin
      • Hippocrates(a physician in ancient Greece) used an extract from willow bark to relieve pain and fever.
      • Salicin could be used to relive pain, too much stomach bleeding as a side effect
      • research has suggested other drugs have the same effect
    • the hunt is on
      • Natural medicines
        • Recent decades discoveries been concentrated on tropical plants
          • hopes there may be many new medicinal drugs to discover
        • New chemical fingerprinting technology is enbaling
      • Further research
        • developed over past 50 years
    • How are new drugs discovered?
      • By accident
        • the accidental discovery of penicillin by Alecander Fleming
        • Most antibiotics currently made by the bacterium Streptomyces
      • Taditional medicine
        • WHO calculates that 80% of the worlds population relies on traditional medicines
        • In India 7000 different plants are used for their medicinal properties
        • Some of our modern drugs have their origins in traditoonal medicines
      • Observation of wildlife
        • Monkeys, bears and other animals rub citrus oil on their coat as insecticeds and antiseptics
        • chimpanzes swallow leaves folded in a particular way to remove parasites from their digestive tract
        • elephants roam miles to find clay to counteract dietary toxins
      • Anaesthetics
        • The sap of unripe poppies was used in neolithic times in parts of southern europe and Egypt
        • Opiate drugs reduced nervous action in the central nervous system
      • Modern research
        • Research into the plants used allows them to be isolate the active ingredient
    • The need for new drugs
      • New diseases are emerging
      • there are still many diseases for which there are no effective treatments
      • some antibiotic treatments are becoming less effective
  • Recent decades discoveries been concentrated on tropical plants
    • hopes there may be many new medicinal drugs to discover

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