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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by JohnX2 on October 27, 2001, at 12:13:03
I've been looking at some of the recently
granted pantents (e.x. #6,107,324 for a
5ht-2a inverse agonist) regarding DNA targeted
psych medications. These companies are honing in on
the specific dna in the brain and should have
mechanisms to come out with clean meds that are
like smart-bombs (like the difference between
what we saw in bombing in the Gulf War and the
scatter bombing in WWII). Should put a new perspective
on what we coin "selective".This patent has as part of its invention disclosure
figures of genotyped receptor ligands. Literally
pages poping out of my printer
of ATGAT...GGACGTA.GATT.. blah. Straight out of
the movie GATACA. ...-john
Posted by JohnX2 on October 27, 2001, at 12:37:42
In reply to smart-bomb drugs, posted by JohnX2 on October 27, 2001, at 12:13:03
I must admit I am finally becoming impressed
with the methodology. Prior to this it seems
like med development has been such a shot gun
approach. I.e. just punch out a bunch of dirivatives
of meds and see what they do, instead of thinking
about the problem to be solved and working
methodically to develop a med that should work
in an expected fasion.Just think if I designed computer chips and told
you "we don't know why it works, it just does".
Hence my frustration with the state of psychopharmacology
to date.Anyways, if they clean out all the meds to the
point that a quicky screening visit to the
GP gets you a good anti-dote without all sorts
of follow up visits and medication changes, where
will the psyhiatrists make their money? hmm.-John
>
> I've been looking at some of the recently
> granted pantents (e.x. #6,107,324 for a
> 5ht-2a inverse agonist) regarding DNA targeted
> psych medications. These companies are honing in on
> the specific dna in the brain and should have
> mechanisms to come out with clean meds that are
> like smart-bombs (like the difference between
> what we saw in bombing in the Gulf War and the
> scatter bombing in WWII). Should put a new perspective
> on what we coin "selective".
>
> This patent has as part of its invention disclosure
> figures of genotyped receptor ligands. Literally
> pages poping out of my printer
> of ATGAT...GGACGTA.GATT.. blah. Straight out of
> the movie GATACA. ...
>
> -john
Posted by Noa on October 29, 2001, at 17:43:37
In reply to Re: smart-bomb drugs, posted by JohnX2 on October 27, 2001, at 12:37:42
I heard about these tiny "robot" pills that target specific genes/dna (not in the hereditary/permanent sense, just in the activation) to turn on and off certain genes in the cells. Is this what you are talking about?
I personally am hoping the medicines get a lot "smarter" soon, because although I am grateful to have a med combo that works, and usually feel the side effects are a minor nuisance, sometimes I get impatient with them.
Posted by JohnX2 on October 31, 2001, at 0:15:26
In reply to Re: smart-bomb drugs, posted by Noa on October 29, 2001, at 17:43:37
Well unfortunately I don't think I can quite answer
your question.I'm trying to understand the bio-chemistry involved,
but this is new territory for me. I have a background
in electrical engineering, which gives me some insight
into the neural network circuitry in the head, but
I got stuck not having a good chemistry/biology background.
I have been reading up in these areas to better
understand the meds in the pipeline and my own issues.Anyways, I did some more research and
the patent I read was from a company called
Arena Pharmaceutical. They basically are an
IP company and they are trying to genotype the
various receptors in the brain (all that GATCATGC,
crap) and either develop novel meds that somehow
use this information or sell the IP to larger
pharmaceutical firms like Eli-Lilly.The patent I looked at disclosed a method for
a class of medications that would be inverse
agonists at the 5ht-2a sights. An inverse agonist
is defined as a chemical that is active at the
site, but less so than the normal chemical (in
this case serotonin). So its sort of a
antagonist.Anyways, I don't quite understand how they come
up with the chemical compounds that somehow
use the dna genotyping, but with the genotyping
information they can think directly at how to
target a ligand directly instead of using a scatter bomb
approach of testing meds and their binding affinities.I'll let you know if I learn more to better answer
your question. Unfortunately I think that meds that
could use this technology are many years away.regards,
-john> I heard about these tiny "robot" pills that target specific genes/dna (not in the hereditary/permanent sense, just in the activation) to turn on and off certain genes in the cells. Is this what you are talking about?
>
> I personally am hoping the medicines get a lot "smarter" soon, because although I am grateful to have a med combo that works, and usually feel the side effects are a minor nuisance, sometimes I get impatient with them.
This is the end of the thread.
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