Annie Edwards: How drug discovery changes lives
Annie Edwards, Corporate Partnerships Manager at The Institute of Cancer Research, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Discovering new and better drugs for cancer is a long and intensely creative process. It starts with a ‘lock’ that needs a ‘key’.
Scientists find the right key for the lock through a process called Hit Discovery.
When cell proteins go wrong, this can cause cancer. Slowing the cancer down can sometimes be a case of blocking these cancer proteins’ behaviour.
The proteins have a weak point – the ‘lock’ – that the scientists can target using small molecules no more than 1 millionth of a millimetre wide – the ‘key’.
The aim is to find a small molecule that fits into the protein’s weak point and binds to it, blocking or slowing its behaviour.
Following further testing, an effective ‘key’ against the ‘lock’ has the potential to become a new cancer drug.
Drugs not only improve survival, but are often a smarter and kinder alternative to harsher treatments like chemotherapy.
How drug discovery changes lives.”
More posts featuring Annie Edwards.
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ESMO 2024 Congress
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ASCO Annual Meeting
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OncoThon 2024, Online
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Global Summit on War & Cancer 2023, Online
Dec. 14-16, 2023