The Medicine Makers - where do new drugs come from?September 08, 1999The emergence of new diseases, and problems with resistance to treatments for existing ones, mean that we constantly need to be looking for new medicines. This conference and exhibition from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) will highlight the role of basic biological research in opening up opportunities for new drugs. Topics will include new approaches towards TB, developing drugs from plants, viruses, and bacteria, and using structural biology and computing to fine-tune drug design. Press Conference: 9 a.m., 15 September 1999, BA Press Centre, Union of Students, University of Sheffield. BBSRC is responsible for supporting basic and strategic research to develop new drugs and diagnostic tests. It invests over £50M in research relevant to healthcare, including the development of genomics (the exploitation of DNA sequences), gene libraries for key organisms, gene therapy, recombinant protein production, tissue engineering, bioinformatics and structural biology. Recently, initiatives have been announced in Functional genomics technologies (£3M) and Gene technologies underpinning healthcare (£5M). Talks include: New medicines from plants: Dr Maria In'™s Chicarelli-Robinson, MolecularNature Ltd Chemical fingerprinting technology to screen natural chemicals from UK plants more effectively to test their activity as potential medicines. New medicines from viruses: Dr Paul Barrow, Institute for Animal Health The potential application of natural virus enemies of bacteria to control bacterial infections such as meningitis and septicaemia. New medicines from engineering bacterial genes: Dr Peter Leadlay, University of Cambridge Engineering bacterial genes that code for polyketide antibiotics to make altered versions of key drugs. New medicines from structural biology: Professor Rod Hubbard, University of York Using structural biology to understand how molecules perform biological functions, and designing new drugs using high performance 3D graphics. A new angle on TB: Professor Mike Young, University of Wales, Aberystwyth TB bacteria secrete proteins that 'wake up' dormant cells. Could these have therapeutic and diagnostic applications? Filming/photo-opportunities at The Medicine Makers Exhibition Wednesday 15 September 1999, 10.00-17.30, Arts Lecture Hall 8 The exhibition will be open to Festival visitors and the press, and will include: - examples of the UK plants that might provide new drugs - opportunities to interact with 3D protein structures on high performance graphics workstations using stereo glasses and find out how drug molecules recognise proteins - demonstration of the power of the natural enemies of bacteria (bacteriophages) Scientists will be on hand during the day to talk about their work. Lord Sainsbury, Minister for Science, will be visiting the exhibition between 11.00 and 11.15. Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) |
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