Friday, August 14, 2009



Drug Promises Fix for Radiation Poisoning
Dirty bombs are one of the biggest threats to the world's urban populations. Now an American molecular biologist has developed a drug that may protect against the effects of radioactivity. Military officials are thrilled, and the discoverers could make billions.
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Until now, doctors have felt largely helpless when it comes to treating so-called radiation sickness. Ionizing radiation destroys the building blocks of cells, leading directly to cell death. It can also produce changes in genetic material, which are passed on during subsequent cell division, contributing to the development of cancers. Medicine has offered virtually no protection against nuclear radiation until now, except in the form of iodine tablets, which merely prevent radioactive iodine from accumulating in the thyroid gland.
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The effects of CBLB502, discovered by the American molecular geneticist Andrei Gudkov, are believed to be far more comprehensive. The agent consists of a protein derived from salmonella bacteria. The bacterial protein attaches itself to the receptor on a radiation-damaged cell, which would normally activate the immune system.


# posted by intcoex : 11:55 AM




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