Word: molecular
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...overall patterns of gene expression in cells interest drug designers because they provide a molecular lineup of potential drug targets. But scientists trying to identify those targets have long been limited to probing active genes one at a time. No longer. Microarray kits, like those made by Affymetrix, based in Santa Clara, Calif., allow scientists to scan up to 60,000 gene sequences in a single step...
...from different organs in the body, the scientists showed that whereas the original ACE acts broadly on many tissues in the body, ACE-2 is particularly active in heart and kidney cells, where it might be more effective in controlling high blood pressure. Because they already knew on the molecular level exactly how ace worked, Tepper's team also knew precisely which lab tests would determine whether ACE-2 had the same effects...
That's why Herskowitz and his colleagues have launched a project to unravel exactly what--at the genetic level--makes some people benefit from drugs and others not. They suspect that one major factor is a class of proteins called membrane transporters. These proteins act as molecular gatekeepers, deciding which foreign substances in the bloodstream will be taken into and which rejected by individual cells. If, for example, people lack the gene for an inactivating enzyme, says Herskowitz, "a standard dose of a drug will be more potent. If they have an extra copy of the gene, a standard dose...
...also created something of a microarray gold rush. Several firms--from pioneering Affymetrix to the upstart Incyte Genomics, based in Palo Alto, Calif.--help pharmaceutical companies identify drug targets found exclusively in diseased cells. Others, like Phase-1 Molecular Toxicology of Santa Fe, N.M., sell chips that test how chemicals affect gene expression, allowing pharmaceutical firms to quickly reject candidate drugs too toxic to be worth pursuing...
...foremost medical-research center. It consists of 26 institutes and centers, including the Genome Institute--Celera's fiercest competitor--led by Francis Collins. The NIH's research is deep in scientific expertise and wide in scope, from uncovering the genetic roots of the rarest cancers to understanding the molecular basis of the common cold. Venter got his start here, bringing both glory and controversy to the Institutes during eight stormy years...