Team:Exeter/Applications
From 2012.igem.org
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<p>We think that future prosthetics would benefit from research within this area and could possibly provide a replacement limb capable of rivalling, mechanically, the natural design. They may even progress to be able to withstand larger amounts of impact force making the possibilities of running faster for longer and jumping higher a possibility. </p> <br> | <p>We think that future prosthetics would benefit from research within this area and could possibly provide a replacement limb capable of rivalling, mechanically, the natural design. They may even progress to be able to withstand larger amounts of impact force making the possibilities of running faster for longer and jumping higher a possibility. </p> <br> | ||
- | <p>Cyclodextrin is a cyclic oligosaccharide which has hydroxyl groups. They are able to engulf hydrophobic molecules and dispatch within environments such molecules would be unable to reach. This gives them the ability to be a drug delivery system able to access fatty tissues, organs and even bone!</p> <br> | + | <p>Cyclodextrin is a cyclic oligosaccharide which has hydroxyl groups. They are able to engulf hydrophobic molecules and dispatch within environments such molecules would be unable to reach. This gives them the ability to be a drug delivery system able to access fatty tissues, organs and even bone!</p> |
+ | <p>Could we go further still? Would it be possible to take a medicinal drug only once in your lifetime, and <b><i>it</i></b> be smart enough to know when to release its content? Could <b><i>it</i></b> be intelligent enough to replenish its supply, to be used over and over? And could we one day have a drug that could cure all ailments, only activating if and when <b><i>it</i></b> is required?</p> <br> | ||
<p><br><CENTER><img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012/1/11/Exe2012_appmed.jpg" alt="" title="" width="780" height="278"></CENTER></p><br><br> | <p><br><CENTER><img src="https://static.igem.org/mediawiki/2012/1/11/Exe2012_appmed.jpg" alt="" title="" width="780" height="278"></CENTER></p><br><br> |
Revision as of 14:33, 23 September 2012
Polysaccharides have a spectacular range of properties which stem from the relationships between the chemical nature of the sugars, their arrangement within the polymer and the arrangement of the polymer itself. They appear in every corner of the natural world and have multiple applications in nature ranging from protection to energy storage. Not surprisingly humanity has taken advantage of their diversity and by doing so created a huge variety of uses within the medicinal, material and consumable sectors. We invite you to take a brief look at what we believe could one day be possible if a system to design bespoke polysaccharides existed. Alex Clowsley, 2012. |