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Evaluation Of A Seminar Talk Summary

Decent Essays

Seminar Talk Summary:

(a) In the seminar given to us by Damien Samways, we were exposed to the research and discoveries linked to transmembrane transport mechanisms for selective drug delivery, specifically leading into selective permeabilization of cervical cancer cells. We learned that the beginning of the research was based mainly on the ATP and calcium in cells and how they could be used or manipulated for transport and permeabilization used to get drugs into cells and were faced with the question if this could have a therapeutic effect. The research was soon focused onto the P2x and P2y receptors of the cell, which are ion channels activated by ATP. Further research on the receptors determined that ATP could permeabilize cells and some channels within the cells transport therapeutic drugs using a process called selective silencing. With this information, the curiosity arose for the use of anticancer drugs with and intracellular target, although this process had known problems. The concerns included getting the drug across the plasma membrane of the cells and the fact that they only wanted the drug to get into cancer cells, not all cells. In the lab model, fluorescent cytotoxins were used to determine the uptake into the cells. A hypothesis was then made the ATP can permeabilize cells to some small fluorescent cytotoxins. Focus was then placed on the P2y receptors and the original idea of ATP, which can be used to increase the permeability of cancer cells and

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