4 ms·

Yes, which would put it in a pretty much different category of thing than is usually meant by "drug." On the other hand, how many times have you heard "works b

Yes, which would put it in a pretty much different category of thing than is usually meant by "drug." On the other hand, how many times have you heard "works by binding to the same active site as <something the body produces>"? It'd be cool if we could get the body to produce more of that something.

bduerst 5y ago
Yep, there are already classes of therapeutic proteins, the most notorious of which is insulin. With mRNA tech, you unlock even more intracellular proteins that were previous impossible to get through the cell wall.
thaumasiotes 5y ago
> On the other hand, how many times have you heard "works by binding to the same active site as <something the body produces>"? It'd be cool if we could get the body to produce more of that something. Note that binding to the same active site as something the body produces is also a strategy for imagining that you produce less of that thing. There's "binding to the same active site [and triggering it]" and there's "binding to the same active site [and plugging it]". As to how often this strategy is used... what other strategies are there? You produce the effect you want by triggering it to occur. You inhibit the effect you don't want by blocking it from occurring. You could think of something like a lactase supplement to help you digest milk, and that wouldn't be binding to active sites of your own molecules, but it still works by binding to particular sites on the lactose. Chemicals have their effects through chemical reactions.
- dotancohen 5y ago
  > Note that binding to the same active site as something > the body produces is also a strategy for imagining that you > produce less of that thing. There's "binding to the > same active site [and triggering it]" and there's "binding to > the same active site [and plugging it]". This is how caffeine works. Broadly, it binds to the adenocine receptors and prevents the adenocine from binding. Adenocine makes us tired (less alert) and caffeine inhibits that process.

bduerst 5y ago

Yep, there are already classes of therapeutic proteins, the most notorious of which is insulin. With mRNA tech, you unlock even more intracellular proteins that were previous impossible to get through the cell wall.

thaumasiotes 5y ago

> On the other hand, how many times have you heard "works by binding to the same active site as <something the body produces>"? It'd be cool if we could get the body to produce more of that something. Note that binding to the same active site as something the body produces is also a strategy for imagining that you produce less of that thing. There's "binding to the same active site [and triggering it]" and there's "binding to the same active site [and plugging it]". As to how often this strategy is used... what other strategies are there? You produce the effect you want by triggering it to occur. You inhibit the effect you don't want by blocking it from occurring. You could think of something like a lactase supplement to help you digest milk, and that wouldn't be binding to active sites of your own molecules, but it still works by binding to particular sites on the lactose. Chemicals have their effects through chemical reactions.

dotancohen 5y ago
> Note that binding to the same active site as something > the body produces is also a strategy for imagining that you > produce less of that thing. There's "binding to the > same active site [and triggering it]" and there's "binding to > the same active site [and plugging it]". This is how caffeine works. Broadly, it binds to the adenocine receptors and prevents the adenocine from binding. Adenocine makes us tired (less alert) and caffeine inhibits that process.