Scientists at Maynooth University and Trinity College Dublin have devised a new method for making drugs that does not involve the use of radioactivity.
The finding will enable smaller labs and individuals to conduct cost-effective research into cellular activity, which could lead to new avenues for diagnosing, and treating illnesses.
Within the membrane of every call is a protein molecule, known as a receptor.
When a chemical signal from outside the cell is received by the receptor, it leads to a change in cell activity.
Because of this and because they bind with other molecules, half of all new drugs being designed by pharmaceutical firms are focused on receptors.
In order to establish how well molecules have attached to receptors in cells researchers often use radioactive probes.
These give off a radioactive signal or marker when they bind with the receptors, and this can help scientists to establish how effective a new molecule is.
But given the dangers associated with radioactive substances and their disposal, strict safety and legal restrictions govern their use, which add to the cost and complexity of working with them.
Work has previously been carried out to see if safe fluorescent light could be used instead of radioactive substances – but this method proved problematic because the level of light emitted varied.
However, Dr Conor Breen and colleagues at NUI Maynooth have now discovered a method which stops the light from being quenched when the molecules bind with the receptor cells.
The method, details of which are published in the journal Scientific Reports, involves using an enzyme to digest the cells.
“The discovery that radioactivity could be used to track molecules in the body was a huge achievement, and its impact on the scientific landscape cannot be overstated,” said Dr Breen in a statement.
“However, while radioactivity will continue to play an important role in quantifying molecules in cells, the restrictive costs of managing and disposing of radioactive waste has up until now prevented smaller labs and individuals from undertaking cellular research.
“This breakthrough will empower countless researchers and we anticipate that it will unlock new avenues for researching, diagnosing, and treating human diseases.”
