Molecular medicine
hideMolecular medicine is a broad field, where physical, chemical, biological and medical techniques are used to describe molecular structures and mechanisms, identify fundamental molecular and genetic errors of disease, and to develop molecular interventions to correct them. The molecular medicine perspective emphasizes cellular and molecular phenomena and interventions rather than the previous conceptual and observational focus on patients and their organs.
In November, 1949, with the seminal paper, "Sickle Cell Anemia, a Molecular Disease", in Science magazine, Linus Pauling, Harvey Itano and their collaborators laid the groundwork for establishing the field of molecular medicine. In 1956, Roger J. Williams wrote Biochemical Individuality, a prescient book about genetics, prevention and treatment of disease on a molecular basis, and nutrition which is now variously referred to as individualized medicine and orthomolecular medicine. Another paper in Science by Pauling in 1968, introduced and defined this view of molecular medicine that focuses on natural and nutritional substances used for treatment and prevention.
Published research and progress was slow until the 1970s' "biological revolution" that introduced many new techniques and commercial applications.
Molecular medicine is a new scientific discipline in European universities. Combining contemporary medical studies with the field of biochemistry, it offers a bridge between the two subjects. At present only a handful of universities offer the course to undergraduates. With a degree in this discipline the graduate is able to pursue a career in medical sciences, scientific research, laboratory work and postgraduate medical degrees.
For more information about Molecular medicine, read the full article at
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News tagged with molecular medicine
Tumor-initiating Cells Detected in Pten Null Prostate Cancer Model
Nov 12, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- New findings published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, advance the current understanding of the role of stem/progenitor cells on the initiation and progression of pro ...
'Hedgehog' pathway may hold key to anti-cancer therapy
Aug 26, 2009 |
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Scientists in Switzerland have discovered a way to block the growth of human colon cancer cells, preventing the disease from reaching advanced stages and the development of liver metastases. The research, published today ...
GARP makes the difference
Jun 15, 2009 |
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Scientists from the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research in Braunschweig, Germany and the Medical School Hannover, Germany have succeeded in treating immune cells in a way that enables them to inhibit unwanted immune reactions ...
Study may aid efforts to prevent uncontrolled cell division in cancer
May 28, 2009 |
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Researchers from the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have uncovered a remarkable property of the contractile ring, a structure required for cell division. ...
Scientists develop a new HIV microbicide -- and a way to mass produce it in plants
Medicine & Health / HIV & AIDS
May 28, 2009 |
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In what could be a major pharmaceutical breakthrough, research published online in The FASEB Journal describes how scientists from St George's, University of London have devised a one-two punch to stop HIV. First the report ...
Investigating the development of mechanosensitivity
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
May 22, 2009 |
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Researchers of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Germany, have gained crucial insight into how mechanosensitivity arises. By measuring electrical impulses in the sensory neurons of mice, the ...
Researchers unravel key mechanism in pathogenesis of osteoporosis
May 14, 2009 |
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Osteoporosis, or bone loss, is a disease that is most common in the elderly population, affecting women more often than men. Until now, it was not clear exactly how the disease develops. Researchers of the Max Delbrück Center ...
New risk variant for atopic dermatitis identified
Apr 06, 2009 |
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Scientists of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch and Charité - University Medical School, Berlin, Germany, in collaboration with researchers from the Klinikum rechts der Isar of Technical ...
Researchers identify a protein that may help breast cancer spread, beat cancer drugs
Apr 01, 2009 |
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New research from UC Davis Cancer Center shows that a protein called Muc4 may be the essential ingredient that allows breast cancer to spread to other organs and resist therapeutic treatment. The study, which appears in the ...
Bioengineered proteins: Trial confirms new way to tackle cancer
Mar 26, 2009 |
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Re-engineering a protein that helps prevent tumours spreading and growing has created a potentially powerful therapy for people with many different types of cancer. In a study published in the first issue of EMBO Molecular Me ...
Researchers identify a protein critical for memory, learning
Biology /
Feb 24, 2009 |
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Researchers from the University of Toronto and The Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids) have made a breakthrough discovery that may eventually change the way physicians approach treatment of learning and memory defects ...
Protein may boost body's defence system against infections and cancer
Jan 23, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- To boost our immune system, health experts remind us to get a good night's sleep, drink plenty of fluids and eat a well-balanced diet. Researchers at McMaster University have added a new finding to the list ...
Researchers examine evolution of genes that trigger the body's immune response to viral infection
Oct 21, 2008 |
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Virginia Commonwealth University Institute of Molecular Medicine researchers have traced the evolutionary origin of two genes that serve as primary cellular sensors of infection with RNA viruses, such as influenza, poliovirus, ...
