Curing Cancer

For this task assigned to me, which is to “choose a drug which is currently used to treat cancer by targeting a protein, explain what effect this has on the protein it targets and how this might change the wider proteome” , I have choose the drug Fluorouracil which is also referred to as the   FU or 5FU drug. This specific drug is used to treat a wide range of different cancer types including : breast cancer, anal cancer, head and neck cancer, colon cancer and specific skin cancers1. It is commonly used with other chemotherapy drugs and/or used with radiotherapy treatment.

To understand how the Fluorouracil drug ( or any other chemotherapy treatment works) we must firstly understand the structure of the cells in our body and what makes them function. A healthy, normal cell contains five main parts : the nucleus (contains genetic information and controls the function of the cell), Cytoplasm (where chemical processes happen by the use of enzymes), Membrane (controls what substances are allowed inside and outside the cell), Mitochondria (where respiration occurs) and Ribosomes (where protein synthesis occurs) 2. The main point of where the cells mutate to become cancer cells actually lies within the nucleus of the cell ,which is where chromosomes are found. Chromosomes are fabricated from long DNA molecules. DNA (deoxyribose nucleic acid) are made up of genes3. A gene contains a specific code which enables it to help build different amino acids and proteins. It is worth noting that it takes three deoxyribose nucleic acids (DNA) to form one amino acid. It is very important to mention that if only one amino acid is changed (or defected) the whole structure of the protein changes. This shows how even the slightest change in amino acids can change the complex of a protein which in turn changes the complex of tissue, which in turn changes the complex of an organ, which in turn changes the complex of an organ system and finally which in turn changes the complex of the...