Examples of Research...

So, exactly why do scientists need access to human sample and how will the samples be used?

This is because human tissue is the closest approximation or ‘model’ of the patient. The biosample can replicate what actually happens in your body. There is a lot of work done in the laboratory before any medicine or treatment actually reaches its first trials in volunteers or patients. The reason for this is that many tests need to be performed for a number of reasons. Some of the questions that scientists are trying to answer include:

What’s different about the disease versus normal condition?

Is there more than 1 difference?

If there are more than 1 difference then is one more influential than another

Where does this difference appear?

Does this difference appear in all samples/donors?

Why does it appear in some but not others?

Can this difference be exploited?

How can it be exploited?

How effective will potential drugs be in getting to the active (target) site to treat a condition.

How good is the drug at targeting the disease?

How toxic is the drug to the normal (non-diseased) tissue

Does the drug affect other parts of the body?

What are potential side effects of the drug?

If there are side-effects, how strong are they? Do the risks ‘outweigh’ any benefits that the drug may have on treating the disease?

What happens after you take the drug for a long time?

What happens if the patient is taking a number of different medications at the same time.

What is the cause of the disease?

What exactly is the process by which the disease develops?

Are there different variants to the disease?

Why do some people get the disease and others don’t?

Why do some people get a more severe form of the disease than others?

Why does a condition cause pain?

What causes the condition to ‘flare up’?

Possible targets to interefere with the disease?

How easily can the target be manipulated

What kind of effects do you get when the target is manipulated?

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DRI also supports the use of samples in diagnostics. Diagnostics is the process whereby Kits or instruments are developed or used to make a diagnosis. These are widely found on hospitals. In some instances only proteins from human biosamples can be used to make these kits. The reason for this is that there is currently no ‘artificial’ way of creating what the body does naturally.