We chose tetrandine because previous research with tetrandine showed it has the ability to reduce cell proliferation and increase survival rates in certain types of cancers. It has also been shown to reduce the symptoms of pneumonia induced by COVID-19 when in combination with other treatments. This told us that tetrandine works with other drugs and could potentially work well alongside radiation therapy.
The dark cases indicate a fly that died before eclosing(coming out of its pupea case as a grown fruit fly) and this means the drug killed the fly. The liquified cases are a tan color and indicate that the fly died in an earlier stage of development. The clear clases indicate that the fly came out of its case and is alive(eclosed), the clear color is due to nothing being in the case.
The main reason for redoing the 1-2 dilution series is to see if the results would be replicated. An experimental error may have occurred that caused dose 4 to have a lower percent survival rate than dose 3, in that dose 4 does not follow the dose response curve of doses 1-3. It is slightly irregular that a lower concentration of our drug(dose 4) would produce a lower percent survival rate than higher concentrations(dose 3).
I think the lower concentrations of tetrandine as shown in doses 2-4 could help improve the quality of life of cancer patients, but it likely would not decrease mortality rates, because it did not lie in the “hit” range of a possible chemotherapy but it still has the possible ability to kill cancer cells. Higher concentrations of tetrandrine as shown in dose 1, will likely improve patients’ likelihood of survival, because it lies within our “hit” range of a possible chemotherapy.
You said that tetrandine inhibits a receptor pathway in a cell keeping it from pumping out a certain drug which kills the cell. What is that drug or molecule and why is it so essential for cell life? My apologies if I missed it in the presentation!
The efflux pumps role in the cell is to pump toxic compounds out of the cell, so that the compound can not stay inside the cell and kill the cell. The drug I was referencing to in this case is a chemotherapy, so in our experiment tetrandine. Tetrandine is able to inhibit this pump, so that the efflux pump can not pump tetrandine out, and this is what allows tetrandine to stay inside a cell and kill it.
What caused you to think of and choose tetrandine as your potential chemotherapy of choice?
We chose tetrandine because previous research with tetrandine showed it has the ability to reduce cell proliferation and increase survival rates in certain types of cancers. It has also been shown to reduce the symptoms of pneumonia induced by COVID-19 when in combination with other treatments. This told us that tetrandine works with other drugs and could potentially work well alongside radiation therapy.
What causes the difference in color between the different treated larvae?
The dark cases indicate a fly that died before eclosing(coming out of its pupea case as a grown fruit fly) and this means the drug killed the fly. The liquified cases are a tan color and indicate that the fly died in an earlier stage of development. The clear clases indicate that the fly came out of its case and is alive(eclosed), the clear color is due to nothing being in the case.
You mentioned redoing the 1-2 dilutions. Do you have reason to think you may have experimental error?
The main reason for redoing the 1-2 dilution series is to see if the results would be replicated. An experimental error may have occurred that caused dose 4 to have a lower percent survival rate than dose 3, in that dose 4 does not follow the dose response curve of doses 1-3. It is slightly irregular that a lower concentration of our drug(dose 4) would produce a lower percent survival rate than higher concentrations(dose 3).
Do you think lower dosing of the tetradine will improve the mortality rates?
I think the lower concentrations of tetrandine as shown in doses 2-4 could help improve the quality of life of cancer patients, but it likely would not decrease mortality rates, because it did not lie in the “hit” range of a possible chemotherapy but it still has the possible ability to kill cancer cells. Higher concentrations of tetrandrine as shown in dose 1, will likely improve patients’ likelihood of survival, because it lies within our “hit” range of a possible chemotherapy.
You said that tetrandine inhibits a receptor pathway in a cell keeping it from pumping out a certain drug which kills the cell. What is that drug or molecule and why is it so essential for cell life? My apologies if I missed it in the presentation!
The efflux pumps role in the cell is to pump toxic compounds out of the cell, so that the compound can not stay inside the cell and kill the cell. The drug I was referencing to in this case is a chemotherapy, so in our experiment tetrandine. Tetrandine is able to inhibit this pump, so that the efflux pump can not pump tetrandine out, and this is what allows tetrandine to stay inside a cell and kill it.
If this thing works for all cells, why not kill flies directly？