Cool New Drug? There's a Medical Lab Behind the Scenes!

Minjend's friend! Don't think that the new sophisticated medicine just appeared suddenly! Behind the scenes, there is hard work by a medical laboratory team that is really good at using cool technology.

Researchers and health scientists are racing to create more potent drugs with minimal side effects. Well, medical laboratories come with various sophisticated tools and cool methods to support them.

Wondering how medical laboratories play a role in the discovery of new drugs? Check out this casual explanation from the cool kids!

Discover New Drug Candidates Using Advanced

Quantum Annealing Technology: Not only for physics, this technology can also be used in medical laboratories! Research by Shetty et al. (2023) used "Quantum Annealing" to see how drug molecules can attach to proteins in our bodies. This is very important for finding effective drug candidates (Shetty et al., 2023).

Dig into research like a detective: Sang et al. (2018) have a cool way to find new drug candidates, namely digging through existing research using the help of a "knowledge graph". This knowledge graph is like a map that makes it easier for us to see relationships between studies, so we can find patterns and potential drug candidates (Sang et al., 2018).

Computer Algorithm + Super Advanced DNA Scissors: Other studies use computer algorithms and the super advanced CRISPR-Cas9 system. This is useful for selecting the right target in cancer cells, so that the drug can be more effective in eradicating cancer cells (Vasudevaraja et al., 2017; Xing & Meng, 2019).

Biomarkers: The GPS of Drug Development

Biomarkers are like GPS that tell researchers how effective a drug is. The higher the accuracy of the GPS, the faster and more precise the drug production. Floyd & McShane (2004) explain the importance of biomarkers in testing the mechanism of action of drugs, regulating the course of clinical trials, and reducing the risk of drug side effects.

In addition, advanced technologies such as "next-generation sequencing" (NGS) and "circulating tumor DNA" (ctDNA) detection are also on the rise. This technology is used to find targeted drugs for colon cancer (Yau, 2019). Cool, right?

Future Technologies: Better Medicines!

In addition to those already mentioned, future technologies such as bioelectronics, biosensors, and artificial intelligence (AI) will also change the world of medicine. Studies by Babatain et al. (2020) and Pauli et al. (2015) discuss how these technologies can be utilized (Babatain et al., 2020; Pauli et al., 2015).

Another study by Pregelj et al. (2018) even showed that precision medicine using advanced technology can quickly obtain marketing authorization because clinical trials are more efficient (Pregelj et al., 2018). Very cool, right?

So, medical laboratories play a very important role in the discovery of new drugs that are more effective and have minimal side effects. The collaboration of research teams and advanced technology is what makes the future of medicine brighter!

Want to Contribute to Creating Future Medicines?

Cool, right? If you are interested in contributing to the advancement of the world of health and finding new, more effective drugs, let's study at the UNJANI Medical Laboratory Technology Study Program! At UNJANI, you will learn how to use advanced technology in medical laboratories that play an important role in creating future drugs.