Drug Efficacy

Firefly molecule could quickly shed light on how well new drugs work

Published in Cancer Weekly, January 14th, 2003

The process that makes fireflies glow bright in the summer night can also shed light on how well new medicines work, showing immediately whether the drugs are effective at killing cells or causing other effects.

That's the conclusion of a team of scientists from the University of Michigan Health System, who report that they have inserted the gene for a firefly's glow-producing molecule into mice with cancer, and kept it from producing its telltale beacon of light until the cells started to die in response to cancer treatment.

Using a highly sensitive camera, the researchers were able to immediately detect the faintest traces of the firefly light as...

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Source: Cancer Weekly (2003-01-14)

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