![signal path think about your mind signal path think about your mind](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/boyles-150309134045-conversion-gate01/95/automated-traffic-control-paradigms-thinking-beyond-signals-27-638.jpg)
Patients could then receive the one or two drugs most likely to repair the pathways affected in their particular tumors.Every day we experience the world using our senses. With further research on biological pathways and the genetic profiles of particular tumors, drug developers might be able to focus their attention on just two or three pathways. Thus, instead of attempting to discover ways to attack one well-defined genetic enemy, researchers now face the prospect of fighting many enemies.įortunately, this complex view can be simplified by looking at which biological pathways are disrupted by the genetic mutations. Recent projects that deciphered the genomes of cancer cells have found an array of different genetic mutations that can lead to the same cancer in different patients. Unfortunately, the one-target, one-drug approach has not held up for most other types of cancer. Gleevec binds to that protein, stopping its activity and producing dramatic results in many CML patients. CML occurs because of a single genetic glitch that leads to the production of a defective protein that spurs uncontrolled cell growth. Much of that hope was based on the success of imatinib (Gleevec), a drug that was specifically designed to treat a blood cancer called chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Until recently, many researchers hoped that most forms of cancer were driven by single genetic mutations and could be treated by drugs that target those specific mutations. In turn, that protein may be a signal that prompts the cell to move. For example, a chemical signal from outside the cell might direct the cell to produce a particular protein inside the cell. After interacting with these receptors, the signal travels into the cell, where its message is transmitted by specialized proteins that trigger a specific reaction in the cell. Different cells are able to receive specific signals through structures on their surface called receptors. Signal transduction pathways move a signal from a cell's exterior to its interior. Proteins make up our muscles and organs, help our bodies move and defend us against germs. Such action is vital because genes provide the recipe by which cells produce proteins, which are the key components needed to carry out nearly every task in our bodies. Gene-regulation pathways turn genes on and off.
![signal path think about your mind signal path think about your mind](https://i.stack.imgur.com/1k1NA.png)
![signal path think about your mind signal path think about your mind](https://sapiensoup.com/images/serotonin/neurons-synapse@2x.png)
Other metabolic pathways actually help to build molecules. An example of a metabolic pathway is the process by which cells break down food into energy molecules that can be stored for later use. Metabolic pathways make possible the chemical reactions that occur in our bodies. Among the most well-known are pathways involved in metabolism, in the regulation of genes and in the transmission of signals. There are many types of biological pathways. When something goes wrong in a pathway, the result can be a disease such as cancer or diabetes. Other pathways maintain balance while a person is walking, control how and when the pupil in the eye opens or closes in response to light, and affect the skin's reaction to changing temperature.īiological pathways do not always work properly. For example, some pathways subtly affect how the body processes drugs, while others play a major role in how a fertilized egg develops into a baby. These biological pathways control a person's response to the world. Other cells produce substances, such as hormones, that travel through the blood to distant target cells. For example, some cells send signals to nearby cells to repair localized damage, such as a scratch on a knee. The molecules that make up biological pathways interact with signals, as well as with each other, to carry out their designated tasks.īiological pathways can act over short or long distances. To react and adjust to these cues, cells send and receive signals through biological pathways. For your body to develop properly and stay healthy, many things must work together at many different levels - from organs to cells to genes.įrom both inside and outside the body, cells are constantly receiving chemical cues prompted by such things as injury, infection, stress or even the presence or lack of food.