Mirror-image forms is a topic that attracted substantial attention from scholars in the domain of biomedicine. A significant body of research literature investigating the problem exists, including the article “From Mirror-Image Biology to Enhanced Therapeutic Proteins” that presents relatively latest advances in cell chemical biology. The efforts of researchers in the German Cancer Research Center proved to be successful in synthesizing molecules in their mirror-image, although it is only one of the steps for their long-term objective. The achievements of these scientists constitute the core of the article. According to the research team leader Jorg Hoheisel, it is planned to develop a basic biological system that would coincide with its natural counterpart – this multifaceted objective, if achieved, could transform how structure and function of cells are understood. By presenting already accomplished goals, the article identifies perspectives and mechanisms of synthesizing molecules in their mirror-image.
The major accomplishment of the German Cancer Research Center is the generated mirror‑image of “a DNA-ligase from D-amino acids,” which can comprise a mirror-image from a DNA fragment. Furthermore, D-enzymes reproducing DNA and copying it into RNA became obtainable (German Cancer Research Center, 2019). The problem that the researches currently manage is creation of a mirror-image element that would operate as ribosomes. This structure is required to complete a well-functioning system producing an array of different proteins. Although the ideas described by Hoheisel could be unattainable presently, they have significant implications for today’s medicine – synthesizing more efficient immunoproteins that are used in drugs for cancer, for example, can become a reality in the immediate future. Therefore, the concepts described in “From Mirror-Image Biology to Enhanced Therapeutic Proteins” exemplify the potential of cell chemical biology generally and mirror-image forms specifically.
Reference
German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ). (2019). From mirror-image biology to enhanced therapeutic proteins. ScienceDaily. Web.