Research update - from tea capsules to DNA computers
Two recent items from the Daily Telegraph are worthy of mention. The first is a report that chemicals in green and black tea can slow the growth of prostate cancer cells. Researchers from the University of California, in what is claimed to be the first study of the absorption and anti-tumour effects of green and black tea polyphenols in human tissue, detected the the polythenols in prostate tissue after limited consumption of tea.
They found that prostate cancer cells grew more slowly when exposed to the blood serum of men who had consumed either green or black tea for five days compared with serum collected before the men began their tea drinking regimen. Serum from a control group of men who drank comparable amounts of carbonated drink showed no such slowing in cancer cell proliferation. There are now plans to investigate if this effect can be enhanced by consuming larger amounts of tea polyphenols in the form of green tea extract supplement capsules.
In another reported marvel of miniaturisation, Researchers have created a tiny computer that may one day operate inside a body to detect and treat disease before symptoms appear. Made of DNA and DNA manipulating enzymes, the computer is so small that trillions can fit in a drop of water. In one of a series of test tube experiments, the team programmed the computer to identify molecules that indicate the presence of prostate cancer and following a correct diagnosis, release DNA strands designed to kill cancer cells.