The Impact of Sequencing Human Genome on Treating Mental Disorders Including Brain Cancer
Abstract:
The purpose of this abstract is to study mental disorders that tend to run in the families, suggesting potential genetic roots. If you inherit these defected genes, there is nothing you can do to prevent these diseases. Such illnesses include Aautism, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, major Depression, Epilepsy, Huntingdon, Parkinson, and schizophrenia. Developing novel drugs to treat mental disorders present the greatest challenge because our brain is covered by a protective fatty membrane called the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB). The BBB filters out all toxic chemicals except highly toxic and highly addictive narcotics. Of all the non-toxic chemicals tested to cross BBB, only Quinone is a non-toxic and non-addictive molecule that crosses the BBB with great ease. In making AZQ (US Patent 4,233,215) to treat Glioblastoma, the brain cancer, we used Quinone as a carrier to transport across BBB highly toxic Aziridine and Carbamate moieties to attack DNA of growing brain tumor like Glioblastomas. The active moieties of Aziridines and Carbamates act as prodrugs. They remain inactive in the brain in neutral and basic spinal fluid but are activated in acidic environment. The growing Glioblastoma tumor uses Glucose as a source of energy which is broken down to produce Lactic acid. It is the acid that activates the prodrug releasing highly reactive Carbonium ions which attack the Glioblastoma tumor DNA shutting off the genes controlling the tumor growth. Although it works for Glioblastoma, unfortunately, in other mental disorders described above, the prodrug is not activated due to the absence of acid. The genes responsible for causing this mental disorder are not shut off. It is the challenge for the next generation of scientists (my students) to activate the prodrugs in the absence of acid to treat all other mental disorders.
