Isolating carcinogens

1991/02/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Medikuntza

can be detected by a new technique the presence of carcinogenic chemical agents.

Once these chemical agents are detected, prevention programs can be carried out against different types of cancer. This technique uses radioactive phosphorus to detect an agent that attacks cellular DNA.

DNA is the longest cell that contains the genes of every human cell. It consists of approximately 3 pairs of billions of chemical compounds.

David Phillips, of the London cancer research institute, and his co-workers, have broken the DNA molecule apart into different nucleotides. Subsequently, nucleotides are subjected to an electrophoresis gel.

The physical characteristics of nucleotides containing carcinogenic substances are different from those that do not contain it and occur in special places within the gel. Each location indicates the origin of the carcinogen, which is known when radioactive phosphorus affects the film.