Question: Does using glow in the dark medicines make it more effective?

Steve Briddon answered on 22 Apr 2021: last edited 22 Apr 2021 2:30 pm

Hi Finn,

Great question! So, we only use the glow-in-the-dark versions of our medicines/drugs in experiments in cells in the lab. They aren’t meant to be taken by people. But your Q is an important one. Most medicines we use are small molecules, and they work by sticking to proteins in the cell’s membrane (the “bag” around the cell’s contents). This “sticking” – we call it binding – uses very specific chemical groups on the drug. To let us see our drugs in the microscopes, we add an extra chemical group, which makes them glow when we shine a laser on them. So this extra chemical group can definitely change how the drug binds to its target, and we have to be really careful about where we add this glowing group to the drug to make sure the drug still behaves like it should.

Interestingly, there are some proper medicines – used in people – that DO glow in the dark, particularly in uv light. If you’re taking these medicines you have to be careful how much time you spend in the sun! For instance, some antibiotics like tetracyclines and a drug for acne called isotretinoin (and lots of others too)