Select Committee on Science and Technology Written Evidence


Annex

SOME EXAMPLES OF THE USE OF CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL TECHNIQUES IN BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHARMACOLOGY

  (1)  Structure-activity relationships and drug design are at the heart of Pharmacology—and are based on Chemistry.

  (2)  The synthesis of DNA primers for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is not trivial chemistry, and the separation of optical isomers is vital in modern-day pharmacology requires a wide knowledge of both Chemistry and Physics—to give just a couple of examples.

  (3)  The development of commercial "kits" for all sorts of analyses in both the clinical chemistry laboratory and also in molecular biology needs a high level of chemical understanding.

  (4)  Similarly the development of biosensors for all sorts of uses requires a good knowledge of physics and chemistry.

  (5)  A great deal of biochemical and pharmacological analysis these days is done by mass spectrometry which demands knowledge of both chemistry and physics.



 
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