Ctrl+Z for Meds?
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Imagine flipping a switch to turn blood thinners on or off, like a computer command.
Enter Millicent Dockerill from the University of Geneva. Inspired by findings in leeches, they set out to design a better blood-thinner.
They discovered two molecules that, when linked, target a blood-clotting protein. The twist? A third drug acts as an antidote, breaking the link between the molecules and reversing the effect!
This new anticoagulant is eight hundred times more effective than current meds. And the antidote restores normal clotting in ninety minutes!
One in seven blood-thinner patients are hospitalized due to overactive meds.
This “undo button” could be a lifesaver! Leeches sold separately.
Reference: Dockerill, M., Ford, D. J., Angerani, S., Alwis, I., Dowman, L. J., Ripoll-Rozada, J., Smythe, R. E., Liu, J. S. T., Pereira, P. J. B., Jackson, S. P., Payne, R. J., & Winssinger, N. (2025). Development of supramolecular anticoagulants with on-demand reversibility. Nature biotechnology, 43(2), 186–193. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-024-02209-z