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Recreational biomolecules

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surly1

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Joined
Feb 17, 2009
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33
Do you think these will soon become a reality? By biomolecules I mainly intend proteins and other complex biomolecules.

Building your own bioreactor is already possible: http://www.biotechniques.com/Biotec...-in-Escherichia-coli/biotechniques-45258.html

DIY genetic engineering is gaining some attention in admittedly marginalized niches, but I predict that it will grow as a cheap way to locally produce biomolecules, not just proteins but the smaller more common as well. Personally I've decided to make it my next goal to build my own bioreactor and I'll see where can I go with it, but the technology is constantly improving and sequencing is becoming cheaper. The Oxford Nanopore MinION sequencing/sensing system should become available soonish for under a 1000$: https://www.nanoporetech.com/techno...e-minion-device-a-miniaturised-sensing-system

Is it just my insanity or does anyone else sense a Shulgin-style explosion of new molecules on the horizon? Anyone have any expertise on this area? All I have to go on is some biochemistry studies and having followed this industry for some years, so I'd prefer to let someone with more knowledge speak on the matter.
 
proteins and most other complex biomolecules cannot cross the blood brain barrier.
but i think gmo yeast strains that build amphetamine, psilocin and other drugs if you feed them glucose and other nutrients are a distinct possibility in the next 20 years or so.
 
sure, but it's not as easy as you make it sound and definitely not guaranteed to work with any kind of protein. (there's also the question how fast that happens...)
there are many reasons that the biopharmaceuticals haven't taken off in the way many expected and are typically only given for severe diseases. two of these reasons are that they have to be applied parenterally and that large molecules often elicit responses of the immune system. do you really want a drug you have to inject and that probably gives you anaphylactic reactions with repeated usage?
 
Good point, definitely a lot of problems for consumable biologics. Still, they could offer a whole new variety of functions in neuropharmacology.
 
There are oligopeptides already fitting the profile, and they are of course the simple unfolded version of proteins (proto-proteins? :D )
E.g. selank, semaks..
 
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