CHED 1294 |
| This study seeks to use biochemistry to assess the effectivenss of a form of complementary medicine, Therapeutic Touch (TT), using the model system of enzyme denaturation and renaturation. Therapeutic touch is a noncontact form of energy manipulation. Current theories assert that enzyme folding and unfolding occur through the formation of energetically stable intermediates and folding configurations through the enzyme's interactions with it's immediate energetic environment. Ribonuclease A will serve as the model enzyme which will be denatured and refolded into an intermediate configuration and then chemically renatured with 2-mercaptoethanol or treated using TT. In theory, TT can directly manipulate the enzyme's energetic environment to change its configuration from an intermediate, inactive enzyme state, to an active, natured state. This study improves on existing studies regarding energy manipulation in that it will be carried out using proper controls, statistical analyses and a model which is directly related to energetic input. |
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Undergraduate Research Poster Session: Medicinal Chemistry
2:00 PM-4:00 PM, Monday, April 7, 2008 Morial Convention Center -- Hall A, Poster
Division of Chemical Education |