· Log in

New drug combats jet lag

Written by: David Castillo on August 24th, 2010

New drug combats jet lag | read this item

Researchers have are now developing a new pill that could help people combat jet lag.

The drug resets the body’s internal clock, allowing the human body to quickly and easily adjust to time zones. It can also be used by night-shift employees.

“It can be really devastating to our brains and bodies when something happens to disrupt the natural rhythm of our body clocks,” said Andrew Loudon, the researcher from Manchester University. “We’ve discovered that we can control one of the key molecules involved in setting the speed at which the clock ticks and in doing so we can actually kick it into a new rhythm.”

The research was partly carried out by medical manufacturer Pfizer. It focused on an enzyme called casein kinase. It essentially fine tunes a person’s biological clock.

The drug has already been experimented on mice. It blocked the enzyme, restarting the body clock.

Loudon explained: “’We’ve shown that it’s possible to use drugs to synchronise the body clock of a mouse and so it may also be possible to use similar drugs to treat a whole range of health problems associated with disruptions of circadian rhythms.”

Source: MailOnline