Drugs through

Question

Mummery, a Professor of Developmental Biology at Leiden University Medical Center in The Netherlands told CNN: "It could save a lot of time and effort of taking the wrong drugs through, or it may allow drugs through which are lost at an early stage, because they affect the animal cells but don't have an effect on human cells.

I thing the word 'drugs through' is a compound noun, but what does it exactly mean here?

Thanks.

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,
I think the word 'drugs through' is a compound noun No, it's not.

, but what does it exactly mean here? It's not at all clear in your extract. However, here's the quote in more context.

Brighton, UK, Christine Mummery described how using embryonic stem cells to create human heart cells could be a viable and scientifically exciting alternative to animal testing.
Mummery, a Professor of Developmental Biology at Leiden University Medical Center in The Netherlands told CNN: "It could save a lot of time and effort of taking the wrong drugs through, or it may allow drugs through which are lost at an early stage, because they affect the animal cells but don't have an effect on human cells.

"It may also allow more and better drugs to come through the first tests or flag up safety issues at an earlier stage."

As you can see, the remarks seem to deal with drugs coming through (ie successfully passing) the first tests.

Merry Christmas, Clive

Liveinjapan · Answer

Thanks, Clive.
Understand!
I also noticed that 'through the first test' but didn't come up with what you said.

Merry Christmas, LiJ

Avangi · Answer

Hopefully, someone else knows. I'm too lazy to research it right now. I think it relates to the recent concern about drugs which are fed to animals and eventually find their way to humans. It would be nice to know the antecedent of "it." There are medicatation techniques in which substances to be taken orally are "chelated," or chemically attatched to another substance which will allow them to pass into the blood stream where the bare substance would have been rejected.

I don't think it's a compound noun, but I could be wrong. "Taking drugs through," and "allowing drugs through" to me suggests a restrictive membrane which allows certain substances to pass through and others not. "It" may be a chelating substance which takes another substance through the membrane.

If this was on CNN, there has to be an explanation which the average person can understand. Where is it??

- A.

Avangi · Answer

My thanks too, Clive.  I should have looked it up!  Wow! was I off base.  TESTS!

Liveinjapan · Answer

Thanks, Avangi.
You're right!

Drugs through

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