TL;DW:
Due to various molecular configurations (aka polymorphs), currently known medicines when contaminated with a catalyst seed molecule/particle can become irreversibly unreproducible via chained-contaminations.

  • the contamination can cause the existing configurations to become more stable in a negative fashion where the medicine/compounds no longer work they way we expect them to.

This system of contamination and reproduction acts in similar fashion to viral infections.


Current Solutions:

  • better clean room procedures for all steps of medicine manufacturing.
  • pour more money into medicine polymorph research.
    • _stranger_@lemmy.world
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      55 minutes ago

      It’s just a visual analogy. Once aluminum is infiltrated by the gallium it can’t be reverted, only removed/replaced.