New Imaging Tool to Monitor Protein Movement in Body By Kim Tong-hyung
Scientists announced a new imaging technique that allows the viewing of a wide range of protein motions on a real-time basis. This could lead to breakthroughs in the studies of biological functions and structures of proteins in the human body, which in turn, could open up new possibilities in drug development.
``The technique allows the viewing of protein motion in water, which is how more than 70 percent of proteins in the human body exist, and recording video-images of the changes also becomes possible,'' said Ihee Hyot-cherl, a researcher at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and one of the co-authors of the study.
``This could vastly improve the understanding of the way proteins work, which could contribute to improving drug-making processes. Aside from detecting proteins, the technique could also be used for researching nano-materials, making it useful in both biotechnology and nano-technology,'' he said.
The study, titled ``Tracking the Structural Dynamics of Proteins in Solution Using Time-Resolved Wide-Angle X-Ray Scattering,'' will be published in the October edition of the peer journal, Nature Methods.
Proteins are basically considered the essence of life, participating in every cellular process in living organisms, including absorbing oxygen, digesting food and producing electrochemical signals that enable thinking.
Proteins carry out their biological functions by altering their structures, with motions ranging from subtle to substantial and slow to very fast. Thus, the study of protein structure, which is key to understanding the way they work, is one of the most important frontiers in modern science.
Various methods have been used for monitoring the changes in protein structures, with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography most conventionally used.
Although NMR and X-ray crystallography are effective for looking at the overall three-dimensional structures of proteins, both have limited ability in detecting very fast motions.
Other methods, such as optical spectroscopy, are very good at detecting fast changes, but do not yield much information about the three-dimensional protein structure.
The researchers led by Ihee and Marco Cammarata of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) focused on developing an alternative technology of time-resolved wide-angle X-ray scattering (TR-WAXS). This allowed them to monitor very fast, nanosecond-scale protein movements in the context of the three-dimensional structure, Ihee said.
The researchers successfully used TR-WAXS to track the rapid structural changes occurring in human hemoglobin, the well-known oxygen-transport protein, in nearly physiological conditions.
Advancement in the understanding of protein structures could eventually allow drug companies to develop drugs that specifically target certain proteins.
[Via www.koreatimes.co.kr]
Nanotechnology – the Future of Drinking Water?
Regions of the world suffering from extensive droughts and water shortages might find a long-term solution with nanotechnology, researchers are saying.The reality of this type of water filtration system could be closer than some think, because other technologies are too expensive and difficult to maintain for the poor conditions in which the inhabitants live. Carbon nanotubes, being simple in design but very effective in operation, might be the answer. The structure of these tubes allows only very small molecules – such as water molecules – to pass through. The thickness of these carbon fibers is less than a billionth of that of a strand of human hair, which still keeps out harmful agents such as bacteria, viruses and metals.
In addition to the efficient engineering behind these nanotubes, the power needed to drive water through a system would be comparatively low to conventional practices. It’s important to take note of this effort to bring clean water to a drought-stricken population, because over one billion people alive today are without access to safe drinking water. An estimated 2.4 billion people on top of that are said to have improper water sanitation, with the majority living in developing countries.
Medical Nanotechnology Markets to Reach $1 Trillion by 2015
Nanotechnology has reached critical mass. Nowhere is this more evident than in medicine. Rising medical costs, demands for less-invasive procedures and pressures for immediate feedback of medical conditions, all point to nanotechnology as offering a new approach in healthcare. According to U.S. National Science Foundation estimates, by 2015 the annual global market for nano-related goods and services will top $1 trillion, thus making it one of the fastest-growing industries in history. Assuming that these figures prove to be accurate, nanotechnology will emerge as a larger economic force than the combined telecommunications and information technology industries at the beginning of the technology boom of the late 1990s. This report covers the specific segments of the medical nanotechnology markets, with particular emphasis on those segments where this emerging technology is or shows the potential to be most impactful. Nanotechnology, a field of science and technology that aims to control matter at the atomic, molecular and macromolecular level, potentially has far-reaching and paradigm-shifting implications for biology, drug discovery and medical technologies. The discipline has already yielded healthcare discoveries that have been used for drug delivery and diagnostic purposes. In this study, we describe various nanotechnologies under development for biological and medical purposes and assess their potential. Moreover, this analysis is arranged to provide an overview of the regulatory issues faced by the medical nanotechnology industry and focuses on how specific segments within the industry are poised for high future growth.
Light-activated nanotechnology wall paints for hospitals could kill superbugs
| (Nanowerk News) New nanotechnology paints for walls, ceilings, and surfaces could be used to kill hospital superbugs when fluorescent lights are switched on, scientists heard today (Wednesday 10 September 2008) at the Society for General Microbiology's Autumn meeting being held this week at Trinity College, Dublin. | |
| The new paints contain tiny particles of titanium dioxide, which is the dazzling white compound often used as a brightener in commercial paints. It will also be familiar to tennis fans as the powder used for the white lines to mark out the courts at Wimbledon. | |
| Scientists have discovered that extremely small, nanoparticle-sized forms of titanium dioxide can kill bacteria and destroy dirt when they absorb ultraviolet light (UV) energy from the sun. They produce active molecules which clean up the painted surfaces. | |
| "It would be best if the titanium was antibacterial at wavelengths of light that you find indoors, such as fluorescent light, so that paints containing the nanoparticles could be used in hospitals and other places where a clean environment is important," said Lucia Caballero from Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. | |
| The researchers looked at the survival of the food poisoning bacterium Escherichia coli on different formulations of paints containing the titanium nanoparticles under different types and intensities of lights. "We found that paints containing titanium dioxide are more successful at killing bacteria if the concentration of the nanoparticles is stronger than in normal paint. Our best results showed that all the E. coli were killed under ordinary fluorescent lights," said Lucia Caballero. | |
| "However, other common additives in paints, such as calcium carbonate, silica or talc decreased the antibacterial efficiency of the paint. If calcium carbonate was present the kill rate dropped by up to 80%," said Lucia Caballero. "Our tests on a commercially available paint showed that the ability of the paint to inactivate bacteria was massively reduced compared with a paint formulation which did not contain such additives." | |
| With rising concern about the spread of hospital superbugs, healthcare trusts are increasingly looking to find better ways to maintain hygienic standards in hospitals. The same concerns are driving developments in the food industry and in pharmaceutical companies. These new nanoparticle paints could provide a simple and cost-effective solution. | |
| "Facilities such as bathrooms and child care facilities, public conveniences and domestic bathrooms would all benefit from good hygiene control," said Lucia Caballero. "In all these places, surface hygiene could be improved by the action of fluorescent light on catalytic surfaces such as paints containing nanotitanium. This would slow down contamination and save on the costs of cleaning maintenance." |
Medical Nano-Bots Utilize Sperm Tails For Propulsion
Delivering medicine with tiny robots inside your veins
Imagine a tiny robot or drug-delivery device that could swim through your veins, using blood sugar as its fuel. Such a device could be powered by the same chain of chemical reactions that propel sperm toward an egg, according to researchers at Cornell University.
The researchers are trying to reproduce (pardon the pun) the steps whereby a sperm's whiplike tail generates energy. (Sperm also generate energy using the mitochondria in their midsection.) Running the length of the tail is a fibrous sheath with 10 enzymes attached to it. These enzymes act in series to break down glucose into ATP, the energy source for cells, in a process known as glycolysis.
So far, the Cornell researchers have managed to attach three of the 10 enzymes to a computer chip and confirm that the enzymes still work. If they can attach all 10 enzymes, they'll have a working version of a sperm engine, which could then be attached to nano-devices. The researchers presented their findings at the American Society for Cell Biology's annual meeting today.—Dawn Stover
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Nanowire 'Paper Towel' Designed to Clean Up Oil Spills
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A mat of nanowires with the touch and feel of paper could be an important new tool in the cleanup of oil and other organic pollutants, scientists announced today.
MIT researchers and colleagues say they have created a membrane that can absorb up to 20 times its weight in oil, and can be recycled many times for future use. The oil itself can also be recovered.
Some 200,000 tons of oil have already been spilled at sea since the start of the decade.
"What we found is that we can make 'paper' from an interwoven mesh of nanowires that is able to selectively absorb hydrophobic liquids - oil-like liquids - from water," said Francesco Stellacci, an associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and leader of the work.
The results are detailed in the May 30 online issue of Nature Nanotechnology.
In addition to its environmental applications, the nanowire paper could also impact filtering and the purification of water, said Jing Kong, an assistant professor of electrical engineering in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and one of Stellacci's colleagues on the work. She noted that it could also be inexpensive to produce because the nanowires of which it is composed can be fabricated in larger quantities than other nanomaterials.
Stellacci explained that there are other materials that can absorb oils from water, "but their selectivity is not as high as ours." In other words, conventional materials still absorb some water, making them less efficient at capturing the contaminant.
The new material appears to be completely impervious to water. "Our material can be left in water a month or two, and when you take it out it's still dry," Stellacci said. "But at the same time, if that water contains some hydrophobic contaminants, they will get absorbed."
Two key properties make the system work. First, the nanowires form a spaghetti-like mat with many tiny pores that make for good capillarity, or the ability to absorb liquids. Second, a water-repelling coating keeps water from penetrating into the membrane. Oil, however, isn't affected, and seeps into the membrane.
The membrane is created by the same general technique as its low-tech cousin, paper. "We make a suspension of nanowires, like a suspension of cellulose [the key component of paper], dry it on a non-sticking plate, and we get pretty much the same results," Stellacci said.
In a commentary accompanying the Nature Nanotechnology paper, Joerg Lahann of the University of Michigan concluded: "Stellacci and co-workers have provided an example of a nanomaterial that has been rationally designed to address a major environmental challenge."
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