(Press-News.org) NEW YORK, February 29, 2012 – A new method for creating nanofibers made of proteins, developed by researchers at Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU-Poly), promises to greatly improve drug delivery methods for the treatment of cancers, heart disorders and Alzheimer's disease, as well as aid in the regeneration of human tissue, bone and cartilage.
In addition, applied differently, this same development could point the way to even tinier and more powerful microprocessors for future generations of computers and consumer electronics devices.
The details are spelled out in an article titled "Effects of Divalent Metals on Nanoscopic Fiber Formation and Small Molecule Recognition of Helical Proteins," which appears online in Advanced Functional Materials. Author Susheel K. Gunasekar, a doctoral student in NYU-Poly's Department of Chemical and Biological Sciences, was the primary researcher, and is a student of co-author Jin Montclare, assistant professor and head of the department's Protein Engineering and Molecular Design Lab, where the underlying research was primarily conducted. Also involved were co-authors Luona Anjia, a graduate student, and Professor Hiroshi Matsui, both of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Hunter College (The City University of New York), where secondary research was conducted.
Yet all of this almost never emerged, says Professor Montclare, who explains that it was sheer "serendipity" –– a chance observation made by Gunasekar two years ago –– that inspired the team's research and led to its significant findings.
During an experiment that involved studying certain cylinder-shaped proteins derived from cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP, found predominantly in human cartilage), Gunasekar noticed that in high concentrations, these alpha helical coiled-coil proteins spontaneously came together and self-assembled into nanofibers. It was a surprising outcome, Montclare says, because COMP was not known to form fibers at all. "We were really excited," she recalls. "So we decided to do a series of experiments to see if we could control the fiber formation, and also control its binding to small molecules, which would be housed within the protein's cylinder."
Of special interest were molecules of curcumin, an ingredient in dietary supplements used to combat Alzheimer's disease, cancers and heart disorders.
By adding a set of metal-recognizing amino acids to the coiled-coil protein, the NYU-Poly team succeeded, finding that the nanofibers alter their shapes upon addition of metals such as zinc and nickel to the protein. Moreover, the addition of zinc fortified the nanofibers, enabling them to hold more curcumin, while the addition of nickel transformed the fibers into clumped mats, triggering the release of the drug molecule.
Next, Montclare says, the researchers plan to experiment with creating scaffolds of nanofibers that can be used to induce the regeneration of bone and cartilage (via embedded vitamin D) or human stem cells (via embedded vitamin A).
Later, it may even be possible to apply this organic, protein-based method for creating nanofibers to the world of computers and consumer electronics, Montclare says –– producing nanoscale gold threads for use as circuits in computer chips by first creating the nanofibers and then guiding that metal to them.
Ultimately, Montclare says, the researchers would like the fruits of their discovery –– such therapeutic nanofibers and metallic nanowires –– to be adopted by pharmaceutical companies and microprocessor makers alike.
INFORMATION:
Funding for this NYU-Poly research was provided by the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the U.S. Army Research Office, the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.
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NEW YORK (Feb. 29, 2012)—Exposure to lead wreaks havoc in the brain, with consequences that include lower IQ and reduced potential for learning. But the precise mechanism by which lead alters nerve cells in the brain has largely remained unknown.
New research led by Tomás R. Guilarte, PhD, Leon Hess Professor and Chair of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, and post-doctoral research scientist Kirstie H. Stansfield, PhD, used high-powered fluorescent microscopy and other advanced techniques to painstakingly chart the varied ...
COLUMBUS, Ohio – In this world, there are winners and losers – and, for your own safety, it is best to fear the winners.
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"It seems that people have a tendency to stomp down on those they have defeated, to really rub it in," said Brad Bushman, co-author of the study and professor of communication and psychology at Ohio State University.
"Losers, on the other hand, don't really act any more ...
According to Medicare's first public evaluation of hospitals' records on patient safety, patients are at a heightened risk for preventable conditions when going to teaching hospitals in America.
The Medicare program found that Washington Hospital Center, Georgetown University Hospital, and the Cleveland Clinic were some of the institutions having more complications than average, according to an article from The Washington Post.
The Medicare reimbursement to the hospitals are based on a number of things, some including readmission rates, how patients rate their stays, ...
While some scientists report engineering a super virulent strain of the H5N1 influenza virus, which could potentially wipe out a significant percentage of the human population, another group of researchers from the United Kingdom now reports a discovery that may one day help mitigate the deadly effects of all flu strains. This report, appearing in the March 2012 print issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, describes findings that may help prevent deaths from severe flu outbreaks, especially from seemingly healthy young people. Specifically, the researchers found that ...
An international team, including a Cardiff University researcher, who previously found evidence of the Earth's earliest tree, has gone one step further.
The research team has now unearthed and investigated an entire fossil forest dating back 385 million years.
The Gilboa fossil forest, in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York, is generally referred to as 'the oldest fossil forest'. Yet by scientific standards it has remained mythical.
Fossils of hundreds of large tree stumps (the 'Gilboa tree') preserved in the rocks were discovered in the 1920's during excavation ...
As the old adage goes, nothing in this world is certain but death and taxes. Unfortunately, in recent times this saying is more pertinent than ever, as there is now a direct and immediate link between taxes and the end of life.
Known derisively by some as the death tax, the federal estate tax (along with its cousins, the generation-skipping tax and the gift tax) can take a substantial bite out of intergenerational wealth. However, a tax relief package in effect until the end of 2012 can help you and your estate planning attorney develop an effective strategy to limit ...
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University ...
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They use as an example a 2008 study by James H. Fowler and ...
Scientists have combined two new "designer" forms of aspirin into a hybrid substance that appears more effective than either of its forebears in controlling the growth of several forms of cancer in laboratory tests. Their report on the new NOSH-aspirin, so named because it releases nitric oxide (NO) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S), appears in the journal ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters.
Khosrow Kashfi, Ravinder Kodela and Mitali Chattopadhyay point out that NO and H2S are signaling substances produced in the body that relax blood vessels, reduce inflammation and have a variety ...
If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident in Utah, you probably have many things on your mind. You could be worried about:
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- Getting your car repaired
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Utah laws mandating specific types of car insurance coverage should allow you to rest easier. Utah is what is known as a "no-fault" automobile insurance state. This means that essentially the law is designed to keep insurance premiums lower by discouraging lawsuits between drivers. ...
