Nano molecules help find diseased cells
The linear ion trap mass spectrometer in Andy Tao's lab allows him to quickly analyze biological samples such as snake venoms. It has the capability to analyze several hundred proteins in one hour. Here, Tao peers through the small window of the nanosprary ion source. (Purdue Agricultural Communication photo/Tom Campbell)
Researchers are using nanotechnology to develop better ways to diagnose and treat certain diseases.
For example, disease diagnosis often involves taking samples of a person’s blood or tissue, and testing the samples in a lab. But the act of testing can disturb the picture of what’s happening at the molecular level. This disturbance makes it difficult for researchers to get an accurate picture of biochemical mechanisms related to illnesses like cancer and heart disease.
Andy Tao is a biochemist at Purdue. His research involves what’s called a dendrimer. That’s a synthetic molecule created via nanotechnology. Dendrimers have the special property of being able to sneak easily into living cells. Tao and his team have created a dendrimer that delivers a glowing I.D. tag to cells, in this case, proteins associated with human diseases.
Tao has been testing his synthetic nanomolecules – his dendrimers – in snake venom, which has many proteins similar to those found in human blood.
Andy Tao: So, this has implications for early diagnosis, such as for breast cancer or other diseases, and also for therapeutic purpose so you can later on target this molecule to develop a certain drug on that.
Thanks today to the National Science Foundation.
Andy Tao also said, “Snake venom is a mixture of some very interesting proteins, a lot of them are proteins and enzymes, and certainly they are toxic to animals and humans. But they are also have a lot of implications for biological purposes and medical purposes. At least two molecules extracted from snake venom are drugs for heart attacks and for stroke, and another drug that is in clinical trials for cancer treatment.”
Read more: Scientists use nanoparticle to discover disease–causing proteins
Our thanks to:
W. Andy Tao
Assistant Professor of Biochemistry
Purdue University, IN
