R & D News

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Protein-folding Intermediates Discovered

Two University of Toronto (U of T) (Toronto, ON) researchers have become the first to atomically characterize a low-populated intermediate form of a protein.

Published in a recent issue of Nature, the study involved using relaxation dispersion nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to identify a low-population folding intermediate for two mutational variants of the SH3 domain of Fyn tyrosine kinase. The intermediate occurs in equilibrium with its unfolded and fully folded states.

Lewis E. Kay, PhD, a professor in U of T’s departments of chemistry and biochemistry, along with post-doctoral fellow Dmitry Korzhnev, PhD, performed the NMR experiments at different temperatures, which permitted characterization of the kinetics and energetics of the protein-folding process. This technique also provided structures for intermediates that form in the process.

Improving the ability to predict protein structure has advantages for drug design. Better understanding of protein pathways will also improve knowledge regarding the protein-folding errors that are linked to diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

Some Pain, Much Gain
Even a little bit of exercise has enormous potential to help prevent falls in seniors, according to a new study.

Research by Mark Speechley, PhD, an associate professor in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Western Ontario (London, ON), has found that even slight physical activity improvement can reduce the chance of falls. An interim analysis on data collected from 441 participants on specific health regimes has revealed a reduction of approximately 17 per cent in the number of falls.

Speechley and his team at the Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging (London, ON) had initially examined data from about 3,000 elderly respondents, and zeroed in on five problem areas, including two that could be improved with exercise: poor balance in the legs and weak leg muscles. Many patients do not recover well from hip fractures, winding up with a much-reduced quality of life, often with loss of mobility and reliance on the help of caregivers.

Undertaking some exercise, even simply standing on one’s toes or standing up and sitting down repeatedly, can improve leg balance and leg strength in the elderly.

When more motility is possible, activities that minimize joint strain, such as cycling, walking and swimming, are also recommended.

Underwater Medical Mission Planned
A McMaster University (Hamilton, ON) professor is taking some technologies under water.

In a 10-day underwater mission planned for October, Dr. Mehran Anvari, PhD will guide the NEEMO 7 mission crew’s surgical simulations involving telementoring.

A professor in McMaster’s department of surgery and director of the Centre for Minimal Access Surgery (CMAS) at St. Joseph’s Healthcare (Hamilton, ON), Anvari will use two-way communication links to guide an untrained surgeon in an underwater habitat called Aquarius, located off Key Largo in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (Marathon, FL). In another simulation, Anvari will operate on a mock patient inside Aquarius using telerobotics and virtual-reality technology.

To date, there have been six NEEMO (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) missions. Working in extreme conditions — such as the underwater environment, which provides conditions similar to those found in space — will enable researchers to test cutting-edge medical technologies that can eventually be applied in other settings. Remote surgical control via telementoring will also benefit people in communities that are far removed from large urban areas and therefore have limited access to medical care.