Researchers get much closer to finding malaria drug by crystallising the virus’s protein in space

[snoop1130]

Researchers get much closer to finding malaria drug by crystallising the virus’s protein in space

By The Nation

 

Photo credit: GISTDA

 

After successfully crystallising protein in space, Dr Chairat Uthaipipull, a senior researcher at Biotech, has sent the protein crystals to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for further study.

 

The aim of this project is to create effective anti-malaria drugs.

 

Dr Chairat said on Wednesday (June 17) that the crystallisation of protein is important for researchers to design drugs that can better bind to this protein.

 

“When we see the protein’s structure clearly, it’s like we have found a key to a padlock. Crystallisation of the protein was better in space as there is no gravity and the crystals can be created in the most natural manner possible,” he said.

 

The protein crystals have been sent to JAXA, where they will be fired with the synchrotron light to see how it scatters.

 

“Then we will be able to create 3D structure of the protein to see how it looks. This will help us design a drug that can bind to this protein well, and if we can stop this protein – which is the virus’s core – from activity, then the virus will die,” the expert said.

 

Izumi Yoshizaki, manager of the JAXA Protein Crystal Growth project, which sent the protein to space, said: “We added protein solutions at the launch pad in the Kennedy Space Centre a few hours before take-off to prevent a pre-reaction of the matter. Therefore, we have achieved very high-quality and complete space crystals. Gistda [the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency] will have information of the light scattering and irradiation in the crystal’s structure by July.”

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/edandtech/30389864?utm_source=category&utm_medium=internal_referral

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-06-18

 

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[Captain Monday]

How many Thais have been awarded the Nobel prize?

[doctormann]

Slightly confused here or maybe I'm missing something.

 

Malaria is a disease that is caused by the plasmodium parasite carried by the anopheles mosquito, so what has this got to do with crystallizing a viral protein?

[Bender Rodriguez]

space? as they cannot simulate space athmosphere on earth ? whatever they produce will be mega expensive....

 

Today, it costs $10,000 to put a pound of payload in Earth orbit

[anterian]

2 hours ago, doctormann said:

Slightly confused here or maybe I'm missing something.

 

Malaria is a disease that is caused by the plasmodium parasite carried by the anopheles mosquito, so what has this got to do with crystallizing a viral protein?

You beat me to it, there is clearly some information missing, perhaps it's a virus that attacks the parasite.

[mwbrown]

1 hour ago, Bender Rodriguez said:

space? as they cannot simulate space athmosphere on earth ? whatever they produce will be mega expensive....

 

Today, it costs $10,000 to put a pound of payload in Earth orbit

It's not the atmosphere, it's gravity.  In microgravity the crystal can grow to its true shape.  X-ray crystallography was how the double-helix of DNA was discovered by Rosalind Franklin.  She should have shared the Nobel Prize with Watson and Crick.

[digger70]

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Researchers get much closer to finding malaria drug by crystallising the virus’s protein in space

Won't be long before they will built a Big Lab on the Moon.

If something goes wrong (like the Wuhan Flu) the problem  Stays Up there. 

[Acharn]

7 hours ago, mwbrown said:

It's not the atmosphere, it's gravity.  In microgravity the crystal can grow to its true shape.  X-ray crystallography was how the double-helix of DNA was discovered by Rosalind Franklin.  She should have shared the Nobel Prize with Watson and Crick.

"Grow to its true shape?" Wait ... The virus evolved on Earth under full gravity. How can a lack of gravity be more "natural" for the protein? And what virus are we talking about? Malaria is caused by a miroscopic parasite, not a virus. X-ray crystallography is a tool that's over a century old. Why do they need to use synchroton radiation, which requires a particle accelerator to generate?  This story just lacks sense.

[doctormann]

31 minutes ago, Acharn said:

"Grow to its true shape?" Wait ... The virus evolved on Earth under full gravity. How can a lack of gravity be more "natural" for the protein? And what virus are we talking about? Malaria is caused by a miroscopic parasite, not a virus. X-ray crystallography is a tool that's over a century old. Why do they need to use synchroton radiation, which requires a particle accelerator to generate?  This story just lacks sense.

There are, apparently, some advantages to growing crystals under micro gravity.  

 

This link <https://www.issnationallab.org/blog/growing-crystals-in-space/> is about some experiments being done on the ISS.

 

As I said in my earlier post, I have no idea what this has to with malaria!

[Artisi]

2 hours ago, Acharn said:

"Grow to its true shape?" Wait ... The virus evolved on Earth under full gravity. How can a lack of gravity be more "natural" for the protein? And what virus are we talking about? Malaria is caused by a miroscopic parasite, not a virus. X-ray crystallography is a tool that's over a century old. Why do they need to use synchroton radiation, which requires a particle accelerator to generate?  This story just lacks sense.

"lacks sense" nothing different to most high tech stories.... 

[rickudon]

Usual Thai Journalist's problem - they know F-all about the subject they are writing about. Science, maths, they never check anything.

[mommysboy]

Great! now can someone find an effective treatment for covid19? Might need feet on ground.