10/22/2008

10:00 pm
And you do it like this!



RE:

The end of AIDS!
SINGAPORE : Researchers at the National University of Singapore may have found a potential cure for viral diseases like SARS and HIV.
They have created an antibody that can ’capture’ large molecules such as viruses, and neutralise them before infection takes place.
Viral diseases like SARS, HIV and even the common flu have long defied attempts of a cure, due to frequent virus mutations. And that is why, for instance, people have to take flu vaccines every season.
Moreover, the rate of viral mutation may also delay the speed at which the body’s immune system can recognise, and deal with, the infection. Antibiotics may be taken to fight the bacteria — which further aggravate flu symptoms — but they do not actually target the virus itself.
So Singapore researchers have developed particles — each less than one—tenth the thickness of a human hair — that can recognise viruses.
Assistant Professor Tong Yen Wah, Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore, explained: "We create a nanoparticle that can recognise the entire structure of the virus, so even if the virus mutates partially, the structure will still be recognised by the nanoparticles and will still capture it to prevent infection."
The method involves mixing solvents and different organic molecules which researchers said can be commercialised cheaply and easily.
These are heated for 24 hours in low heat (40 degrees Celsius) under continuous stirring. The template molecules which are used to create the ’imprint’ are then dissolved through repeated washing, resulting in the nanoparticles.
The process behind Dr Tong’s work is called molecular imprinting. By fusing the nanoparticle and the virus, what he has done in effect is to create a new particle that will only recognise, and therefore capture, the specific virus.
The virus may then be removed from the body by cleaning the blood, in a process similar to kidney dialysis. Dr Tong is working on a handheld device that will do the job.
Another option is to inject the nanoparticles into the body, but he said dialysis is preferable as it is safer.
Molecular imprinting is not yet widely used in the industry, although some pharmaceutical companies use it to purify vitamins and proteins. The process has so far been used to capture small proteins, and this is the first time a team has successfully patented a way to capture large molecules.
Initial tests using this patented method on the protein Albumin have been successful, winning the team a US$100,000 grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
And if the researchers can demonstrate their idea on viruses, they will receive an additional US$1 million in funding, while providing the world with another weapon against infectious disease. — CNA/ms


this is why i love singapore. sometimes we are being kiasu the right way.haha!



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