Could pioneering nanochannels light the path toward future medicines?
Fundamental breakthroughs in vaccine and drug research are dependent upon extensive knowledge of DNA, proteins and other biological molecules found within a cell – known as biomolecules. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology (Gothenburg, Sweden) have innovated a ground-breaking microscopy technique that provides an unprecedented insight into biomolecules under natural physiological conditions.
The process of developing medicines and vaccines is time consuming and expensive. To streamline the work, it is essential to research the pathways and mechanisms that these biomolecules undertake.
The novel technique, known as nanofluidic scattering microscopy, enables the identification of promising drug target candidates at an earlier stage of discovery. Additionally, the innovation has potential in the study of biomolecules for intercellular communication. These processes are crucial for processes such as the immune response.
Previous studies on biomolecules utilizing optical microscopy relied on fluorescent labels or attaching them to a surface, which can potentially affect the molecule’s properties.
Christoph Langhammer, lead researcher and professor at the Department of Physics at Chalmers University of Technology, comments:
“With the aid of our technology, which does not require anything like that, it [the biomolecule] shows its completely natural silhouette, or optical signature, which means that we can analyze the molecule just as it is,”
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The technique utilizes a chip containing tiny nano-sized tubes, known as nanochannels. These are mounted in an optical dark-field microscope. Biomolecules move freely inside the channels containing a test fluid, which is then illuminated with visible light. The interaction between these mediums produces a dark shadow presented on the screen connected to the microscope.
This optical signature can then be analyzed to determine the mass and size of the biomolecule and gather indirect information about its shape – something not previously possible with a single technique.
The research was recently added to the annual list by The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, as a research project with the potential to change the world and provide real benefits.
The start-up company Envue Technologies (Gothenburg, Sweden), which was awarded the Game Changer prize at this year’s Venture Cup competition, has already made the technology available for use in the sector.
Barbora Špačková, researcher at Chalmers University of Technology mentions:
“Our method makes the work more efficient, for example when you need to study the contents of a sample, but don’t know in advance what it contains and thus what needs to be marked,”
The researchers are continuing to optimize the design of the nanochannels to enable the discovery of even smaller biomolecules, that so far have eluded modern research methods.
Langhammer adds:
“The aim is to further hone our technique so that it can help to increase our basic understanding of how life works and contribute to making the development of the next generation medicines more efficient”
Source: Chalmers press release: www.chalmers.se/en/departments/physics/news/Pages/Nanochannels-light-the-way-towards-new-medicine.aspx
