Dr. Samie Jaffrey Receives Competitive NIH Director's T-R01 Award
Speedier Lab Testing With Results That Glow in the Dark
Dr. Samie Jaffrey, associate professor of pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medical College, is among the first researchers to win a prestigious NIH Director's Transformative R01 award from the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Jaffrey and his colleagues are developing innovative protein recognition technologies that may some day speed up lab testing by instantaneously measuring proteins within biological samples.
Protein detection is essential for diagnosing illnesses, detecting environmental toxins, and for most types of biomedical research. Protein detection typically takes hours or days, and requires antibodies that specifically bind these proteins. Specialized techniques are required to transform the binding of these antibodies into signals that detect the presence of these proteins. Dr. Jaffrey and his lab are developing new protein recognition tools that rapidly emit light upon binding specific target proteins. These simplified protein sensors have the potential to vastly simplify and reduce the expense of protein detection.
Dr. Jaffrey has been developing sensors from RNA, a natural bio-molecule that has the capacity to adopt a variety of shapes. By designing these molecules that are complementary to proteins, RNA can form complexes with specific target proteins. The RNAs are designed to bind fluorescent compounds after forming complexes with proteins. If the RNA binds to the complementary target protein in a urine, blood, or tissue sample, the sample glows green, which indicates a positive presence of the targeted protein.
"The ability to simply add a sensor to a biological sample, and monitor the level of a given protein in minutes, would allow clinical diagnosis and medical decision making to occur much more rapidly," explains Dr. Jaffrey. "A big advantage is speed. The current tests
'/>"/>
| Contact: Andrew Klein ank2017@med.cornell.edu 212-821-0560 New York- Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center/Weill Cornell Medical College Source:Eurekalert |
Related biology news :
1. Drug aimed at 2 bioterror agents blocks live viral infection, Weill Cornell team reports
2. 2 federal public health grants awarded to Weill Cornell Medical College
3. $13 million federal grant for research into vascular disease awarded to Weill Cornell
4. Weill Cornell team discovers how brains own tPA helps regulate blood flow to neurons
5. Weill Cornell science briefs June/July 2008
6. Ansary Symposium on Stem Cell Research at Weill Cornell Medical College
7. Genetic secrets of date palm unlocked by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar
8. Cornell will host the Northeast Biofuel Summit, Nov. 11-13
9. First symposium of UN University-Cornell Africa Series to be held at UN
10. Wiggle room: Cornell researcher borrows idea from sperm to provide energy for nanoscale robots
11. Cornell researcher seeks clues to how tuberculosis infects cells
| Copyright © 2003-2012 Bio-Medicine. All rights reserved. ABOUT | CONTACT US | DISCLAIMER | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS AND CONDITIONS |  |