Adelaide scientists have found a way to essentially ‘uncook’ an egg. You won’t see the technique feature in the repertoire of any celebrity TV chefs, but it could be a game changer for the pharmaceutical industry.
Working with colleagues in California, Flinders University researchers untangled the proteins in the white of a hard-boiled egg to make them active again in a clear solution. And active means useful.
Egg whites turn white (and rubbery) during cooking because the proteins unfold then refold in strange ways. The same thing happens with proteins in a variety of settings. If you can get them to refold properly, the potential is enormous. In the multi-billion-dollar pharmaceuticals industry, for example, it could reduce protein-processing times from weeks to just days and significantly cut costs and wastage.
This was all made possible thanks to the revolutionary ‘vortex fluid device’ invented by Flinders’ clean technology specialist Prof Colin Raston. As the name implies, the machine spins materials in a liquid at varying speeds and angles to ensure the proteins refold properly. Simple in theory and very effective in practice.
The invention also has applications for the treatment of cancer. Professor Raston said the technology can increase the loading of anti-cancer drugs into delivery vehicles from 17 per cent to 75 per cent.
“This would not only have the direct benefit of reducing the negative side-effects which affect patient health, but of being able to use less of the drug.”
The delivery vehicles are known as nanoparticles, and are 100 nanometres in diametre – the size of one millimetre divided into 10,000 parts.
“We’ve shown in laboratory experiments that by having the drug in the nanoparticle multiplies its efficacy in killing cancer cells by around four to five times,” said Professor Raston.