HOME >> BIOLOGY >> NEWS
UC Riverside researchers publish paper on botulism detection system

Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have developed a device that speeds the detection of a virulent strain of botulism neurotoxin from hours or days to minutes, making treatment or vaccination more effective.

Botulinum neurotoxin B, one of five strains that are known to be toxic to humans, is targeted in the paper that appeared in the Nov. 11 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The paper's authors included UC Riverside Professor of Cell Biology and Neuroscience Vladimir Parpura and Umar Mohideen, a professor of physics, both part of the Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering at UC Riverside; graduate student Wei Liu; staff researcher Vedrana Montana; and Edwin Chapman, a professor of physiology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Given its rapid detection and small size, the device, known as a micromechanosensor, will find applications in medicine, in the war against bioterrorism or in the food industry, Parpura said.

"Of course a good deal of testing needs to be done first," Parpura said. "What we've done is shown proof that the principle works."

The principle, he added, works much like a fishing pole and line. A protein-coated bead at the end of a microscopic cantilever comes in contact with the neurotoxin, which cuts through the protein strands connecting the two, much like a fish would cut through a fishing line. The bead's separation causes the cantilever to vibrate, announcing the neurotoxin's presence. While effective, the process is not yet ready for practical application.

"Right now the issue is that it's linked to an atomic-force microscope, an expensive piece of equipment, which means it cannot be used on a widespread basis," Parpura said.

However, he holds out hope that the process could soon be put into wider practice to detect one of the most potent toxins known to man. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta list botulism as on
'"/>

Contact: Ricardo Duran
ricardo.duran@ucr.edu
909-787-5893
University of California - Riverside
4-Dec-2003


Page: 1 2

Related biology news :

1. Humans march to a faster genetic drummer than primates, UC Riverside research says
2. UC Riverside researcher takes snapshots of the movement of molecules in a billionth of a second
3. UC Riverside researchers discover new way to identify cell growth
4. UC Riverside professor to spend year with US State Department
5. UC Riverside researchers develop low-carb corn with enhanced protein and oil
6. UC Riverside researchers improve drought tolerance in plants
7. Plant sex protein identified at UC Riverside
8. UC Riverside to convene conference on genetically modified organisms, Oct. 14-17, 2003
9. UC Riverside plant pathologist awarded $1 million grant to study virus assembly
10. UC Riverside study indicates mosquito coils may cause cancer
11. UC Riverside geneticist awarded $2.4 million grant by the National Science Foundation

Post Your Comments:
(Date:5/16/2013)... have used ancient shorelines to predict the stability of today,s ... high shoreline from three million years ago, for example ... thought to be evidence of a high sea level due ... led many scientists to think that if the world,s largest ... just the same in our modern, progressively warming world. ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... MIT may someday eliminate the need for patients ... blood-sugar levels and inject themselves with insulin. , ... in the body and respond by secreting the ... of pancreatic islet cells, which are destroyed in ... of system could ensure that blood-sugar levels remain ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... May 16, 2013 The relationship between the ... has not been clear. Schizophrenia is commonly associated ... There are clues that reduced IQ may be ... example, reduced cognitive ability may precede the onset ... present in healthy relatives of people diagnosed with ...
Breaking Biology News(10 mins):World's biggest ice sheets likely more stable than previously believed 2Nanotechnology could help fight diabetes 2Nanotechnology could help fight diabetes 3Genetic risk for schizophrenia is connected to reduced IQ 2
(Date:5/17/2013)... JOSE, Calif. , May 17, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ ... agreement has been reached with Switzerland ... portfolio of anti-infective human monoclonal antibody (mAb) products, ... anti-infective human mAb products for treatment of infections ... of Staphylococcus aureus , Pseudomonas aeruginosa ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... The paradigm of ‘one drug, one target’ ... help predict the adverse and therapeutic effects of a ... Computational Biology at the Genomics Laboratory, Covance, will discuss ... genomics when used as part of the QC process. ... sets to identify key clinical targets even in complex ...
(Date:5/17/2013)... IAC Industries wants to share with you the success ... set up and furnish a research lab knowing that the ... year’s time. How does a company make choices in lab ... is efficient and cost-effective? , The solution was the ... planners at DisperSol determined that the concept of modular lab ...
(Date:5/16/2013)... ISPE announced today that ... the newly created position of Vice President of ... be responsible for stimulating ISPE’s revenue growth by ... Society’s Member-led and staff-driven business model, initiating integrated ... membership and product marketing. , “Barbara joins ISPE ...
Breaking Biology Technology:Aridis Pharmaceuticals Announces Acquisition of Monoclonal Antibody Products and Technologies From Kenta Biotech 2Aridis Pharmaceuticals Announces Acquisition of Monoclonal Antibody Products and Technologies From Kenta Biotech 3New Downloadable Success Story: “How To Outfit a Dynamic Lab in Flux” 2ISPE Names Barbara A. Myers, CAE, as Vice President of Professional Development 2
Cached News: