| |
The University of Pennsylvania group has discovered a variety of small, protein-like molecules (left) that will assemble themselves into molecular-scale channels, or "pores" (right). In the process, the molecules form a helical pattern much like that found in natural pores.
Credit: Virgil Percec laboratory, University of Pennsylvania
Select image for larger version
(Size: 33KB) |
| |
| |
 Note About Images |
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, supported in part by the National Science Foundation (NSF), have created the first artificial analogs of nature’s molecular “pores”--the tiny, hollow channels that perform a multitude of essential tasks in living cells.
Writing in the August 12, 2004, issue of the journal Nature, Penn chemist Virgil Percec and his colleagues note that natural pores are used by the cell to transport certain molecules across the cell membrane, as well as to generate chemical energy, guide the shape of newly-made proteins, and even puncture holes in the cell walls of hostile bacteria. To create the new artificial pores, the authors add, they developed a series of small, protein-like molecules that assemble themselves into molecular channels spontaneously. Potential applications range from the extraction of fresh water from seawater, to an entirely new class of antibiotics.
For details, see the University of Pennsylvania press release.
|
|
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, with an annual budget of nearly $5.58 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 40,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes about 11,000 new funding awards. The NSF also awards over $200 million in professional and service contracts yearly.
Receive official NSF news electronically through the e-mail delivery and notification system, Custom News Service. To subscribe, enter the NSF Home Page at: http://www.nsf.gov/home/cns/#new and fill in the information under "new users."
Useful NSF Web Sites:
NSF Home Page: http://www.nsf.gov
News Highlights: http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa
Newsroom: http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/media/start.htm
Science Statistics: http://www.nsf.gov/sbe/srs/stats.htm
Awards Searches: http://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/a6/A6Start.htm
|
