About forty years ago, scientists found a protein in fish that allows them to live in sub-zero temperatures. With a grant for $315,000 from the National Science Foundation, Ohio University professor Ido Braslavsky plans to discover what exactly this protein is and how it works.
This anti-freeze protein effectively hinders ice crystals from forming in the blood. Ten years ago, this same protein was found in mealworms, fungi, bacteria, insects and all over the animal kingdom. Braslavsky hopes the protein could be used to advance crop production in unfavorable weather and in organ donation.
So far, researches have concluded that once the protein adheres to an ice crystal, it prevents other crystals from forming.
I try to find out where they stick
and their dynamic Braslavsky said. Do they move? When they stick do they stick for good?
He explained that this protein could prevent the loss of both crops and revenue because of frost during cooler months.
He added that the protein could potentially be used to preserve organs for transplants because they could be kept at lower temperatures without the threat of ice crystals forming and damaging the tissue.
It's good news because it has opened up the possibility that it is useful in food
and it can also be used for tissues and crops
Braslavsky said.
Some companies already use the protein in food products. Unilever, an international manufacturer of food, home care and personal products, uses the protein in ice creams to help maintain a creamy consistency.
Along with his team of visiting scientists, graduate and undergraduate students, Braslavsky will use fluorescent markers to isolate reactions and make them easier to observe.
In addition to his OU team, Braslavsky is working with researchers from around the country and the globe on this project. He has partnered with scientists at Yale University, the University of California, San Diego and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. Next fall, the team will travel to Queen's University in Canada to visit a collaborating professor and work on research.
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Rosie Haney
