Published on the 22nd May 2015 by ANSTO Staff
While Sydney is being transformed into a glittering canvas of light during Vivid, other forms of high energy light are being used by Australian science infrastructure to answer important scientific questions relating to human health during the International Year of Light 2015.
Identifying the crystal structure of the blood protein plasminogen, which assists in dissolving blood clots and is implicated in some cancers, was crucial to understanding the mechanism of action of such processes. The finding, published in journal, Cell Reports, could lead to a reduction in the number of heart disease-related deaths that occur as a result of blood clots.
Another team of international collaborators revealed how an important protein, perforin, punches holes in cancer cells and cells hijacked by viruses to enable enzymes to enter and destroy these rogue cells. If perforin, the assassin protein, isn’t working properly, the body can’t fight infected cells. Perforin has been implicated in other autoimmune diseases and tissue rejection following bone marrow transplants.
The ten year study, the outcomes of which were published in Nature in 2015, acquired structural information from the Australian Synchrotron that detailed parts of the perforin molecule and its docking mechanism.
Also undertaken on the MX beamlines, the study was led by researchers from Monash University, the Peter McCallum Cancer Centre, Birkbeck College in London, and researchers from the Australian Synchrotron.
Synchrotron techniques are used in many important areas, including advanced materials, agriculture, biomedics, defence, environmental sustainability, food technology, forensics, oil and gas, mining and nanotechnology.
The International Year of Light 2015 as declared by the United Nations is a mix of business, education, arts and science coming together to celebrate all things ‘light’.
Light and light-based technologies are a part of most modern technology, from mobile phones to laser shows. The future of light technologies is dependent upon understanding how to apply light technologies to new solutions and creations that enhance our everyday life.