“It’s not so much that we’re interested in processing the eggs; that’s just demonstrating how powerful this process is,” says Gregory Weiss, UC-Irvine professor of chemistry and molecular biology & biochemistry. In conjunction with Australian chemists, UCI chemists have developed a method to unfold proteins which have been “misfolded” while being processed. The methods in use now are time-consuming and expensive; a form of molecular level dialysis which can take up to four days. With this new process it can be done in minutes. In the case of the egg, a urea substance was added to the boiled egg to chew away at the whites to recreate lysozyme. The second part involved employing a vortex fluid device designed by Professor Colin Raston’s laboratory at South Australia’s Flinders University. This high-powered machine uses shear stress within thin, microfluidic films to force the proteins back into untangled, proper form. This research could aid in reducing cost of cancer treatments and streamline protein manufacture.
For more information see ScienceDaily.