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ISIS water legend
RESEARCH NEWS
ISIS water legend CHARACTERIZATION
Dr Alan Soper has been awarded the highest possible position for an STFC scientist, that of Senior Fellow. His current research focuses on understanding molecular-level structures and dynamics in structurally disordered systems, specifically liquids and glasses. He is also the world expert on the structure of water and in recent research he has used neutron scattering and other techniques to characterise the structural transformations in amorphous ice and supercooled water and to explore their relevance to the phase diagram of water [Soper, Molecular Phys. (2008) 106 2053]. The human body is more than 60 percent water. Blood is 92 percent water, the brain and muscles are 75 percent water, and bones are
Sphere of influence, ISIS. © Science & Technology Facilities Council
about 22 percent water. Within this context, investigations into water’s structure can reveal how cells transfer ions around the body and how water clusters around proteins.
Other recent work has included investigations of solvent interactions, peptide fragments, polymer mixtures, water in confined geometry and intermediate range order in glasses More broadly, his research shows how really detailed information can be obtained on the distribution of molecules around another molecule and also the orientations of its neighbours. This means that chemical interactions in liquids can be studied – something only possible before in crystallised materials. Dr Soper is chair of the prestigious Gordon Conference on water and aqueous solutions and is the designer of Nimrod instrument on the ISIS Second Target Station. Jim Sutton
A sweeter understanding of cryo-preservation BIOMATERIALS Innovation in the field of bio-protectant materials stems from a need to stabiliise and preserve biological products. Nature provides clues about how biomaterials can be preserved. For example, fungal spores provide an ideal model-system with which to study how organic materials survive in extreme environmental conditions. One survival tool is the production of trehalose, a
glass-forming disaccharide synthesised by organisms, which allows the bio-material to pass into a state of suspended animation called ‘cryptobiosis.’ Neutron scattering at ISIS has provided an explanation for the effectiveness of trehalose in cryptobiosis [Magazù et al., Food Chemistry (2008) 106 1460]. In the experiments, the molecular motion of water treated with trehalose at 50 °C was seen to be almost
identical to that of frozen water. Trehalose effectively locks water into the biomaterial, prevents diffusion and enhances stability. Future applications for trehalose include the cryopreservation of human platelets and oocytes, conservation of vaccines, and drug development for neuro-degenerative diseases and antiviral drugs.
Mark Telling
The secrets of antibody armour revealed BIOMATERIALS A team led by University College London (UCL) has used a combination of X-rays and neutron scattering to determine the structure of secretary immunoglobin A (SIgA), the most prevalent antibody in the immune system. SigA is the first line of defence when the body comes into contact with the outside world. It is secreted in the lungs, genital system, saliva and gut to deal with bacteria, viruses and other micro-organisms that cause diseases such as pneumonia and diarrhoea. The antibody is so big, complex and fragile that it has proved extremely difficult to crystallise and despite its importance and prevalence – no new information on SIgA’s structure has been available since the early 1970s. UCL’s Structural Immunology group recently mapped data from neutrons at ISIS and X-rays at
68
NEUTRON SCATTERING SPECIAL ISSUE
Structure of Secretery in Immunoglubulin A. © Nature Publishing Group
the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility onto each other in order to uncover SIgA’s molecular structure [Bonner et al., Mucosal Immunology, (2009) 2(1):74]. These results provide more information about how the antibody is secreted from inside the body to outside and how the structure of these antibodies affects how they work. With this information scientists can begin to replicate them. “In the very young, the elderly and others whose immune system is less efficient, the ability to make efficient vaccines or artificial versions of these antibodies could be increasingly important for public health, particularly with the possible spread of new organisms,” says group leader Professor Steve Perkins from UCL.
Jim Sutton
ISIS water legend CHARACTERIZATION
Dr Alan Soper has been awarded the highest possible position for an STFC scientist, that of Senior Fellow. His current research focuses on understanding molecular-level structures and dynamics in structurally disordered systems, specifically liquids and glasses. He is also the world expert on the structure of water and in recent research he has used neutron scattering and other techniques to characterise the structural transformations in amorphous ice and supercooled water and to explore their relevance to the phase diagram of water [Soper, Molecular Phys. (2008) 106 2053]. The human body is more than 60 percent water. Blood is 92 percent water, the brain and muscles are 75 percent water, and bones are
Sphere of influence, ISIS. © Science & Technology Facilities Council
about 22 percent water. Within this context, investigations into water’s structure can reveal how cells transfer ions around the body and how water clusters around proteins.
Other recent work has included investigations of solvent interactions, peptide fragments, polymer mixtures, water in confined geometry and intermediate range order in glasses More broadly, his research shows how really detailed information can be obtained on the distribution of molecules around another molecule and also the orientations of its neighbours. This means that chemical interactions in liquids can be studied – something only possible before in crystallised materials. Dr Soper is chair of the prestigious Gordon Conference on water and aqueous solutions and is the designer of Nimrod instrument on the ISIS Second Target Station. Jim Sutton
A sweeter understanding of cryo-preservation BIOMATERIALS Innovation in the field of bio-protectant materials stems from a need to stabiliise and preserve biological products. Nature provides clues about how biomaterials can be preserved. For example, fungal spores provide an ideal model-system with which to study how organic materials survive in extreme environmental conditions. One survival tool is the production of trehalose, a
glass-forming disaccharide synthesised by organisms, which allows the bio-material to pass into a state of suspended animation called ‘cryptobiosis.’ Neutron scattering at ISIS has provided an explanation for the effectiveness of trehalose in cryptobiosis [Magazù et al., Food Chemistry (2008) 106 1460]. In the experiments, the molecular motion of water treated with trehalose at 50 °C was seen to be almost
identical to that of frozen water. Trehalose effectively locks water into the biomaterial, prevents diffusion and enhances stability. Future applications for trehalose include the cryopreservation of human platelets and oocytes, conservation of vaccines, and drug development for neuro-degenerative diseases and antiviral drugs.
Mark Telling
The secrets of antibody armour revealed BIOMATERIALS A team led by University College London (UCL) has used a combination of X-rays and neutron scattering to determine the structure of secretary immunoglobin A (SIgA), the most prevalent antibody in the immune system. SigA is the first line of defence when the body comes into contact with the outside world. It is secreted in the lungs, genital system, saliva and gut to deal with bacteria, viruses and other micro-organisms that cause diseases such as pneumonia and diarrhoea. The antibody is so big, complex and fragile that it has proved extremely difficult to crystallise and despite its importance and prevalence – no new information on SIgA’s structure has been available since the early 1970s. UCL’s Structural Immunology group recently mapped data from neutrons at ISIS and X-rays at
68
NEUTRON SCATTERING SPECIAL ISSUE
Structure of Secretery in Immunoglubulin A. © Nature Publishing Group
the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility onto each other in order to uncover SIgA’s molecular structure [Bonner et al., Mucosal Immunology, (2009) 2(1):74]. These results provide more information about how the antibody is secreted from inside the body to outside and how the structure of these antibodies affects how they work. With this information scientists can begin to replicate them. “In the very young, the elderly and others whose immune system is less efficient, the ability to make efficient vaccines or artificial versions of these antibodies could be increasingly important for public health, particularly with the possible spread of new organisms,” says group leader Professor Steve Perkins from UCL.
Jim Sutton