The UK's national synchrotrone facility-The Diamond Light Source near Oxford to become world center for studying structures of viruses and bacteria causing serious diseases. Diamond uses intense x-rays to reveal the molecular and atomic make-up of objects and materials. It will use now this capability to image Containement Level-3 pathogens. Thee are responsible for illness such as Aids, hepatitis ans some types of flu. Level 3 is one step down from the most dangerous infectious agents, such as Ebola which can only be handled in most secre facilities of govrnment. Viruses as is known are tiny nanomachines that can not be seen under normal microscope. But with the crystalliography and x-rays. Dave Stuart director of life sciences at Diamond said "the techniques we use, we are able to get about 10,000 times the resolution of notmal light microscope" He added, "this takes us from the regime of not being able to see them to being able to see individual atoms" and we can look at 'live' viruses and get an atomic level description of them, it opens up the possibility of usinmg modern drug-design techniques to produce new pharmaceuticals."
No comments:
Post a Comment