Fresh hopes for anti-microbial potential from Aussie native plants

A research team led by QAAFI food scientist Dr. Yasmina Sultanbawa has discovered that when small amounts of the kakadu and Queensland Davidson plum are combined with organic acids they display promising new anti-microbial properties.

Dr. Sultanbawa's research team has been looking at how native plants might be used to extend the shelf-life of processed kangaroo meat in pet food, which would help to reduce the industry's reliance on preservatives such as sulphides.

“The pet food industry has traditionally used sulphites to extend the shelf-life of meat products, however extended high exposure to sulphites can lead to thiamine deficiencies in small animals including cats and dogs,” Dr. Sultanbawa said.

“Consumers are trending towards fresh, natural produce across-the-board – and that includes food choices for their beloved pets.

“The kakadu and Queensland Davidson plums both have tremendous potential as anti-microbial agents and we have only just begun to explore the protective properties of these native fruits.

“Although this is new work, our preliminary studies suggest it might be possible to improve the shelf-life of kangaroo meat by adding native plum anti-microbial agents and using existing processing such as vacuum packaging for best results.”

Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI) scientist Andrew Cusack said that this research could be applied to other minced meat products such as sausages where sulphite is used as a preservative.

“Additionally plant extracts have other benefits such as antioxidant properties which could contribute to better health,” Mr. Cusack said.

Dr. Yasmina Sultanbawa's research “Shelf-life extension of kangaroo meat using natural anti-microbials” is a collaboration between scientists from QAAFI and DEEDI's Innovative Food Solutions and Technologies.

Provided by University of Queensland (news : web)

Purdue startup hopes to change the way we test cancer drugs

A Purdue University scientist's nanopolymer would make it easier and cheaper for drug developers to test the effectiveness of a widely used class of cancer inhibitors.

W. Andy Tao, an associate professor of biochemistry analytical chemistry and a member of the Purdue Center for Cancer Research team, created the Purdue-patented pIMAGO nanopolymer that can be used to determine whether cancer drugs have been effective against biochemical processes that can lead to cancer cell formation. The nanopolymers would attach themselves to target proteins that would later be detected by a relatively simple laboratory procedure called chemiluminescence.

Tymora Analytical, a company Tao started in the Purdue Research Park, will manufacture the pIMAGO nanopolymers. The 'p' stands for phosphor, and the IMAGO comes from the Greek word for image.

Tao's pIMAGO nanopolymers are coated in titanium ions and would attract and bond with phosphorylated proteins, ones in which a phosphate group has been added to a protein activating an enzyme called kinase. Kinase, when overactive, is known to cause cancer cell formation, and many cancer drugs are aimed at inhibiting kinase activity.

"It is universal. You can detect any kind of phosphorylation in a protein," said Tao, whose findings were reported in the early online version of the journal Analytical Chemistry. "It is also cheaper and would be more widely available."

The nanopolymers would be added to a solution of proteins, a chemical agent to start phosphorylation and a drug to inhibit kinase activity. Phosphorylated proteins would only be present if the drug is ineffective.

Avidin-HRP - the protein Avidin bound with the enzyme horseradish peroxidase - would be added. Avidin would bind with a vitamin B acid called biotin that is also on the nanopolymers' surfaces. A chemical called a substrate, added later, would cause a reaction with HRP, causing the solution to change color.

A lightly colored solution would mean there had been little kinase activity and few phosphorylated proteins and that the drug was effective. A darker solution would signal more kinase activity and a less effective drug.

"This could have a lot of applications in pharmaceuticals for drug discovery," Tao said.

Screening kinase inhibitors using antibodies can be cost-prohibitive for many laboratories because antibodies are in short supply and aren't available for many types of cells. Radioisotope tests are highly regulated and possibly dangerous because of radiation involved.

"We want to develop this as a commercial application to replace radioisotopes and antibodies as a universal method for screening kinase inhibitors," Tao said.

Provided by Purdue University (news : web)