Using atomic-force microscopy to find new meds

Scientists at the University of Aberdeen in the U.K. and IBM Research in Zurich say they are the first to use atomic-force microscopy to "see" the unknown molecular structure of a marine compound taken from the deepest place on Earth, a result that could speed up the development of new medicines.

In doing so, researchers discovered that the pressure-tolerant bacterium sampled from the deepest place on the planet--the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench, 35,814 feet below sea level--contains the molecular structure cephalandole A, which was originally isolated from a Taiwanese orchid.

The group's findings appear online August 1 in the journal Nature Chemistry.

A low-pass filtered three-dimensional representation of the unknown compound.

(Credit: Nature Chemistry)

Marcel Jaspars, director of the Marine Biodiscovery Centre at the University of Aberdeen, says in a news release that being able to see a compound's molecular structure so quickly is a major step toward determining whether previously unknown compounds have medicinal properties:

The Earth's natural environment is rich with a diverse range of unique organisms from which a vast array of chemical compounds can be sourced, many of which are entirely unknown to science. These compounds have the potential to be used in the development of pharmaceuticals and other novel biomedical products. But in order to harness this potential we must first understand these compounds in terms of their molecular structure in order to determine whether they are viable for use in medicine.

This reminds me of the book and movie Andromeda Strain make sure to read the rest here

Using atomic-force microscopy to find new meds