Innovation Anthology #107:
When e.coli 0157 contaminated the water supply at Walkerton, Ontario, several people died.
But tragedies like that may soon be a thing of the past thanks to an exciting development from the Alberta Ingenuity Centre for Carbohydrate Science.
Scientists there have developed a molecule that acts as an antidote which neutralizes toxins produced by the bacteria. According to the Centre’s director Dr. David Bundle, an amount the size of a grain of salt is enough to save a lab mouse from the infection.
DR. DAVID BUNDLE: This molecule works in a way that it recruits two proteins together. A bit like if you imagine the proteins as two lego blocks, our molecule is the piece that holds them together. One of these molecules is the toxin. The other is a molecule that we have circulating in out blood and that will take up the toxin with the help of our compound and neutralize it. And we’re hopeful that we may even be able to target malignant cells, as in cancer, for specific destruction. So we’re very excited about this result.
Dr. Bundle’s team is just finishing testing on this antidote and expects to see it commercialized soon.
Thanks today to Alberta Ingenuity.
FOR INNOVATION ANTHOLOGY, I’M CHERYL CROUCHER
Guest
Linda Woodhouse, PhD,
, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Linda.Woodhouse@ualberta.ca
Sponsor
Alberta Ingenuity
Established in 2000, the Alberta Ingenuity Fund supports science and engineering research of the highest calibre, to create a prosperous future for the province of Alberta. It draws funding from a $1 billion endowment established in 2000 and managed by the Government of Alberta to build the capacity for innovation, especially in areas with long lasting social and economic impact.
Among its many programs, Alberta Ingenuity supports graduate students and university researchers, industrial research and commercialization partnerships, and has established several Centres and Institutes.
In January 2010, under the new Alberta Innovation Framework, Alberta Ingenuity was restructured and absorbed in the new agency Alberta Innovates Technology Solutions.
Program Date: 2008-02-12