Innovation Anthology #502:

Download MP3 Link

The vampire legend is based on a rare disease called porferia.

Now Dr. Kirst King-Jones at the University of Alberta has discovered a link to this disease.

That happened when his mutant fruit flies glowed red under UV light.

DR. KIRST KING-JONES: Turns out there’s a human disease where patients accumulate the precursors to a protein that we sort of all know. namely heme, which is normally found in hemoglobin. Turns out that the heme in hemoglobin is used for other proteins and the vital function in enzymes that make steroid hormones. So what happened in this particular nerve growth knock down was that these animals couldn’t make heme. And the cell tries to compensate for that and makes more heme precursors. And that’s toxic. And these precursors are actually heme precursors that are fluorescent. But heme itself is not fluorescent. So when you expose them to UV light you get this bright red beautiful fluorescent signal. So now we have basically dissected this entire new pathway and found many new components that result in this porferia like disease in drosophila.

Thanks today to Alberta Innovates Health Solutions

I’M CHERYL CROUCHER

Guest

,

, , , ,

Sponsor

Alberta Innovates Health Solutions

Alberta Innovates (formerly Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions)

As the newly formed Alberta Innovates corporation, we still fund top quality, internationally competitive health research and innovation activities to improve the health and wellbeing of Albertans. We provide leadership for Alberta’s health research and innovation enterprise by directing, coordinating, reviewing, funding and supporting research and innovation.

Working with our many partners  in the health system, we ensure that research achieves innovation in care, policy and practice, and that the needs of patients and clinicians influence research.

Our background

Alberta Innovates consolidation was launched November 1, 2016.

Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions

Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions was established as part of the Alberta Innovates system by an Act of Legislation of the Government of Alberta. It is a agency  of the Government of Alberta. We receive a yearly allocation from the Ministry of Health and report through the ministry to the people of Alberta.

Our Mandate and Roles document reflects our role and responsibilities and outlines the government statues and regulations with which we comply.

Alberta’s Health Research and Innovation Strategy (AHRIS) sets out Alberta’s health research agenda for the coming decade to ensure our considerable investments in research align with our priority—to improve the health of Albertans.

Program Date: 2012-10-04