Clarkson University Lewis School of Health Sciences Research Professor Aaron J. Wolfe has co-published a paper in the journal Nature Communications. Wolfe is also the chief science officer of Ichor Life Sciences, an industry partner of Clarkson.
The paper, “Disentangling the recognition complexity of a protein hub using a nanopore,” has implications in medical diagnostics, including earlier detection of diseases resulting in a better prognosis for patients.
As its name implies, a nanopore is a nanometer-sized pore, which can be used as a single-molecule detector. Here the detection of proteins is pushed to the extreme where each interaction can be counted and analyzed individually.
The manuscript studies the development and validation of a protein nanopore that can detect and count a repeat protein called “WD40 repeat protein 5,” which is involved in the formation of chromosomes. This nanopore sensor used in the research detects the biomarker of mixed lineage leukemia.
“The outcomes of this research demonstrate the feasibility of single-molecule detection of protein analytes in a modular way,” says Wolfe. “This research clearly allows us to envision a tool at the forefront of protein-based diagnostics for cancers and other diseases. We at Ichor feel that this collaboration is a strong testament to what is possible when the barriers of academic and industrial sciences are reduced.”
The paper is currently in the 99th percentile (ranked first) of nine tracked articles published at the same time in Nature Communications.
Ichor Life Sciences studies fundamental mechanisms of aging to develop new classes of drugs dedicated to helping people live longer, healthier lives.
In collaboration with Clarkson’s Lewis School for Health Sciences, Ichor established a biotechnology cluster in Potsdam, last year, expanding its protein science division into the University’s North Country Incubator.
Its goal is to build upon the synergies between Ichor’s core competencies in structure-based drug discovery and translational medicine, and Clarkson’s expertise in chemistry, engineering, and health sciences.
Wolfe’s co-authors are Lauren Ashley Mayse, Ali Imran and Liviu Movileanu of Syracuse University; Motahareh Ghahari Larimi of Syracuse University and the National Institutes of Health; and Michael S. Cosgrove of SUNY Upstate Medical University
Wolfe also serves as a research assistant professor at Syracuse University and as an adjunct associate professor at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
Read the full paper at www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28465-8.
https://www.clarkson.edu/news/clarkson-university-research-professors-paper-nature-communications