Researcher develops new method for identification of Anthrax

After 9/11, there were several new forms of terrorist attacks. Among them, envelopes with white powder were sent to banks, political, and government buildings within the United States which caused the deaths of five individuals. The white powder was found to be anthrax, a bacteria called bacillus anthracis which causes a serious infectious disease. Inhalation of anthrax spores infects the body through the lungs. Anthrax releases several toxic substances and an infection of the lungs, if left untreated, is usually fatal.

The most crucial factor in identifying anthrax is to identify the disease's protein. This is currently done using antibodies. However, the production of antibodies is costly and the process is complicated. In addition, it is easily affected by environmental factors such as humidity and temperature. This makes it hard to preserve its effectiveness. This is also the reason why pregnancy test kits, which also use antibodies, are vacuum packed.

However, Moon-Young Yoon has found an innovative solution called 'Polyvalent Directed Peptide Polymer (PDPP)' which overcomes the limitations of antibodies. His research was published in Advanced Materials 23, 5425-5429.

Internet Hanyang News met with Yoon to learn more about his research.

Q: Could you tell us about your research regarding peptides?

A: A peptide is a formation of less than 50 amino acids, a molecule that combines with others to form protein. A peptide's size is only one-seventieth of that of an antibody. Due to its small size, it is less reactive and much more biochemically stable providing a far more reliable and easier to manufacture alternative to antibodies.

The idea of using peptides was theorized by others. However, up until now no one has figured out how to actually do it. While it is smaller than an antibody, its specificity is less, meaning the capability of one single peptide was limited.

To overcome this limitation, I proposed a solution known as PDPP, a method of combining multiple peptides on a polymer bound to multiply receptors on a target. This increases the binding affinity and specificity of using a single peptide to more than 106. It is the optimal solution for replacing the role of antibodies.

Q: What is the potential of PDPP and how would it affect society?

A: In short, its potential is limitless. PDPP is not only effective but also less expensive and simpler to produce. This enables commercialization and a wide range of uses for PDPP. Since its role is to detect molecules, PDPP can be used for any types of tool used for detection.

Detecting anthrax is just the original purpose of the research. When PDPP is widely used, diseases such as cancer or diabetes could be found in individuals without the need for costly medical examinations. The degree of environmental pollution by materials such as heavy metals could also be located faster. Its usage could also be applied in areas such as clinical diagnosis, military, agricultural, livestock, industrial, and public welfare.

Q: Are you conducting any research regarding the application of PDPP for commercial usage?

A: The research that I am conducting for commercial usage is medical, environmental, military, agricultural, and livestock. Specifically, for medical usage, I am focusing on finding methods to detect breast cancer, lung cancer, brain cancer, and Alzheimer disease. Research regarding the environment is focused on detecting heavy metal in water and air.

Q. What was the biggest hardship of your research?

A: I started my research after the numerous anthrax attacks following 9/11. During the period, researchers were using antibodies for detection, and the limitations of antibodies were not a major problem. Since my research was unprecedented, it was hard to gain interest and receive funding. As a result, it took us more than 9 years to create PDPP. If funding was not a problem, our research would have taken less than 4 years.

However, during the 9 years of research, I have never felt the desire to quit. When imagining the possibility of my research and the impact it would bring to society, my passion never had time to rest. This passion and goal has led to the success of my research.

Provided by Hanyang University