The Protein Pioneer

Science has allowed us to revel in our cushy modern lives. Things like the light bulb, pasteurization, airplanes and penicillin all have changed how we live. And now a scientist at Ohio University is embarking on a new discovery that could have an equally big impact.

They call it the "anti-freeze protein." It was discovered 40 years ago in fish that live in sub-zero temperatures. Big whoop, right? No, this really is. This "anti-freeze" protein effectively hinders ice crystals from forming in the blood — without this essential protein, fish would just be floating (or sinking) chunks of ice encased in scales.

Just 10 years ago, however, scientists found this same protein in mealworms, fungi, bacteria, insects and elsewhere in the animal kingdom. While the existence of this protein is ubiquitous, its functionality is still a mystery. It is this utility that Ido Braslavsky, a professor at Ohio University, is determined to find out.

The National Science Foundation has awarded Braslavsky a grant for $315,000 to conduct his research. He, a team of visiting scientists, and undergraduate and graduate students will work with researchers from all over the globe. Braslavsky's partners include scientists at Yale University, Queen's University, the University of California San Diego and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.

Observations so far have shown that the section of ice crystal to which the protein adheres cannot continue to crystallize. If a crystal is completely coated in this protein, it can go well below the freezing point until a breach in the protein opens the ice up to the chain reaction of crystallization. But what causes this breach?

"I try to find out where they stick and their dynamic" says Braslavsky. "Do they move? When they stick, do they stick for good?"

Scientists believe that understanding this protein will evolve it into practical applications. Braslavsky explained that during the cool spring months when crops lie prey to frost, this protein could potentially save the produce and revenue associated with it. He also told Tonic that the protein could potentially be used to preserve organs for transplants because they could be kept at lower temperatures without the threat of ice crystals forming and damaging the tissue.

It's debatable as to whether Professor Braslavsky is the next Edison or Louis Pasteur, but he is certainly making strides in science that will save and make an impact on lives — the lives of farmers, the lives of consumers, transplant patients and in other ways we have yet to discover.

Learn more here and here.

Top photo courtesy of Rick Fatica; used with permission.

Bottom photo courtesy of Professor Ido Braslavsky.