X-Message-Number: 769
Date: Sun, 26 Apr 92 12:37 GMT
From: Bob Grahame <>
Subject: Cryonews

New advance allows total water loss, no damage to proteins.

The lead article in todays Sunday Telegraph covers the work
of British scientist Dr Bruce Roser, whose company has 
developed a way of using a sugar-like compound, trehalose, 
to reduce the water content of biological materials to zero 
while causing no detectable damage. On adding water the 
trehalose, which is non-toxic, can be removed, leaving all 
the protein structures intact.

The company, Quadrant, have also located the gene which 
allows cells to produce trehalose naturally, such as in some 
drought resistant crops and invertebrates.

This looks very promising indeed, as it allows indefinite 
storage with no possibility of damage by free radicals, and 
therefore possibly without freezing!

Bob.

[ Message #6 cited the Feb. 13, 1988 Science News cover article on
  microorganisms that survive dessication by forming hydrogen bonds
  between the cell membranes and sugars such as trehalose.
  Messages #128 & #129 also referred to the use of trehalose for
  preservation. - KQB ]

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