© Merck
Discovered novel proteins with medical potential (from left to right): Jeffrey Shaw, Amanda Proudfoot, and Christine Power were recognized for this achievement by Merck Serono with the R&D Scientific Excellence Award 2009
Discovered novel proteins with medical potential (from left to right): Jeffrey Shaw, Amanda Proudfoot, and Christine Power were recognized for this achievement by Merck Serono with the R&D Scientific Excellence Award 2009
A new form of protein is discovered
The first surprise came in the form of the sequence of the DNA building blocks itself. The tick protein turned out to be an entirely new, previously unknown class of proteins. “A new form of protein—now that is something that really makes a scientist happy,” says Jeffrey Shaw. The joy of discovery is still readily apparent in the man with the calm charisma and deep voice. He is the third member of the team. The chemist used crystal structural analysis to determine the form of the evasin down to the last atom and showed how it docks to the human messenger substances. The three scientists have since found and characterized two other, similar proteins in tick saliva, each of which binds to slightly different human chemokines. The ticks produce the three evasins at different times, presumably precisely matched with the reaction of their host's immune system.
Amanda Proudfoot and her colleagues are now attempting to develop new and effective medicines patterned after the evasins. The evasins have already demonstrated their potential for healing inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis in initial, preclinical trials. Merck Serono honored Proudfoot, Power, and Shaw with the “R&D Scientific Excellence Award 2009” for their work.
The first surprise came in the form of the sequence of the DNA building blocks itself. The tick protein turned out to be an entirely new, previously unknown class of proteins. “A new form of protein—now that is something that really makes a scientist happy,” says Jeffrey Shaw. The joy of discovery is still readily apparent in the man with the calm charisma and deep voice. He is the third member of the team. The chemist used crystal structural analysis to determine the form of the evasin down to the last atom and showed how it docks to the human messenger substances. The three scientists have since found and characterized two other, similar proteins in tick saliva, each of which binds to slightly different human chemokines. The ticks produce the three evasins at different times, presumably precisely matched with the reaction of their host's immune system.
Amanda Proudfoot and her colleagues are now attempting to develop new and effective medicines patterned after the evasins. The evasins have already demonstrated their potential for healing inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis in initial, preclinical trials. Merck Serono honored Proudfoot, Power, and Shaw with the “R&D Scientific Excellence Award 2009” for their work.
