Toray develops quick retrieval of small proteins in blood for disease studies
A device for quick retrieval of proteins of medical interest from blood has been developed by Toray Industries, in Japan. The company has shown the device has the ability to isolate nearly 2,500 different proteins in just two hours, compared with around two weeks with existing methods.
A device for quick retrieval of proteins of medical interest from blood has been developed by Toray Industries, in Japan. The company has shown the device has the ability to isolate nearly 2,500 different proteins in just two hours, compared with around two weeks with existing methods.
The research was based on the fact that proteins not of medical interest are all very large, so workers designed a hollow fiber membrane with nanometer-size openings that effectively removes only the smaller proteins from the blood without damage.
The technology provides a fast way to collect proteins, present in only trace amounts in the blood but of medical interest because their presence changes when people are infected with a disease. Detecting such proteins makes early diagnosis and selection of drug candidate substances easier.