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Snow Fleas Key To More Organ Transplants
A new antifreeze protein discovered in tiny snow fleas by Canadian researchers may allow organs to be stored longer before being transplanted. Drs. Laurie Graham and Peter Davies - at Queen's University, in Kingston, Ontario - found that the potent protein produced by the fleas to protect themselves against freezing is capable of inhibiting ice growth by about 6 degrees Celsius. This would allow organs to be stored at lower temperatures, expanding the time allowed between removal and transplant, the researchers say in the journal Science. "Transplant organs must now be kept at the freezing point or slightly warmer," says Graham. "If we can drop the temperature at which the organ is safely stored, there will be a longer preservation period." All rights reserved. © 2005 Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse. Related Links Queen's University SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express 
Researchers Find A Potential Key To Human Immune Suppression In Space
San Francisco CA (SPX) Oct 13, 2005Researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center have identified a set of key immune-response genes that do not turn on in a weightless environment. The discovery is another clue in the effort to solve an almost 40-year-old mystery: why the human immune system does not function well in the weightlessness of space. |
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