A New Lazar Method that Reproduces Protein Patterns and even Masterpiece Paintings!
Montreal, November 11, 2008 – Dr Santiago Costantino developed, along with other research investigators, a lazar technology that can reproduce the protein patterns that surround cells in vivo. Published in Lab on a Chip, the study explains that this new protein patterning technique enabled researchers to reproduce complex cell environments and a miniature version of the masterpiece painting by Johannes Vermeer, Girl with a Pearl Earring.
Created by Dr Costantino and scientists from the University of Montreal, McGill University and the Montreal Neurological Institute, this new lazar technology could lead to major breakthroughs in the field of neuroscience. By mimicking the brain’s complex cellular environment, this technique could stimulate and guide the growth of nerve cells.
“We have created a system that can replicate complex methods for growing cells,” explains Santiago Costantino, the study’s lead author. “We consider this technique as being particularly relevant to neuroscience and immunology research. This system enabled us to establish a chemical gradient to guide the growth of nerve fiber, a very useful element for studying nerve damage and repair.”
Using a technique known as laser-assisted protein adsorption by photobleaching (LAPAP), the scientific team applied fluorescent-tagged molecules to glass strips to create protein patterns that are similar to those found in the human body. The team further demonstrated this technique’s flexibility and precision by reproducing a fluorescent microscopic version of Girl with a Pearl Earring.
We hope that this technique’s flexibility, precision and ease will increase access to protein patterning, which could lead to great breakthroughs in science,” explains Dr Costantino. “Our next goal is to apply the LAPAP technique to the fabrication of more complex protein combinations and distributions. We want to improve our ability to mimic the chemical environments in which organisms initiate their early stages of development.”
Reports on this study appeared in the Ottawa Citizen and Toronto Sun.
About the Study
The Study Patterning Protein Concentration Using Laser-Assisted Adsorption by Photobleaching (LAPAP) is a collaboration between Santiago Costantino and Jonathan M. Bélisle of the University of Montreal and the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Centre; and James P. Correia, Paul W. Wiseman and Timothy E. Kennedy of McGill University and the Montreal Neurological Institute.