Proactive technique
Researchers at the Ohio-based Case Western Reserve University have developed a new technique for getting submolecular information about protein molecules using the Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). Ordinarily AFM produces a rather fuzzy image of protein molecules. But the researchers used a combination of AFM, genome information and other electron microscopic data in a highly sophisticated image processing technique to produce a reasonable three-dimensional image of aggrecan, a cartilage protein. The researchers hope that the technique will lead to intelligent drug design and other interventions to prevent or alleviate diseases like arthritis.