Horseshoe Crab to Test for Toxins
Clotting enzyme in the horseshoe crab
has many benefits |
An NUS breakthrough in genetic engineering has
created a rare win-win situation that benefits both man and horseshoe
crab. The fortuitous development earned Associate Professor Ho Bow
(Department of Microbiology) and Professor Ding Jeak Ling (Department
of Biological Sciences) a prize at the Asian Innovation Awards,
handed out by the Far Eastern Economic Review.
The husband-and-wife team has achieved a bioengineering
feat in successfully cloning the enzyme that clots the blood of
the horseshoe crab, making it one of nature's most sensitive sensors
for toxic contaminants. The ugly, hard-shelled living fossil survives
in its natural habitat of some of the dirtiest waters in the world
because of the anti-toxins in its blood.
Artificially-produced enzyme can help
protect the endangered species |
Since the 1950s, the ability of the horseshoe
crab's blood to clot when it comes into contact with bacteria has
been tapped by pharmaceutical companies to test the purity of sterilised
medical equipment and products. The revenue earned from this source
of naturally harvested blood has been estimated at US$50 million.
In developing the technology to produce the enzyme
in a controlled environment, the two researchers have found an alternative
source of sensor that is more stable and chemically consistent than
nature's endowment. The good news for the horseshoe crab, which
has already become an endangered species in the world, is the conservation
protection offered by the artificially-produced clone.
A patent for the discovery of the compound, called Factor C, has
been issued in the United States. The technology for its production
was licensed to the American biotech company BioWhittaker, which
is keen to use it to develop sterility test and antibiotics. Prof
Ding and Ho earlier won Singapore's National Technology Award for
their contribution to genetic engineering research.
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