Human shock absorbers
February 13, 2012
NEW research from a team of
international scientists, led by the
University of Sydney, has found the
molecular structure in the human
body which acts as its “shock
absorber”.
Published in the Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences,
the study took apart elastin using a
combination of synchronised X-ray
beams and elastin synthesis tools,
and found that it held a molecular
bridge or “shock absorber”.
“This tiny shock absorber neatly
connects specialised molecular
parts: one part is dedicated to
elasticity and another part
dedicated to binding living tissue,”
said researcher Professor Weiss.
“It performs the same function
for humans at a molecular level as
shock absorbers do in a car; we can
enjoy a smooth ride because they
keep the body of the car from
being violently rattled by the
movement of the wheels,” he added.
According to the scientists, they
now have enough information to
make changes to the molecular
bridge, which would result in
“dramatic changes to elastin”.
“This finding will benefit our work
on designing artificial blood vessels
that use replicas of human elastin,
to repair and replace human blood
vessels, with implications for the
treatment of cardiovascular
disease,” said Weiss.
“In the future it may have
applications in treating
emphysema, which is caused by
destruction to lung elastin,” he
added.
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