Can Wasabi Spice Detector Proteins Change The World? This Company Thinks So

There are two things you probably remember from your high school biology class:

1) Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell.

2) Proteins are the building blocks of the body.

So, it’s fair to say proteins are important. And as a scientist, being able to better understand the shape and nature of a protein means medicine, evolutionary history, and all kinds of discoveries are suddenly at your fingertips. That’s why cryo-electron microscopy is so important—it lets scientists see proteins and other tiny particles in entirely new and novel ways.

It’s so important, in fact, that three scientists—Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank, and Richard Henderson—were recently awarded the Nobel Prize for breakthroughs in the technology.

But how does cryo-electron microscopy actually make it into the hands of researchers around the world? Somebody needs to perfect and sell it. And that’s where employees at Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science, come in.

Wasabi Spice Detector: How It Works

Essentially, the process works in three steps. The first is freezing the proteins (hence the “cryo” part). Regular electron microscopy only works if the proteins are stiff enough to actually pin down and capture. But that’s exceedingly difficult to do with the kinds of microscopic organisms scientists want to study. Why? They can be too “floppy” to handle unless they’re frozen. This technology eliminates that problem.

Once frozen, these proteins or other organisms are then blasted with electrons and their image is captured thousands of times. Finally, an algorithm takes the images and assembles them to create a 3-D model.

What have scientists been able to better understand thanks to cryo-electron microscopy and the vivid imagery it generates? Among other breakthroughs, they’ve gained insights into how the Zika Virus functions, how our circadian rhythm works, and why wasabi tastes so spicy.

Let’s dive into that last one a little bit more.

As the National Institute of General Medical Sciences explains, the TRPA1 protein is responsible for that kick you taste when you bite into a helping of wasabi. (It’s actually known as the wasabi receptor.)

This protein essentially pokes tiny holes in the membranes of sensory nerve cells. When we eat something like wasabi, these pores open up, triggering “a warning response that we feel as a tingling or burn,” according to the NIGMS. Though it’s useful in detecting spiciness, this small protein packs a surprising amount of punch: Its primary function is to notify the body of pain. As such, having a better understanding of the TRPA1 protein could potentially lead to all sorts of medical advancements in the field of pain management.

How This Can Be Used to Save Lives

Understanding the curves and crevices of a molecule means that researchers can design drugs that fit into them, break them apart, and maybe even put them back together better than before. That’s why the innovators behind cryo-electron microscopy techniques won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Scientists working throughout the 20th and 21st centuries collectively invented the technique of cryo-electron microscopy. But only in Thermo Fisher’s laboratories did that technology actually become a widely available product that could be deployed to create new pain management drugs, cancer treatments, vaccines, and other treatments. Thermo Fisher’s groundbreaking research and innovative employees made those groundbreaking discoveries possible. It’s Thermo Fisher’s commitment to its customers that makes this all possible.

With the largest investment in research and development in the industry, Thermo Fisher empowers its employees to take innovative ideas and turn them into life-saving products. And it has an equally important impact on its clients: The work done at Thermo Fisher gives other scientists the ability to perform the kinds of innovative research that can fundamentally affect the lives of people across the globe.

And it’s not just scientists, either. Supply-chain professionals, marketers, salespeople, and even writers are all an important part of making sure amazing discoveries turn into amazing results.

Interested in learning more? Thermo Fisher is hiring now on WayUp, so check out their open positions and apply!