A new chemical probe can rapidly detect ricin, a deadly poison with no known antidote that is feared to be a potential weapon for terrorists and cannot quickly be identified with currently available tests. Chemists at UC San Diego developed the probe, which glows when bound to a ricin-damaged part of the body's protein-making machinery. Because the test pinpoints the specific injury underlying the poison's toxicity, it could also help to develop drugs to counteract the effect of ricin.
Ricin's Deadly Action Revealed By Glowing Probes
- ScienceDaily
- 11. 8 2008 (05:30)