Lysozyme Protein Crystal Growth in Microgravity

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Lysozyme Protein Crystal Growth in Microgravity
Celeste Brown, Jackson Middle School 7th
grade   Josephine Smith, Jackson Middle School
7th grade   Teacher Facilitator Jennifer Kelley
Jackson Middle School   Scientific Advisor Dr.
Eric Gouaux Oregon Health and Science
University  
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Our idea

• Wanted to help friend Brittany
• Looked at cancer research projects
• Chose Urokinase protein crystal growth

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Hypothesis

• We think the Lysozyme crystals will grow
  better and there will be more crystals in
  microgravity than when they are grown on Earth.
  We think this because gravity will affect the
  ionic bonds, making them weaker. In microgravity
  however, the bonds should be stronger, therefore
  giving us better results.

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Experimental Design

• 21 of protein to NaCl
• Lysozyme
• NaCl 5
• A 3 mm by 3 mm piece of cotton in a few of the
  wells.

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Experiment Conditions

• Ground truth experiment
• Residential home
• Lab conditions
• Space shuttle
• Microgravity

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Problems/Solutions

• Urokinase
• New enzyme
• Shuttle delay
• Transportation
• Diffraction lab

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Results

• Controlled environmentcrystals.
• Didnt find crystals in the space
• shuttle or home ground truth samples,
• because they were kept in uncontrollable
• environments.
• Crystals found in the lab ground truth,
• because the lab has a stable
• environment.

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Conclusion

• Lab conditions need to be constant
• Shipping crystals should have been frozen
• Hypothesis Unsure due to issues with experiment
  conditions

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Acknowledgements

• Dr. Eric Gouaux, Sr. Scientist, Vollum Institute,
  Oregon Health Science University
• Sigma- Aldrich Corporation
• The Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource at
  SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
• Jennifer Kelley, Teacher Facilitator, Jackson
  Middle School
• Our Parents!