Weiwei Tang and his research team at Scripps made an innovative study. Their most surprising finding was the appearance of a previously unknown phenomenon—biogenic crystals which twist passively, without outside influence on the crystals themselves. This work, conducted primarily at The Welch Center for Advanced Bioactive Materials Crystallization, University of Houston, is a major scientific advance. To do this, they discovered that the curvature of these crystals could be precisely controlled by manipulating certain growth conditions. The journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has published the results. They shed light on the complex processes that dictate crystal shape and emphasize its importance to drug delivery.
Jeffrey Rimer, the Abraham E. Dukler Professor of Chemical Energy, was an integral partner in this work. What he didn’t mention was the importance of their findings. By utilizing a method that does not require heat or radiation, the team successfully illustrated how crystals can bend and twist solely through intrinsic properties. This uncommon, pioneering method might prove groundbreaking in how scientists understand crystal activity in nature and manmade entities alike.
Understanding Tautomerism and Its Effects
This paper shines some light on the interesting phenomenon of tautomerism. In this unusual phenomenon, a hydrogen atom moves through space within a molecule, forcing other atoms in the same molecule to move around. Tautomerism is not merely an esoteric theoretical concern; it possesses practical ramifications. Approximately 30 of the top 200 marketed drugs are considered tautomers, suggesting that such a property may play an important role in how drugs are delivered.
Rimer said this study disentangles how tautomerism triggers directed, spontaneous bending and twisting. The minor tautomer also behaves as a growth modifier, inducing defects in the crystal structure—including twins, screw dislocations and edge dislocations—and these defects have profound impact on material properties. Such insights promise to foster a new generation of smarter pharmaceutical formulations. Through using the fundamental bending of crystals, we can improve drug delivery efficiency.”
Implications for Drug Delivery
The scientists wanted to highlight the real-world uses of their work. In particular, they zeroed in on pharmacokinetics, or the science of how drugs travel through the body. As Rimer noted, bending creates spatially disparate physical deformations. These alterations to dissolution impact down the line and ultimately change the pharmacokinetics of delivering active pharmaceutical ingredients. By perfecting this technique using natural bending, scientists may be able to improve drug absorption and overall usage in medical treatments. That would be a groundbreaking way of delivering medicine.
Weiwei Tang, one of the study’s lead researchers, commented on the significance of their research beyond the specifics. Collectively, our findings provide new insight into the nature of defects that develop during pathological crystallization in tautomeric materials. This phenomenon leads to highly distinct bent, twisted, and dendritic shapes exhibited by both biological and man-made architectures. These insights have the potential to make big waves across disciplines—from pharmaceuticals to materials science.
Future Directions and Research
As the research team looks down the road, they hope to continue to discover more uses for their findings. Controlling the morphology of crystals through biologically inspired processes places powerful new tools into the hands of material designers. Along with Wolfgang, Tamin Yang from Stockholm University and Qing Tu from Texas A&M University contributed relevant perspectives to the discussion. They showcased smart examples of how to leverage these new mechanisms.
Its research has raised important conversations about its potential effects on a number of sectors— drug development, material engineering, and more. The team’s work is a reminder of the transformative nature of interdisciplinary collaboration in pushing the boundaries of scientific understanding.