OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 5 (UPI) -- U.S. medical scientists have found a new way to remove iron from ferritin protein that's found in the human liver and spleen.
The study led by Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute senior scientist Elizabeth Theil is the first to suggest a small protein or heptapeptide -- seven amino acids wrapped into one unit -- could be used to accelerate the removal of iron from ferritin.
Theil said the finding might lead to new medications that dramatically improve the removal of excess iron in patients diagnosed with blood diseases such as Cooley's anemia or Sickle Cell Disease.
The study that included Xiaofeng of Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute and Marvin Miller and Leslie Patterson of the University of Notre Dame is detailed in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
