Problems in the Biological Sciences

Abstract

The progress that has been made in IETS technology over the past few years has led to the obvious quesion of whether this technique can be useful in the study of biological molecules. However, since only a few biological compounds have been analyzed by IETS, it is premature to attempt to answer this question by reference to data. At this stage we can only ask more questions, and I try to determine which types of biological compounds best lend themselves to IETS experiments. An important question which cannot be answered as yet is whether IETS may be the best technique for the study of a particular biological problem. This must obviously wait for future developments, both theoretical and technical. From a theoretical perspective, it would seem that IETS could be applicable to numerous biological problems. However, the main problem at present would seem to be one of specimen preparation. These problems have been discussed by Dr. HANSMA and Dr. COLEMAN from different points of view, and I can’t add anything new to this particular discussion. I will attempt to outline a few of the areas in the study of biological macromolecules in which IETS may be very helpful. Hopefully, in the performance of these experiments, many of the preparative problems can be understood and then overcome. These would not necessarily be the ultimate aims of IETS, but this approach may be helpful in learning what these goals are and how to get there.