He later joined other researchers (notably the American chemist Maurice Huggins) in proposing that: the unstretched protein molecules formed a helix (which he called the α-form) the stretching caused the helix to uncoil, forming an extended state (which he called the β-form).
Despois uniuse a outros investigadores (principalmente ao químico norteamericano Maurice Huggins) para propoñer que: as moléculas de proteínas non estiradas forman unha hélice, á cal chamaron forma α. o estiramento causaba que a hélice se desenroscara, pasando a un estado máis estendido, que chamaron forma β.