Amoebalike Robots for Search and Rescue
Technology Review (03/29/07) Graham-Rowe, Duncan

Virginia Tech roboticists are working on a robot that moves using its outer skin as a way to navigate areas that would prohibit robots with legs, wheels, or tracks. The robot's shape is known as "toroidal," an elongated cylinder, which has actuator rings that run the length of the robot's body and around through the middle of the cylinder. The robot would be able to flatten itself out to squeeze into tight spaces during search and rescue missions. When the rings are contracted at the rear of the robot, they expand near the front, generating movement. The design was inspired by the pseudopods that amoebas use to move, explains VT mechanical engineering professor and lead researcher Dennis Hong. After beginning with flexible toroidal membranes lined with propulsion rings made of electroactive polymer or pressurized hoses, Hong has decided to use a more rugged construction, which he describes as "a 3D tank tread." Although toroids have been tested as propulsion systems before, Hong's research is pioneering in its use of electroactive polymers to generate propagating waves of contractions. "These experimental designs open new and exciting perspectives in soft-bodied robotics." One challenge facing this design is how the power supply, computerized controllers, and sensors would be integrated, but Hong suggests placing these components in the center of the toroid. He also envisions using a wireless controller to activate the contractions of the rings using inductive loops for power.
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Irradiated Foods May Get Relaxed Labeling
Washington Times (04/04/07)

The government has proposed loosening its regulations on irradiated food labeling and implied that it may permit certain radiation-treated products to be considered pasteurized. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which posted the proposals on its Web site and will accept comments from the public for the next three months, explained that the revised rule would mandate irradiation labeling when the treatment causes a change to the shelf life, texture, smell, or taste of the food. For companies to use "pasteurized" to represent irradiated foods, they would have to demonstrate to the FDA that radiation destroys germs as effectively as the pasteurization process. Under the proposed changes, businesses could also appeal to the FDA to use synonyms for "irradiated" on their labels. One consumer group has already pointed out that such a practice could mislead and confuse consumers, a problem acknowledged in the FDA's written proposal. Over 5,000 comments inundated the FDA when they drafted a similar proposal in 1984, and by 1986 the FDA had passed legislation requiring FDA-examined irradiated foods to display a label with the radiation symbol. However, Jeff Barach, vice president of the Grocery Manufacturers/Food Products Association, feels this label discourages customers to the point of undermining the food industry's attempts to keep food free from food-borne pathogens. Indeed, recent food-borne illness outbreaks have renewed interest in using ionizing radiation to kill bacteria. Foods currently irradiated, including some vegetables and eggs, must receive FDA approval first. The proposed changes would apply to FDA-regulated foods only, though the Department of Agriculture could potentially follow in the FDA's footsteps by relaxing its irradiation labeling rules for meat and poultry.
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Precision Automated Molecular Imaging System From Kodak
Scientist (03/29/2007)

Eastman Kodak has released a new molecular imaging system called the KODAK Image Station 4000MM Pro for use in fluorescent and chemi-luminescent imaging in life-science and drug-discovery research. KODAK Image Station 4000MM Pro offers automated filter and lens control with improved precision ability. The precision ens has 10X zoom, focal plane functionality, an adjustable wavelength setting, a filter ranging from 380 nm to 780 nm, and 4 different wide-angle emissions filters from 440 nm to 830 nm. The 4000MM Pro can recall and replicate image settings across sessions to reduce duplicate preparation work, and automation capabilities in the lens are designed to reduce manual programming time for researchers. The 4000MM Pro also has a radioisotopic function, offers vivo x-ray imaging, has a 4 million pixel cooled CCD camera, and a dynamic range greater than 4OD, among other built-in and optional features.
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Tailing Virulent Veggies
Wall Street Journal (03/13/07) P. B1 ; Zhang, Jane

The produce industry is enhancing its ability to track and monitor the food supply chain in an effort to prevent additional outbreaks of E. coli and other food-borne illnesses. The industry hopes that this effort will not only improve customer confidence, but reduce the likelihood of lawsuits. Thus, Dole Food is migrating to a radio-frequency identification tag system that allows the company to monitor produce as it is harvested, packed on trucks, and processed at facilities. The tracking system will enable Dole to trace contaminated produce back to its origins, including the exact arm and section of field. Many of the larger produce purchasers are even mandating that growers take special steps to monitor potential sources of contamination, such as polluted irrigation water, wild deer and hogs, and flooding. The produce industry's reputation for swiftly moving produce across the nation has come at a price: less-than-stellar record-keeping, which makes it difficult for the industry and government investigators to trace the source of contamination. The produce industry is split into two camps on the issue of government regulation, with the Western Growers group advocating self-regulation and the United Fresh Produce Association asking for federal standards.
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Trendy Technology Yet to Show True Colours: Nanotechnology Fuelling Great Expectations
Calgary Herald (03/27/07) P. A6 ; Foot, Richard

The nascent field of nanotechnology, in which the properties of miniscule natural particles are engineered for new and futuristic purposes, appears to hold great promise. University of Montreal researcher Jean-Christophe Leroux predicts that nanotechnology's impact will be felt in many areas and in many ways but that the changes will come about progressively, much like the changes caused by the arrival of computers. Some of nanotechnology's predicted applications skew toward the fantastic: muscle suits fueled by hydrogen that increase the wearer's speed and dexterity and carbon masts as high as the stratosphere that allow satellites to be "pushed" into space. The current state of nanotechnology is more mundane, but there are already more than 380 new nano-products on the market, according to the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. These products include stain-resistant dress pants and bandages that fight bacteria. Ideally, Leroux would like to use nanotechnology to create a cure for cancer, but that reality remains far off, so in the meantime he is trying to use nanotechnology to create a molecular-based treatment for cancer that would be free of the side-effects of chemotherapy.
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The Great Molecule Quest
Financial Express (India) (03/26/07) Chowdhary, Sudhir

Drug makers increasingly consider automation to be a crucial part of finding new molecules during drug discovery's early phases, and India is ready to become a core center of knowledge for the bioinformatics industry. Bioinformatics can hasten the discovery process through chemical and biological database services, data mining, and the cultivation of customized tools, among other solutions. Tata Consultancy Services, for example, will assist AlphaGene's protein research by building on a key protein to produce "optimized drug leads." HCL Technologies offers "in-silico" techniques via software tools and algorithms. Indian firms plan to capitalize on the bioinformatic industry's growth, especially in the area of analysis software, which has opportunities in fields such as sequence and micro-array analysis and visualization and database software.
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Robots Going in Harm's Way
Boston Globe (03/12/07) Krasner, Jeffrey

Remote-controlled robots are being used in Iraq to disable roadside bombs, with Marine Colonel Edward Ward of the Robotic Systems Joint Project Office noting that they disarmed over 11,000 explosive devices last year alone. Many of the robotic systems used by the military are from Waltham, Mass.-based Foster-Miller Inc., whose Talon is hailed by weapons experts for its ruggedness. The Talon is controlled by soldiers stationed far from the explosive devices via a trio of joysticks. The robot features a gripper-equipped arm and four cameras, and it disables bombs by either hitting them with water jets or issuing signals that prevent calls to the cell phones used as detonators. The company has also rolled out new robots that wield machine guns and grenade launchers or contain sensors designed to detect explosives, industrial gases, radiation, and weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. Army intends to spend $500 million on "unmanned ground platforms" between 2004 and 2009, according to online publisher Robotics Trends.
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WHO Seeks Smart Technology to Stop Fake Medicines
Reuters (03/13/07) Hirschler, Ben

More than 20 technology firms met with the U.N. World Health Organization Tuesday to discuss the use of radio tags, digital watermarks, bar codes, holograms, and other forms of smart technology to prevent the use of counterfeit drugs and medicines. Fake drugs, including those used to fight AIDS and malaria, make up more than 30 percent of medicine sales in some of the world's poorer countries, leading to the deaths of patients and the loss of profits and brand reputation for pharmaceutical firms. About one percent of medicine sales in developed countries are attributed to counterfeit drugs, but the problem is increasing due to the availability of fake drugs on the Internet.
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Software Initiative Targets Drug Discovery
Laboratorytalk (03/23/07)

Applied Biosystems and MDS Sciex teamed up to create software aimed at further automating the drug discovery process, especially with regard to analytical processes. The new software will help researchers improve their tracking of drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion for various drugs in order to reduce drug failure rates before clinical trials begin. The software is expected to work in conjunction with mass spectrometry systems already in use throughout the drug discovery process.
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New Nanotechnology Findings From Portland State University Published
Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week (03/24/07)

S.K. Padigi and colleagues at the Portland State University created a hybrid multi-walled carbon nanotube based chemical sensor. By interweaving nano-assembly with microfabrication methods, the researchers were able to create a sensing mechanism with 1 ppm detection sensitivity. This precision was illustrated by the sensor's repeated identification of hydrocarbons belonging to the aliphatic hydrocarbon family. Fast Fourier Transformation and Power Spectral Density data analysis enabled the sensor to identify each chemical's electrical signature. The researchers, who published their report in Biosensors and Bioelectronics, explained: "The sensor demonstrated a rapid response time with portability, accuracy and versatility for the in situ detection of multiple chemical agents, with potential for automation."
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Heritage Valley Leads Local Health Systems Toward Automation in Labs
Pittsburgh Business Times (03/19/07) Mamula, Kris B.

Heritage Valley Health System recently implemented lab automation to heighten efficiency and consistency. Preparing samples for analysis is a time-consuming process—at Heritage Valley, which tests 3,000 tubes of blood each day, manual set-up often led to bottlenecks and delays, especially during the morning's peak hours. The new equipment mechanizes the process: labeling the tubes, conveying them to the proper part of the lab, filling and spinning the samples, conveying them to testing areas, and storing them in racks. If certain work areas or pieces of equipment are especially busy, the equipment also diverts tubes to other, less-dense areas, evening out the system load. Benefits include fewer processing delays and more productivity, while also freeing lab workers to handle other jobs. Carol Slonecker, Excela Health's administrative director of laboratory services, says the equipment helps ensure "that you treat every specimen the same." The Heritage Valley equipment is expected to raise lab output by five percent in 2007, and three area health centers are at this time either considering or establishing automated laboratories as well.
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Analyze This: Fitchburg Biotech's Deal 'a Business-Changing Event'
Madison Capital Times (WI) (03/14/07) P. A10 ; Richgels, Jeff

GelTel BioSciences, of Fitchburg, Wis., recently acquired automation technology assets from GlaxoSmithKline, which shed its noncore assets in order to focus its energy on drug development. GelTel plans to use the technology to screen thousands of tests daily, and it will use protein chips it manufactures to ensure drugs are having the desired effect on patients. GelTel's CEO Alex Vodenlich notes that the acquisition has been a business transforming catalyst. The automation technology will make the firm a recognized competitor in the fields of genomics and proteomics—its genetic tests will not just signal what a patient's likelihood of contracting or developing an ailment is, but they will determine if a patient actually has the disease by examining the protein levels of genetic make-ups. Analysts note that protein tests can improve developments in "personalized medicine," which examines DNA to help with diagnoses, treatments, and monitoring. Protein chips acquired and developed by GelTel will only need a few drops of blood to identify signs of thrombosis, blood coagulation, or eventually cancer and allergies. Researchers hope to help scientists discover biomarkers for diseases and improve drug discovery efforts.
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Gen-Probe's Automated Procleix Cleared for WNV Blood Screening
Diagnostic Update (03/08/07) Young, Karen

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently issued a statement of product clearance for the Gen-Probe West Nile Virus nucleic acid test that is a fully-automated product for blood-donor screening. The FDA approved the assay for this product—the advanced Procleix Tigris system—in December 2005. The FDA says the advanced Procleix Tigris is "capable of performing certain manual steps that were performed by technologists when using semi-automated systems." This current system, updated from Gen-Probe's Procleix eSAS, provides full automation to process as much as 1,000 blood samples per 14 hours.
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When Molecules Meet
Science (03/09/07) Vol. 315 , No. 5817 , P. 1345

A collection known as BioGRID, located at www.thebiogrid.org, offers a forum for exploring networks of interconnected genes and proteins. The BioGRID project is offered by the Toronto-based Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute. The collection is updated each month, and all entries map the relationships of a specific gene or protein and offer a summary of the experimental evidence for reach relationship. For example, the BioGRID includes an interaction network for the enzyme Cdc14, which is associated with mitosis. Other examples include all known interactions in budding yeast, and partial lists for humans, fruit flies, and nematodes.
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