Cracking the Case of the Poison Processed Peanuts
Associated Press (02/09/09) Woodward, Calvin More than a month after people began getting sick from peanut products, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found a cluster of salmonella cultures with a distinct genetic fingerprint. About 12 states reported this fingerprint, which Assistant Surgeon General Ali Khan said was a "blinking light" for the investigation. PulseNet, a national network for finding patterns in foodborne illnesses, reported the cluster from four more states. On Dec. 2, scientists began to examine a second cluster of salmonella with a similar genetic makeup, reported by 17 states, and found that both clusters were the same. According to the FDA, an inspection that ended Jan. 27 found two strains of salmonella at the King Nut plant in Blakely, Ga. The strains were different from the outbreak strain, but the inspectors also observed mold, roaches, and roof leakages at the plant. Officials are still tracing the routes of all contaminated shipments.
Back to Top Complete Genomics Drives Down Cost of Genome Sequence to $5,000
Bloomberg (02/05/09) Lauerman, John California-based Complete Genomics announced that it will begin to sequence human genomes for $5,000 in June, offering the service to pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies, and academic centers. About 20 human genomes have been fully sequenced, but Complete Genomics plans to sequence 1,000 by the end of 2009, with plans to sequence 20,000 in 2010, according to Chairman and CEO Clifford Reid. Companies such as Illumina and Applied Biosystems already sell DNA sequencing machines for about $600,000, leading many labs and companies to buy their own sequencing equipment rather than use services such as Complete Genomics. Reid said that Complete Genomics has reduced the use of costly chemical reagents to identify each of the four bases in human DNA, spending about $1,000 in supplies on each sequence, when most labs use about $100,000 worth of reagents for each genome.
Back to Top Authenticating Food
Chemical & Engineering News (02/02/09) Vol. 87 , No. 5 , P. 30 ; Everts, Sarah A technique called polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has many food-related uses, such as checking for adulterants, bacterial contamination, and allergens. PCR allows scientists to amplify sequences of questionable DNA in food, but getting reliable results can sometimes be challenging. For instance, the presence of polyphenols or calcium can hinder the enzymes involved in PCR. Stefano Sforza, an organic and food chemist at the University of Parma, and colleagues turned to peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) to improve the PCR detection process. They sought to take advantage of PNAs' ability to hybridize with DNA. PNAs are a cross between protein and DNA and can bind DNA more tightly than DNA can bind itself, explains Sforza. His team has used PNAs that fluoresce when bound to DNA in conjunction with high-performance liquid chromatography, surface plasmon resonance, and microarrays. In proof-of-principle tests, the PNA-DNA hybrid technique successfully detected femtomoles of hazelnut DNA adulterant in olive oil, genetically modified organisms in corn and soybean, and allergenic peanut and hazelnut DNA in cereal snacks. The approach seems "like a promising tool" for the eventual quantitative assessment of DNA in food, says Josef Schlatter, head of the Nutritional & Toxicological Risks Sections at the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health.
Back to Top Spinning Silk Into Sensors
Technology Review (02/01/09) Vol. 112 , No. 1 , P. 80 ; Bourzac, Katherine Bioengineer Fiorenzo Omenetto of Tufts University has used silkworms to develop optical materials that can be used in sensors and other devices. Silk does not need to be processed at high temperatures or with harsh chemicals, so other biomolecules can be added to them and used as sensors that could be active for years in the silk devices. The silkworm cocoons are boiled in a solution containing sodium carbonate, then dissolved in a solution of lithium bromide. After cooling, the solution is loaded into a dialysis cartridge and the salt is drawn out, leaving a clear, viscous solution of purified protein silk fibroin. For this solution to be used in a biosensor, Omenetto adds a protein targeting a particular molecule, such as oxygen-binding hemoglobin. Special molds are used to shape the silk-protein solution into optical devices, and are patterned with nanoscale features that affect how light will interact with the devices. With embedded antibodies and enzymes, these silk devices possibly could sense almost any targeted molecule, such as glucose or a tumor marker, and could be implanted during surgeries to monitor patients.
Back to Top Data Mining Promises to Dig Up New Drugs
ICT Results (02/02/09) European researchers have developed a robot called Eve that uses artificial intelligence, data mining and knowledge discovery technology to analyze the results of the pharmacological experiments that it conducts. The robot can make informed decisions on how effective different chemical compounds will be at fighting diseases, potentially providing more effective treatments and a faster development process for medicines. Eve relates the chemical structure of different compounds to their pharmacological activity to learn which chemical compounds should be tested next. "Over time, Eve will learn to pick out the chemical compounds that are likely to be most effective against a certain target by analyzing data from past experiments and comparing chemical structures to their pharmacological properties," says Jozef Stefan Institute researcher Saso Dzeroski. Dzeroski says Eve should help scientists and pharmaceutical companies identify more effective compounds to treat diseases and help them find drugs in a fraction of the time and cost of current methods. Dzeroski says Eve is the first robot-based computer system capable of originating its own experiments, physically performing them, interpreting the results and repeating the cycle. He says that instead of choosing compounds for testing at random, Eve can pick compounds that are more likely to be effective.
Back to Top Whipping Fluids Along in Microlabs
Science News (01/30/09) Barry, Patrick In controlling the flow of fluids for lab-on-a-chip technology, researchers in Romania and the Netherlands have shown that microscopic, hairlike structures could be used, similar to how cilia move mucus from the lungs. Some research teams have tried to propel fluids through the use of vibrating magnetic fields that drive microscopic, synthetic "hairs" into a beating motion. Patrick Onck, of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, and colleagues found that this is a viable option for moving fluids in microlabs and have submitted their mathematical research to the Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids. Onck's team recommends that the cilia be made from polymers and embedded with nanoscale magnets, driven by tiny electric circuits that provide the necessary magnetic fields.
Back to Top Biosensor for Drug Detection
Engineer (01/26/09) Baker, Berenice A new hand-held biosensor uses nanomagnetic particles and frustrated total internal reflection (FTIR) to detect disease, diagnose clinical conditions, and test for illegal drugs. A sample is first added to a cartridge that contains magnetic nanoparticles chemically bonded to a ligand, and the cartridge is then inserted into a hand-held analyzer. The device, from Philips, uses a magnetic field to attract the molecules to the active surface of the sensor, where more ligands bind them in place. Another magnet draws the unbound molecules away, and FTIR is used to read the amount of analyte present. The Magnotech device can work on volumes as small as a pinprick of blood, and Phillips Research fellow Prof. Menno Prins said that the biosensor could detect "anything you can raise an antibody against." More than one substance can be detected in a single Magnotech assay by attaching the antibodies for different proteins to different areas of the cartridge, with each location performing a separate optical analysis. Depending on the assay, Magnotech can take less than a minute to more than a minute to provide results, using electromagnetic forces instead of going through a series of pipetting steps.
Back to Top Fast Bacteria Detector Could Speed Diagnosis
OnMedica (02/05/2009) IK4 Technological Alliance is developing a lab-on-a-chip device that can detect the presence of salmonella and other bacteria in less than an hour. Samples do not have to be prepared in a laboratory first, and the device is portable and can be used for a range of settings. Two syringe samples are placed into the device, which identifies the bacteria using a fluorescence signal emitted during a polymerase chain reaction. The sample is concentrated in the chip, the membranes ruptured, and the DNA amplified for identification. The device has already been tested for detecting salmonella and is hoped to be available for other clinical uses.
Back to Top Researchers Tout Wireless Microgrippers
Network World (01/20/09) Cox, John Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have used photolithography to develop crab-like microgrippers less than 1/254th of an inch in diameter that can grab and release tissue. The team created the microgrippers with gold-plated nickel, able to be remotely guided by external magnets, and used temperature change or non-toxic biochemicals to close the grippers' "fingers." The team tested the devices by using them to grab animal cells from a mass of live cells at the end of a tube. The researchers reported that the cells were still alive 72 hours later, demonstrating that the microgrippers did not injure them. The project was directed by David Gracias, of the university's Whiting School of Engineering, and was reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers are still working on how the grippers can safely re-open to release what they have grabbed, but Gracias sees these devices as a step toward autonomous micro- and nano-scale surgical tools.
Back to Top Predicting Breakdowns
Technology Review (01/29/09) Sauser, Brittany Researchers at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and Lockheed Martin are working on a sensor-based monitoring system that assesses the health of a vehicle and alerts the driver to potential problems. The system uses a network of embedded smart sensors that are placed near problem-prone components. Information from the sensors is wirelessly transmitted to a central command center for analysis. Nabil Nasr, director of RIT's Center for Integrated Manufacturing, says the system goes beyond existing technology by predicting the future health or failures of vehicles. The project is part of a $150 million contract between Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Marine Corps, which will equip 12,000 military vehicles with the technology so the health of a vehicle can be quickly assessed before it is sent on a mission. The system includes both standard sensors for temperature and vibration monitoring, as well as customized smart sensors for monitoring the vehicle. Nasr says the researchers have developed sophisticated software for analyzing the data produced by the sensors. "The algorithms are extremely valuable because they help us build a model of predictive and condition-based maintenance, so we can predict failures before they occur, and we can make determinations about service based on the actual conditions of the equipment," says Randy Weaver, at the Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority, which has been testing the technology for use in public transit systems.
Back to Top Super Sensitive Gas Detector Goes Down the Nanotubes
Nanotechwire.com (01/18/09) Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have developed a new way to detect the nitrogen oxides and other toxic gases released by cells under stress. They created a gas detector based on nanotubes, and given that the detector's walls are just a few nanometers thick, it is 1,000 time more sensitive than those currently in use. The nanotubes have an aluminum oxide membrane with thin layers of gold on either end that serve as electrical contacts. The sensors can conduct numerous tests simultaneously.
Back to Top Beaming New Light on Life: Silver Nanoparticle Microscopy
Newswise (02/04/09) Researchers at the University of Utah have developed a variation of fluorescence microscopy that allows microscopes to reveal the internal structure of bone, tumor cells, and other opaque biological materials. John Lupton, associate professor of physics, led the study, which involved placing groups of silver nanoparticles below the sample to be studied, and then using an infrared laser to excite them and form "plasmonic hotspots." These hotspots act as beacons that shoot focused white light through the sample above, and a color spectrum reveals information about the composition and structure of the substance being examined. The study will be in the March issue of Nano Letters.
Back to Top Collaboration Leads to Advanced Biosensor Design
Purdue Exponent (02/03/09) Boyd, Darryl At Purdue Discovery Park, part of Purdue University, the labs of Mechanical Engineering Prof. Timothy Fisher and Agricultural and Bioengineering Prof. Marshall Porterfield have collaborated to develop a new biosensor designed to detect blood glucose. Seven times more sensitive than the best competing design and able to function in a wider range of glucose concentrations, the biosensor is comprised of gold-coated nanotubes attached to single-wall carbon nanocubes. Its properties are partly due to the distance that the sensing portion extends from the rest of the device. The findings appeared in the January issue of the American Chemical Society journal, ACS Nano.
Back to Top Newham Leads the Way in Point-of-Care Clinical Analysis
Medical Laboratory World (01/09) Makosinski, Joanne In the United Kingdom, Newham University Hospital's pathology department now uses the clinical chemistry analyzer ABX Pentra 400 from Horiba ABX. The analyzer provides rapid chemistry screening results for sodium, potassium, urea, and glucose, and additional tests such as amylase and creatinine. Dr. Phil Moss, clinical lead consultant for emergency medicine for the hospital's NHS Trust, said that having such patient data available allows his colleagues to make faster, more informed decisions regarding patient care. Blood sample tubes are barcoded and centrifuged before being placed on the analyzer, which scans the barcode to "know" which tests are required, interfacing directly with the hospital EPR system and pathology LIMS. After analysis, sample tubes are removed, bagged, and sent through an airtube system directly to the lab. Natalie Firminger, emergency medicine business manager for the trust, said that installing the analyzer has led to a 50 percent reduction in monthly running costs for POC clinical chemistry.
Back to Top Pilot Program Expansion to Improve Public Health Testing
Sulphur Southwest Daily News (LA) (01/16/09) In Louisiana, a dozen parish health units are participating in a pilot program that aims to make results from the Office of Public Health (OPH) State Laboratory available to parish health units, hospitals, law enforcement agencies, prisons, and community-based networks in a timely manner. The Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) project will make the healthcare system more efficient and enable organizations to analyze test results electronically, according to Gov. Bobby Jindal. The system also facilitates data-sharing with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The system will boost testing efficiency and better handle data regarding bioterrorism events, environmental hazard events, and hurricane response. OPH processes approximately 1 million clinical, environmental, epidemiology, and sanitation tests per year, but LIMS could help raise the number of tests handled annually.
Back to Top Microscopy: Inside Information
Nature (01/15/09) Vol. 457 , No. 7227 , P. 238 Advances in x-ray microscopy now enable views of sliced chromosomes. Yoshinori Nishino of the RIKEN SPring-8 Center in Hyogo, Japan, and colleagues have successfully recorded three-dimensional sectional images of a human chromosome. They used a technique called coherent X-ray diffraction microscopy, which provides a complete three-dimensional view of electron density of a single chromosome measuring roughly 2 micrometers across. The internal structure can be viewed with a resolution of about 120 nanometers. In contrast, electron microscopes cannot see "inside" chromosomes because of their density, and fluorescent light microscopes can only display some parts.
Back to Top 'Virtual' Drug Testing Could Speed Research
Wall Street Journal (01/14/09) P. B3A ; Sechler, Bob The pace of drug research and development could pick up in the future, thanks to an eventual shift from testing on live humans and animals to a software-based approach. "Virtual" testing, possible with programs that imitate the chemistry of living beings, is already being explored by companies like U.K.-based Simcyp Ltd., whose computer-simulated lab rat mimics chemical interaction and metabolization in live rats. General Electric Co., meanwhile, has won a Defense Department contract to develop a software-driven "biotic man." Such programs promise to speed up drug R&D by quickly ruling out ideas that are not likely to produce favorable results, calculating the right dosage for studies, and possibly even predicting drug reactions and physiological effects on patients, among other benefits. Besides accelerating R&D and giving drug companies more confidence in the products they choose to pursue, industry insiders are counting on virtual drug testing to save them money. The process, which can take anywhere from several years to more than a decade to move a product from the lab to market, currently runs as high as $450 million per drug. "The biggest contributor to costs now is clinical research [because] there's a lot of labor, a lot of time and a lot of failure," says Neil Patel of PricewaterhouseCoopers' pharmaceutical life sciences practice. "The hope and the promise is that [computer modeling] will help pharmaceutical companies better manage their technical risk."
Back to Top Report Says Medical Equipment Is Vulnerable to Terrorists
Government Executive (01/09) Brewin, Bob The 40-member Defense Science Board has issued a report warning that medical equipment using radioactive isotopes could be seized by terrorists and used to build dirty bombs. The report recommends that the Defense and Homeland Security departments invest $200 million over five years to replace current equipment with cobalt sources or electron beam irradiators used to sterilize food. About 1,000 machines in the United States use the cesium-137 isotope as a radiation source for medical research and blood irradiation, but replacing them would remove the most dangerous radiological dispersal device threat. Dr. Richard Benjamin, chief medical officer of the American Red Cross, said that blood irradiation currently has no safe, efficient alternative to the cesium-137 method, and that blood banks have increased security for blood irradiators, which are already difficult to steal.
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