U.S. Nanotechnology Plans Fall Short--Report
Reuters (12/10/08) Steenhuysen, Julie

A report from the National Research Council says the U.S. nanotechnology plan is short on vision, does not adequately evaluate risk, and opens the industry up to public mistrust. "The current plan catalogs nano-risk research across several federal agencies, but it does not present an overarching research strategy needed to gain public acceptance and realize the promise of nanotechnology," says council committee chairman David Eaton. The report criticizes the current U.S. nanotech strategy developed by the National Nanotechnology Initiative for not providing for sufficient research to guarantee the safety of workers, consumers, and the environment from unexpected and potentially dangerous properties of nanomaterials. In addition, the study finds the plan lacking in "essential elements" including a vision, clear goals, a thorough assessment of the state of the science, and a "road map that describes how research progress will be measured and the estimated resources required to conduct such research." David Rejeski with the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies says the report makes the case, as industry and congressional leaders have made, for an overhauled nanotech research plan. "The administration's delay has hurt investor and consumer confidence," Rejeski emphasizes. "It has gambled with public health and safety."
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Sevenfold Accuracy Improvement for 3-D 'Virtual Reality' Labs
NIST Tech Beat (12/09/08)

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers have devised software that facilitates an at least seven-fold increase in the accuracy of the tracking devices in the institute's virtual research environment. Such environments are usually composed of several walls onto which are displayed 3D images, and users wear special glasses and carry wands that allow them to travel within and interact with the virtual world in conjunction with the underlying graphics system. The NIST software corrects the tracking of the location and orientation of the sensors affixed to the glasses and wands. The NIST scientists mapped two sets of data points--the sensor's actual position and the position the computer says the sensor is at--and the resulting software reduced average location errors and average orientation errors by factors of 22 and 7.5, respectively. "This improvement in motion tracking has furthered our goal of turning the immersive environment from a qualitative tool into a quantitative one--a sort of virtual laboratory," says NIST mathematician John Hagedorn.
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Waveguide Boosts Spectrometer Sensitivity
Optics.org (12/08) Freebody, Marie

Researchers from Stanford University and Japan's National Institute of Informatics have developed the first waveguide-based infrared spectrometer, featuring increased sensitivity by two orders of magnitude, room temperature operation, and integration potential. The team converted photons from the near infrared range to the visible, allowing for the use of more sensitive optical detectors, as well as a silicon single photon detector instead of several different detectors. The researchers achieved up-conversion by using sum-frequency generation in a periodically poled lithium niobate waveguide. They added the frequencies of a 1550 nn pump beam and a 1310 mn signal beam to achieve visible light at 702 nm, explained Qiang Zhang, a researcher at Stanford's Ginzton Laboratory.
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Tiny 'Paddleboat' Could Ship Drugs Around the Body
New Scientist (12/04/08) Marks, Paul

Two physicists have developed a micromachine that swims with a motion similar to a paddle wheel, constructed with two beads that are one and three micrometers in diameter. The researchers, Ramin Golestanian of the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom and Pietro Tierno of the University of Barcelona in Spain, coated the beats in a protein, streptavidin, that binds to the two 8-nanometer strands of DNA they used to fasten the beads together. The magnetic beads align themselves with any applied magnetic field, resulting in movement when the researchers rotated the field. When set to spinning, the beads moved through water at about one micrometer per second. The movement occurs only when the micromachine is close to the bottom of a vessel, as a less mobile boundary layer adheres to the bottom surface of the fluid container, exerting a larger force on the rotating bead than the rest of the water that moves the entire thing. The physicists believe they can shrink the technology to nanoscale, which would allow it to be used as a drug carrier or even shuttle reagents from one part of a lab-on-a-chip to another.
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Bioterror Prevention Could Harness Labs-on-A-Chip
EE Times (12/04/08) Johnson, R. Colin

A bipartisan commission recommended that President-elect Barack Obama expand federal research into detecting water and airborne pathogens. The panel's report warned that terrorists will likely attempt to use a biological weapon against the United States within the next five years. The commission also found that the deployment of lab-on-a-chip technology, which could be used to detect biological agents, has been downplayed. A MEMS industry analyst said that microfluidic labs on-a-chip have already been deployed to major cities for use in detecting biological weapons. The Office of Naval Research recently started a program designed to build a hospital-on-a-chip that would be able to detect and identify different medical conditions. Anthrax and incurable viruses are the most likely agents that would be used in a bioterror attack.
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Looking Ahead to the Next Breakthrough
Lab Matters (Quarter 4, 2008) No. 4 , P. 21 ; Maddox, Nancy

Researchers predict that newborn screening (NBS) will see steady technological advances that can lower cost and increase the number of conditions detectable at birth. Kenneth Pass, a senior research scientist at the Wadsworth Center, the New York state public health laboratory, is using the Luminex xMAP system to screen infant blood spots. This technology uses 5.6-micron beads coated with carboxyl terminals that allow assays to be constructed on the surface. Each assay type has a distinct spectral signature when the beads are impregnated with two fluorescent dyes, and the system registers the spectral profiles as the beads pass through two laser beams. A single reaction volume can multiplex separate assays for up to 100 analytes using a single blood specimen. Pass and his colleagues have developed assays that target two biomarkers for congenital hypothyroidism, two for cystic fibrosis, one for congenital adrenal hyperplasia. They have also developed a five-mutation panel for biotinadase deficiency, using allele-specific assays that attach to each mutation. Pass hopes the technology will be in widespread use within the next decade, replacing the traditional immunoassays currently used. Dave Millington, director of Duke University's biochemical genetics laboratory, is working on an NBS innovation involving lab-on-a-chip technology. The project is a collaboration with Advanced Liquid Logic to use the technology for multiplexed detection of lysosomal storage diseases, possibly in neonatal screening. Already, the team can multiplex four different enzyme assays for 12 specimens in minutes, using software control that limits the laboratorian's work and makes the process faster, more accurate, and potentially less expensive.
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Pesticide Spotter
Engineer (12/04/08)

ETH Zurich chemists have developed a new way to identify pesticides residues in food. Last year, researchers showed that mass spectrometry can be used to analyze samples of fruit, though the pesticides still needed to be extracted before analysis. In order to quickly remove the pesticides, researchers built an atmospheric pressure glow-discharge source that generates a plasma at atmospheric pressure. The plasma stream is capable of detaching molecules from the surface of the peel and transferring them to a spectrometer. The method is capable of identifying any chemical substances in a short amount of time but cannot determine quantity. Conventional methods must be used to determine the level of pesticides on the fruit. The method could also be useful for forensic and medical purposes, analyzing a person's breath or surfaces for drugs.
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Home Diagnostics to Music
Nature (11/13/08) Vol. 456 , No. 7219 , P. 178 ; Erickson, Jeffrey S. ; Ligler, Frances S.

Bioassays eventually could be performed on a standard CD player, considering the data-reading optical components and electronics they already contain. Y. Li and colleagues are the latest researchers to run bioassays on a disc and read the results using a CD player, but the use of free software is a notable development that suggests assays could attract widespread usage. A report in Analytical Chemistry reveals that the researchers made use of a biochemical and analytical strategy to perform assays to detect the binding of single-stranded DNA to complementary strands, and to detect the binding of antibodies to antigens. Also of note, the researchers were able to encode data on the pre-recorded audio CD that enabled CD players to use a standard algorithm for the detection and correction of errors. The next task should be to integrate microfluidic structures into CDs for sample processing and reagent storage in a format that can be run in a standard CD player.
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Saliva Test Could Detect Heart Attacks
San Antonio Express-News (TX) (12/03/08) Rigby, Wendy

The University of Texas at Austin is testing a lab-on-a-chip that may be useful in detecting heart attacks. Currently, a 12-lead EKG is the standard way used to determine if a patient is having a heart attack, but the test is only 75 percent reliable. The technology developed by University of Texas researchers tests a person's saliva for cardiac enzymes, a byproduct created when muscle is deprived of oxygen. To test the technology's effectiveness, San Antonio paramedics will collect saliva samples from 150 patients. The samples will be sent to a lab, which will analyze the samples and determine the accuracy of the saliva test. Combining a saliva test with EKG readings could allow doctors to make an accurate diagnosis 95 percent of the time.
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Caltech 4-D Microscope Revolutionizes the Way We Look at the Nano World
Photonics Online (11/25/08)

The California Institute of Technology's four-dimensional (4D) electron microscopy method allows atomic changes to be observed in materials, and was developed in the Physical Biology Center for Ultrafast Science and Technology under the supervision of physics professor Ahmed Zewail. "With this 4D imaging technique, atomic-scale motions, which lead to structural, morphological, and nanomechanical phenomena, can now be visualized directly, and hopefully understood," notes Zewail. Electron microscopes can be used to visualize the static structure of objects with a resolution better than a billionth of a meter in length, but capturing the behavior of atoms in both space and time requires the electrons the microscope generates to produce the image to be carefully apportioned so that they reach the sample at specific time intervals. Zewail's team has brought the fourth dimension of time into high-resolution electron microscopy via ultrafast "single-electron" imaging, where every electron path is precisely controlled in time and space. The image produced by each electron represents a femtosecond still at that point in time, and the sequential images produced by many millions of such images can be built into a digital film of atomic-scale changes. Zewail and Caltech biology professor Grant Jensen are collaborating to use the 4D microscope to generate cellular imagery. "The goal is to enhance the structural resolution in the images of these biomaterials by taking single-pulse snapshots before they move or deteriorate, and to follow their dynamics in real time," says Zewail.
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Protein Levels Vary With Fate of Treated Cancer Cells
Chemical & Engineering News (11/24/08) Vol. 86 , No. 46 , P. 36 ; Borman, Stuart A.

Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel used time-lapse fluorescence microscopy to observe the behavior of 1,000 tagged proteins in cancer cells exposed to camptothecin. By doing so, they found that the RNA helicase DDX5 and the replication factor RFC1 increase in cells that survive exposure to the chemotherapy drug and decrease in those that do not. The researchers are hopeful that the findings, published in Science, could lead to a better understanding of proteins associated with specific cell properties such as drug resistance and improve treatment design.
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Technology Gives 3-D View of Human Coronary Arteries
Science Centric (11/18/2008)

A new imaging technology, known as optical frequency-domain imaging (OFDI), simultaneously provides three-dimensional, microscopic views of 1,000 points of a patient's coronary artery, according to Massachusetts General Hospital Dr. Gary Tearney and his team. Their study, published in JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, used OFDI to image between three and seven centimeter-long segments of the coronary arteries of three patients who had undergone coronary stenting. Although Tearney acknowledges larger studies need to be conducted, his research found that OFDI was able to give the team detailed images of the length of the patient's arteries.
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Urgent Regulation Needed for Nanomaterials
Reuters (11/12/08) Kahn, Michael

The Royal Commission, a group of scientific, legal, business, and medical experts in the United Kingdom, is calling for more testing and regulation on nanotechnology, citing possible health and environmental concerns. The commission's report specifically targeted carbon molecules called buckministerfullerenes, or "buckyballs," which may cause fat buildup. Another possible threat are carbon nanotubes, which have been associated with a possible risk of lung cancer. According to ecologist John Lawton, who chaired the report, future nanoproducts may create issues that "cannot be dealt with by treating them as chemicals." The report, however, is not meant to be taken as grounds for a complete ban on all nanomaterials.
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Computer Sensor Goes Biological
Chemical & Engineering News (11/10/08) Vol. 86 , No. 45 , P. 11 ; Arnaud, Celia

Researchers at the University of Utah are using a device that is based on the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) effect to detect magnetically labeled biological samples. And the device could potentially lead to medical diagnostic tests that operate similar to magnetic card-swipe machines, as a result of the way that it uses readers. Sensors based on the GMR effect serve as read heads in computer hard disk drives, and are very fast in reading data from the billions of nanometer-sized magnetic bits. Chemistry and chemical engineering professor Marc D. Porter asks: "Can we take that technology, which is well developed, mature, rugged, small, and uses little power, and turn it into a diagnostic device?" In addition to reading speed, other benefits of the device include size and portability. According to Mark T. McDermott, a chemistry professor at the University of Alberta, "The internal calibration, easy-to-handle sample stick, and fast analysis times demonstrated in this work are some of the characteristics that will be incorporated in the next generation of diagnostic detection platforms."
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Continuous Monitoring Ensures Efficient Control
Engineer Live (11/05/08)

Endress+Hauser's (E+H's) mid-infrared (MIR) spectrometer won the R&D100 innovation award from American R&D magazine. A jury determined the MIR spectrometer to be one of 100 most technologically significant products over the last year. The first process-suitable spectrometer, it determines concentrations quickly and precisely, able to be used in hazardous area applications. E+H developed the MIR spectrometer in cooperation with Bayer Technology Services. E+H has also won international awards for innovation in its Memosens technology, a non-contact sensor system that offers interference-free transmission of measured values.
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Nanotechnology Drives Fuel Efficient Engine Oil
Birmingham Post (UK) (11/05/08) Griffin, Jon

A new lubricant for vehicles manufactured by NanoBoron UK was recently unveiled at an industry event in Birmingham, England. NanoBoron technology manager Mounir Adjrad says, "BORPower is an oil additive scientifically proven in Europe, the U.S. and now the U.K. to improve" fuel consumption by more than 10 percent. Testing facilities like the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, found BORPower to improve fuel efficiency by up to 15 percent, according to Adjrad. He explains that BORPower's performance is improved through physical processes rather than chemical reactions, so the oil is nonacidic and nontoxic. Adjirad says BORPower works by forming boron metal films in the engine's internal components, preventing direct contact between frictional surfaces. The raw boron undergoes a nanotechnology process to become boron diamond powder with a hardness of 9.3 Mohs. In addition, Adjrad says BORPower lasts up to 40,000 miles, compared to 1,000 to 25,000 miles for other lubricants.
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A Single Test to Detect Many Winter Ailments
Wall Street Journal (11/04/08) P. D2 ; Johannes, Laura

Luminex claims that a dozen winter ailments can be accurately diagnosed with its new xTAG respiratory panel. Among the viruses the panel is designed to find traces of are several varieties of influenza, two types of respiratory syncytial virus, three types of parainfluenza, adenovirus, and rhinovirus. Luminex expects these viruses to comprise approximately 85 percent of the viral illnesses in the United States this year. The test involves taking a swab from the nose or throat, and then in the lab the sampled genetic material is vastly magnified and bound to fluorescent markers for machine scanning. Data submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which approved the xTAG earlier this year, indicate that the test accurately identifies each virus 78 percent to 100 percent of the time, depending on the type. Hospitals and emergency rooms are expected to be the chief users of the xTAG, although the swab can be sent to a local lab for analysis. The test costs around $300 to $400, but it is covered by most insurers. The xTAG also has a lengthy processing time, which critics say limits its application in emergency rooms.
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CIFOR: Bridging Foodborne Outbreak Response Gaps Through Targeted Projects
Lab Matters (Quarter 4, 2008) No. 4 , P. 14 ; Green, Heather

The Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response (CIFOR), inclusive of three government agencies and seven associations, is considered a new solution for gaps in foodborne outbreak response and intends to address these gaps through various projects. The CIFOR Guidelines Workgroup seeks to develop consensus guidelines for outbreak detection and response, targeted for relevant local, state, and federal agencies. Not intended to replace existing manuals, the document resulting from this workgroup will be a reference that complements existing procedures. CIFOR also wants to design a system to produce daily epidemiology/laboratory reports that include a line-list of new reportable isolates, with associated serotype, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and demographic data. Another project will identify key factors in successful cluster investigations, ultimately to develop agent-specific cluster definitions that can increase the chance of identifying a common source. Other projects include Food Safety Clearinghouse, a cost-benefit analysis of PulseNet, foodborne illness complaint systems, outbreak training, and an industry workgroup.
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New Material for Data Storage
Chemical & Engineering News (11/03/08) Vol. 86 , No. 44 , P. 11 ; Jacoby, Mitch

Researchers in Italy and Germany say that the foundation of future high-density data-storage technologies may be molecular spin-transition (ST) compounds that are capable of being switched between two magnetic states in response to temperature changes and other stimuli. The scientists demonstrate that an Fe(II) phenanthroline ST compound can be employed to assemble durable and well-ordered nanoscale patterns while retaining the material's spin-flipping properties after processing. The researchers used lithographic stamping methods to draw a replica of a data-storage pattern encoded on a compact disc, and the team reports that after patterning, the crystalline material can be triggered to switch between magnetic states through temperature modification. "This pioneering work will open the door to the development of a new generation of molecule-based storage systems," predicts Daniel Ruiz-Molina with Spain's Center for Investigation in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.
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Course Correction
American Shipper (11/01/08) Vol. 50 , No. 11 , P. 6 ; Kulisch, Eric

The Domestic Nuclear Detection Office is considering scaling back deployment of Advanced Spectroscopic Portal (ASP) machines at the nation's sea and land ports. ASP machines are next-generation radiation detection technology, but their performance has come under question in a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO). In testing, ASPs often fail to identify the type of radioactive isotope detected, which means the technology would only distinguish naturally occurring radiation in products from radioactive weapons at the same level as current radiation portal monitors. The GAO says the Department of Homeland Security pursued acquisition programs before ASP technology was fully developed. "This is harder than missile defense," Richard Wagner, chair of the Nuclear Defense Working Group, says of the technology, and adds that the government should have awarded contracts for research and development. The federal government planned to deploy ASP machines to screen railcars, extra-wide trucks, automobiles, air cargo and mobile units used to patrol containers on docks, land borders and other applications. Limiting ASPs to stationary detectors for standard trucks could lower the cost of the program to $2 billion. The Cargo Advanced Automated Radiography System has also encountered technical issues and other problems, and Congress could ask the GAO to examine the program soon.
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