Nanotech Blasts Cancer Cells With Tumor-Killing Genes
Computerworld (03/11/09) A team of U.K. researchers has used nanotechnology to target cancer cells in mice and hopes to perform human trials within two years, according to the School of Pharmacy at the University of London. The scientists packaged anti-cancer genes into very small particles, which were then taken in by cancer cells, but not healthy cells. The genes forced the cancer cells to produce proteins that kill the cancer, leaving the healthy cells in the mice undamaged. This technology may be useful for people with inoperable tumors, and scientists plan to test the same technique on cancers that have spread through the body.
Back to Top Polarizers May Enhance Remote Chemical Detection
R & D (03/09) Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) can be employed to analyze the makeup of a suspected bomb without actually touching and possibly setting it off, but the information the technique yields is sometimes muddled by interfering signals captured by the spectroscope. University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) chemists say that the use of a polarizing filter in conjunction with LIBS can reduce the method's costs while also offering a level of sensitivity that is equal to or higher than the tools currently in use. A lab group led by UIC professor Robert Gordon bombarded a silicon crystal with pairs of near-infrared laser pulses at 80 femtoseconds, which sparked an ultraviolet light-emitting plasma that was tested for polarization. Gordon reports that 100 percent polarization was recorded. To eliminate the background spectrum and concentrate solely on the element lines, current LIBS employs a time-resolved technique that functions in the manner of a camera shutter by snapping at nanosecond speeds. Gordon's group learned that substituting a rotating polarizer for the shutter allowed the background to be filtered out. "The polarizer costs just pennies, whereas a time-shutter is a very expensive component," notes Gordon. "By simply putting a polarizer in a detector and rotating it to get maximum signal-to-noise ratio, you can improve the quality of the signal effortlessly and fairly cheaply." Gordon says that LIBS might be further augmented by varying the angle and the intensity of the laser pulses used to ablate the sample material.
Back to Top FDA to Speed Nanomedical Product Creation
United Press International (03/10/09) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it will collaborate with the member institutions of the Alliance for NanoHealth to speed the development of nanotechnology medical products. The FDA's Acting Commissioner, Dr. Frank Torti, said the initiative will increase the knowledge of nanoparticles for the public good. This includes creating tests and processes to reduce the risks associated with nano-engineered products.
Back to Top Nanofibers Power Attoscale Chemistry
Technology Review (03/10/09) Bourzac, Katherine Chemist Pavel Anzenbacher of Bowling Green State University in Ohio has developed a new approach to performing chemical reactions that uses only about 1,000 molecules. Reactants are suspended in dry polymer nanofibers, and they interact only where the fibers meet. Anzenbacher used electrospinning to make the fiber reactors, weaving a grid of the fibers 100 to 300 nanometers in diameter from polyurethane solutions containing small amounts of reactants. The fibers running north-south contained one chemical, and those running east-west contained a second, and when melded together with heat, the two mix and react. Anzenbacher wrote in the journal Nature Chemistry that he used the method for four different reactions. This system could be used to study protein interactions using very small samples, as well as detecting rare biological molecules in diseases such as cancer, and testing for new drugs and industrial materials.
Back to Top 'Nanowires' May Improve Fuel Cell Design
Canadian Driver (03/11/09) University of Rochester researchers claim that long platinum "nanowires" they have developed should make fuel cells more efficient and longer-lasting, enhancing their commercial viability. "With platinum being so costly, it's quite important that none of it goes to waste when making a fuel cell," says researcher James Li. The wires are produced by electrospinning, and are thousands of times longer than any previous wires. Their length is sufficient to produce the first self-supporting "web" of pure platinum that can function as an electrode in a fuel cell. A fuel cell catalyst enables the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen, splitting compressed hydrogen fuel into electrons and acidic hydrogen ions. Platinum's ability to tolerate the acidic environment has made it the chief material used in the catalysts, while its energy efficiency is significantly greater than that of less expensive metals. Earlier attempts to create catalysts have depended greatly on platinum nanoparticles. The nanowires also rectify the problem of inefficiency due to a smaller surface area with nanoparticles, and with loss of particles, as they do not attach well to the carbon structure used to keep nanoparticles stationary. The wires are fixed in place and require no additional support, and platinum will no longer be lost in the course of regular fuel cell operation.
Back to Top Researchers Devise New Way to Explore DNA
NIH News Release (03/12/09) A team of researchers, led by Elliott Margulies of the National Human Genome Research Institute, and Thomas Tullius of Boston University, have combined chemical and computer analyses to look at the three-dimensional shape of a genome's DNA. This allows them to examine the topography and texture of DNA structure, identifying areas that may have important roles in biological function. Margulies said that influential proteins will bind to a part of DNA, not only because of the sequence of bases, but also because of the molecule's surface. In their study, published early online in the journal Science, the team compared the topography of the human genome with that of 36 other species of mammals, including a mouse, chimpanzee, elephant, and rabbit. They found that 12 percent of the non-coding human DNA was functionally important, which is twice the amount found by just comparing DNA sequences. Using data from the PhenCode Project, the team attempted to find whether single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in non-coding regions can cause structural changes, possibly leading to disease. They surveyed 734 non-coding SNPs that are associated with the symptoms of certain diseases, finding that these SNPs tended to produce larger changes in DNA shape than SNPs not associated with disease.
Back to Top MGH to Use Genetics to Personalize Cancer Care
Boston Globe (03/03/09) Smith, Stephen Gene testing will become a standard approach in cancer treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston within a year, servicing 5,000 to 6,000 patients annually. Using robots and lab machines, doctors will search for 110 abnormalities carried on 13 major cancer genes to predict which drugs would be most effective. Herceptin is one example of a treatment based on genetic screening, as the drug strongly increases chances of survival for breast cancer patients who have high levels of the HER2 protein, but it does not work for the patients without HER2. While genetic testing is promising, cancer specialists have warned against putting too much hope in one approach, saying that a tumor can have too many genetic abnormalities for any one test or drug. MGH plans to charge approximately $2,000 per test and will ask insurers to pay for them as part of routine care.
Back to Top Figuring Out Green Power: Scientists Speed Up Discovery Of Plant Metabolism Genes
Science Daily (02/24/09) Researchers from Michigan State University (MSU) are using high-throughput genetic screening and advanced analysis technologies to examine genes that affect the structure and function of chloroplasts in plants. Rob Last, MSU professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, said the technology gives a "more complete view of the effects a genetic change can have" compared to traditional screening. Last and his colleagues have now been able to obtain data on almost 100 traits, particularly in metabolism. Their knowledge may lead to the creation of plants with more biomass, able to be used for biofuels, or plants with more beneficial nutrients like unsaturated fats or fiber.
Back to Top Forensic Science System in U.S. Needs Overhaul
InformationWeek (02/18/09) Claburn, Thomas A National Research Council report highlights the need to aggressively retool the fractured U.S. forensic science system, citing a scarcity of resources, standards, governance. and talent as a major issue to be addressed. Forensic science transcends DNA analysis to include toxicology, projectile marks and tool marks, document analysis, controlled substance analysis, fire investigation analysis, trace evidence, digital evidence, impression analysis, blood pattern analysis, crime-scene investigation techniques, and "medicolegal" death investigation. "[N]o forensic method other than nuclear DNA analysis has been rigorously shown to have the capacity to consistently and with a high degree of certainty support conclusions about 'individualization' (more commonly known as 'matching' of an unknown item of evidence to a specific known source)," says the report. The absence of uniform standards entails that convictions or acquittals based on the interpretation of forensic data may be erroneous. The study mentions statistics supplied by The Innocence Project estimating that 223 individuals convicted of crimes were cleared by DNA evidence between 1989 and November 2008. Also cited in the report are many other instances whereby ballistic and fingerprint evidence have proven to be inaccurate. The study points as well to a lack of an agreed-upon certification program or list of qualifications for digital evidence examiners.
Back to Top Scripps Florida's $10 Million Robot Conducts Thousands of Experiments in One Day
Palm Beach Post (FL) (02/19/09)
The Scripps Research Institute in Florida uses one of only five Kalypys "ultra-high-throughput screening system" robots in existence to test hundreds of thousands of chemicals in the lab's compound library against cells or proteins. The $10 million robot uses its "arm" to drop living cells into 1,536 tiny chambers in a tray of chemicals. From these experiments, doctors are attempting to find cures for a number of diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and diabetes.
Back to Top Portable Kit May One Day Detect Plant Disease Before Disastrous Outbreak
AgNews (Texas A&M) (02/23/09) Phillips, Kathleen Within three years, scientists hope to develop a briefcase-sized kit that could be used to protect plants from bacterial, fungal, and viral attacks. Lead investigator Dr. Won-Bo Shim, plant pathologist with Texas AgriLife Research, and colleagues received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the project, called Pathogen Detection Lab-On-a-Chip (PADLOC). The portable lab will include measuring devices, reagents, and a power supply for use in the field to test plants for diseases. The project's first goal is to make the kit. Then, a team of Texas AgriLife Extension Service agents will test the kit's "user-friendliness" on various crops throughout Texas.
Back to Top Genome Sequencing: The Third Generation
Nature (02/12/09) Vol. 457 , No. 7231 , P. 768 ; Hayden, Erika Check Although some of the presentations at the recent Advances in Genome Biology and Technology conference in Florida were promising, scientists remain cautious. Complete Genomics of Mountain View, Calif., announced plans last year to sell whole human genomes for $5,000 beginning in 2009. At the meeting, the company said it sequenced the genome of an anonymous man using nine machines over a period of eight days. The 254 gigabases of data cover 92 percent of the genome, and each base was read 91 times on average. Complete Genomics CEO Clifford Reid says the technology reduces errors in any given base to under one-third of a percent. However, scientists expressed concern about the fact that the company completes the sequencing work in-house and does not sell sequencing machines. Meanwhile, Pacific Biosciences touted its completed genome of the Escherichia coli bacterium, with each base covered 38 times on average with an accuracy rate above 99.9999 percent. The company expects to produce complete human genomes in less than three minutes within four years. According to Hudson Alpha Institute for Biotechnology director Rick Myers, "It seems like a miracle that we can get 80 million sequence reads in a few days now, but no matter how well [the companies] do, we want more."
Back to Top High Throughput Screening Retools for the Future
Bio-IT World (02/09) Glaser, Vicki Since the 1990s, high-throughput screening (HTS) has received criticism for a supposed lack of investment return, though HTS technology continues to develop. Most HTS problems come from the automated screening process, since HTS does fulfill its original purpose of screening increasingly large compound libraries to find which ones bind to a target. While many problems accompanied HTS in the 1990s, most problems were solved by the decade's end, said Robert Hertzberg, VP of screening and compound profiling at GlaxoSmithKline. Chemical libraries are now more diverse, and vendors have improved detection and liquid handling technologies, which has increased confidence in data. Alan Fletcher, VP of business development at PerkinElmer, said that HTS is now more of a tool than a technology, and is more valuable in filtering out inactive compounds instead of identifying active ones. Several new developments have improved the use of HTS. ProtoLife has developed Predictive Design Technology, an intelligent modeling tool that uses iterative screening to find optimal hits in complex experimental spaces. Genedata helped improve data quality by developing data management platform Screener 6.0 for HTS and high-content screening. Frank Brown, VP and CSO of Accelrys, said that many companies do HTS the "wrong way" because their machinery is built for screening and sampling whole libraries, and it is unable to choose compound sets and run iterative screens, making HTS too costly.
Back to Top OU Researchers Get Vibe From Electron Microscope
Oklahoman (02/17/09) Zizzo, David The 2010F electron microscope at the University of Oklahoma's Samuel Roberts Noble Electron Microscopy Laboratory is capable of magnifying objects up to 8 million times. The microscope, about the size of a van, can send a 200,000-volt beam of electrons through samples that are the width of a few atoms, showing atomic structure. To create the samples, an ion beam is fired at a material, removing layers of atoms. Samples are also subjected to a plasma etcher, which uses argon to remove atoms that naturally oxidize on the sample's surface. Because even movements such as vibrations or temperature expansion can distort the image, the scientists replaced the door of the laboratory with wood to reduce interference, hung sound-absorbing curtains, and installed a special air-handling system.
Back to Top National University of Ireland, Galway, and Agilent Open Biological Mass Spectrometry Facility
MTB Europe (02/16/09) A new Biological Mass Spectrometry facility has opened on the National University of Ireland (NUI), Galway, campus as part of a collaboration between NUI Galway and Agilent Technologies. The new center will include accurate-mass quadrupole time-of-flight and triple quadrupole mass spectrometer platforms. The facility will focus primarily on functional genomics, proteomics, lipidomics, and metabolomics research, and will also be used to demonstrate new lab instruments.
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