Researchers Devise Fast, Sensitive Ricin Test
Laboratory Equipment (04/09)
A report in the April 12th issue of Analytical Chemistry describes a new test to detect and quantify ricin. The toxin--which comes in the form of a powder, mist, pellet, or solution--can be lethal in as little as one-half milligram, and there is currently no antidote available. The new assay, developed by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, is faster and more accurate than previous tests. To use it, samples of potentially tainted food or swabs of possibly contaminated surfaces are added to a mixture of reagents. The mixture gives off light if the toxin is detected, and it glows brighter with greater concentrations of ricin. Dr. Vern Schramm, professor and Ruth Merns Chair of Biochemistry at Einstein, suggests that the test will aid in the discovery of antidotes for ricin poisoning. "Previously we had to rely on laborious, multi-step methods to see if a compound was preventing ricin from working, which is probably why no antidote to ricin has yet been discovered," he said.
Back to Top
A Step Toward Robo-Science
MIT Technology Review (04/07/09) Grifantini, Kristina
A group of U.K. scientists have announced the development of a robot, dubbed Adam, that is capable of making simple scientific discoveries on its own. Using high-throughput screening, Adam hypothesizes which genes in yeast code for the enzymes that catalyze certain biochemical reactions, and then carries out experiments designed to test the hypothesis. With main researcher Ross King, a professor of computer science at Aberystwyth University, the team is now developing Eve, a robot designed to use a similar method for testing how drug molecules interact with laboratory samples. The two robot systems aim to make lab testing faster and more efficient by integrating the evaluation process. King said that Adam and Eve are the first systems to combine large amounts of data with machine-learning techniques and sophisticated hardware. The research team described the results of Adam's experiments in the journal Science.
Back to Top
Digital Dictation Cuts Cancer Diagnosis Time by Half in East Kent
British Journal of Healthcare Computing and Information Management (04/06/09)
In the United Kingdom, East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust was able to cut histology reporting turnaround times from a week to one to two days by adopting a digital dictation solution. Delivered in phases, the voice recognition technology allows them to dictate in real time as they perform tests, providing quicker results to physicians and consultants. The Trust's Cellular Pathology Department has reported an accuracy rate of 99 percent in a variety of accents. Paul Williams, Head BMS Cellular Pathology at East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust, said that the technology helped to eliminate typing backlogs and free up secretarial staff for laboratory training.
Back to Top
Nanotechnology Crucial in Fighting Infectious Disease
Nanotechnology and Development News (04/03/2009) Morris, Kelly
In preventing, diagnosing, and treating infections, nanotechnology is progressing exponentially, according to an article in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. Karin Forsberg-Nilsson, chair of the EuroNanoMed Network Steering Committee, urged the industry to increase collaboration with scientists and clinicians to further shorten delays. Some strong areas in nanotechnology include lab-on-a-chip technology and nanotechnology-based microbicides against HIV. In addition, blood-purification devices, based on nanotechnology, will soon move from the animal-testing phase to clinical trials. While safety issues may be a concern, Christine Peterson, vice president of the Foresight Institute, said the public is "tolerant" and sees nanotechnology treatments as a promising route in fighting infectious diseases.
Back to Top
Fluorescent Probes Take Screening to Next Level
Chemistry World (04/09) Stafford, Ned
Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif., have developed a new high-throughput screening technique that combines Activity-Based Protein Profiling (ABPP) with fluorescent activity-based probes. Called fluopol-ABPP, this technique could make it easier to find molecules that interact with proteins as well as find possible inhibitors to protein activity. Fluopol-ABPP uses fluorescent probes to tag proteins, creating a larger molecule with higher fluorescent polarization values. When an inhibitor efficiently binds with a protein, it can overshadow a probe and slow or eliminate a rise in fluorescence polarization to indicate the inhibition. The fluopol-ABPP technique does not require separation or washing steps, and it has already been successfully used to study retinoblastoma-binding protein-9 and glutathione S-transferase omega 1, both thought to play a role in some cancers. According to researcher Benjamin Cravatt, the technique could be further refined to allow for the screening of "unpurified" enzymes.
Back to Top
Sensitive Robots
Fraunhofer Institute (04/01/09)
Robots are becoming increasingly common in production lines, but are only allowed to be used in certain areas to prevent them from endangering or injuring humans. A new cost-efficient force sensor would make robots safer by allowing them to detect and prevent potential collisions. Developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology (ISIT) in Germany, the force and torque sensor sits on the outer joint of a robot's arm. When equipped with the sensor, as soon as a robot even brushes against a person, it immediately retracts its steel arm. "We expect our sensors to be far cheaper than conventional force sensors once they enter mass production," says ISIT department head Jorg Eichholz. "This makes them suitable for wide-scale use." The sensor measures the forces and torques exerted by the robot arm. "It functions in a similar way to a strain gauge.:Its core element is a long wire through which an electric current flows," says Eichholz. "If the wire stretches, it becomes longer and thinner--the resistance increases and so less current flows through it." The sensor is a square piece of silicon with bridges that carry electrical resistances on each side. If the robot arm bumps into an obstacle, the shape of the silicon changes, changing the flow of electricity and causing the robot to stop, even if the silicon shifts by only a few micrometers. By making the sensor out of a single piece of silicon, it is less error-prone than similar systems.
Back to Top
NIST, Cornell Create First 3-D Nanoparticle Sorter
Controlled Environments Magazine (03/31/09)
Researchers at the Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology and Cornell University have constructed the first nanofluidic device with complex three-dimensional surfaces. The chamber is a prototype for future tools with custom-designed surfaces that can manipulate and measure different nanoparticles. The device uses a method that manipulates nanoparticles by size, similar to the method used in a coin separator. This method could eventually be used to process nanomaterials for manufacturing, separate and measure mixtures for drug delivery or gene therapy, and isolate individual DNA strands. The findings are detailed online in the journal Nanotechnology.
Back to Top
Are the Lab Rat's Days Numbered?
Boston Globe (03/30/09) Nickerson, Colin
Bioengineers at Brown University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and elsewhere are aiming to replace mice, dogs, and other animals used for laboratory experiments with living "microtissues" from cultured cells. "There is a need for tissue models that more closely mimic natural tissue inside the body in terms of function and architecture," says Brown professor Jeffrey R. Morgan, whose team is constructing three-dimensional configurations of living cells as a step toward generating functional models of human organs. His team recently produced freestanding cellular structures from living cells cultured from rats' livers and human surgical waste. Researcher Adam P. Rago comments that "cells that build themselves on other cells alone ... work more like cells in the body." Peggy Cunniff of the International Foundation for Ethical Research, which is partly funding Morgan's project, says that such research is important because not only would it spare animals from torturous experimentation, but it would also furnish more accurate test predictors for humans. Meanwhile, a computer chip incorporated into lab-cultured liver tissue is being developed by MIT professor Linda G. Griffith as an animal substitute. The cells should act in the manner of normal liver tissue and respond to medicines or potential toxins as a real liver would, but with the chip relaying the tissue's precise physiological reactions to scientists. Griffith's ultimate goal is the construction of a complete series of chip-equipped human organs that could be utilized to study bodily functions through computer plug-ins.
Back to Top
Scientists Create Carbohydrate Synthesizer
United Press International (03/26/09)
German scientists announced the creation of an automated carbohydrate synthesizer. The synthesizer, developed by principal investigator Peter Seeberger of the Max-Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam, Germany, and the Free University of Berlin, can create complex carbohydrates in only a few hours. Seeberger, who announced the findings at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in Salt Lake City, noted that the "automated synthesizer is now the fastest method to make complex carbohydrates." The team used the carbohydrate synthesizer to develop a malaria vaccine, for which clinical trials are scheduled to start next year in Mozambique and Tanzania.
Back to Top
Robots Take Center Stage in U.S. War in Afghanistan
Fox News (03/23/09) Sanchez, Matt
Robotic devices are being heavily deployed in Afghanistan by the U.S. military to aid in anti-terrorism operations. Such devices include unmanned, remote controlled K-MAX helicopters from Kaman Aerospace, which can transport supplies to remote bases, and Boston Dynamics' "BigDogs" that can traverse uneven ground using four articulated legs that absorb shock and recycle kinetic energy from one step to the next while running on gasoline. The BigDog's brain controls locomotion sensors that adjust quickly to the terrain, while a laser gyroscope is used to keep the robot on its feet even when it slips, stumbles or is knocked over. The BigDog can carry more than 300 pounds of gear and can run at a top speed of four miles per hour. Meanwhile, the K-MAX helicopter features a unique rotor design that makes a tail rotor unnecessary and allows the vehicle to tow up to 6,000 pounds, says Frans Jurgens of Kaman Aerospace. The K-MAX is piloted by a ground controller with a "digital tablet," while a camera on the aircraft allows the controller to see where it is going. After the K-MAX is launched, control shifts to a second ground controller waiting at the point of capture, who discharges the cargo by remote command once the aircraft has been sighted. The aircraft calculates the best route to its destination using an "autonomous flight brain" and can automatically re-route itself should an area be classified a "no-fly" zone. "The K-MAX will fly repetitive flights that can be predictably programmed," says Jurgens. "Given the fact that traveling by ground convoy is not the preferred transportation, unmanned cargo flights can save pilots from routine unnecessary exposure."
Back to Top
Lab-on-a-Chip Homes in on How Cancer Cells Break Free
JHU Gazette (03/23/09) Vol. 38 , No. 27 , Spiro, Mary
Johns Hopkins Institute for NanoBioTechnology engineers, led by director Peter Searson, have come up with a lab-on-a-chip device that could be used to help determine how cancer cells detach from neighboring tissue, and the new method could lead to more effective cancer treatments. "Studying cell detachment at the subcellular level is critical to understanding the way cancer cells metastasize," says Searson. "Development of scientific methods to study cell detachment may guide us to prevent, limit or slow down the deadly spreading of cancer cells." The device is comprised of an array of gold lines on a glass slide, and tethered to the lines are molecules promoting the formation of cell attachments. A cell is deposited on top of these molecules, and it spreads across several of the gold lines, forming links to the surface of the chip with the molecules' assistance. Searson says the tethered molecules are released from one of the lines by an "electrochemical reduction." Where these molecules break free, that cellular segment loses its grip on the chip's surface, pauses, and then contracts forcefully toward its other end, which is still connected to the chip. The interim between the chemical reaction and the cell's contraction is called the induction time, and the researchers theorize that cancer cells would have a shorter induction time than noncancerous cells due to their greater pliability.
Back to Top
Making Diagnostics Affordable
Chemical & Engineering News (03/16/09) Vol. 87 , No. 11 , P. 50 ; Arnaud, Celia Henry
Researchers and nonprofit organizations are working to create affordable, high-performance diagnostics for developing countries, where tests must be simple enough to perform under extreme conditions, such as tropical climates or without reliable water supply. Bernhard Weigl, leader of the diagnostic development group at the Program for Appropriate Technologies for Health (PATH), said that the only successful assays so far are those that do not require instruments, such as strip kits, which offer limited diagnoses. Weigl and colleagues are working toward ways to amplify and detect pathogenic nucleic acids from patients, using exothermic reactions rather than a temperature-cycling instrument to provide the necessary heat for polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Meanwhile, Prof. Paul Yager, of the University of Washington, Seattle, is developing a diagnostic system, DxBox, that reduces the power requirements for PCR by shuttling the sample back and forth between heated areas in the instrument. Among other research projects, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is sponsoring the CD4 Initiative, launched in 2005 to develop a low-cost, instrument-free test for measuring CD4 T cells in HIV/AIDS patients. George M. Whitesides, chemistry professor at Harvard University, has led studies that attempt to use everyday objects to address diagnostics problems in areas with limited resources. Whitesides' team has demonstrated that blood plasma can be separated out by using a hand-cranked egg beater as a centrifuge, and they have constructed complex microfluidic devices by layering paper with double-sided waterproof adhesive tape.
Back to Top
New RNA-Seq Technique Used to Profile Anthrax Genome
News-Medical.Net (03/22/2009)
Georgia Institute of Technology researchers detail in the Journal of Bacteriology how they profiled the gene expression of the bacterium that causes anthrax using the new RNA-Seq methodology. The technique employs high throughput sequencing to count millions of messenger RNA (mRNA) sequences concurrently, and the researchers sequenced mRNA samples collected from Bacillus anthracis cells growing under various conditions. They compiled over 270 million sequence "tags," each of which corresponds to a short segment of an RNA molecule, and assembled them using a custom software tool. "Once the data were together, it was very easy to see transcript structure across the genome," says Georgia Tech professor Nicholas Bergman. "We could see clear boundaries between transcribed and non-transcribed regions of the genome, which represent where individual transcripts start and stop. This was really exciting, because transcript boundaries tell us precisely where to find the regulatory sequences that govern gene expression, and these sequences are extremely hard to find otherwise." The scientists also discovered that RNA-Seq delivers a way to ascertain the abundance of each transcript in the cell and offers a more sensitive gene expression measurement technique than microarray-based methods. "Right now array-based methods are still a little less expensive, and take a little less effort in terms of the bioinformatics, but I don't think those obstacles will last long," notes Bergman. "I think we'll see a lot more studies taking this approach in the near future."
Back to Top
Robot Fish to Catch Pollution
Financial Times (03/20/09) P. 6 ; Harvey, Fiona
Researchers at Britain's University of Essex and the BMT Group have developed robotic fish that will be released into the port of Gijon in northern Spain to monitor the water's quality. The fish are lifelike in appearance and equipped with tiny chemical sensors capable of detecting pollutants in the water. BMT senior researcher Rory Doyle says there are very practical reasons for developing robots based on fish. "In using robotic fish we are building on a design created by hundreds of millions of years' worth of evolution, which is incredibly energy efficient," Doyle says. "This efficiency is something we need to ensure that our pollution detection sensors can navigate in the underwater environment for hours on end." The robots are autonomous and run on batteries that are recharged when the robots automatically return to a charging station. University of Essex professor Huosheng Hu says the fish will be able to detect changes in the environment in the port and identify the early signs of a pollutant spreading. Hu says the objective is for the fish to detect pollutants early to prevent leaks from getting worse. The robotic fish should be released into the port next year.
Back to Top
Robotic Touch
Engineer (03/20/09)
Researchers at Australia's Deakin University have developed a robot that enables its operator to "feel" the environment that it is working in. The researchers plan to refine the unit for harsh or dangerous conditions. The intelligent robot has a gripper, and the team at the Center for Intelligent Systems Research uses haptic technology to give the operator a better sense of handled objects. Operators can get a feel for the center of mass, density and consistency of objects that are up to 500 meters away. Professor Saeid Nahavandi, chief investigator for the project, says the robot could potentially be used in harsh or dangerous environments without risk to the operator. "This ability can help the operator to defuse an explosive device without damage to people or property," he says.
Back to Top
Applying Real-Time PCR Technology for Human Influenza Virus Detection
Lab Matters (03/09) No. 1 , P. 19 ; Chen, Michelle M. ; Plew, Brian
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Human Influenza Virus Real-Time RT-PCR Detection and Characterization Panel became available in September 2008. The panel was designed to help identify virus subtypes and mutations of emergent viruses. The flu panel is intended for use with the 7500 Fast Dx Real-Time PCR Instrument from Applied Biosystems. Paired with the CDC's influenza assays, the 7500 Fast Dc Real-Time PCR Instrument is a powerful tool in flu virus detection, offering sensitivity, specificity, and fast time-to-results. The CDC, the Association of Public Health Laboratories, and Applied Biosystems are upgrading the existing eligible Applied Biosystems 7500 Fast Real-Time PCR Systems in the Laboratory Response Network for use with the CDC assay, expected to take place over four to six months.
Back to Top
New Exposures in Biomonitoring
Lab Matters (03/09) No. 1 , P. 4 ; Beck, Jennifer
The creation or expansion of biomonitoring programs has experienced resistance in most states, although biomonitoring may be vital in studying nutrition, genetics, and chronic diseases. California and Minnesota are the only states that have successfully passed legislation for biomonitoring pilot projects. The Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) is helping state public health laboratories develop biomonitoring programs, partly by educating lawmakers. Some members of APHL formed the Biomonitoring Subcommittee, which is developing guidance for states to introduce biomonitoring legislation, and designing the organization of a national biomonitoring system. APHL's Biomonitoring Workgroup is constructing a database for information on current methods and technologies used in the United States, with the aim of improving biomonitoring collaboration among states, academic institutions, and special interest groups.
Back to Top
|
