A special heating bloc can reduce the handling time and costs of testing foods for pathogens, claims its France-based manufacturer.
BioMérieux claims its Vidas Heat and Go "significantly reduces technician handling time as well as material cost, while standardising a previously cumbersome step in pathogen detection".
The block is used on samples undergoing pathogen testing in bioMérieux's automated Vidas and mini Vidas systems.
"There is a clear need for improved productivity and traceability for microbiological control testing in the food industry and developing innovative solutions to address these needs is at the core of our strategy," stated Alexandre Mérieux, the company's corporate vice president for industrial microbiology.
Previously technicians used a boiling water bath asa typical protocol for heating food samples. Lab workers would manually label tubes and transfer samples in and out of the tubes and in and out of the boiling water bath.
"The Vidas Heat and Go dry heating block streamlines this process by eliminating the manual steps of labeling and transferring the sample tubes," the company claimed. "The use of a dry heating block offers food laboratories increased safety in pathogen detection."
The system also increases the traceability of sample results, eliminating the risk of mislabeling sample tubes. Additionally, the dry heating block ensures the appropriate temperature is maintained throughout the heating process, the company stated.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
New Point-Of-Care Technology For Detecting Bloodstream Infections Unveiled
Researchers at the UC Davis Health System and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have entered into a collaborative effort to develop two ‘Point-Of-Care’ (POC) prototype instruments for the detection of pathogens causing bloodstream infections, one in hospital settings and the other, a field portable device, for disaster management camps. The team, led by Gerald Kost, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Director of the Point-of-Care Testing Center for Teaching and Research (POCT-CTR), will develop these novel devices using the elementary technologies of other LLNL-developed instruments, such as the Autonomous Pathogen Detection System, designed for protection against bioterrorism. The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) has already granted a fund of around $8.5 million for the development of these devices.
DNA chip can catch eye disease pathogens
Hyderabad, Dec. 22An indigenously-developed DNA Chip which can pinpoint the culprit organism that is causing a particular eye disease in the shortest possible time has hit the commercial market.
Bangalore-based XCyton Diagnostics has launched the DNA macro chip, a molecular diagnostic kit, for identifying a range of pathogens causing eye diseases in the country recently.
The Managing Director of XCyton, Dr B.V. Ravi Kumar, said the company has created a Rs 3-crore facility in Bangalore to develop a range of DNA-based diagnostic products using this new platform. Work is on to develop a Deoxyribonucleac Acid (DNA)-based kit to detect Septecemia and a range of fevers like dengue, chikungunya, and typhoid, wherein early detection of the virus was key to managing the disease.
Awareness programme
XCyton, a product development company in human diagnostics, which has brought several diagnostic products for HIV, and Hepatitis C among others, has launched an awareness programme for doctors and clinicians on the new product. It is offering services to laboratories as well, Dr Ravi told Business Line.
Scientists from the Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) along with clinicians at the L V Prasad Eye Institute, both in Hyderabad; from Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, and the RP Centre, New Delhi, have under the New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI) programme of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), developed the DNA based diagnostic chip.
According to Dr Ch Mohan Rao, Deputy Director of CCMB, eye infections are the major causes of eye diseases and subsequent impairment of vision. Most of these diseases are curable, provided the infecting agent is identified at an early stage.
Common method
At present, the widely used method for detecting the infecting organisms is microbial culture. However, this process is time-consuming and the results are not immediately available to clinicians for making treatment decisions, he said.
Scientists have exploited the fact that by deploying the PCR method it is possible to detect the unique regions on a pathogen’s DNA, which can then be used as a signature. PCR methods are more sensitive and rapid.
M. Somasekhar
Bangalore-based XCyton Diagnostics has launched the DNA macro chip, a molecular diagnostic kit, for identifying a range of pathogens causing eye diseases in the country recently.
The Managing Director of XCyton, Dr B.V. Ravi Kumar, said the company has created a Rs 3-crore facility in Bangalore to develop a range of DNA-based diagnostic products using this new platform. Work is on to develop a Deoxyribonucleac Acid (DNA)-based kit to detect Septecemia and a range of fevers like dengue, chikungunya, and typhoid, wherein early detection of the virus was key to managing the disease.
Awareness programme
XCyton, a product development company in human diagnostics, which has brought several diagnostic products for HIV, and Hepatitis C among others, has launched an awareness programme for doctors and clinicians on the new product. It is offering services to laboratories as well, Dr Ravi told Business Line.
Scientists from the Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) along with clinicians at the L V Prasad Eye Institute, both in Hyderabad; from Sankara Nethralaya, Chennai, and the RP Centre, New Delhi, have under the New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI) programme of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), developed the DNA based diagnostic chip.
According to Dr Ch Mohan Rao, Deputy Director of CCMB, eye infections are the major causes of eye diseases and subsequent impairment of vision. Most of these diseases are curable, provided the infecting agent is identified at an early stage.
Common method
At present, the widely used method for detecting the infecting organisms is microbial culture. However, this process is time-consuming and the results are not immediately available to clinicians for making treatment decisions, he said.
Scientists have exploited the fact that by deploying the PCR method it is possible to detect the unique regions on a pathogen’s DNA, which can then be used as a signature. PCR methods are more sensitive and rapid.
M. Somasekhar
Friday, December 28, 2007
New Ice Scoop Ensures Safe Handling, Food Safety at Restaurants and Bars
Press Release
The new San Jamar Saf-T-Scoop™ & Guardian System ensures safe ice handling at restaurants and bars. Food safety in the food service industry is a legitimate concern, as a recent study found more than one out of every five samples of ice contains high levels of bacteria.
Elkhorn, Wisc. (PRWEB) December 12, 2007 -- How safe is the ice served at restaurants and bars? According to a recent study, not very. San Jamar, a leading international supplier of food safety tools and food-service dispensers, has introduced the first ice safety scoop and protection system that keeps ice safe at every point between the ice machine and serving ice to patrons.
A recent study conducted by the Chicago Sun-Times found more than one out of every five samples of ice cubes contained high levels of bacteria at 49 fast-food and casual dining restaurants and hotel bars in the Chicago-area.
San Jamar's safe ice handling tools work together to protect against the dangerous cross-contamination that can occur while carrying ice from the ice machine to the glasses served to patrons.
"Ice is now considered a food item," says Jayson Pearl, Director of Marketing --Foodservice at San Jamar. "Restaurant and bar owners need to think about every point during ice transport when ice can become contaminated. The recent study found fecal bacteria in the ice that was linked to contamination from unclean hands. Processes and tools that help improve effective hand washing and prevent dangerous hand contamination with ice can truly make a difference in preventing this type of food safety risk for customers."
San Jamar has a family of safe ice handling tools (http://301url.com/fka) that work together to protect against dangerous cross-contamination. The Saf-T-Scoop™ is a unique scoop with a "germ guard" that keeps hands from coming into any contact with ice. The Guardian System™ is a container for the ice scoop that is conveniently stored next to the ice machine. The Saf-T-Ice® Tote, which comes in two sizes, is designed for easy handling and keeping hands from touching any unsanitary surface when transporting the ice container. The Saf-T-Ice® Bottle Guardian helps bartenders keep wine bottles on ice without actually touching the ice.
According to Pearl, owners of restaurants and bars should look for the following features when selecting ice-handling tools:
* Ice scoops with integrated hand guards that prevent hands from coming in contact with ice --
at the ice machine and at the bar/beverage ice bins.
* Ice totes that have grab points to keep hands from touching contaminated areas.
* Ice handling tools that are dishwasher safe and are small enough to fit in the dishwasher.
* Ice scoops and totes constructed with a durable, polycarbonate, as opposed to metal. Metal
scoops are harder to clean and can harbor dangerous bacteria.
* An ice scoop with a narrow chute to direct ice into the tote and avoid excessive spillage.
"An effective hand washing program is also critical to preventing ice contamination from unclean hands," adds Pearl. San Jamar has recently introduced a full line of Universal touchless towel dispensers that eliminate hand contamination after the handwashing process.
Another recent hand washing innovation is the Kleen-Brush™ System, which keeps the fingernail brush sanitary and makes it easier for food-service workers to clean the areas of the hand that are the hardest to clean and harbor the most bacteria -- fingertips and fingernails.
San Jamar has two online resource centers dedicated to safe ice handling and effective
handwashing with useful information, products and solutions to help prevent the risk of cross-contamination, improve productivity and project a clean, safe food image. Visit www.sanjamar.com/safeice, www.sanjamar.com/cleanhands and www.sanjamar.com/touchlessuniversal.
For more information on San Jamar's food safety tools and food service dispensers for restaurants and bars, visit www.sanjamar.com.
ABOUT SAN jAMAR
San Jamar is the leading international supplier of food safety tools, food-service dispensers and washroom dispensers. The company markets a wide range of quality products for global Foodservice and Jan San markets. San Jamar's mission is to consistently offer smart solutions for food safety, hospitality and sanitary washroom environments. The company is headquartered in Elkhorn, Wis., with a European division in Belgium (San Jamar Europe), and a division in Mexico (San Jamar Mexico). For more information, please call 1-800-248-9826 or e-mail inquiries to sanjamar @ sanjamar.com.
# # #
The new San Jamar Saf-T-Scoop™ & Guardian System ensures safe ice handling at restaurants and bars. Food safety in the food service industry is a legitimate concern, as a recent study found more than one out of every five samples of ice contains high levels of bacteria.
Elkhorn, Wisc. (PRWEB) December 12, 2007 -- How safe is the ice served at restaurants and bars? According to a recent study, not very. San Jamar, a leading international supplier of food safety tools and food-service dispensers, has introduced the first ice safety scoop and protection system that keeps ice safe at every point between the ice machine and serving ice to patrons.
A recent study conducted by the Chicago Sun-Times found more than one out of every five samples of ice cubes contained high levels of bacteria at 49 fast-food and casual dining restaurants and hotel bars in the Chicago-area.
San Jamar's safe ice handling tools work together to protect against the dangerous cross-contamination that can occur while carrying ice from the ice machine to the glasses served to patrons.
"Ice is now considered a food item," says Jayson Pearl, Director of Marketing --Foodservice at San Jamar. "Restaurant and bar owners need to think about every point during ice transport when ice can become contaminated. The recent study found fecal bacteria in the ice that was linked to contamination from unclean hands. Processes and tools that help improve effective hand washing and prevent dangerous hand contamination with ice can truly make a difference in preventing this type of food safety risk for customers."
San Jamar has a family of safe ice handling tools (http://301url.com/fka) that work together to protect against dangerous cross-contamination. The Saf-T-Scoop™ is a unique scoop with a "germ guard" that keeps hands from coming into any contact with ice. The Guardian System™ is a container for the ice scoop that is conveniently stored next to the ice machine. The Saf-T-Ice® Tote, which comes in two sizes, is designed for easy handling and keeping hands from touching any unsanitary surface when transporting the ice container. The Saf-T-Ice® Bottle Guardian helps bartenders keep wine bottles on ice without actually touching the ice.
According to Pearl, owners of restaurants and bars should look for the following features when selecting ice-handling tools:
* Ice scoops with integrated hand guards that prevent hands from coming in contact with ice --
at the ice machine and at the bar/beverage ice bins.
* Ice totes that have grab points to keep hands from touching contaminated areas.
* Ice handling tools that are dishwasher safe and are small enough to fit in the dishwasher.
* Ice scoops and totes constructed with a durable, polycarbonate, as opposed to metal. Metal
scoops are harder to clean and can harbor dangerous bacteria.
* An ice scoop with a narrow chute to direct ice into the tote and avoid excessive spillage.
"An effective hand washing program is also critical to preventing ice contamination from unclean hands," adds Pearl. San Jamar has recently introduced a full line of Universal touchless towel dispensers that eliminate hand contamination after the handwashing process.
Another recent hand washing innovation is the Kleen-Brush™ System, which keeps the fingernail brush sanitary and makes it easier for food-service workers to clean the areas of the hand that are the hardest to clean and harbor the most bacteria -- fingertips and fingernails.
San Jamar has two online resource centers dedicated to safe ice handling and effective
handwashing with useful information, products and solutions to help prevent the risk of cross-contamination, improve productivity and project a clean, safe food image. Visit www.sanjamar.com/safeice, www.sanjamar.com/cleanhands and www.sanjamar.com/touchlessuniversal.
For more information on San Jamar's food safety tools and food service dispensers for restaurants and bars, visit www.sanjamar.com.
ABOUT SAN jAMAR
San Jamar is the leading international supplier of food safety tools, food-service dispensers and washroom dispensers. The company markets a wide range of quality products for global Foodservice and Jan San markets. San Jamar's mission is to consistently offer smart solutions for food safety, hospitality and sanitary washroom environments. The company is headquartered in Elkhorn, Wis., with a European division in Belgium (San Jamar Europe), and a division in Mexico (San Jamar Mexico). For more information, please call 1-800-248-9826 or e-mail inquiries to sanjamar @ sanjamar.com.
# # #
SkyHydrant Water Filtration Equals Safe Water to Areas in Need
Siemens provides membrane technology for 300 SkyHydrant water filtration system installations worldwide to areas in need of safe drinking water.
Low maintenance, simple operation and high efficiency SkyHydrant water filtration units convert contaminated water into clean, potable water that exceeds the World Health Organization’s (WHO) requirements for potable water. Siemens Water Technologies is working with the SkyJuice Foundation of Sydney, Australia, a not for profit charitable organization, to provide a reliable source of clean drinking water to communities without a safe water supply. Siemens supplies low-pressure membrane technology for the SkyJuice Foundation’s SkyHydrant water filtration unit. So far, over 300 systems have been installed worldwide, including a recent installation in the rural village of Obambo-Kadenge in Kenya, Africa, also a target under the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals.
SkyJuice is a global assistance partner providing access to reliable and safe drinking water to meet the real needs of developing nations and in disaster relief applications.
Siemens Water Technologies delivers cost effective, reliable water and wastewater treatment systems and services worldwide.
This Kenyan child is happy to now have clean water all the time. The SkyHydrant solution guarantees a permanent water supply at minimal costs. Click Here for High resolution image. photo: Siemens
The World Health Organization estimates that about 1.2 billion people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water. Two million people a year, many of them children and the elderly, die from preventable waterborne diseases.
Designed for affordable community water supply and disaster relief applications, the SkyHydrant unit is compact and portable with a robust design. The technology is based on chlorine disinfection combined with a self-contained Memcor low-pressure membrane filtration system from Siemens that operates under minimal feed pressure without the need for power and conditioning chemicals. The SkyHydrant removes particulates, bacteria, protozoa and other pathogenic material greater than 0.1 micron, and produces a minimum of 10,000 litres per day of potable water. The self-cleaning unit can be easily transported, installed and operated with minimal training and operator interface. The treated water should be chlorinated to ensure protection against post-treatment contamination. SkyHydrants have been commissioned in 16 countries over four continents, such as in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Indonesia. Besides the Kenya installation, other SkyHydrant units recently installed in 2007 include: Yogyakarta and Jakarta, Indonesia; the San Jose de Los Molinos District in Peru; and Nagigi Village in Savusavu, Fiji.
“The SkyHydrant unit, incorporating the robust Memcor membrane technology, is a sustainable solution for supplying clean water to communities in the developing world,” says Rhett Butler, Business Development Manager for the Memcor product line at Siemens Water Technologies in Australia, and chairman of the SkyJuice Foundation. “The technology is affordable for even the poorest communities, but even more important, it is helping to save lives.” As an example, a safe water kiosk containing four SkyHydrant units was installed in March 2007 in the rural village of Obambo-Kadenge in Kenya. Before the kiosk was installed, the village of several thousand residents relied mostly on runoff water collected in the shallow Gona Dam. This highly turbid water was contaminated by human activity and livestock waste. With no running water or power and virtually no sanitation, outbreaks of water-borne diseases like cholera, typhoid and dysentery were common.
The kiosk contains the SkyHydrant units, a pump powered by a small windmill, a header tank, a clean water storage tank and a tap stand. The kiosk is supplying approximately 2,200 litres per hour of potable water for less than 0.2 Euro per person per year. The water turbidity is reduced from 400 NTU to less than 0.1 NTU, and the community is already benefiting from the kiosk in improved health and prosperity. “Our successful projects illustrate how SkyJuice and Siemens Water Technologies, working with other community organizations, are helping to improve the health and well-being of communities throughout the world,” said Butler.
Low maintenance, simple operation and high efficiency SkyHydrant water filtration units convert contaminated water into clean, potable water that exceeds the World Health Organization’s (WHO) requirements for potable water. Siemens Water Technologies is working with the SkyJuice Foundation of Sydney, Australia, a not for profit charitable organization, to provide a reliable source of clean drinking water to communities without a safe water supply. Siemens supplies low-pressure membrane technology for the SkyJuice Foundation’s SkyHydrant water filtration unit. So far, over 300 systems have been installed worldwide, including a recent installation in the rural village of Obambo-Kadenge in Kenya, Africa, also a target under the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals.
SkyJuice is a global assistance partner providing access to reliable and safe drinking water to meet the real needs of developing nations and in disaster relief applications.
Siemens Water Technologies delivers cost effective, reliable water and wastewater treatment systems and services worldwide.
This Kenyan child is happy to now have clean water all the time. The SkyHydrant solution guarantees a permanent water supply at minimal costs. Click Here for High resolution image. photo: Siemens
The World Health Organization estimates that about 1.2 billion people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water. Two million people a year, many of them children and the elderly, die from preventable waterborne diseases.
Designed for affordable community water supply and disaster relief applications, the SkyHydrant unit is compact and portable with a robust design. The technology is based on chlorine disinfection combined with a self-contained Memcor low-pressure membrane filtration system from Siemens that operates under minimal feed pressure without the need for power and conditioning chemicals. The SkyHydrant removes particulates, bacteria, protozoa and other pathogenic material greater than 0.1 micron, and produces a minimum of 10,000 litres per day of potable water. The self-cleaning unit can be easily transported, installed and operated with minimal training and operator interface. The treated water should be chlorinated to ensure protection against post-treatment contamination. SkyHydrants have been commissioned in 16 countries over four continents, such as in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Indonesia. Besides the Kenya installation, other SkyHydrant units recently installed in 2007 include: Yogyakarta and Jakarta, Indonesia; the San Jose de Los Molinos District in Peru; and Nagigi Village in Savusavu, Fiji.
“The SkyHydrant unit, incorporating the robust Memcor membrane technology, is a sustainable solution for supplying clean water to communities in the developing world,” says Rhett Butler, Business Development Manager for the Memcor product line at Siemens Water Technologies in Australia, and chairman of the SkyJuice Foundation. “The technology is affordable for even the poorest communities, but even more important, it is helping to save lives.” As an example, a safe water kiosk containing four SkyHydrant units was installed in March 2007 in the rural village of Obambo-Kadenge in Kenya. Before the kiosk was installed, the village of several thousand residents relied mostly on runoff water collected in the shallow Gona Dam. This highly turbid water was contaminated by human activity and livestock waste. With no running water or power and virtually no sanitation, outbreaks of water-borne diseases like cholera, typhoid and dysentery were common.
The kiosk contains the SkyHydrant units, a pump powered by a small windmill, a header tank, a clean water storage tank and a tap stand. The kiosk is supplying approximately 2,200 litres per hour of potable water for less than 0.2 Euro per person per year. The water turbidity is reduced from 400 NTU to less than 0.1 NTU, and the community is already benefiting from the kiosk in improved health and prosperity. “Our successful projects illustrate how SkyJuice and Siemens Water Technologies, working with other community organizations, are helping to improve the health and well-being of communities throughout the world,” said Butler.
Nutra Pharma Expands Licensing Agreement to Include Environmental Testing for Nontuberculous Mycobacterium
PRESS RELEASE
BOCA RATON, Fla., Dec 27, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Nutra Pharma Corp. (OTCBB:NPHC), a biotechnology company that is developing drugs for HIV and Multiple Sclerosis (MS), has today announced that it has expanded its licensing agreement with NanoLogix, Inc., (Pink Sheets: NNLX) to include intellectual property for the use of testing the environment for NonTuberculous Mycobacterium (NTM).
"NTM infections are becoming a major concern for hospitals and medical clinics around the world," explained Rik J. Deitsch, Chairman and CEO of Nutra Pharma Corporation. "Combining our newly licensed intellectual property with our current test kit technology will allow our subsidiary, Designer Diagnostics, to attempt to successfully launch a cost-effective solution to help identify the environmental sources of NTM infections," he added.
NonTuberculous Mycobacterium, also known as atypical Tuberculosis (Atypical TB) or Mycobacterium other than Tuberculosis (MOTT), is a bacteria that is found in water, including hot tubs and showers, some domestic and wild animals, and soil. One of the most common forms of NTM infections found in humans is Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC). This is a primary cause of respiratory disease in humans and is a leading cause of death in HIV/AIDS patients.
"Expanding this licensing agreement to include environmental testing is a natural progression of our relationship with Nutra Pharma and our belief in its ability to successfully bring these kits to market," commented Bret Barnhizer, President and CEO of NanoLogix, Inc. "In addition to helping detect NTM in patients, Nutra Pharma will now be able to test for NTM in the environment to help prevent others from becoming infected," he concluded.
Nutra Pharma's wholly-owned medical devices subsidiary, Designer Diagnostics, is currently planning to undergo third party validation for its NTM diagnostic test kits at leading Tuberculosis research institute, National Jewish Medical and Research Center, in Denver, Colorado. The Company plans to apply for FDA approval upon successful completion of this clinical trial.
Recently, distinguished NTM research scientist, Dr. Rahul Narang, used the Designer Diagnostics test kits to test soil and water samples collected from the environment of patients with NTM infections. This was the first time the technique was used in India and the findings were presented in November at the 38th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Cape Town, South Africa.
About Nutra Pharma Corp.
Nutra Pharma Corp. is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the acquisition, licensing and commercialization of pharmaceutical products and technologies for the management of neurological disorders, cancer, autoimmune and infectious diseases. Nutra Pharma Corp. through its subsidiaries carries out basic drug discovery research and clinical development and also seeks strategic licensing partnerships to reduce the risks associated with the drug development process. The Company's holding, ReceptoPharm, Inc, is developing these technologies for the production of drugs for HIV and Multiple Sclerosis ("MS"). The Company's subsidiary, Designer Diagnostics, is engaged in the research and development of diagnostic test kits designed to be used for the rapid identification of infectious diseases such as Tuberculosis (TB) and Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare (MAI). Nutra Pharma continues to identify and acquire intellectual property and companies in the biotechnology arena.
http://www.NutraPharma.com
http://www.DesignerDiagnostics.com
SEC Disclaimer
This press release contains forward-looking statements. The words or phrases "would be," "will allow," "intends to," "will likely result," "are expected to," "will continue," "is anticipated," "estimate," "project," or similar expressions are intended to identify "forward-looking statements." Actual results could differ materially from those projected in Nutra Pharma's ("the Company") business plan. The Company's business is subject to various risks, which are discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). The expanded licensing agreement with NanoLogix, Inc., to include environmental testing should not be construed as an indication in any way whatsoever of the value of the Company or its common stock. The Company's filings may be accessed at the SEC's Edgar system at www.sec.gov. Statements made herein are as of the date of this press release and should not be relied upon as of any subsequent date. The Company cautions readers not to place reliance on such statements. Unless otherwise required by applicable law, we do not undertake, and we specifically disclaim any obligation, to update any forward-looking statements to reflect occurrences, developments, unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statement.
SOURCE: Nutra Pharma Corp.
Nutra Pharma Corp.
David Isserman, 877-895-5647
ir@nutrapharma.comCopyright Business Wire 2007
BOCA RATON, Fla., Dec 27, 2007 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Nutra Pharma Corp. (OTCBB:NPHC), a biotechnology company that is developing drugs for HIV and Multiple Sclerosis (MS), has today announced that it has expanded its licensing agreement with NanoLogix, Inc., (Pink Sheets: NNLX) to include intellectual property for the use of testing the environment for NonTuberculous Mycobacterium (NTM).
"NTM infections are becoming a major concern for hospitals and medical clinics around the world," explained Rik J. Deitsch, Chairman and CEO of Nutra Pharma Corporation. "Combining our newly licensed intellectual property with our current test kit technology will allow our subsidiary, Designer Diagnostics, to attempt to successfully launch a cost-effective solution to help identify the environmental sources of NTM infections," he added.
NonTuberculous Mycobacterium, also known as atypical Tuberculosis (Atypical TB) or Mycobacterium other than Tuberculosis (MOTT), is a bacteria that is found in water, including hot tubs and showers, some domestic and wild animals, and soil. One of the most common forms of NTM infections found in humans is Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC). This is a primary cause of respiratory disease in humans and is a leading cause of death in HIV/AIDS patients.
"Expanding this licensing agreement to include environmental testing is a natural progression of our relationship with Nutra Pharma and our belief in its ability to successfully bring these kits to market," commented Bret Barnhizer, President and CEO of NanoLogix, Inc. "In addition to helping detect NTM in patients, Nutra Pharma will now be able to test for NTM in the environment to help prevent others from becoming infected," he concluded.
Nutra Pharma's wholly-owned medical devices subsidiary, Designer Diagnostics, is currently planning to undergo third party validation for its NTM diagnostic test kits at leading Tuberculosis research institute, National Jewish Medical and Research Center, in Denver, Colorado. The Company plans to apply for FDA approval upon successful completion of this clinical trial.
Recently, distinguished NTM research scientist, Dr. Rahul Narang, used the Designer Diagnostics test kits to test soil and water samples collected from the environment of patients with NTM infections. This was the first time the technique was used in India and the findings were presented in November at the 38th Union World Conference on Lung Health in Cape Town, South Africa.
About Nutra Pharma Corp.
Nutra Pharma Corp. is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the acquisition, licensing and commercialization of pharmaceutical products and technologies for the management of neurological disorders, cancer, autoimmune and infectious diseases. Nutra Pharma Corp. through its subsidiaries carries out basic drug discovery research and clinical development and also seeks strategic licensing partnerships to reduce the risks associated with the drug development process. The Company's holding, ReceptoPharm, Inc, is developing these technologies for the production of drugs for HIV and Multiple Sclerosis ("MS"). The Company's subsidiary, Designer Diagnostics, is engaged in the research and development of diagnostic test kits designed to be used for the rapid identification of infectious diseases such as Tuberculosis (TB) and Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare (MAI). Nutra Pharma continues to identify and acquire intellectual property and companies in the biotechnology arena.
http://www.NutraPharma.com
http://www.DesignerDiagnostics.com
SEC Disclaimer
This press release contains forward-looking statements. The words or phrases "would be," "will allow," "intends to," "will likely result," "are expected to," "will continue," "is anticipated," "estimate," "project," or similar expressions are intended to identify "forward-looking statements." Actual results could differ materially from those projected in Nutra Pharma's ("the Company") business plan. The Company's business is subject to various risks, which are discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). The expanded licensing agreement with NanoLogix, Inc., to include environmental testing should not be construed as an indication in any way whatsoever of the value of the Company or its common stock. The Company's filings may be accessed at the SEC's Edgar system at www.sec.gov. Statements made herein are as of the date of this press release and should not be relied upon as of any subsequent date. The Company cautions readers not to place reliance on such statements. Unless otherwise required by applicable law, we do not undertake, and we specifically disclaim any obligation, to update any forward-looking statements to reflect occurrences, developments, unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statement.
SOURCE: Nutra Pharma Corp.
Nutra Pharma Corp.
David Isserman, 877-895-5647
ir@nutrapharma.comCopyright Business Wire 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
U of C brain research gets brawn from $5M federal funding
Some of the most serious health issues in the city will be studied more extensively, thanks to a $5 million injection to the University of Calgary's Hotchkiss Brain Institute.
Industry minister Jim Prentice announced the recipients of 21 new health research grants for the institute yesterday at the U of C.
The funding will go to the study of epilepsy, stroke, movement disorders, stress, depression and workplace mental health.
"Through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canada's government is supporting health research that addresses society's highest-priority health issues," said Prentice, speaking on behalf of Health Minister Tony Clement.
The Hotchkiss Brain Institute will look at lost productivity in the workplace due to poor mental health. The results could help decrease the $33 billion cost to Canadian businesses each year.
Prentice also announced $377 million in health research grants across Canada -- $36 million of which will be allotted to projects in Alberta and conducted at the U of C, the University of Alberta and University of Lethbridge.
University of Calgary president Harvey Weingarten said the new projects will help make great breakthroughs in local healthcare.
"Our scientists, physicians and health researchers are putting their considerable talents and passion into finding answers for fundamental questions about cancer, arthritis, asthma and obesity, and translating those results into actions to improve people's lives," said Weingarten.
The projects will be carried out over the next five years.
By JENNA MCMURRAY, SUN MEDIA
Industry minister Jim Prentice announced the recipients of 21 new health research grants for the institute yesterday at the U of C.
The funding will go to the study of epilepsy, stroke, movement disorders, stress, depression and workplace mental health.
"Through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Canada's government is supporting health research that addresses society's highest-priority health issues," said Prentice, speaking on behalf of Health Minister Tony Clement.
The Hotchkiss Brain Institute will look at lost productivity in the workplace due to poor mental health. The results could help decrease the $33 billion cost to Canadian businesses each year.
Prentice also announced $377 million in health research grants across Canada -- $36 million of which will be allotted to projects in Alberta and conducted at the U of C, the University of Alberta and University of Lethbridge.
University of Calgary president Harvey Weingarten said the new projects will help make great breakthroughs in local healthcare.
"Our scientists, physicians and health researchers are putting their considerable talents and passion into finding answers for fundamental questions about cancer, arthritis, asthma and obesity, and translating those results into actions to improve people's lives," said Weingarten.
The projects will be carried out over the next five years.
By JENNA MCMURRAY, SUN MEDIA
Avian Biosecurity Technology Development Fund
Canada’s New Government has committed a total of $3 million in funding over five years for avian biosecurity-related projects. The Avian Biosecurity Technology Development Fund was established in 2006 to provide assistance to eligible recipients to develop or advance on-farm biosecurity technologies of interest to the Canadian poultry sector.
Biosecurity refers to measures that protect the health of livestock by preventing transmission of disease. It is the most important investment industry can make to limit opportunities for the introduction and spread of avian influenza and other infectious diseases in their flock.
Eligible projects are selected based on essential criteria, under the categories of Technology Development, Technology Acceleration and Technology Demonstration. The Fund is managed by the Office of Animal Biosecurity of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
Seven projects were selected for funding for the 2006/2007 fiscal year, with a total investment of $500,000. Those projects include:
Study of Microbial Contaminants on Shell Egg Conveyance Equipment
Canadian Egg Marketing Agency
This study will evaluate the risk of contamination of conveyance equipment used in production units and hatcheries, in grading stations and processing plants, and in transit. The goal is to develop acceptable, national protocols for cleaning and disinfecting trays, carts, and plastic skids/dividers. Proper equipment, which meets or exceeds the objectives of these protocols, will also be recommended.
Biosecurity Teaching Facility
University of Alberta
The Poultry Research Centre (PRC) of the University of Alberta is updating teaching materials and training facilities for its biosecurity program. Activities include:
the development of manuals outlining a complete biosecurity program, including a detailed account of retrofitting existing facilities with improved biosecurity measures; and,
the development of training activities and learning tools to disseminate the project results - including an industry workshop, training sessions for PRC users, and short educational videos about on-farm biosecurity.
The concepts and practices that are being developed through this study are intended to provide practical knowledge that can be adopted by both students and industry.
Anterooms for Existing Poultry Barns
eBiz Professionals Inc.
This project involves the design and construction of new anterooms (entrance ways) for existing poultry barns on farms in British Columbia and Ontario. Funding has been granted for the design and construction of four anterooms – three in British Columbia and one in Ontario.
Enhanced Equipment for Poultry Catching Crews
eBiz Professionals Inc.
Gates and fences are used by catchers to contain poultry when they are being collected for transportation. Units are often transported between farms, thus posing a significant risk for disease transmission. This project includes the design and development of four different prototypes for gates and fences that can remain on poultry farms. The goal is to develop a unit that can be mass-produced at a reasonable cost, and can be properly cleaned and stored on location. The intention is to help eliminate the risk of disease transmission from farm-to-farm.
Crate Washing Systems
eBiz Professionals Inc.
Crate washers are used in the receiving area of poultry processing plants to ensure that crates, which are used to transport poultry from farm-to-farm, are thoroughly cleaned and remain free of contaminated material. This project will examine a range of crate-washing systems and determine areas for improvement. With the assistance of processing personnel and equipment suppliers, design concepts for new systems will be developed and new prototypes built.
Chemical Fogger
Canards du lac Brome Ltée.
A chemical fogger for disinfecting poultry premises will be installed and tested on the grounds of a duck breeding operation. The goal is to heighten preventative measures against the infection of high-risk diseases among poultry by enhancing disinfection and sanitizing techniques, by use of the chemical fogger.
Plastic Nests for Commercial Waterfowl Production Facility
King Cole Ducks Limited
Pathogenic micro-organisms, such as salmonella, commonly contaminate newly-laid eggs in waterfowl species. This project will examine the efficacy of plastic nest boxes in lowering the presence of micro-organisms, in comparison with traditional wooden nest boxes.
All recipients of funding through the Avian Biosecurity Technology Development Fund are required to submit a final report to the CFIA regarding the outcome of their respective project(s). Under the agreement, any new technologies, techniques and protocols that are developed and approved must be published and shared with the Canadian poultry industry for widespread use.
For more information on the Avian Biosecurity Technology Development Fund and the above mentioned projects, please contact:
Dr. Keith G. Campbell
National Manager, Office of Animal Biosecurity
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
613-221-3913
campbellkg@inspection.gc.ca
Biosecurity refers to measures that protect the health of livestock by preventing transmission of disease. It is the most important investment industry can make to limit opportunities for the introduction and spread of avian influenza and other infectious diseases in their flock.
Eligible projects are selected based on essential criteria, under the categories of Technology Development, Technology Acceleration and Technology Demonstration. The Fund is managed by the Office of Animal Biosecurity of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
Seven projects were selected for funding for the 2006/2007 fiscal year, with a total investment of $500,000. Those projects include:
Study of Microbial Contaminants on Shell Egg Conveyance Equipment
Canadian Egg Marketing Agency
This study will evaluate the risk of contamination of conveyance equipment used in production units and hatcheries, in grading stations and processing plants, and in transit. The goal is to develop acceptable, national protocols for cleaning and disinfecting trays, carts, and plastic skids/dividers. Proper equipment, which meets or exceeds the objectives of these protocols, will also be recommended.
Biosecurity Teaching Facility
University of Alberta
The Poultry Research Centre (PRC) of the University of Alberta is updating teaching materials and training facilities for its biosecurity program. Activities include:
the development of manuals outlining a complete biosecurity program, including a detailed account of retrofitting existing facilities with improved biosecurity measures; and,
the development of training activities and learning tools to disseminate the project results - including an industry workshop, training sessions for PRC users, and short educational videos about on-farm biosecurity.
The concepts and practices that are being developed through this study are intended to provide practical knowledge that can be adopted by both students and industry.
Anterooms for Existing Poultry Barns
eBiz Professionals Inc.
This project involves the design and construction of new anterooms (entrance ways) for existing poultry barns on farms in British Columbia and Ontario. Funding has been granted for the design and construction of four anterooms – three in British Columbia and one in Ontario.
Enhanced Equipment for Poultry Catching Crews
eBiz Professionals Inc.
Gates and fences are used by catchers to contain poultry when they are being collected for transportation. Units are often transported between farms, thus posing a significant risk for disease transmission. This project includes the design and development of four different prototypes for gates and fences that can remain on poultry farms. The goal is to develop a unit that can be mass-produced at a reasonable cost, and can be properly cleaned and stored on location. The intention is to help eliminate the risk of disease transmission from farm-to-farm.
Crate Washing Systems
eBiz Professionals Inc.
Crate washers are used in the receiving area of poultry processing plants to ensure that crates, which are used to transport poultry from farm-to-farm, are thoroughly cleaned and remain free of contaminated material. This project will examine a range of crate-washing systems and determine areas for improvement. With the assistance of processing personnel and equipment suppliers, design concepts for new systems will be developed and new prototypes built.
Chemical Fogger
Canards du lac Brome Ltée.
A chemical fogger for disinfecting poultry premises will be installed and tested on the grounds of a duck breeding operation. The goal is to heighten preventative measures against the infection of high-risk diseases among poultry by enhancing disinfection and sanitizing techniques, by use of the chemical fogger.
Plastic Nests for Commercial Waterfowl Production Facility
King Cole Ducks Limited
Pathogenic micro-organisms, such as salmonella, commonly contaminate newly-laid eggs in waterfowl species. This project will examine the efficacy of plastic nest boxes in lowering the presence of micro-organisms, in comparison with traditional wooden nest boxes.
All recipients of funding through the Avian Biosecurity Technology Development Fund are required to submit a final report to the CFIA regarding the outcome of their respective project(s). Under the agreement, any new technologies, techniques and protocols that are developed and approved must be published and shared with the Canadian poultry industry for widespread use.
For more information on the Avian Biosecurity Technology Development Fund and the above mentioned projects, please contact:
Dr. Keith G. Campbell
National Manager, Office of Animal Biosecurity
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
613-221-3913
campbellkg@inspection.gc.ca
Remote sensing research gets 2.25M funding
Victoria, BC - A project at the University of Victoria that will use advanced remote sensing research to find innovative solutions to address resource management and development needs in British Columbia is receiving $2.25 million in funding from the federal government.
"We have an outstanding group of people working on remote sensing technologies and their applications," says Jamie Cassels, the university's vice-president academic and provost. "We welcome this opportunity to bring that expertise to bear on addressing British Columbia's natural resource challenges and opportunities."
The university uses an advanced form of remote sensing known as hyperspectral imaging, which provides more detailed imagery than conventional remote sensing systems. Using this and other geomatics tools such as laser technology and spatial modelling, researchers are investigating a range of issues related to the mountain pine beetle epidemic.
"We have an outstanding group of people working on remote sensing technologies and their applications," says Jamie Cassels, the university's vice-president academic and provost. "We welcome this opportunity to bring that expertise to bear on addressing British Columbia's natural resource challenges and opportunities."
The university uses an advanced form of remote sensing known as hyperspectral imaging, which provides more detailed imagery than conventional remote sensing systems. Using this and other geomatics tools such as laser technology and spatial modelling, researchers are investigating a range of issues related to the mountain pine beetle epidemic.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Nanotechnology candy to thwart bioterrorism and food contamination
(Nanowerk Spotlight) Talking about the threat of terrorists using bioweapons is a great tool for scaring people. Using any kind of pathogen (bacterium, virus or other disease-causing organism) as a weapon certainly is a terrifying scenario; think about the near-panic the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States caused.
Letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to several news media offices and two U.S. Senators, killing five people and infecting 17 others. Can you image what panic would result from an attack that kills 5,000 people and causes 76 million illnesses?
Well, as a matter of fact, foodborne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year. Known pathogens account for an estimated 14 million illnesses, 60,000 hospitalizations, and 1,800 deaths (CDC data).
The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) 2005 Food Code states that the estimated cost of foodborne illness is $10–$83 billion annually (source). So while the U.S. spends billions of dollars securing its borders, it loses many more billions, not to mention thousands of lives, every year by not being able to keep its spinach and hamburgers safe.
Apparently, talking about terrorism is much better political theater (and makes for catchier Nanowerk Spotlight titles) than discussing E. coli outbreaks. However, be it because of potential terrorists or actual contaminated food, research in microbial detection and decontamination processes increased significantly over the past years. Traditional methods of identifying and subsequently removing a pathogen are slow and cumbersome. Now, using nanotechnology, researchers have designed a novel biosensing system that can identify E. coli in just five minutes and remove up to 88% of the target bacteria.
Traditionally, identifying a pathogen such as E. coli, Salmonella or Listeria requires cell culturing, which takes time – time that often means more contamination and illnesses or even deaths.
Here is an example from the FDA's recommended method for determining E. coli:
Weigh 50 g food into sterile high-speed blender jar. Add 450 mL of Butterfield's phosphate-buffered water and blend for 2 min. Prepare decimal dilutions with sterile Butterfield's phosphate diluent. Number of dilutions to be prepared depends on anticipated coliform density. Shake all suspensions 25 times in 30 cm arc or vortex mix for 7 s. Do not use pipets to deliver <10% of their total volume. Transfer 1 mL portions to 3 LST tubes for each dilution for at least 3 consecutive dilutions. Hold pipet at angle so that its lower edge rests against the tube. Let pipet drain 2-3 s. Not more than 15 min should elapse from time the sample is blended until all dilutions are inoculated in appropriate media. Incubate LST tubes at 35°C. Examine tubes and record reactions at 24 ± 2 h for gas, i.e., displacement of medium in fermentation vial or effervescence when tubes are gently agitated. Re-incubate gas-negative tubes for an additional 24 h and examine and record reactions again at 48 ± 2 h. Perform confirmed test on all presumptive positive tubes (which takes another 2 days).
It is a nobrainer that a detection system that takes days to positively identify a potentially deadly pathogen contamination is not good enough. What is urgently needed is a rapid way to detect the presence of a pathogen as well as the strain identity. That's were nanotechnology techniques could come to the rescue.
"We demonstrate the potential of sugar-coated magnetic nanoparticles for fast bacterial detection and removal, which provides an attractive avenue for pathogen decontamination and diagnostic applications" Dr. Xuefei Huang tells Nanowerk.
Huang, an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Toledo, together with his collaborators from the university, developed a magnetic glyco-nanoparticle (MGNP)-based system to not only detect E. coli within 5 minutes, but also to remove up to 88% of the target bacteria from the medium. This system also allows easy determination of the identities of three different E. coli strains on the basis of the response patterns to two MGNPs highlighting their potential in biosensing.
The findings have been reported in a recent article in the Journal of the American Chemical Society ("Magnetic Glyco-nanoparticles: A Unique Tool for Rapid Pathogen Detection, Decontamination, and Strain Differentiation").
Huang and his team decided to use magnetic nanoparticles since their high surface/volume ratio offers more contact surface area for attaching carbohydrates and for capturing pathogens. Nanoparticles typically are about two orders of magnitude smaller than a bacterium, allowing many nanoparticles to attach to a bacterial cell, which aids in removing the bacteria.
"Pathogens such as bacteria and viruses often have a 'sweet tooth' which allows them to bind with mammalian cell surface carbohydrates to initiate infection" Huang explains. "To mimic this effect, we decorated the surface of MGNPs with carbohydrate moieties capable of binding surface recognition elements. This leads to particles with robust recognition capabilities and with the advantage of being magnetic."
Letters containing anthrax spores were mailed to several news media offices and two U.S. Senators, killing five people and infecting 17 others. Can you image what panic would result from an attack that kills 5,000 people and causes 76 million illnesses?
Well, as a matter of fact, foodborne diseases cause approximately 76 million illnesses, 325,000 hospitalizations, and 5,000 deaths in the United States each year. Known pathogens account for an estimated 14 million illnesses, 60,000 hospitalizations, and 1,800 deaths (CDC data).
The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) 2005 Food Code states that the estimated cost of foodborne illness is $10–$83 billion annually (source). So while the U.S. spends billions of dollars securing its borders, it loses many more billions, not to mention thousands of lives, every year by not being able to keep its spinach and hamburgers safe.
Apparently, talking about terrorism is much better political theater (and makes for catchier Nanowerk Spotlight titles) than discussing E. coli outbreaks. However, be it because of potential terrorists or actual contaminated food, research in microbial detection and decontamination processes increased significantly over the past years. Traditional methods of identifying and subsequently removing a pathogen are slow and cumbersome. Now, using nanotechnology, researchers have designed a novel biosensing system that can identify E. coli in just five minutes and remove up to 88% of the target bacteria.
Traditionally, identifying a pathogen such as E. coli, Salmonella or Listeria requires cell culturing, which takes time – time that often means more contamination and illnesses or even deaths.
Here is an example from the FDA's recommended method for determining E. coli:
Weigh 50 g food into sterile high-speed blender jar. Add 450 mL of Butterfield's phosphate-buffered water and blend for 2 min. Prepare decimal dilutions with sterile Butterfield's phosphate diluent. Number of dilutions to be prepared depends on anticipated coliform density. Shake all suspensions 25 times in 30 cm arc or vortex mix for 7 s. Do not use pipets to deliver <10% of their total volume. Transfer 1 mL portions to 3 LST tubes for each dilution for at least 3 consecutive dilutions. Hold pipet at angle so that its lower edge rests against the tube. Let pipet drain 2-3 s. Not more than 15 min should elapse from time the sample is blended until all dilutions are inoculated in appropriate media. Incubate LST tubes at 35°C. Examine tubes and record reactions at 24 ± 2 h for gas, i.e., displacement of medium in fermentation vial or effervescence when tubes are gently agitated. Re-incubate gas-negative tubes for an additional 24 h and examine and record reactions again at 48 ± 2 h. Perform confirmed test on all presumptive positive tubes (which takes another 2 days).
It is a nobrainer that a detection system that takes days to positively identify a potentially deadly pathogen contamination is not good enough. What is urgently needed is a rapid way to detect the presence of a pathogen as well as the strain identity. That's were nanotechnology techniques could come to the rescue.
"We demonstrate the potential of sugar-coated magnetic nanoparticles for fast bacterial detection and removal, which provides an attractive avenue for pathogen decontamination and diagnostic applications" Dr. Xuefei Huang tells Nanowerk.
Huang, an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Toledo, together with his collaborators from the university, developed a magnetic glyco-nanoparticle (MGNP)-based system to not only detect E. coli within 5 minutes, but also to remove up to 88% of the target bacteria from the medium. This system also allows easy determination of the identities of three different E. coli strains on the basis of the response patterns to two MGNPs highlighting their potential in biosensing.
The findings have been reported in a recent article in the Journal of the American Chemical Society ("Magnetic Glyco-nanoparticles: A Unique Tool for Rapid Pathogen Detection, Decontamination, and Strain Differentiation").
Huang and his team decided to use magnetic nanoparticles since their high surface/volume ratio offers more contact surface area for attaching carbohydrates and for capturing pathogens. Nanoparticles typically are about two orders of magnitude smaller than a bacterium, allowing many nanoparticles to attach to a bacterial cell, which aids in removing the bacteria.
"Pathogens such as bacteria and viruses often have a 'sweet tooth' which allows them to bind with mammalian cell surface carbohydrates to initiate infection" Huang explains. "To mimic this effect, we decorated the surface of MGNPs with carbohydrate moieties capable of binding surface recognition elements. This leads to particles with robust recognition capabilities and with the advantage of being magnetic."
HOW WE SENSE MICROBES: GENETIC DISSECTION OF INNATE IMMUNITY IN INSECTS AND MAMMALS
Christoph Blase, Stiftungssekretariat
Internationale Balzan Stiftung "Fonds"
The fundamental challenges.
Infections have always been among the principal causes of death in the human species. In the developed world, microbes may be perceived as "manageable" because sanitation, immunization, and antibiotics hold them in abeyance. But great plagues may lie before us, and our practical success in the prevention and treatment of infection belies the fact that we have much to learn about how immunity operates.
The 20th century witnessed tremendous progress in our understanding of adaptive immunity: the lymphocyte-based system of clonal reactivity and expansion that leads to the production of antibodies by B cells, and to the proliferation of cytotoxic T cells that hold infection in check. Adaptive immunity is remarkable because of its "anticipatory" quality (antibodies can be fashioned against almost any molecular structure including those that do not exist in nature), its exquisite specificity, and because of memory: the ability to mount a faster and stronger response to foreign molecules that we have encountered previously. But immunologists have known that much of our resistance to microbes has nothing at all to do with lymphocytes. Rather, resistance to most microbes is heritable and multifaceted, depending upon neutrophils, macrophages, other phagocytic cells, and upon widely expressed cell-autonomous immune processes. Collectively, this heritable system of defense has been termed innate immunity.
The molecular basis of innate immune recognition remained obscure until recently, and was sought both in insects and in mammals. The small number of molecules that form microbe detection systems, and their clear importance in the initiation of powerful inflammatory responses, have surprised many of us. Moreover, the new understanding as to how infections are perceived by the host within the first minutes following inoculation has wrought major changes in the science of immunology.
Drosophila host defense: a paradigm for innate immunity
Since the beginning of the 20th century, it has been known that insects are highly resistant to microbial infections. Furthermore, it had been established at that time that septic injury leads to the appearance in the cell-free hemolymph (blood) of a significant antimicrobial activity. It took a half century until the first molecules accounting for this inducible antimicrobial activity were characterized in immune-challenged pupae of the Lepidopteran species Hyalophora cecropia by H. Boman on Sweden. These molecules turned out to be cationic, membrane-active peptides. Studies in other insect species and, more generally, on a variety of metazoans including mice and humans, have since shown that the synthesis of antimicrobial peptides is a general phenomenon of the innate host defense.
In the early nineties, the Hoffmann laboratory started the investigation of the antimicrobial defense of Drosophila, with the hope of using the remarkable possibilities offered by Drosophila genetics to decipher the molecular mechanisms of this efficient defense. Relying on a combination of physico-chemical methods and molecular genetics, they first set out to identify the antimicrobial molecules induced in response to septic injury in the fly. They were able to identify seven distinct inducible antimicrobial peptides (or peptide families). These molecules appear to be structurally diverse with activity spectra directed against fungi or against Gram-positive and/or Gram-negative bacteria. The predominant site of biosynthesis of these peptides is the fat body, a functional equivalent of the mammalian liver. Following their synthesis, the peptides are secreted into the circulating hemolymph where their total concentrations can reach values as high as 0,4 mM. It is assumed that the combined activities of the seven distinct groups of antimicrobial peptides largely contribute to the successful blocking of the growth of the invading microorganisms.
When Hoffmann and colleagues analysed in the early nineties the promoter regions of the gene encoding the antimicrobial peptide diptericin, they noted the presence of nucleotide motifs similar to mammalian binding sites for the inducible transactivator NF-kB, reportedly one of the major regulators of immune gene expression in mammals. Mutation of the Drosophila nucleotide sequences similar to NF-kB response elements abolished the inducibility of the diptericin gene. Subsequent studies established that the presence of functional NF-kB response elements is a general phenomenon for the antibacterial peptide genes and in several instances their mandatory roles for challenge induced expression of these genes were confirmed.
These findings raised the tantalizing question whether an equivalent of an NF-kB based transcriptional control is involved in the antimicrobial response of Drosophila. At that time, it had been established that Drosophila produces a member of the NF-kB family, namely the protein Dorsal, which is involved in dorsoventral patterning in the early embryo. Dorsal was also known to be retained in the cytoplasm by binding to the NF-kB inhibitor Cactus. Furthermore, dissociation of Dorsal from its inhibitor, allowing for nuclear translocation of Dorsal and subsequent gene regulation, was understood to be dependent on activation of the transmembrane receptor Toll by a proteolytically cleaved form of the cysteine-knot cytokine-like protein Spaetzle.
The striking similarities between the activation of Dorsal during dorsoventral patterning in the Drosophila embryo and the cytokine-induced activation of NF-kB during inflammation in mammals (e.g. IL-1) induced the group to undertake an in-depth analysis of the antimicrobial defenses in flies mutant for genes of the embryonic regulatory cascade. A pivotal outcome of these studies, published in 1996, was the demonstration that the gene regulatory cascade Spaetzle-Toll-Cactus controls the resistance to fungal infections. It was later understood that this pertains also to the resistance to Gram-positive bacterial infections. This result had an exciting implication. The Toll receptor was indeed known to combine an extracellular domain of leucine-rich repeats to an intracellular Toll-Interleukin-Receptor (TIR) homology domain. LPS had been shown to bind to a leucine-rich repeat domain in the membrane protein CD14, and the TIR domain was known to signal to NF-kB in the case of IL-1. CD14 being glycosylphosphoinositide-anchored, cannot signal by itself to NF-kB. By demonstrating that the combination of an extracellular leucine-rich repeat domain to an intracellular TIR domain can mediate an NF-kB dependent immune response, the Drosophila data provided a conceptual framework for the control of innate immune defenses dependent on genome-encoded (versus rearranged) receptors of microbial ligands.
It had meantime become apparent that mammals produce a family of Toll-like receptors and a new field of study had opened in immunology. Although their existence was reported as early as 1994, such receptors had no known function in mammals. One year after the publication of the role of Toll in the antifungal response of Drosophila, C. Janeway and R. Medzhitov, with whom our group collaborated in the framework of a Human Frontiers in Science Program, reported the existence of a human homologue of Toll and showed that the intracytoplasmic domain of this Toll-like receptor could signal to NF-kB when transfected into a cultured cell line. Significantly though, Janeway and Medzhitov had transfected a contruct in which the extracytoplasmic domain was a CD4 ectodomain consisting of immunoglobulin folds, and their studies did not reveal the receptor's specificity or function.
In parallel to the development of the studies of mammalian TLRs, the Hoffmann group pursued their interests in Drosophila Tolls which by then had appeared to number nine distinct family members. They were initially excited about to the idea that these individual Tolls could bind distinct microbial ligands and signal to NF-kB to direct the expression of various immune-response genes. However, it became clear that -at least as far the control of antimicrobial peptide genes in the systemic response is concerned- only Toll itself plays a role. All Toll receptors, it should be stressed, have tightly regulated, tissue -and stage- specific patterns of expression during embryogenesis and in larval development and are primarily involved in various facets of development. Apparently, only Toll amongst the whole family, has been recruited to actively direct expression of antimicrobial peptides destined to be released into the blood of the fly (systemic immune response, as opposed to epithelial barrier response). Furthermore, the data indicated that Toll activation during the immune defense of Drosophila is mediated by the processed form of the cytokine Spaetzle, but not by direct interaction with microbial ligands. In the terminology coined by the late C. Janeway, Toll does therefore not qualify as a bona fide "pattern recognition receptor", in contrast to the situation which prevails for mammalian TLRs (see below).
The latter observation raised the question as to which protein served the recognition function of microbes during infection. It was only in 2001 that the Hoffmann group was able to generate a mutant fly which failed to activate Toll in response to Gram-positive bacterial infection. The unbiaised ethyl-methyl-sulfonate induced mutation in this fly line appeared to affect a gene encoding a member of a family of proteins initially discovered in the blood of Lepidoptera through its binding to bacterial peptidoglycan, hence the name of Peptidoglycan Recognition Proteins ( PGRP). The Drosophila genome contains 13 genes coding for members of the PGRP family and the newly generated mutation which affected recognition of Gram-positive bacteria, had changed a conserved cysteine to a tyrosine in the family member PGRP-SA. Interestingly, mammals including humans, also express PGRPs. Mice in which genes encoding PGRP members have been invalidated, show discrete immune phenotypes which are however not of the magnitude with which knock-outs of some of the Drosophila PGRP family members impound on the host defense.
As early as the mid-nineties the studies of the Hoffmann laboratory had further revealed that the defenses to Gram-negative infection in Drosophila rely on a pathway independent from Toll which the authors named Imd (for Immune deficiency) pathway. The end effect of a complex intracellular signaling cascade, initiated by binding of Gram-negative bacterial peptidoglycan to a transmembrane receptor (PGRP-LC), is the phosphorylation and cleavage of the NF-kB family member Relish: this transactivator carries an inhibitory Cactus (IkB)-like domain in its C-terminal region and is evocative of the mammalian NF-kB family member p105. This pathway comprises gene products homologous (or similar) to mammalian RIP, FADD, the MAP3 kinase TAK1, IKKb and IKKg/NEMO. This contrasts with the Drosophila Toll signaling cascade, which lacks all the partners listed above. Overall, the Imd pathway is evocative of the mammalian TNF-µ receptor pathway and strikingly, overexpression of genes encoding upstream members of the Imd pathway can led to apoptosis of immune-responsive cells.
The sum of the data accumulated so far leads to a picture in which two distinct pathways regulate the expression of immune-responsive genes: the Toll pathway, which is triggered primarily by fungal and Gram-positive bacterial infection, and the Imd pathway which serves predominantly in the defense against Gram-negative bacterial aggressions. It should be stressed that each pathway controls the expression of several hundreds of genes. This list includes, but is by no means restricted to, the genes encoding the identified antimicrobial peptides. More than half of the induced genes are of unknown function, underlining that our understanding of the host defense is still very fragmentary.
The prevalent impression which has emerged is that the Drosophila and the mammalian immune pathways have evolved from a reduced number of common ancestral building blocks to their present configurations. Whether the parallels result from convergent evolution or reflect a common ancestry is difficult to decide at present.
Perception of microbes in mammals.
From the mammalian perspective, a different line of investigation was followed, but one with clear parallels to the insect studies described above, and one that converged with the insect research in a remarkable way. Mammals had been viewed as a model for the study of human infectious diseases for more than a century, and in the 1890s, Pfeiffer and Koch began to decipher the inherent toxicity of microbes and molecules derived from them. They identified a heat-stable toxin derived from Gram-negative bacteria, capable of causing shock and death in guinea pigs, mimicking the effects of an authentic infection. Termed "endotoxin," this substance was ultimately found to be equivalent to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the major glycolipid constituent of the outer leaflet of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. Herein lay the seeds of much future discovery, because a microbial molecule of defined structure could clearly trigger powerful inflammatory responses through receptor(s) yet unknown.
LPS is neither toxic to insects, nor to most vertebrates, but is toxic to most mammals, including mice and humans. The effects of LPS are mediated by macrophages, and specifically, by macrophage-derived cytokines, which collectively orchestrate the inflammatory response. In 1985, Beutler and colleagues isolated an LPS-induced cytokine now known as tumor necrosis factor, or TNF, and demonstrated its contribution to LPS-induced shock in mice. Subsequently TNF gene regulation was shown to depend upon NF-?B responsive motifs in the TNF promoter region. The TNF mRNA was also responsive to LPS induction, and translational activation of nearly 200-fold was reported, mediated by the 3'-untranslated region of the TNF mRNA and in particular, by the UA rich element common to the TNF mRNA and other mRNA molecules encoding inflammatory cytokines.
These observations provided molecular endpoints to be used in finding the LPS receptor, ultimately responsible for activating the macrophage. In 1990, Richard Ulevitch and his colleagues established that CD14, a glycosylphosphoinositide-anchored cell membrane protein expressed predominantly by macrophages, was important for LPS signaling as well. Because CD14 has no cytoplasmic domain, it was not immediately clear how the LPS signal might be transduced across the cell membrane. Ulevitch and colleagues noted that CD14 was a molecule composed of leucine-rich repeats, commenting on its similarity Toll, among other molecules. The significance of this observation was unclear at the time, however, and played no part in the search for a transmembrane element within an LPS receptor complex that could carry the LPS signal into the cytoplasm. Conventional biochemical methods were pursued in several laboratories in the search for such a molecule, but were unproductive.
The genetic option.
A non-redundant pathway for LPS recognition was shown to exist in the 1960s and 1970s when substrains of LPS-unresponsive mice (C3H/HeJ mice and C57BL/10ScCr mice) were identified, and the resistance phenotype was in both cases ascribed to spontaneous mutations affecting a single locus, eventually known as the Lps locus. All LPS responses were clearly dependent upon a single, crucial molecule. This molecule was widely envisioned as the "LPS receptor," though over the years, no evidence of such a receptor could be gleaned from binding studies, likely because of its low abundance and the hydrophobic character of the ligand molecule.
Importantly, experiments with the C3H/HeJ mouse revealed that LPS responses were beneficial in the context of a real infection. Mice that could not sense LPS were quickly overwhelmed when injected with small numbers of Gram-negative bacteria (which produce LPS), while mice that could sense LPS readily contained the infection. Both LPS-sensitive and LPS-resistance mice were competent to cope with Gram-positive microbes (which don't produce LPS). Hence, sensing LPS and responding to it during the first minutes following the inoculation of Gram-negative microbes determined the ultimate outcome of infection.
TNF production, measured by bioassay, was taken as the endpoint of the mammalian response to LPS, and used to positionally clone the Lps locus in the Beutler lab. On 2093 meioses, the locus was confined to a genomic interval approximately 2.6 Mb in length. A BAC and YAC contig was assembled to span the critical region. By shotgun sequencing, Beutler and colleagues identified a gene encoding one of several mammalian homologues of Toll: Toll-like receptor 4 (or TLR4). The gene in question was homologous, in part, to the IL-1 and IL-18 receptors. Further sequence analysis revealed that in C3H/HeJ mice, the gene was modified by a point mutation that altered the cytoplasmic domain of the protein. In C57BL/10ScCr mice, the gene was deleted. Hence, TLR4 was found to be essential for LPS sensing.
Like CD14, TLR4 was a leucine-rich repeat protein. The common motif structure suggested the possibility of a cooperative interaction, with both subunits contributing to a common receptor. Moreover, particularly given the immunological function of Toll in Drosophila, discovered in the Hoffmann lab, the identification of TLR4 as the signaling element of the LPS receptor suggested the likelihood that each of the divergent mammalian TLR paralogues might recognize a distinct subset of microbial ligands, activating a common set of molecular events within the cell, and driving a relatively stereotypic innate immune response. A total of five TLR paralogues were known in mammals in 1998, numbered TLR1 though TLR5. Today we know of 10 human TLRs, 12 mouse TLRs, and 13 TLRs in both species combined. And to a remarkable degree, the hypothesis just stated has been supported by experimental observations.
The subsequent knockout of the gene encoding TLR2 revealed a function in sensing bacterial lipopeptides and lipoteichoic acid. In turn, activating ligands for TLR9, TLR3, TLR7 and TLR8, and TLR5 were identified. TLRs 1 and 6 were shown to contribute to TLR2-mediated sensing by forming heterodimeric complexes with TLR2. TLR1 was required for tri-acyl lipopeptide sensing, while TLR6 was required for diacyl lipopeptide sensing. TLR9 detects DNA of either microbial or host origin, TLR3 detects poly I:C (a mimetic of dsRNA), and TLR7 and TLR8 detect ssRNA or nucleotide-based drugs such as resiquimod (only TLR7, and not TLR8, is active in the mouse).
Accessory subunits contribute to the receptor complexes in some cases. For example, TLR4 signaling depends upon MD-2 (a small protein with a hydrophobic pocket for ligand binding), which binds to the TLR4 ectodomain and may be required not only for initial sensing of LPS but also to permit surface expression of TLR4. CD14 assists in TLR2 signaling and is entirely required for perception of smooth (highly glycosylated) LPS via TLR4. CD36 assists in diacyl lipopeptide sensing. Other cofactors for signaling may also exist.
TLRs are believed to operate as functional dimers, and the overall subunit structure of TLRs is believed to be that of a curved solenoid, or horseshoe, and to the present time, crystallographic models of the ectodomains of TLR2/1, TLR2/6, TLR4/MD-2, and TLR3 have been published. In the case of the TLR2 and TLR4 complexes, a rational explanation for ligand engagement has been offered. The exact molecular events that transpire on the cytoplasmic side of the membrane following activation have not been elucidated.
The range of microbes detected by TLRs
While TLRs 1, 2, 4, and 6 were initially found to recognize components of bacteria and fungi, it later became apparent that the TLR4 complex could recognize viral proteins as well (for example, the env glycoprotein of MMTV, the F protein of RSV, and the G protein of VSV). Later it became clear that TLR signaling leads to the detection of viral nucleic acids as well. Particularly in the case of herpesviruses (MCMV and HSV), immunocompromise results from inadequacy of TLR signaling.
The TLRs are therefore responsible for restricting the growth of many different kinds of microbes. Mice lacking all TLR signaling as a result of mutations in the adapter proteins MyD88 and TRIF (see below) often die of opportunistic infections before weaning, and are difficult to maintain as a stock, although it is possible to do so with effort. If they do manage to survive for several weeks, TLR signaling ablated mice become increasingly resistant to spontaneous infection, consistent with the interpretation that adaptive immune function becomes more and more effective at protecting them independent of innate function.
It is fair to conclude that the mammalian TLRs are a major arm of innate immune perception, though not unique in this role. Some microbes appear to be countered by the NOD/NALP proteins, and others by the RIG-I-like helicases (two distinct classes of cytoplasmic sensors). A full consideration of these pathways is beyond the scope of discussion here, but it may be said that a remarkably small number of protein sensors ignite the most powerful inflammatory responses we know, and prevent small infections from growing out of control prior to the initiation of an adaptive immune response. Where TLR signaling is concerned, the same biochemical pathways that assure survival following the introduction of small numbers of microbes mediate shock and death when infection is out of control.
The role of TLRs in adaptive immunity.
Although numerous papers attest to a requirement for TLRs in the activation of an adaptive immune response, and although there is no doubt that TLRs mediate the adjuvant effect of LPS and a few other molecules of microbial origin that have been known to be adjuvants for many decades, there is no essential need for TLRs in the genesis of an adaptive immune response. In mutant mice with no TLR signaling potential, the production of class-switched immunoglobulins proceeds to the extent that total Ig levels are normal. Antibody responses to defined antigens are normal with all adjuvants tested (including complete Freund's adjuvant, which contains whole mycobacteria emulsified in oil ), and so too is the antibody response to live pathogens; likewise the memory B cell response. Allograft rejection is also unimpaired. On this basis, it may be said that while innate immunity truly depends upon TLR activation, adaptive immunity does not.
Forward Genetics in Mice and the Elucidation of TLR Signaling Pathways
Beginning in the year 2000, a phenotype-driven genetic strategy has been pursued to examine TLR signaling pathways, and to look broadly at molecules required for host defense. The forward screening approach has been carried to considerable depth, and has grown increasingly productive as the speed of positional cloning has accelerated due to technical improvements and its cost has declined.
TLRs were initially shown to signal in part via a cytoplasmic adapter protein termed MyD88 and MAL (also known as Tirap). A mutation produced in the Beutler laboratory, termed Lps2, disclosed a new signaling adapter, now known as TRIF, that works independently of MyD88 and Tirap to carry signals from TLR4 and TLR3. Additional work disclosed a fourth adapter, now known as TRAM, which serves only TLR4. When MyD88 and TRIF mutations were combined, it was found that no TLR signaling could occur, and that mice were severely immunodeficient although they retain adequate adaptive immune responses.
Other mutations revealed that the TLR2/TLR6 complex requires CD36 in order to detect some of its ligands; also that TLRs 3, 7, and 9 (the nucleic acid sensing TLRs) all depend upon a multispanning membrane protein called UNC-93B, which may support trafficking of the TLRs to their proper location within the cell. Still another mutation established that CD14, once known as a component of the TLR4 signaling apparatus, participates in TLR2 complex signaling as well. In all, 18 mutations affecting TLR signal transduction have been created in the Beutler laboratory, and most of them have been positionally cloned. Other mutations, identified in screens for susceptibility to mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) have allowed the construction of a "map" of those processes that permit mice to contain this pathogen.
Flies, mice and the future of innate immunity.
What conclusions can be drawn based on the genetic analysis of innate immunity? First, that it is conserved to a remarkable degree. Although pathways have been sundered by 800 million years of divergence, almost every element of the Toll and Imd pathways is represented in one form or another in mammals, and the great majority of mammalian sensing and signaling proteins have their counterparts in insects. Second, innate immunity has gained a status equal to adaptive immunity with regard to its overall importance in host defense. Third, the most powerful inflammatory responses we know can be traced to a small number of receptors, which represent a biological "bottleneck." This has enormous implications for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases, some of which do indeed seem to be driven by TLR signaling.
Further Reading
1. Lemaitre, B. and Hoffmann, J.A. The Host Defense of Drosophila Annu.Rev.Immunol. 25, 697-743, 2007
2. Hoffmann, J.A. Antifungal defense in Drosophila, Nature Immunology, 8 (6),
543-547, 2007
3. Ferrandon,D., Imler,J.L., Hetru,C., & Hoffmann,J.A. The Drosophila systemic immune response: sensing and signalling during bacterial and fungal infections. Nat. Rev. Immunol. 7, 862-874 (2007).
4. Beutler,B. et al. Genetic analysis of resistance to viral infection. Nat. Rev. Immunol. 7, 753-766 (2007).
5. Beutler,B. et al. Genetic analysis of host resistance: Toll-Like receptor signaling and immunity at large. Annu. Rev. Immunol. 24, 353-389 (2006).
6. Beutler,B. & Rietschel,E.T. Timeline: Innate immune sensing and its roots: the story of endotoxin. Nat. Rev. Immunol 3, 169-176 (2003).
Internationale Balzan Stiftung "Fonds"
The fundamental challenges.
Infections have always been among the principal causes of death in the human species. In the developed world, microbes may be perceived as "manageable" because sanitation, immunization, and antibiotics hold them in abeyance. But great plagues may lie before us, and our practical success in the prevention and treatment of infection belies the fact that we have much to learn about how immunity operates.
The 20th century witnessed tremendous progress in our understanding of adaptive immunity: the lymphocyte-based system of clonal reactivity and expansion that leads to the production of antibodies by B cells, and to the proliferation of cytotoxic T cells that hold infection in check. Adaptive immunity is remarkable because of its "anticipatory" quality (antibodies can be fashioned against almost any molecular structure including those that do not exist in nature), its exquisite specificity, and because of memory: the ability to mount a faster and stronger response to foreign molecules that we have encountered previously. But immunologists have known that much of our resistance to microbes has nothing at all to do with lymphocytes. Rather, resistance to most microbes is heritable and multifaceted, depending upon neutrophils, macrophages, other phagocytic cells, and upon widely expressed cell-autonomous immune processes. Collectively, this heritable system of defense has been termed innate immunity.
The molecular basis of innate immune recognition remained obscure until recently, and was sought both in insects and in mammals. The small number of molecules that form microbe detection systems, and their clear importance in the initiation of powerful inflammatory responses, have surprised many of us. Moreover, the new understanding as to how infections are perceived by the host within the first minutes following inoculation has wrought major changes in the science of immunology.
Drosophila host defense: a paradigm for innate immunity
Since the beginning of the 20th century, it has been known that insects are highly resistant to microbial infections. Furthermore, it had been established at that time that septic injury leads to the appearance in the cell-free hemolymph (blood) of a significant antimicrobial activity. It took a half century until the first molecules accounting for this inducible antimicrobial activity were characterized in immune-challenged pupae of the Lepidopteran species Hyalophora cecropia by H. Boman on Sweden. These molecules turned out to be cationic, membrane-active peptides. Studies in other insect species and, more generally, on a variety of metazoans including mice and humans, have since shown that the synthesis of antimicrobial peptides is a general phenomenon of the innate host defense.
In the early nineties, the Hoffmann laboratory started the investigation of the antimicrobial defense of Drosophila, with the hope of using the remarkable possibilities offered by Drosophila genetics to decipher the molecular mechanisms of this efficient defense. Relying on a combination of physico-chemical methods and molecular genetics, they first set out to identify the antimicrobial molecules induced in response to septic injury in the fly. They were able to identify seven distinct inducible antimicrobial peptides (or peptide families). These molecules appear to be structurally diverse with activity spectra directed against fungi or against Gram-positive and/or Gram-negative bacteria. The predominant site of biosynthesis of these peptides is the fat body, a functional equivalent of the mammalian liver. Following their synthesis, the peptides are secreted into the circulating hemolymph where their total concentrations can reach values as high as 0,4 mM. It is assumed that the combined activities of the seven distinct groups of antimicrobial peptides largely contribute to the successful blocking of the growth of the invading microorganisms.
When Hoffmann and colleagues analysed in the early nineties the promoter regions of the gene encoding the antimicrobial peptide diptericin, they noted the presence of nucleotide motifs similar to mammalian binding sites for the inducible transactivator NF-kB, reportedly one of the major regulators of immune gene expression in mammals. Mutation of the Drosophila nucleotide sequences similar to NF-kB response elements abolished the inducibility of the diptericin gene. Subsequent studies established that the presence of functional NF-kB response elements is a general phenomenon for the antibacterial peptide genes and in several instances their mandatory roles for challenge induced expression of these genes were confirmed.
These findings raised the tantalizing question whether an equivalent of an NF-kB based transcriptional control is involved in the antimicrobial response of Drosophila. At that time, it had been established that Drosophila produces a member of the NF-kB family, namely the protein Dorsal, which is involved in dorsoventral patterning in the early embryo. Dorsal was also known to be retained in the cytoplasm by binding to the NF-kB inhibitor Cactus. Furthermore, dissociation of Dorsal from its inhibitor, allowing for nuclear translocation of Dorsal and subsequent gene regulation, was understood to be dependent on activation of the transmembrane receptor Toll by a proteolytically cleaved form of the cysteine-knot cytokine-like protein Spaetzle.
The striking similarities between the activation of Dorsal during dorsoventral patterning in the Drosophila embryo and the cytokine-induced activation of NF-kB during inflammation in mammals (e.g. IL-1) induced the group to undertake an in-depth analysis of the antimicrobial defenses in flies mutant for genes of the embryonic regulatory cascade. A pivotal outcome of these studies, published in 1996, was the demonstration that the gene regulatory cascade Spaetzle-Toll-Cactus controls the resistance to fungal infections. It was later understood that this pertains also to the resistance to Gram-positive bacterial infections. This result had an exciting implication. The Toll receptor was indeed known to combine an extracellular domain of leucine-rich repeats to an intracellular Toll-Interleukin-Receptor (TIR) homology domain. LPS had been shown to bind to a leucine-rich repeat domain in the membrane protein CD14, and the TIR domain was known to signal to NF-kB in the case of IL-1. CD14 being glycosylphosphoinositide-anchored, cannot signal by itself to NF-kB. By demonstrating that the combination of an extracellular leucine-rich repeat domain to an intracellular TIR domain can mediate an NF-kB dependent immune response, the Drosophila data provided a conceptual framework for the control of innate immune defenses dependent on genome-encoded (versus rearranged) receptors of microbial ligands.
It had meantime become apparent that mammals produce a family of Toll-like receptors and a new field of study had opened in immunology. Although their existence was reported as early as 1994, such receptors had no known function in mammals. One year after the publication of the role of Toll in the antifungal response of Drosophila, C. Janeway and R. Medzhitov, with whom our group collaborated in the framework of a Human Frontiers in Science Program, reported the existence of a human homologue of Toll and showed that the intracytoplasmic domain of this Toll-like receptor could signal to NF-kB when transfected into a cultured cell line. Significantly though, Janeway and Medzhitov had transfected a contruct in which the extracytoplasmic domain was a CD4 ectodomain consisting of immunoglobulin folds, and their studies did not reveal the receptor's specificity or function.
In parallel to the development of the studies of mammalian TLRs, the Hoffmann group pursued their interests in Drosophila Tolls which by then had appeared to number nine distinct family members. They were initially excited about to the idea that these individual Tolls could bind distinct microbial ligands and signal to NF-kB to direct the expression of various immune-response genes. However, it became clear that -at least as far the control of antimicrobial peptide genes in the systemic response is concerned- only Toll itself plays a role. All Toll receptors, it should be stressed, have tightly regulated, tissue -and stage- specific patterns of expression during embryogenesis and in larval development and are primarily involved in various facets of development. Apparently, only Toll amongst the whole family, has been recruited to actively direct expression of antimicrobial peptides destined to be released into the blood of the fly (systemic immune response, as opposed to epithelial barrier response). Furthermore, the data indicated that Toll activation during the immune defense of Drosophila is mediated by the processed form of the cytokine Spaetzle, but not by direct interaction with microbial ligands. In the terminology coined by the late C. Janeway, Toll does therefore not qualify as a bona fide "pattern recognition receptor", in contrast to the situation which prevails for mammalian TLRs (see below).
The latter observation raised the question as to which protein served the recognition function of microbes during infection. It was only in 2001 that the Hoffmann group was able to generate a mutant fly which failed to activate Toll in response to Gram-positive bacterial infection. The unbiaised ethyl-methyl-sulfonate induced mutation in this fly line appeared to affect a gene encoding a member of a family of proteins initially discovered in the blood of Lepidoptera through its binding to bacterial peptidoglycan, hence the name of Peptidoglycan Recognition Proteins ( PGRP). The Drosophila genome contains 13 genes coding for members of the PGRP family and the newly generated mutation which affected recognition of Gram-positive bacteria, had changed a conserved cysteine to a tyrosine in the family member PGRP-SA. Interestingly, mammals including humans, also express PGRPs. Mice in which genes encoding PGRP members have been invalidated, show discrete immune phenotypes which are however not of the magnitude with which knock-outs of some of the Drosophila PGRP family members impound on the host defense.
As early as the mid-nineties the studies of the Hoffmann laboratory had further revealed that the defenses to Gram-negative infection in Drosophila rely on a pathway independent from Toll which the authors named Imd (for Immune deficiency) pathway. The end effect of a complex intracellular signaling cascade, initiated by binding of Gram-negative bacterial peptidoglycan to a transmembrane receptor (PGRP-LC), is the phosphorylation and cleavage of the NF-kB family member Relish: this transactivator carries an inhibitory Cactus (IkB)-like domain in its C-terminal region and is evocative of the mammalian NF-kB family member p105. This pathway comprises gene products homologous (or similar) to mammalian RIP, FADD, the MAP3 kinase TAK1, IKKb and IKKg/NEMO. This contrasts with the Drosophila Toll signaling cascade, which lacks all the partners listed above. Overall, the Imd pathway is evocative of the mammalian TNF-µ receptor pathway and strikingly, overexpression of genes encoding upstream members of the Imd pathway can led to apoptosis of immune-responsive cells.
The sum of the data accumulated so far leads to a picture in which two distinct pathways regulate the expression of immune-responsive genes: the Toll pathway, which is triggered primarily by fungal and Gram-positive bacterial infection, and the Imd pathway which serves predominantly in the defense against Gram-negative bacterial aggressions. It should be stressed that each pathway controls the expression of several hundreds of genes. This list includes, but is by no means restricted to, the genes encoding the identified antimicrobial peptides. More than half of the induced genes are of unknown function, underlining that our understanding of the host defense is still very fragmentary.
The prevalent impression which has emerged is that the Drosophila and the mammalian immune pathways have evolved from a reduced number of common ancestral building blocks to their present configurations. Whether the parallels result from convergent evolution or reflect a common ancestry is difficult to decide at present.
Perception of microbes in mammals.
From the mammalian perspective, a different line of investigation was followed, but one with clear parallels to the insect studies described above, and one that converged with the insect research in a remarkable way. Mammals had been viewed as a model for the study of human infectious diseases for more than a century, and in the 1890s, Pfeiffer and Koch began to decipher the inherent toxicity of microbes and molecules derived from them. They identified a heat-stable toxin derived from Gram-negative bacteria, capable of causing shock and death in guinea pigs, mimicking the effects of an authentic infection. Termed "endotoxin," this substance was ultimately found to be equivalent to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the major glycolipid constituent of the outer leaflet of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. Herein lay the seeds of much future discovery, because a microbial molecule of defined structure could clearly trigger powerful inflammatory responses through receptor(s) yet unknown.
LPS is neither toxic to insects, nor to most vertebrates, but is toxic to most mammals, including mice and humans. The effects of LPS are mediated by macrophages, and specifically, by macrophage-derived cytokines, which collectively orchestrate the inflammatory response. In 1985, Beutler and colleagues isolated an LPS-induced cytokine now known as tumor necrosis factor, or TNF, and demonstrated its contribution to LPS-induced shock in mice. Subsequently TNF gene regulation was shown to depend upon NF-?B responsive motifs in the TNF promoter region. The TNF mRNA was also responsive to LPS induction, and translational activation of nearly 200-fold was reported, mediated by the 3'-untranslated region of the TNF mRNA and in particular, by the UA rich element common to the TNF mRNA and other mRNA molecules encoding inflammatory cytokines.
These observations provided molecular endpoints to be used in finding the LPS receptor, ultimately responsible for activating the macrophage. In 1990, Richard Ulevitch and his colleagues established that CD14, a glycosylphosphoinositide-anchored cell membrane protein expressed predominantly by macrophages, was important for LPS signaling as well. Because CD14 has no cytoplasmic domain, it was not immediately clear how the LPS signal might be transduced across the cell membrane. Ulevitch and colleagues noted that CD14 was a molecule composed of leucine-rich repeats, commenting on its similarity Toll, among other molecules. The significance of this observation was unclear at the time, however, and played no part in the search for a transmembrane element within an LPS receptor complex that could carry the LPS signal into the cytoplasm. Conventional biochemical methods were pursued in several laboratories in the search for such a molecule, but were unproductive.
The genetic option.
A non-redundant pathway for LPS recognition was shown to exist in the 1960s and 1970s when substrains of LPS-unresponsive mice (C3H/HeJ mice and C57BL/10ScCr mice) were identified, and the resistance phenotype was in both cases ascribed to spontaneous mutations affecting a single locus, eventually known as the Lps locus. All LPS responses were clearly dependent upon a single, crucial molecule. This molecule was widely envisioned as the "LPS receptor," though over the years, no evidence of such a receptor could be gleaned from binding studies, likely because of its low abundance and the hydrophobic character of the ligand molecule.
Importantly, experiments with the C3H/HeJ mouse revealed that LPS responses were beneficial in the context of a real infection. Mice that could not sense LPS were quickly overwhelmed when injected with small numbers of Gram-negative bacteria (which produce LPS), while mice that could sense LPS readily contained the infection. Both LPS-sensitive and LPS-resistance mice were competent to cope with Gram-positive microbes (which don't produce LPS). Hence, sensing LPS and responding to it during the first minutes following the inoculation of Gram-negative microbes determined the ultimate outcome of infection.
TNF production, measured by bioassay, was taken as the endpoint of the mammalian response to LPS, and used to positionally clone the Lps locus in the Beutler lab. On 2093 meioses, the locus was confined to a genomic interval approximately 2.6 Mb in length. A BAC and YAC contig was assembled to span the critical region. By shotgun sequencing, Beutler and colleagues identified a gene encoding one of several mammalian homologues of Toll: Toll-like receptor 4 (or TLR4). The gene in question was homologous, in part, to the IL-1 and IL-18 receptors. Further sequence analysis revealed that in C3H/HeJ mice, the gene was modified by a point mutation that altered the cytoplasmic domain of the protein. In C57BL/10ScCr mice, the gene was deleted. Hence, TLR4 was found to be essential for LPS sensing.
Like CD14, TLR4 was a leucine-rich repeat protein. The common motif structure suggested the possibility of a cooperative interaction, with both subunits contributing to a common receptor. Moreover, particularly given the immunological function of Toll in Drosophila, discovered in the Hoffmann lab, the identification of TLR4 as the signaling element of the LPS receptor suggested the likelihood that each of the divergent mammalian TLR paralogues might recognize a distinct subset of microbial ligands, activating a common set of molecular events within the cell, and driving a relatively stereotypic innate immune response. A total of five TLR paralogues were known in mammals in 1998, numbered TLR1 though TLR5. Today we know of 10 human TLRs, 12 mouse TLRs, and 13 TLRs in both species combined. And to a remarkable degree, the hypothesis just stated has been supported by experimental observations.
The subsequent knockout of the gene encoding TLR2 revealed a function in sensing bacterial lipopeptides and lipoteichoic acid. In turn, activating ligands for TLR9, TLR3, TLR7 and TLR8, and TLR5 were identified. TLRs 1 and 6 were shown to contribute to TLR2-mediated sensing by forming heterodimeric complexes with TLR2. TLR1 was required for tri-acyl lipopeptide sensing, while TLR6 was required for diacyl lipopeptide sensing. TLR9 detects DNA of either microbial or host origin, TLR3 detects poly I:C (a mimetic of dsRNA), and TLR7 and TLR8 detect ssRNA or nucleotide-based drugs such as resiquimod (only TLR7, and not TLR8, is active in the mouse).
Accessory subunits contribute to the receptor complexes in some cases. For example, TLR4 signaling depends upon MD-2 (a small protein with a hydrophobic pocket for ligand binding), which binds to the TLR4 ectodomain and may be required not only for initial sensing of LPS but also to permit surface expression of TLR4. CD14 assists in TLR2 signaling and is entirely required for perception of smooth (highly glycosylated) LPS via TLR4. CD36 assists in diacyl lipopeptide sensing. Other cofactors for signaling may also exist.
TLRs are believed to operate as functional dimers, and the overall subunit structure of TLRs is believed to be that of a curved solenoid, or horseshoe, and to the present time, crystallographic models of the ectodomains of TLR2/1, TLR2/6, TLR4/MD-2, and TLR3 have been published. In the case of the TLR2 and TLR4 complexes, a rational explanation for ligand engagement has been offered. The exact molecular events that transpire on the cytoplasmic side of the membrane following activation have not been elucidated.
The range of microbes detected by TLRs
While TLRs 1, 2, 4, and 6 were initially found to recognize components of bacteria and fungi, it later became apparent that the TLR4 complex could recognize viral proteins as well (for example, the env glycoprotein of MMTV, the F protein of RSV, and the G protein of VSV). Later it became clear that TLR signaling leads to the detection of viral nucleic acids as well. Particularly in the case of herpesviruses (MCMV and HSV), immunocompromise results from inadequacy of TLR signaling.
The TLRs are therefore responsible for restricting the growth of many different kinds of microbes. Mice lacking all TLR signaling as a result of mutations in the adapter proteins MyD88 and TRIF (see below) often die of opportunistic infections before weaning, and are difficult to maintain as a stock, although it is possible to do so with effort. If they do manage to survive for several weeks, TLR signaling ablated mice become increasingly resistant to spontaneous infection, consistent with the interpretation that adaptive immune function becomes more and more effective at protecting them independent of innate function.
It is fair to conclude that the mammalian TLRs are a major arm of innate immune perception, though not unique in this role. Some microbes appear to be countered by the NOD/NALP proteins, and others by the RIG-I-like helicases (two distinct classes of cytoplasmic sensors). A full consideration of these pathways is beyond the scope of discussion here, but it may be said that a remarkably small number of protein sensors ignite the most powerful inflammatory responses we know, and prevent small infections from growing out of control prior to the initiation of an adaptive immune response. Where TLR signaling is concerned, the same biochemical pathways that assure survival following the introduction of small numbers of microbes mediate shock and death when infection is out of control.
The role of TLRs in adaptive immunity.
Although numerous papers attest to a requirement for TLRs in the activation of an adaptive immune response, and although there is no doubt that TLRs mediate the adjuvant effect of LPS and a few other molecules of microbial origin that have been known to be adjuvants for many decades, there is no essential need for TLRs in the genesis of an adaptive immune response. In mutant mice with no TLR signaling potential, the production of class-switched immunoglobulins proceeds to the extent that total Ig levels are normal. Antibody responses to defined antigens are normal with all adjuvants tested (including complete Freund's adjuvant, which contains whole mycobacteria emulsified in oil ), and so too is the antibody response to live pathogens; likewise the memory B cell response. Allograft rejection is also unimpaired. On this basis, it may be said that while innate immunity truly depends upon TLR activation, adaptive immunity does not.
Forward Genetics in Mice and the Elucidation of TLR Signaling Pathways
Beginning in the year 2000, a phenotype-driven genetic strategy has been pursued to examine TLR signaling pathways, and to look broadly at molecules required for host defense. The forward screening approach has been carried to considerable depth, and has grown increasingly productive as the speed of positional cloning has accelerated due to technical improvements and its cost has declined.
TLRs were initially shown to signal in part via a cytoplasmic adapter protein termed MyD88 and MAL (also known as Tirap). A mutation produced in the Beutler laboratory, termed Lps2, disclosed a new signaling adapter, now known as TRIF, that works independently of MyD88 and Tirap to carry signals from TLR4 and TLR3. Additional work disclosed a fourth adapter, now known as TRAM, which serves only TLR4. When MyD88 and TRIF mutations were combined, it was found that no TLR signaling could occur, and that mice were severely immunodeficient although they retain adequate adaptive immune responses.
Other mutations revealed that the TLR2/TLR6 complex requires CD36 in order to detect some of its ligands; also that TLRs 3, 7, and 9 (the nucleic acid sensing TLRs) all depend upon a multispanning membrane protein called UNC-93B, which may support trafficking of the TLRs to their proper location within the cell. Still another mutation established that CD14, once known as a component of the TLR4 signaling apparatus, participates in TLR2 complex signaling as well. In all, 18 mutations affecting TLR signal transduction have been created in the Beutler laboratory, and most of them have been positionally cloned. Other mutations, identified in screens for susceptibility to mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) have allowed the construction of a "map" of those processes that permit mice to contain this pathogen.
Flies, mice and the future of innate immunity.
What conclusions can be drawn based on the genetic analysis of innate immunity? First, that it is conserved to a remarkable degree. Although pathways have been sundered by 800 million years of divergence, almost every element of the Toll and Imd pathways is represented in one form or another in mammals, and the great majority of mammalian sensing and signaling proteins have their counterparts in insects. Second, innate immunity has gained a status equal to adaptive immunity with regard to its overall importance in host defense. Third, the most powerful inflammatory responses we know can be traced to a small number of receptors, which represent a biological "bottleneck." This has enormous implications for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases, some of which do indeed seem to be driven by TLR signaling.
Further Reading
1. Lemaitre, B. and Hoffmann, J.A. The Host Defense of Drosophila Annu.Rev.Immunol. 25, 697-743, 2007
2. Hoffmann, J.A. Antifungal defense in Drosophila, Nature Immunology, 8 (6),
543-547, 2007
3. Ferrandon,D., Imler,J.L., Hetru,C., & Hoffmann,J.A. The Drosophila systemic immune response: sensing and signalling during bacterial and fungal infections. Nat. Rev. Immunol. 7, 862-874 (2007).
4. Beutler,B. et al. Genetic analysis of resistance to viral infection. Nat. Rev. Immunol. 7, 753-766 (2007).
5. Beutler,B. et al. Genetic analysis of host resistance: Toll-Like receptor signaling and immunity at large. Annu. Rev. Immunol. 24, 353-389 (2006).
6. Beutler,B. & Rietschel,E.T. Timeline: Innate immune sensing and its roots: the story of endotoxin. Nat. Rev. Immunol 3, 169-176 (2003).
New Point-Of-Care Technology For Detecting Bloodstream Infections Unveiled
December 4th, 2007 by The MediNEWS Team
Researchers at the UC Davis Health System and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have entered into a collaborative effort to develop two ‘Point-Of-Care’ (POC) prototype instruments for the detection of pathogens causing bloodstream infections, one in hospital settings and the other, a field portable device, for disaster management camps. The team, led by Gerald Kost, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Director of the Point-of-Care Testing Center for Teaching and Research (POCT-CTR), will develop these novel devices using the elementary technologies of other LLNL-developed instruments, such as the Autonomous Pathogen Detection System, designed for protection against bioterrorism. The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) has already granted a fund of around $8.5 million for the development of these devices.
Researchers at the UC Davis Health System and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have entered into a collaborative effort to develop two ‘Point-Of-Care’ (POC) prototype instruments for the detection of pathogens causing bloodstream infections, one in hospital settings and the other, a field portable device, for disaster management camps. The team, led by Gerald Kost, Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Director of the Point-of-Care Testing Center for Teaching and Research (POCT-CTR), will develop these novel devices using the elementary technologies of other LLNL-developed instruments, such as the Autonomous Pathogen Detection System, designed for protection against bioterrorism. The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) has already granted a fund of around $8.5 million for the development of these devices.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
New kit cuts pathogen detection time down to hours
Scientists who claim to have developed what they say is the fastest food detector of its kind have received funding to mass produce their discovery.
Scientists who claim to have developed what they say is the fastest food detector of its kind have received funding to mass produce their discovery.
Scotland's Macaulay Institute said this week the scientists plan to roll out technology by 2010 that will cut detection times for food pathogens such as Campylobacter, Listeria and Salmonella to five hours from six days.
Cutting pathogen detection time is one of the holy grails of food microbiology. Brining down detection times to hours can help managers prevent contaminated foods from reaching consumers.
Brajesh Singh, who leads the project at the Institue, said the new technology could prevent many food poisoning outbreaks.
"The conventional methods for detecting food contamination used by industries and regulatory agencies are labour intensive, time consuming and costly," he stated.
"Our proposed technology offers for the first time, at low cost, the simultaneous detection of multiple contaminants within five to eight hours, and has the potential to revolutionise the food safety industry and save lives through prevention of food poisoning epidemics."
Seeded with £246,000 from the Scottish Enterprise's 'Proof of Concept' programme, the scientists aim is sell the detection kit worldwide by 2010 via a spin-out company.
The new company will also provide food sample analyse services and develop other similar technologies.
The test kit works by analysing a food sample for specific food pathogens, the Macaulay Institute stated.
The kit can be used to detect multiple microbial contaminants in food, water and environmental samples.
"This unique method allows dual detection of pathogens and determines if they are capable of producing toxins or whether they have antibiotic resistance," the Institute added. "It offers improved diagnostic potential to identify the source of contamination and therefore save lives."
Singh stated that the device is sensitive enough to accurately determine the level of contamination - which is a limitation of present methodologies.
"We believe that this technology provides a real opportunity to make Scotland a world-leader in microbial diagnostics and industrial microbiology," he stated.
While the new company will initially focus on contaminant detection in food and the environment, the kit has wider applications and will be attractive to healthcare, forensic and remediation industries, he noted.
"The project will allow Scotland to compete with North America and Continental Europe in this growing market, which estimates suggest will be worth US$2.4 billion by 2010 for the food sector alone," he stated.
The scientists will used the funding to develop a proof of concept, then once the technology is adjusted it will be licensed to a range of industries or service providers in microbial diagnostics.
The detection technology will also be marketed through a spin-off company that will manufacture the necessary kits and create a service centre for the UK.
The project also involves Colin Campbell and Fiona Moore of the Macaulay Institute, and Iain Ogden from the University of Aberdeen.
Scientists who claim to have developed what they say is the fastest food detector of its kind have received funding to mass produce their discovery.
Scotland's Macaulay Institute said this week the scientists plan to roll out technology by 2010 that will cut detection times for food pathogens such as Campylobacter, Listeria and Salmonella to five hours from six days.
Cutting pathogen detection time is one of the holy grails of food microbiology. Brining down detection times to hours can help managers prevent contaminated foods from reaching consumers.
Brajesh Singh, who leads the project at the Institue, said the new technology could prevent many food poisoning outbreaks.
"The conventional methods for detecting food contamination used by industries and regulatory agencies are labour intensive, time consuming and costly," he stated.
"Our proposed technology offers for the first time, at low cost, the simultaneous detection of multiple contaminants within five to eight hours, and has the potential to revolutionise the food safety industry and save lives through prevention of food poisoning epidemics."
Seeded with £246,000 from the Scottish Enterprise's 'Proof of Concept' programme, the scientists aim is sell the detection kit worldwide by 2010 via a spin-out company.
The new company will also provide food sample analyse services and develop other similar technologies.
The test kit works by analysing a food sample for specific food pathogens, the Macaulay Institute stated.
The kit can be used to detect multiple microbial contaminants in food, water and environmental samples.
"This unique method allows dual detection of pathogens and determines if they are capable of producing toxins or whether they have antibiotic resistance," the Institute added. "It offers improved diagnostic potential to identify the source of contamination and therefore save lives."
Singh stated that the device is sensitive enough to accurately determine the level of contamination - which is a limitation of present methodologies.
"We believe that this technology provides a real opportunity to make Scotland a world-leader in microbial diagnostics and industrial microbiology," he stated.
While the new company will initially focus on contaminant detection in food and the environment, the kit has wider applications and will be attractive to healthcare, forensic and remediation industries, he noted.
"The project will allow Scotland to compete with North America and Continental Europe in this growing market, which estimates suggest will be worth US$2.4 billion by 2010 for the food sector alone," he stated.
The scientists will used the funding to develop a proof of concept, then once the technology is adjusted it will be licensed to a range of industries or service providers in microbial diagnostics.
The detection technology will also be marketed through a spin-off company that will manufacture the necessary kits and create a service centre for the UK.
The project also involves Colin Campbell and Fiona Moore of the Macaulay Institute, and Iain Ogden from the University of Aberdeen.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
UB receives IGERT grant
WNY ecosystems to benefit from doctoral training program
By ELLEN GOLDBAUM
Contributing Editor
UB has received a prestigious $3.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to train a new generation of environmental experts using the ecological treasures of Western New York and the Great Lakes Basin as a “living laboratory.”
From Niagara Falls to the Southern Tier, some of Western New York’s lakes, rivers, creeks and shorelines will benefit from the new doctoral program, which will involve students in research projects focused on restoring ecosystems in the region.
Potential projects include evaluating the success of local stream restoration, assessing indices designed to characterize ecosystem health in stressed urban environments, developing new simulation models for the Great Lakes and surrounding watersheds, evaluating how pharmaceuticals and personal care products discharged into sewers impact Lake Erie fish and comparing U.S., Canadian and Native American perspectives on assessing and restoring stressed ecosystems.
The 25 doctoral students selected for the Ecosystem Restoration Through Interdisciplinary Exchange (ERIE) program will be among the first in the nation to be trained with a strong foundation in the engineering, scientific and policy-making considerations involved in restoring ecosystems, regardless of the discipline they are studying.
“The primary goal of any training grant at UB is to train world-class scientists,” said Satish K. Tripathi, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “This particular grant will be training pioneering researchers in interdisciplinary methods that are directly applicable to Western New York. In that sense, it is not only the program’s ambitious graduate students who will benefit from this grant, but also the rich, natural landscape of Western New York that we are privileged to call ‘home.’”
The UB grant is one of just 20 awarded nationally this year in NSF's Integrative Graduate Education Research and Traineeship (IGERT) program. UB previously received IGERTs in geographic information science and biophotonics. The program’s goal is to immerse doctoral students in interdisciplinary environments so that when they graduate they bring strong collaborative skills to their positions in research and industry.
“Ecosystem restoration is inherently complex because ecosystems are complex,” said Alan Rabideau, professor of civil, structural and environmental engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and principal investigator on ERIE. “The design process must address the hydrology, ecology and the social and political environment where an ecosystem is located.”
Students in ERIE will have the opportunity to work with faculty in seven different departments in the engineering school and in the College of Arts and Sciences. They also may work with faculty in the UB Law School and at Buffalo State College, Niagara University and several Canadian universities.
Unlike many graduate programs in related fields, ERIE integrates social and policy considerations throughout the program to train scientists who are sensitive to the broad range of values and cultures in a diverse community such as Western New York.
“The goal is that graduates will innately be drawn to socially relevant problems and will have the interdisciplinary perspective to tackle them,” said Rabideau.
Students also will benefit from the project’s partnerships and internships with more than 16 local organizations, including the environmental programs of the Tuscarora Nation, Seneca Nation of Indians and St. Regis Mohawk Tribe; Buffalo/Niagara Riverkeeper; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and U.S. and Canadian environmental agencies.
In addition, ERIE students will have the opportunity to work with Western New York’s Native American tribes on research projects.
“The National Science Foundation recognizes that in order to clean up the environment, you must engage communities,” said Don Grinde, professor and chair of the Department of American Studies and a co-principal investigator.
Grinde, a historian of the environment, author of “Eocide of Native America: Environmental Destruction of Indian Lands and Peoples” (1995) and a Yamasee Indian, noted that several of the watersheds that will be studied under the IGERT grant, such as Cattaraugus Creek, the Niagara River and the Allegheny River, flow through or abut Indian reservations.
“This grant will engage Native American perspectives on the environment, which have traditionally differed from and conflicted with Western ideas about it,” Grinde said.
Students who are accepted into the program through the Department of American Studies, which has a strong Native American studies component, will focus on environmental policy and human ecology.
The idea for ERIE grew out of work that Rabideau and his colleagues have done on stream restoration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Ecology and Environment, an environmental consulting firm.
It also grew out of partnerships forged by UB engineers, scientists and legal scholars in an attempt to address the critical gaps in restoring ecosystems.
“Right now, numerous techniques are being used to restore ecosystems locally and nationally,” said Rabideau, an expert in environmental modeling. “This somewhat ad hoc approach makes it difficult to generalize and improve our predictions of how ecosystems will respond to human intervention. While numerous restoration projects are being implemented by the federal and local governments across North America, the supporting science is still relatively young.”
Students accepted into the ERIE program will help develop and evaluate that science through new methods, such as performance metrics and models, to systematically evaluate the benefit of specific changes made to ecosystems.
“While hydrologists worry about how the water flows in a stream or creek, ecologists worry about how changes in those flows affect the fish and other organisms that live in those waters,” said Rabideau. “In many cases, the ecologists and the hydrologists don’t fully understand the other’s perspective.”
Political and economic considerations add yet another layer of complexity and potential conflict to ecosystem restoration projects, he said.
“This program is unique because it thoroughly integrates science, engineering, public policy and traditional Native American approaches, while also focusing on the importance of educating all of the affected communities in the region,” Rabideau said.
Students will gain experience in translating their research into public education through partnerships with K-12 science teachers at the Native American Magnet School and Seneca Math/Science Technology School in the Buffalo Public Schools. They also will undergo formal training with UB’s NSF-funded Center for Case Study Teaching in Science.
The grant will pay tuition and a $30,000-a-year stipend for two years of doctoral study, plus provide funds for research, travel and internships. Additional support will be provided by the student’s home department.
Applications are now being accepted. Students in the first ERIE class will be admitted early in 2008, and begin their doctoral studies in September.
For more information on the grant and to apply, go to the ERIE Web site.
ERIE grew out of collaborations that were supported by UB seed grants from the Interdisciplinary Research and Creative Activities Fund of the Office of the Vice President for Research, the Regional Institute, the Environment and Society Institute, and the Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy.
By ELLEN GOLDBAUM
Contributing Editor
UB has received a prestigious $3.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to train a new generation of environmental experts using the ecological treasures of Western New York and the Great Lakes Basin as a “living laboratory.”
From Niagara Falls to the Southern Tier, some of Western New York’s lakes, rivers, creeks and shorelines will benefit from the new doctoral program, which will involve students in research projects focused on restoring ecosystems in the region.
Potential projects include evaluating the success of local stream restoration, assessing indices designed to characterize ecosystem health in stressed urban environments, developing new simulation models for the Great Lakes and surrounding watersheds, evaluating how pharmaceuticals and personal care products discharged into sewers impact Lake Erie fish and comparing U.S., Canadian and Native American perspectives on assessing and restoring stressed ecosystems.
The 25 doctoral students selected for the Ecosystem Restoration Through Interdisciplinary Exchange (ERIE) program will be among the first in the nation to be trained with a strong foundation in the engineering, scientific and policy-making considerations involved in restoring ecosystems, regardless of the discipline they are studying.
“The primary goal of any training grant at UB is to train world-class scientists,” said Satish K. Tripathi, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “This particular grant will be training pioneering researchers in interdisciplinary methods that are directly applicable to Western New York. In that sense, it is not only the program’s ambitious graduate students who will benefit from this grant, but also the rich, natural landscape of Western New York that we are privileged to call ‘home.’”
The UB grant is one of just 20 awarded nationally this year in NSF's Integrative Graduate Education Research and Traineeship (IGERT) program. UB previously received IGERTs in geographic information science and biophotonics. The program’s goal is to immerse doctoral students in interdisciplinary environments so that when they graduate they bring strong collaborative skills to their positions in research and industry.
“Ecosystem restoration is inherently complex because ecosystems are complex,” said Alan Rabideau, professor of civil, structural and environmental engineering in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and principal investigator on ERIE. “The design process must address the hydrology, ecology and the social and political environment where an ecosystem is located.”
Students in ERIE will have the opportunity to work with faculty in seven different departments in the engineering school and in the College of Arts and Sciences. They also may work with faculty in the UB Law School and at Buffalo State College, Niagara University and several Canadian universities.
Unlike many graduate programs in related fields, ERIE integrates social and policy considerations throughout the program to train scientists who are sensitive to the broad range of values and cultures in a diverse community such as Western New York.
“The goal is that graduates will innately be drawn to socially relevant problems and will have the interdisciplinary perspective to tackle them,” said Rabideau.
Students also will benefit from the project’s partnerships and internships with more than 16 local organizations, including the environmental programs of the Tuscarora Nation, Seneca Nation of Indians and St. Regis Mohawk Tribe; Buffalo/Niagara Riverkeeper; the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; and U.S. and Canadian environmental agencies.
In addition, ERIE students will have the opportunity to work with Western New York’s Native American tribes on research projects.
“The National Science Foundation recognizes that in order to clean up the environment, you must engage communities,” said Don Grinde, professor and chair of the Department of American Studies and a co-principal investigator.
Grinde, a historian of the environment, author of “Eocide of Native America: Environmental Destruction of Indian Lands and Peoples” (1995) and a Yamasee Indian, noted that several of the watersheds that will be studied under the IGERT grant, such as Cattaraugus Creek, the Niagara River and the Allegheny River, flow through or abut Indian reservations.
“This grant will engage Native American perspectives on the environment, which have traditionally differed from and conflicted with Western ideas about it,” Grinde said.
Students who are accepted into the program through the Department of American Studies, which has a strong Native American studies component, will focus on environmental policy and human ecology.
The idea for ERIE grew out of work that Rabideau and his colleagues have done on stream restoration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Ecology and Environment, an environmental consulting firm.
It also grew out of partnerships forged by UB engineers, scientists and legal scholars in an attempt to address the critical gaps in restoring ecosystems.
“Right now, numerous techniques are being used to restore ecosystems locally and nationally,” said Rabideau, an expert in environmental modeling. “This somewhat ad hoc approach makes it difficult to generalize and improve our predictions of how ecosystems will respond to human intervention. While numerous restoration projects are being implemented by the federal and local governments across North America, the supporting science is still relatively young.”
Students accepted into the ERIE program will help develop and evaluate that science through new methods, such as performance metrics and models, to systematically evaluate the benefit of specific changes made to ecosystems.
“While hydrologists worry about how the water flows in a stream or creek, ecologists worry about how changes in those flows affect the fish and other organisms that live in those waters,” said Rabideau. “In many cases, the ecologists and the hydrologists don’t fully understand the other’s perspective.”
Political and economic considerations add yet another layer of complexity and potential conflict to ecosystem restoration projects, he said.
“This program is unique because it thoroughly integrates science, engineering, public policy and traditional Native American approaches, while also focusing on the importance of educating all of the affected communities in the region,” Rabideau said.
Students will gain experience in translating their research into public education through partnerships with K-12 science teachers at the Native American Magnet School and Seneca Math/Science Technology School in the Buffalo Public Schools. They also will undergo formal training with UB’s NSF-funded Center for Case Study Teaching in Science.
The grant will pay tuition and a $30,000-a-year stipend for two years of doctoral study, plus provide funds for research, travel and internships. Additional support will be provided by the student’s home department.
Applications are now being accepted. Students in the first ERIE class will be admitted early in 2008, and begin their doctoral studies in September.
For more information on the grant and to apply, go to the ERIE Web site.
ERIE grew out of collaborations that were supported by UB seed grants from the Interdisciplinary Research and Creative Activities Fund of the Office of the Vice President for Research, the Regional Institute, the Environment and Society Institute, and the Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy.
Hot Topics, Bright Minds at Photonics West 2008
The hottest topics, trends and developments in biomedical optics, lasers, LEDs, fiber optic components and devices, nanotechnology, microfabrication and more will be presented during Photonics West 2008, the most important North American exhibition on photonics technology. The six-day SPIE conference and exhibition is expected to draw more than 17,000 participants from 50 countries and will take place Jan. 19-24, 2008, at the San Jose Convention Center.
The brightest minds in the photonics industry will discuss their work, which represents the entire spectrum of photon-based technologies and research, during four symposia: BiOS, LASE, MOEMS/MEMS and OPTO. Approximately 3100 technical papers will be presented during 85 conferences, and 80 technical courses and workshops will be offered. The latest innovations in photonics products will also be on exhibit from 1100 participating companies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Photonics West 2008 will feature 85 conferences, 80 technical courses and workshops and the presentation of about 3100 technical papers on work representing the spectrum of photon-based technologies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The event begins with the two-day biomedical optics symposia, BiOS 2008, which draws more than 1500 attendees to the 1200 presentations on molecular imaging, therapeutic lasers, biomedical optics, nano- and biophotonics, biosensors and spectroscopic/microscopic imaging. The symposia and the exhibition of 150 companies provides the ideal venue for interacting with the early adopters of the newest biomedical technologies, as well as a launch pad for new applications and technologies in diagnostics, therapeutics and instrumentation.
Hot BiOS topics this year include: Progress in therapeutic lasers, imaging and treating cancer using gold nanoparticles, using diffuse optics to monitor and predict chemotherapy, photoacoustic microscopy and computed tomography, multidimensional fluorescence imaging and probing pancreatic disease using tissue optical spectroscopy. Those who should attend the event include medical and optical physicists, biomedical researchers, optical instrument developers, physicians, bioengineers, cancer therapists, equipment designers and pharmacologists.
Attendees of LASE 2008, Lasers and Applications in Science and Engineering, will hear the latest advances in basic laser device research and in laser materials, device and system engineering for various applications ranging from emerging nanotechnologies, microelectronic and photonic manufacturing and free-space communications to use on the industrial manufacturing floor. The conference that bridges the gap between laser science and practical source technology will include courses and presentations on laser source engineering, nonlinear optics, semiconductor lasers and LEDs, laser communication and propagation and laser micro- and nanoengineering and applications.
The LASE plenary session will feature talks by Dieter Bäuerle, at the Johannes Kepler University of Linz, Austria; Holger Schlueter, vice president, laser, Trumpf; and Henry F. Dylla, CEO and executive director of the American Institute of Physics in College Park, Md.
Bäuerle will speak on laser processing and chemistry and their applications in nanopatterning, material synthesis and biotechnology. In particular, he will discuss submicron- and nanopatterning of surfaces by means of nearfield optical techniques and by 2-D lattices of microlenses formed by self-organization processes. He will also speak on recent results in in the modification of material surfaces, and in particular of PTFE (Teflon) and its applications in biotechnology and medicine.
Schlueter will talk about three of Trumpf's laser case studies -- diffusion-cooled coaxial CO2 laser geometry, the thin-disk laser story and the saga of making high-power diode lasers the preferred method for solid-state laser pumping -- as part of his presentation, "The Long Journey from Idea to Industrial Success."
A case study of a kilowatt-class free electron laser (FEL), the world's most powerful tunable laser, will be presented by Dylla. He is the former Free Electron Laser Div. associate director and chief technology officer at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility.
A special session on extreme light will be held during LASE 2008 and will feature a presentation on particle acceleration by stimulated emission of radiation (PASER), a particle analog of the laser process first demonstrated by a team of physicists from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology using the accelerator facilities at Brookhaven National Lab.
Papers on the PASER will be presented in conjunction with the conference "Commercial and Biomedical Applications of Ultrafast Lasers VIII" and will be followed by a roundtable discussion, "Perspectives of Laser-Based Accelerators in Medicine and Biology," chaired by Levi Schachter, PhD, of Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1100 companies are expected to participate in the Photonics West 2008 exhibition.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also during LASE 2008, the technical group on laser communications will hold its annual meeting in conjunction with the Free-Space Laser Communication Technologies XX conference. All professionals involved in applications of free-space laser communications and supporting technologies are invited to participate in an open discussion on topics related to the challenges and advancement of the field. Members and visitors are invited to bring suggestions for discussion topics.
The symposia MEMS/MOEMS 2008 will feature the latest in micro- and nanofabrication to enable the mass-produced miniaturized electromechanical and optical products and systems of the future. During the plenary event, Michael Douglas, reliability engineer with Texas Instruments, will focus his talk on the reliability of MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) and MOEMS (micro-optoelectromechanical systems) and their potential applications in mobile media, consumer electronics, biomedicine and homeland security.
Optically transduced MEMS resonators will be the focus of a plenary presentation by Harold Craighead, director of the Nanobiotechnology Center at Cornell University; while Randy Sprague, chief engineer at Microvision, will discuss high-resolution, MEMS-based displays during his talk.
Each year, one of the sessions at MEMS/MOEMS illuminates an emerging area of interest. This year's focus will be on transducers at the micro-nano interface.
OPTO 2008 addresses the latest advances in a broad range of optoelectronic technologies and their integration for a variety of photonic applications. How optics and optoelectronic devices will play a major role in bringing about the "Tera Era" -- terabits, teraflops and terahertz -- will also be discussed.
Plenary session speakers will be Eli Yablonovitch, professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, who will discuss nanophotonics, from photonic crystals to plasmonics; and Niyazi Serdar Sariciftci, Ordinarius Professor for physical chemistry and the founding director of the Linzer Institut für organische Solarzellen (LIOS) at the Johannes Kepler University of Linz, who will speak on organic "plastic" optoelectronic devices.
For more information or to register, visit: http://spie.org/pw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
from photonics.com - 11/13/2007
http://www.photonics.com/content/tradeshows/2007/November/13/89716.aspx
The brightest minds in the photonics industry will discuss their work, which represents the entire spectrum of photon-based technologies and research, during four symposia: BiOS, LASE, MOEMS/MEMS and OPTO. Approximately 3100 technical papers will be presented during 85 conferences, and 80 technical courses and workshops will be offered. The latest innovations in photonics products will also be on exhibit from 1100 participating companies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Photonics West 2008 will feature 85 conferences, 80 technical courses and workshops and the presentation of about 3100 technical papers on work representing the spectrum of photon-based technologies.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The event begins with the two-day biomedical optics symposia, BiOS 2008, which draws more than 1500 attendees to the 1200 presentations on molecular imaging, therapeutic lasers, biomedical optics, nano- and biophotonics, biosensors and spectroscopic/microscopic imaging. The symposia and the exhibition of 150 companies provides the ideal venue for interacting with the early adopters of the newest biomedical technologies, as well as a launch pad for new applications and technologies in diagnostics, therapeutics and instrumentation.
Hot BiOS topics this year include: Progress in therapeutic lasers, imaging and treating cancer using gold nanoparticles, using diffuse optics to monitor and predict chemotherapy, photoacoustic microscopy and computed tomography, multidimensional fluorescence imaging and probing pancreatic disease using tissue optical spectroscopy. Those who should attend the event include medical and optical physicists, biomedical researchers, optical instrument developers, physicians, bioengineers, cancer therapists, equipment designers and pharmacologists.
Attendees of LASE 2008, Lasers and Applications in Science and Engineering, will hear the latest advances in basic laser device research and in laser materials, device and system engineering for various applications ranging from emerging nanotechnologies, microelectronic and photonic manufacturing and free-space communications to use on the industrial manufacturing floor. The conference that bridges the gap between laser science and practical source technology will include courses and presentations on laser source engineering, nonlinear optics, semiconductor lasers and LEDs, laser communication and propagation and laser micro- and nanoengineering and applications.
The LASE plenary session will feature talks by Dieter Bäuerle, at the Johannes Kepler University of Linz, Austria; Holger Schlueter, vice president, laser, Trumpf; and Henry F. Dylla, CEO and executive director of the American Institute of Physics in College Park, Md.
Bäuerle will speak on laser processing and chemistry and their applications in nanopatterning, material synthesis and biotechnology. In particular, he will discuss submicron- and nanopatterning of surfaces by means of nearfield optical techniques and by 2-D lattices of microlenses formed by self-organization processes. He will also speak on recent results in in the modification of material surfaces, and in particular of PTFE (Teflon) and its applications in biotechnology and medicine.
Schlueter will talk about three of Trumpf's laser case studies -- diffusion-cooled coaxial CO2 laser geometry, the thin-disk laser story and the saga of making high-power diode lasers the preferred method for solid-state laser pumping -- as part of his presentation, "The Long Journey from Idea to Industrial Success."
A case study of a kilowatt-class free electron laser (FEL), the world's most powerful tunable laser, will be presented by Dylla. He is the former Free Electron Laser Div. associate director and chief technology officer at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility.
A special session on extreme light will be held during LASE 2008 and will feature a presentation on particle acceleration by stimulated emission of radiation (PASER), a particle analog of the laser process first demonstrated by a team of physicists from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology using the accelerator facilities at Brookhaven National Lab.
Papers on the PASER will be presented in conjunction with the conference "Commercial and Biomedical Applications of Ultrafast Lasers VIII" and will be followed by a roundtable discussion, "Perspectives of Laser-Based Accelerators in Medicine and Biology," chaired by Levi Schachter, PhD, of Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1100 companies are expected to participate in the Photonics West 2008 exhibition.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Also during LASE 2008, the technical group on laser communications will hold its annual meeting in conjunction with the Free-Space Laser Communication Technologies XX conference. All professionals involved in applications of free-space laser communications and supporting technologies are invited to participate in an open discussion on topics related to the challenges and advancement of the field. Members and visitors are invited to bring suggestions for discussion topics.
The symposia MEMS/MOEMS 2008 will feature the latest in micro- and nanofabrication to enable the mass-produced miniaturized electromechanical and optical products and systems of the future. During the plenary event, Michael Douglas, reliability engineer with Texas Instruments, will focus his talk on the reliability of MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) and MOEMS (micro-optoelectromechanical systems) and their potential applications in mobile media, consumer electronics, biomedicine and homeland security.
Optically transduced MEMS resonators will be the focus of a plenary presentation by Harold Craighead, director of the Nanobiotechnology Center at Cornell University; while Randy Sprague, chief engineer at Microvision, will discuss high-resolution, MEMS-based displays during his talk.
Each year, one of the sessions at MEMS/MOEMS illuminates an emerging area of interest. This year's focus will be on transducers at the micro-nano interface.
OPTO 2008 addresses the latest advances in a broad range of optoelectronic technologies and their integration for a variety of photonic applications. How optics and optoelectronic devices will play a major role in bringing about the "Tera Era" -- terabits, teraflops and terahertz -- will also be discussed.
Plenary session speakers will be Eli Yablonovitch, professor of electrical engineering and computer sciences at the University of California, Berkeley, who will discuss nanophotonics, from photonic crystals to plasmonics; and Niyazi Serdar Sariciftci, Ordinarius Professor for physical chemistry and the founding director of the Linzer Institut für organische Solarzellen (LIOS) at the Johannes Kepler University of Linz, who will speak on organic "plastic" optoelectronic devices.
For more information or to register, visit: http://spie.org/pw
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
from photonics.com - 11/13/2007
http://www.photonics.com/content/tradeshows/2007/November/13/89716.aspx
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Water as our most precious resource
By Lorne Bell - Monday December 3 2007
Many experts consider water a more precious resource than oil.Promoting collaboration for conservation technology
As the price of oil nears $100 a barrel, it’s hard to imagine a natural resource with more global economic and social import. But at a conference hosted by the New England Israel Business Council (NEIBC) last week, it was water, not crude, that took center stage. “Water: More Precious than Oil: Challenges, Management and Investment Opportunities” brought together experts from the U.S. and Israel to discuss opportunities for improving water management and conservation through investment in business and technology.
“In Israel, we cannot separate the scarcity and management of water resources from the regional problem,” said Shimon Tal, former water commissioner of Israel and one of the event’s panelists. “Water technology is being developed whenever there is a necessity, and we have a lot of experience and have developed a lot of technology for the efficient use of water.”
Israel has emerged as one of the world’s leaders in water conservation and management. Federal policies regulating the nation’s scarce water resources have led to advances in water-friendly “drip irrigation” practices, and the extensive implementation of water reclamation technologies. As a result, nearly 64 percent of Israel’s wastewater is treated and reclaimed every year, according to the Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection.
“Israel, out of necessity, is a hotbed of new ideas and technologies that could be tapped worldwide,” said Natan Parsons, national water chairman for Jewish National Fund and a panelist at last week’s conference. “We are looking to Israel as a source for innovation and the future thrust into applicable technology in the ‘water world.’”
As JNF’s water chairman, Parsons oversees and assesses water related projects in Israel. He said the arid climate and extreme water scarcity have rendered the Jewish state an ideal laboratory for water conservation projects, and a useful resource for learning about sustainable conservation technology.
Yuval Malinsky, president of the NEIBC, agreed.
“There are many ways this partnership can work and be very fruitful,” he said. “We have fabulous research institutions, especially here in New England, and collaboration between researchers in the field here and in Israel could lead to better products, technologies and solutions.”
Although New England does not face the water scarcity that Israel does, many states in the U.S. are experiencing severe drought and water shortages. Malinsky believes both nations have much to gain from sharing their expertise and garnering investments from the business world.
But solving the planet’s water crises will take significant investments of time.
“We’ve done a good job of screwing it up, when it comes to polluting the potable water resources we have in the world,” said Parsons. “[In terms of water policies,] I expect you’ll see incremental, evolving changes over a very long time.”
According to Parsons, those changes will require upgrading our country’s aging water infrastructure, implementing reclamation technologies that clean and recycle wastewater, and, most importantly, educating the public about our most precious natural resource.
“Conservation needs to be ingrained through programs at the school level, and not by a person coming in to talk with facts and figures” he said. “Students need to be involved in an ongoing process where they see the impact of their actions.”
In Israel, students are doing just that. Fifteen schools have constructed rainwater harvesting systems where rooftop reservoirs supply buildings with potable water for toilets, sinks and irrigation. The projects, although small in scale, are one example of how interactive education in water conservation can make a tangible difference.
More sweeping changes – like implementing tighter water restrictions and overhauling an outdated subterranean waterway – might not be as easy to implement.
“Who wants to pay 10 extra bucks for some underground piping that you can’t see,” said Parsons. “For politicians, it’s a lot easier to sell a park than a pipe.”
Maybe so; but in places like Georgia, where severe drought has led to a state of emergency and reservoirs have nearly dried up, government officials and residents could learn a lot from Israel’s approach.
“There’s a lot we can do [in the U.S.] to make water consumption more efficient,” said Tal. “We need to educate the public. But even without education, everyone must be thinking, ‘What can I do to consume less water?’”
Many experts consider water a more precious resource than oil.Promoting collaboration for conservation technology
As the price of oil nears $100 a barrel, it’s hard to imagine a natural resource with more global economic and social import. But at a conference hosted by the New England Israel Business Council (NEIBC) last week, it was water, not crude, that took center stage. “Water: More Precious than Oil: Challenges, Management and Investment Opportunities” brought together experts from the U.S. and Israel to discuss opportunities for improving water management and conservation through investment in business and technology.
“In Israel, we cannot separate the scarcity and management of water resources from the regional problem,” said Shimon Tal, former water commissioner of Israel and one of the event’s panelists. “Water technology is being developed whenever there is a necessity, and we have a lot of experience and have developed a lot of technology for the efficient use of water.”
Israel has emerged as one of the world’s leaders in water conservation and management. Federal policies regulating the nation’s scarce water resources have led to advances in water-friendly “drip irrigation” practices, and the extensive implementation of water reclamation technologies. As a result, nearly 64 percent of Israel’s wastewater is treated and reclaimed every year, according to the Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection.
“Israel, out of necessity, is a hotbed of new ideas and technologies that could be tapped worldwide,” said Natan Parsons, national water chairman for Jewish National Fund and a panelist at last week’s conference. “We are looking to Israel as a source for innovation and the future thrust into applicable technology in the ‘water world.’”
As JNF’s water chairman, Parsons oversees and assesses water related projects in Israel. He said the arid climate and extreme water scarcity have rendered the Jewish state an ideal laboratory for water conservation projects, and a useful resource for learning about sustainable conservation technology.
Yuval Malinsky, president of the NEIBC, agreed.
“There are many ways this partnership can work and be very fruitful,” he said. “We have fabulous research institutions, especially here in New England, and collaboration between researchers in the field here and in Israel could lead to better products, technologies and solutions.”
Although New England does not face the water scarcity that Israel does, many states in the U.S. are experiencing severe drought and water shortages. Malinsky believes both nations have much to gain from sharing their expertise and garnering investments from the business world.
But solving the planet’s water crises will take significant investments of time.
“We’ve done a good job of screwing it up, when it comes to polluting the potable water resources we have in the world,” said Parsons. “[In terms of water policies,] I expect you’ll see incremental, evolving changes over a very long time.”
According to Parsons, those changes will require upgrading our country’s aging water infrastructure, implementing reclamation technologies that clean and recycle wastewater, and, most importantly, educating the public about our most precious natural resource.
“Conservation needs to be ingrained through programs at the school level, and not by a person coming in to talk with facts and figures” he said. “Students need to be involved in an ongoing process where they see the impact of their actions.”
In Israel, students are doing just that. Fifteen schools have constructed rainwater harvesting systems where rooftop reservoirs supply buildings with potable water for toilets, sinks and irrigation. The projects, although small in scale, are one example of how interactive education in water conservation can make a tangible difference.
More sweeping changes – like implementing tighter water restrictions and overhauling an outdated subterranean waterway – might not be as easy to implement.
“Who wants to pay 10 extra bucks for some underground piping that you can’t see,” said Parsons. “For politicians, it’s a lot easier to sell a park than a pipe.”
Maybe so; but in places like Georgia, where severe drought has led to a state of emergency and reservoirs have nearly dried up, government officials and residents could learn a lot from Israel’s approach.
“There’s a lot we can do [in the U.S.] to make water consumption more efficient,” said Tal. “We need to educate the public. But even without education, everyone must be thinking, ‘What can I do to consume less water?’”
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