Dual Action Antibodies

Genentech, a pharmaceutical company based in San Francisco has recently made huge pushes towards the development of dual action antibodies. Dual Action antibodies combine the action of multiple antibodies so that a greater benefit can be obtained, financially, physically, and mentally. Two of Genentech’s primarily produced drugs include Herceptin, a monoclonal antibody that shuts down HER2, a growth accelerator in about 20 percent of breast tumors and Avastin, an antibody that blocks a protein that stimulates the formation of tumor- feeding blood vessels. The starting cost for each of these drug treatments is at 43,000 dollars. Scientist Germaine Fuh and his team created a modified version of the Herceptin antibody that not only shut down the HER2 receptor in mice but also locked onto VEGF, Avastin's target. This is incredibly relevant in man kind’s strides to develop better cures for cancer. Designing such "dual-specific" antibodies could help solve a major problem with chemotherapy drugs: cancer cells can become resistant to them, mutating in ways that allow them to dodge the medication's action. It is not uncommon for doctors to mix various chemotherapy drugs to try and kill cancers before they can exploit this escape mechanism (resistance); which is why having a single drug that can hit the cancer from multiple directions would simplify treatment. Having a dual action antibody would be beneficial to patients affected with cancer because of its superior performance but also from a business/ financial standpoint. It would lower manufacturing costs for companies and also create a more affordable and accessible treatment for cancer patients. Tests are still being conducted regarding the effectiveness of using dual action antibodies , but due to financial concerns, are progressing somewhat slowly
At the tip of each branch the antibody is an active site, which grabs a specific molecule on an invading microbe or cancer cell. Many of the antibodies have the ability to weakly bind to a second antigen. By exploiting this ability and making the bonds tight and functional Fuh’s team was able to create a dual action antibody that was somewhat successful. Their experiments t have fueled interest in the overall potential of such drugs and their effects can be phenomenal. If the concept proves successful, antibodies that stick to two targets might be used to treat infectious diseases as well as cancer--offering the promise of drugs that work better and cost less.

http://technologyreview.com/biomedicine/25087/

http://www.longevitymeme.org/news/vnl.cfm?id=4672

The Future for Fusion

Today, when chemistry classes teach nuclear chemistry, students learn that fusion reactions release more energy than fission reactions, are inexpensive, and produce non-radioactive products. Yet, fission reactions which hold environmental concern, such as where to dispose its radioactive waste, are currently used. The major setback with fusion is the high temperatures needed which cannot be contained.

However, emerging technology has not only begun the creation of fusion reactors but is now trying to build a new fusion reactor that can achieve ignition, “the point where a fusion reaction becomes self-sustaining instead of requiring a constant input of energy.”MIT physics professor, Bruno Coppi, is the principal investigator for Ignitor; a tokamak reactor. Italy and Russia are in agreement with building this new reactor which will be constructed outside Moscow.

This new reactor uses “powerful magnetic fields to produce fusion by squeezing superheated plasma of hydrogen isotopes”. The plasma is heated to extreme temperatures when an electric current and high-frequency radio waves pass through the plasma. However, the heat is confined by electromagnetic fields through high pressure. Both the pressure and the heat will than cause hydrogen nuclei to fuse and form helium. This process is what will release the enormous amount of heat that will then be used to power an electricity-generating turbine.

Unlike the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), a reactor being built in France which had hoped to reach ignition, Ignitor might be able to be used “within a few years”. Yet most scientists in the field agree that practical fusion power is at least two decades away which is unfortunate because it would be free of greenhouse-gas emissions – a big concern for environmentalists. However, all is not in vain; “the whole point of Ignitor is to find out how a burning plasma behaves, and there could be pleasant or unpleasant results coming from it. Whatever is learned is a gain. Nobody knows exactly how it will perform, that is the point of the experiment." The future for fusion, although not as close as some may wish, is still bright.

Sources:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/05/100512145348.htm

http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/25379/?a=f

Green Concrete

Walk up to a friend and ask them what the effects the production of concrete has on the environment. Most people would probably not be aware. However, now is the time to educate ourselves. The fact is that in 2009, the production of concrete contributed to five percent of all carbon dioxide emissions. As the effects of pollution and human population continue to take a toll in our world, it is vital to recognize and encourage emerging green technologies.

Nikolaos Vlasopoulos of Novacem, discovered a way to create concrete without its harmful effects. While working as a grad student in Imperial College, he experimented adding magnesium oxides to a Portland cement mix. Vlasopoulos realized that the Portland cement mix was not needed and that with the addition of water he could “still make a solid-setting cement that didn't rely on carbon-rich limestone”. This green concrete is an improvement from the cement currently used in several ways.

First, the green concrete actually absorbs carbon dioxide. Although it does produce carbon dioxide, it absorbs more than it created during setting. In comparison of Portland cement which creates 700kg per tone of carbon dioxide and absorbs 100-500kg per tone, the green concrete creates 200-400kg per tone of carbon dioxide and absorbs about 2.5 times more than Portland cement.

Another benefit of this new technology is that it is possible to be recycled if a building is torn down. It can be mixed with waste material such as glass or plastic. Portland cement cannot do this. Lastly, Novacem will use the same processes as Portland cement. This means that construction firms will not need to change the way they operate, thereby making a transition to green concrete much smoother.

Unfortunately, the green concrete is not in the market. Vlasopoulos states he should be done refining the product “within a year”. Some problems that this green cement is facing is the necessity to produce in industrial levels and match the price of other cements like Portland. However, with large industrial partners such as Laing O’Rourke, WSP Group, and Rio Tino, Novacem hopes to prevail forward. This green concrete will certainly be a step towards creating a healthier earth.

Sources:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6255962.ece

http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/25085/

Renewable Fuel

The CEO of Flagship Ventures in Cambridge, MA, Noubar Afeyan set out to invent the first ideal renewable fuel. "What we wanted to know is [if we] could engineer a system that could convert carbon dioxide directly into any fuel that we wanted" says Afeyan. According to Joule Biotechnologies, they say yes. For the first time ever, they have created photosynthetic microorganisms that use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into ethanol or diesel, quickly and efficiently. Each microorganism is equipped with their own genetic switch that will limit their growth. The switches allow scientists to multiply the microorganisms for a few days, and with a flip of a switch change the organism’s growth into fuel production. Both the Startup Synthetic Genomics and an academic group at the BioTechnology Institute at the University of Minnesota are looking to make fuels directly from carbon dioxide as well. If Afeyan is right in his experiments and studies, biofuels could become an alternative to petroleum and meet at least 26% of the worlds demand for transportation fuel. “I'm not saying it's easy or around the corner, because I've done this for a long time," Afeyan says. Afeyan is confident and believes that Joule is onto something big. They could create renewable fuel that could compete with fossil fuels on both cost and scale. He says, "We have the elements of a potentially transformative technology."

http://technologyreview.com/energy/25077/#afteradbody
http://eon.businesswire.com/portal/site/eon/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100421006860&newsLang=en

Mimicking human disease; Stem Cells

James ­Thomson's, director of regenerative biology at the Morgridge Institute at the University of Wisconsin, first isolated human embryonic stem cells in 1998. Isolating these cells, which are capable of maturing into any other type of cell, marked a landmark in biology. Although it was a landmark, it caused much controversy because the process destroys a human embryo. Then, in 2008 another milestone was reached. Thomson and Junying Yu developed a way to make stem cells from adult cells by adding four genes that are normally active only in embryos. iPS cells, or induced pluripotent stem cells may contain the function of replacing damaged or diseased tissue. Thomson thinks their most important contribution will be to provide an unprecedented window on human development and disease. Also, iPS cells may revolutionize toxicity testing for drugs. If their studies succeed, researchers hope to use iPS cells to study other disorders and develop drugs to treat them. These disorders include ALS, Down syndrome, spinal muscular atrophy and more. iPS cells also have the ability to become the go-to source of stem cells for modeling diseases more realistically, testing drugs and designing future therapies derived from cell lines matched to a patient’s immune system. Recently, Thomson and his team reached a milestone, they created iPS cells without using c-myc, a gene that promotes cancer. Of 26 mice in Yamanaka’s study derived from iPS cells, none died of cancer after 100 days, compared with six of 37 generated with c-myc.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=potent-alternative
http://technologyreview.com/energy/25082/

3-D Mobile Phones

The Samsung B710 Phone looks like a typical smart phone. However, turn it to the side, and the image changes from 2-D to 3-D. A technologist spent over 10 years creating software that converts 2-D content into 3-D content. This, fortunately, can solve the problem of always having to wear 3-D converting glasses. This software works by changing depth perception based on estimations. This is very similar to the 3 dimensional TV’s released in January. However, this will be used in smart phones, in the palm of your hand. This software was built into the Samsung B710, and was released in 2007 in South Korea. The applications that will be released can consist of mobile games and video. At the moment, there is very little 3D content available. This extraordinary phone contains a TV tuner, and a full 3D camera, as well as a normal camera, and even Picture in Picture feature, which allows you to watch two TV channels at once on one screen. Nobody knows if this phone will be released in other places around the world, however, it wouldn’t be surprising if this unique phone is released in the US as well as other countries.




http://www.technologyreview.com/communications/25081/
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/28072/samsung-sch-b710-3d-mobile-phone

Implantable Electronics

The next gen of implantable medical devices will rely on a high-tech material forged not in a factory, but in the belly of a worm. this new device is being developed at Tufts University by biomedical engineer Fiorenzo Omentteo, it is a flexible silicon electronics held together by a silk film. the devices would incorporate antibodies or enzymes into the film which will allow other medical devices to detect biomarkes; and the best part over time, the array will just dissolve away, eliminating the need for surgery to remove the implants. the implated electronics could provide a clearer picture of whats going on inside the body' like monitoring chronic diseases or progress after surgery, but there are still some problems with the biocompatility restrict their use because the materials used may cause a immune reactions when implanted.

Today's implantable devices must be surgically replaced or removed at some point, so its only worth using an implant for important devices such as pacemakers. Silk is biodegradable and soft, can carry light like optical glass or made into transistor or wire. this means that silk can sit right on top of tissues without irritation for years or just a instance.Soon we may have are health charts in our arm or legs. and our doctors can montior our health wireless and our own bodies tells us of a problems well bofore it happens.



http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/25086/