Category Archives: Chemistry

NOTRE DAME A chemistry research team at St. Marys College has created a new tool to fight the world's counterfeit drug problem.

Its through an inexpensive paper-based test that can be used to screen for phony pain relievers.

The paper analytical device (PAD) is the size of a business card and offers results in less than five minutes. Its a technology that could uncover fake drugs that promise cures for everything from malaria to the flu.

Counterfeit drugs are a serious problem in developing countries.

The World Health Organization estimates that 10-30% of the drug supply in developing countries are made up of counterfeit medicines, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths a year. Officials blame crime rings, which profit from selling pills that contain plaster of Paris, baking soda or other inexpensive ingredients.

St. Marys has applied for a U.S. patent for the PAD, the first time the Catholic, liberal arts womens college has applied for a patent.

Panadol long has been among the most common, standard pain relieving drugs counterfeited around the world, said St. Marys chemistry professor Toni Barstis, who led the team. In the past, you could just look at the labeling and packaging and know if it was counterfeit. Now, they do such a good job with the package design, its hard to determine whether its a package of the genuine medicine or a fake that contains no acetaminophen or even ingredients that may be harmful.

Barstis and two members of her team, a St. Mary's chemistry student and a recent graduate, presented their research results upon invitation Sunday in Philadelphia at the 244th National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

The St. Mary's researchers developed a chemically treated paper that allows a person to swipe a pill onto the business card size paper and dip the paper into water. Color changes on the paper indicate both suspicious and authentic ingredients. The general public will be able to perform the test, creating a much less expensive and less time-consuming process.

"I can't imagine a more supportive, energetic and demanding mentor than Dr. Barstis," said student researcher Diana Vega Pantoja. "She is passionate about getting women interested in science in general, not only chemistry."

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St. Mary's researchers unveil new test to combat fake drug problem

This is a guest post from one of our judges for the Chemistry World Science Communication Competition

The other judges have had their say and now it is my turn. They’ve covered some fundamental rules of science communication (ie what you say, how you say it, how you go about telling a compelling story) and have given invaluable advice from their many years of experience and knowledge: ‘There’s no substitute for a good story,’ says Philip Ball; ‘Keep the language simple,’ advises Adam Hart-Davis; ‘Form needs to match content,’ Felicity Mellor tells us; ‘Let your enthusiasm for the story shine through,’ concludes Lesley Yellowlees. So what can I add to this? What can I say that has not been said already?

I’d like to get you to think about the audience. I want to emphasise the importance of engaging with  readers, listeners and viewers out there. If you get all the elements of your article, video or podcast right (ie you’ve got a good story that is relevant, and you use simple, jargon-free language) you are half way towards achieving your goal of successfully communicating science. But how can you ensure you make it all the way? Why should the readers read or the viewers view? In my opinion, the style you choose to deliver your piece is what makes the difference. If you are a budding writer or communicator, you are at the beginning of your career and you’ll be working towards defining your style. You are at a crucial point. My advice would be to spend some time analysing the style of a communicator whose work you enjoy and thinking: ‘What is it that compels me to read or watch?’ Is it their use of humour that captures my attention? Is it their knowledge of the subject? Or is it the way they present complex issues? Don’t be constrained by finding a science communicator, he/she does not have to be a scientist – it could be a teacher, a journalist, a TV presenter, a politician. The point is: if they engage with you so you listen to what they have to say and you are able to understand how they achieve it then you are also on the road to success. So define what you like and adapt elements of their style but don’t imitate them (everybody is trying to be Steve Jobs and it really doesn’t work…). Whatever you do, don’t leave your personality out!

Equally, you can turn the exercise on its head, think of communicators whose style does not engage you and write a ‘what not to do’ list. It is very often simpler to see the bad than the good.

Finally, I’d like to encourage you all to take part. If you have an interest in science communication or are working on some interesting chemistry you’d like to talk about, take the plunge!

Bibiana Campos-Seijo

You can find out about the Chemistry World Science Communication Competition and submit your entry here

                  

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Do you long to be a superpower? Do your friends on the world stage look down on your military strength? Does your lack of second strike capability make you feel inadequate? You need a nuclear deterrent. Better get yourself some uranium hexafluoride and this week’s Chemistry in its element podcast.

                  

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BEREA, Ohio Browns rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden has been working overtime to get on the same page with his skill players, especially the young ones such as receivers Greg Little and Josh Gordon.

Problem is, he hardly even has the book on some of them yet because of injuries.

With a little more than three weeks left before the Sept. 9 opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, Weeden hasn't had his full complement of weapons in practices or preseason games.

In Thursday's outing in Green Bay which was a quasi-dress rehearsal for Weeden the following key players were out with injuries: starting running back Trent Richardson (left knee scope), starting receiver Mohamed Massaquoi (concussion), rookie receiver Travis Benjamin (undisclosed), starting tight end Ben Watson (undisclosed) and second-team tight end Jordan Cameron (bone bruise in back).

Fortunately for Weeden, Cameron and Benjamin returned to practice Friday, but with so many guys in and out of the lineup, the rookie quarterback hasn't been able to establish consistency with the the first-teamers.

"That's the one challenging thing,'' Weeden said. "Being a rookie, I'm still learning the guys as well as they're learning me. There's a lot of guys cycling through and I think that's good for us (in preseason). But once you get to the regular season, you want to be throwing to the same guys all of the time.''

Weeden, who's completed 15 of 29 attempts for 180 yards and a 56.7 rating, was starting to develop chemistry with Massaquoi, Benjamin and Cameron when they got knocked out of action in the Detroit game Aug. 10. Watson has been sidelined since Aug. 4, and Weeden's falling behind on timing with Richardson.

"Not having those guys ... it's tough on our offense, but fortunately these games don't count as a win-loss,'' Weeden said. "Those guys are key assets to this offense and guys we're relying on to make a lot of plays for us."

Weeden, who has yet to throw a TD pass in 11 series, completed his first pro attempt to Massaquoi for 12 yards in Detroit, and then lost him to a concussion. On his second attempt in Detroit, Weeden hit a streaking Benjamin in stride for a 34-yarder down the left sideline and the two were heating up. But Benjamin is just getting worked back into the lineup.

Weeden was lighting it up with Cameron in practice, and also completed a 16-yarder to him in Detroit, but Cameron suffered a bone-bruise on a 42-yard catch from Colt McCoy in the second quarter and missed the whole next week.

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Cleveland Browns' Brandon Weeden struggles to develop chemistry with key elements missing

The American Chemical Society will hold its 224th national meeting in Philadelphia starting Sunday and the five-day gathering kickoffs with a dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel to honor "Heroes of Chemistry."

The 2012 honorees include a group of scientists who developed the hepatitis C drug Victrelis, while working at Schering Plough and then Merck after it acquired Schering Plough in 2009.

Merck researchers in North Wales and Kenilworth, N.J., were among the hundreds who worked on the drug, which doctors hoped would be an improvement on a two-drug cocktail that had been used for more than a decade.

The five scientists honored include F. George Njoroge (one of the patent holders who has since moved to Eli Lilly and Company), Srikanth Venkatraman, Stephane Bogen, Frank Bennett and Ashok Arasappan.

Companies nominate a scientist, or teams of them, for the award. According to the ACS website, the award "has recognized chemical scientists whose work in various fields of chemistry and chemical engineering has led to the successful innovation and development of commercial products based on chemistry. The Heroes of Chemistry program highlights the vital role of industrial chemical scientists and their companies in improving human welfare through successful commercial innovations and products. It presents an ideal opportunity to enhance the public image of the chemical and allied industries."

The World Health Organization said in 2011 that the hepatitis C virus affects 130 million to 170 million people worldwide - about four times the number with HIV/AIDS - and kills about 350,000 people a year because of damage to the liver.

In its second-quarter earnings report, Merck said it sold $126 million of Victrelis. (Bocepravir is the chemical name.) It is approved in 43 countries and has launched in 23 of those markets, Merck said.

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'Heroes of Chemistry' award to hepatitis C team from Merck

WEST CALDWELL, N.J., Aug. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Alfa Wassermann Diagnostic Technologies, LLC (AWDT), the market leader in clinical chemistry analyzers for the physician office laboratory, today announced the launch of its ACE Axcel Clinical Chemistry System. The next generation ACE Axcel is designed to meet the needs of physician office laboratories and is cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration specifically for use in physician office labs.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120816/NY58283)

The ACE Axcel is an easy-to-operate system that produces quality results covering a range of the most widely tested conditions. It adds touch screen functionality, an intuitive user interface and Internet connectivity to make in-office laboratory testing faster, more convenient and more cost-effective. The system has an easy-to-use graphical user interface and touch screen technology for intuitive control. Built-in Internet connectivity facilitates technical support, remote access and laboratory integration, and provides seamless connection to electronic health records using AWDT's Alfa LIS (Lab Information System) or other laboratory information systems.

"Our new ACE Axcel system builds on the quality and reliability of our market leading clinical chemistry systems to provide unparalleled ease-of-use, accuracy and efficiency to physician office laboratories," said Peter J. Napoli, President of Alfa Wassermann Diagnostic Technologies."Intuitive touch screen technology and Internet connectivity streamline laboratory operations, increasing productivity and maximizing the potential for the lab to contribute to the financial health of the practice, while providing patients with the medical and convenience benefits of on-site laboratory testing."

The ACE Axcel is a self-contained system in a small footprint that can process up to 285 tests per hour with both photometric and potentiometric detection technologies.It can run any combination of single tests, panels or profiles from a comprehensive test menu, and has an open reagent system that enables custom assays.A STAT interrupt feature allows users to load and prioritize STAT samples during system operation to meet immediate diagnosis and treatment needs.

Dr. John Chafos of Family Care Medical Practice in Green Brook, NJ, who evaluated the ACE Axcel, commented, "Physician office testing provides benefits to both patients and healthcare providers, and we found that the ACE Axcel system makes it easier than ever to incorporate diagnostic testing into our practice. Features such as the touch screen control panel, high degree of automation, and reduction of sample and reagent handling have the potential to increase the productivity of our lab operations. In addition, Internet connectivity will enable a higher level of technical support, a valuable benefit for our medical technologists."

The ACE Axcel includes a number of features that automatically ensure accurate results.Closed-tube sampling with the STEP module minimizes operator interaction with patient specimens, making for a safer workplace. System calibration is automatically monitored on an ongoing basis.Web-enabled Alfa Assist technical support is available 24/7 and maximizes instrument uptime. Liquid, ready-to-use reagents eliminate operator prep time. The on-board reagent refrigeration feature maintains specimen and reagent integrity and decreases handling. In addition, reagent inventory is automatically managed by the system.

Trip Trepagnier, Vice President of Marketing & Business Development for AWDT noted, "ACE Axcel automates and simplifies the testing process, while our nationwide network of award-winning service and support personnel ensures that our customers can rapidly deliver high quality diagnostic test results with maximum productivity and minimum hassle. We believe the ACE Axcel system will be welcomed by our large established customer base, as well as by physicians who are concerned about the complexity and technical challenges of conventional diagnostic testing systems."

Alfa Wassermann Diagnostic Technologies, LLC is a leading provider of clinical diagnostic instrumentation and reagents. AWDT focuses on the needs of physician office laboratories and veterinary clinics. Alfa Wassermann's diagnostic products include the high-performance, low-maintenance ACE Alera, Vet Alera and Alfa LIS, which are sold worldwide to physician, veterinary and research laboratories.

For more information on the ACE Axcel, visit http://www.ACEAxcel.com.

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Alfa Wassermann Diagnostic Technologies' ACE Axcel System Applies Smart Technology to Enhance and Simplify Physician ...