The Biodesign Institute Recruits Environmental Expert
Researcher Rolf Halden examines fate of man-made chemicals in the environment and their impact on human health
People’s concern in maintaining germ-free homes has led to the widespread use of anti-bacterial soaps and cleaning agents. But the active ingredients of those antiseptic soaps have come under scrutiny due to environmental and human health concerns. Now, ASU Biodesign Institute researcher Rolf Halden and co-workers have shown that antimicrobial ingredients used a half a century ago persist today in estuarine sediments into which New York City and Baltimore have discharged their treated domestic wastewater.
Rittmann bestowed with top civil engineering society, ASU faculty achievement awards
Bruce Rittmann, PhD, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Chemical Engineering at the Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering, as well as director of the Center for Environmental Biotechnology at the Biodesign Institute, is to receive the Simon W. Freese Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Additionally, Rittmann has been selected as this year’s recipient of the ASU Faculty Achievement Award in Defining Edge Research, Natural Sciences/Math.
Lindsay receives Regents' Professor honor
ASU has announced four new ASU Regents’ Professors for 2008. This year’s honorees include Biodesign’s own Stuart Lindsay, PhD, who has been at ASU for 29 years. Lindsay, a professor in physics and chemistry and the Edward and Nadine Carson Presidential Chair in Physics, specializes in biophysics at the molecular level and scanning probe microscopy.
'Boosting' research to develop world's fastest nanomotor
In a “major step” toward a practical energy source for powering tomorrow’s nanomachines, researchers at Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute report the development of a new generation of tiny nanomotors that are up to 10 times more powerful than existing motors. Just like weekend hot-rodders who tinker with their car engines in the ultimate quest for speed, a research team led by Joseph Wang, who directs the institute’s Center for Biosensors and Bioelectronics, set out to improve on the design of current nanomotors.
Deep sea exploration from the desert
Fulton Dean and Biodesign researcher Meldrum uses remote sensing to plumb the ocean floor
A key partner in a multi-institutional, deep sea exploration effort is the Center for Ecogenomics, which is based in ASU’s Biodesign Institute and directed by Deirdre Meldrum, dean of the university’s Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering.
Meldrum’s center is developing sensors and other sophisticated devices to make an underwater observation system designed to provide real-time data and measurements to researchers on land.
Cardineau chosen as Centennial Professor
Guy Cardineau, a Faculty Fellow in the Center for the Study of Law, Science, & Technology at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, is one of two ASU faculty members to be named a 2008-2009 Centennial Professor by Associated Students of ASU.
Biodesign's Nickerson Speaks on Capitol Hill
Biodesign Institute researcher Cheryl Nickerson recently served as a key witness in a hearing with the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology, Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, regarding NASA's International Space Station (ISS) Program. Nickerson was part of a prestigious panel that provided testimony expounding on the significance of NASA's ISS Program and its tremendous potential to benefit mankind.
Mayo Clinic, Biodesign Institute collaboration examines link between gut bacteria and obesity
Obesity is more than a cosmetic concern, because it increases a person’s risk for developing high blood pressure, diabetes, and many other serious health problems. In the April issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, researchers from Mayo Clinic Arizona and the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University examine the role that bacteria found in the human gastrointestinal tract play in regulating weight and the development of obesity.
Chemical cousin of DNA new nanotechnology building block
While scientists are fully exploring the promise of DNA nanotechnology, Biodesign Institute scientist John Chaput is working to give researchers brand new materials to aid their designs. Chaput and his research team have made the first self-assembled nanostructures composed entirely of glycerol nucleic acid (GNA)—a synthetic analog of DNA.
Biodesign Institute appoints Mike McLeod to Director of Facility Services
The Biodesign Institute has appointed Michael McLeod as director of facility services. In this role, he will oversee facility improvements, maintenance, space management, security, and shipping and receiving.
“Healing clays” hold promise in fight against MRSA superbug infections and disease
Mud may be coming to a medicine cabinet or pharmacy near you. Scientists from Arizona State University report that minerals from clay promise could provide inexpensive, highly-effective antimicrobials to fight methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections that are moving out of health care settings and into the community. These “superbugs” are increasingly resistant to multiple antibiotics and cause thousands of deaths each year.
Biodesign Institute names human resources director
The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University has named Melvin L. Holcom, PhD, SPHR, as director of human resources. He brings more than 15 years of corporate and consulting experience to this role.
Arizona high school bioscience summit to strengthen statewide programs
More than 100 bioscience educators will discuss ways to expand statewide biotechnology curriculum and programs at the state’s first bioscience education summit on April 18.
Solving an avian scourge could also provide benefits to human health
The old adage ‘a bird in hand is worth two in the bush’ may very well apply to a new vaccine project underway in the lab of ASU School of Life Sciences Professor Roy Curtiss, director of the Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology at the Biodesign Institute.
Microscopic ‘astronauts’ go back in orbit
When space shuttle Endeavor blasted off at 2:28 a.m. EST on March 11 to make a blazing torch against the backdrop of night, some tiny ‘astronauts’ piggybacked onboard an experimental payload from Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute. The new experiment, called “Microbial Drug Resistance Virulence,” will continue the research studies of Cheryl Nickerson, PhD, project leader and scientist in the institute’s Center for Infectious Diseases and Vaccinology.
A spoonful of sugar: Scientists discover regulatory details for metabolic gene network
A scientific team from the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Stony Brook University and the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University has found a vital missing link for the regulation of genes essential for cell metabolism.
Hao Yan honored with prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship
Hao Yan, a Biodesign Institute researcher and assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has been named the recipient of a prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship.
Nature’s helpers: Using microorganisms to remove toxins from water
In 2002, Bruce Rittmann, PhD, director of the Biodesign Institute’s Center for Environmental Biotechnology, received a patent for an innovative way to use nature to lend society a hand. He invented a treatment system, called the membrane biofilm reactor (MBfR), which uses naturally occurring microorganisms to remove contaminants from water.
Innovative microbial fuel cell model featured in Nature Microbiology Reviews
Microbial fuel cells hold promise as a new source of electricity by their unique ability to generate an electric current from waste products.
ASU researchers play role at world’s largest general scientific forum
Arizona State University researchers converged at the world’s largest interdisciplinary science forum, the 2008 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s (AAAS).
Fantastic foursome rows the Atlantic for charity
For the past two months, an ASU duo braved the waves of the Atlantic Ocean to complete a spirited adventure of human endurance. Emily Kohl, ASU Head Women’s Rowing Coach and Sarah Kessens, Biodesign Institute PhD graduate student, were part of a record-setting female foursome who rowed across the Atlantic to support meningitis research.
Biodesign scientists to tackle West Nile virus by developing tobacco plant-based therapeutics
Scientists from ASU’s Biodesign Institute and Polytechnic Campus
have embarked on an ambitious, four-year, $1.5 million grant from the National
Institutes for Allergy and Infectious Disease to tackle West Nile virus.
Dr. Andrew Fire, 2006 Nobel Laureate in Medicine, visits Biodesign
Dr. Andrew Z. Fire, professor of pathology and genetics at the Stanford University School of Medicine and 2006 winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine, visited Biodesign on Friday, January 25.
$22M investment funds fresh ASU initiatives
Arizona State University has received two gifts totaling $22 million to make seed investments in research areas that push the boundaries of traditional academic disciplines. Among them is a $2.5 million investment, spanning five years, that will drive research in developing alternative fuel that uses sunlight and advanced bacteria to create bio-hydrogen.
Nanotechnology innovation may revolutionize gene detection in a single cell
Scientists at Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute have developed the world’s first gene detection platform made up entirely from self-assembled DNA nanostructures. The results, appearing in the January 11 issue of the journal Science, could have broad implications for gene chip technology and may also revolutionize the way in which gene expression is analyzed in a single cell.
New insights into fuel cell that uses bacteria to generate electricity from waste
Researchers at the Biodesign Institute are using the tiniest organisms on the planet —bacteria— as a viable option to make electricity. In a new study featured in the journal Biotechnology and Bioengineering, lead author Andrew Kato Marcus and colleagues César Torres and Bruce Rittmann have gained critical insights that may lead to commercialization of a promising microbial fuel cell (MFC) technology.
Science Foundation Arizona Awards Boost ASU Research Initiatives
Capping off its inaugural year of funding several research initiatives, Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz) has been a major catalyst in enhancing Arizona State University’s research portfolio. This statewide public/private partnership made possible by an appropriation from the Governor and state legislature awarded more than $8 million to ASU research awards in 2007.
New ASU Interdisciplinary PhD Graduate Program in Biological Design Set for Launch
To help meet the need of Arizona’s booming bioscience sector and create the next generation of highly skilled, interdisciplinary scientists, the Arizona Board of Regents recently approved an innovative ASU graduate degree in Biological Design.
Leading bioengineer named to Biodesign Institute Advisory Board
The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University has named biological engineer Drew Endy, Ph.D., to its advisory board.
Big Buzz: Landmark fruit fly DNA study advances genetics
In a set of papers published in the journal Nature, the Biodesign Institute’s Sudhir Kumar, along with colleagues Alan Filipski, Sonja Prohaska and Stuart Newfeld, participated in the largest comparative DNA analysis of higher organisms ever assembled. In all, the complete DNA sequences, or genomes, from a dozen different fruit fly species were assembled to understand the differences between species at the DNA level.
ASU launches renewable biofuel research initiative with BP and SFAz
Arizona State University has announced a significant research partnership with energy company BP and Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz) to develop a renewable source of biofuel. The research effort focuses on using a specially optimized photosynthetic bacterium to produce biodiesel, a sustainable high-energy fuel that can be used in conventional engines.
The Virginia G. Piper Trust and the Flinn Foundation Launch a $45 million Initiative to Develop Personalized Diagnostics
Nobel Laureate Lee Hartwell, the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University
and the Translational Genomics Research Institute team to lead an Arizona-based
global effort to improve patient outcomes and reduce health care costs.
KAET/Eight spotlights Biodesign research – Final segment airs Nov. 4
How can microscopic tools lead to new therapeutics and improvements to our quality of life? Learn about the promise that nanotechnology and synthetic biology hold this Sunday at 2 p.m. when KAET/Eight airs "Tools of the Trade," the last segment in a series called ASU Spotlight: The Biodesign Institute. Each of the four segments explores two research topics with an in-depth background report followed by a panel discussion led by world-renowned scientist and policymaker George Poste, director of the Biodesign Institute.
Salmonella-based vaccine project chosen as finalist for Governor’s Innovation Awards
A research initiative aimed at advancing global health through the development
of new vaccines has been selected as a finalist for the 2007 Governor’s
Council of Innovation Awards.
Roy Curtiss leads the project that was recognized by the council.
The goal of the Curtiss group’s efforts is to benefit humankind by improving
the health of individuals, especially children, throughout the world.
BIO5 and Biodesign Institutes seek early detection of type 2 diabetes
A new team of researchers from The University of Arizona and Arizona State University is taking aim at the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States: adult-onset, or type 2 diabetes. The coalition’s goal is to learn how to predict who will develop the disease long before any symptoms appear.
Biodesign Institute wins Valley’s top environmental excellence award
The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University Building B won top honors in Valley Forward's 27th annual Environmental Excellence Awards program. The Biodesign Institute was honored with the President's Award (best of show). The Biodesign Institute’s Building B also won a first-place Crescordia Award in the Buildings and Structures/Large Scale and Community Development category.
Wang to lead two major research projects
Joseph Wang, director of the Center for Bioelectronics and Biosensors at ASU’s Biodesign Institute, will play a leading role in two major research projects aimed at improving the environment and enhancing national security efforts.
Space flight shown to alter ability of bacteria to cause disease
Space flight has been shown to have a profound impact on human physiology as the body adapts to zero gravity environments. Now, a new study led by researchers from the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University has shown that the tiniest passengers flown in space—microbes—can be equally effected by space flight, making them more infectious pathogens.
Green Initiatives
Among the Biodesign Institute’s large thematic areas is a focus on energy and the environment. Our commitment to sustainable initiatives reflects ASU’s leadership in this arena. Our facility was the first in Arizona to earn the top Platinum ranking for environmentally-friendly design and construction from the U.S. Green Building Council.
ASU Is a Leading Nanotech University: Survey
Arizona State University is ranked sixth overall and scored in the top 10 of three categories in this year’s Small Times magazine university rankings, a survey-based scorecard of micro- and nanotech research and commercialization. The survey includes peer nominations.
Biodesign postdocs work to improve collaboration, mentorship and career opportunities
Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz is among a fifty-member-strong family of postdoctoral researchers, or postdocs, working at ASU’s Biodesign Institute to advance science while furthering their scientific careers. Beyond the Biodesign bench side, Kralovetz has taken the lead in developing an organization to support postdocs.
UCLA/VA Partners with Biodesign Institute to Advance Biosensor Technology for Urinary Tract Infections
Researchers from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, the Veterans Affairs (VA) Greater Los Angeles Healthcare Center, GeneFluidics and the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University have received a five-year, $3.2 million award from the NIH to help rapidly diagnose and treat urinary tract infections (UTI’s)—the most common cause of hospital-associated infection in the United States.
The Aye-Ayes Have it: The preservation of color vision in a creature of the night
A quest to gain a more complete picture of color vision evolution has led Biodesign Institute researcher Brian Verrelli to an up-close, genetic encounter with one of the world’s most rare and bizarre-looking primates.
ASU, Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium, host U.S. Representative Harry Mitchell to address Alzheimer’s disease burden
In a press conference hosted at ASU’s Biodesign Institute, United States Representative Harry E. Mitchell (Ariz. – D) made his formal announcement to join the Congressional Task Force on Alzheimer’s disease. The press conference, held Aug. 28, was organized by the Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium.
Biodesign Continues Efforts to Generate Faster and Cheaper Tools for Personalized Medicine
Receives Federal Funds for Next Generation of Sequencing
Technologies
The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University has
received new funding to continue in its development of novel DNA sequencing
technologies to help usher in the era of personalized medicine.
High School Students Participate in Cutting-Edge Research at ASU's Biodesign Institute
A group of researchers at ASU's Biodesign Institute recently presented findings from their work in areas including autism, cancer, renewable energy and diagnostic devices. It might have been a typical symposium except for one thing; the presenters were all high school students. The 26 Arizona students participated as paid interns for six weeks, each contributing to an actual research project ongoing at the institute.
Biodesign Institute at ASU earns Arizona’s top rating from US Green Building Council
Award recognizes environmentally friendly construction and design
The Biodesign Institute has garnered the highest designation for environmentally friendly design and construction from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The platinum certification for “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” (LEED®) was issued for Building B, which opened in 2006. This marks the first time a building in Arizona has received the platinum award.
Biodesign Institute Leads Innovative Project to Prevent Breast Cancers
Biodesign Institute researchers have received nearly $9 million in grants to develop a preventive vaccine against cancer. Stephen Albert Johnston, director of the institute’s Center for Innovations in Medicine received a five-year, $7.5 million grant from the Department of Defense’s Innovator Award. Research colleague Douglas Lake will lead a three-year $1.2 million project from the W. M. Keck Foundation to broaden the technology to several other forms of cancer.
Arntzen in the spotlight for national science policy, plant biology honors
Biodesign Institute researcher Charles Arntzen has been doubly honored by the White House and the American Society of Plant Biologists for his leading role in science policy and lifetime contributions in research and teaching.
Wang receives two honorary doctorates
Joseph Wang, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Director of the Center for Bioelectronics and Biosensors was awarded Honorary Professor Degrees from two European universities this June.
Professors, ASU president contribute to new IP handbook
A new book touted as a "must read" for anyone dealing with intellectual property includes chapters by Gary Marchant and Dennis Karjala, professors at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, and by ASU President Michael Crow. The lead editor of the book was Anatole Krattiger of The Biodesign Institute at ASU.
Biodesign Collaborates to Develop Pharmaceuticals from Tobacco
The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, Mapp Biopharmaceutical and Kentucky Bioprocessing (KBP) will collaborate on developing, refining and producing low-cost pharmaceutical products for large cost sensitive markets in global health. The initial product targets include monoclonal antibodies for use in microbicides and mucosal vaccines to prevent transmission of certain infections. The three organizations also expect to collaborate on other products.
Curtiss named ‘Bioscience Researcher of the Year’ by the Arizona BioIndustry Association
Roy Curtiss, III, PhD, of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University, was named “Bioscience Researcher of the Year” at the third-annual Excellence in Bioscience Awards Dinner, held recently and sponsored by the Arizona BioIndustry Association.
Levitus garners prestigious young investigator NSF CAREER Award
The Biodesign Institute’s Marcia Levitus has been named the recipient of a $568,000 National Science Foundation CAREER award, given to a very select group of young scientists deemed to be leaders in their respective fields. With the prestigious award, Levitus will develop a finely detailed picture of how genes are controlled.
ASU Recognized for Nanotech Education and Commercialization
The leading nanotechnology journal, Small Times, has published its annual list of top ten universities in several categories related to advancing the field of nanotechnology. ASU was ranked as the leading university for commercializing nanotechnology-related innovations and ninth for education in the field of nanotechnology.
Biodesign Institute appoints Fisher to develop educational outreach programs
The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University has hired Richard D. Fisher, MA, MEd, as director of educational outreach. He will design and implement a comprehensive local, state and national public and K-12 outreach program and assist in the institute’s undergraduate training programs.
Scientific Pioneer Named to Biodesign Institute Advisory Board
The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University recently named acclaimed cell biologist James E. Rothman, PhD, to its advisory board.
Grant targets math, science teaching
An innovative ASU program that helps high school math and science teachers excel in teaching will receive $525,000 from the Science Foundation Arizona (SFAz). SFAz funding goes largely to stipends that allow teachers to be immersed in cutting-edge research at ASU, and to develop related activities for use in their own classrooms.
Emerging bioanalytical technology addresses global health challenge
An ASU research team’s work is highlighted on the cover of the May 2007 issue of The Analyst, an international journal that reports on new analytical and bioanalytical techniques.
A new wrinkle in evolution: Man-made proteins
Nature, through the trial and error of evolution, has discovered a vast diversity of life from what can only presumed to have been a primordial pool of building blocks. Inspired by this success, a new Biodesign Institute research team, led by John Chaput, is now trying to mimic the process of Darwinian evolution in the laboratory by evolving new proteins from scratch. Using new tricks of molecular biology, Chaput and co-workers have evolved several new proteins in a fraction of the 3 billion years it took nature.
