NSF GRANT CHANGE Social impacts of research carry more weight P.38 SEXUAL HEALTH

DECEMBER 10, 2012 10, DECEMBER Safety of personal lubricants questioned P. 4 6

PHARMA YEAR IN REVIEW Rebuilding the industry after a tough period P. 15

PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY Pharma&Biotech

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COVER STORY 9

PHARMA 34 DAIMLER QUESTIONS COOLANT SAFETY German automaker’s concern prompts review of YEAR IN new air-conditioning fluid—and frustration. REVIEW GOVERNMENT & POLICY The patent cliff and 36 CONCENTRATES 38 NSF CLARIFIES GRANT CRITERIA changes to the health Confusion over broader impacts requirements care market spurred a leads to analysis and revision. year of challenge and 42 NUCLEAR PLANT FUNDING Energy Department funds first commercial small transformation. PAGE 15 modular reactor, which could operate by 2022.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY QUOTE NEWS OF THE WEEK 44 CONCENTRATES OF THE WEEK 9 THE CHEMISTRY OF COLOR VISION 46 SEX SAFETY “We’re doing Manipulating chromophores—molecules that Personal lubricants might increase risk of disease science at the absorb light—could lead to new sensors and other transmission during intercourse, studies suggest. speed of science, technologies. 48 PROTEIN DRUG TO TREAT CELIAC DISEASE in a world that 10 NEW JERSEY RAIL ACCIDENT PROBE Researchers modify soil enzyme to destroy the runs at the pace Old bridge and the involved train cars may be gluten peptides responsible for inflammation. of Instagrams.” factors in a Nov. 30 derailment and chemical leak. JOHN P. GROTZINGER , 10 BIG BIOFUELS FIRMS FEEL CONFIDENT EDUCATION CURIOSITY Trio of companies move forward with 49 SCIENTIFIC GIRL SCOUTS MISSION PROJECT investments that will use waste as feedstock. Graduate students mentor a Girl Scout troop to SCIENTIST , NATIONAL 11 SEARCHING FOR ALZHEIMER’S TREATMENT enrich the girls’ science education. AERONAUTICS & SPACE In a sea of failures, Merck & Co. launches 51 BRADFORD PENDLEY ADMINISTRATION PAGE 44 late-stage clinical trials for its drug targeting C&EN talks with the physician-chemist about β-secretase. how his medical practice informs his teaching. 11 VISAS FOR SCIENCE GRADS Bill passes the House of Representatives, but was BOOKS rejected by the Senate. 52 ON THE GLOBAL-WARMING HOT SEAT 12 PATENTING GENES Controversial scientist Michael Mann writes on 10 Supreme Court will rule on patents for human the reality and consequences of climate change. genes in Myriad Genetics case. 12 TURNABOUT FOR FLUOROFORM ACS NEWS New protocols elevate a useless and problematic 56 FROM CLINIC TO CHEMISTRY chemical by-product into a potential feedstock. Indiana Section of ACS converts a waiting room 13 ANOTHER WAY TO SPLIT WATER to a chemistry-themed playroom. Method shows a possible catalytic route to virtually limitless energy from the oceans. THE DEPARTMENTS 13 SASOL’S BIG PLANS FOR LOUISIANA 5 EDITOR’S PAGE Firm moves ahead with design and construction 6 LETTERS of a $21 billion petrochemical facility. 55 ACS COMMENT 57 AWARDS BUSINESS 58 OBITUARIES 22 CONCENTRATES 60 CLASSIFIEDS 24 SPINNING OFF, STARTING UP 64 NEWSCRIPTS ▶ Merck Serono helps create biotech start-ups after the closure of its headquarters in Geneva. 29 COLLABORATIVE STANDARD Japanese firms join forces to standardize COVER: Visage/Stockbyte/ materials for OLEDs and other electronics. Getty Images

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Call 408-773-4000 or visit www.freeslate.com/protege for more. CHEMICAL & ENGINEERING NEWS FROM THE EDITOR 1155—16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20036 (202) 872-4600 or (800) 227-5558 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: A. Maureen Rouhi DEPUTY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Josh Fischman MANAGING EDITOR: Robin M. Giroux EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Rudy M. Baum SENIOR ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER: Marvel A. Wills In Praise Of Volunteers NEWS William G. Schulz, Editor BUSINESS DURING THIS SEASON of giving, let’s ball; its rope climb resembles a nanotube. Michael McCoy, Assistant Managing Editor NORTHEAST: (732) 906-8300 Melody M. Bomgardner pause to celebrate the often-unsung work The people behind the chemistry-themed (Senior Editor), Lisa M. Jarvis (Senior Editor), Rick Mullin (Senior Editor), Marc S. Reisch (Senior Correspondent), of chemists who volunteer generously to playground are University of Wisconsin, Alexander H. Tullo (Senior Correspondent), Rachel promote scientific awareness. Madison, chemists Jim Maynard, Andrew Eskenazi (Administrative Assistant). HONG KONG: 852 9093 8445 Jean-François Tremblay (Senior The power of volunteering comes Greenberg, and John W. Moore. They hope Correspondent). HOUSTON: (281) 486-3900 Ann M. Thayer (Senior Correspondent). LONDON: through in several parts of this issue. On the chemistry-inspired play equipment 44 1494 564 316 Alex Scott (Senior Editor) page 55, Cheryl B. Frech, chair of the Ameri- “gets children interested in nanoscience.” GOVERNMENT & POLICY can Chemical Society ’s Committee on Pub- The transformation of a waiting room in Susan R. Morrissey, Assistant Managing Editor Britt E. Erickson (Senior Editor), Glenn Hess (Senior lic Relations & Communications , shares a pediatric office of the St. Vincent Medical Editor), Cheryl Hogue (Senior Correspondent), Jeff Johnson (Senior Correspondent), some of the reasons members enjoy partici- Group , in Zionsville, Ind., as described by Andrea L. Widener (Associate Editor) pating in the ACS Chemistry Ambassadors Assistant Managing Editor Sophie Rovner SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY/EDUCATION BOSTON: (617) 395-4163 Amanda Yarnell, Assistant Managing Editor, (973) 922-0175 Bethany Halford (Senior Editor). WASHINGTON: Stuart A. Borman (Deputy Assistant Managing Editor), Celia Henry Arnaud (Senior Editor), Carmen Drahl (Senior Editor), Stephen K. Ritter (Senior Correspondent), Lauren K. Wolf (Associate Editor). BERLIN: 49 30 2123 3740 Sarah Everts (Senior Editor). CHICAGO: (847) 679-1156 Mitch Jacoby (Senior Correspondent). WEST COAST: (925) 485- 1034 Jyllian Kemsley (Senior Editor), (206) 595-4788 Deirdre Lockwood (Contributing Editor), (510) 390-6180 Elizabeth K. Wilson (Senior Editor). JOURNAL NEWS & COMMUNITY: (202) 872-6039 Lila Guterman (Senior Editor), (626) 765-6767 Michael Torrice (Associate Editor)

ACS NEWS & SPECIAL FEATURES Sophie L. Rovner, Assistant Managing Editor Linda Wang (Senior Editor). DALLAS: (972) 529-4351 Susan J. Ainsworth (Senior Editor) program. ACS launched EDITING & PRODUCTION the program in 2009 to Kimberly R. Twambly, Assistant Managing Editor Craig Bettenhausen (Assistant Editor), educate the public about Emily Bones (Assistant Editor), Sophia L. Cai chemistry’s value. (Assistant Editor), Nader Heidari (Assistant Editor), Arlene Goldberg-Gist, Senior Editor Meanwhile, on page Jeff A. Huber (Assistant Editor), Gail M. Mortenson (Associate Editor) 49, Senior Editor Bethany

ART & DESIGN Halford describes a pro- Robert Bryson, Design Director gram of the Girl Scouts (BOTH) LEWER PAUL Robin L. Braverman (Senior Art Director) Yang H. Ku (Associate Designer) of the USA and the New York Academy of on page 56, is almost magical. With help C&EN ONLINE Sciences “to bring more science to girls in from an ACS local section Innovative Proj- Rachel Sheremeta Pepling, Editor Tchad K. Blair (Visual Designer), Luis A. Carrillo middle school.” Volunteer mentors and ect Grant, volunteers led by Sibel Selcuk, (Production Manager), Ty A. Finocchiaro (Web Associate), role models drive the program; one of chair of the Indiana Section, converted the Pamela Rigden Snead (Web Products Manager) them is Mary Ellen Heavner, who is work- waiting room from drab and nondescript to PRODUCTION & IMAGING Renee L. Zerby, Manager Production & Classifieds ing on a Ph.D. in biochemistry at the City colorful and exciting. Tim Bauer (Lead Digital Production Specialist), Shelly E. Savage, Richard C. Smith, and Steven University of New York. Despite the time Selcuk’s volunteer brigade included J. Lovasz (Digital Production Associates) commitment—90 minutes to prepare for Linda Osborn, a local section member; SALES & MARKETING a two-hour troop meeting, 90 minutes to Osborn’s husband, Gary, an electrician; and Elaine Facciolli Jarrett (Marketing Manager) Wendy Wise (Marketing Manager) travel from her home in Queens to the Girl their son, Nick, an engineer, shown above Angela Yeo (Associate Marketing Manager) Scout troop in Brooklyn, and 90 minutes to installing the nuclear chemistry panel on ADVISORY BOARD return home, every week for five weeks— a wall that’s headlined “Think Like a Mol- Gary D. Allred, Paul T. Anastas, Sherwood L. Boehlert, Paul J. Bracher, Jean-Claude Bradley, Yves J. Chabal, Heavner wants to do it again. “The girls ecule.” Other walls tell different chemistry- Seth M. Cohen, Kendrew H. Colton, Brian D. Coppola, Christopher C. Cummins, Joseph M. DeSimone, Michelle are so energetic,” she tells Halford. “When based stories; for example, the green wall is M. Francl, Donald Hilvert, Malika Jeffries-El, Rohit Khanna, their eyes turn on and they have an answer about recycling and green chemistry. The John LaMattina, Abraham M. Lenhoff, Scott P. Lockledge, Derek Lowe,Michael W. Major, Michael A. Marletta, to a question, it’s really exciting.” waiting room is a crowd-pleaser, Rovner Cheryl A. Martin, Harold Meckler, Stephen A. Munk, Michael O. Okoroafor, Nick Roelofs, Melanie Sanford, Volunteers not only work directly with says, eliciting from one little boy the won- John M. Schwab, Francis X. Sherman, Michael Strem, Linette M. Watkins, Christopher Welch, Frank D. Wicks, people, but sometimes they also work with drous response, “Wow, cool, chemistry.” Vicki Wysocki, David Zimmermann, Dorothy Zolandz spaces, making them enticing for those who Cool volunteers, too. Published by the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY use them. Take the Newscripts item by Se- Madeleine Jacobs, Executive Director & CEO Brian Crawford, President, Publications Division nior Editor Linda Wang, on page 64, about

EDITORIAL BOARD: Ned D. Heindel (Chair); the playground at the Discovery Center ACS Board of Directors Chair: William F. Carroll Jr.; Museum in Rockford, Ill. The playground’s ACS President: Bassam Z. Shakhashiri; Stephanie L. Brock, John N. Russell Jr., Leah Solla, Peter J. Stang jungle gym is built in the shape of a bucky- Editor-in-chief Copyright 2012, American Chemical Society Canadian GST Reg. No. R127571347 Volume 90, Number 50 Views expressed on this page are those of the author and not necessarily those of ACS.

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 5 DECEMBER 10, 2012 LETTERS THIS WEEK ONLINE gress to grow the alternative fuels market, WEIGHING ETHANOL QUOTAS create jobs, and further reduce our reliance Artificial Tongue Tastes on foreign oil—a win for all in today’s criti- Bitter Compounds IT’S TIME FOR THE U.S. government cal economic climate. By coating polymer nanotubes with to get out of the business of picking tech- Mark Rohr proteins found in human taste buds, researchers in South Korea have made nological winners and losers. A glaring Chairman and CEO an electronic tongue that can taste bit- example is the outdated mandate known as Celanese Corp. ter compounds. The device senses two the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)—last Irving , Texas bitter chemicals at femtomolar levels, modified in 2007—which has restrained making it five times more sensitive than the potential growth of the alternative previous devices. fuels market (C&EN, Oct. 29, page 18). ‘ DOWN AND DIRTY SCIENCE’ http://cenm.ag/nano12 Although well-meaning, the RFS re- quirement that only renewable feedstocks REGARDING THE BOOK “Prize Fight,” Alder Swamps Eat like corn be used to produce ethanol is by Morton A. Meyers, reviewed by Jovana Up Mercury spiking food and feed prices and violating J. Grbic: ´ One of Meyers’ case studies con- Wetlands such as the Administration’s widely supported cerns the controversy that arose between bogs, fens, and “all of the above” approach. In light of the Nobel Laureate Paul C. Lauterbur and swamps often serve as a source economic challenges facing the U.S., we Raymond V. Damadian. Meyers’ version of of methyl mercury, should be using all our energy resources the controversy contains outright errors a particularly toxic and ingenuity to expand the market, create and unsubstantiated claims (C&EN, Sept. form of the metal. jobs, and reduce our dependence on petro- 17, page 33). The mucky fresh- leum imports. Meyers states that the “distinction of water bodies re- With the U.S. drought devastating corn coming up with the original idea of apply- ceive inorganic mer- cury from the air, supplies and driving up prices, the need ing NMR to medical imaging belongs to rain, and streams, for change has become apparent. The Damadian” when it does not. Meyers also and then microor- reality is that, even before the drought, states that Lauterbur built “on Damadian’s ganisms in the wa- corn prices have doubled as government ideas to produce images by mapping the ters methylate the mandates have required the use of increas- location of hydrogen nuclei in the body.” metal. But a recent ing amounts of ethanol for fuel blending. However, in the 1970s Damadian was pri- study of wetlands in Sweden finds that, Today, 40% of the U.S. corn crop is used marily interested in applying differences in instead of creating for fuel. NMR relaxation times to differentiate nor- methyl mercury, swamps containing When Congress picked corn as the win- mal cells from malignant ones in excised alder trees serve as a sink for it. ner in 2007, it did not account for advances tissues, not in creating medical images. http://cenm.ag/env97 in technology. The company I work for has Meyers further claims that “Damadian developed technology that cost-effectively had beaten Lauterbur both in originating Separating Living Cells produces fuel-grade ethanol from natural the idea of MRI as well as building a pro- From Dead Ones gas, an abundant U.S. resource. No subsi- totype machine that produced images.” ROSE-MARIE KRONBERG ROSE-MARIE When researchers test stem cell or other dies or tax credits are needed, and with the These statements are also incorrect be- cell-based therapies, they try to separate shale gas revolution, the supply of our key cause Lauterbur both conceived the idea of living cells from dead ones to increase raw material has increased exponentially. MRI in 1971—long before Damadian ever the chances of the therapy’s success. It is also drought-proof. published anything on NMR images—and But removing dead cells from a culture remains a challenge. A new microfluidic New technologies would bring relief to high corn prices and inject growth and in- device uses sound waves to herd living ACS 2011 IRS FORM cells away from dead ones. novation into the alternative fuels industry. http://cenm.ag/bio38 The RFS program was designed for a differ- 990 AVAILABLE ent time and lacks the flexibility to account The American Chemical Society’s Chemical Safety Roundup for innovation. RFS is inhibiting the growth 2011 Form 990 is now available on Senior Editor Jyllian Kemsley recaps of our domestic energy economy while oth- ACS’s website. To access the informa- the latest news about chemical health er countries, like China and Indonesia, are tion, go to www.acs.org and follow and safety, including a fierce fire in moving ahead in the alternative fuels race. these instructions: Click on “About Oregon that started when a spark from But the push for change is growing. This Us,” then click on “ACS Financial In- a shovel ignited a pit of flammable year Rep. Pete Olson (R-Texas) introduced formation.” Go to the heading “ACS zirconium. Elsewhere, a worker was the bipartisan Domestic Alternative Fuels found dead inside a methylene chloride IRS Form 990,” and click on “2011 IRS tank at Sunnyside Products, a maker of Act, which would modify RFS to allow for Form 990.” wood care products and paint remover a broader range of domestic alternative Please see also the related “Guide in Illinois. And accidental classroom fuel sources. This means ethanol produced to Schedule J” for explanatory infor- fires started in high schools in Pennsyl- from readily available and inexpensive mation regarding ACS Executive Com- vania, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. hydrocarbons could compete in the U.S. pensation. If you have any access prob- http://cenm.ag/blg121 transportation fuel market. lems, contact [email protected]. This is a perfect opportunity for Con-

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Take a look at what ChemBioOffi ce can do for you. POWERFUL. also made the first NMR images of both in- animate objects and an animal: water capil- laries and a clam in its shell, respectively. PORTABLE. With regard to unsubstantiated claims, Meyers states that “colleagues siding with Lauterbur gave him advance notice to submit an NIH grant application for an MRI prototype,” so that the application “then received fast-track funding before Damadian’s grant was ever evaluated.” Statements like these impugn the integrity of the National Institutes of Health grant process, and Grbic ´ cites no evidence for Meyers’ claims. What is especially surprising about the above statements is that Meyers and Lauterbur were contemporaries at the State University of New York, Stony Brook, and Meyers should not be wading into the controversy as a novice. It is even more unfortunate that C&EN published a book review in which Grbic ´ ap- ACS MEMBERS pears to have uncritically accepted Meyers’ GET FREE ACCESS claims without making the effort to verify them by contacting people who are knowl- TO C&EN ISSUES! edgeable in the field of NMR imaging. Eugene P. Mazzola Vienna , Va.

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WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 8 DECEMBER 10, 2012 news of the week DECEMBER 10, 2012 EDITED BY WILLIAM G. SCHULZ & EMILY BONES

ing engineered proteins have absorption A NEW LOOK AT maxima (λmax ) that range from 425 to HARVESTING LIGHT 644 nm. The researchers were surprised BIOCHEMISTRY: that their modifications pushed the Molecules key to color absorption profile to wavelengths vision can be manipulated to alter beyond values computational models their light-absorbing properties had predicted to be possible. The most red-shifted protein, which has nine mutations, has a λmax of 644 BETTER UNDERSTANDING of the molecules nm, whereas previously no responsible for color vision—as well as a host one thought retinal could BABAK BORHAN (BOTH) BORHAN BABAK A of practical applications—may result from have a λ max longer new chemical research on these light-absorbing than about 620 nm, chromophores. Borhan says. Chemists at Michigan State University report that “I think we have the protein environment can be manipulated to change the opportunity to go a chromophore’s light absorption properties (Science, even farther than 644 nm,” he DOI: 10.1126/science.1226135 ). Ultimately, they say, the says. “I’m not sure how much work could lead to new biobased sensors, light-harvest- more we can go, but I don’t ing proteins for solar energy, and new protein tags for think we’re at the upper limit biological research. yet.” The pigmented rhodopsins, the light receptor pro- In addition to having thus teins in color vision, all use the same molecule—11-cis - achieved a better understanding Retinal (red) bound retinal—to absorb light across the visible spectrum. of the factors that lead to color to engineered Nature has found a way to regulate 11-cis -retinal’s vision, the Michigan proteins absorbs wavelength of maximum absorption in the different colors, depending on human eye over a very the protein large range, from about sequence. Cuvettes 420 to 560 nm, to detect contain the same various colors. Babak concentration Borhan, James H. Geiger, of retinal but and colleagues wanted to different proteins. know what factors in the protein make such regula- tion possible. And they State researchers plan to wanted to “red shift” the use the protein complexes as genetically encoded absorption profile as far as tags to label other proteins. “We have the ability to dial possible (toward longer wavelengths) to investigate the in whatever color we want, depending on the protein se- feasibility of expanding the visual palette. quence,” Borhan says. They are also developing variants To achieve their goals, they used cellular retinol- that bind fluorescent molecules. “Fluorescence is really binding protein (CRBP) to mimic the electronic the name of the game for protein fusion tags,” he says. properties of rhodopsin-retinal complexes. They “We believe that our work provides a ‘toolbox’ of engineered CRBP so that it binds all- trans -retinal—a principles and strategies that can be used for controlling stable form of retinal that is easier to study than 11-cis - the spectroscopic properties of not just retinal, but po- retinal—instead of retinol. tentially a variety of chromophores,” Geiger says. Engineering CRBP required two key mutations. The study “is a stunning example of design princi- First, they inserted a lysine in the right place to form ples,” says Samie R. Jaffrey , a biologist at Weill Cornell an iminium bond with the retinal. “After we made that Medical College. Borhan, Geiger, and coworkers have first mutation, that lysine was close to another lysine,” “figured out design principles for how you can rational- Borhan says, making the inserted one unreactive, so ly control the environment around a chromophore to they replaced the second lysine with leucine. They then change its absorbance properties.” He remains unsure, manipulated the electrostatic environment around however, that the proteins will be practical protein the chromophore with other mutations. The result- tags. — CELIA ARNAUD

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 9 DECEMBER 10, 2012 NEWS OF THE WEEK

in 1873 and reconstructed after it buckled in August CHEMICAL SPILL 2009, derailing 16 railroad cars of coal. Since the November accident, NTSB officials have SLOWS NEW JERSEY been interviewing witnesses and examining inspection TRAIN CRASH PROBE records to learn why a Conrail freight train hauling vinyl chloride derailed and dumped four tank cars into SECURITY: Bridge and the train itself Mantua Creek, which empties into the Delaware River near Philadelphia. considered as cause for derailment One of the derailed cars ruptured, releasing into the air some 25,000 gal of vinyl chloride, a known human carcinogen. The chemical is used to make polyvinyl Four tank cars N OLD NEW JERSEY railroad bridge is a fac- chloride plastic and vinyl products. Short-term ex- ended up in Mantua Creek in tor federal authorities are investigating as they posure to high levels of the chemical in the air affects Paulsboro, N.J., A search for the cause of a Nov. 30 train derailment the central nervous system and can cause dizziness, after a freight train and subsequent chemical leak that sent dozens of people drowsiness, and headaches. derailed on Nov. 30. to a local hospital. The accident, in the town of Pauls- Hersman said NTSB would not reach any immediate boro, also prompted the evacuation conclusions about the cause of the latest derailment of some 500 residents, although no while its investigators are on the scene. NTSB NTSB one was seriously injured. Investi- NTSB investigators will enter the accident site after gators are working slowly because response crews remove the remaining vinyl chloride of concerns about the levels of the from the breached tank car. That work has been slowed chemical in the air. because elevated levels of vinyl chloride have been de- At a news conference last week, tected in the area. National Transportation Safety “It’s important for us to get access to the site be- Board (NTSB) Chair Deborah cause we want to thoroughly access the wreckage, A. P. Hersman said the inquiry is document the condition of the bridge, the track, the focusing on both the train and the condition of those cars,” Hersman said. “We want to bridge, which partially collapsed in make sure we understand how the tank car failed and the accident. The bridge was built how the pileup occurred.” — GLENN HESS

ADVANCING Also planning a commercial facility is LanzaTech , LanzaTech makes which recently completed a 100,000-gal-per-year ethanol from waste ETHANOL ethanol trial project in China. Rather than starting with gas at Baosteel, biomass like DuPont, LanzaTech uses waste gas from near Shanghai. steel manufacturing as its feedstock. The company and FUEL FROM WASTE: Three firms, its joint-venture partner, China’s Baosteel, now plan to using diverse feedstocks, move build a full-scale facility in 2013. toward commercialization Both LanzaTech and DuPont rely on microbial fer-

LANZATECH mentation to produce ethanol from waste materials. In contrast, Fulcrum BioEnergy uses gasification followed IG INVESTMENTS in commercial-scale ethanol by catalysis to produce the fuel from municipal solid facilities are moving forward, a trio of major waste. Fulcrum says it has amassed $175 million in financ- B firms recently announced. The action indicates ing to fund construction of its first plant, outside Reno, confidence among members of the fledgling waste- Nev. The firm has withdrawn plans for an initial public of- based fuel industry in their prospects for success. fering of stock, calling the IPO market “challenging.” DuPont has broken ground on its first large facility In addition, Fulcrum says it has improved its plant for cellulosic ethanol made from the leaves and stalks of design and process and now expects to produce etha- corn. The plant, when fully operational, will produce 30 nol for less than 75 cents per gal, down from an earlier million gal of ethanol per year. The company says it plans estimate of $1.25 per gal. to license the technology behind its field-to-fuel system Companies should not promise cheap ethanol too to other firms interested in making the advanced biofuel. soon, warns Erik Hoover, an analyst at Cleantech Data. The facility, which will cost more than $200 million “A certain amount of experimental or proof-of-concept to build, is expected to be completed in mid-2014. “By construction has to happen, but it’s not going to pro- leveraging DuPont Pioneer corn production expertise duce inexpensive ethanol for a long time.” The differ- and designing an integrated technology platform, we’ve ent approaches to making the fuel show innovation is built an affordable and sustainable entry point into this still happening, Hoover adds, and when the successful new industry,” says James C. Collins Jr., president of ones are optimized, “the industry will have a lot of DuPont Industrial Biosciences. value.” — MELODY BOMGARDNER

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 10 DECEMBER 10, 2012 NEWS OF THE WEEK

called avagacestat, had no safety problems but that the CF MERCK LAUNCHES 3 Cl data suggested it wasn’t working. O ALZHEIMER’S TRIAL Merck argues that its competitors had flawed molecules or clinical trial designs. β-Secretase, H N S 2 N also called BACE, is a different enzyme, and O PHARMACEUTICALS: Late-stage O studies begin but Bristol-Myers blocking it may be a more effective approach, the com- pany contends. Merck’s head of neuroscience clinical N F Squibb pulls its own candidate development, David Michelson, says the various drug O candidates aren’t comparable to one another in any N meaningful way. “I don’t think we should be drawing Avagacestat MID A STRING of failures for drugs targeting conclusions about the likely effect of BACE inhi- amyloid-β as a way to slow down the progres- bition in this disorder,” he says. A sion of Alzheimer’s disease, Merck & Co. is forg- As evidence of the potential of β-secretase ELAN ing ahead with a late-stage study of its lead Alzheimer’s inhibitors, Michelson points to a recent study in treatment. The news comes just days after Bristol- which scientists from deCode Genetics searched Myers Squibb announced that it will end development through whole-genome data from 1,795 Iceland- of its entry in the race. ers for genetic variations in APP, the amyloid Merck’s Phase II/III study will start with 200 pa- protein precursor gene. They discovered that a tients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s. After three mutation near the location where β-secretase months, the company will take a close look at whether cuts APP to expose amyloid-β offers protec- its drug MK-8931, which inhibits β-secretase, an en- tion against Alzheimer’s disease ( Nature, DOI: zyme involved in the release of amyloid, is safe and 10.1038/nature11283 ). shows signs of efficacy. If so, the trial will evolve into a That study, along with other genetic evidence, multiyear study with roughly 1,700 patients. makes a compelling case for testing drugs that Big pharma companies have spent hundreds of mil- target amyloid, says Steven M. Paul, director of lions of dollars developing drugs aimed at lowering the Appel Institute for Alzheimer’s Research levels of amyloid-β, a protein that forms the hallmark at Weill Cornell Medical College . “This is still plaques on the brains of those with Alzheimer’s disease. a very viable hypothesis,” says Paul, who previ- Scientists have tried sequestering it with antibodies and ously headed R&D at Lilly. “It really hasn’t ad- preventing it from forming by inhibiting key enzymes, equately been tested because nobody has tested BMS halts development but to date no drugs have shown clear signals of efficacy. it early enough with the right drug.” of its γ-secretase inhibitor Among the most recent flops is the antibody bap- Lilly, meanwhile, last week unveiled a study avagacestat (top), as ineuzumab, which Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson of a murine antibody that safely removes only Merck starts a trial of a drug targeting β-secretase pulled in August after it failed in multiple Phase III amyloid-β that has been deposited on the brain, (bottom). studies. Eli Lilly & Co. stopped work on semagaces- and not free-floating amyloid. Bapineuzumab tat, an inhibitor of the enzyme γ-secretase, after data targeted both soluble and insoluble protein. Lilly from two Phase III studies showed it caused cognition plans to take a humanized version of the antibody into to worsen. BMS says its drug, a γ-secretase inhibitor Phase I studies. — LISA JARVIS

VISA POLICY House bill would allow more science-educated workers to stay in U.S.

More foreign-born students who gradu- and minor children of permanent resi- of STEM visas as H.R. 6429 without ate with degrees in science, technology, dents to get a green card after a one-year eliminating other programs. engineering, or mathematics (STEM) wait. The White House issued a statement from U.S. universities would be allowed “We could boost economic growth and opposing H.R. 6429. It supports STEM to stay and work in the country under a spur job creation by allowing American visa reform in general but wants the bill ( H.R. 6429 ) passed last week by the employers to more easily hire some of changes made through comprehensive House of Representatives. the most qualified foreign graduates of immigration reform. Sponsored by Rep. Lamar S. Smith U.S. universities,” says Smith. Many high-tech companies support (R-Texas), the bill would allow 55,000 im- Although STEM visas have had bi- immigration reform because a lack of migrants with advanced STEM degrees partisan support, the bill passed largely STEM workers, they say, is stifling inno- to remain in the U.S. after graduation. along party lines because most Demo- vation in the U.S. and forcing companies In exchange, the bill would eliminate the crats do not want to eliminate the diver- to take their research hubs overseas. long-standing diversity visa program, sity visa. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and The Senate blocked the bill from com- a lottery for people from countries Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) both ing to a vote by unanimous consent, generally underrepresented in the U.S. proposed bills in the House and Sen- making its future uncertain. — ANDREA The bill would also allow some spouses ate that would create the same number WIDENER

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 11 DECEMBER 10, 2012 NEWS OF THE WEEK

Circuit upheld the biotechnology company’s right to HIGH COURT TO patent isolated genes. “The isolated DNA molecules before us are not found in nature,” wrote Judge Alan HEAR MYRIAD D. Lourie. “They are obtained in the laboratory and are GENETICS CASE man-made, the product of human ingenuity.” But the patents have been challenged by a variety of PATENT LAW: Long fight continues medical associations and doctors, led by the Association for Molecular Pathology. They contend that Myriad’s over human gene patentability monopoly on BRCA genetic testing restricts scientific The Supreme research and patients’ access to medical care. Court is expected to “Myriad and other gene patent holders have gained decide by summer 2013 whether HE SUPREME COURT will decide whether hu- the right to exclude the rest of the scientific commu- human genes are man genes can be patented, a long-disputed legal nity from examining the naturally occurring genes of patentable. T question that has implications for the future of every person in the U.S.,” the plaintiffs, represented by personalized health care. the American Civil Liberties Union , say in their peti- The justices will consider a challenge to tion seeking review of the appeals court decision. Myriad Genetics ’ patents on genetic mate- “These patents endanger women who deserve access rial—BRCA1 and BRCA2—used in tests to the best possible care as they make life-changing med- to identify an increased risk of hereditary ical decisions,” says ACLU staff attorney Sandra S. Park. SHUTTERSTOCK breast and ovarian cancer. Myriad’s diagnostic test has helped almost 1 million The question for the Court is whether people learn about their risk of hereditary cancer, says genes removed from the cell in a laboratory Peter D. Meldrum, the company’s CEO. “The discovery are human-made inventions eligible for pat- and development of pioneering diagnostics and thera- ent protection or products of nature that peutics require a huge investment, and our U.S. patent cannot be patented. system is the engine that drives this innovation,” he says. In a 2-1 ruling on Aug. 16, a panel of The court likely will hear the case in early spring 2013 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal and rule before the end of June. — GLENN HESS

10.1126/science.1227859). They found that a particular TAMING base, potassium hexamethyldisilazide, is required to FLUOROFORM optimally activate the C–H bond of fluoro form. Select- ing the right organic solvent, typically tetrahydrofuran, SYNTHETIC METHODS: Chemists is also important. refine approach for using a In one reaction, the USC researchers added elemen- tal sulfur to CF3 H to make trifluoromethanesulfonic waste greenhouse gas acid, CF3 SO 3H. It’s one of the strongest acids known and widely used, for example, as a catalyst. In another, the team combined CF3 H with various FTER YEARS OF trial and error, chemists may trialkylsilyl chlorides to make trifluoromethylsilanes. finally have developed a general method to One of these compounds, (CH3 ) 3SiCF 3 , known as the A elevate fluoroform, CF3 H, from a useless and Ruppert-Prakash reagent, is a popular trifluoromethyl- problematic chemical by-product into a feedstock for ating reagent. The researchers also treated CF3 H with making pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. tri alkyl borates to prepare CF3 BF3 K, a salt useful in tri- CF3BF3K Processes to make nonstick coatings, refrigerants, fluoromethylation reactions. insulation for electrical wiring, and In addition, the team took a crack at using CF3 H for CF SO H B(OR) R SiCF stain-resistant fabrics generate tons direct trifluoromethylations of carbonyl groups in a 3 3 S 3 3 3 8 R SiCl of unwanted CF3 H each year. The non- variety of ketones, aldehydes, formate esters, and other CF H 3 3 toxic gas has a low impact on the ozone lay- compounds, achieving modest yields. Fluoroform er, but it’s a potent greenhouse gas. Chemical Using CF3 H is potentially an inexpensive way for O companies have faced the choice of spending chemists to introduce CF 3 groups into their target mol- RR O money to decompose the chemical or storing ecules, notes Thomas M. Stevenson, a research fellow O it away indefinitely in tanks. at DuPont Crop Protection. As a gas, it is less conve- RH G. K. Surya Prakash and coworkers at nient for small-scale lab work, he says, but it might be a ROR the University of Southern California big deal for manufacturing. OH have now figured out the precise condi- “Certainly this work is not the first use of fluoro- HO CF HO CF 3 3 tions needed to allow chemists to use form, but it does have the broadest scope of utility,” RR RHF C OR 3 inert CF3 H to transfer CF3 groups to Stevenson adds. “It will be of interest to the wider com- R = various alkyl or aryl groups a variety of molecules ( Science, DOI: munity of organic chemists.” — STEVE RITTER

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 12 DECEMBER 10, 2012 NEWS OF THE WEEK

types of interfaces, known as p-n junctions, by deposit- A TWIST ON ing two types of semiconductors side by side. WATER SPLITTING The new study, which was conducted by Xiang Wang, Can Li , and coworkers of the Dalian Institute of Chemi- cal Physics, demonstrates an alternative way to keep PHOTOCATALYSTS: Nanosized crystal charges separated. Rather than relying on p-n junctions patchwork generates hydrogen, to do the job, the Dalian team exploits the interfaces raising alternative-energy hopes between structurally dissimilar nanosized domains of Ga 2 O3 , which F WATER COULD be separated economically into ox- is known to crystallize in ygen and hydrogen, a clean-burning fuel, the world’s five polymorphic phases. I oceans would represent a free and virtually limitless The researchers show feedstock for producing energy. A new strategy for de- that a simple heat treat- signing light-activated catalysts that split water may help ment can be used to tailor bring that alternative-energy goal a step closer to reality. the distribution of nano- Researchers in China have found that crystals of the sized domains of Ga 2 O3 ’s semiconductor Ga2 O 3 that are composed of a patch- so-called α and β phases. work of structurally distinct nanosized domains can They further show that ED. INT. CHEM. ANGEW. FROM ADAPTED split water photocatalytically ( Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., mixed α-β samples pre- DOI: 10.1002/anie.201207554 ). The study demonstrates pared by heating the start- that the interface between polymorphic crystal phases ing material to roughly can play a key role in light-stimulated water splitting. 600 °C are up to seven The work may lead to photocatalysts that are more ac- times more catalytically tive than the relatively inefficient ones available today. active in splitting water Photocatalysts split water by directing energy ab- than samples composed of TINY JUNCTION The interfaces sorbed from light—often sunlight—to break water’s either phase alone. between nanosized domains of α- (brown) chemical bonds. The heart of the process is the light The University of To- and β- (blue) Ga O mediate photocatalytic absorption event, which generates pairs of negatively kyo’s Kazunari Domen 2 3 charge separation and water splitting. charged electrons and positively charged holes (elec- comments that although tron vacancies). The key to capitalizing on the energy in this proof-of-concept absorbed from light is keeping the charges separated. study the overall activity of the Ga2 O3 photocatalysts is Charge recombination can dissipate the absorbed en- not especially high, the strategy described here repre- ergy before bonds are broken. sents a new approach to boosting catalytic water-split- The standard strategy for maximizing charge separa- ting efficiency. He adds that the method’s applicability tion in semiconductors calls for selectively doping the may be limited, however, as a result of the relatively material to juxtapose positively (p-type) and negatively small number of materials known to exhibit similar (n-type) charged regions. Researchers also make these kinds of polymorphs. — MITCH JACOBY

SHALE Sasol moves ahead with massive Louisiana chemicals and fuels projects

The South African fuels and chemicals hydrocarbons, to make fuels and chemi- billion and is slated for completion in 2017. maker Sasol will proceed with engineer- cals such as diesel, jet fuel, naphtha, The project is predicated on North ing and design for building gas-to-liquids paraffin, and base oils. Expected to cost American natural gas remaining a much and ethylene plants at its Lake Charles, between $11 billion and $14 billion, the cheaper raw material than oil, Sasol Se- La., complex. The project, which may cost gas-to-liquids plant will open in phases. nior Group Executive André M. de Ruyter as much $21 billion to complete over a The first phase will start up in 2018 with told reporters on a conference call. Recent five- to seven-year period, is being billed 48,000 barrels per day of capacity. The price ratios of a barrel of oil to a million as the largest manufacturing investment second phase will double the plant’s size Btu of natural gas have been about 30 to ever for the state of Louisiana and one the following year. 1, he noted, and the project would still be of the largest-ever direct foreign invest- The ethylene cracker will use shale- viable at a ratio of 15 to 1. “Gas-to-liquids ments in the U.S. based ethane as its feedstock. Down- would make an enormous amount of The gas-to-liquids facility will reform stream from the 1.5 million-metric-ton sense if we could have the plant up and natural gas extracted from shale into a cracker, Sasol plans to build polyethylene, running today,” he said. mixture of hydrogen and carbon mon- ethylene oxide, synthetic alcohols, 1-oc- Sasol has delayed plans for a gas-to-liq- oxide. It will then use a Fischer-Tropsch tene, and ethoxylation facilities. The com- uids project in Canada until it completes process, which converts the mixture into plex will cost between $5 billion and $7 the Lake Charles plant. —ALEX TULLO

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 13 DECEMBER 10, 2012 BIG DATA JUST GOT A WHOLE LOT SMARTER.

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Your data is speaking. Find out what it’s saying. COVER STORY

BEYOND THE PATENT CLIFF In 2012, drugmakers lost many key patents, but that was just a part of a broad INDUSTRY TRANSFORMATION RICK MULLIN , C&EN NORTHEAST NEWS BUREAU

A CLIFF. It is a handy geographic metaphor solidified in 2012 when the Supreme Court for an impending deadline with perilous upheld the Affordable Care Act and Presi- consequences. For example, all eyes dent Barack Obama was reelected. All of are on Washington, D.C., this month these events are coalescing to create a sig- as the White House and Congress nificantly reformed, if for now less profit- confront the fiscal cliff, an end-of- able, pharmaceutical industry. the-year deadline for budgeting For instance, the industry is known for that will trigger a slew of automatic megadeals, but the early weeks of 2012 penalties if an agreement cannot be brought a flurry of research pacts focused reached. But that isn’t the only on oncology, typical of a more targeted ap- precipice around. proach. Takeda Pharmaceuticals , Merck For the pharmaceutical & Co., Eli Lilly & Co. , and AstraZeneca all industry, the last days of 2012 gained access to compounds that biotech will mark the end of the pat- firms were developing for cancer. Only ent cliff, an approximately one deal involved an acquisition, and none 18-month stretch during which of the drug companies paid more than major drug companies lost $190 million up front. exclusive rights to many billion- In January, Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) dollar-selling drugs. did announce the acquisition of Inhibitex, The cliff could be seen coming for a which focuses on hepatitis C drugs, for long time. Indeed, efforts to mitigate the $2.5 billion. But in the months that fol- expected loss in profits kicked in years lowed, multi-billion-dollar acquisitions ago as drugmakers struggled to invent and continued to be outnumbered by more commercialize replacement blockbuster modest research pacts and partnerships in drugs. which drug companies acted to add prom- As, one by one, those efforts failed, the ising compounds to their pipelines. industry turned to more creative ways of Patient advocacy groups scored early going over the cliff and surviving. They this year with the approval of Kalydeco, a shifted their focus to developing drugs for cystic fibrosis therapy and the first major unmet medical needs, expanding in grow- success to emerge from a partnership be- ing geographic markets, licensing drug tween a drug firm, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, candidates from biotech companies, buy- and a patient group, the Cystic Fibrosis ing biotech companies, partnering with in- Foundation, which bankrolled much of the novative research organizations, and gut- development of Kalydeco. The milestone ting bloated research organizations. Some marked a triumph for patient organiza- companies played the “if you can’t beat tions, which are fast making inroads in big ’em, join ’em” card by bolstering generics pharma research. portfolios. An industry-wide decline in sales also While this business revamp was going characterized 2012. On the basis of third- on, the sector was also being transformed quarter earnings, Ernst & Young estimates

by changes in U.S. health care laws that SHUTTERSTOCK/C&EN combined sales at the global top 13 drug

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 15 DECEMBER 10, 2012 COVER STORY

companies will drop by close to 4% this year from about $557 billion in 2011. New drugs will have to be shown to Patent expirations were an obvious cul- deliver better value to patients than prit. The impact was felt in the first quarter nowhere more succinctly than at Pfizer , much cheaper generic drugs. which lost patent protection for its cho- lesterol reducer Lipitor, the world’s top- selling drug, at the end of 2011. Lipitor sales “The environment in which pharma but also with insurers, patient advocacy dropped 42% in the first quarter of 2012 companies operate has really taken a groups, and nontraditional partners, espe- compared with the year-earlier period. knock this year at the same time that the cially in information technology (IT). Lilly’s October 2011 loss of exclusivity big expiries happened,” Kleinrock says. “One of the most important bellwether on the schizophrenia treatment Zyprexa “The combination of factors is something events of the last year was the Supreme resulted in a 56% hit to first-quarter sales that makes a lot of numbers look pretty Court ruling that the Affordable Care Act for the drug. And AstraZeneca, which lost bad.” is constitutional, followed by President patent protection for its schizophrenia Todd Evans, director of pharma and Obama’s reelection,” Evans says. The ad- drug Seroquel IR in March, suffered a 25% life sciences at the consulting firm Price- vance of health care reform solidified the drop in sales for the drug in the first quar- waterhouseCoopers (PwC), adds that industry’s shift toward measuring health ter. The company also faced generics com- economic pressure, unfruitful R&D efforts, care outcomes in determining which drugs petition for its breast cancer drug Arimidex and health care reform conspired to push come to market and which are reimbursed. and its heartburn drug Nexium. the major drug companies toward partner- With the key legislation surviving at- The encroachment of generic drugs ships not only with other drug companies, tempts to derail it, drug companies lost on the sales of major brands continued their justification to put off necessary through the first nine months of 2012, set- adaptations to drug research and business R&D REBOUND After fi ve years of ting the industry on its course to finish the development. shrinking, the global project pipeline year with sales below the level of 2011. If “People have come to realize that a wait- shows signs of growth. that happens, it will be the first sales drop and-see strategy is now obsolete.” There after a steady run of recession-defying Growth rate, % is a clearer picture of the future going into growth since 2008. 5 2013 than there was a year ago, Evans says. 4 “I think 2012 put the last heap of dirt on the MOST COMPANIES pointed to patent 3 grave of the past.” expiration as the cause, but Michael Klein- 2 And the future is looking a little brighter. rock, director of research development at Most big drug companies were affected by 1 the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informat- major patent expirations over the past 18 ics , says more factors were in play. He attri- 0 months and have spent a lot longer prepar- butes the decline to the cliff’s convergence –1 ing, notes Glen Giovannetti, life sciences with other economic problems, a kind of –2 leader at Ernst & Young. Chief executive perfect storm that finally caught up with –3 officers have had their 2011 and 2012 patent the drug industry. The tumble from the 2006 07 08 09 10 11 12 events marked on their calendars for years, patent cliff was worsened by the contin- NOTE: Number of active projects is counted in June he says. ued economic crisis worldwide, which has of each year. There were 5,644 active projects in “And sure enough, revenues are down,” June 2012. European health care payers in a state of SOURCE: IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics Giovannetti says. “But ironically, stock disarray. prices of most of the big companies are

TOP 10 PRODUCTS Sales are declining for many of the world’s top pharmaceuticals SALESa 12-MONTH CHANGE BRAND NAME COMPOUND MARKETER INDICATION ($ BILLIONS) IN SALES Lipitor Atorvastatin Pfizer Hypercholesterolemia $9.5 -24.6% Seretide Fluticasone & salmeterol GlaxoSmithKline Asthma 8.7 -0.4 Plavix Clopidogrel BMS & Sanofi Atherosclerotic events 8.4 -8.3 Crestor Rosuvastatin AstraZeneca Hypercholesterolemia 8.1 8.8 Humira Adalimumab Abbott Laboratories Rheumatoid arthritis 7.5 17.0 Nexium Esomeprazole AstraZeneca Acid reflux disease symptoms 7.4 -10.2 Remicade Infliximab Janssen Biotech Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis 7.0 9.2 Enbrel Etanercept Amgen & Pfizer Rheumatoid arthritis 6.9 7.6 Seroquel Quetiapine AstraZeneca Bipolar disorder & schizophrenia 6.6 -8.2 Abilify Aripiprazole BMS & Otsuka Schizophrenia 6.6 11.4

TOTAL $76.7 -2.3%

a For the 12 months ending on June 30, 2012. SOURCE: IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 16 DECEMBER 10, 2012

COVER STORY

up. Wall Street is attuned to the fact that, Notably, the company made big cuts in next year, these big companies will again TOP 10 COMPANIES neuroscience research. But it also made a look like growth stocks.” One reason is that strategic change. AstraZeneca increasingly Many big drug companies are the companies have launched new growth employs scientists who work primarily on strategies, spurred by a failure to replace seeing their sales decline data generated by academic and other re- old blockbuster drugs with new ones and 12-MONTH search partners that perform experiments the maturation of markets in the U.S., Eu- SALESa CHANGE IN designed in collaboration with the drug rope, and Japan. Drugmakers are pursuing ($ BILLIONS) SALES company. The move highlights an increas- Pfizer partnerships and licensing deals to acquire $51.9 -8.6% ing emphasis on research partnerships and Novartis 50.8 2.0 therapies that, in an age of personalized Merck & Co. 40.9 6.8 on mathematical modeling and statistical medicine, will target relatively small pa- Sanofi 38.9 -0.9 analysis in the drug industry. tient populations. They are also moving Roche 35.0 2.7 Other firms cut staff in reorganizations to take advantage of high-growth markets AstraZeneca 34.5 -5.4 in 2012. Merck Serono cut 500 jobs in April such as Latin America and China. GlaxoSmithKline 33.6 -1.8 in the process of closing its headquarters Health care reform is changing how Johnson & Johnson 26.8 -4.5 in Switzerland and moving operations to Abbott Laboratories 25.8 4.1 care is given and paid for, Giovannetti Teva 24.0 -3.4 its parent company in Germany. And in a observes. “Long term, we think this will move that heavily impacted New Jersey’s result in changing business models,” he TOTAL $362.2 -1.2% “pharmaceutical alley,” Roche announced says. “We think there is an opportunity for GLOBAL MARKET $857.3 3.5% it will close its operations in Nutley, N.J., life sciences companies—drug companies, a For the 12 months ending on June 30, 2012. which had served as the company’s U.S. medical device companies, IT compa- SOURCE: IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics headquarters for decades. About 1,000 jobs nies—to play a role in adding value beyond will be eliminated. traditional pharmaceutical products. It is operating officer of Alnylam Pharmaceu- Novartis said it will shed nearly 2,000 not a big revenue generator at all today, but ticals , told C&EN that big drug companies jobs in the U.S. in the face of losing pat- a lot of experimentation is going on with had completely restructured their R&D ent exclusivity for Diovan, a blood pres- companies entering into partnerships to programs and were concentrating on build- sure medicine that had sales of $6 billion manage health and partnering with provid- ing up their pipelines through acquisitions in 2010. Meanwhile, Sanofi Pasteur, ers for improved outcomes.” and partnerships. the vaccines arm of Sanofi , launched a Changes pulling big pharma down manufacturing-oriented restructuring helped buoy the biopharmaceutical sector DESPITE OPTIMISM regarding new paths program expected to eliminate as many in 2012. Biotech firms and analysts at the to growth, 2012 took a toll on the pharma- as 2,000 jobs across France. Sanofi itself annual J. P. Morgan Healthcare Conference ceutical sector. announced a revamp of its research opera- in January pointed to BMS’s acquisition of The patent losses and sales declines have tions in France that will eliminate 900 jobs Inhibitex and to Gilead Sciences’ $11 bil- been accompanied by job cuts. AstraZeneca by 2015. lion purchase of Pharmasset as indicators moved early in the year when it disclosed Sanofi was also among the big drug that drug companies are prepared to invest that 7,300 positions will be eliminated, in- companies and biotechs forming nontradi- in innovative science. Barry Greene, chief cluding more than 2,000 in R&D. tional research ventures and partnerships.

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 18 DECEMBER 10, 2012 Precision Syringe Pump Automate Reagent Delivery $XWRPDWLFDOO\UH¿OOVWR deliver any volume A deal between Sanofi, Third Rock Ven- vanced its campaign to develop therapies tures, and Greylock Partners, for example, through partnerships. The company’s garnered much attention when it was an- Centers for Therapeutic Innovation (CTI) nounced at the J. P. Morgan conference. now operate in San Francisco, San Diego, Warp Drive Bio , an independent com- New York City, and Boston. The program, pany launched by the partners, will use ge- Pfizer’s key move to advance research after nomics for natural product drug discovery paring back its traditional in-house labs, based on technology developed by Harvard started in 2010. University scientist Gregory L. Verdine, a CTI has set a goal of delivering four partner in Third Rock. Established with an first-in-patient studies per year across investment of $125 million, Warp Drive will multiple therapeutic areas, Anthony ‡ )ORZ5DQJHPl/min to 150 ml/min have full rights to de- Coyle, chief sci- ‡ 'HOLYHUVPXOWLSOHUHDJHQWVDW velop and commer- entific officer of independent rates. PIPELINE DYNAMICS Phases I cialize assets based CTI told C&EN in ‡ *ODVVDQG7HÀRQÀXLGSDWK and II rebound as late-stage products on the technology or September. continue to rise. ‡ )UHH3&FRQWUROVRIWZDUH form partnerships As it redirected ‡ 2SWLRQDOIHDWXUHV with other drug Number of active products its R&D efforts, pH, temperature, and pressure control 1,600 firms. Phase II Pfizer also moved to Merck & Co. de- 1,400 divest itself of non- Temperature Control cided to invest $90 1,200 core businesses this million over seven Phase I year, fulfilling CEO 1,000 Standard feature years to help launch Ian Read’s promise on all J-KEM 800 the California Insti- that the company NEWcontrollers! 600 tute for Biomedical Phase III would focus on USB Communications Research (Calibr), 400 pharmaceuticals. with free Preregistration KEM-Net software a research facility 200 In April, Pfizer sold * Data logging that acts as an inter- 0 its infant nutrition 2008 09 10 11 12 * Remote PC Control mediary between business to Nestlé * Multi-temp Ramp academic and com- for $11.9 billion. The NOTE: Number of active products is counted in mercial drug R&D June of each year. company followed labs. Calibr will part- SOURCE: IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics up by spinning off ner with university its animal health researchers anywhere in the world to bring business into a new company to be called their drug development programs to proof Zoetis. of concept in animal models, at which Pfizer also acted to elevate generic drugs * 0.1o C regulation of any volume point Merck will have an option to license and emerging markets in its business plan from 10 Pl to 100 L. a candidate. If Merck passes on the oppor- through deals such as a joint venture with o tunity, Calibr can enter an agreement with China’s Hisun Pharmaceuticals to com- * < 1 C overshoot of the setpoint another drug firm or spin off research as a mercialize off-patent products. Similarly, stand-alone company. and in the same week in February, Merck Endeavour Robotics announced it would partner with Supera -.(0¶VPRVWDIIRUGDEOHURERW RESEARCH PACTS between drug com- Farma Laboratorios in a generics joint ven- panies and academic labs advanced with ture in Brazil. Do-it-yourself: $8000 several deals in 2012, including Novartis’ In another move keyed on generics, Pfi- Complete solutions from pact with the University of Pennsylvania to zer acquired NextWave Pharmaceuticals,  develop and commercialize immunothera- a specialty drug company focused on at- pies for the treatment of cancer. tention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and Resolution: BMS teamed with the Vanderbilt Cen- other central nervous system disorders. 0.02mm ter for Neuroscience Drug Discovery to NextWave’s Quillivant XR is an extended- Speed: develop drugs for Parkinson’s disease. The release version of the generic ADHD drug 300mm/sec center, located at Vanderbilt University methylphenidate. Pfizer also acquired the Compact and funded in part by the Michael J. Fox rights to Nexium, AstraZeneca’s over-the- Foundation, has been among the most counter acid reflux therapy. active academic research groups teaming *:HLJKLQJDSSOLFDWLRQV7XEHV9LDOV with drug companies. The neuroscience TO BE SURE, the year was not without the *'LVVROXWLRQ)OXLGGLVSHQVLQJ * Rearraying - Reaction setup center also is nearing clinical trials of a kind of major acquisition drama that has schizophrenia treatment developed with long characterized the sector. Roche , for -.(06FLHQWL¿F,QF Janssen Pharmaceuticals. example, made a hostile $5.7 billion bid for (800) 827-4849 Pfizer, among the most active drug firms the gene-sequencing firm Illumina in Janu- http://www.jkem.com cultivating links with academic labs, ad- ary and was rebuffed. The drug firm tried

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 19 DECEMBER 10, 2012 COVER STORY

“People have come to realize that a wait- and-see strategy is now obsolete.” to nominate directors for election at Il- generics under the user fee program, citing care reform is placing greater emphasis on lumina’s annual meeting before withdraw- a growing impact on public health from fal- patient outcomes. FDA is evaluating new ing its bid. Meanwhile, GlaxoSmithKline sified or counterfeit generic drugs, thanks drugs not only on the basis of safety and prevailed in its $3.6 billion acquisition of to the steadily increasing share of the efficacy, but also on how much better they Human Genome Sciences after the genom- market taken by generics. Meanwhile, FDA perform than therapies already on the mar- ics pioneer’s failed attempt to attract a continued to talk with drug companies and ket. The bar is similarly raised by insurance better offer. other government agencies about crafting companies determining reimbursement. a strategy to protect the supply chain. “Historically, stakeholders in the phar- ON THE REGULATORY FRONT, the Food New technology continued to fill drug maceutical value chain have operated inde- & Drug Administration approved 31 new discovery laboratories as well. The steady pendently,” Evans says. “There has been so molecular entities through mid-November, influx of genomics data into pharmaceu- much money washing around in the system one more than the total approvals in 2011. tical research fostered an IT-intensive that everyone could pretty much succeed In its push to better police the supply environment in which software vendors without openly collaborating—without chain, the agency was aided this year by the vied to supply comprehensive laboratory even liking each other. Drug companies, in- reauthorization of drug user fees, which networks. At the same time, lab managers surance companies, physicians, hospitals, partially fund quality oversight efforts. The were looking for people with an increased and other communities could operate to a House of Representatives and Senate deliv- level of math competency to be involved in great extent in isolation and still make an ered near-unanimous yes votes in June to development projects. They spoke of the acceptable return.” legislation that for the first time includes a rise of “data scientists,” researchers adept With the emergence of lowest-cost de- generic drug user fee. at mathematical modeling and statistical livery of the highest-quality outcome as a Suppliers of active pharmaceutical analysis. shared goal, collaboration is unavoidable. ingredients lobbied Congress to include Evans, the PwC consultant, says health And with passage of health care reform, that shared goal actually has the rule of law behind it, Evans says. Kleinrock at IMS says the higher stan- dards present a clear challenge to drug- makers attempting to recoup losses after their blockbusters became generic. New drugs, for example, will have to be shown to THANK YOU! deliver better value to patients than much As 2012 comes to a close, we would like to extend a cheaper generic drugs that may represent the gold standard in a therapeutic area. sincere thank you to our customers and partners for The cost of innovation will thus increase another successful year. We are honored to provide the at a time when budgets are far more con- pharmaceutical industry with the highest quality products strained than they were during the decades and services, understanding that patients are counting when companies were developing their blockbusters. on us for a better quality of life. THE UPSIDE, Kleinrock suggests, is that there are huge opportunities to develop drugs for unmet needs such as Alzheimer’s

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DOW WILL DELAY BIOPOLYMERS PLANT U.S. SOLAR FIRMS TRY CHINA At an investor forum last week, Dow Chem- The two largest U.S. producers of solar cells and modules, SunPower ical officials said the company will delay a and First Solar , have announced plans to participate in solar installation planned biopolymers plant in Brazil. Since projects in China. China is the world’s largest exporter of solar panels 2007, the company has been planning a and recently quadrupled its goal for solar installations to 21 GW by 2015. polyethylene plant based on ethylene from At the same time, a two-year solar glut has caused prices for traditional dehydrated sugarcane ethanol. Last year, crystalline solar modules to crash. Both U.S. firms plan to demonstrate Dow and Mitsui & Co. formed a joint ven- that their nontraditional solar products can succeed in China’s growing ture to build the complex. Now, citing slow market. SunPower has formed a joint venture with a local manufacturer, a global economic growth, officials say they power company, and a business development firm based in Hohhot, Inner are delaying projects that aren’t expected Mongolia, to make and deploy concentrating solar technology. The sys- to generate profits within the decade. The tem uses parabolic mirrors to reflect light onto high-efficiency solar cells. company, however, is still proceeding with Meanwhile, First Solar will supply 2 MW of its thin-film cadmium telluride a Brazilian ethanol plant. At the forum, ex- solar modules to a solar project in Xinjiang province. It will be the com- ecutives also said that, within the next 12 to pany’s first commercial demonstration project in China.— MMB 24 months, Dow will divest businesses that together generate about $1 billion in annual sales. — AHT SK BESTS INNOSPEC nylon 12. The plant was damaged by an IN CONTEST FOR TPC explosion and fire on March 31 that killed TAMINCO ATTEMPTS two workers. Evonik says the explosion STOCK OFFERING AGAIN Shareholders of TPC Group, a Houston- was caused by the use of too much catalyst based producer of C4 chemicals, have voted in the production process. An investigation The amines specialist Taminco Global for the firm to be acquired by SK Capital into who caused the incident is ongoing. Chemical has filed documents with the Partners and First Reserve . The private eq- The firm has introduced safety measures U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission uity firms jointly offered $45.00 per share, proposed by an independent safety insti- for an initial public offering (IPO) of up or about $700 million. The chemical maker tute to prevent a recurrence of the inci- to $250 million in stock. Taminco was Innospec earlier withdrew its Nov. 15 offer dent. Evonik is the leading supplier of CDT formed in 2003 from the amines business to acquire TPC for $47.50 per share, saying to nylon 12 producers and is the only nylon it was unable to structure the deal the way 12 firm making its own CDT. — AS it wanted. SK and First Reserve first offered $40.00 per share for TPC in August. — AS TAMINCO MITSUBISHI CLEARED IN PATENT CASE INEOS TO BRING U.S. ETHANE INTO NORWAY The U.S. International Trade Commis- sion has determined that Mitsubishi Gas Petrochemical maker Ineos plans to modi- Chemical and other companies did not fy its terminal in Rafnes, Norway, enabling infringe on Kaneka ’s process patent for the it to ship in ethane from the U.S. and other manufacture of coenzyme Q10, a dietary countries to feed its network of petro- supplement. According to Fish & Richard- chemical plants in Europe, including one in son, MGC’s law firm, Kaneka applied for Rafnes. Ineos has signed a letter of intent the patent in the U.S. in 2002. After receiv- with Germany’s TGE Gas Engineering to ing the patent in 2011, Kaneka immediately build the tank and associated infrastruc- initiated a lawsuit against MGC and other ture by mid-2015. Ineos also has agreed to firms. Ironically, MGC announced in Octo- 15-year ethane supply deals with U.S. firms. ber that it was closing its only plant making Taminco acquired this Pace, Fla., plant The ethane will supplement Ineos’ existing the supplement, located in Japan, because from Air Products & Chemicals in 2006. supplies and provide a substitute for more prospects for the business were poor.— JFT expensive liquid petroleum gas. — AS of Belgium’s UCB and has grown by acquir- ing similar businesses to reach $1.1 billion ISOCHEM ACQUIRES in sales last year. It filed for an IPO on the EVONIK WILL RESTART ENGLAND’S WYCHEM Brussels Stock Exchange in 2010 when NYLON PRECURSOR UNIT owned by CVC Capital Partners but later The French fine chemicals firm Isochem withdrew the request. CVC sold Taminco Evonik Industries plans this month to re- has acquired Wychem, a Newmarket, to Apollo Global Management late last year start a plant in Marl, Germany, that makes England-based producer of pharmaceutical for $1.4 billion. —MM cyclododecatriene (CDT), a precursor for intermediates. With the deal, Isochem ex-

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 22 DECEMBER 10, 2012 BUSINESS CONCENTRATES

pands its range of intermediates, particular- support for the Catamold business in Asia CONTRACT FIRMS ADD ly aromatic compounds, and acquires a kilo will be provided by the company’s new R&D ANALYTICAL SERVICES lab. Wychem provides chemicals in quanti- center in Shanghai.— JFT ties ranging from 1 to 1,000 kg, whereas Three contract manufacturing firms are ex- Isochem has manufacturing capacity of up panding their analytical services offerings. to 100 metric tons. Isochem was acquired AMRI REALIGNS ITS Sweden’s Recipharm is increasing its analyt- by the German private equity firm Aurelius DISCOVERY SERVICES ical development capacity for pharmaceuti- in 2010 and subsequently indicated it was cal formulation, along with regulatory-com- on the lookout for acquisitions.— RM Albany Molecular Research Inc. will fold pliant production for clinical trial materials, its in vitro biology capabilities into its in Solna, Sweden. A new analytical lab is set other drug discovery services. In the pro- to open by May 2013. Similarly, U.S.-based BASF SETS TAIWANESE cess, the firm will close its Bothell, Wash., Regis Technologies recently added regula- METAL INJECTION UNIT site, which employs 24 people, by March tory-compliant analytical development ser- 2013. The company will move most of the vices for pharma customers after expanding BASF will set up a 5,000-metric-ton-per- site’s activities to its Singapore location its labs in Morton Grove, Ill., in 2010. And year plant in Kuanyin, Taiwan, to produce and certain analytical capabilities to its Aptuit , also based in the U.S., says it now has feedstock for metal injection molding. Albany headquarters. Earlier this year, analytical services for biotherapeutics at its The company expects to open the facility AMRI trimmed its U.S. contract drug dis- site in Verona, Italy.— AMT in 2013. Bearing the covery staff, closed a site in Hungary, and brand name Catamold , Catamold expanded in India and Singapore. — AMT metals and PROTEIN SCIENCES WILL the feedstock enables ceramics come manufacturers to mold as polyacetal- LEASE PFIZER PLANT complex metal and ce- bound granules. RANBAXY RECALLS ramic parts as easily as STATIN DRUG BATCHES Protein Sciences, a manufacturer of re- if they were plastic, combinant flu vaccines, plans to make a BASF claims. Ranbaxy Laboratories’ U.S. subsidiary has multi-million-dollar investment in vac- Customer recalled 41 lots of atorvastatin, the compa- cine production at Pfizer’s Pearl River, ny’s generic version of the Pfizer drug Lipi- N.Y., campus. The company will lease an tor, because they may contain sand-sized 83,000-sq-ft building at the Pfizer facil- glass particles. So far no one has reported an ity to manufacture Flublok, a pandemic adverse reaction, the company says. The re- flu vaccine that it expects FDA to approve call is another blow to Ranbaxy’s image. The early next year. Wyeth, now part of Pfizer, firm reached an agreement with FDA less had also used the plant to make a vaccine. than a year ago about how to address manu- Protein Sciences says it is also studying a facturing problems discovered in 2008 at manufacturing expansion near its head-

BASF Ranbaxy plants in northern India. —JFT quarters in Meriden, Conn. — RM

BUSINESS Tate & Lyle BioProducts Instead, the business will pany TyraTech to develop R&D partners. The Mas- ROUNDUP and succinic acid from be spun off to sharehold- pesticides with plant oils sachusetts-based firm Myriant . Both ingredients ers of Champion’s parent and other natural ingredi- will use the money to help UNIVAR, a leading are made from sugar. company, Permian Mud ents from TyraTech. The commercialize semicon- chemical distributor, Service. Ecolab will now new products will be sold ductor memory storage will acquire Texas-based MITSUBISHI RAYON pay $2.16 billion, rather to household, crop pro- devices that use carbon Magnablend for an will spend $22 million to than $2.20 billion, for tection, seed treatment, nanotubes. undisclosed sum. With acquire Aldila, a Califor- Champion. and lawn and garden expected sales of more nia-based manufacturer markets. ASTRAZENECA has than $400 million this of carbon-fiber shafts for CHEMTURA and Cater- signed an agreement year, Magnablend offers golf clubs and archery pillar will jointly develop SEKISUI CHEMICAL will with the U.K.’s Health custom chemical manu- products. Aldila says it will new applications of raise chlorinated polyvinyl & Social Care Informa- facturing, blending, and be joining a world-class Chemtura’s Duracast hot- chloride capacity by 20% tion Centre to develop packaging, particularly for composites company that cast urethane prepolymer to 40,000 metric tons means for linking dispa- the oil and gas market. is back-integrated into all technology for construc- per year at its plant in rate sources of health raw materials. tion and mining equip- Shunan, Japan. The mate- information from the PIEDMONT CHEMICAL ment. Initial products will rial is used to make heat- country’s National Health is launching what it calls ECOLAB has amended include nonpneumatic resistant water pipes. Service. The partnership renewable polyester poly- its agreement to buy tires for harsh operating will initially investigate ols for the production of Champion Technologies, environments. NANTERO has closed how integrated health urethane foams, coatings, saying it will not purchase a $10 million financing care data can be used to adhesives, and sealants. the drilling services firm’s AMVAC CHEMICAL has round involving existing identify unmet clinical The polyols are made with downstream process and formed a joint venture venture capital investors needs for patients with propanediol from DuPont water solutions business. with life sciences com- and two new corporate diabetes.

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 23 DECEMBER 10, 2012 BUSINESS QUARTZ BIO QUARTZ

LOOKING UP Quartz featuring individuals Bio’s Scientific like Conquet—folks STARTING UP IN Director Alessandro DiCara (from left), who have both Chief Information strong scientific SWITZERLAND Officer Karl Forner, and business track CEO Wojcik, and records. Creating Scientific Director a start-up is not for The closure of Merck Serono’s Geneva site prompts Marc Lamarine are the fainthearted, LAUNCHING THEIR OWN FIRMS providing a service staffers to consider that will facilitate says Philippe Lopes- ALEX SCOTT , C&EN LONDON drug companies’ Fernandes, head of development global licensing and of personalized medicines. business develop- IN A BID TO REDUCE the impact of hun- it is now being drawn closer to the heart of ment for Merck dreds of job cuts caused by the closure of the Merck organization. Serono. “It’s a risky its Geneva, Switzerland, headquarters, For the likes of François Conquet, Merck business, and very Merck Serono created a $40 million fund to Serono’s former director of early-stage early on we see the candidates that are going encourage staffers from the center to cre- licensing, the parent company’s shift in to make it,” says Lopes-Fernandes, who also ate their own biotech start-ups. strategy has created a great opportunity. manages the firm’s partnering activities. The response has been enthusiastic, With assistance from the start-up fund, Lopes-Fernandes and his team were with 75 initial business proposals and many Conquet has founded Prexton Thera- keen not to discourage any proposed researchers considering starting a com- peutics to develop therapies for diseases start-ups, “but we had to be sure people pany for the first time. Experienced manag- including Parkinson’s. Three other former knew what they were getting into. We ers have come to the fore. Three start-ups Merck Serono colleagues have joined Con- didn’t want to send them away with the have emerged so far, and several more are quet in the new firm. money, only for them to fail six months in the pipeline. Starting a company can be It’s not the first time Conquet has left later,” he says. rewarding, but people are learning that the security of a big pharma company for The Swiss start-up program follows even with backing from Merck Serono the the excitement of a start-up. In 2002 he schemes by other large pharma companies process can be arduous. quit as head of GlaxoSmithKline ’s de- to invest in incubator organizations or Serono was Europe’s largest stand-alone partment of experimental pathology in venture capital funds after announcing biotech firm in 2006 when the Darmstadt, Lausanne, Switzerland, to found Geneva’s R&D layoffs. Recently, for example, Astra- Germany-based drug and chemical com- Addex Pharmaceuticals, where he stayed Zeneca , Pfizer , and the Quebec provincial pany Merck acquired it for $13.3 billion and until 2005. He then became acting chief government agreed to invest $100 million renamed it Merck Serono. The company executive officer for a venture capital firm over five years to create a research institute remained largely independent, but the before joining Merck Serono in 2006. in Montreal that would assist biotech start- closure of the Geneva headquarters signals Merck Serono is seeking to back start-ups ups ( C&EN, Dec. 3, page 8 ).

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 24 DECEMBER 10, 2012 44 2012

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staffers have found employ- UNDER WAY ment in biotech start-ups as- Former staffers from Merck Serono in Geneva have launched three companies so far sisted by the start-up program. After the introduction of FORMER INVESTMENT FROM the program in the summer, START-UP ACTIVITY STAFFERS MERCK SERONO LOCATION staffers initially came up Asceneuron Therapies for central 8 $6.5 million & drug Science park of École nervous system diseases candidates Polytechnique Fédérale de with 75 new business ideas. Lausanne, Switzerland Lopes-Fernandes and his team Prexton Therapeutics Therapies for 4 $2.6 million & drug Eclosion, Geneva quickly whittled the number neurodegenerative diseases candidates down to fewer than 20. “There Quartz Bio Computational analysis of 4 Contracts for services Bluebox, Geneva were a few extravagant ideas biomarker data that were quickly discarded. Much of the focus at this stage SOURCE: Companies involved exploring what it would take to make the ideas Merck Serono says the motive behind its will be transferred to Darmstadt, Boston, work. Most teams chose to stop after that $40 million fund is not to make money but and Beijing. Meanwhile, 80 staffers have tak- stage,” Lopes-Fernandes says. to create jobs. “When faced with the site en early retirement, and 170 have found jobs A large number of the staffers began by closure we asked what we could do,” Fran- elsewhere. Most people will have left well expressing interest in starting up a firm, çois Naef, the firm’s chairman, tells C&EN. before the Geneva site closes in June 2013. but they soon discovered that it requires a Additionally, the drug firm has ap- huge commitment. MOST OF THE EMPLOYEES at the site proached other potential employers, Naef Merck Serono chose not to present its are scientists or marketing and information says. For example, the pharmaceutical ser- Geneva staffers with lists of assets, such technology specialists. Of the 1,250 who will vices company Quintiles has outlined plans as equipment or drug candidates, around be directly affected by the closure, Merck to provide at least 100 jobs to Merck Serono which they could base a start-up. “People Serono has found positions for 295 at its staffers in the field of biopharma services. need to own the idea and bring it forward,” other sites. The researchers among them So far only 16 former Merck Serono Lopes-Fernandes says. The recipe for suc- NIRSolutions® for PAT and Quality by Design

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WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 26 DECEMBER 10, 2012 cess “is always a combination of business refined, Conquet says. He hopes to have Geneva-based firm that provides laborato- plan and personality. We found passionate one compound at the clinical phase a year ries, office space, and scientific and manage- people,” he says. from now. ment support from its site in Geneva. “This One group of individuals that Lopes- The company will seek to outsource its has meant that we have had no obstacles Fernandes’ team identified as having what chemistry activities to contract research during our early stages,” Conquet says. it takes to make a successful business re- organizations. Unlike Asceneuron, it has Like Asceneuron, Prexton already has cently launched a drug development firm decided to work with a science incubator one eye on securing additional funds, likely called Asceneuron. company to lighten its managerial and sci- $5 million to $10 million. “In 10 months we The new company has a team of eight entific load. Prexton has chosen Eclosion, a will need to do another cash round. We have former Geneva staffers with chemistry and biology skills who until recently formed the backbone of Merck Serono’s Alzheimer’s research group. It has secured $6.5 million from Merck Serono as well as three sets of Discover central nervous system (CNS) drug can- didates. Additionally, Merck Serono has The Uniqueness of Spectrum! “contributed substantially” to setting up the firm, says Asceneuron Executive Chair- man Frank Armstrong. In return for its 2013 - 2014 investment, Merck Serono has a majority Organic Chemical Catalog stake in the company.

WITH THREE DRUG development pro- grams, the start-up will need to raise new capital to take candidates into Phase I and II clinical trials. “Once we have the data to show how the compounds perform we will see where we are going,” says Armstrong, a former senior manager at Merck Serono who earlier worked in management at Ze- neca and Bayer. “All three programs feature distinct drug targets. We have identified small molecules that already have excellent CNS drug prop- erties, and all have high blood-brain barrier penetration,” Armstrong says. “We would expect to be in Phase I in less than two 2013 - 2015 years or so for our lead compound.” USP Chemical Catalog Asceneuron is establishing itself at the science park of the École Polytechnique 1,200 USP/NF/FCC Chemicals 22,000 TCI Organic Chemicals Fédérale de Lausanne, where starting in Largest USP Offering Ever! Specialists in Organic Research 2013 it will have offices and two labs. Conquet’s start-up firm, Prexton Thera- peutics, is the only other drug development company to have made it through Merck Depend on Spectrum, We Deliver from Stock! Serono’s selection process so far and is the Contains various Chemical Lists, first to begin developing its candidates. The spin-off, which was announced in Au- such as a list for Alzheimer’s Research, Obesity Research, gust, is developing therapies for neurode- Vitamins, Amino Acids, Oils, etc. generative diseases. Merck Serono provid- ed drug candidates and has agreed to invest $2.6 million in the venture in exchange for Request Your FREE Copy! majority ownership. SpectrumChemical.com/Request_Catalog Including Conquet, Prexton has four staffers, all scientists. The firm has four small-molecule drug candidates that resulted from a program Merck Serono 800.772.8786 initiated two years ago. The more ad- vanced compounds are in the middle of SpectrumChemical.com preclinical development and need to be

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 27 DECEMBER 10, 2012 started contacting prospective venture capi- The third start-up, Quartz Bio, is the areas. They are targeting the niche between tal companies we know,” Conquet says. first services company to come out of academia and clinical trials. Start-ups such as Prexton have the “spirit Merck Serono. CEO Jérôme Wojcik be- “I was looking at outsourcing this work of flexibility and a reactive team but with the lieves that the new firm offers unique while at Merck Serono, but I didn’t find background of a large company,” according expertise in the computational analysis of any suitable partners,” Wojcik explains. to Conquet. “We know what a large com- biomarker data derived from clinical trials. The best computational analysis firm that pany could expect, what assays and experi- Its team of four scientists has worked on he and his colleagues could identify was ments are required. The dark side is the risk. more than 50 clinical studies from Phase in India. The contractor’s numbers were We are working without a net,” he says. I to Phase IV across a range of therapeutic accurate, but the data weren’t easily recog- nizable by clinicians and had to be redone, Wojcik says. Quartz Bio intends to provide information that is tailored for clinicians. Wojcik firmly believes the time is right to launch such a company. Big pharma companies are outsourcing more in the field of data management, and they want to glean new information from their grow- ing data sets as well as use computational analysis to ensure that quality control is in place, he says. One of Quartz Bio’s key roles will be to assist drug companies in develop- ing personalized medicines, he says.

QUARTZ BIO LAUNCHED in early No- vember and has set up offices with Bluebox, a Geneva-based organization that assists start-ups. Merck Serono did not provide the start-up with funding but has agreed to an initial service contract. “We have a good number of orders to March or April 2013,” Wojcik says. In a typical project Quartz Bio will re- ceive data points from a Phase II trial with a primary end point that was not met. The firm will then analyze biomarker data to find a subpopulation of patients who might respond well to the drug. This stratifica- tion of data could enable the shift to more personalized medicines, Wojcik says. “I believe there are a lot of gold nuggets out there.” Biotechs generate enormous amounts of data, he says; the bottleneck is the analysis of those data. Working for a start-up is different from working for Merck Serono. “Sure, there is more stress, but there is more fun,” Wojcik says. “We have our key per- formance targets such as revenue and growth, but the real measure of success will be if we can implement our personal- ized-medicine approach.” Quartz Bio and the other two start-ups may have succeeded in securing the sup- port of Merck Serono but they still have to Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. Sumitomo Chemical Europe S.A./N.V. convert their early potential into long-term 5-33, Kitahama 4-chome, Chuo-ku, Woluwelaan 57, success. Lopes-Fernandes is optimistic Osaka 541-8550, Japan B-1830 Machelen, Belgium TEL: +81-6-6473-3578 TEL: +32-2-251-0650 about their chances. Following Merck FAX: +81-6-6473-8698 FAX: +32-2-251-2991 Serono’s rigorous selection procedure, he http://www.sumitomo-chem.co.jp/pharma-chem/ gives each of them an 80% chance of sur- viving their first few years. ◾

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 28 DECEMBER 10, 2012 BUSINESS

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OLEDs are PHILIPS emerging as a new source One of the industry’s newest consortia of interior is the Chemical Materials Evaluation & lighting. Research Base, or Cereba , a laboratory near Tokyo supported by 11 Japanese firms that supply the electronics industry. By spread- ing the cost of expensive testing equipment among several companies, government- sponsored Cereba aims to help Japanese industry achieve leadership in new fields of electronics. The main focus at Cereba so far is the development of lamps based on organic TESTING, light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Several Japanese companies have developed mate- rials that can be used in OLED lighting, and ECONOMICALLY at Cereba they come together to develop tests for measuring their materials’ perfor- Japanese competitors collaborate to standardize mance. The companies also test manufac- MATERIALS FOR OLED-BASED and other electronics turing processes for making OLED lamps and lighting systems. JEAN-FRANÇOIS TREMBLAY , C&EN HONG KONG “Japanese manufacturers may become leaders in OLED lighting,” says Hiromi Takeuchi, executive vice president of IN FREE MARKETS, the disorganized the electronics industry, where the cost Cereba. “But makers of OLED-based de- forces of competition normally coordi- of conducting R&D can be prohibitive, vices need data about the materials; for nate to create the best-performing prod- companies often need to unite instead of example, how long the materials can last.” ucts at the lowest possible price. But in compete. Japanese companies are not focusing on

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OLED-based displays for electronics, meeting in April 2010 with representa- Takeuchi notes, because South Korean tives of Japanese electronic chemical firms are already able to mass produce in Cereba At A Glance companies to judge their interest in that sector. forming the consortium. Eleven com- Atsushi Kumano, general manager of Full name: Chemical Materials Evaluation panies decided to take part, and Cereba R&D at JSR , a consortium member, says & Research Base was set up in March 2011 at the Tsuku- his firm needs the Cereba labs, which Mission: Setting standards for ba campus of the National Institute of are equipped with manufacturing equip- performance measurement of materials Advanced Industrial Science & Tech- ment and instruments that can measure used in advanced electronics; testing nology (AIST), a government-funded longevity under varying conditions. “The materials according to those standards research organization. equipment is definitely too expensive for Location: National Institute of Advanced Financial support for Cereba our company alone,” says Kumano, noting Industrial Science & Technology, comes mostly from the government. that JSR has developed sealing materials Tsukuba campus, Japan In addition to the lab space at AIST, for use in OLED devices. “The tests per- Employees: 48 the government contributes 80% of formed by Cereba provide us with power- 2011 budget: $19 million the consortium’s budget, which was ful data.” Corporate members: Asahi Kasei, Fujifilm, $19 million in 2011. Member companies Hitachi Chemical, JNC, JSR, Kaneka, have contributed 19 employees, half of AN EMERGING INDUSTRY such as OLED Konica Minolta, Mitsubishi Chemical, the lab’s technical workforce. lighting doesn’t have the benefit of materi- Showa Denko, Sumitomo Chemical, Zeon Being government sponsored comes als performance standards or standard- with certain restrictions. For instance, ized manufacturing processes. Cereba foreign companies are not allowed in intends to help create those standards—in it’s less work for our customers if we’ve the consortium, says Takashi Minakata, a Japan initially and perhaps for the rest of already decided the standards for them,” senior researcher at Asahi Kasei who also the world, if Japan’s standards become he points out. works at Cereba. “It’s not possible,” he universal. Cereba’s research output, Ku- From initial concept to launch, Cereba stresses. “It’s a consortium that uses Japa- mano says, simplifies the job for firms came together rapidly. Japan’s Ministry of nese government funds.” making OLED-based devices. “In the end, Economy, Trade & Industry convened a At Cereba, researchers are now test-

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WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 30 DECEMBER 10, 2012 ing OLED lighting systems that emit white light and use either polyethylene & naphthalate film or glass as a substrate. The consortium’s plan for 2013 is to start evaluating the performance of materials in devices that use polyethylene naphthalate OUT as a substrate and are manufactured in a roll-to-roll process. Later on, Cereba will MAKE A MAJOR IMPACT start developing completely new processes Impact Analytical is a contract analytical laboratory providing testing for manufacturing OLEDs in an effort to support in preclinical and Phase I-III drug development, for both small reduce costs. and large molecule APIs and drug products. Our technical expertise Although they have their hands full will navigate you through strict regulatory requirements and quality evaluating materials for the emerging OLED compliance, to get your product safely to market. lighting industry, Cereba managers say the consortium will likely expand its purview to Pharmaceutical Testing Services: other areas. Likely candidates include low- Molecular Characterization Raw Materials cost organic photovoltaic solar cells and Method Development/ Extractable and Leachable new types of organic electronic devices. Validation/Transfer Analysis Stability Studies Dissolution Testing ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY consortia Batch Release Testing Impurity Identification are not unique to Japan. In the U.S., Semi- conductor Equipment & Materials Inter- Call today to talk to one of our experts: national (SEMI), a trade association, has impactanalytical.com/pharma organized several. The most recent is the 855-IA SOLVE (855-427-6583) Collaborative Alliance for Semiconductor cGMP and GLP compliant | FDA Registered | ISO 9001:2008 Certified | DEA Licensed Test, a group that is open to companies from all over the world. That Cereba is closed to non-Japanese companies is not necessarily a fatal flaw, says Daniel Tracy, SEMI’s director of industry research and statistics. Japanese companies supply New Products from about two-thirds of the materials used in the electronics industry, Tracy notes. And Cereba resembles NEMO, a consor- Quanta BioDesign! tium launched by the German government in 2009. Led by Merck KGaA, that group ® had a budget of $45 million to spend on dis- covering soluble materials to use in OLED dPEG s display manufacturing. The consortium disbanded this summer. ® Japan’s government has helped create Discrete dPEG products with electronics industry groups before, JSR’s Kumano notes. His company, he points half active ester and half acid! out, is a member of the Japanese Consor- tium for Advanced Semiconductor Materi- als & Related Technologies, which focuses on the later stages of the semiconductor manufacturing process. The government has also set up consortia to help advance Product #10109 – Acid-dPEG® -NHS ester Product #10127 – Acid-dPEG® -NHS ester Japanese expertise in liquid-crystal dis- 5 13 plays and lithium-ion batteries. On the whole, Kumano observes, Japan is a long way from the intensive level of government involvement that was com- mon in past decades. The government, he recalls, played a critical role in the develop- ment of Japan’s semiconductor industry in the 1960s. But now, Kumano says, “they Phone Orders: 614 792-2958 I Fax Orders: 614 760-9781 have spread out and thinned their efforts Online Orders: www.quantabiodesign.com over many fields.” ◾

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CHILLING CONCERN the current refriger- Daimler says ant, hydrofluoro- safety reasons carbon (HFC)-134a, are behind its decision not to which has a GWP of use the latest 1,430, and will ask fluorine-based regulatory authori- refrigerant in ties to let it do so. new cars. Shown here is the 2012 It may later switch Mercedes-Benz CLS to CO2 . Other auto- Shooting Brake. makers are set to use CARMAKER COLLIDES HFO-1234yf for now. A spokesman for Antonio Tajani , the European Com- WITH COOLANT RULES missioner for Enterprise & Industry, tells C&EN that the commission has received German automaker’s SAFETY CONCERN forces no requests for waivers to continue using review of improved air-conditioning fluid HFC-134a from any carmaker and that all firms must conform to the law in 2013. MARC S. REISCH , C&EN NORTHEAST NEWS BUREAU Now that Daimler has raised its con- cerns, other carmakers find themselves be- tween a rock and a hard place. “The safety THE MATTER APPEARED to be settled sulting firm IHS Chemical. Nevertheless, of our customers is our highest priority,” just two years ago. Automakers had agreed Daimler says it has conducted a “real life” says Curtis Vincent, air-conditioning en- to use a new fluorine-based air-condition- test of the chemical makers’ new refriger- gineering manager for General Motors . ing fluid in cars worldwide to reduce emis- ant, hydro fluoroolefin (HFO)-1234yf, that After Daimler’s release of the test results in sions of global-warming gases. proves leaking gas could cause a fire in a late September, GM and others including But now, because of safety concerns head-on collision. Daimler, BMW , Ford , Honda , and Jaguar raised in September by Germany’s Daimler , Daimler’s new test raises the question Land Rover convened a review panel under carmakers worldwide are taking another of how the company, maker of Mercedes- the aegis of SAE International , an automo- look at the new coolant developed by Du- Benz automobiles, will meet the European tive engineering organization. Pont and Honeywell International . Envi- Union’s January 2013 refrigerant deadline. Some automakers already have deployed ronmental groups, meanwhile, are renew- It calls for automakers to use a coolant that HFO-1234yf. GM, for instance, is using it ing their call for automakers to use fluorine- has a global-warming potential (GWP) in the Chevrolet Malibu sold in Europe free alternatives such as carbon dioxide. of at most 150 times that of an equivalent and the Cadillac XTS sold in the U.S. An “The industry already fought this battle, amount of carbon dioxide, whose GWP is 1. SAE study group concluded in 2009 that and the new fluorine refrigerant won,” HFO-1234yf has a GWP of 4. HFO-1234yf could be safely used in cars. contends Ray K. Will, a director with con- For now, Daimler wants to remain with Vincent says he expects the new group will

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 34 DECEMBER 10, 2012 wrap up its review by the end of December. native has been around: It is called CO2 .” “It is unbelievable that Daimler could Diane Iuliano Picho, a DuPont business In fact, the German auto industry asso- extend the life of HFC-134a,” says Will, manager, says she is puzzled by Daimler’s ciation endorsed CO2 as the auto refriger- the IHS consultant. But even though safety concerns. “Multiple risk assess- ant of choice in 2007. VDA quietly switched Daimler may eventually adopt CO2 , there ments by industry stakeholders, including its allegiance to HFO-1234yf after global is no stampede in favor of it. In mid- Daimler, have thoroughly evaluated the automakers, including VDA members such November, SAE invited automakers to product’s flammability and have shown as Daimler, backed the fluorine-based re- form a committee to evaluate CO2 as an that there is no significant additional risk frigerant following SAE’s 2009 study of the air-conditioning refrigerant. So far there for HFO-1234yf versus the current refriger- gas’s safety. are no takers. ◾ ant,” Picho says. Ironically, she notes, the influential Ger- man Association of the Automotive Indus- try, known by its German initials VDA, en- dorsed HFO-1234yf in a presentation made at the European Automotive Air-Condi- tioning Convention in mid-September, just one week before Daimler raised the safety issue. Daimler is a member of VDA. One slide in the VDA presentation points out that flammability of HFO-1234yf “does not lead to a higher level of risks for vehicle The Science of Sensitivity occupants or helpers at accidents such as firefighters,” compared with HFC-134a.

A HONEYWELL ANALYSIS concluded in November that Daimler’s test was not re- alistic. “Their tests are of an uncrashed ve- hicle without any of the dynamics involved in collision events,” the report said. Terrence Hahn, vice president of Honey- well Fluorine Products, finds it odd that Daimler would question the safety of HFO- 1234yf just 90 days before the European Union’s new mobile-air-conditioning rules go into effect. Automakers are experts at handling fluids such as gasoline and oil that are more flammable than HFO-1234yf, Hahn points out. By raising safety questions, Daimler may be trying to avoid the cost of complying with European environmental regulations, Hahn suggests, noting that the German The EVOQ liquid chromatography triple quadrupole (LC-TQ) was designed for a firm recently unveiled a $2.6 billion cost- singular purpose – to reliably quantify thousands of real samples in the fastest sample-to-report time possible. It delivers exceptional sensitivity, precision, savings program. accuracy, linearity, and a wide dynamic range for your multiple reaction A Daimler spokesman tells C&EN that monitoring (MRM) assays. Innovations in software and atmospheric pressure the company stands by its test scenario for ionization (API) technology make it a game changer for routine high-sensitivity, HFO-1234yf. And far from saving money, quantitative analysis. the spokesman says, the decision to forgo using HFO-1234yf will probably cost more „ Highly efficient VIP heated electrospray and APCI probes than going ahead with it. The firm has al- „ UHPLC, HPLC or OLE modules with built-in oven and degasser ready spent money preparing to use HFO- „ Superior MRM sensitivity lens-free mass analyzer 1234yf. It might incur additional costs to „ Flat-tuning, tune-free, IQ dual ion funnel „ eventually switch to a nonfluorinated alter- Orifice Interface for high sensitivity and robustness „ Performance-driven PACER software native such as CO2 , the spokesman says. The German Environmental Aid As- sociation says it is glad that Daimler is ready to toss aside HFO-1234yf. A MASS SPECTROMETRY spokesman for the environmental group Innovation with Integrity says HFC-134a is also not the answer, “especially as an ecological and safe alter-

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 35 DECEMBER 10, 2012 GOVERNMENT & POLICY CONCENTRATES

LEAD EXPOSURE LIMITS MORE GAS MEANS MORE GROWTH ARE INADEQUATE Allowable lead levels for U.S. workers, The flood of natural gas produced from shale deposits and resulting lower set by the Occupational Safety & Health gas prices will increase U.S. manufacturing output overall and bulk chemi- Administration , are inadequate, accord- cal production by 1.7% annually between 2011 and 2025, says the Energy ing to a National Research Council report Information Administration. Natural gas production will also lead to great- released last week. The report, sponsored er gas exports, both by pipeline and as liquefied natural gas, says EIA’s by the Department of Defense, focused “Annual Energy Outlook 2013,” released last week. Growing gas production primarily on lead exposure for workers at will also eat into coal’s share of electricity generation. However, coal is ex- military firing ranges. It found, however, pected to still lead as far out as 2040, when it is forecast to generate 35% of U.S. electricity versus 30% from gas. Because of the shift to higher- efficiency natural gas power plants and greater use of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, U.S. carbon dioxide emissions are predict- ed to stay flat at 5% below the 2005 level through 2040, EIA says.— JJ

shampoos and lotions used to treat head SENATE WOULD ALLOW lice and scabies. The petition, filed in 2010 MILITARY BIOFUELS by the Natural Resources Defense Council Lead levels at that OSHA’s current and other environmental groups, argues The Senate last week passed the National military firing lead exposure limit for CORPS VALLIERE/MARINE BARD S. CPL. that lindane has been associated with nu- Defense Authorization Act (S. 3254) with- ranges far exceed all workers is too high. merous adverse out proposed restrictions on military sup- standards. The OSHA standard, health effects Head lice port of biofuels research. An amendment

set in 1978, is 40 µg and is no lon- ISTOCK stripped a provision, which was opposed of lead per deciliter of blood. This works ger effective by the Department of Defense, that would out to an environmental exposure of 50 µg because pests have halted military support of pilot bio- of lead per m3 of air. Noting that much re- have developed fuel refineries. But use of biofuels could search has taken place since 1978, NRC says resistance to it. still be on the chopping block in a Senate- OSHA’s blood lead standard should be one- EPA banned the House of Representatives conference quarter the current level. The report adds use of lindane, committee, which last week began to work that air recently collected at military ranges an organochlo- out the final version of the legislation. The exceeds the current standard in some cases rine pesticide, House-passed version (H.R. 4310) would by a factor of more than 10. — JJ in agriculture in prohibit the military from spending money 2006 because on biofuels until their cost is on par with of toxicity concerns. FDA rejected NRDC’s that of petroleum fuels. Republicans con- FDA REJECTS petition, saying, “If lindane were to be tend that DOD’s biofuels research is driven LINDANE PETITION removed from the market, patients would by environmental policies rather than have very limited options for treatment of military needs. DOD leaders argue that bio- FDA has denied a petition to immediately scabies, especially given the failure rate of fuels research could eventually lead to less ban lindane, the active ingredient in some the other FDA-approved therapies.” — BEE volatile fuel prices. —AW

GOVERNMENT BASIC RESEARCH re- invest heavily in R&D, an hydraulic fracturing and ARGONNE National ROUNDUP quires a renewed focus NSF report shows. How- other natural gas develop- Laboratory was selected if the U.S. is to keep its ever, 92% of companies ment activities. by the Department of MERCURY LEVELS in science and technology invest in only one area. Energy to be its battery some seafood—including dominance, warns a new NASA can’t develop research hub. The labo- lobster, tuna, and sword- report from the Presi- ENERGY & COMMERCE long-term priorities until ratory will receive up to fish—often exceed con- dent’s Council of Advisors Committee leaders in the Congress and the Ad- $120 million over five centrations for safe hu- on Science & Technology. House of Representatives ministration come to a years to direct a national man consumption, says a Among its recommenda- are urging the Agency consensus on strategic R&D effort to develop report released last week tions is more funding for for Toxic Substances & goals and objectives for advanced energy stor- from the Biodiversity R&D. Disease Registry to adopt the agency, says a new age devices. Argonne’s Research Institute, a sci- a rigorous, scientific ap- report from the National consortium includes entific group. It finds that DIVERSE COMPANIES proach and consult with Research Council. The five other DOE national mercury contamination that conduct research state and local public report also says agency laboratories, five univer- is ubiquitous in marine across multiple business health officials as it programs and its budget sities, and four private ecosystems globally. areas are more likely to evaluates health effects of are mismatched. companies.

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awarding grants in the 1950s. It has had few fundamental changes over time. BROADER IMPACTS, Broader impacts became an explicit part of the merit review picture in 1997. And TAKE TWO almost immediately, scientists began com- plaining that the criterion wasn’t clear. The agency had set out examples of broader Confusion about NSF’S GRANT REQUIREMENT impacts, which could be met through leads to revised review criterion the research project itself or by working ANDREA WIDENER , C&EN WASHINGTON toward several societal goals defined by the agency, such as improving retention of women and minorities in science. But THE NATIONAL SCIENCE Foundation’s Tornow, deputy assistant director in NSF’s many scientists weren’t sure whether or controversial broader impacts criterion is Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences how their projects had to meet any or all of getting an overhaul . The action comes after Directorate and executive secretary for the those goals. years of confusion about what is required NSB task force. and complaints that the criterion is incon- NSF is also asking universities to pro- AFTER SEVERAL YEARS, it also became sistently applied. vide more support for the broader impacts obvious that different NSF divisions and The revision was prompted by an criterion. peer reviewers were applying the broader analysis of grant review criteria that was In the past few weeks, NSF has been impacts criterion differently. released earlier this year by the National holding a series of meetings to get the word In 2010, NSB decided to reevaluate its Science Board (NSB), an oversight body out to the scientific community about how merit review criteria, in large part because that sets policy for NSF. The board af- the changes will impact grantees. “By and of the ongoing confusion about broader firmed its support for the two fundamental large, there has been a positive response,” impacts. At the time, NSF was also work- NSF review criteria—broader impacts and Tornow says. ing on a strategic plan for the agency, and intellectual merit—and made recommen- dations for how to interpret them. NSB BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW BY THE NUMBERS NSF has incorporated the NSB find- NSF stakeholders Division Past grant proposals ings into its annual update of its grantee who provided evaluations evaluated for broader handbook. This year’s changes—the most feedback: examined: impacts goals (approximate): significant of which is the reworking of broader impacts evaluations—go into ef- fect for grants due on or after Jan. 14, 2013. 4,516 195 150,000 The biggest change will be for grant re- viewers, who will be asked to use one set of five aspirational questions to evaluate both Review criteria Changes take effect for grants Last NSB broader impacts and intellectual merit. confirmed: due on or after: merit review: Grant seekers will also have to change how they write proposals to more clearly delineate their projects’ broader impacts, 2 Jan. 14, 2013 1997 in response to both the review changes and additional reporting requirements laid out by NSF. Under the new rules, propos- SOURCE: “Merit Review Criteria: Review & Revisions,” NSB als will include a specific section on how a Seth M. Cohen, a professor and chair of NSB wanted to make sure its review crite- grant meets the broader impacts criterion the department of chemistry and biochem- ria for grants matched the agency’s larger instead of including this information in istry at the University of California, San Di- goals. the body of the grant as is now done. And ego, says most of his colleagues understand “It was time to take a whole-cloth look successful grantees will have to gauge their that broader impacts goals are part of NSF at the review criteria and rationalize their progress on their broader impacts goals in grants and have learned how to work with- descriptions and their use,” explains Alan annual reports to the agency, something in the system. “I’m not sure if the change I. Leshner, chief executive officer of the that hasn’t previously been required. is going to make things better or just make American Association for the Advance- “We care that proposals are of the high- people more nervous about it,” he says. ment of Science and cochair of the NSB est quality, that they have a broader impact Intellectual merit has been at the heart Task Force on Merit Review. on societal goals, and that we can assess of NSF’s mission—and its grants review To do that, the task force undertook an how effective they are,” says Joanne S. process—since the agency first started extensive evaluation of the intellectual merit and broader impacts criteria and how they were applied throughout NSF. “It was time to take a whole-cloth The task force gathered opinions from NSF employees, grantees, and other stake- look at the review criteria.” holders, including the public. It examined

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 38 DECEMBER 10, 2012 NSF SETS FIVE QUESTIONS FOR ASSESSING GRANTS For the first time, National Science Foundation grant review- ers will be required to ask five fundamental questions when assessing both intellectual merit and broader impacts of proposals. 1. What is the potential for the reasoned, well organized, and proposed activity to based on a sound rationale? (a) Advance knowledge Does the plan incorporate a and understanding within its mechanism to assess suc- own field or across different cess? fields (for intellectual merit)? 4. How well qualified is the (b) Benefit society or individual, team, or institu- advance desired societal out- tion to conduct the proposed comes (for broader impacts)? activities? 2. To what extent do the pro- 5. Are there adequate re- posed activities suggest and sources available to the explore creative, original, or primary investigator—either potentially transformative at the home institution or concepts? through collaborations—to 3. Is the plan for carrying out carry out the proposed the proposed activities well activities? regularly scheduled divisional reviews done by outside evaluators. It hired evaluators to examine thousands of grant applications to see how the broader impacts criterion was being used by scientists. In the middle of the NSB review, Congress passed the America Competes Reauthorization Act, which includes language that requires, among other things, NSF to keep broader impacts and lays out several societal goals that the agency should be striving to achieve through this criterion. Although the NSB task force had considered eliminating the broader impacts criterion altogether, ultimately it decided to keep both criteria—intellectual merit and broader impacts—because they exemplify the goals for the agency, Leshner says. But the task force did aim to clear up confusion about broader impacts by outlining specific questions reviewers should ask—the same questions that they use to evaluate intellectual merit. “Most of the surrounding principles are the same,” Leshner says. “The report speaks to the importance of quality and a commitment to broader impacts.”

ALTHOUGH NSF IS CLARIFYING the broader impacts criterion, Tornow acknowledges that scientists may still be unsure how they should evaluate their work’s broader impacts, which is one of the questions reviewers will use to examine their grants. Tornow sug- gests that grantees think of evaluating broader impacts in the same way they think of evaluating their own research. For example, NSF is not asking a researcher to know whether the curriculum he or she is developing leads students to win Nobel Prizes 20 years from now, she explained. But there should be some way to conduct a basic evaluation of how the students did. UCSD’s Cohen is an advocate of broader impacts in general, and he has worked extensively on the broader impacts portion of his own NSF grants. But he wonders if the additional evaluation burden will make it too difficult to apply for NSF grants. “If you are

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 39 DECEMBER 10, 2012 GOVERNMENT & POLICY

NSF CHEMISTRY Gervay-Hague Of UC Davis Named New Division Head

Jacquelyn Gervay-Hague , a professor and perienced researcher, administrator, and She was particularly intrigued when a chair of the department of chemistry at professor who has a deep understand- fellow UC Davis professor from the medi- the University of California, Davis, has ing of the chemical sciences and their cal school asked for her help creating a been chosen as the next director of the impacts on other fields,” says Celeste protein that could serve as a cancer drug. National Science Foundation’s Chemistry Rohlfing, acting assistant director for “That was an eye-opening experience Division. NSF’s Directorate for Math- for me. It allowed me to see the A synthetic organic chemist, Gervay- ematical & Physical Sciences. power of chemistry in other sci- Hague comes to NSF after 20 years in aca- “Her research has crossed ences,” she recalls. “I think that demia, at both UC Davis and the Univer- many disciplines, including is already being fostered at NSF.” sity of Arizona. She has received a number biology and virology, preparing Although Gervay-Hague has of NSF grants throughout her career and her for the challenges posed been interested in science since served as a grant reviewer for the agency. by the increasingly multidisci- being captivated by the first “I’m excited about the opportunity to plinary nature of chemistry,” manned moon landing in 1969,

work with the national chemistry com- Rohlfing notes. PHOTOGRAPHY PETER CUTTS she wound her way through Cal- munity to assess the needs and trends In fact, Gervay-Hague seeks fornia community colleges and in research and education that lead to out interdisciplinary work, Gervay-Hague state universities before land- important scientific discoveries,” Gervay- both in her lab and in academic ing in a sophomore-year organ- Hague tells C&EN. posts. “That’s what excites me,” she says. ic chemistry class at UCLA. She thought Gervay-Hague succeeds Matthew S. “I know my chemistry well, but I get to ap- she might want to be a doctor, but that Platz, who is leaving this month to be- ply it in new settings.” class—taught by chemist and future men- come vice chancellor for academic affairs One theme of her research is applying tor Michael E. Jung—changed her mind. at the University of Hawaii, Hilo. She will synthetic organic chemistry to biological Gervay-Hague went on to get her bach- begin her appointment in July 2013. applications like immunology, virology, elor’s and doctoral degrees in chemistry “Gervay-Hague stands out as an ex- and nanomaterials. at UCLA. She did postdoctoral research going to add a much higher standard for low principal investigators (PIs) to tie this America Competes Act, directs universities broader impacts and make it a more oner- piece of their grants to effective, already to certify that for any NSF grant their fac- ous project, you need to increase the size of proven outreach programs. ulty members are applying for, the school the awards,” he says. NSF is implementing another change will provide adequate support to help the One solution to make it simpler for sci- that may also help scientists more easily scientists meet stated broader impacts ob- entists to meet the new broader impacts meet the revised criterion. The change, jectives. Universities already have to affirm criterion, Cohen suggests, might be to al- which is the result of a requirement in the their commitment to providing laboratory

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WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 40 DECEMBER 10, 2012 affairs for the Federation of American “The change to measure broader im- Societies for Experimental Biology. pacts on a portfolio level makes a lot of at Yale University, where she first In the past, his organization has been sense,” he says. “It recognizes the value of worked at the interface of chemistry ambivalent about the broader impacts those goals without tying it to each indi- and biology. criterion. The criterion is important for so- vidual application.” In 1992, Gervay-Hague took a posi- ciety, but it is difficult for individual scien- For now, Tornow is continuing to help tion at the University of Arizona, and tists to meet such lofty goals in individual scientists understand the changes. “We she moved to UC Davis in 2001. She is projects, given their short duration and just have to watch how it plays out once a Fellow of the American Chemical So- limited amount of funding, he says. people start submitting proposals.” ◾ ciety and an associate editor of ACS’s Journal of Organic Chemistry. It was actually a stint working as the associate vice provost for outreach and engagement at UC Davis that showed Gervay-Hague the opportunities outside the lab. There, she worked on a health initiative that crossed the main campus as well as medical, veterinary, and law schools and the community. “I really believe in the power of problem solving brought by considering different per- spectives and expertise,” she says. Gervay-Hague’s goal now is to start a similar conversation with the chemistry community. “First, listen,” she says, “then under- stand the context, then work with the leadership to see how we can have the broadest impact.” support for scientists, such as animal care facilities, electron microscopes, or house- keeping services.

AS A RESULT OF THE CHANGE, universi- ties may need to provide more resources to support broader-impacts-related activities, Tornow says. Those services could include hiring outreach or education staff who can assist in sculpting proposals, making con- nections in the K–12 community, or even designing projects that scientists could participate in. “I think this clarifies what PIs should be thinking about: Do they have the resources on campus that they need to do their proj- ect, or do they need to ask for money to support it?” Tornow says. NSB’s description of broader impacts sets lofty societal goals for NSF, rang- ing from increasing the public’s science literacy to developing a globally competi- tive science workforce. But Tornow em- phasizes that those goals are for NSF as a whole. No one project is expected to meet all of them. This clear explanation that broader impacts is an agency-wide portfolio objec- tive is particularly good for scientists, says Howard H. Garrison, director of public

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 41 DECEMBER 10, 2012 GOVERNMENT & POLICY

mercial modular reactor operations by 2022. B&W’s project will be managed by a SNAP-TOGETHER team, Mowry says, including the Tennessee Valley Authority, a federally owned electric NUCLEAR POWER utility, and Bechtel International, a global construction company. TVA is preparing Energy Department PICKS A DESIGN and a builder an application to NRC for a license to oper- ate up to four 180-MW B&W reactors at its for small modular reactor power plants Clinch River site in Oak Ridge, Tenn. To meet DOE’s goal, Mowry says, B&W’s in- tention is to install two units by 2022. THE U.S. MOVED further along last month water reactor—basic to every large nuclear on an experiment to build a new genera- plant today. Advocates say the under- THE SELECTION of B&W’s proposal, ac- tion of nuclear power plant reactors . Sup- ground design protects the reactors from cording to Mowry, signals DOE’s willingness porters hope these physically smaller reac- threats such as hurricanes and terrorists, to enter a partnership. The size of the award tors will have more flexible applications but critics worry that it increases vulner- is not the issue, he says, noting the company and incur less financial risk and construc- ability to other hazards such as floods. is negotiating with DOE over the exact tion cost than the nation’s current fleet of DOE’s November announcement follows amount. “It is full speed ahead for us as it 104 large and aging nuclear power plants. its solicitation in March to support devel- has been for four years. This is an ongoing In late November, the Department of En- opment of two modular reactor designs effort,” he says, noting that B&W has more ergy announced that engineering firm Bab- over the next five years. Some $450 million than 300 people working on the project. cock & Wilcox (B&W) will receive funding in support was offered , which had to be The smaller “bite-sized” reactors, he to design, license, and matched by indus- explains, have several advantages, such

commercialize the first B&W try. Four companies as lowering the financial risk of deploying small modular reac- submitted propos- these technologies. The key, however, is to tor for the U.S. market. als, including B&W. keep the cost per kilowatt for construction Small modular reactors, However, DOE to a level no higher than that of a large reac- including the B&W de- tor, despite the loss of economies of scale. sign, would generate less “We are changing the game,” he says. than one-third the elec- “Historically, 70% of the cost of a nuclear trical output of today’s plant is construction at the job site, and 1,000-MW nuclear pow- 30% is in a factory environment. We want er plants. They would to turn that on its head.” be built in a factory and By building the plant in a more con- hauled by train, truck, or trolled factory environment, he hopes to barge to a site where they keep costs predictable and under control. would be placed in the Mowry says the 180-MW size will cost ground and wired up to around $1 billion to build and was selected generate electricity for at because it is the biggest B&W can construct least 60 years. and still put on a railcar. Also it is the build- The reactors could ing-block size a utility likes, he says, and be grouped together it is the size of a typical coal- or gas-fired for a large-scale util- IN DEVELOPMENT ended up selecting only one project power plant B&W hopes to replace. ity application or could Shown in this depiction and the specific funding amount is Its location underground is safe, Mowry operate separately to is a 360-MW, two- being left to negotiations. This lack of says, but opponents have their doubts. reactor, small modular provide electricity for a nuclear power plant a second design and other details for “Being underground is a double-edged remote community or an that will be buried the award concerns both the nuclear sword,” says Edwin Lyman, senior scientist industrial facility, such 150 feet underground, industry and its critics, who worry with the advocacy group Union of Con- as a chemical plant or covered by a 10-foot DOE may have thought the other pro- cerned Scientists . “You do reduce many concrete slab, and petrochemical complex, will look like a 30-acre posed designs were unsatisfactory or threats, but you increase the vulnerability explains Christofer M. WalMart store from the may be backing off on support during to flooding, and being underground makes Mowry, president of surface, B&W says. this time of federal austerity. it much harder for operators to gain access B&W mPower, a subsid- The modular reactor program at to manual equipment whether during an iary of B&W. The firm DOE has an annual operating budget emergency.” has been developing the concept for four of about $65 million, a DOE official says, but Lyman also questions whether the small years, Mowry says, and hopes to submit a adds that new funding opportunities may reactors will be financially competitive. To complete design to the Nuclear Regulatory appear in the future, which would be needed shave costs, companies such as B&W will Commission (NRC) for approval within to hit the amount listed in the solicitation. be forced to rely heavily on passive safety 18 months for a 180-MW unit. The design DOE’s goal for the project is clear and systems and reduce backup support and is a modification of a technology—a light- ambitious: It wants B&W to begin com- staffing for emergencies .— JEFF JOHNSON

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 42 DECEMBER 10, 2012 Cutting Edge Research in Synthetic Biology and Systems Bioscience >>>

As a multidisciplinary journal, ACS Synthetic Biology encourages the submission of novel as well as useful research. There are no page limits or publications charges imposed on authors: you can describe your work in necessary detail.

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Research Highlights from 2012:

Engineered E. coli That Refactored M13 Genetic Circuits in Assembly of Large, Ensemble Bayesian Detect and Respond Bacteriophage as a Salmonella typhimurium High G+C Bacterial DNA Analysis of Bistability to Gut Inammation Platform for Tumor Arthur Prindle, Jangir Fragments in Yeast in a Synthetic through Nitric Oxide Cell Imaging and Selimkhanov, Tal Danino, Vladimir N. Noskov, et al. Transcriptional Switch Sensing Drug Delivery Phillip Samayoa, Anna DOI: 10.1021/sb3000194 Pakpoom Subsoontorn, Eric J. Archer, Andra B. Debadyuti Ghosh, Aditya Goldberg, Sangeeta N. Jongmin Kim, and Robinson, and Gürol G. Kohli, Felix Moser, Bhatia, and Jeff Hasty Erik Winfree M. Süel Drew Endy, and Angela DOI: 10.1021/sb300060e DOI: 10.1021/sb300018h DOI: 10.1021/sb3000595 M. Belcher DOI: 10.1021/sb300052u SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY CONCENTRATES

CURIOSITY TAKES A LOOK AT MARTIAN DIRT X-RAYING CATALYSTS IN ACTION Hints that NASA ’s Curiosity rover may Thanks to a specially designed reactor cell, researchers can now probe have found organic compounds on Mars changes in the chemical composition, morphology, porosity, and other prop- were clarified last week. At a Dec. 3 press erties of individual 20-µm-sized catalyst particles as the particles mediate conference, NASA scientists revealed that chemical reactions (Ange w. chlorinated methanes—CH3 Cl, CH2 Cl 2 , and Chem. Int. Ed., DOI: 10.1002/ CHCl 3—have been detected in a sandy soil anie.201204930). The study sample processed by Curiosity’ s onboard conducted by Joy C. Andrews chemistry laboratory. The findings were of SLAC National Accelerator presented at the American Geophysical Laboratory; Bert M. Weckhuy-

Union meeting in San Francisco. But wheth- sen of Utrecht University, in ED. INT. CHEM. ANGEW. er those organic compounds can be taken as the Netherlands; and cowork- a sign that Mars once harbored life is not yet ers demonstrates a procedure clear: The compounds’ chlorine has been for exploiting high-energy confirmed to be martian, but team mem- An X-ray tomography method maps the X-ray microscopy to penetrate distribution of Fe (red), Zn (green), and Ti and bers will need to perform more analyses deeply into complex materials to determine whether the carbon source is K (orange, yellow, and white) species in a single and resolve chemically distinct catalyst particle. also from Mars. Even if scientists eventually nanoscale regions within their show that the carbon is martian in origin, bulk. Solid catalysts often undergo substantial changes—sometimes bene- they’ll have to carefully analyze carbon iso- topes and gather additional samples before ficial, sometimes detrimental—upon exposure to reactive chemicals at high concluding whether the organics are abiotic temperature and pressure. Mapping those changes in three dimensions or biological in origin. That will take time, as they occur could lead to improved catalysts, said the mission’s project scientist, John VIDEOS ONLINE but capturing the information remains challeng- P. Grotzinger. “We’re doing science at the ing. To demonstrate the new method’s capabilities, speed of science, in a world that runs at the the team probed a model Fischer-Tropsch C–C coupling catalyst as it was pace of Instagrams.” — EKW exposed to 10 atm of a mixture of H2 and CO at 350 °C. The method pin- pointed regions rich in Fe 2O 3 , Fe2 TiO 5 , Fe 3O 4 , ZnO, and K2 O and monitored the evolution of those regions over the course of several hours. —MJ BIOINSPIRED POLYMERS GET STICKY ON DEMAND Drawing inspiration from the sticky ad- and untimely adhesion that diminish poly- CONNECTING hesive proteins produced by mussels and mer performance. Craig J. Hawker of the ALZHEIMER’S WITH sandcastle worms, a multidisciplinary re- University of California, Santa Barbara, and search team has devised a synthetic pathway his colleagues overcame these problems by INFLAMMATION to make adhesive polymers for underwater using silyl groups to protect the hydroxyl An antibody that’s being used to treat pso- applications without the polymers getting groups. The researchers added triethylsilyl riasis and is in clinical trials for Crohn’s fouled up during processing (J. Am. Chem. groups to eugenol, a natural catechol found disease and multiple sclerosis can now Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja309044z ). Chemists in clove oil, then coupled protected eugenol add Alzheimer’s disease to the list of have tried to use the dihydroxy functional to thiols along the backbone of a commer- conditions for which it shows promise group of catechols to mimic the amino acid cially available polysiloxane. After using ( Nat. Med., DOI: 10.1038/nm.2965 ). The 3,4-dihydroxy-l -phenylalanine, which gives lithographic techniques to make patterned Y-shaped macromolecule binds and neu- marine adhesive proteins their stickiness. polymer substrates, they removed the silyl tralizes p40, a subunit of two cell-signaling But the catechols are susceptible to oxida- groups with a mild acid to unveil the sticky proteins called interleukins that regulate

tion, side reactions, SOC. CHEM. AM. J. surface. The technique should provide a tissue inflammation via the immune versatile platform for under- system. A research team led by Burkhard Si O water and biomedical applica- Becher of the University of Zurich and O tions, Hawker says, including Frank L. Heppner of Germany’s Charité Si adhesive coatings, antifouling University Hospital has demonstrated surfaces, and bone glues. —SR that, when administered to mice with Alzheimer’s symptoms, a p40-blocking Removing silyl protecting antibody improves the rodents’ short-term S SH groups from this polysiloxane memory. It also reduces the amount of ag- creates a sticky-when-wet surface, shown here with gregated amyloid-β—the hallmark peptide captured silica particles stuck of Alzheimer’s—in their brains. Before ( Si O ) ( Si O ) 10 µm to pillars on a patterned testing the antibody on the mice, the team x y substrate. established the p40-Alzheimer’s connec-

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 44 DECEMBER 10, 2012 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY CONCENTRATES

tion by genetically engineering a group of sticky surfaces and that stickiness may play solvents and reagents, making this cycliza- mice to have disease symptoms but to also a role in protein evolution ( Proc. Natl. Acad. tion protocol convenient to perform,” the lack p40. These rodents had about 65% Sci. USA, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1209312109 ). chemists point out.— BH less amyloid-β in their brains than mice To develop the scale, Emmanuel D. Levy , that had only Alzheimer’s symptoms. This Subhajyoti De , and Sarah A. Teichmann of study, the researchers write, establishes the U.K. Medical Research Council Labora- MOBILE LAB KEEPS TABS “a pathogenic contribution of the immune tory of Molecular Biology calculated the ON STREET DRUGS system in Alzheimer’s.” — LKW frequency of amino acids appearing on the surfaces versus interior or interface Authorities across the globe are struggling regions of proteins in bacteria, yeast, and to keep up with the synthesis of illicit de- SPILLING MICROSCOPIC humans. Amino acids found predominately signer drugs—psychoactive compounds SECRETS at surfaces, such as lysine or glutamate, modified to avoid existing drug laws. were defined as “nonsticky,” and those One way Austria is monitoring new sub- Starting with soil from the Arizona desert, found at interfaces, such as isoleucine or stances on the street Rockefeller University chemists have hit phenylalanine, were defined as “sticky.” is through the Federal The CheckIt! bus pay dirt—a small molecule called tetari- The correlations the researchers observed Ministry of Health- is equipped with mycin A that kills methicillin-resistant were different from those obtained by funded CheckIt! an LC/MS system Staphylococcus aureus in cell cultures (J. common measures of hydrophobicity. project. A mobile for analyzing Am. Chem. Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja3093828 ). The researchers note that the surfaces team of scientists and illicit drugs. They found the molecule by activating of highly abundant proteins tend to be biosynthetic gene clusters plucked from evolutionarily conserved, indicating that the soil. The method has the potential to organisms may preserve less sticky amino solve a O acids to help proteins avoid nonfunctional vexing interactions. —JK HO OH problem for chem- ists: Only a FROM POLYENES OH O O small portion of TO POLYCYCLES SCHMID RAINER OF COURTESY Earth’s microbial Tetarimycin A inhabitants are A new protocol for preparing polycyclic easy to culture in a lab, so it’s been tough compounds enantioselectively promises to study the potentially useful natural to make it easier to build these pharma- products they make. One way around this ceutically relevant scaffolds ( J. Am. Chem. counselors periodically travels to large problem is to pull bacterial DNA from en- Soc., DOI: 10.1021/ja310386m ). The reac- music events and tests drugs submitted vironmental samples and insert natural- tion, developed by Erick M. Carreira and anonymously by attendees using liquid product-making genes into easily cultured coworkers at the Swiss Federal Institute chromatography/mass spectrometry. bacteria, such as certain species of Strep- of Technology, Zurich, uses an iridium- Within 30 minutes, the group posts the tomyces. Oftentimes, though, the genes based catalyst and a zinc triflate promoter results, letting the user know whether the don’t perform in that unfamiliar milieu. to coax the cascade reaction of polyenes drug they thought they paid for was what Working with their Arizona soil, Dimitris they actually got. But CH O OCH CH O OCH Kallifidas, Hahk-Soo Kang, and Sean F. 3 3 3 3 LC/MS doesn’t tell the Brady found an “on” switch—a transcrip- team anything about the tion factor called tamI. By arranging for Ir catalyst psychoactive action of drugs or transcription to be constantly on, and by Zinc triflate drug mixtures, says Rainer Schmid, combining the transcription factor with HO H scientific director of the project. So the biosynthetic genes, the team isolated Schmid and Harald H. Sitte , both at the the natural product tetarimycin A from (example shown). To begin the cascade, a Medical University of Vienna , and cowork- a Streptomyces host. The team thinks the racemic allylic alcohol within the polyene ers developed an approach that combines strategy should be adaptable for high- structure reacts with an iridium catalyst. LC/MS with a cell assay to get more infor- throughput screens. — CD This interaction appears to dictate the mation ( ACS Chem. Neurosci., DOI: 10.1021/ stereochemistry of the first cyclization. cn3001763 ). The assay tests whether a Subsequent cyclizations are effectively street drug either blocks or reverses the NEW MEASURE OF encoded in the first ring, the research- flux of monoamine transporters—mem- PROTEIN STICKINESS ers believe. Using the protocol, Carreira brane proteins that shuttle neurotransmit- and colleagues prepared nine polycyclic ters in and out of nerve cells. Comparing In the crowded environment of a cell, compounds—including heterocycles—in these results with those of known drugs, proteins need to avoid unwanted or non- good yields, with enantiomeric excesses such as the amphetamine Ecstasy, the functional interactions to do their jobs. A reaching 99%. “It is important to note that researchers accurately predict what types new scale of amino acid “stickiness” shows all the reactions are conducted at ambi- of compounds exist in some otherwise that highly abundant proteins have less ent temperature with commercial-grade difficult-to-assess street drugs. — LKW

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nearly a decade ago when microbicide de- velopers were testing whether the detergent NOT-SO-SAFE SEX? nonoxynol-9 could block HIV transmission. Manufacturers had been incorporating the Recent studies raise questions about the compound into spermicidal lubricants for safety of PERSONAL LUBRICANTS years because of its ability to punch holes in LAUREN K. WOLF , C&EN WASHINGTON the cell membranes of sperm. In 2002, however, a Phase II/III clinical trial of a nonoxynol-9 vaginal gel failed to protect women from HIV infection. Not ALTHOUGH MOST people will list only causes cell damage in the lab, we don’t know only that, but the detergent actually in- K-Y Jelly when asked to recall the names of whether that has anything to do with disease creased the risk of HIV infection in the sex personal lubricants, hundreds of the prod- transmission in humans in the real world.” workers tested—women living in countries ucts are being used for sex across the globe. In response, Johnson & Johnson, which such as South Africa and Thailand who used These sex aids are designed to make things dominates the personal lubricant market the product three or four times per day ( Lan- easier. So it’s a little unsettling that experi- with its K-Y brand products, says, “We con- cet, DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(02)11079-8 ). ments carried out in recent years have in- tinually review new research as it evolves. dicated that some of the products might be K-Y brand products have provided effective LAB WORK eventually revealed the reason smoothing the way for disease transmission. lubrication and moisturization for mil- for the paradoxical increase: Nonoxynol-9 is Used to reduce friction and increase lions of couples and are safe when used as so good at punching holes in cell membranes pleasure during intercourse, lubricants directed.” that it not only bores into sperm but also are about a $219 million market in the U.S. Right now, the Food & Drug Adminis- into the cells lining the vagina and rectum. alone, according to the Chicago-based tration doesn’t typically require testing of The mucosal lining of the vagina is a good market research firm SymphonyIRI Group. personal lubricants in humans. The agency barrier to infection all by itself, says Richard But a handful of studies have called into classifies them as medical devices, so the A. Cone, a biophysicist at Johns Hop- question the safety of these sex aids, al- sex aids have to be tested on animals such kins University. But if that barrier gets though none have shown cut-and-dried proof of risk. Some of the experiments have shown that personal lubricants can Good Clean Love 270 damage cells lining both the vagina and rectum, potentially making the body Extracellular body fluid more vulnerable to sexually transmitted 290 infections (STIs). And one epidemio- Semen logical investigation, published early 340 Astroglide 6,100 this year, reported that participants who Préa consistently used personal lubricants 500 for rectal intercourse had a higher preva- ID Glide lence of STIs, such as chlamydia, than in- 3,200 consistent users ( Sex. Transm. Dis., DOI: Gynol II K-Y Jelly 10.1097/olq.0b013e318235502b ). (spermicide, 2,500 Complicating matters is that these contains 2% same lubricants are being eyed as com- nonoxynol-9) 1,400 ponents of low-cost microbicide gels that could protect people from HIV. The Milliosmoles/kg thinking is that because so many people 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 already use the sex aids, they will go 0 right on using them for pleasure as well as protection once a virus-killing drug is a INGfertility has replaced Pré with Pre-Seed. SOURCES: PLoS One, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0048328; BMC Infect. Dis., DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-10-33; J. Infect. Dis., DOI: 10.1086/511279 added. But the new safety concerns about lubricants have made researchers consider as rabbits and guinea pigs. Rectal use of compromised, all bets are off, he explains. reformulating the gels. lubricants is viewed by the agency as an “off- After nonoxynol-9—still used on some Still, most of the recent lab-based safety label” application—use at your own risk. condoms today—went from promising mi- studies conducted on personal lubricants According to a spokeswoman, the crobicide candidate to malevolent cell killer, fall short of indicting the products. “We agency is staying abreast of the ongoing scientists like Cone began to question the have signals that are concerning,” says Jim discussion about personal lubricants in safety of other supposedly innocuous sper- Pickett, chair of the International Rectal Mi- the research community. Future decisions, micide and personal lubricant ingredients. crobicide Advocates (IRMA) group, a global actions, or changes regarding oversight of Two years ago, Cone and his group at network pushing for safe and effective STI- the sex aids, FDA says, “will be based on a Johns Hopkins published work showing preventing products. “But we don’t know review of the scientific evidence.” that damaging effects of over-the-counter what they mean yet. Just because a lubricant Questions about lubricant safety arose lubricants seem to depend on a factor called

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 46 DECEMBER 10, 2012 osmolality. Measured in moles (osmoles) body’s cells—to the vagina or rectum causes is another possible strike against personal of solute per kilogram of solvent, osmolal- the cells there to shrivel up and come off, lubricants, she adds, because it might lead ity is a parameter describing the overall Dezzutti says. This may weaken the body’s to infections such as bacterial vaginosis. concentration of molecular ingredients in defenses in these areas, she adds. Using these cell culture studies to draw a product. After examining mouse vaginal The reason many personal lubricants are conclusions and make recommendations cells, the researchers discovered that, when hyperosmolar, Cone contends, is that they about personal lubricants, though, is dicey mice were exposed to high-osmolality lubri- contain large amounts of ingredients such at best, Dezzutti says. “This is just a model cants followed by herpes simplex virus, the as glycerin and propylene glycol. Without in a test tube, and it’s hard to equate that rodents were more susceptible to infection. these “humectants,” he says, a water-based with real-life activity,” she says. For instance, K-Y Warming Jelly, which lubricant would evaporate more rapidly Some studies have even reported no has an osmolality more than 30 times the when spread onto skin, causing an unpleas- signs of cell toxicity from hyperosmolar body’s own fluid, increased herpes trans- ant cold sensation. Manufacturers have lubricants. When testing a new microbicide mission more than ninefold compared with been formulating skin care products with on the vaginas of rhesus monkeys, Ashley T. rodents not administered lubricant ( BMC these ingredients for many moons, Cone Haase , a microbiologist at the University of Infect. Dis., DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-10-331 ). adds, so the firms assumed they’d work just Minnesota Medical School, and coworkers Researchers say that the high osmolality as well in personal lubricants. didn’t see any irritation of the vaginal lining of some lubricants likely causes epithelial over six months of application (Antimicrob. cell damage because of simple physics. BUT SKIN CELLS on a person’s arm are a Agents Chemother., DOI: 10.1128/aac.00989- “We’re full of sugar, salts, and proteins that far cry from cells in a woman’s vagina—or 08 ). The active ingredient in the microbi- make up the constituents in our in the rectum, for that matter. cide, glycerol monolaurate, was delivered in cells,” explains Charlene S. Dez- In 2007, a research team led by Craig W. K-Y Warming Jelly. zutti , a professor in the depart- Hendrix , a clinical pharmacologist at Johns Johns Hopkins’ Cone, on the other hand, ment of obstetrics, gynecology, Hopkins, demonstrated that ID Glide, a did observe cell toxicity in his mouse mod- and reproductive sciences at the hyper osmolar lubricant similar to Astro- el with the same glycerol monolaurate/K-Y University of Pittsburgh. And glide and K-Y Jelly, caused significant formulation. His team also saw a 10-fold there is a certain concentration damage to the rectal tissue of human study increase in susceptibility to herpes with participants. The scientists observed major the gel. shedding of cells from tissue samples biop- On the basis of his own research, Cone HO Propylene K-Y Warming Jelly sied 60 to 90 minutes after lubricant appli- believes that “virtually all sex lubricants glycol 10,300 OH cation ( J. Infect. Dis., DOI: 10.1086/511279 ). need to be reformulated.” In the face of all 10,000 Because human studies of this sort can’t the gaps in available data, other sources in- ethically test the effect of lubricant on the terviewed by C&EN are more conservative, acquisition of STIs, Hendrix and others in not willing to recommend against certain ide the research community must try to find personal lubricants just yet. answers to safety questions in other ways. “The message about lube safety at this Specifically, they are exposing animals stage has to be in the context of overall risk such as monkeys and cultured human tis- for STIs,” Hendrix says. “If you use lubricant sue to lubricants and pathogens. infrequently and have one partner, you don’t Dezzutti and coworkers conducted a test have the same risk” as someone using it four SEX AID SURVEY Many lubricants and of this sort on cultured human rectal and times per day. For people who don’t use con- their ingredients have overall component cervical tissue, publishing their results in doms and have more than one sex partner, concentrations (osmolalities) higher than PLoS One last month (DOI: 10.1371/journal. though, “you could hedge your bets thought- those of the human body. pone.0048328). Although the researchers fully and choose a product that has not been observed some killing of cells in both types shown to cause epithelial cell changes.” 8,000 9,000 10,000 of tissue by hyperosmolar lubricants, they IRMA’s Pickett has a similar view. “We did not observe an increase in HIV infection know that the use of lube with condoms when the same samples were challenged ensures that the condoms are used correct- of those components in the human body. with virus. Lubricants with osmolalities ly—that they don’t break or slip off during “So if you eat a big candy bar, there’s a closer to that of the body, such as agar-based sex,” he says. Although these new results gradient in concentration between your Good Clean Love, didn’t damage the tissue are troubling, “we don’t want to scare peo- cell insides and cell outsides,” Dezzutti samples or boost HIV infection rates. ple away from using lube” while researchers says. To maintain equilibrium, the body re- In separate tests, Dezzutti’s team also try to figure out what the data mean. acts by releasing water from its cells to di- found that hyperosmolar lubricants and Meanwhile, more epidemiological tests lute the sugar outside. “When that happens spermicidal gels killed microbes common- are on the horizon, and the Centers for in gut epithelial tissue,” Dezzutti adds, “the ly found in the vagina. For example, K-Y Disease Control & Prevention is currently cells shrivel up to the point that they look Jelly killed all three species of Lactobacillus conducting its own studies in monkeys, like little raisins under a microscope.” it was applied to. Dezzutti says the bacte- Pickett tells C&EN. “I’m hopeful and opti- Similarly, adding hyperosmolar lubri- rial kill off is likely caused by the ingredi- mistic that in 2013, we’ll be able to fill in the cants—those products containing concen- ent chlorhexidine, an antibacterial agent. gaps and answer the questions that need trations of components higher than the Unbalancing the natural flora in the vagina answering.” ◾

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 47 DECEMBER 10, 2012 SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

PROTEIN TAKES AIM AT CELIAC DISEASE Team REDESIGNS ENZYME to stop harmful immune reactions caused by gluten-based peptides

PEOPLE WITH celiac disease, who can- to compete with other celiac disease drug not tolerate gluten in their diet, can thank concepts, some of which are much further EFFICIENCY disease,” says Ales- a team of undergraduates for a new entry along in the development pipeline. EXPERT In this sio Fasano , director engineered-enzyme in the pipeline of oral drug candidates to Celiac disease is an inflammatory reac- structure, residues of the University of treat their condition. The students, guided tion to proline- and glutamine-rich peptides the team modified Maryland Center for by academic advisers, used computational in gluten, a glycoprotein in wheat, rye, and are brown, gluten- Celiac Research. “It’s J. AM. CHEM. SOC. SOC. CHEM. AM. J. protein design to considerably boost a pep- barley. Such peptides are hard to digest and based peptide very efficacious and substrate is purple tidase’s ability to attack and disable prob- cause immune reactions in susceptible indi- and pink, and pretty much devoid of lematic components of gluten. viduals, resulting in intestinal damage and putative hydrogen side effects. So the bar The redesigned enzyme resists break- symptoms such as cramps, gas, bloating, bonds from two for gluten-free-diet down by gut enzymes, so it could be an oral diarrhea, constipation, anemia, and weight mutated residues alternatives is high.” medication for celiac disease. The research loss. The new enzyme is designed to destroy to the substrate are And nearly 50 dashed lines. team has formed a company to test and such peptides in the body after a meal con- clinical trials of other develop the drug candidate commercially. taining gluten before they can do harm. potential treatments But the enzyme has many bridges to cross to This work was carried out by University have been or are be shown safe and effective, and it will have of Washington undergrads, advised by UW being carried out, he says. The concepts biochemistry senior research fellow Ingrid on which they’re based include not only Swanson Pultz and assistant professor of breaking down gluten fragments but also ORGANIC SPECIALITIES biochemistry and chemistry Justin B. Siegel reducing gut permeability to gluten pep- Dess Martin Periodinane of the University of California, Davis, as part tides, inhibiting an endogenous enzyme that of the International Genetically Engineered makes the peptides immunogenic, blocking Machine synthetic biology competition immune reactions to the peptides, and vac- ( J. Am. Chem. Soc. , DOI: 10.1021/ja3094795 ). cinating to induce tolerance to them. To build the drug candidate, the team “The beauty of the new study” is that the first identified a natural enzyme that might engineered enzyme has an enhanced abil- work well in the acidic environment of the ity to digest gluten-derived peptides “to an (Triacetoxyperiodinane, 1,1,1-tris (acetyloxy)-1, 1-dihydro-1, 2-benziodoxol-3-(1H)-one) stomach—kumamolisin-As from Alicyclo- extent I’ve never seen before,” Fasano says. bacillus sendaiensis, a bacterium that grows “This holds strong promise in moving the Mild reagent for the oxidation of primary in acidic soils in Japan. They then used the field forward—to help people eat regular & secondary alcohols to aldehydes and ketones. Facilitates high yield preparation computational enzyme design tools Foldit food without being harmed by gluten.” But of multi-functional, complex stereo and the Rosetta molecular modeling suite, he’s not sure the enzyme would work fast chemical molecules. It is possible to both developed by UW protein design enough in vivo for a celiac disease patient scale-up the oxidation process to an expert David Baker and coworkers, to en- “to eat a Big Mac and not be harmed.” industrial scale. Due to its highly selective gineer the enzyme to target immunogenic Brent L. Iverson , a protein design spe- properties, a wide range of useful gluten-based peptides. KumaMax, the cialist at the University of Texas, Austin, applications are possible. In some group’s name for the engineered enzyme, says, “What they’re trying to accomplish is specific cases, it is the only agent is 877 times more selective than the native a tall order—put an enzyme in your stom-

capable of the desired oxidation. enzyme for peptides containing a proline- ach and have it go after peptides at exactly -Available from 10g to 10kg- glutamine dipeptide motif and 116 times the right time, before they are absorbed more effective at cutting up one of the ma- and cause immune problems.” We solicit your proposal for Custom Synthesis & Toll Manufacturing jor problematic celiac disease peptides. “Now they have to show that the enzyme “We think this enzyme has great poten- is really capable of doing the job under the tial” for treating celiac disease, Pultz says. required circumstances,” says Frits Koning ORGANO FINE CHEMICALS In October, she, Siegel, and Baker founded of Leiden University Medical Center, in Your reliable partner in Fine Chemicals Seattle-based biotech company Proteus the Netherlands, whose interests include Biologics to develop it. gluten-degrading enzymes.

207, Anand Bhuvan, Princess Street, Mumbai - 400 002, INDIA But the designed enzyme has high barri- “Time will tell if this is a baby step or if Tel.: 2201 69 68 / 2206 75 21 Fax: 2205 92 99 / 2208 31 84 ers to overcome. “The gluten-free diet is by they slayed the dragon,” Iverson adds. — Email: [email protected], Website: www.organo.in far the most effective treatment for celiac STU BORMAN

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 48 DECEMBER 10, 2012 EDUCATION

HANDS-ON Girl Scout the after-school Cadettes use enzymes programs for stu- to make cheese. dents in fourth

BETHANY HALFORD/C&EN BETHANY through eighth grades. Over the course of a semester, the mentors teach genetics, human body systems, space sci- ence, earth science, robotics, or math. “It’s all enrichment; it’s not tutoring,” Groome points out. “It’s meant to be fun, hands-on, and very interactive.” When the mentors complete the program, they earn a teaching credential they can add to their résumé. Looking for more STEM programming, the Girl Scouts teamed up with NYAS this year to adapt its genetics curriculum to the scouting program. “It was a really natural fit,” Groome notes. “The Girl Scouts are interested in hand-on activities, devel- oping leadership skills, and real-world SCOUTING FOR applications.” THE EXPERIMENTAL nature of the NYAS science program, where the students do SCIENCE things like extract DNA from baby food and use enzymes to make cheese and apple Girls Scouts team up with the New York Academy of juice, is exactly what the Girl Scouts wants MIDDLE SCHOOL CADETTES its members to experience, says Frank Si- Sciences to bring science to gnorello, STEM education consultant for BETHANY HALFORD , C&EN BOSTON Girl Scouts of the USA. “The program gives them skills to build confidence and compe- tence,” he says. ON A FRIDAY EVENING in the Flatbush The program is an offshoot of an after- “A big piece of our program is the role- area of Brooklyn, 30 or so girls—the Ca- school program NYAS began in 2010 with model relationship between the scientists dettes of Girl Scout Troop 2035—gather the goal of bringing more science, technol- and the students that they are teaching,” in the back room of a church basement. ogy, engineering, and mathematics—the Groome points out. For the Cadettes of There’s no insulation in the windowless so-called STEM fields—to underserved Troop 2035, their role model is Mary Ellen room, and the boisterous girls, ages 11 to students in New York City and Newark, Heavner, a biochemistry graduate student 13, are filling the room with laughter and N.J. “One of the crises we saw was a lack at the City University of New York . chitchat so that it’s almost impossible to of STEM opportunities outside of school On this particular evening, Heavner hear anything above the din. The room time,” Wortel explains. wears a button that reads, “I am a Scientist. buzzes with such excitement that it’s hard At the same time, adds Meghan Groome, ASK ME HOW!” She is taking the tem- to believe these girls are here to learn about NYAS’s director of K–12 education, deans perature of a thermos of milk while the enzymes. and faculty members from local universities girls spruce up their new lab notebooks This year, the Girl Scouts of the USA are were approaching the academy and asking with glitter and feathers. Tonight Heavner celebrating their 100th anniversary. And if there was any way the organization could and the girls will use the enzyme rennet to while the organization has never shied away help prepare their graduate students and transform that milk into cheese. from science and technology—early badges postdocs to teach. “These two forces col- Heavner says she was looking for a were awarded for aviation and electrical lided, and we came up with this after-school mentoring opportunity and was struck by work—enzymes are not its typical fare. STEM mentoring program,” Groome says. how well organized NYAS’s after-school These Cadettes are part of a pilot pro- NYAS recruits and trains the graduate program is. After she applied, Wortel gram the Girls Scouts have developed student mentors and then places them in recruited her into the Girl Scouts pilot with the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS). The aim is to bring more science to girls in middle school, explains Stepha- nie Wortel, education manager at NYAS. “A big piece of our program is the “That’s the age when kids stop thinking of role-model relationship between themselves as kids and start thinking of themselves as adults,” she says. the scientists and the students.”

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 49 DECEMBER 10, 2012 EDUCATION

program. “My mother was a respect for science. “They are Girl Scout leader, but I didn’t learning about and experienc- really stick with it,” Heavner ing the inner workings of the confesses. This, she says, gives human body in a way that would her an opportunity to give back. be difficult for schools to spend “There are kids out there who time doing,” she explains. “For need to be exposed to science example, the girls constructed BETHANY HALFORD/C&EN BETHANY and need to think it’s fun too,” a cell from scratch using plastic she says. “Science can teach baggies, gelatin, and different you about the things around candies representing the or- you, and it can be something ganelles. These girls only hear you might want to get into as a about these different subjects in career option.” school, but this program brings the words to life.” THE GIRL SCOUTS pilot pro- So far, the pilot program has gram runs for five weeks, and involved only three troops, but Heavner spends 90 minutes NYAS and the Girl Scouts hope each week preparing for her two-hour they have an answer to a question, MENTORS PLEDGE to expand it. Wortel thinks that meeting with the scouts. That’s not to it’s really exciting.” Cadette leader within three years the organiza- Bordenave (left) mention the subway ride, which takes an- “My girls are really enjoying and science tions should be able to roll it other 90 minutes each way, that Heavner this program—more than they mentor Heavner. out nationwide. “Our program takes between her home in Queens and the expected,” says Ashley Bordenave, works wherever you have sci- troop in Brooklyn. the Cadettes’ leader. “For most of entists who want to teach and “It’s a significant time commitment, but them, science is one of their least scientists who are interested I’m hoping to do it again,” Heavner says. favorite subjects. This program gives them in giving back,” Groome says. “We know “It’s been an absolute blast. The girls are a fresh perspective.” there’s not a shortage of kids who need so energetic. When their eyes turn on and The girls, Bordenave says, have a new more science in their lives.” ◾

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WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 50 DECEMBER 10, 2012 C&EN TALKS WITH

BRADFORD PENDLEY PHYSICIAN-CHEMIST integrates medical practice into his teaching and research CELIA HENRY ARNAUD , C&EN WASHINGTON

IN THE FALL OF 2003, Bradford D. Pendley this if I were to develop a tool? Are there tools made a bold move to improve his research and that exist and I’m trying to make a better one? teaching: He left a tenured, endowed position Or are there no tools, and we really want to mea- as a chemistry professor at Rhodes College in sure this but we can’t?” Memphis and went to medical school. PENDLEY CARA Pendley also expects his medical training to in- The decision to make such a radical change form his teaching. Even when he was teaching at had been evolving since 1998, when he took a sab- Rhodes, Pendley started incorporating things he batical to do research with Erno Lindner in the was learning in those undergrad biology classes department of biomedical engineering at the Uni- into his chemistry teaching. For example, he versity of Memphis. After that experience, Pend- knew that biology students were learning about ley, who trained as an electroanalytical chemist, the Goldman equation, which is used to describe found himself doing more and more clinically rel- the equilibrium potential across a cell membrane. evant research. He enjoyed using his knowledge “The Goldman equation is just a Nernst equa- of chemistry to address clinical problems, but he tion under particular circumstances,” Pendley gradually realized that wasn’t enough. says. In physiological contexts, the Nernst equa- “Across a several-year period, it became evi- tion describes the equilibrium voltage across dent to me that I lacked the biological and medi- the cell membrane for a particular ion. Pendley cal knowledge to be able to conceive of problems used it to explain the origin of action potentials in a more complete fashion,” Pendley says. “I couldn’t really solve to his students. Action potentials, which underlie cellular commu- those issues as well as I could if I were looking at them from a clini- nication in the brain, are events in which the voltage across a cell cal side as well as a scientific side.” membrane rapidly rises and falls as a result of changes in how easy At first, Pendley tried to fill the gap with undergraduate biology it is for ions to cross the membrane. classes. He officially enrolled—for a grade—in one class per semes- ter. But he realized he still needed more. “Medicine is one of those IN HIS NEW ACADEMIC POSITION, Pendley won’t teach his first things where you could read all the books you want, but to under- class until next semester. In the meantime, he’s been developing stand how it’s actually practiced, you have to actually live it,” he says. two new undergraduate courses. One is a course in medical physi- So he decided to go to medical school. For both family and ology for engineering students. professional reasons, he stayed in Memphis and at- The other will combine physics, chemistry, math, tended the University of Tennessee Health Science and biology with clinical applications. For years, Center. For the first year, he took a leave of absence “If you understand Pendley has wanted to develop such an integrated from Rhodes so that he could continue shepherding basic principles of course. Now the time is right. It dovetails with the a student through undergraduate research. The next science and how competency-based approach advocated in the re- year, Pendley resigned his position. port “Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians,” When he finished medical school in 2007, Pend- they are applied, which was released by Howard Hughes Medical ley briefly thought of heading straight back to aca- it really helps you Institute (HHMI) and the Association of American demia. But he realized such a move would negate his in the practice Medical Colleges (AAMC) in 2009, and with the re- purpose in studying medicine in the first place. “The of medicine.” vised Medical College Admission Test, which will be ability to understand a problem from the clinical administered for the first time in 2015. side doesn’t come from something that you just learned in medical “I am explicitly using the goals articulated by AAMC/HHMI in school,” he says. “You really have to be in the field to practice and the creation of the course,” Pendley says. It’s slated to be a one- say, ‘Here’s a need that I think I can address.’ ” semester junior- and senior-level elective course, but its modular Now, Pendley is an internal medicine specialist at Primary Care design could allow some of the material to be incorporated into Specialists in Memphis. He’s also recently moved back into aca- earlier required courses. The biomedical engineering course will demia as an affiliated professor of biomedical engineering at the be cross-listed in the chemistry department. University of Memphis, a move supported by his medical practice. “I’m really fortunate that my practice and my university have He plans to split his time between medicine and teaching. given me this opportunity. I’m looking forward to getting back He also hopes to ramp up his research, again working with Lind- in the classroom,” Pendley says. He believes that his experience ner, his friend and colleague. He expects that his medical training makes him uniquely qualified to help guide aspiring physicians. will guide his research. “I’m a real believer in the model of a scientist who is a physician. “I’m interested in measurements,” he says. “I look in clinical If you understand basic principles of science and how they are ap- practice for opportunities to make meaningful measurements. plied, it really helps you in the practice of medicine. I’m a chemist That’s where my clinical hat is really useful. Will physicians use who happens to be a physician.” ◾

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 51 DECEMBER 10, 2012 BOOKS

that, by the mid-1990s, Earth had warmed MICHAEL MANN’S by about 1 °F since preindustrial times. ■ Sophisticated models have been developed to investigate the causal mecha- HOCKEY STICK nisms behind changes in Earth’s climate. ■ Only when human factors are includ- ed do those models reproduce all of the The climate scientist tells his story and explores observed warming. the ROLE OF SKEPTICISM in science The case for anthropogenic climate REVIEWED BY RUDY M. BAUM change has only strengthened since the mid-1990s, Mann writes, but “even by the mid-1990s there was no longer reason for SYMBOLS MATTER—especially symbols In his book “The Hockey Stick and the real scientific debate over the proposition that cut through clutter and obfuscation, Climate Wars: Dispatches from the Front that humans had warmed the planet and ones that convey a complex concept with Lines,” Mann tells the story of how he and changed the climate.” irrefutable simplicity. his coworkers developed the hockey stick Ask Michael E. Mann , the Pennsylvania graph and its place in climate science. Mann CLIMATE-CHANGE DENIERS like to State University climate scientist who pub- writes, “In this book, I attempt to tell the real compare themselves to great scientists lished the graph of global temperatures over story behind the hockey stick. I reflect on like Galileo or Darwin who challenged the the past millennium that became known as the emphasis, and indeed at times the over- scientific orthodoxy of their times—the cur- the “hockey stick” for its distinctive shape. emphasis, that players on both sides of the rent orthodoxy being, of course, the belief Climate science is climate change de- that humans are altering Earth’s climate. complex. Arguments THE HOCKEY bate have often placed Skepticism, they maintain, is central to sci- about the impact STICK AND THE on this work. … I use ence. “True skepticism, however,” Mann of human activities CLIMATE WARS: my own story, more writes, “demands that one subject all sides on Earth’s climate Dispatches From than anything else, as of a scientific contention or dispute to equal abound. Climate- The Front Lines, a vehicle for exploring scrutiny and weigh the totality of evidence by Michael E. broader issues regard- change deniers Mann, Columbia without prejudice. That should not be argued for years, University Press, ing the role of skepti- conflated with contrarianism or denialism, and many still argue, 2012, 395 pages, cism in science, the which is a kind of one-sided skepticism that that there isn’t any $28.95 hardcover uneasy relationship entails simply rejecting evidence that chal- evidence that Earth’s (ISBN: 978-0-231- between science and lenges one’s preconceptions. Unfortunately, climate is changing. 15254-9) politics, and the dan- the term skeptic has at times been coopted The hockey stick gers that arise when by those who are not skeptics at all, but are cut through that clutter. With devastating special interests and those who do their instead contrarians or deniers, predisposed clarity, it showed that, from about the year bidding attempt to skew the discourse over to the indiscriminate rejection of evidence A.D. 1000, Earth’s temperature followed policy-relevant areas of science.” supporting a human influence on climate.” a gentle decline until the beginning of Mann succeeds in all of these goals and Mann goes into considerable detail on the 20th century (the shaft of the hockey more. “The Hockey Stick” is one of the the work that led to the hockey stick. It is stick), and then began a sharp rise that most useful books yet in explaining climate a nontrivial statistical challenge to merge continues through today (the blade). The science, especially the use of paleoclimate the various paleoclimate proxy data into a hockey stick says nothing about causation, proxy data to assess the history of Earth’s meaningful set of comparable temperature but it demolishes the claim that nothing climate, which is Mann’s specialty. It also points, and Mann does a good job of leading untoward is occurring in Earth’s climate. offers one of the clearest and most damn- the reader through the concepts involved. And that made it a target, which it re- ing examinations of the tactics used by It is worthwhile to note that “The Hockey mains to this day. Ever since the hockey climate-change deniers to distort the sci- Stick” is an intellectually sophisticated stick graph was featured prominently in ence of climate change and smear the repu- examination of climate science, with more the third assessment report of the Inter- tations of climate scientists. than 100 pages of notes at the back of the governmental Panel on Climate Change After a brief chapter on how Mann, a book. These extensive notes are a strength (IPCC), climate-change deniers have at- physics and applied math major at the and a weakness of the book. Many of the tacked the graph and, perhaps even more University of California, Berkeley, got into notes are literature references that I am vehemently, Mann’s scientific integrity. In climate science, “The Hockey Stick” pro- sure Mann included to provide scientific late October, Mann filed a libel suit against vides readers with a concise primer on the rigor to his arguments, but the casual reader two organizations: the Competitive En- fundamentals of climate science: will find them superfluous. Other notes, terprise Institute, which posted an article ■ Human activity has increased CO2 however, offer important insights and on its website comparing Mann to Jerry concentrations in the atmosphere. additional detail on the issues being dis- Sandusky, the former Penn State football ■ The increase in CO2 and other trace cussed in the text. So you find yourself flip- coach convicted of child molestation, and gases produced by humans has a warming ping back and forth between the text and the National Review, which published an effect on Earth’s surface. the notes, sometimes finding important article that references the CEI post. ■ Thermometer measurements show nuggets and other times being frustrated.

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 52 DECEMBER 10, 2012 HOCKEY LEAGUE More than a dozen independent temperature reconstructions (including that of Mann and coworkers) a rm the conclusion that Earth’s In subsequent chapters, Mann exam- temperature has risen sharply in the past century. ines the origins of climate-change denial and identifies many of the major figures in the denialist camp; the IPCC and how its reports, which draw deniers’ scorn, are pre- pared; the politics of climate change; and the chorus of attacks on the hockey stick. Mann is a thorough scholar, and he chronicles the climate-change wars from the mid-1990s on in great detail. By 2007, he writes, “climate science was on somewhat of a winning streak.” By the time the IPCC’s fourth as- sessment report was published in the sum- mer of that year, Mann maintains, the four main pillars of climate-change denial had been toppled or were crumbling badly. To the consternation of many climate scientists, however, the denialist camp con- tinued its campaign. “For every talking point that was refuted, two more would be of- fered,” Mann observes. “Moreover, the same arguments were eventually recycled, no matter how many times they were refuted in the peer reviewed literature. Whether or not a talking point is scientifically or even logi- cally defensible is immaterial. If it has misin- formed or confused an appreciable number of observers, it has served its purpose in manufacturing doubt or confusion.” And worse was yet to come. Losing on the science, denialists turned to attacking the integrity of climate scientists. “With no scientific leg to stand on, manufactured claims of incompetence and malfeasance, MANN MICHAEL ladened with innuendo and vilification, scientists tried to counter the assault. He sired short-term effect of generating fur- have emerged as the denialist weapon of provides clear evidence that a “professional ther controversy over climate change. Both choice,” Mann writes. He provides numer- climate change denial machine” drives the appear to have been long-term tactical er- ous examples of these tactics at work, cul- climate wars and that, for too long, a profes- rors by the climate change denial machine, minating in the episode that became known sional media driven by notions of “balance” however. Relying on stolen e-mails and as “climategate,” in which tens of thou- gave the deniers far too much credibility. the questionable use of political office to sands of e-mails between climate scientists In the book’s penultimate chapter, achieve their ends, these twin assaults were were hacked from a server at the University “Fighting Back,” Mann posits that the tide such an atrocity that they’d finally, to quote of East Anglia’s Climate Research Unit and may have turned. All investigations of the one colleague, awakened a ‘sleeping bear.’ selectively leaked to the media. climategate affair exonerated the climate No longer would scientists stand by watch- scientists whose e-mails were hacked and ing one of their own being attacked.” MANN, WHO WAS ONE of the principal posted. Not satisfied with those results, Mann ends “The Hockey Stick” on a climate scientists to have his e-mails distrib- newly elected Virginia Attorney General relatively optimistic note. He believes that uted by the still-unknown hacker, writes: Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II (R) launched an many scientists are now fully engaged in “Imagine how unpleasant it might be to have investigation of Mann’s work while he was what they recognize is a war. And, although your private e-mails, text messages, or phone an assistant professor at the University of he notes that “the scientific community is conversations mined by your worst enemy Virginia, demanding that the university … ill-equipped to deal with direct assaults for anything that, taken out of context, could turn over all of Mann’s e-mails and other on its integrity,” he also believes that prog- be used to make you look bad. Then imagine documents to ascertain whether fraud had ress is being made in informing the public what it would be like to be expected to de- been committed in the course of Mann’s about the reality and consequences of fend each and every instance of sloppy word research. Cuccinelli’s effort provoked a climate change. “The Hockey Stick and the choice or ambiguous phrasing that could be bipartisan outcry over academic freedom Climate Wars” is an important contribu- found. This is the position in which climate and was eventually rebuffed by the courts tion to furthering that understanding. scientists ... found themselves.” (C&EN, Sept. 6, 2010, page 56). Mann does an excellent job of examin- As Mann writes: “The climategate and ing the climategate matter and how climate Cuccinelli affairs might have had the de- RUDY M. BAUM is C&EN editor-at-large.

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CHERYL B. FRECH , CHAIR , COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC RELATIONS & COMMUNICATIONS

WHY DON’T MORE people volunteer? The the chemistry pipeline if we want our coun- duct daylong laboratory experiences with answer, say some authorities, is simple: No try to be competitive in tomorrow’s global youngsters from economically distressed one ever asked them. marketplace. Each of us can do our part by school districts. We reach more than 2,000 So let me be right up front about why helping teachers gain access to the excel- students a year. It is a great opportunity I’m writing this article: I’m asking you to lent ACS education resources that can get for Chemistry Ambassadors to interact volunteer. children energized about with our youth and make a difference. To take some liberty with chemistry and science. We have a discussion group, Chementhu- the well-known recruiting Members who have siasts, on the ACS Network and locally poster, “ACS Needs You!” helped distribute these ma- at [email protected] Specifically, we need you to terials are effusive in their where teachers and chemistry profession- help children learn about praise; so too are the teach- als can learn about each other’s needs and chemistry. ers who use the materials. the resources ACS offers.” Before you say, “I don’t Here are just a few of their —William H. Suits, Chemistry Ambassa- have time” or “I’m not good comments: dor, Bedminster, N.J. at teaching chemistry to “As an ambassador, “Around 24 years ago, my husband and I kids,” let me assure you that I eagerly waited for my began taking our daughter to ‘chemistry day’ Jiggle Gel kits to arrive and

I’m not asking you to do OKLAHOMA CENTRAL SMITH/U OF DANIEL at the Kalamazoo Public Library. We had more than visit the Ameri- watched with delight as the a great time. The activities really enriched can Chemical Society’s web- students explored poly- our lives. We began subscribing to Wonder- site and then offer a teacher mers and their properties.” Science and used to invite the neighbor kids or two in your community’s schools some —Angela Ellston, primary school teacher, in to do science experiments featured in free ACS resources they can use in their Tasmania, Australia the magazine. We had loads of fun, and the classrooms. If your time is limited, you “I am an ACS Chemistry Ambassador. entire neighborhood of children learned lots could just send them a link to the materials, Last summer ACS sent me the rainbow more science than they might have without which they can easily download at no cost. chemistry experiment packages to use in my your inspiration. As a former teacher, I know Of course, if you decide you want to do daughter’s classroom. Prior to my classroom what it means to learn years later that your more, we can use all the help we can get. presentation, I explained the ACS chemistry work made a difference. Thank you.” Since the ACS Chemistry Ambassadors program and experiments at a parent-teach- —Jennifer Tice, Three Rivers, Mich. program was launched in 2009, more than er organization meeting. The parents and 7,000 members have volunteered to help teachers were excited about the opportunity LIKE THE 7,000 Chemistry Ambassadors, I educate people about the importance of but wanted to know if I could present the ex- hope you will be able to share a little of your chemistry. One initiative of the program periment to the school’s other fourth-grade time to help kids in your area learn about is to provide K–12 teachers with free ACS class as well. I agreed and presented the ex- chemistry. Visit our website to learn more classroom resources they can use to teach periments to both classes, which consisted about the many ways you can help. Once you students about the excitement, wonder, of approximately 60 enthusiastic students. do, we’d like you to tell us about your experi- and capabilities that chemistry offers. This is a great program that ACS offers.” ences. E-mail us at chemistryambassadors@ Getting youngsters interested in and ex- —William A. Ayling, Integrated Science acs.org, and let us know how things went. cited about chemistry might inspire some to LLC, Liverpool, N.Y. Also, check out some of the YouTube video pursue chemistry as a profession. Most of us “In New Jersey we have over 200 vol- messages from ACS members who have vol- would agree that we will need fresh faces in unteers at Students 2 Science. They con- unteered as Chemistry Ambassadors. Addi- tionally, you can follow outreach events on Facebook and join in discussions on the ACS HOW YOU CAN HELP Network Chemistry Ambassadors page . I know some people who are asked to vol- Chemistry Ambassadors: www.acs.org/chemistryambassadors unteer are skeptical. They wonder whether Students 2 Science: students2science.org they can really make a difference. To that I Chementhusiasts discussion group: www.acs.org/network would say, ask some of the people who have WonderScience : www.acs.org/wonderscience taken the time to volunteer as Chemistry YouTube video messages: youtube.com/ChemistryAmbassadors Ambassadors. I think their collective an- Chemistry Ambassadors’ Facebook page: facebook.com/chemistryambassadors swer will be abundantly clear: Yes, you can! ACS Network Chemistry Ambassadors: communities.acs.org/community/ society/chemistry_ambassadors Views expressed on this page are those of the author and not necessarily those of ACS.

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 55 DECEMBER 10, 2012 ACS NEWS PAUL LEWER PAUL LABOR OF LOVE Opening day on With help from Oct. 23 featured a visit many volunteers, the playroom by Indianapolis Mayor comes together. Gregory A. Ballard. Sam Wendel, chief mad scientist with Mad Sci- ence of North Central Indiana and a retired chemist, educated KIPP Indianapolis College Preparatory stu- dents and other guests with lively chemis- try demonstrations. ACS Board Chair Wil- liam F. Carroll Jr. and Brad McNabb, chief operations officer of St. Vincent Medical Group, officiated and also helped carry out a playful demonstration. The playroom has been a hit with visitors, Selcuk says. One little boy walked in and be- gan screaming, “Wow, cool, chemistry!” A ROOM TRANSFORMED Selcuk hopes to extend that sense of excitement to inspire ACS members and others to attend public outreach events The Indiana Section of ACS converts a local clinic’s waiting associated with the fall 2013 ACS national room into a CHEMISTRY-THEMED PLAYROOM for kids meeting, which will be held in Indianapolis. The meeting’s theme is “Chemistry in Motion,” and it will involve scientific out- VISITING A MEDICAL FACILITY can be people’s lives, particularly in health care. reach events at the joint ACS-Celebrate Sci- a scary prospect, particularly for children. With a $3,000 ACS IPG grant in hand, ence Indiana festival and at the Indianapo- But thanks to a dedicated team of Ameri- Selcuk enlisted the help of fellow local lis Motor Speedway racetrack, including can Chemical Society members and other section member Linda Osborn. Osborn in track rides and opportunities to learn about volunteers, kids in an Indianapolis suburb turn recruited her husband, Gary, a retired racing-related chemistry. —SOPHIE ROVNER will be eager to return to their local clinic. electrician, and their son Nick, an engineer, The transformation of the clinic’s drab to the cause. Several others eagerly joined waiting room into a colorful chemistry the team, including coworker Dan Robin- GREEN CHEMISTRY playroom was the brainchild of Sibel Sel- son, section members Viola Kimbowa and GRANTS AVAILABLE cuk, chair of the Indiana Section of ACS . Paul Lewer, clinic manager Lori Mills, and Selcuk is a chief scientist at the Heritage many more. Clinic physicians and staff also The ACS Green Chemistry Institute’s Research Group, a firm involved in ven- lent their support. Pharmaceutical Roundtable seeks propos- tures including highway construction and During two weekends this summer, vol- als for a one-year, $100,000 research grant materials, environmental services, petro- unteers replaced the original dreary decor for the development of greener solvents chemicals, and chemical refining. in the waiting room of the St. Vincent Medi- for the pharmaceutical industry. Selcuk dreams up ideas for new com- cal Group pediatric office in Zionsville, Ind. Proposals are invited from institutions pany projects, and she draws on that same They painted the walls a multitude of vi- of higher education worldwide. The dead- creativity in her work as a volunteer. When brant colors and covered them with games line is 5 PM EST on Jan. 15, 2013. For details, she applied for an ACS local section In- as well as images of molecules and other in- visit www.acs.org/gcipharmaroundtable. novative Project Grant (IPG), she was formation. Each wall tells a different story. This past September, the roundtable determined to use the funding for a project The flu wall, for instance, tells the story of awarded its first research grant for greener with lasting impact. “I wanted to come up a flu virus and describes chemistry’s role in medicinal chemistry. The $50,000 grant with something that would remind people flu shots, and the green wall offers informa- went to Neil K. Garg, an associate chemis- that chemistry is part of their lives,” she ex- tion about recycling and green chemistry. try professor at the University of Califor- plains. “I particularly like to work with chil- Osborn’s family fixed a broken play table, nia, Los Angeles, for work on green nickel- dren, because if we can get them excited and several families painted toy wooden catalyzed cross-coupling reactions. about chemistry, that’s the best contribu- blocks with images of microscopes, beakers, The Pharmaceutical Roundtable is a tion that we can make to the profession.” and molecules. Business Furniture donated partnership between ACS GCI and phar- She sketched out a plan to create a furniture and toys, Leaf Software Solutions ma-related companies that want to inte- chemistry-themed playroom at a St. Vin- contributed two iPads programmed with grate green chemistry and engineering into cent Medical Group facility to foster learn- chemistry-related games, and ISF Sign Spe- drug discovery and production. —LW ing and awareness of the role of science in cialists donated wall decals.

For a slide show of the playroom’s transformation and Announcements of ACS news may be sent to PHOTOS ONLINE opening celebration, see http://cenm.ag/chemplayroom . [email protected].

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 56 DECEMBER 10, 2012 AWARDS

JINWOO CHEON WINS tributed to the local, regional, and national The fellowship is awarded to young sci- TJ PARK PRIZE activities of the society. entists who have made substantial contri- Charpentier is currently serving her third butions to solid-state chemistry and have Jinwoo Cheon, Horace G. Underwood term on the ACS Board of Directors as direc- the potential to emerge as leaders in the Professor of Chemistry at Yonsei Univer- tor of District VI. She field. The recipient of the fellowship must sity in Seoul, South Korea, and director has served ACS in many hold a tenure-track faculty position at a of the National Creative Research Initia- other volunteer posi- U.S. institution, must not yet have received tive Center for Evolutionary Nanopar- tions at the local and tenure, and, preferably, is not currently in ticles, is the recipient of the 2012 Posco national levels, includ- the final stage of tenure review. TJ Park Prize, one of ing chair of the ACS Nominations must include a letter, a one- South Korea’s most board. Her activities page summary of current research interests, prestigious prizes for her local section a brief curriculum vitae, a publication list, for achievement in include teaching an two additional supporting letters, and cop- science. Cheon’s interview workshop ies of no more than three recent publica- research focuses on for undergraduate students and sponsoring tions. E-mail nomination packages and applications of nano- a chemistry workshop for middle school letters of support, in the order noted above, materials to medical teachers held in conjunction with National as a single PDF document to Mark Green, diagnosis and thera- Chemistry Week. Solid State & Materials Chemistry Subdivi- peutics. The Posco sion chair, at [email protected]. The TJ Park Prize honors the memory of T. J. deadline for nominations is Jan. 15, 2013. For Park, founder of steel company Posco , by KLINMAN NAMED more information, visit www.acsdic.org/ recognizing outstanding contributions SCOTT MEDALIST exxonmobil.htm . to the advancement of science, public service, and education. The prize consists Judith P. Klinman, a professor of the grad- of a plaque and 200 million Korean won uate school and Chancellor’s Professor at ORGANIC DIVISION (approximately $180,000). the University of California, Berkeley, is the SEEKS NOMINATIONS recipient of the A. I. Scott Medal, sponsored by the ACS Texas A&M University Section The ACS Division of Organic Chemis- FABIO RIBEIRO WINS and the department of chemistry at Texas try seeks nominations for its Technical ALBERT AWARD A&M. Klinman was chosen for her many Achievements in Organic Chemistry contributions to bioorganic and biophysi- (TAOC) Awards. The goal of the program is Fabio H. Ribeiro, professor of chemical cal chemistry. Her research focuses on the to recognize chemists at the bachelor’s and engineering at Purdue University , is the determination of fundamental principles master’s degree levels for their contribu- recipient of the 2012 of catalytic and regulatory mechanism in tions in the workplace and to encourage International Precious enzyme-catalyzed reactions. them to get involved in divisional activities. Metals Institute Henry The Scott Medal, which consists of a Award winners will be invited to present J. Albert Award, spon- gold medal and a gold-plated replica and is their research at the 19th annual Sympo- sored by BASF . The accompanied by a certificate, is named for sium on Technical Achievements in Organ- award was given in rec- the late A. Ian Scott, Distinguished Profes- ic Chemistry, to be held during the fall 2013 ognition of Ribeiro’s sor of Chemistry & Biochemistry, holder ACS national meeting in Indianapolis. outstanding theoreti- of the Robert A Welch Chair in Chemistry, Submissions must include a letter cal and experimental and D. H. R. Barton Professor of Chemistry describing the nominee’s contributions contributions to the at Texas A&M. The award, made annually and a copy of the nominee’s curriculum science and technology of precious metals. since 2009, recognizes excellence in bio- vitae. Additional letters and supporting His research focuses on the kinetics of het- logical chemistry research. documents are welcome but not essential. erogeneous catalytic processes. One area Nominees should hold at least a bachelor’s of particular interest is the development degree or the equivalent and be working in of techniques to study catalysts under dy- CALL FOR NOMINATIONS chemistry. They should not have received a namic reaction conditions. FOR SOLID-STATE previous TAOC Award. FACULTY FELLOWSHIP Nominations must be received by Jan. 31, 2013, and should be made us- RADDING AWARD TO Nominations are being sought for the ing the online application available at BONNIE CHARPENTIER ExxonMobil Solid State Chemistry Faculty organicdivision.org/taoc . For more infor- Fellowship, sponsored by the ExxonMobil mation, e-mail Katherine Lee at katherine. Bonnie A. Charpentier, vice president of Foundation and administered by the ACS Di- [email protected] or call (617) 665-5664. regulatory affairs and quality at Metabolex , vision of Inorganic Chemistry ’s Solid State & is the winner of the 2012 Shirley B. Radding Materials Chemistry Subdivision. The award Award, presented annually by the Ameri- consists of an unrestricted grant of $10,000. LINDA WANG compiles this section. can Chemical Society Santa Clara Valley The fellowship will be presented at the fall Announcements of awards may be sent to Section to an ACS member who has con- 2013 ACS national meeting in Indianapolis. [email protected].

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 57 DECEMBER 10, 2012 PEOPLE

chemical and audit support to the law firm of McKenna, Conner & Cuneo. NICHOLAS TURRO In 1992, Heywood moved to Chapel Hill, N.C., where he continued to work as DIES AT 74 an independent consultant until 2000. Credited with many patents and techni- Esteemed Columbia University professor cal publications, Heywood was a member PHOTOCHEMISTRY of Sigma Xi and Alpha Chi Sigma. He was an forged new paths in emeritus member of ACS, joining in 1951. He served as treasurer at University Presbyterian Church in Chapel Hill and NICHOLAS J. TURRO, a world leader in chemistry department from 1981 to 1983, volunteered at the University of North the field of organic photochemistry and the he cochaired the chemical engineering de- Carolina Hospitals. He enjoyed writing William P. Schweitzer Professor of Chem- partment from 1997 to 2000. poems and was active in golf, bridge, and istry at Columbia University, died of pan- Throughout his career, Turro was recog- conversation and writing groups. creatic cancer on Nov. 24. He was 74. nized for laying the research foundations Heywood is survived by his wife of 57 Turro “made deep and lasting contribu- for modern organic photochemistry, supra- years, Jacqueline; son, Thomas; daughter, tions to the understanding of molecular photochemistry, Julie Edwards; and six grandchildren. — SJA reaction pathways of highly and spin chemistry. He is energetic molecules,” says credited with more than 900 Rory A. More O’Ferrall, 74, a professor Harry B. Gray, a professor research papers and several emer itus of chemistry at University Col- COLUMBIA U COLUMBIA of chemistry at California influential books. lege Dublin (UCD) who made seminal con- Institute of Technology, who He received numerous tributions to physical organic chemistry, counted Turro as a close accolades, including the died on June 15. friend for nearly 50 years. inaugural George S. Ham- Born in Sevenoaks, England, More He was “a truly spec- mond Award from the Inter- O’Ferrall attended University College Lon- tacular teacher-scholar who American Photochemical don, earning a B.Sc. in 1958 and a Ph.D. in made everyone he worked Society earlier this year. ACS 1961 under John H. Ridd. with better,” Gray says. “A honored him with many He served as a postdoctoral fellow and scientist who loved people, awards, including the Arthur an assistant professor in Illinois Institute of Nick devoted enormous C. Cope Award in 2011, the Technology’s chemistry department from amounts of time and energy Willard Gibbs Medal of the 1961 to 1965. He then returned to England as to training students of all ages.” ACS Chicago Section in 2000, and the Award the Imperial Chemical Industries Research Turro earned a B.A. in chemistry at Wes- in Colloid & Surface Chemistry in 1999. Fellow in the University of Oxford’s physical leyan University in Middletown, Conn., in In recognition of his excellence in teach- chemistry laboratories. 1960 and a Ph.D. in organic photochemis- ing, Turro received the NSF Director’s After two years as a visiting assistant try at Caltech, under George S. Hammond, Award for Distinguished Teaching Scholars professor at Rice Uni- in 1963. In 1964, he worked at Harvard Uni- in 2002 and ACS’s George C. Pimentel versity in Houston, he versity as a National Science Foundation Award in Chemical Education in 2004. joined the academic postdoctoral fellow with Paul D. Bartlett. He joined ACS in 1960 and was an ACS staff at UCD. He head- Turro then joined Columbia’s chemistry Fellow. He was a member of both the Na- ed UCD’s chemistry faculty as an instructor, becoming professor tional Academy of Sciences and the Ameri- department from 1999 in 1969 and Schweitzer Professor in 1981. can Academy of Arts & Sciences. until 2003. He retired He became professor of chemical engineer- Turro is survived by his wife of 52 years, in 2004 but maintained ing in 1997 and professor of environmental Sandra; daughters, Cynthia Harty and Claire an active research pro- engineering and materials science in 1998. Styrbicki; and five grandchildren. —SUSAN gram until his death. In addition to chairing Columbia’s AINSWORTH More O’Ferrall’s work focused on the study of mechanisms and reactivity in organic chemistry. He is best known for popularizing and lending his name to OTHER OBITUARIES ment in South Charleston, W.Va., in the three-dimensional More O’Ferrall-Jencks early 1950s and later moved to company diagrams, which are widely used in struc- Donald L. Heywood, 85, a retired Union locations in California and Connecticut. ture-reactivity studies on complex organic Carbide chemist, died on Oct. 4. A pioneer in the development of environ- reactions. Born in New Haven, Conn., Heywood mentally safe pesticides, he became Union He is credited with more than 100 publi- served in the Navy before earning a B.S. in Carbide’s corporate expert for environ- cations and served on the editorial boards 1950 and a Ph.D. in 1954, both in chemistry mental compliance. of several organic chemistry journals. from Yale University. After his retirement in 1989, he moved Elected as a member of the Royal Irish He started a 36-year career with Union to Washington, D.C., where he developed Academy, he received the 2006 Boyle- Carbide at the company’s research depart- a technology services group to provide Higgins Gold Medal from the Institute of

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 58 DECEMBER 10, 2012 PEOPLE

Chemistry of Ireland. An emeritus member Born in West Bromwich, England, Ste- A leader of Duke’s Naval Reserve Of- of ACS, he joined in 1962. phens earned a doctorate in chemistry in ficers Training Corps efforts for 25 years, He is survived by his wife, Margaret; son, 1964 at the University of Oxford. he received the Navy Distinguished Public Daniel; daughters, Ruth and Clare; and sev- He studied at the University of Copen- Service Award in 1989. eral grandchildren. — SJA hagen in Denmark and the University of Wilder also served as a consultant to the Chicago before joining the faculty at USC National Science Foundation, DuPont, and Carl J. Olsen, 84, a professor emeritus at Dornsife in 1967. Stephens served as chem- the College Board’s Advanced Placement California State University, Northridge, istry department chair from 1992 to 1998. Program. He was an emeritus member of died on Oct. 23 after a long illness. Stephens pioneered the use of two chiral ACS, joining in 1943. Born in Oakland, Calif., Olsen received spectroscopies—magnetic circular dichro- He was president of the Durham Rotary a B.S. in 1947 and an M.S. in 1949, both in ism and vibrational circular dichroism— Club and a ruling elder of the Presbyterian chemistry from the University of San Fran- and the application of density functional Church. cisco. During the Korean War, he served for theory to ascertain the absolute molecular Wilder’s wife, Sterly, died in 1998. He is two years in the Army at Walter Reed Army configurations of organic molecules and survived by daughters, Ann and Sterly; son, Institute of Research. biomolecules. Stephens’ techniques have Pelham III; and two grandsons. — SJA After the war, Olsen earned a Ph.D. in or- been applied in the pharmaceutical in- ganic chemistry at the University of South- dustry to determine drug structures, help Carl Ziegler, 60, a retired Pfizer chemist, ern California, under Jerome A. Berson, in calculate safe tempera- died of cancer on Aug. 14. 1962. He then became a founding member tures for accelerated Born in Columbia, Pa., Ziegler received of the chemistry faculty at San Fernando stability studies, and a B.S. in chemistry in 1974 from Millersville Valley State College, which later became screen for better drug University and an M.S. in organic chemis- California State University, Northridge. candidates. try in 1977 at the University of Delaware, Olsen retired in 1995. Before becoming ill working with Richard F. Heck on the devel- He was a member of Sigma Xi and an in late 2009, Stephens opment of the Heck reaction. emeritus member of ACS, joining in 1953. was credited with Ziegler earned a Ph.D. in organic chem- Olsen is survived by his wife, Willa, and more than 200 publi- istry in 1981 from Duke University under sons, Eric and John-Carl. — SJA cations. He received Ned A. Porter before conducting postdoc- an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation fellowship, a toral research with Sir Jack Baldwin at the Henri T. Plant, 90, a retired chemist with Guggenheim fellowship, and the USC As- University of Oxford and at Hoffmann- expertise in chemical process technology, sociates Award for Creative Scholarship & La Roche in Basel, died in Scotia-Glenville, N.Y., on Sept. 28. Research. Stephens was named a fellow of Switzerland. Born in Hempstead, N.Y., Plant earned the Royal Society in 2008 and was a mem- He then launched a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Col- ber of ACS from 1972 until 2008. his career in 1984, serv- gate University in 1942. He began his career The USC Dornsife chemistry depart- ing as a group leader at Bakelite Corp., investigating polymers. ment will hold a symposium to honor Ste- in Lederle Laborato- Soon after, he worked on the Manhattan phens’ work on March 8, 2013. ries’ medical research Project, conducting research related to Stephens is survived by his wife, Anne- division. In 1995, he separating uranium-235 from uranium-238. Marie, and his daughter, Melanie. — SJA joined Pfizer in Gro- Plant joined General Electric in Sche- ton, Conn., where he nectady, N.Y., in 1953. He focused on Pelham Wilder Jr., 92, University Distin- remained until his retirement in 2012. He projects as varied as the molding of plastic guished Service Professor at Duke Univer- was a project leader in Pfizer’s veterinary bottles and development of the sodium- sity, died on Oct. 6. medicine department, supervising the de- sulfur battery. He was an emeritus member Wilder received a bachelor’s degree at velopment of Draxxin, an antibacterial for of ACS, joining in 1943. Emory University. He then began graduate the treatment of bovine respiratory disease. Serving as director of the Mohawk Valley studies in chemistry at Harvard University Later in his career, he was an associate re- Hiking Club, Plant also headed the Rot- but was interrupted by the start of World search fellow, serving as a technical expert terdam Explorer Post 17. He also helped War II. After serving two years of active in patent law. Ziegler joined ACS in 1975. efforts to bring the area’s Christman Sanc- duty as an ensign in the Navy in the Pacific In addition to coaching his sons’ recre- tuary under the protection of the Nature Theater, he completed a Ph.D. at Harvard. ational sports teams, Ziegler was also presi- Conservancy. He then joined the chemistry faculty at dent of East Lyme Little League baseball Plant is survived by his children, Suzette Duke University, where he would remain for three years and an active member of the Tanis-Plant, Chris, and Scott; six grandchil- for the next 50 years. He also held a profes- East Lyme Garden Club. dren; and four great-grandchildren. — SJA sorship in the pharmacology department in He is survived by his wife, Jillian, and the Duke University School of Medicine for sons, Robert and Philip.— SJA Philip J. Stephens, 71, a professor 35 years. Wilder served as university mar- emeritus of chemistry in the University of shall and chief of protocol from 1977 until Southern California’s Dornsife College of his retirement in 2000. Obituary notices of no more than 300 Letters, Arts & Sciences, died on July 31 in Wilder received the Duke Alumni Dis- words may be sent to Susan J. Ainsworth at Los Angeles after a battle with a dementia- tinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award [email protected] and should include an related illness. in 1971 and the University Medal in 1993. educational and professional history.

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ENVIRONMENTAL / CHEMICAL ENGINEER wanted by EDPlus LLC, in New York City. Masters or higher in related field, and four+ years’ research or consult- Serving the Chemical, Life Sciences, and Laboratory Worlds ing experience required. Must know air quality regula- tions, preparing permit applications, standard exemp- tions, and emissions fee calculations. Please contact for more details: ed [email protected]. Advertising Rate Information

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How to Apply cen-online.org/sales all users of this section obligated to acknowl- A. GIST provides an electronic version of its appli- edge all replies to their advertisements. cation forms in Microsoft Word format, which includes sections for your resume, publication list, and lecture RECRUITMENT NONDISPLAY LINE ADS plan. Please download it. $65 net per line; $650 minimum. A body IMPORTANT NOTICES B. Applicants must upload all application materials RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING RECRUITMENT line equals approximately 50 characters ■ Employment in countries other than your to http://faculty.gist.ac.kr. C. Applicants may be requested to provide three with spaces; centered, bold, and capped, own may be restricted by government visa letters of professional recommendation (to be mailed headlines equal approximately 32 charac- and other policies. Moreover, you should directly to the school from the recommenders). D. For initial screening, applications completed by ters with spaces. For an additional $150, investigate thoroughly the generally ac- 6 p.m. on December 31, 2012 (Korean Time), will be your print line ad will appear on the ACS cepted employment practices, the cultural given full consideration, Note, however, that the search Careers job site, www.acs.org/ careers, for conditions, and the exact provisions of the will continue until the position(s) are filled. V. Contact Information: four weeks. For more information go to specific position being considered. Mem- Email: [email protected] (Faculty-service www.cen-online.org/classifieds, e-mail bers may wish to contact the ACS Office of Staff). [email protected], or call Tim Bauer at International Activities for information it ASSISTANT PROFESSOR The Department of Chem- (202) 872-4593. might have about employment conditions istry at LIU-Post is accepting applications for a tenure- and cultural practices in other countries. track position in organic chemistry beginning fall 2013, DIRECTORY SECTION ■ Various state and national laws against pending budgetary approval. Candidates are expect- ed to teach the two-semester organic and advanced Space rate is $680 per inch. Lower rates discrimination, including the Federal Civil spectroscopy courses, as well as be involved with un- available on contract basis. Contact your Rights Act of 1964, prohibit discrimination in dergraduate research. Send application, statement sales representative to place an insertion employment because of race, color, religion, of teaching philosophy, statement of research plans, and arrange to have three letters of reference sent to order. national origin, age, sex, physical handicap, Nancy Peters, Department of Chemistry, LIU-Post, sexual orientation, or any reason not based 720 Northern Blvd, Brookville, NY, 11548 by Febru- SITUATIONS WANTED ary 1, 2013. on a bona fide occupational qualification. “Situations Wanted” advertisements placed ■ These advertisements are for readers’ WANT YOUR DREAM JOB? Find it at www.acs.org/ by ACS members and affiliates are accepted convenience and are not to be construed careers. Search the latest postings for jobs in specific fields, at various levels, in different locations. Or post at $6.60 a line per insertion, no minimum as instruments leading to unlawful your résumé and have employers find you. Why wait? charge. State ACS membership status and discrimination. Go to www.acs.org/careers and get started on finding the right job for you. QUALITY JOBS, QUALITY CHEMISTS

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THREE TENURE-TRACK POSITIONS Chemistry Department University of Connecticut The Department of Chemistry in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences invites applications for three Assis- tant/Associate/Full Professor tenure-track positions. The positions will be in the Green Emulsions, Micelles and Surfactants (GEMS) Center of the Department of Chemistry. Researchers involved with the synthesis, characterization, modeling, and applications of emul- sions, micelles, and surfactants, interpreted in the broadest sense, will be considered. Minimum Qualifications: Applicants must have a Ph.D. (or equivalent) in Chemistry or a closely related field in hand by the time the appointment begins. Outstanding record of research accomplishments in Chemistry or a related field. Strong oral and written communication skills. Qualified applicants who can advance the diversity of our research and teaching mission may be considered for appointment at higher rank. Successful applicants will be expected to develop well-funded, nationally and internationally recognized research programs while simultaneously maintaining excellence in teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. A complete application will include a curriculum vi- tae, a detailed description of research projects, and a brief statement of teaching philosophy and interests. These are nine-month, tenure-track positions start- ing in August 2013. Salary and rank will be determined based on qualifications. To apply, please visit the University’s Husky Hire online application system at http://www.jobs.uconn. edu. A cover letter, curriculum vitae, a detailed descrip- RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING tion of research plans, and a statement of teaching phi- losophy/interests can be uploaded to this website. In addition, please arrange for three confidential letters of recommendation to be sent to Ms. Emilie Hogrebe, University of Connecticut, Department of Chemis- try, 55 North Eagleville Road, Unit 3060, Storrs, CT 06269-3060 or to [email protected]. Assuming budget approvals, screening of applica- tions will proceed immediately and will continue until the positions are filled. Please include the search num- ber with all correspondence. Search # 2013333 The University of Connecticut is an EEO/AA employer.

TENURE-TRACK FACULTY POSITION Department of Chemistry, Missouri University of Science and Technology (Rolla) The Department of Chemistry at the Missouri Univer- sity of Science and Technology seeks to fill a tenure- track faculty position at the Assistant Professor level. Outstanding candidates with a PhD and/or postdoc- toral experience in any discipline related to Materials Chemistry will be considered. Candidates must have a strong academic and research record and a commit- ment to teaching and developing undergraduate and graduate level courses in the area of their expertise. Materials Science is a traditional area of strength for Missouri S&T, targeted for further expansion under the university’s strategic plan. A newly renovated Materials Research Center is active on campus and collaborative opportunities are available with several Engineering Departments. Interested candidates should electronically submit an application consisting of a cover letter, CV, descrip- tion of research plans, statement of teaching philoso- phy, and arrange for the submission of at least three letters of recommendation to the Missouri University of Science and Technology’s Human Resource Office at http://hraadi.mst.edu/hr/employment/faculty/. Reference Number for this position is 56915. Need chemists or engineers? in the latest issue of C&EN—ensuring a Review of applications will begin January 15, 2013, quick response. and continue until the position is filled. The successful C&EN Classifieds is here to help with... candidate will be in place as early as fall 2013. Because FAST CLOSE space is limited, For more information and instructions please view: http://chem.mst.edu/. Missouri S&T is an AA/EO FAST CLOSE reservations are on a first-call, first-in Employer. basis. FAST CLOSE rates require a 15% One week —from your desk premium over regular rates. Some space to thousands of potential applicants When responding to a position, restrictions apply. please mention you saw the ad in If your completed insertion order reaches Call Tim Bauer at [email protected] by 12 noon EST on (202) 872-4593 Mon day (except legal holidays), your for complete details classified ad will be in the hands of cen-online.org/classifieds potential applicants the very next Monday

WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 61 DECEMBER 10, 2012 GENESEO ACADEMIC POSITIONS STANFORD UNIVERSITY THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY The Stanford Chemistry Department invites applica- tions for either a Lecturer or a Lecturer/Director of VISITING ASSISTANT PROFESSOR Undergraduate Laboratories position to begin Au- tumn 2013. These positions are full-time, fixed-term, OF CHEMISTRY nine-month appointments, initially for two years, with subsequent reappointments in up to five year terms, The Department of Chemistry at the State and carry full benefits. Summer instructional posi- University of New York at Geneseo seeks tions are also available. Beyond the responsibility of applications for a full-time temporary position an independent laboratory course each quarter (e.g. organic, analytical), the candidate will be responsible in the area of Physical Chemistry starting the for laboratory curricular development and developing Fall 2013 semester. student rapport. The directorship position has a re- duced teaching responsibility, but oversees the safety The term of this position is one year with the possibility of a second year extension. The best candidate is expected to fulfi ll and administrative processes of the undergraduate teaching responsibilities in the areas of physical chemistry laboratories. Stanford University is located near San (lecture and laboratory) and introductory chemistry (lecture Francisco with over 15,000 students, and is recog- and laboratory). A Ph.D. degree in Chemistry is required. nized as a leading research and teaching institution. Evidence of quality teaching experience is desirable. Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, teaching Further information on the Department and the faculty philosophy (one pg), and three letters of recommenda- research interests may be found at http://www.geneseo. tion addressing their teaching and/or administrative edu/~chem or by contacting Professor Kazu Yokoyama at abilities to Ms. Kurfay Fajardo or kfajardo@stanford. [email protected] or 585-245-5320. edu. A PhD in Chemistry is required. Review of applica- The College strives to provide a diverse learning tions will begin January 15th. Stanford University, in environment in which to prepare students for an increasingly Stanford, California, is an E0/AA Employer. multicultural society and interconnected world. For further information about SUNY Geneseo, please see our home page ARMSTRONG ATLANTIC STATE UNIVERSITY, at http://www.geneseo.edu. SA VANNAH GEORGIA Interested applicants can view a complete position Tenure-Track Assistant Professor (2) and description and submit an online faculty application at In struc tor Position (1) http://jobs.geneseo.edu and arrange for three recent The Department of Chemistry and Physics at Arm- letters of recommendation to be sent to: strong Atlantic State University in Savannah , Geor- Search Committee, Chemistry Department, ISC 331 gia (http://chemphys.armstrong.edu), invites appli- SUNY Geneseo cations for two full-time, tenure-track positions at the 1 College Circle rank of Assistant Professor and one full-time, perma- Geneseo, NY 14454 nent instructor position to start in August 2013. These To ensure full consideration, completed applications should positions, in our ACS-approved program, require be received by January 15, 2013. All applicants are subject to candidates to have a Ph.D. in chemistry or a closely criminal background checks. related field at the time of appointment. Applicants should possess a strong commitment to excellence SUNY Geneseo is an A rmative Action/Equal Opportunity, Equal Access Employer committed to recruiting, supporting, and fostering a diverse community of outstand- in undergraduate teaching and will be expected to de- ing faculty, sta
, and students. The College actively seeks applications from women velop a scholarly agenda and pursue external funding. and members of underrepresented groups. Applicants with specialization in analytical chemistry are preferred for the tenure track positions; however, exceptional candidates in all fields may be considered. The permanent instructor position requires a com- mitment to general chemistry instruction. For appli- cation requirements and a complete description of the positions and the department, visit h t t p : // j o b s . arm strong.edu. Application review will begin on Janu- ary 7, 2013. AA/EOE, open records law state.

METROPOLITAN STATE UNIVERSITY OF DENVER, RECRUIT SCIENTISTS announcement for Chair, Chemistry Department, is seeking a highly motivated person with a Doctorate in IN CHEMICAL Chemistry and at least two years of proven administra- C&EN’S tive success at the program or departmental level. Ap- YEAR IN REVIEW ISSUE plicants must meet the requirements for tenure at the rank of professor in the Department of Chemistry. Go to https://www.msudenverjobs.com for full position C&EN In its last issue of 2012, looks back on the year in announcement and to apply. EO/AA Employer. RECRUITMENT ADVERTISING RECRUITMENT chemistry. Veteran reporters from the magazine’s science and business departments review the year’s major scientific and ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ANALYTICAL CHEM- corporate developments. And a separate feature explores the ISTRY, Tenure-track, begins fall 2013. PhD in analyti- fate of some of the top scientific developments of 10 years ago. cal chemistry or related field required. Excellence in teaching and development of active undergraduate END OF YEAR OFFER research program expected. Further information, including application information, at www.aug.edu/ ■ Place a completed print insertion order for your chemphys/jobs.html. Submission deadline Janu- recruitment ad in C&EN and have it appear online in ary 15, 2013. Augusta State University is an AA/EEO Employer. Contact your local advertising representative to C&EN Jobs free for 8 weeks. Print the ad code 2012JOBS place your classified ad. A sales representative on your purchase order or credit card form to receive this A MASSIVE OPPORTUNITY listing is available at cen-online.org/sales. offer. The code expires 12/31/2012. You can’t afford to miss this opportunity to advertise C&EN is the leading employment with us. C&EN reaches the larg est global audience of To place a nondisplay line ad in C&EN, see ISSUE DATE individuals in the chemical and allied industries. Your Classified Advertising Information at source for both employers and job DEC 24 recruitment ad will reach our worldwide pass along cen-online.org/classifieds, e-mail seekers in the chemical enterprise. readership of over 300,000. [email protected], or call (202) 872-4593. C&EN Classifieds gives your Contact your local advertising representative today. recruitment ad maximum exposure www.cen-online.org/sales to scientists, researchers, and www.cen-online.org/classifieds academics, at all levels of *Ad Close is experience and education. DEC 11 SITUATIONS WANTED CONSULTANTS 2012 Recruitment Calendar is available at cen-online.org/sales WWW.CHEMCONSULTANTS.ORG cen-online.org/advertise The Chemical Consultants Network Find Qualified Experts Among Hundreds of Members Supported by ACS and AIChE

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WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 63 DECEMBER 10, 2012 newscripts CARBON-INSPIRED PLAYGROUND, NOBEL-WORTHY PATIO materials SCENE orget the slide and swing set. Children “We hope the playground equipment is a visiting the Discovery Center Museum , hook that gets children interested in nanosci- F in Rockford, Ill., can now frolic on ence,” Moore says. “There is no question chemistry-inspired PLAYGROUND equip- that this is a fruitful frontier for science and

ment, including a model of a C60 buckyball engineering. It’s the shape of tomorrow.” molecule and a carbon nanotube. “We built our equipment not only to exact hen Michael Fricke, a Ph.D. chemist molecular specifi cation but to also hold up to at Boehringer Ingelheim’s Ben the rigorous playground standards that the W Venue Laboratories , in Ohio, set discovery center uses,” says Jim Maynard, out to fi nd inspiration for a new PATIO for his lecture demonstrator in the chemistry house, he also turned to chemistry. department at the University of Wisconsin, In November, Fricke completed a year- Madison . Maynard conceived of and helped long project in which he constructed a patio design the equipment along with Andrew with 1,200 custom-molded concrete paver Greenberg, codirector of outreach for the stones laid out in a quasicrystal pattern. An up-to-the-minute collection of Fricke says the unusual design came to news about materials, catalysis, him late last year after he learned of the nanotechnology, and inorganic research of 2011 Chemistry Nobel Laureate chemistry. Coverage includes Dan Shechtman . The Nobel Prize winner the latest in organometallics, polymer and nanostructure discovered quasicrystals, which contain an synthesis, heterogeneous and orderly pattern of atoms that doesn’t repeat. homogeneous catalysis, solid- To construct the patio, Fricke created state chemistry, character- rhombus-shaped wooden molds in two dif- COURTESY OF JOHN MOORE OF COURTESY ization of materials, and ferent sizes. Using the molds, he was able to fabrication of devices. cast 15 concrete pavers per day, and after 10 months of production, he began assembling cen.acs.org/materials them into a pattern called Penrose aperiodic tiling. Carbon curiosities: Despite gaining a more State-of-the art in-depth understanding playground equipment. of Shechtman’s research, Fricke says constructing the UW Madison Nanoscale FRICKE MICHAEL patio was not without its Science & Engineering challenges. “A month before Center. I was going to start laying The museum’s out the pav- spherical jungle gym, Crystalline veranda: ers, I found out made of stainless steel Fricke’s son Connor that you need and rubber-coated poly- shows off the new about 1.6 times patio in Stow, Ohio. urethane balls, resembles a buckyball. And as many big a large rope climb, made primarily of nylon rhombs as you netting, resembles a carbon nanotube. do little ones, and that was a big surprise,” Each piece of equipment is accompa- he says. “I don’t know if anyone’s ever had a nied by a description, so parents can also mathematical setback to a patio before.” benefi t from the learning experience, says But every time Fricke would encounter an UW Madison chemistry professor John W. obstacle, he would refl ect back on Shecht- Moore, who oversaw the project. In addition, man’s discovery of quasicrystal structures, by scanning bar codes called QR codes with which was met with derision and skepticism their smartphones, visitors will be taken to before it gained widespread acceptance. The a website featuring games and activities moral of the story: “Always have patience to to help children learn about carbon and its see things through,” Fricke says. Sign up for the MATERIALS applications. SCENE NEWSLETTER — Designing the playground “was all basi- C&EN will keep you up to cally on a whim,” Maynard says. “But I like LINDA WANG wrote this week’s column. date with a roundup of latest kids and I like chemistry, so it seemed like a Please send comments and suggestions to news delivered to your email natural fi t.” inbox each week. [email protected]. Watch a video of kids on the carbon playground at VIDEO ONLINE http://cenm.ag/playground .

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