News Release

ACS News Service Weekly PressPac -- May 16, 2007

Peer-Reviewed Publication

American Chemical Society

American Chemical Society

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Credit: American Chemical Society

Here is the latest American Chemical Society (ACS) News Service Weekly press package (PressPac) with reports selected from 35 major peer-reviewed journals and Chemical & Engineering News. With more than 160,000 members, ACS is the world’s largest scientific society. Please cite the individual journal, or the American Chemical Society, as the source of this information.


ACS NEWS SERVICE — May 16, 2007 Weekly PressPac — ALL CONTENT IS FOR IMMEDIATE USE EXCEPT ARTICLE #5 (EMBARGOED FOR 9 A.M., EASTERN TIME, May 21, 2007)


PressPac Archive: http://www.chemistry.org/news/presspac.html

Contact: Michael Woods
202-872-4400
m_woods@acs.org

In This Edition:

  • Equipping E. coli with a "chemo-navigation" system
  • Crusts from the Tower of London suggest yellowing in the future
  • Scientists isolate anti-cancer compounds from apple peel
  • New medications needed for neuropathic pain
  • Western drug makers expand use of India’s scientific talent

Journalists’ Resources

  • "Huh, a what"" Find out "what" in a Chemistry Glossary
  • Science Elements: ACS Audio Clips
  • News, features, background, sources from ACS National Meeting
  • Green Goals for the Pharmaceutical Industry

Mark Your Calendars:

  • ACS Regional Meeting, May 16-19, Philadelphia
  • 11th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference, Washington, DC

This information is intended for your personal use in news gathering and reporting and should not be distributed to others. Anyone using advance ACS News Service Weekly Press Package information for stocks or securities dealing may be guilty of insider trading under the federal Securities Exchange Act of 1934.


ARTICLE #1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Equipping E. coli with a "chemo-navigation" system
Journal of the American Chemical Society

In genetic engineering’s version of the Pied Piper, chemists have programmed E. coli bacteria to move toward new chemical signals — an advance they say could enable the production of bacteria with important uses in medicine, environmental clean-ups, and other fields.

"Equipping bacteria that can degrade pollutants, synthesize and release therapeutics, or transport loads with an ability to localize to a specific chemical signal would open new frontiers in bioremediation, drug delivery, and synthetic biology," Emory University’s Justin P. Gallivan and Shana Topp state in the study. It is scheduled for publication in the June 6 issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, a weekly publication.

Gallivan and Topp manipulated the natural chemotaxis ability of E. coli, which enables certain microbes to move toward chemicals in their environment. Researchers have envisioned reprogramming such organisms so that microbes capable of synthesizing an anti-cancer drug, for instance, can be used to medicate diseased cells while sparing healthy cells of side effects.

The researchers gave E. coli a "riboswitch," a segment of RNA that changes shape when bound to certain small molecules and then turns genes on or off. They believe that approach can be used to equip motile bacteria with "chemo-navigation" systems to move toward desired targets.

ARTICLE #1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"Guiding Bacteria with Small Molecules and RNA"

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http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/jacsat/asap/pdf/ja0692480.pdf

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http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/jacsat/asap/html/ja0692480.html

CONTACT:
Justin P. Gallivan, Ph.D.
Emory University
Atlanta, Georgia 30322
Phone: 404-712-2000
Fax: 404-778-4139
Email: justin.gallivan@emory.edu


ARTICLE #2 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Crusts from the Tower of London suggest yellowing in the future
Environmental Science & Technology

Air pollution control regulations are having an unanticipated effect in changing the color of the Tower of London, that famous complex of buildings, started by William the Conqueror, that have housed everything from prisoners and zoo animals to the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, scientists in the UK and Italy are reporting. The research is scheduled for publication in the June 15 issue of ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology, a semi-monthly journal.

In the study, Peter Brimblecombe and colleagues investigated the origin and transformation of elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC) from simple organic compounds in the black crusts that have formed over the centuries on stone walls in the tower complex. The blackening of the past, they note, is from EC in coal smoke released since the late 13th Century.

Air pollution control efforts are reducing the amount of sulfur dioxide from coal, with increased OC emissions from motor vehicle exhaust. With less sulfur dioxide (toxic to microorganisms) and more OC, microbes can grow in crusts on buildings and transform compounds contributing a color change.

"In particular, one should note that modern deposits have taken on a slightly different color and now appear more brownish," the reports states. "These changes may arise from oxidation processes in the organic rich materials. The color change is particularly evident here at the Tower of London, where yellowing may become of greater concern than the habitual blackening in the near future."

ARTICLE #2 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"Carbon in Black Crusts from the Tower of London"

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http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/esthag/asap/pdf/es062417w.pdf

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http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/esthag/asap/html/es062417w.html

CONTACT:
Peter Brimblecombe, Ph.D.
University of East Anglia
Norwich, UK
Phone: 44-1603-593003
Fax: 44-1603-507719
Email: p.brimblecombe@uea.ac.ik


ARTICLE #3 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Scientists isolate anti-cancer compounds from apple peel
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry

Doctor Mom’s admonition, "Don’t peel your apple," is getting new scientific support from scientists in New York, who are reporting isolation of chemical compounds from apple peel that may be involved in the apple’s beneficial health effects. Their report is scheduled for publication in the May 30 issue of ACS’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

In the study, Rui Hai Liu and Xiangjiu He point out that apple consumption has been linked to a reduced risk of chronic health problems such as lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke. Traditional advice on eating apple peel was based mainly on its fiber content, with peel packing about 75 percent of the dietary fiber in an apple. More recently, however, scientists have shown that the peel also contains most of the beneficial phytochemicals believed to be responsible for the apple-a-day-keeps-the-doctor-away effect.

Until now, however, scientists had not identified the specific phytochemicals responsible for apple’s anti-cancer effects. Xiangjiu He and Liu processed 231 pounds of Red Delicious apples and extracted phytochemicals from about 24 pounds of peel. They screened the compounds for anti-cancer effects in laboratory cultures of human liver, breast, and colon cancer cells. In doing so, they identified a group of compounds with "potent" anti-cancer effects.

ARTICLE #3 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"Triterpenoids isolated from Apple Peels Have Potent Antiproliferative Activity and May be Partially Responsible for Apple’s Anticancer Activity"

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http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/jafcau/asap/pdf/jf063563o.pdf

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http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/jafcau/asap/html/jf063563o.html

CONTACT:
Rui Hai Liu, Ph.D.
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York 14853
Phone: 607-255-6235
Fax: 607-254-4868
Email: rl23@cornell.edu


ARTICLE #4 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New medications needed for neuropathic pain
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry

Despite an array of powerful medications available to treat neuropathic pain, many patients with this increasingly common disorder fail to get relief from chronic, severe pain, according to an article scheduled for the May 31 issue of ACS’ Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication.

The article, written by Wyeth Research’s John A. Butera, introduces a series of expert reports on the current status of research and promising new advances in drug therapy for neuropathic pain. Unlike ordinary pain, which can be controlled with medications and subsides after the injury heals, neuropathic pain continues and patients can experience chronic, debilitating pain that is difficult to treat.

Butera cites the need for new medications, noting that existing drugs usually provide only a 30 – 50 percent reduction in pain in about 50 percent of patients. "Coupled with this limited efficacy, there are low levels of compliance [in taking medication] due to intolerable side effect profiles associated with some of these drugs," the article states. "These results profoundly illustrate that treatment of neuropathic pain is a hugely unmet medical need." Butera cites estimates suggesting that neuropathic pain affects more than 6 million people in the United States and Europe — plus millions more who have neuropathy as a complication of diabetes.

ARTICLE #4 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
"Current and Emerging Targets to Treat Neuropathic Pain"

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http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/jmcmar/asap/pdf/jm061015w.pdf

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http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/sample.cgi/jmcmar/asap/html/jm061015w.html

CONTACT:
John A. Butera, Ph.D.
Wyeth Research CN 8000
Princeton, New Jersey 08543
Phone: 732-274-4289
Fax: 732-274-4129
Email: buteraj@wyeth.com


ARTICLE #5 EMBARGOED FOR 9 A.M., EASTERN TIME, May 21, 2007

Western drug makers expand use of India’s scientific talent
Chemical & Engineering News

India is quietly assuming a new and expanded role in the discovery and development of medicines for patients in the United States and other western countries, according to an article scheduled for the May 21 issue of Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), ACS’ weekly newsmagazine.

In the article, Jean-François Tremblay, of C&EN’s Asia-Pacific Bureau, explains that big western pharmaceutical companies long have turned to India’s numerous contract research firms to work on specific, well-defined projects. "But for the past two years, the country’s research service providers have begun to undertake far more significant drug discovery work for foreign clients," the article notes.

Driving the new wave of pharma outsourcing in part is India’s huge pool of English-speaking scientists, particularly synthetic organic chemists, many of whom are highly motivated and willing to work for a fraction of the salary of similarly-trained sciences in the U. S., Europe, or Japan, the article states. India’s top research providers also are creating a climate of confidentiality that gives western drug makers assurance about protection of their trade secrets, it adds. Tremblay includes specific examples of western drug makers that are expanding use of that scientific manpower by forming external alliances in India to increase R&D productivity.

ARTICLE # 5 EMBARGOED FOR 9 A.M., EASTERN TIME, May 21, 2007
"The Indian Advantage: Major drug companies in the west are expanding their research programs in India"

This story will be available on May 21 at:
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/85/8521cover.html

FOR ADVANCE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Michael Bernstein
ACS News Service
Phone: 202-872-6042
Fax: 202-872-4370
Email: m_bernstein@acs.org


Journalists’ Resources

General Chemistry Glossary
http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/glossary.shtml

Science Elements: ACS Audio Clips
http://acswebcontent.acs.org/communications/chicago07/podcasts/index.html

News, features, background, sources from ACS National Meeting
News media resources from the March 25-29 meeting in Chicago include more than 9,000 abstracts of technical presentations and more than 1,000 non-technical summaries in a searchable database, plus press releases, podcasts, and other material. If you are researching or sourcing stories on chemistry-related topics, this resource can be a treasure trove accessible at: http://www.eurekalert.org/acsmeet.php
http://www.acspresscenter.org/

Green Goals for the Pharmaceutical Industry
The ACS Green Chemistry Institute Pharmaceutical Roundtable has developed a list of priority research areas where "green" alternatives to conventional reactions are needed to develop medications with minimal impact on the environment. Their review paper, describes and prioritizes research needs,. It can be a valuable resource for journalists writing about green chemistry. Although the paper focuses on pharmaceuticals, it includes reactions and processes used by the broader chemical enterprise.
http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/Journals/GC/article.asp"doi=b703488c


Mark Your Calendars

On the Horizon: ACS Regional Meeting, May 16-19, Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Section, American Chemical Society, and Ursinus College will host the 39th ACS Middle Atlantic Regional Meeting. http://www.marmacs.org

11th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference This pioneering conference on one of the hottest topics in chemistry will be held June 26-29, 2007 at the Capital Hilton hotel in Washington, DC. http://www.gcande.org/

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