U.S. Department of Energy Research News

1-Nov-2004
Toxins and pathogens be warned
Imagine munching on a hamburger boldly knowing that it was not contaminated with E. coli or sipping a cold glass of water confident it was truly clean. Due to advances at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, these ideas may become a reality. A team of PNNL researchers is developing a method to detect contaminants in food, water and air supplies.

1-Nov-2004
Shutting down genes in cancer, bacteria, and viruses
Ribonucleic acid (RNA) interference is a relatively new technique in which small molecules called short interfering RNA (siRNA) can be inserted into cells to turn off a chosen gene.

1-Nov-2004
Laser burrows into the Earth to destroy land mines
ONE of the great scourges of warfare is the land mine. Although an effective battlefield weapon, land mines kill or maim nearly 45,000 civilians (including 20,000 children) worldwide every year.

1-Nov-2004
Detecting bioaerosols when time is of the essence
About seven years ago, Livermore researchers received seed funding from the Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program to develop an instrument that counters bioterrorism by providing a rapid early warning system for pathogens, such as anthrax.

2-Jun-2004
Future space scientists train at Brookhaven Lab
As astronauts spend more time in space, scientists need to better understand the dangers space travelers face from deep-space radiation -- and how to best shield them against these risks. A new NASA Summer Student Program at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory will help provide a "pipeline" of researchers to tackle this challenge. The program begins June 1, 2004

1-Jun-2004
Agricultural biosecurity taking on increased importance
Our current agricultural food safety and security programs have provided the citizens of the U.S. the safest food production system the world has ever seen. But these programs were not designed to identify or respond to intentional acts of bioterrorism using either conventional or unconventional biological agents to contaminate our food or food processing/distribution system.

1-Jun-2004
SARS foam- Sandia foams fight SARS virus
In a series of tests conducted at Kansas State University on Bovine coronavirus (BCV) -- the internationally accepted surrogate for the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus -- Sandia versions of its DF- 200 formulation fully inactivated samples in one minute or less.

6-May-2004
New medical imaging technique first to use low-dose X-rays to reveal soft tissue
X-rays from the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven Lab are being employed for the first time in diffraction enhanced imaging, a new, low-dose experimental technique to visualize not only bone, but also soft tissue.

5-Apr-2004
Defending against corrosion
Livermore researchers are designing a rugged system to prevent nuclear wastes from seeping into the environment at the proposed underground repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada.

3-Mar-2004
Just say 'no' to adenovirus
Description of research on adenovirus at Brookhaven National Laboratory suggesting that nitric oxide might work as an antiviral agent.

17-Feb-2004
PNNL wins record grant for proteomics center
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has won a five-year, $10.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to support a center for basic research in proteomics. This is the largest NIH award in PNNL's 38-year history.

1-Dec-2003
Stalking the AIDS virus
An improved understanding of the interaction between HIV and the immune system has brought Lab researchers closer to identifying key parameters in AIDS vaccine development.

14-Jul-2003
Cadmium quickly causes calcium loss in bones
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have demonstrated that cadmium--found in some industrial workplaces and in cigarette smoke--releases calcium from bone within hours of exposure. Knowing how this toxic metal interacts with bone may lead to the screening necessary to detect the early or pre-stages of excess bone loss--before much damage occurs.

25-Jun-2003
Research offers clues to plaques in Alzheimer's disease
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago have made a breakthrough in the study of Alzheimer's disease: discovery of the strategic sites where amino acids can be removed from self-assembling, insoluble peptides that form fibrils in the brains of patients with the disease. With this discovery, researchers can now study the self-assembly process of the entire peptide.

19-May-2003
Secrets of drug resistance revealed
Scientists from the DOE Office of Science's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California at Berkeley have obtained high-resolution images that offer insight on how bacteria survive attacks from antibiotics. The images were published in the May 9, 2003, issue of Science.

31-Dec-2002
Closing in on cancer
Gerald Small, an Ames Lab senior chemist and an Iowa State University distinguished professor, and Ryszard Jankowiak, an Ames Lab senior scientist, have developed a unique biosensor technology that provides immediate information about DNA damage from cancer-causing pollutants called carcinogens. Damage to DNA, which carries the genetic code of life, is a critical first step in the development of cancer.

25-Nov-2002
Artificial retina project
U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham toured Doheny Eye Institute at the University of Southern California, lauding scientific and engineering breakthroughs in developing an implantable artificial retina for patients with vision loss from retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration.

11-Nov-2002
Scientists identify role of important cancer protein
Scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Synchrotron Light Source located at Brookhaven National Laboratory have uncovered how a known cancer protein disrupts the normal function of human cells. This discovery, which may lead to the design of new anticancer drugs, is reported in the November 1, 2002, issue of the journal Cell.

30-Sep-2002
Security technologies meet the needs of industry
A device that identifies contents in sealed containers and a system that can diagnose engine problems while the equipment is operating are among several innovative technologies developed for national security applications and moved into the marketplace by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. PNNL conducts scientific research in energy, the environment, national security, information technology and health, making an effort to commercialize technologies so they can help solve critical problems for industry and society.

31-Jul-2002
PNNL applies risk assessment techniques to health care
Hospitals are for healing. With the help of tools used in the nuclear, aerospace and chemical industries, researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are helping make sure they stay that way.

2-Jul-2002
Obesity research at Brookhaven
Brookhaven scientists are using positron emission tomography to study the role of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with feelings of reward and pleasure, in human obesity.

1-Jul-2002
More clues about obesity revealed by brain-imaging study
The idea that obese people eat too much because they find food more palatable than lean people do has gained support from a new brain-imaging study at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory. The study reveals that the parts of the brain responsible for sensation in the mouth, lips, and tongue are more active in obese people than in normal-weight control subjects.

10-Jun-2002
New food-addiction link found
In a new study at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory, scientists have found that the mere sight/smell of food spikes levels of a brain "pleasure" chemical called dopamine. The study is reported in the June 1, 2002, issue of the journal Synapse.

27-May-2002
The Milano mutation: A rare protein mutation offers new hope for heart disease patients
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have discovered the mechanism by which an extremely rare protein mutation shields people from cardiovascular disease. The discovery could lead to more potent drug therapies that target both cholesterol deposition and prevent future accumulation. Results were reported in the February 12, 2002, issue of the journal Biochemistry.

20-May-2002
HERPES database online
To aid in the search for cures and vaccines for sexually transmitted diseases, the Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory has released a publicly available Web database containing the Human herpesvirus 2 genomic sequence.