Research on bioengineered crops, global warming and a new flu vaccine will be featured at gathering of world's largest scientific society in San Diego

Each paper embargoed for release until date and time of presentation, unless noted otherwise

SAN DIEGO - More than 7,700 cutting-edge research findings will be presented at the 221st national meeting of the American Chemical Society, April 1-5, in San Diego. Some 15,000 scientists are expected to attend the meeting, which will be held at the San Diego Convention Center and nearby hotels. Highlights include:

• An artificial enzyme that could lead to the prevention of skin cancer.
• Reducing chemotherapy's side effects and avoiding multidrug resistance.
• A new flu vaccine for people who are allergic to eggs.
• Newly discovered lead-contaminated factory sites across the country.
• Risks and benefits of biotech crops.

News releases and advisories will be posted on the World Wide Web, on an embargoed basis, at www.eurekalert.org under the "ACS 221st national meeting" button. They will also be posted at www.acs.org/news when the embargoes are lifted.

The meeting is open to accredited news media. The pressroom will be in room 18, mezzanine level, of the San Diego Convention Center, 111 West Harbor Drive. It opens at noon, Saturday, March 31, and closes that day at 6:00 p.m., Pacific Time. The pressroom hours of operation during the meeting, April 1-5, are 6:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., Pacific Time.

News media must register at the pressroom to receive badges, which are needed for admittance to events. Press kits will include a complete set of meeting abstracts, news releases on selected research papers, and a schedule of news briefings. For more information, contact Charmayne Marsh at the telephone numbers listed at the top of this page.

Sunday, April 1

• Green chemistry subject of major symposium - Designer liquids that can replace hazardous organic solvents are poised to revolutionize industrial chemistry and dramatically reduce pollution, according to researchers. Known as ionic liquids, they are the subject of a major five-day symposium, April 1-5, featuring more than 80 papers. (IEC 1-5, 23-28, 48-65, 161-167, 190-196, 246-251, 276-282, 309-314, 345-350, 380-385 and 410-416; Sunday-Thursday, April 1-5.)

Monday, April 2

• Carbon dioxide storage could help offset global warming - In the wake of President Bush's mid-March decision not to seek mandatory reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, researchers will discuss R&D options for fighting global warming through carbon sequestration - storing CO2 in such places as the ocean, or converting it to rocks. A two-day symposium on the topic will be held April 2-3. (FUEL 16-23, 31-38, 47-54, 61-69; Monday-Tuesday, April 2-3. Embargoed until 8:45 a.m., April 2.)

• Egg-free flu vaccine - Austrian researchers have developed a flu vaccine that is made without egg proteins, which can trigger rare but potentially fatal allergic reactions in some people. It's faster to produce than egg-based vaccines and could help avert vaccine shortages during a large flu outbreak. The new vaccine has been tested in 2,500 volunteers and is expected to be available to consumers in Europe as early as next year. (BIOT 42, Monday, April 2, 9:00 a.m.)

• Risks and benefits of biotech crops - Plant biotechnology is lauded for its potential to reduce pesticide use and produce healthier foods, but is also accused of threatening human health and the environment in unforeseen ways. During a special one-day symposium, researchers will discuss recent advances in this powerful new technology. They also will look at the national and international political debate over biotech's use from the perspective of consumers, scientists and regulatory agencies. (AGFD 25-29 and 37-42; Monday, April 2.)

• Nobel Prize 100th anniversary: laureates look back and ahead - Five Nobel laureates will recall chemistry milestones of the last century, give their views on the most significant chemistry breakthroughs, and predict the course of chemistry research in the 21st century. (CHED 120-122, 513-515; Monday, April 2.)

• "Make that a wheat clamshell to go!" - USDA researchers have made sandwich containers, called "clamshells," out of wheat. More environmentally friendly than the old polystyrene containers, the wheat clamshells keep food warmer than cardboard containers now used by many fast food restaurants. The new clamshells could be on the market in two or three years. (CELL 39, Monday, April 2, 10:45 a.m.)

• Extraterrestrial chemistry - A two-day symposium will explore the hypothesis that the chemical precursors of life originated in outer space, not on Earth as previously thought. (GEOC 144-151, 167-173; Wednesday-Thursday, April 4-5.)

• Fighting incontinence - A promising class of compounds could be used to develop a better drug for urinary incontinence caused by stress. The condition usually afflicts women and is characterized by involuntary loss of urine due to sudden pressure on the bladder from coughing, sneezing, laughing or physical activity. (MEDI 211, Tuesday, April 3, 2:40 p.m.)

• Contaminated factory sites unknown to regulators - The sites of 640 former lead-smelting factories - most apparently unknown to regulatory authorities - have been revealed by researchers. The soil on these sites, many of which are near residential areas in major cities, may contain potentially hazardous levels of lead. (ENVR 194, Monday, April 2, 8:00 p.m.)

Tuesday, April 3

• Soy could protect older women from Alzheimer's - Soy may help protect postmenopausal women from Alzheimer's disease. In studies with monkeys, the plant-based estrogens in soy appeared to reduce protein changes in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease. (AGFD 79, Tuesday, April 3, 9:05 a.m. Embargoed until 9:00 a.m., April 3.)

• Cranberries are tops in antioxidants - Cranberries contain more than twice the amount of antioxidants, on a fresh-weight basis, than the fruits with the next largest amounts, red grapes and blueberries, and five times the amount of kidney beans, the vegetable with the greatest amount of antioxidants, according to a University of Scranton researcher. He says drinking cranberry juice raises the levels of antioxidants in plasma, and that this can offset the adverse effects that sugars in soft drinks and fruit juices have on antioxidants. (AGFD 94, Tuesday, April 3, 3:00 p.m.)

Wednesday, April 4

• Wood preservation research targets pests, embraces environment - Researchers are gaining new insights and developing promising methods to control wood-eating organisms such as shipworms, termites and fungi, which cause millions of dollars in structural damage to homes, piers and boats throughout the United States. A special two-day symposium includes a discussion of wood preservatives that are environmentally friendly. (CELL 86-91, 98-103, 111-116 and 123-127; Wednesday-Thursday, April 4-5.)

• Longer-lasting artificial hips - New materials are being developed that are more "friendly" to the body's lubricating proteins and could make future hip replacements last longer. More than 300,000 people a year have surgery to replace damaged and deteriorating hips. But these artificial hip implants can slowly deteriorate and eventually break down due to wear, often because of inadequate lubrication. (COLL 413, Wednesday, April 4, 5:00 p.m.)

Thursday, April 5

• After-the-fact sunscreen - Scientists have synthesized an artificial enzyme they believe can repair sun-damaged DNA, the cause of many skin cancers. Although promising, they emphasize that much more research needs to be done before it's known if the enzyme can be used to protect people. The researchers hope their work could someday lead to an after-the-fact sunscreen. Each year, more than a million new cases of skin cancer are reported in the United States, many from overexposure to the sun. (ORGN 663, Thursday, April 5, 8:20 a.m. Embargoed until 8:15 a.m., April 5.)

• Delivering medicine to drug-resistant tumors - Researchers believe they have found a way to defeat the multidrug resistance of many cancer cells and to reduce dramatically some of the undesirable side effects of chemotherapy. Based on their work with cell lines, they claim that drug-resistant cancer cells more readily take in therapeutic drugs encased in a particular type of molecular envelope. (PMSE 540, Thursday, April 5, 9:20 a.m. Embargoed until 9:15 a.m., April 5.)