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The American Society for Microbiology honors Patrice Courvalin

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Public release date: 6-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Garth Hogan ghogan@asmusa.org American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DCJune 6, 2012 Patrice Courvalin, M.D., Institut Pasteur, Paris, France, has been honored with the 2012 BD Award for Research in Clinical Microbiology. This award honors a distinguished scientist for research accomplishments that form the foundation for important applications in clinical microbiology. "Courvalin is internationally renowned for his in-depth studies in microbiology, with particular emphasis on antibiotic resistance," explains Stuart Levy, Tufts University School of Medicine. "Courvalin has made important discoveries in the fields of infectious diseases, microbiology, and drug resistance. The areas of his studies are broad, and benefit from his insightful recognition of novel findings." Currently Professor de Classe Exceptionnelle at the Institut Pasteur, Paris, Courvalin also directs the French National Reference Center for Antibiotics and is the Head of the Antibacterial Agents Unit.

Courvalin received master's degrees in Sciences and Human Biology from the University of Sciences, Paris, France. He then received his Doctorate in Medical Sciences cum laude from Medical School, Paris, and was a medical resident at the Hopital de l'Institut Pasteur. He then became a Research Associate at the University of Wisconsin, Madison from 1974-1977, and was Visiting Scholar in the Department of Biology, University of California, San Diego from 1989-1990. Courvalin has held many positions at the Institut Pasteur since 1970, including Chairman of the Department of Fundamental and Medical Microbiology from 2002-2003.

"Courvalin has carried out stellar research on the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance for some thirty years," according to Julian Davies, University of British Columbia. An expert in the genetics and biochemistry of antibiotic resistance, Courvalin first described and elucidated vancomycin resistance in Enterococcus. "This was arguably one of the most important findings in clinical antibiotic resistance microbiology of the past several decades," says his nominator, Gerry Wright of McMaster University. His research has led to a revision of the dogma describing natural dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes. "He has gone on to identify and classify several genetic variants of vancomycin resistance in Enterococci and recently in Staphylococci," Wright continued. Courvalin and his colleagues demonstrated that a wide variety of pathogenic bacteria can promiscuously exchange the genetic material conferring antibiotic resistance, proved that conjugation could account for dissemination of resistance determinants between phylogenetically remote bacterial genera, elucidated the transposition mechanism of conjugative transposons from Gram-positive cocci, and more recently have shown direct mammalian cells. "His contributions are always original and highly pertinent to practical aspects of antimicrobial chemotherapy. In addition, he is not only a leading researcher, but has applied his research for diagnostic purposes," expands Davies.

With more than 290 publications in international scientific journals, Courvalin's work is highly cited and recognized. He is Doctor honoris causa of the University of El Bosque, Bogota, the University of Mons, Hainaut, and the Technical University of Denmark. Courvalin has received numerous awards, including the Louis Garrod Award of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, the International Society for Chemotherapy's Hamao Umezawa Award, the Hoechst Marion Roussel Award from the ASM, the ISI Award (French Microbiologist Citation Laureate), the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Excellence Award, and the AGF Grand Prix of the French National Academy of Sciences. In addition, the Fondation de France has presented him with the Thrse Lebrasseur, Jacques Monod, and Jean Valade Awards. A Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, Courvalin has also been honored with Fellowship by the French National Academy of Technologies, European Academy of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Royal Academy of Medicine, Sarragossa, and the Royal College of Physicians, London, and has been named an honorary Fellow of the Australian Society for Antimicrobials. He serves on the editorial board of several international journals in microbiology and infectious diseases. "Courvalin has truly spanned fundamental research on resistance and its application in the clinic, and is highly deserving of this award," summarizes Wright.

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To view Dr. Courvalin's biosketch, please visit: http://www.asm.org/index.php/awards-grants/current-bd-award-for-research-in-clinical-microbiology-laureate.html

The BD Award for Research in Clinical Microbiology will be presented during the 112th General Meeting of the ASM, June 16 - 19, 2012 in San Francisco, California. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 40,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health and economic and environmental well-being.

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The American Society for Microbiology honors Patrice Courvalin

The American Society for Microbiology honors Bess B. Ward

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Public release date: 6-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Garth Hogan ghogan@asmusa.org American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DCJune 6, 2012 Bess B. Ward, William J. Sinclair Professor of Geosciences, Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, has been presented the 2012 Procter & Gamble Award in Applied and Environmental Microbiology. This award recognizes distinguished achievement in research and development in applied and environmental microbiology. "Ward has had a sustained and substantial influence on the field of marine microbiology over her career, directly through her seminal efforts defining the physiology, biogeochemistry, and molecular phylogeny of organisms responsible for key processes in the marine N cycle, nitrate reduction, nitrification, and denitrification, as well as through her mentoring and leadership," explains nominator Douglas Capone, University of Southern California. "She is currently in hot pursuit of factors which control the activity of denitrifiers and anaerobic ammonium oxidizers in the major oxygen minimum zones of the world's oceans."

Ward received her undergraduate degree in zoology at Michigan State University, Lansing, and her Ph.D. in Oceanography from the University of Washington, Seattle. Ward then held postdoctoral and research scientist positions at Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, California. She next joined the Department of Ocean Sciences at the University of California, Santa Cruz as an assistant professor, becoming department chair after six years, before moving to Princeton. She has been department chair at Princeton for six years, in a department with research specialties spanning the entire range from theoretical seismology to her own work in marine microbiology.

Ward's research centers on the biogeochemistry of nitrogen in the marine environment. A major and continuing theme in her work is nitrification, a topic that has seen many important developments in recent years. She continues to work on nitrogen cycling in low oxygen regions of the world ocean. Her other studies include methane oxidation and N utilization by phytoplankton. Her signature approach is to combine biogeochemical approaches, typified by the use of stable isotopes to quantify the rates of nitrogen cycle processes, with molecular biological methods in order to link the rates of important transformations with the microbes that are responsible for them. "Her approach has been to simultaneously quantify the relevant fluxes using tracer techniques and the diversity and distribution of the operative microorganisms and functional enzymes," described Francois Morel, Princeton University. "Her results have played a central role in forging our present understanding of the marine N cycle."

"Ward has had an extremely productive and influential career," says Allan Devol of the University of Washington. A Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, Ward has also been honored with Fellowship in the American Geophysical Union and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 1997, she was the first women and the youngest person to receive the G. Evelyn Hutchinson Medal from the American Society of Limnology and Oceanography. She has authored over 100 research papers and book chapters, and has edited volumes and served on journal editorial boards. "In addition, Ward has provided exceptional mentoring to her students and post-docs, many of whom have significant careers of their own," says Devol.

"In my view, the caliber of Ward's work, which has always been very high, keeps increasingas seen in her elegant recent paper in Nature quantifying the relative importance of dentrification and anammox in the oxygen minimum zones of the Pacific and Indian oceans. She is clearly a leader in environmental microbiologyone who richly deserves this recognition," summarizes Morel.

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To view Dr. Ward's biosketch, please visit: http://www.asm.org/index.php/awards-grants/current-procter-a-gamble-award-laureate.html

The Procter & Gamble Award in Applied and Environmental Microbiology will be presented during the 112th General Meeting of the ASM, June 16 - 19, 2012 in San Francisco, California. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 40,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health and economic and environmental wellbeing.

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The American Society for Microbiology honors Bess B. Ward

The American Society for Microbiology honors L. Barth Reller

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Public release date: 6-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Garth Hogan ghogan@asmusa.org American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DCJune 6, 2012 L. Barth Reller, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, and Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, has been honored with the 2012 TREK Diagnostic ABMM/ABMLI Professional Recognition Award. This award recognizes a Diplomate of the American Board of Medical Microbiology (ABMM) or the American Board of Medical Laboratory Immunology (ABMLI) for outstanding contributions to the professional recognition of certified microbiologists and immunologists and the work that they do. Reller was nominated by Lizzie Harrell, also of Duke University. "Reller has made significant contributions to the advancement and public recognition of the profession of clinical microbiology through his numerous publications, worldwide lectures, mentoring and training of clinical microbiologists at all levels, and long-term service to numerous scientific organizations," describes Harrell. "He is a strong advocate for evidence-based clinical microbiology, excellent training, and certification of clinical microbiologists at all levels."

Reller received his M.D. from the University of Virginia School of Medicine. He then completed an Internal Medicine residency, and fellowships in Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology at the University of Washington, before continuing on to receive his Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from the University of Liverpool. Reller next served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia before becoming the Director of Clinical Microbiology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, followed by Professor of Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. In 1988, Reller joined the faculty of the Duke University School of Medicine as Professor of Medicine and Pathology, where his research interests include bacteremia, enteric bacteriology, and parasitic diseases. He was also Director of Clinical Microbiology at Duke University Medical Center from his hiring in 1988 through 2011.

Many honors, certifications, and service contributions support Reller's reputation as a leader in the field of clinical microbiology. Reller is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases by the American Board of Internal Medicine, and in Medical Microbiology by the American Board of Pathology and the ABMM. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Reller serves as Special Section Co-Editor for Medical Microbiology for the Infectious Diseases Society of America's journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, and the Past Chairman of the Anti infective Advisory Committee of the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). He is now a consultant to this committee, and also to the FDA's Medical Microbiology Devices Advisory Committee. "Reller has diligently supported and guided the efforts of CLSI, CDC, FDA Anti-infective and Microbiology Devices panels, editorial boards, and professional committees, all of which impact medical microbiology," says Michael Wilson, Denver Health and University of Colorado. "I believe Reller to be one of the best medical microbiologists; an individual who brings distinguished credit to himself, the ABMM, and our profession. I know of no other individual who has been more effective at promoting the profession of medical microbiology."

In addition to his various contributions to the field, Reller has mentored and trained 38 Medical Microbiology Fellows who now serve in leadership positions in the US and six other countries. He strongly encourages those he mentors to become board-certified, remain active in the field, and be stewards of the profession. "As an early trainee under Reller's tutelage, I can attest to his generous and supportive mentorship. Over many years he has given his time and ideas to his trainees, then guided them toward completion of work for which they receive primary credit but which could not be accomplished without his critical thought and guidance. His keen intellect, encyclopedic knowledge, and common sense approach make him truly deserving of this award," says Melvin Weinstein, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

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To view Dr. Reller's biosketch, please visit: http://www.asm.org/index.php/awards-grants/current-trek-diagnostic-abmmabmli-professional-recognition-award-laureate.html

The TREK Diagnostic ABMM/ABMLI Professional Recognition Award will be presented during the 112th General Meeting of the ASM, June 16 - 19, 2012 in San Francisco, California. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 40,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health and economic and environmental wellbeing.

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The American Society for Microbiology honors L. Barth Reller

The American Society for Microbiology honors Brent Barrett

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Public release date: 6-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Garth Hogan ghogan@asmusa.org American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DCJune 6, 2012 Brent Barrett, Indiana State Department of Health, has been honored with the 2012 Scherago-Rubin Award. This award, presented for over twenty years, recognizes an outstanding bench-level clinical microbiologist. It was established by the late Sally Jo Rubin in honor of her grandfather, Professor Morris Scherago. "Barrett personifies the best of clinical microbiology," states his nominator, Judith Lovchik, Indiana State Department of Health Laboratory and and Diplomate of the American Board of Medical Microbiology (ABMM). "His intense focus on clinical microbiology has no parallel."

Barrett received his B.S. in microbiology from Purdue University in 1976 and his American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) certification in 1980. Barrett worked as a medical microbiologist at Community Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana from 1976 to 1980, then again part-time from 1982 to 1995. In 1996 he began part-time work as a microbiologist at Mid America Clinical Laboratories, which he continues today. His full-time position, which he has held since 1980, is microbiologist at the Indiana State Department of Health in Indianapolis. "Barrett is first and foremost a medical technologist, who for many years has worked in the enteric and parasitic diagnostic laboratory at the Indiana State Department of Health," explains James Snyder, University of Louisville Hospital, and ABMM Diplomate. "With his leadership, this laboratory gained national recognition as one of the few public health laboratories that practices state of the art diagnostics and serves as a major source of information regarding epidemiology and continuing education."

"During his many years as a bench-level clinical microbiologist, Barrett has done more for the continuing education of bench-level clinical microbiology technologists than anyone I have known," explains Larry Gray, Bethesda and Good Samaritan Hospitals, Cincinnati, and ABMM Diplomate. A ProMED-mail Rapporteur, he was presented in 2007 with the ProMED-mail Award for Excellence in Outbreak Reporting on the Internet. He is actively involved in parasitology case studies and workshops for the ASM and the South Central Association for Clinical Microbiology (SCACM), ASM and ASCP audio-conferences on parasitology and Shiga toxin producing E. coli, and SCACM's Interest Group sessions on enteric bacteria and parasitology. Barrett has also been an active participant in ASM activities. He currently serves as Division C list-serv co-moderator, an Askit Expert, and a member of the Clinical Microbiology Portal Committee.

In addition to his other duties, Barrett has been a member of SCACM since 1978 and has served the organization in several elected and appointed positions, including Treasurer, President, Director at Large, Internet Resources Chairman, and Audio-conference Chairman. "Barrett's enthusiasm for, love of, and dedication to bench level clinical microbiology are major reasons SCACM is and continues to be the oldest, largest, and most active clinical microbiology organization in the world," says Gray. In 2006, Barrett was named SCACM's Outstanding Contributor to Clinical Microbiology for his contributions.

Barrett is an excellent instructor who freely shares his expertise and enthusiasm. A highly requested speaker, he frequently presents case studies in parasitology and other enteric diseases. "Barrett's attributes and contributions to diagnostics and continuing education are exceptional and place him in a class of his own. He is truly the consummate medical microbiologist," summarizes Snyder.

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To read Mr. Barrett's biosketch, please visit: http://www.asm.org/index.php/awards-grants/current-scherago-rubin-award-laureate.html

The Scherago-Rubin Award will be presented during the 112th General Meeting of the ASM, June 16 - 19, 2012 in San Francisco, California. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 40,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health and economic and environmental well-being.

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The American Society for Microbiology honors Brent Barrett

MO BIO Laboratories, Inc. Launches the PowerMag™ Soil and Microbial DNA Isolation Kits

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CARLSBAD, Calif., June 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- MO BIO Laboratories, Inc., the leader in soil, water and microbial nucleic acid purification, announces the launch of the PowerMag Soil and Microbial DNA Isolation Kits, for automated purification of DNA from soil, stool, microbial and food cultures using the epMotion and KingFisher automated processing systems.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120606/LA19375)

MO BIO's novel MagnaClear technology, included in the PowerMag Soil DNA Isolation Kit, enables automated purification of DNA from soil, stool and environmental samples without surface binding to the beads, eliminating the adsorption of organic inhibitors that is typical of other magnetic bead technologies, and facilitating isolation of pure DNA. The PowerMag Microbial DNA Isolation Kit contains unique MagnaSwift technology, developed for rapid, automated purification of inhibitor-free DNA from pure microbial cultures, food cultures and swabs. The PowerMag Soil and Microbial DNA Kits are the first magnetic bead-based purification kits to incorporate patented Inhibitor Removal Technology, which removes PCR-inhibiting compounds associated with soil, stool and food cultures, including humic substances, phenolics, lipids and polysaccharides.

The PowerMag Soil and Microbial DNA Isolation Kits are available now. For more information, visit the MO BIO website (www.mobio.com/powermag) or call 800-606-6246.

MO BIO Laboratories, Inc. (www.mobio.com) has developed innovative tools for researchers in molecular biology since 1993. A global leader in solutions for soil and microbial nucleic acid purification, MO BIO's Power kits contain patented Inhibitor Removal Technology for removal of PCR inhibiting substances during the nucleic acid purification procedure. For samples that do not require inhibitor removal, MO BIO's UltraClean line includes optimized products for DNA and RNA isolation from a variety of sample types. For clinical samples, the BiOstic kits provide solutions for higher yields and purity of nucleic acids. At MO BIO Laboratories, Inc., our focus is quality products that work, save time and function for all sample types, not just the easy ones. It is MO BIO's aim to make researchers' working lives more productive and efficient, creating time to focus on what is critical, not just in work, but in life.

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MO BIO Laboratories, Inc. Launches the PowerMag™ Soil and Microbial DNA Isolation Kits

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Clemens expert claims DNA could have been contaminated

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CBSSports.com wire reports

WASHINGTON -- Wearing a blue floral print dress, Eileen McNamee presented herself as a soft-spoken first-grade schoolteacher who never nagged her now-estranged husband about Roger Clemens. She went on to contradict the government's key witness many times -- and even came up with a different brand of beer to associate with the crucial evidence in the perjury trial of the former pitcher.

On a day in which the judge lost his temper twice with Clemens' lawyers, the defense turned Wednesday to the soon-to-be-ex-wife of Brian McNamee. This was the woman who McNamee testified harangued him with the words "You're going to go down! You're going to go down! You're going to go down!" -- pestering him until he saved medical waste from an alleged steroids injection of Clemens so that he wouldn't be the fall guy in any sort of drugs investigation.

She says she never said anything of the sort. She said McNamee didn't tell her back then that he was injecting Clemens, and that she wasn't especially bothered by the extended time her husband spent away from home working with the seven-time Cy Young Award winner. Brian McNamee said the days apart had become a source of friction in the marriage.

"I probably complained once in a while," Eileen McNamee said. "But I did not fuss about it."

Clemens is charged with lying when he told Congress in 2008 that he never used steroids or human growth hormone. Brian McNamee is the only witness to claim firsthand knowledge of Clemens using those substances. He testified last month that he injected Clemens in 1998, 2000 and 2001 and saved the needle and other waste from a 2001 injection. He said he put some of it in a Miller Lite can to bring home because his wife was giving him a "hard time every single day."

In testimony that sometimes sounded more like divorce court than criminal court -- the couple are undergoing contentious divorce proceedings in New York -- Eileen McNamee spun a narrative that could give the jury more pause when evaluating Brian McNamee's credibility.

Among the other differences in their stories:

Brian McNamee testified that he showed his wife the needles and other waste from the injection as soon as he got home that night, and that she played a role in putting them -- along with the beer can -- in a FedEx box. Eileen McNamee said she wasn't even aware the box was in the house until shortly afterward, when she discovered it on a shelf in the basement during a time of flooding in the neighborhood.

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Clemens expert claims DNA could have been contaminated

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Decoding an Unborn Baby's DNA: A Cause for Alarm?

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Researchers at the University of Washington have sequenced the entire genome of a fetus. The scientific advance could help detect certain diseases in the womb, but some experts worry that the trove of genetic information may prove more scary and overwhelming than useful.

Suspended in the blood of a pregnant woman along with some added information from a dad-to-bes saliva lurks enough fetal DNA to map out an unborn babys entire genetic blueprint.

It may sound like something conjured by Jules Verne, but it happened at the University of Washington: a professor and his graduate student used DNA samples from the parents of a baby boy who was still in utero and reconstructed his entire genetic makeup from A to Z.

The account, published Wednesday in Science Translational Medicine, takes prenatal testing to new heights, promising a motherlode of genetic information about a child who had not even been born along with a corresponding trove of data that even experts dont yet know how to interpret.

Jacob Kitzman, lead author and a graduate student in the department of genome sciences at the University of Washington (UW), was excited but cautious about his teams achievement. There have been a lot of steps toward this, but this is the first time capturing the whole genome, says Kitzman. The fact that this technology is now on the path to becoming clinically feasible is a good opportunity for a broader discussion of the implications.

Figuring out how to communicate the vast cache of information uncovered by genome sequencing remains controversial, since much of it still isnt clinically useful. But although researchers dont understand the significance of the entirety of the information revealed through whole-genome sequencing, they do know that certain genes are responsible for Mendelian, or more simple, single-gene disorders that includes more than 3,000 conditions such as cystic fibrosis, Tay-Sachs disease and some muscular dystrophies that affect 1% of pregnancies. Prenatal sequencing would allow parents to learn before delivery if their child has one of these diseases, many of which are debilitating or fatal. While genetic screening of parents before pregnancy can also identify carriers, and an increasing number of prenatal DNA-based tests can determine early in pregnancy whether developing babies have specific conditions such as Down syndrome, whole-genome sequencing is the most sophisticated way to examine a persons entire genetic code.

(MORE:Down Syndrome: With Breakthroughs in Testing, a Choice Becomes Tougher)

Prenatal genome sequencing could potentially replace more invasive procedures such as amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling to detect recessive Mendelian disorders on average, we all carry 20 to 30 recessive genes but it is not yet precise enough to take the place of these tests when looking for other chromosomal conditions. Nor is it a foolproof gauge of risk for many other complex diseases a category that includes most cancers and common conditions such as diabetes and heart disease because theyre influenced by multiple genes and environmental factors. Great, says Thomas Murray, president of the Hastings Center bioethics institute, we can sequence the genome of a fetus. What the hell does it tell us? Much less than most people probably believe.

Kitzman concurs. Its a really big challenge for the field, figuring out how to communicate to clinicians not only the results but the uncertainty that goes along with those results, he says. Theres no easy answer.

In this particular situation, Kitzman and Jay Shendure, an associate professor of genome sciences at UW, sidestepped the thorny issue of assessing disease risk and sharing that information with parents because the expectant couple was anonymous. Kitzman doesnt know their identity, only that they consented to have their biological samples used for genome sequencing. Their son was born healthy and full-term.

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Decoding an Unborn Baby's DNA: A Cause for Alarm?

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The American Society for Microbiology honors LaJoyce Debro

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Public release date: 6-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Garth Hogan ghogan@asmusa.org American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DCJune 6, 2012 LaJoyce Debro, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, Jacksonville State University, Alabama, is the 2012 William A. Hinton Research Training Award laureate. "For more than 45 years, Debro has been an outstanding educator," says her nominator, Ellen Neidle from the University of Georgia. This award, given in memory of William A. Hintona physician-research scientist and one of the first African-Americans to join the ASMhonors outstanding contributions toward fostering the research training of underrepresented minorities in microbiology. "She has had an impact on hundreds of students," says Benjie Blair, Jacksonville State University. "She is highly respected for her depth of knowledge and dedication in teaching and research."

Debro grew up in Clarksdale, Mississippi and received her B.A. in Biology from Spelman College. She went on to receive her M.S. from Atlanta University (now Clark-Atlanta), and her Ph.D. degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Purdue University. Before working at Jacksonville State University, she instructed at Coahoma Community College in Clarksdale, Mississippi, Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi, and Miles College in Birmingham, Alabamaall historical black colleges. Debro's current instructional responsibilities at Jacksonville State University are in general biology, microbiology, genetics, and molecular biology. She is committed to the instruction of biology as a process, and engages her students in undergraduate research both through scheduled class laboratories and independent study projects. Recently, Debro joined the Science Education Alliance of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and is engaging classes of beginning students in investigations on mycobacteriophage diversity that involve the purification, characterization, and genome analyses of environmental isolates.

Debro views her motivation and dedication to her students as the natural outcome of the special interest her teachers and professors showed in her as a student. It was these teachers and professors who encouraged her to pursue a doctorate in biology. As a result, Debro strives to enhance the educational experiences of her students by showing a personal interest in each student and ensuring that they recognize that they have the power to excel beyond their own expectations. She spends countless hours mentoring, motivating, and providing individualized instruction to her students who then become increasingly independent and responsible for their own learning. "Debro lives in Birmingham and is the first to admit that she chooses to live near her family and drive an hour each way to JSU in order to work with rural students (including many minorities). She has shown more dedication than anyone I can imagine in pursuit of this goal," says Blair. Debro holds to the tenet that "A child can't be what a child can't see," and works to broaden the vision of her students by extending their campus experiences to include summer research positions at research intensive institutions. She also encourages her students to participate in research conferences, including ASM's Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS).

Debro's mentoring extends beyond the students under her direct tutelage to include protgs enrolled in Ph.D. programs as well as young professionals working to secure tenure. She had the opportunity to influence lives and careers from a different perspective by serving as a Program Director in Molecular and Cellular Biosciences at the National Science Foundation (NSF) while on a leave of absence from her faculty position (2007-2009). At NSF she was dedicated to promoting research careers and activities for faculty mentors and their students, and was honored with the Director's Equal Opportunity Achievement Award for her diligence in developing effective activities to enhance diversity in the reviewers and awardees within her cluster and in the biological sciences overall. Susanne von Bodman, a former colleague from NSF, stated: "I am grateful for her sound and insightful scientific judgment, her collegial and supportive nature, and her ongoing willingness to help with all aspects of the merit review process. Debro is a team player whose efforts to build an inclusive scientific community are impressive, successful, and contagious."

According to Debro, her proudest professional achievements are not her publications, presentations, awarded grants, or lab experiments. Instead she is proudest of her successes in promoting young maturing scientists whose lives and careers she has influenced. "For her many contributions, Debro richly deserves recognition," summarizes Neidle.

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To view Dr. Debro's biosketch, please visit: http://www.asm.org/index.php/awards-grants/current-william-a-hinton-research-training-award-laureate.html

The William A. Hinton Research Training Award will be presented during the 112th General Meeting of the ASM, June 16 - 19, 2012 in San Francisco, California. ASM is the world's oldest and largest life science organization and has more than 40,000 members worldwide. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences and promote the use of scientific knowledge for improved health and economic and environmental wellbeing.

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The American Society for Microbiology honors LaJoyce Debro

Re-engineering life: New Phytologist Workshop on Synthetic Biology

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Public release date: 6-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Helen Pinfield-Wells h.pinfield-wells@lancaster.ac.uk Wiley-Blackwell

Scientists from across the world will meet at the University of Bristol on 6 June 2012 for a New Phytologist Workshop on Synthetic Biology (http://www.newphytologist.org/synthetic). There, they will discuss recent advances in this rapidly evolving and controversial new field.

Synthetic biology made headlines in 2010 when researchers at the J Craig Venter Institute announced they had created the first 'synthetic cell'. Created by transferring an artificially constructed DNA sequence into an existing cell which had been stripped of its native DNA, the cell behaved like a member of the species dictated by the synthetic DNA. Since then, the ambition and scale of synthetic biology enterprises have increased even further.

One key principle in the field is the standardisation of 'biological parts' in order to construct synthetic genes, systems or even entire species from new. This is a concept more familiar to engineers than biologists and indeed, attendees at the meeting will have a range of backgrounds from engineering and medicine to plant biologists and industrial scientists.

The idea of breaking down genes, complex biological systems, into simplified building blocks which can be shared and altered freely before being applied to a vast range of tasks is an appealing one to both researchers and industrialists.

With a quickly expanding toolkit and unconstrained by the limits of traditional genetic modification techniques (where genes must already exist in nature to be utilised), synthetic biology offers the opportunity to synthesise completely 'custom' genomes for specific applications. Anne Osbourn, Associate Research Director at the prestigious John Innes Centre, Editor of the New Phytologist journal and an organiser of the workshop suggests that the range of applications of synthetic biology is huge.

'As just one example, synthetic biology has the potential to enable us to make fuels, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and novel biomaterials faster, better and cheaper,' Anne explains. 'It could provide new ways of improving life in developing countries, for example through the generation of biosensors that monitor water quality or allow early detection of disease outbreaks.'

Synthetic biology also offers huge potential benefits when applied in plants and scientists at the workshop will detail research topics ranging from ensuring food security through crop improvement to re-engineering plants for other uses such as producing superior polymers for industry or vaccines for medicine. One presentation at the workshop will focus on technology developed at the John Innes Centre that has already been used to produce a vaccine for the H5N1 avian flu virus.

However, as with genetic modification in the past there are groups with growing concerns about the use of synthetic biology. Drawing parallels with recent events at GM crop trials conducted at Rothamsted Research and attempts by scientists to engage with protestors there, speakers on the final day of the workshop will outline the need for scientists to take the opportunity to 'frame' the debate around synthetic biology at an early stage as was arguably failed to achieve by scientists working on GM in earlier decades.

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Re-engineering life: New Phytologist Workshop on Synthetic Biology

Enamine, MRC LMB and IOCB Announce Collaboration to Identify Novel Rhomboid Protease Inhibitors for Treatment of …

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KIEV, Ukraine--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Enamine Ltd, a leading provider of screening compounds, chemical building blocks and discovery services, today announced that it has signed a collaboration agreement with the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology (MRC LMB), Cambridge, UK, and the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (IOCB), Prague, Czech Republic.The new alliance is aimed at discovering novel Rhomboid Protease inhibitors as potential drugs to treat infectious, parasitic, oncological, immune and cardiovascular diseases.

Under the terms of the agreement, Enamine will provide the MRC LMB and IOCB with access to its integrated drug discovery capabilities, including Molecular Modeling, Compound Library, Screening Assays, Hit Finding and Characterization, Hit to Lead Chemistry and ADMET. The three parties will jointly own the Intellectual Property resulting from this programme and will seek to partner the small molecule inhibitors generated with pharmaceutical companies for onward clinical development. The collaboration agreement was negotiated by MRC Technology on behalf of MRC LMB.

Dr. Sergey Zozulya, Vice President, Biology at Enamine, said: "We are delighted to launch this collaboration with high calibre partners, demonstrating the interest of prominent academics in realising the translational potential of their scientific discoveries through an alliance with Enamine. This alliance reflects our strategy to apply our integrated discovery platform, cost effective solutions and state-of-the-art technologies to create valuable IP for our partners and clients. With our recently introduced High Throughput Screening and bioanalytical service components, we have added capability to boost productivity."

Dr. Matthew Freeman, Head of Cell Biology Division at MRC LMB, commented: "We anticipate a very successful relationship with Enamine. This project provides evidence of the ability of our respective research centers to recognize valuable drug discovery models.

Dr. Kvido Strisovsky, Group Leader at IOCB, said: "We are delighted to be part of this collaboration and we hope that the project will realise its full potential for the benefit of patients.

ENDS

About Enamine http://www.enamine.net

Established in Kiev in 1991, Enamine is a medicinal chemistry driven company, provider of innovative screening libraries, comprehensive chemistry support in hit development, and integrated drug discovery services.

About the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology http://www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/about-lmb

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Suneva Medical Introduces ReGenica™, the Next Generation of Growth Factor Skincare

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SAN DIEGO, June 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Suneva Medical, a privately-held aesthetics company, has launched ReGenica Skincare, a three-product breakthrough anti-aging rejuvenation system, developed by the inventor of the key ingredient in TNS. ReGenica contains a highly potent, unique variety of proteins and growth factors in a serum-free solution. It is clinically proven to help reverse the signs of aging and aid in scarless wound healing. The product is available only through physician offices.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/suneva-medical-introduces-regenica-the-next-generation-of-growth-factor-skincare-157356985.html

ReGenica's Multipotent CCM Complex represents the next generation of growth factor skincare. The technology was developed by Dr. Gail K. Naughton, a pioneer in the field of regenerative medicine. Suneva Medical licensed ReGenica from Histogen Inc. in March 2012, expanding its portfolio of unique aesthetic products.

"Dr. Naughton is a well renowned regenerative medicine scientist and her research has helped advance the skincare industry. ReGenica's groundbreaking technology is both a novel advance and an ideal fit for our growing portfolio of highly differentiated aesthetic products. Suneva continues to strive to move into the future by offering our customers unique aesthetic products proven to help manage the appearance of aging," commented Nicholas Teti, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Suneva Medical.

ReGenica is not simply another line of products with a promise of improved aesthetic results. Clinical studies have demonstrated ReGenica to deliver proven, measurable results in skin rejuvenation. In one study, ReGenica Advanced Rejuvenation Day Repair SPF 15 & Overnight Repair have been shown to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin tone and generate smoother skin over a ten (10) week period. In two published studies, ReGenica Facial Rejuvenation Complex Post Procedure has been found to improve healing and more rapid re-epithelialization as early as three (3) days post procedure.

Mr. Teti continued, "ReGenica is the next generation of regenerative medicine products and has the potential to change the topical aesthetics landscape."

To learn more about ReGenica visit http://www.ReGenica.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About Suneva Medical Suneva Medical, Inc. is a privately-held aesthetics company focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing novel, differentiated products for the dermatology, plastic and cosmetic surgery markets. The Company currently markets Artefill, Refissa and ReGenica Skincare in the U.S. and Bellafill in Canada. For more information visit http://www.sunevamedical.com.

Media Contacts:Kate Gilbert Vice President, Marketing Suneva Medical Phone: (858) 550-9999 x7844 or Kellie Walsh Phone: (914) 315-6072 kwalsh@kwmcommunications.com

Related LinksReGenica website Suneva Medical website

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Anatomy, war and 'Salomania' at the Aurora Theatre

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Aurora Theatre / Aurora Theatre

The original Maud Allen, subject of Aurora Theatre's "Salomania"

"The Cult of the Clitoris." That was the headline on a 1918 piece in the Vigilante, a political journal published by Noel Pemberton Billing, the rabid right-wing British member of Parliament, accusing the San Francisco-bred exotic dancer Maud Allan of being a lesbian, a sadist and a German sympathizer. To prove his point, Billing - who'd riled wartime England with his outrageous claim that the Germans were blackmailing "47,000 highly placed British perverts" - trumpeted the fact that Allan, who'd made her name in Europe in the early 1900s performing her version of Salome's "Dance of the Seven Veils," was appearing in private performances of Oscar Wilde's infamous play "Salom," which the British government had banned from public performance.

Allan sued Billing for libel. The sensational trial that followed - a front-page diversion from the horrific slaughter taking place in the fields and trenches of World War I France and Belgium - inspired "Salomania," a new play by the noted Bay Area writer-director Mark Jackson that premieres at Aurora Theatre on Friday night.

"Billing's contention was that only doctors or perverts would know what a clitoris was," says Jackson, who became fascinated by the trial, whose transcripts he acquired from a London antiquarian bookstore, while researching the "Salom" he directed at Aurora in 2006. "The lack of male understanding of the female anatomy provides a great deal of humor for the play," whose themes of media sensationalism, gay bashing and wartime hysteria are "entirely about our present moment."

Jackson's play juxtaposes the war and life on the home front (six actors double as soldiers and civilian characters), exploring the surreal world in which a British officer breakfasts in the deadly trenches and lunches hours later in his tony London club.

Allan, who lost the libel suit and her career - 20 years earlier, she'd changed her name from Durrant after her brother, Theodore, was convicted of murdering two Mission District girls and hanged at San Quentin - "was both a potential hero and a potential threat to society," Jackson says. "She was intentionally pushing boundaries."

Get more information at http://www.auroratheatre.org.

Some splendid musicians will be at the Castro Theatre July 12-15, accompanying the movies in the 17th annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival. One is Donald Sosin, a noted composer and keyboard improviser who's served as the resident pianist at New York's Museum of Modern Art, the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of the Moving Image and performs at rep houses and festivals around the world.

Sosin, who has played the San Francisco festival for the past six years, will improvise on themes he composed to Von Sternberg's noirish 1928 classic, "The Docks of New York," Herbert Brenon's 1923 "Spanish Dancer" - he describes the music as a mix of Spanish Renaissance and Gypsy music - Chinese director Sun Yu's "Little Toys" (the music will include the synthesized sounds of Chinese instruments) and Felix the Cat cartoons.

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Anatomy, war and 'Salomania' at the Aurora Theatre

Sir Andrew Huxley: Eminent scientist whose pioneering work earned him a Nobel Prize in 1963

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Prof. Sir Andrew Huxley, widely regarded as one of Britain's most eminent scientists and great university administrators, the former master of Trinity College, Cambridge, shared the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1963 with Sir Alan Hodgkin, a lifelong friend and collaborator, and with Australian scientist Sir John Eccles, who was cited for research on synapses. They received the prize for unravelling the biophysical mechanism of nerve impulses which control muscle action.

Huxley and Hodgkin began collaborating on the nature of nerve impulses in August 1939, when Hodgkin invited him down to the Plymouth Marine Laboratory, following his return from America. While there, he had successfully demonstrated the mechanism by which electrical impulses activate the next segment of a nerve fibre, and had begun to work with the recently discovered nerve fibre of the giant squid. At the time, there was controversy about the way in which neural signals were generated and transmitted along fibres and across synapses the connecting junctions where there are gaps between the ends of one fibre and the beginning of the next.

The scientists began experiments on the very large nerve fibres (diameter about 0.5mm) possessed by squids. Their first task was to measure the viscosity of the interior of the fibre by suspending it vertically and dropping droplets of mercury down it. This failed because the mercury droplets stopped as they entered the fibre, showing that its interior was a solid, not a viscous liquid as supposed. Instead, they pushed an electrode down inside, in order to measure directly the potential difference between inside and outside and obtained a direct recording of the voltages across the nerve membrane, the first time that this had been done.

The consensus of the time was that the interior of a fibre at rest was up to one-tenth of a volt negative relative to the external solution, but rose to equality with the external potential at the peak of a nerve impulse. The pair confirmed this as regards the resting state, but the internal potential at the peak of the impulse was substantially positive. They published a short paper in the journal Nature, announcing their achievement of recording action potentials from inside a nerve fibre.

However, their work was suspended with the outbreak of the Second World War, during which time Huxley was involved in a number of projects. Initially a clinical student in London, due to the Blitz teaching was suspended, and Huxley spent the rest of the war on operational research in gunnery, first for Anti-Aircraft Command and later for the Admiralty, working in a team under Patrick (later Lord) Blackett. Hodgkin worked in radar research with the Air Ministry.

In spite of the war and their involvement in widely separated and often secret activities, the two men remained in touch and even swapped advice on particular problems. One such occasion saw Huxley design and produce, using a lathe, a new type of gun sight during the development of airborne radar.

Soon after the war, in 1946, they returned to neurological research at Cambridge. Their work necessitated the development of specialist equipment which in many cases was not only designed by Huxley, but also built by him. They began discussing how the squid membrane becomes specifically permeable to sodium ions. These are about ten times more concentrated in the external solution than inside the fibre, so they diffuse inwards, carrying their positive charge.

Within six years, Huxley and Hodgkin had laid the detailed foundations of the modern understanding of the transmission of nerve impulses. Their model, which was developed well before the advent of electron microscopes or computer simulations, was able to give scientists a basic understanding of how nerve cells work without having a detailed understanding of how the membrane of a nerve cell looked.

They demonstrated that these travel, not along the core of the fibre, but along the outer membrane as a product of successive cascades of two types of ion. The finding and the detailed mathematical theory that accompanied the work, completed in 1952 in a series of five papers, was groundbreaking and resulted in their share of the Nobel Prize.

Born in Hampstead in 1917, Andrew Fielding Huxley came from a celebrated family. His grandfather was Thomas Huxley, the 19th century biologist and staunch supporter of Charles Darwin; his two half-brothers were Julian Huxley, also a biologist, and Aldous Huxley, author of the novel Brave New World.

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Halfpenny Technologies Appoints Brian Muck as EVP of Sales and Marketing

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BLUE BELL, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Halfpenny Technologies, Inc.a leading provider of clinical data integration solutions specializing in laboratory, pathology and physician electronic medical record (EMR) system interoperabilitytoday announced it has named Brian Muck executive vice president of sales and marketing.

Brians extensive experience in healthcare, sales and business development will enable us to deepen our customer relationships and strong business foundation, says Tim Kowalski, president and chief executive officer of Halfpenny Technologies. His ability to develop and execute sales strategies will be integral to our growth in the hospital and commercial laboratory markets, as well as into new segments.

With 22 years of business development experiencenine of which are in sales programs and managementMuck brings robust expertise around driving revenue and profit growth in strategic and complex environments to Halfpenny.

We are pleased to be able to draw upon Brians vision and skills to help us achieve our growth goals for our health information exchange (HIE) solutions with existing and prospective customers, says Charles Halfpenny, the companys founder and chief technology officer. Brian has an impressive track record in healthcare, and he understands the complex nature of the challenges facing our industry today.

Before joining Halfpenny, Muck served as vice president of sales in emerging markets for Vitera Healthcare Solutions. Prior to Vitera, Brian held positions in sales and sales management at BrainLab, Varian Medical Systems, Edwards Lifesciences, GE Healthcare and Hewlett-Packard. He has also worked closely with the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC), Beacon Communities, Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs), and state and regional HIEs. In addition, Muck co-chaired a workgroup within the ONC/HIMSS EHRA collaborationthe EHR Adoption Community of Practice.

About Halfpenny Technologies, Inc.

Halfpenny Technologies is a leading provider of healthcare connectivity and integration solutions for Health Information Exchange. The company utilizes its depth of knowledge and real world clinical experience to meet the increasing demand for connectivity to physician electronic medical record (EMR) systems. Through its proprietary Integration Technology Framework (ITF), Halfpenny Technologies delivers clinical data integration and connectivity solutions that enable hospitals and laboratories to receive, process and respond to physician-initiated requests for ancillary services. Halfpennys targeted solutions cover the full spectrum of health information exchange to provide reliable, secure and efficient exchange of clinical information while also facilitating the flow of patient, financial and administrative data between physician practices, laboratories, hospitals and health plans. The company has established a national reputation for delivering innovative integration and connectivity technology solutions for its clients. For more information, visit http://www.halfpenny.com.

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Halfpenny Technologies Appoints Brian Muck as EVP of Sales and Marketing

Global Anxiety Disorders Industry

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NEW YORK, June 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

Global Anxiety Disorders Industry

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0552771/Global-Anxiety-Disorders-Industry.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Pathology

This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Anxiety Disorders in US$ Million. The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of World. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2009 through 2017. Also, a six-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. The report profiles 63 companies including many key and niche players such as AstraZeneca Plc, Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Eli Lilly and Company, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Forest Laboratories, Inc., GlaxoSmithKline Plc, H. Lundbeck A/S, Mylan, Inc., Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc., Pfizer, Inc., Ratiopharm, Sanofi, UCB SA, Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, and Watson Laboratories, Inc. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are primarily based upon search engine sources in the public domain.

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Disney junk food ad ban guided by CU nutrition center

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Disney's highly-touted junk food ad ban was guided in large part by consultations with the CU Center for Human Nutrition at Anschutz, which calls the move a "game-changer" for kid health.

The University of Colorado center has one of the longest-running national studies of people who lose weight and keep it off, and director James Hill has been a key paid consultant to Disney on its health efforts.

"It's a game-changer," said Hill, who worked with Disney on 2007 nutrition guidelines for its theme park meals and branded grocery store foods. "In the long run it will help consumers change much more than anything the government can do. Disney speaks directly to the consumer."

Hill and independent groups believe the Disney move will spread, putting pressure on both media conglomerates and food producers to do better with nutrition.

"We hope this demonstrates to other media companies they can make similar moves," said Eileen Espejo, director of the media and health project at Children Now in California, an organization that has worked with Congress and the federal government on ad and food guidelines.

Popular, heavily-marketed foods mentioned in the ad ban include Lunchables, Capri Sun drinks and many cereals. Cap'N Crunch, for example, has 11.8 grams of sugar in a 27-gram serving; the Disney guidelines call for less than 10 grams, Hill said.

"It certainly puts them many steps ahead of Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network, who should now be feeling a lot of pressure," said Margo Wootan director of nutrition policy at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Disney won't run food ads for kids if they don't meet nutrition standards. The company will also further ratchet down salt and sugar in its theme park foods and branded groceries.

The company is also breaking ground by basing all of its food on total calorie intake for the meal and for the day, Hill said, helping families to shape a healthier meal habit.

Strict nutritionists will say Disney didn't go far enough, Hill acknowledged. The salt guidelines aim for 2,300 milligrams in a child's daily diet. The current actual intake is about 3,500 milligrams, Hill said.

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Disney junk food ad ban guided by CU nutrition center

Düzen Selects Bruker´s MALDI Biotyper for Mass Spectrometry-based Molecular Microbial Identification

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ANKARA, Turkey--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

At the 7th National Molecular and Diagnostic Microbiology Congress in Ankara, Bruker announces an exclusive framework agreement with Dzen (www.duzen.com.tr) in the area of molecular microbial identification based on MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Dzen is one of the leading private diagnostic laboratory groups in Turkey, and Bruker is the leading provider of mass spectrometry-based microorganism identification solutions worldwide. Dzen Laboratories, a highly regarded clinical diagnostics company for 38 years, is the pioneer in its field in introducing new technologies into routine clinical use in Turkey. In addition, Dzen also supports government and university funded health programs, and is the contract service provider of several embassies for visa applications.

During an extensive evaluation study of the commercially available MALDI-TOF based microorganism identification systems, Brukers MALDI Biotyper solution repeatedly outperformed other systems in both its analytical performance and easy to use workflow. On this basis, Dzen decided to enter into an exclusive long-term agreement with Bruker to equip its laboratories with the market leading MALDI Biotyper system.

We decided that the MALDI Biotyper is the most suitable system based on its smart and intelligent workflows and IT embedding features, and coupled with Brukers service and support network significantly reduced the challenges of implementing a new technology like MALDI-TOF into our daily routine workflow, commented Dr. Grkem Yaman, Microbiology Specialist at Dzen.

Dr. Yaman commented further: After successfully introducing a revolutionary species identification workflow, Brukers team of microbiologists are continuing to expand the horizons of MALDI-TOF microbial applications, providing us with initial ideas on how to detect particular resistance mechanisms with the MALDI Biotyper. This means that MALDI-TOF based detection of -lactamases and carbapenemases activity is possible in less than three hours, for some enzymes even within one hour. This approach also can be applied to the analysis of positive blood cultures using Brukers MALDI Sepsityper kit, obtaining information both on the species and its possible resistance mechanisms within a couple of hours. This may have a significant impact on the clinical management of patients in Turkey.

When considering potential partners it is important for us to identify not only the most reliable partner but one that fully understands our needs and requirements. Brukers Open Microbiology Concept permits us to use and connect different technologies of our choice; this flexible approach compliments our own strategy and concepts perfectly. The philosophies of both companies fit nicely together and I am looking forward to expanding the cooperation into other regions in the future, concluded Dr. Elvan Laleli-Sahin, Member of the Board of Directors, Dzen.

Dr. Guido Mix, Director of Microbiology at Bruker Daltonics, added: We are very pleased that after leading the MALDI-TOF-based revolution for microbial identification, Bruker is now also leading the integration of this new molecular method into the overall microbiological workflow. Our efforts toward developing smart and straightforward workflows for the daily microbiological routine of labs are especially valued by our customers. Being able to offer very robust mass spectrometer hardware and software, and proven hands-on standard operating protocols, all backed-up by our dedicated microbiology support specialists, makes Bruker a reliable long-term partner.

About the Bruker MALDI Biotyper

Brukers dedicated MALDI Biotyper solution (www.bdal.com/maldibiotyper) enables molecular identification, and taxonomical classification or dereplication of microorganisms like bacteria, yeasts and fungi. Classification and identification of microorganisms is achieved reliably and quickly using proteomic fingerprinting by high-throughput MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Applications include clinical routine microbial identification, environmental and pharmaceutical analysis, taxonomical research, food and consumer product safety and quality control, as well as marine microbiology. Brukers robust MALDI Biotyper method requires minimal sample preparation efforts and offers low consumables cost per sample. The MALDI Biotyper is available in a research-use-only version, as well as in an IVD-CE version according to EU directive EC/98/79 in various European countries.

ABOUT BRUKER CORPORATION (BRKR)

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Düzen Selects Bruker´s MALDI Biotyper for Mass Spectrometry-based Molecular Microbial Identification

Positive Attitude Linked to Long Life

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Living to very old age may be "in the genes" as the saying goes, and a recent study published in the journal Aging suggests that certain personality traits make up a major part of the mix of longevity genes.

Researchers found that having a positive attitude and a sense of humor could play a role in living a longer, healthier life. They developed a questionnaire designed to identify certain genetically-based personality traits and used it to assess 243 Ashkenazi Jewish adults between 95 and 107 years of age. The investigators chose this population because their genetic similarity would make it easier to account for genetic differences in personality.

"The results indicated they had two things -- a positive attitude for life, meaning they are optimistic, easygoing, extraverted, laughed more and expressed emotions rather than bottling them up," said Dr. Nil Barzilai, a study co-author and director of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine's Institute for Aging Research.

The study participants also were less neurotic and more conscientious than a representative sample of other Americans.

Based on census data, centenarians make up about .2 percent of the U.S. population, but the number has been rapidly increasing, the authors wrote.

Previous research has suggested that the oldest adults may be genetically predisposed to living longer and healthier both physiologically and psychologically and that personality can affect a person's physical health.

"There's an interaction between personality and physiology," said Dr. Gary Small, director of the UCLA Center on Aging. Small was not involved in Barzilai's study, but has done research in this area. "It makes sense that being more positive causes less stress and seems to get people on the right track to live better."

The genes, it turns out, play a less important role in determining longevity.

"Several studies have found that genetics accounts for only about one-third of how long and well we live," said Small, who is also co-author of "The Alzheimer's Prevention Program."

Barzilai added that it's still not known precisely how personality influences longevity.

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Exercise, Diet Improve Longevity For Older Women

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We've long known that exercising and eating fruits and veggies can, over the long-term, help improve both the quality and quantity of our years. But the effect of healthy behaviors on longevity among those who have already reached senior citizen status may also be strong. That's especially true when a produce-heavy diet and exercise routine have been combined, according to new research.

A study in this month's Journal of the American Geriatrics Society finds that women in their 70s who live in senior citizen communities may still be able to improve the length of their years with an exercise and healthy eating plan. The researchers studied the exercise and eating habits of 713 women, aged 70 to 79, as part of the Women's Health and Aging Studies.

They found that women with both the highest level of physical fitness, as measured by survey responses, and the highest consumption of fruits and vegetables (measured via a blood test) were eight times less likely to die than the women who performed the worst in both of these categories.

Each category, individually, was also effective. All told, women who were in the most active group at the start of the study were 71 percent less likely to die over the five-year period of study than the least active group. And among those who survived, their average serum carotenoid levels -- the compound researchers looked for in the blood tests to gauge high-produce diet -- was 12 percent higher than in the group who died.

So what's the takeaway? It's never too late to up the veggie, fruit and exercise quotients in your life -- and to great effect. This study proves that the returns to women in their 70s are significant, and that could be a good impetus for improved programming at senior facilities and among geriatric doctors.

Programs and policies to promote longevity should include interventions to improve nutrition and physical activity in older adults, lead author Dr. Emily J Nicklett, from the University of Michigan School of Social Work said in a statement.

Inspired? Check out this list of exercises that have been found to increase longevity.

In 2008, a small Swiss study found that sedentary people who switched from taking escalators and elevators to taking the stairs cut their risk of dying prematurely by 15 percent.

"This suggests that stair climbing can have major public health implications," lead researcher Dr. Philippe Meyer, told the BBC.

An earlier look at data from the Harvard Alumni Health Study also found that climbing 35 or more flights of stairs a week significantly increased longevity when compared to people who climbed fewer than 10 stories a week.

Flickr photo by mariachily

Biking to work is a great way to squeeze exercise into your day, spend some time outside and even save on gas money. But a leisurely ride, while it might leave you less sweaty upon arrival at the office, won't do as much for your lifespan as if you really ride it out.

A study of Copenhagen cyclists found that men who pedaled the fastest lived more than five years longer than slower cycling men, and the fastest women cyclists lived almost four years longer.

Flickr photo by terren in Virginia

A 2009 analysis of data from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study found that men who swam regularly had about a 50 percent smaller risk of dying than sedentary men -- but swimmers also had a lower mortality rate than men who walked and ran for their exercise.

Flickr photo by West Point Public Affairs

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Next-Generation DNA Sequencing Platforms Market to More Than Double to $3.2 Billion by 2017

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NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire -06/05/12)- TriMarkPublications.com cites in its newly published "DNA Sequencing and PCR Markets" report that the next-generation DNA sequencing platforms market will more than double, reaching $3.2 billion by 2017. For more information, visit: http://www.trimarkpublications.com/products/DNA-Sequencing-and-PCR-Markets.html.

DNA sequencing has a number of applications, including: full-genome resequencing, targeted discovery of mutations or polymorphisms, mapping of structural rearrangements, large-scale analysis of DNA methylation, RNA-Seq and ChIP-Seq. The U.S. and Europe exhibit the highest market penetration for DNA sequencing, but other parts of the world are projected to see higher compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) of up to 13%. As DNA sequencing platforms become increasingly affordable, the cost of sequencing a human genome will soon fall below the $1,000 price point.

The "DNA Sequencing and PCR Markets" report covers:

The "DNA Sequencing and PCR Markets" report examines companies manufacturing DNA sequencing and PCR equipment and supplies in the world. Companies covered include: Abbott, Affymetrix, Agilent, AgriGen, Avesthagen Gengraine, BD, BGI Life, bioMerieux, Bioneer, Bio-Rad, BioServe, Caliper LifeSciences, Cepheid, Cogenics, CombiMatrix, Commonwealthnologies, Complete, Comprehensive Biomarker, CuraGen, Cytocell, DiaDexus, DNA LandMarks, DNAVision, DNASTAR, ELITech, Enigma, Enzo Biochem, Eppendorf, Eurofins Medigenomix, Exiqon, FASMAC, GE Healthcare, GeneticTechnologies, GeneWorks, Genia, Genisphere, Genovoxx, Gen-Probeorporated, Genset, GnuBIOorporated, GVK, Helicos, High Throughput, Hokkaido, Hy, Illumina, Inqabanical Industries, IntegenX, Integrated DNA, Intelligent Biosystems, Kreatech, LaserGen, LI-COR, Life, Lucigen, Luminex, Meridian, Microsynth, MilleGen SA, MWG, NanoString, NobleGen, Orchid Cellmark, Oxford Nanopore, Pacific, PamGene, PPD, PrimmBiotech, Promega, QIAGEN, RainDance, Research Biolabs, Roche, Rubicon, Saturn, SeeGene, Sequenom, Sequetech, SeqWright, Shanghai Sangon, Shimadzu, Siemens, SolGent, Stratos, TATAA Biocenter, Thermo Fisher, Third Wave, Wellcome Trust Sanger, ZS Genetics and ZyGEM.

Detailed charts with sales forecasts and marketshare data are included. For more information, visit: http://www.trimarkpublications.com/products/DNA-Sequencing-and-PCR-Markets.html.

About TriMarkPublications.com

TriMarkPublications.com is a global leader in the biotechnology, healthcare and life sciences market research publishing. For more information, please visit http://www.trimarkpublications.com.

Important Notice

The statements contained in this news release that are forward-looking are based on current expectations that are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks, and actual results may differ materially.

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Next-Generation DNA Sequencing Platforms Market to More Than Double to $3.2 Billion by 2017

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