http://healthsciences.ucla.edu//news CNSI News OpenACS 5.0 Mon, 14 May 2012 13:05:44 PST Mon, 14 May 2012 13:05:44 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2051948 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2051948 The Masmanidis group is seeking a postdoctoral scholar to develop minimally invasive devices at CNSI for neuroscience research applications. This work will help drive the groups effort to understand the neural mechanisms of reward and addiction using state-of- the-art electrophysiological recording techniques. Ideal candidates will have carried out graduate-level work in silicon MEMS fabrication, and have a firm grasp of clean room techniques, concepts in neuroengineering, and Matlab. Participation in electrophysiological experiments at some stage of their career is also highly desired. This position presents an exciting opportunity to work in a multidisciplinary team comprised of neuroscientists and engineers. The start date is flexible but ideally would take place in the summer of 2012. To apply for this position, please e-mail a cover letter briefly explaining your research interests, CV, list of publications, and names of three references, to Sotiris Masmanidis at smasmanidis@ucla.edu[1]. [1] [2] Mon, 14 May 2012 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2051751 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2051751 The overwhelming majority of proteins and other functional molecules in our bodies display a striking molecular characteristic: They can exist in two distinct forms that are mirror images of each other, like your right hand and left hand. Surprisingly, each of our bodies prefers only one of these molecular forms. This mirror-image phenomenon known as chirality or "handedness" has captured the imagination of a UCLA research group led by Thomas G. Mason, a professor of chemistry and physics and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. Mason has been exploring how and why chirality arises, and his newest findings on the physical origins of the phenomenon were published May 1 in the journal Nature Communications. "Objects like our hands are chiral, while objects like regular triangles are achiral, meaning they don't have a handedness to them," said Mason, the senior author of the study. "Achiral objects can be easily superimposed on top of one another." Why many of the important functional molecules in our bodies almost always occur in just one chiral form when they could potentially exist in either is a mystery that has confounded researchers for years. "Our bodies contain important molecules like proteins that overwhelmingly have one type of chirality," Mason said. "The other chiral form is essentially not found. I find that fascinating. We asked, 'Could this biological preference of a particular chirality possibly have a physical origin?'" In addressing this question, Mason and his team sought to discover how chirality occurs in the first place. Their findings offer new insights into how the phenomenon can arise spontaneously, even with achiral building-blocks. Mason and his colleagues used a manufacturing technique called lithography, which is the basis for making computer chips, to make millions of microscale particles in the shape of achiral triangles. In the past, Mason has used this technique to "print" particles in a wide variety of shapes, and even in the form of letters of the alphabet[1]. Using optical microscopy, the researchers then studied very dense systems of these lithographic triangular particles. To their surprise, they discovered that the achiral triangles spontaneously arranged themselves to form two-triangle "super-structures," with each super-structure exhibiting a particular chirality. In the image that accompanies this article, the colored outlines in the field of triangles indicate chiral super-structures having particular orientations. So what is causing this phenomenon to occur? Entropy, says Mason. His group has shown for the first time that chiral structures can originate from physical entropic forces acting on uniform achiral particles. "It's quite bizarre," Mason said. "You're starting with achiral components triangles which undergo Brownian motion and you end up with the spontaneous formation of super-structures that have a handedness or chirality. I would never have anticipated that in a million years." Entropy is usually thought of as a disordering force, but that doesn't capture its subtler aspects. In this case, when the triangular particles are diffusing and interacting at very high densities on a flat surface, each particle can actually maximize its "wiggle room" by becoming partially ordered into a liquid crystal (a phase of matter between a liquid and a solid) made out of chiral super-structures of triangles. "We discovered that just two physical ingredients entropy and particle shape are enough to cause chirality to appear spontaneously in dense systems," Mason said. "In my 25 years of doing research, I never thought that I would see chirality occur in a system of achiral objects driven by entropic forces." As for the future of this research, "We are very interested to see what happens with other shapes and if we can eventually control the chiral formations that we see occurring here spontaneously," he said. "To me, it's intriguing, because I think about the chiral preference in biology," Mason added. "How did this chiral preference happen? What are the minimum ingredients for that to occur? We're learning some new physical rules, but the story in biology is far from complete. We have added another chapter to the story, and I'm amazed by these findings." To learn more, a message board accompanies the publication in Nature Communications, an online journal, as a forum for interactive discussion. This research was funded by the University of California. Kun Zhao, a postdoctoral researcher in Mason's laboratory, made many key contributions, including fabricating the triangle particles, creating the two-dimensional system of particles, performing the optical microscopy experiments, carrying out extensive particle-tracking analysis and interpreting the results. Along with Mason, co-author Robijn Bruinsma, a UCLA professor of theoretical physics and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, contributed to the understanding of the chiral symmetry breaking and the liquid crystal phases. UCLA Newsroom[2] [1] [2] Thu, 10 May 2012 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2044430 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2044430 Jin Hyung Lee[1], a UCLA assistant professor of electrical engineering with joint appointments in psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences; and radiology has received a 2012 Sloan Research Fellowship from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Read more at the UCLA Engineering Newsroom[2]! [1] [2] Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=821896 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=821896 The April issue of Nature Medicine features a story on five promising nanotechnologies. One of the five highlighted is a nanomachine that can capture and store anticancer drugs inside tiny pores and release them into cancer cells in response to light. The head researchers for this project are Fuyu Tamanoi[1] from microbiology, immunology & molecular genetics and Jeff Zink[2] from chemistry & biochemistry. Both professors are members of the Nano Machine Center at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. The article can be viewed from this PDF[3]. [1] [2] [3] Thu, 21 May 2009 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=279627 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=279627 Chemists at UCLA have designed new organic structures for the storage of voluminous amounts of gases for use in alternative energy technologies. The research, published today in the journal Science, demonstrates how the design principles of reticular chemistry have been used to create three-dimensional covalent organic frameworks, which are entirely constructed from strong covalent bonds and have high thermal stability, high surface areas and extremely low densities. The team of researchers comprises chemists from the Center for Reticular Chemistry at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute and the departments of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA. Led by Omar Yaghi, UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry, the team has developed a class of materials in which components can be changed nearly at will. Reticular chemistry, the brainchild of Yaghi, is the chemistry of linking molecular building blocks by strong bonds into predetermined structures. The principles of reticular chemistry and the ability to construct chemical structures from these molecular building blocks has led to the creation of new classes of materials of exceptional variety. The covalent organic frameworks, or COFs (pronounced "coffs"), one of these new classes of materials, are the first crystalline porous organic networks. A member of this series, COF-108, has the lowest density reported of any crystalline material. "These are the first materials ever made in which the organic building blocks are linked by strong bonds to make covalent organic frameworks," Yaghi said. "The key is that COFs are composed of light elements, such as boron, carbon and oxygen, which provide thermal stability and great functionality." COF-108, the latest advance in reticular chemistry development, has a high surface area, with more than 4,500 meters per gram. "One gram, unraveled, could cover the surface area of approximately 30 tennis courts," Yaghi said. In the push to develop methods to control greenhouse gas emissions, some of the biggest challenges have been finding ways to store hydrogen for use as a fuel, to use methane as an alternative fuel, and to capture and store carbon dioxide from power plant smokestacks before it reaches the atmosphere. Yaghi and his colleagues believe COFs are uniquely suited for all these applications because of their functional flexibility and their extremely light weight and high porosity. Through reticular chemistry, Yaghi has developed a process whereby it is possible to utilize the arsenal of organic building blocks to construct a large number of new COF structures whose components can be easily designed to suit a particular application. The pore size and pore functionality of these materials can be varied at will. Yaghi, whose research overlaps chemistry, materials science and engineering, is a member of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA, which encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration to solve problems in nanoscience and nanotechnology. Yaghi is also the director of the Center for Reticular Chemistry at the CNSI. "I have long been interested in making materials in a rational way," Yaghi said. "At the beginning of my career, I always thought it should be possible to create a predetermined chemical structure by linking together well-defined molecules as building blocks, just as an architect creates a blueprint prior to construction on buildings." A year ago, Yaghi made national headlines when he and his team at UCLA, along with colleagues at the University of Michigan, conducted research that could lead to a hydrogen fuel that powers not only cars but laptop computers, cellular phones, digital cameras and other electronic devices. The findings were reported in the Journal of the American Chemical Society in March 2006. The materials used in that research, invented by Yaghi in the early 1990s, are called metal-organic frameworks, or MOFs, which have been described as crystal sponges. These frameworks have nanoscale-size openings, or pores, in which Yaghi and his colleagues can store gases such as hydrogen and methane that are generally difficult to store and transport. BASF, a global chemical company based in Germany, has licensed the technology and is moving forward on commercialization of MOFs. In the fall of 2006, Yaghi was named one of the "Brilliant 10" by Popular Science magazine, which described him as a "hydrogen nano-architect" whose "research papers rank among the most influential in his field." At the age of 42, Yaghi is already ranked No. 22 on the list of the Top 100 most-cited chemists by Thomson Scientific. The research was funded by BASF, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy. For more on Yaghi's research, visit [1]http://yaghi.chem.ucla.edu/[2]. The California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) is a multidisciplinary research center at UCLA whose mission is to encourage universityindustry collaboration and to enable the rapid commercialization of discoveries in nanosystems. CNSI members include some of the world's preeminent scientists, and the work conducted at the institute represents world-class expertise in five targeted areas of nanosystems-related research: renewable energy, environmental nanotechnology and nanotoxicology, nanobiotechnology and biomaterials, nanomechanical and nanofluidic systems, and nanoelectronics, photonics and architectonics. The institute is home to eight core facilities that will serve both academic and industry collaborations. For additional information, visit [3]http://www.cnsi.ucla.edu[4]. UCLA is California's largest university, with an enrollment of nearly 37,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The UCLA College of Letters and Science and the university's 11 professional schools feature renowned faculty and offer more than 300 degree programs and majors. UCLA is a national and international leader in the breadth and quality of its academic, research, health care, cultural, continuing education and athletic programs. Four alumni and five faculty have been awarded the Nobel Prize. Related Articles - UCLA Leads the Nation in Scientists Named to the 'Brilliant 10' (Sept. 18, 2006) [5]www.newsroom.ucla.edu/page.asp?RelNum 7337&menu fullsearchresults [6] - UCLA, University of Michigan Chemists Report Progress in Quest to Use Hydrogen Fuel for Cars and Electronic Devices (March 6, 2006) http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu/page.asp?RelNum 6873&menu fullsearchresults[7] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Mon, 16 Apr 2007 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=268823 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=268823 Jacob Schmidt, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering is the recipient of a 2007 National Science Foundation CAREER Award for a project titled: "Membrane Platform Technologies for Channel Protein Science and Sensing." "In this project we aim to develop new techniques, materials, and devices for stabilizing, and extending the lifetime of artificial lipid bilayer membranes for single molecule measurements and sensing using channel proteins," said Schmidt. The NSF established the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program in 1994 in recognition of the critical roles played by faculty members in integrating research and education, and in fostering the natural connections between the processes of learning, and discovery. The CAREER program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers NSF's most prestigious awards for junior faculty members, and which embodies NSF's commitment to encourage faculty to practice, and academic institutions to value, integration of research and education. The intent of the program is to provide stable support at a sufficient level and duration to enable awardees to develop careers as outstanding teacher-scholars in the context of the mission of their organization. CAREER awards have a 5-year duration. The minimum CAREER award (including indirect costs) is $400,000 for all NSF directorates with the exception of the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO), where the minimum CAREER award is $500,000. A link to the solicitation (NSF 05-579) can be found on the [1] CAREER Home Page[2]. [1] [2] Fri, 19 Jan 2007 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=268726 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=268726 UCLA scientists have designed and mass-produced billions of fluorescent microscale particles in the shapes of all 26 letters of the alphabet in an "alphabet soup" displaying "exquisite fidelity of the shapes." The letters are made of solid polymeric materials dispersed in a liquid solution. The research will be published March 29 in the [1]Journal of Physical Chemistry C[2], where it will be illustrated on the cover. The scientists anticipate that their "LithoParticles" will have significant technological and scientific uses. UCLA professor Thomas G. Mason and Chemistry Graduate Student Carlos J. Hernandez produced microscale particles shaped like each letter of the alphabet. Graduate student James Wilking used "laser tweezers" to pick up the letters "U, C, L, A" and move them in order "like skywriting in solution." "We have demonstrated the power of a new method, at the microscale, to create objects of precisely designed shapes that are highly uniform in size," said Thomas G. Mason, Associate Professor of Chemistry at UCLA and a member of the University's California NanoSystems Institute, in a statement. "They are too small to see with the unaided eye, but with an optical microscope, you can see them clearly; the letters stand out in high fidelity. Our approach also works into the nanoscale." Mason's research is funded in part by the National Science Foundation. He also receives research support from UCLA's John McTague Career Development Chair, which provides research funding for five years. [3] Read the UCLA Press Release[4] *Press Coverage:* [5] Nano World News[6] [7] Chemistry World[8] [9] Nanotechnology Today[10] [11]NanoWerk[12] [13]Nano TechWire[14] [15]Wireless Net[16] [17] Scientific Blogging[18] [19] YahooNews[20] [21]ChemLin[22] [23] LiveScience[24] [25]Science Daily[26] [27]Softpedia[28] [29]Daily Science News[30] [31]Technology Blog[32] [33]ZD Net Tech Blog[34] [35]PhysOrg.com[36] [37]CNET News.com[38] [39]Photonics.com[40] [41]United Press International[42] [43]HULIQ[44] [45]CCNews[46] [47]Information Week[48] [49]EETimes[50] [51]IT News[52] Playfuls.com[54] [53] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [47] [48] [49] [50] [51] [52] [53] [54] Tue, 27 Mar 2007 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=273923 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=273923 March 19, 2007 The US Department of Defense is awarding a team of nine professors from six universities $6 million over five years to exploit precise biological assembly for the study of quantum physics in nanoparticle arrays. This research will help to produce a fundamental understanding of quantum electronic systems, which could impact the way future electronics are created. The team members include two professors from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, [1]Yu Huang[2], Professor of Materials Science, and [3]Kang Wang[4], Professor of Electrical Engineering, as well as UCLA Professor of Biochemistry [5]Todd O. Yeates[6], New York University Professors Andrew D. Kent (Physics) and Nadrian C. Seeman (Chemistry), University of Minnesota Professor Richard A. Kiehl (Electrical and Computer Engineering), University of Texas at Austin Professor Allan H. MacDonald (Physics), University of Pennsylvania Professor Christopher B. Murray (Chemistry), and Columbia University Professor Colin Nuckolls (Chemistry). It is their goal to develop strategies to combine DNA, proteins, and peptides with chemical synthesis techniques to construct groups of nanoparticles. The research award, given by the Army Research Office, is one of 36 awards granted under the Defense Department's highly competitive Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI). For the US Department of Defense release on Research Funding [7]click here[8]. For the full UCLA press release, [9]click here[10]. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Fri, 19 Jan 2007 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=250585 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=250585 Researchers from the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine at UCLA awarded more than $4 million in grants. Dr. Owen Witte, a renowned scientist and director of the ISCBM, said he is pleased that so many UCLA scientists secured state funding for their research projects. "This is a testament to the leading-edge research being proposed by UCLA stem cell scientists, who rank among the very best in their field," Witte said. "UCLA's highly collaborative atmosphere allowed our scientists to develop innovative interdisciplinary research projects that bring expertise from all areas of the campus to bear on this important scientific endeavor." "We feel fortunate to have been selected to receive one of seven seed grants awarded to UCLA," said grant recipient Michael Teitell, a stem cell researcher and associate professor of pediatrics, and pathology and laboratory medicine. "This support will help us determine how stem cells manage their energy resources during self-renewal and differentiation and may also provide important insight for selecting the highest quality stem cells for future therapeutic development." Both Owen Witte and Michael Teitell are members of the CNSI. The Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine was launched in 2005 with a UCLA commitment of $20 million over five years. The institute is committed to a multidisciplinary, integrated collaboration of scientific, academic, and medical disciplines for the purpose of understanding adult and human embryonic stem cells. The institute supports innovation, excellence and the highest ethical standards focused on stem cell research with the intent of facilitating basic scientific inquiry directed towards future clinical applications to treat disease. The institute is a collaboration of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center, the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the UCLA College of Letters and Science. [1] Read the UCLA Press Release[2] [3] Learn more about the UCLA Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine[4] [5] UCLA Today "Scientists get funding to investigate how stem cells function"[6] [7]The Daily Bruin "UCLA receives stem cell grants"[8] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Sun, 21 Jan 2007 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=251111 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=251111 the Newsweek article The Mini Fingers describes the work of researchers at UCLA who have invented a robotic hand one millimeter across that is capable of grabbing flesh. "The hand is unique as it runs on gas pressure instead of electricity," says Chang-Jin (CJ) Kim, a UCLA engineer who led the work. "It works well in air or liquid, making it easier to grasp small biological samples." Read the Article in Newsweek [1] "The Mini Fingers "[2] [1] [2] Sun, 21 Jan 2007 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=242886 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=242886 Michael Teitell and his team have discovered that when certain genes are inactivated, they help cause B-cell non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL). These genes, when defective, can also be at the root of promoting the formation of others cancers as they inactivate normal tumor-suppressing gene activities in a range of cells. Teitell's team used genetically-altered mice to mimic human B-cell cancers. They had already published work where they observed a number of genetic abnormalities in NHL patients, specifically defects in the TCL1 gene, and explained that TCL1 abnormalities can cause NHL in mice when supplemented by further genetic defects. Their newest work is based on these cancer collaborations. Medical News Today article, [1]click here[2]. Genetic Engineering News article, [3]click here[4]. For the Michael Teitell team page, [5]click here[6]. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Tue, 16 Jan 2007 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=242861 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=242861 James Gimzewski has accepted a prestigious Carnegie Centenary Professorship from the Universities of Scotland. The appointment will begin in 2008 and will last up to six months. Nominees for these professorships are of the highest academic standing and are invited up to two years in advance. Only one or two invitations are issued for each academic year. The Scottish Universities are invited to compete for up to two [1] Carnegie Centenary Professorships[2] per year to encourage World Class scholars to spend a sabbatical period in Scotland. For additional information about the Carnegie Centenary Professorships visit [3] Universities of Scotland[4] website. [1] [2] [3] [4] Sat, 20 Jan 2007 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=240393 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=240393 February 1, 2007 -- James Gimzewski is a featured speaker at the Caltech / MIT Enterprise Forum "Will Biologists Give Moore More Life? Opportunities as Biology and Circuitry Meet" on Saturday, February 10, 2007. The nanotech program will examine questions about how and when biological devices will be integrated into the trillion dollar electronics industry. Researchers and entrepreneurs will present their work and perspective on self-assembled devices and architectures for critique by technology managers from major corporations in the semiconductor industry. Featured speakers include: Erik Winfree and Paul Rothemund of Caltech, George Thompson of Intel, Jim Gimzewski of UCLA and Kumar Wick from IBM/UC Irvine. Visit the [1] Enterprise Forum website for registration details and additional information.[2] [1] [2] Wed, 07 Feb 2007 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=237854 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=237854 A team of UCLA and California Institute of Technology chemists reports in the Jan. 25 issue of the journal Nature the successful demonstration of a large-scale (160 kilobits), "ultra-dense" memory device that stores information using reconfigurable molecular switches. This research represents an important step toward the creation of molecular computers that are much smaller and could be more powerful than todays silicon-based computers. The memory device uses interlocked molecules manufactured in the UCLA laboratory of J. Fraser Stoddart, director of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), who holds UCLA's Fred Kavli Chair in Nanosystems Sciences. [1]Read the UCLA press release[2] Press coverage: [3]The New York Times "Researchers Go Molecular in Design of a Denser Chip" by Kenneth Chang[4] [5]Technology Review Ultradense Molecular Memory: Researchers develop a large-scale array of nanoscale memory circuits[6] [7]Physorg.com[8] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Tue, 16 Jan 2007 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=237532 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=237532 January 24, 2007 Interdisciplinary collaboration within the CNSI brings together James Gimzewski, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Michael Teitell, Professor of Pathology and the Center for Cell Control along with colleagues from the departments of computer science and mathematics at New York University as well as colleagues at Veeco Instruments in Santa Barbara for research published in the January 31, 2007 issue of the journal Nanotechnology. Reed, J., Mishra, B., Pittenger, B., Magonov, S., Troke, J.J., Teitell, M.A. and Gimzewski, J.K. Single Molecule Transcription Profiling with AFM. Nanotechnology, 2007 18: 044032 (15pp) Abstract: Established techniques for global gene expression profiling, such as microarrays, face fundamental sensitivity constraints. Due to greatly increasing interest in examining minute samples from micro-dissected tissues, including single cells, unorthodox approaches, including molecular nanotechnologies, are being explored in this application. Here, we examine the use of single molecule, ordered restriction mapping, combined with AFM, to measure gene transcription levels from very low abundance samples. We frame the problem mathematically, using coding theory, and present an analysis of the critical error sources that may serve as a guide to designing future studies. We follow with experiments detailing the construction of high density, single molecule, ordered restriction maps from plasmids and from cDNA molecules, using two different enzymes, a result not previously reported. We discuss these results in the context of our calculations. [1]Journal website and abstract[2] [1] [2] Tue, 16 Jan 2007 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=236810 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=236810 Thomas Mason's and his group's noteworthy review on nanoemulsions has been designated as one of the top papers of 2006 by the Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter. "Nanoemulsions: Formation, Structure, and Physical Properties" achieved such an honor by garnering over 400 downloads in only three months. The Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter is a well-respected and widely-read in the Physics and Physical Chemistry societies. For the Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter site, [1] click here[2]. [1] [2] Sat, 13 Jan 2007 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=236790 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=236790 The Professional Artists Lab, in collaboration with the California NanoSystems Institute, presents A staged reading of SPLITTING INFINITY, by Jamie Pachino Winner of the 1st STAGE International Script Competition Starring Sharon Lawrence & Saul Rubinek Sunday, January 28, 2007 at 5:00 p.m. at REDCAT[1] the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater in the Walt Disney Concert Hall complex, downtown Los Angeles A brief award ceremony with Nobel Laureate David Gross (2004, Physics) will precede the reading. An open reception with the cast, STAGE playwrights, judges and audience will follow the reading, with many distinguished professionals from the arts and science worlds in attendance. Television, stage and film actors Sharon Lawrence (Sylvia Sipowicz in NYPD BLUE, Maisy Gibbons in DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES) and Saul Rubinek (AND THE BAND PLAYED ON, UNFORGIVEN, Donny Douglas on FRASIER) will headline a cast of professional actors. Actors Michael Cassidy (Zach Stevens on THEO.C.) and Obie-award winner Angela Goethals (JERRY MAGUIRE, SPANGLISH, and the hit Fox drama "24") will co-star. Admission to the reading and all accompanying events is free. Seating is limited, and reservations are required. For reservations, call: 805-893-6090. Please click here for more information about the play and playwright. [2] Visit this website for press releases about the event.[3] REDCAT is located at the corner of 2nd and Hope Streets: 631 West 2nd Street Los Angeles, CA 90012 Parking is $8.00. Click here for directions and parking information[4] . The STAGE (Scientists, Technologists, and Artists Generating Exploration) International Script Competition a collaborative endeavor of UCSBs Professional Artists Lab and the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) awards a $10,000 prize to the best new play about science and technology. For more information about STAGE, please see theSTAGE Script Competition website[5]. For information visit the Professional Artists Lab at UCSB[6] and the California NanoSystems Institute at UCSB flyer [7]. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Fri, 12 Jan 2007 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=230184 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=230184 UCLA professor Fraser Stoddart, director of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), who holds UCLA's Fred Kavli Chair in NanoSystems Sciences, has been appointed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as Knight Bachelor for Services to Chemistry and Molecular Nanotechnology. In addition to the personalities such as Paul McCartney and Sean Connery from the field of popular culture who have been honored with the title of knight bachelor, Stoddart joins a formidable list of eminent scientists, including Alexander Fleming, Alexander Todd, and Harold Kroto, respectively the discoverers of penicillin, the building blocks of DNA, and C-60. Stoddart is the first UCLA professor to receive the honor. Stoddart says that when he broke the news about his award which came like a bolt out of the blue to his two daughters, Fiona and Alison, their response was, Thats really cool, Dad. Stoddart adds that, This special honour is a reflection, not only of my own achievements, but also the considerable support that I have received from my academic colleagues, my students and, above all, my late wife Norma. It also recognizes the significance and relevance of chemistry to everyday life and the international standing of CNSI at the beginning of 2007. Over the period January 1996 to August 2006, Stoddart is ranked by Thomson Scientific as the worlds third most cited researcher in chemistry. He has published more than 770 communications, papers and reviews, and delivered more than 700 invited lectures around the world. His former graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, inspired by his imagination and creativity, now occupy senior positions in universities, government laboratories and industries throughout North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, India, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Australia. He is one of the few chemists to have created a new field of chemistry over the past quarter of a century by introducing an additional bond, the mechanical bond, into chemical compounds. He has pioneered the development of the use of molecular recognition and self-assembly to make mechanically interlocked compounds called catenanes (two or more rings interlocked as in the links of a chain) and rotaxanes (a dumbbell-shaped component with at least one ring threaded in a manner reminiscent of an abacus). Although, in the first generation of these exotic molecular compounds, the components which move relatively between two states were indistinguishable, in the second generation, bistability was introduced; resulting in the making of the worlds tiniest ON/OFF (molecular) switches of around a cubic nanometer in volume. Subsequently, these molecular switches have been incorporated, at high densities, into molecular random access memory (RAM) circuits. The scope of Stoddarts research has broadened over the years under the umbrella of activities he calls Molecular Meccano as a result of his introducing the two-state molecular switches into devices where actuation becomes the key to their operation. He has, for example, designed and made nanovalves which consist of moving parts in the form of many switchable rotaxane molecules attached to a tiny sphere of porous glass about 500 nanometers in diameter. The channels in the porous glass are long but only a few nanometers in diameter, just big enough to allow small molecules to enter. These nanovalves, which are very much smaller than living cells, are capable of crossing cell membranes and are now being adapted to be used as highly targeted drug-delivery systems towards, for example, cancerous cells, as well as to harvest the contents of such cells, after the fashion of a lunar landing vehicle collecting samples of dust from the surface of the moon. Stoddart came to UCLA to occupy the Saul Winstein Chair in Chemistry in 1997 from England's University of Birmingham, where he had been professor of organic chemistry from 1990 and had headed up the universitys School of Chemistry since 1993. In 2005, he received the honorary degree of doctor of science from Birmingham and also, just recently in early December, from the University of Twente in The Netherlands. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1942, Stoddart received his bachelor of science (1964) and Ph.D. (1966) degrees from the University of Edinburgh, where he worked with British chemist Sir Edmund Hirst. In 1967, he moved to Queens University in Ontario, Canada, as a National Research Council postdoctoral fellow and then, in 1970, to the University of Sheffield as an Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) research fellow before joining the faculty as lecturer (assistant professor) in chemistry. He was a Science Research Council senior visiting fellow at UCLA in 1978. After spending a three-year secondment (1978-81) at the ICI Corporate Laboratory in Runcorn, England, he returned full-time to the University of Sheffield where he was promoted to a readership (associate professorship). He moved to the University of Birmingham in 1990. He was awarded a doctorate of science by Edinburgh in1980 for his research into chemistry beyond the molecule. He was also the recipient this year of the University of Edinburgh Alumnus of the Year 2005 Award. The award is presented annually to a former student of Edinburgh University for services to the community, or for achievements in the arts or sciences, or for their contributions to business, public or academic life. Previous winners include the British politician Lord Steel of Aikwood, the novelist Ian Rankin, and double Olympic Medalist Katherine Grainger. Stoddart is a fellow of the Royal Society (1994), the German Academy of Natural Sciences (1999), the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2005) and the Science Division of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (2006). He serves on the international advisory boards of numerous journals, including the Journal of Organic Chemistry, Angewandte Chemie, and Chemistry, A European Journal. The CNSI, a joint enterprise between UCLA and the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), is exploring the power and potential of organizing and manipulating matter to engineer new integrated and emergent systems and devices, by starting down at the nanoscale level, that will aid and abet information technology, energy production, storage and saving, environmental well-being and diagnosis, prevention and treatment of chronic and degenerative diseases with an impact that far outstretches our comprehension of life to date, Stoddart reflected. He added that the institutes demonstrated ability to attract stellar faculty and awesome students has the potential to lead to the generation of a cadre of scientists, engineers, and artists, who will bring prosperity and enlightenment to the State of California beyond anything that humankind has witnessed since the onset of civilization. When Stoddart was appointed director of the CNSI in 2003, he also assumed the Fred Kavli Chair of NanoSystems Sciences. Presently the Winstein Chair of Chemistry is in abeyance. About Knight Bachelor A knighthood is one of the highest civil honours in the United Kingdom and it forms part of the British honours system. It recognizes distinguished contributions to national and international life and is conferred by The Queen, on advice from the Prime Ministers Office. At the conferment ceremony, which usually takes place at Buckingham Palace, the London residence of The Queen, the knight bachelor kneels before The Queen, who lightly touches the top of his shoulder with the ceremonial sword in a procedure known as dubbing. He then stands before The Queen, who hands him his insignia and engages in conversation. Knights bachelor are the most ancient of the British knights, being traced back to the reign of King Henry III (12161272). Knighthoods carry the formal title Sir. Each year about 20 knighthoods are announced in The New Year Honours List and also in The Queens Birthday Honours List (in June). About The Kavli Foundation Dedicated to the advancement of science for the benefit of humanity, The Kavli Foundation supports scientific research, honors scientific achievement, and promotes public understanding of scientists and their work. It supports science of the greatest physical dimensions of space and time, the science of the smallest dimensions of systems of atoms and molecules, and the science to understand the human brain. This mission is implemented through an international program of research institutes, prizes, professorships, and symposia in the fields of astrophysics, nanoscience and neuroscience. About Nano Nanosystems-related research is performed on a size-scale ranging from a nanometer 10 to the minus 9 or one billionth of a meter to a few hundred nanometers. C-60 is less than one nanometer in diameter. The DNA molecule is two nanometers wide, roughly 1,000 times smaller than a red blood cell and 10,000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. About the CNSI The CNSI was established in December 2000 through a State of California initiative to create four Institutes of Science and Innovation, one of them being the CNSI, and requiring them to forge partnerships with industry as a way to accelerate technological changes for society in general and advances for the peoples of California in particular. CNSI members represent an interdisciplinary collaboration among UCLA and UCSB faculty from the life and physical sciences, engineering and medicine. The CNSI at UCLA is planning to move into a brand new building early in 2007. The 180,000 square feet facility will house a 260-seat theater, wet and dry laboratories, fully outfitted conference rooms, and three floors of core facilities which will include equipment in the form of electron microscopes, atomic force microscopes, X-ray diffractometers, optical microscopies and spectroscopies, high throughput robotics and class 100 and 1000 clean rooms for projects led by CNSI and other faculty. In addition, the campus at UCLA is funding the CNSI to the tune of 15jointly-hired faculty to ensure that the institute will have all of the expertise that is essential to making rapid progress in nanoscience and nanotechnology against fierce international competition. About UCLA Californias largest university, UCLA enrolls approximately 38,000 students per year and offers degrees from the UCLA College of Letters and Science and 11 professional schools in dozens of varied disciplines. UCLA consistently ranks among the top five universities and colleges nationally in total research-and-development spending, receiving more than $820 million a year in competitively awarded federal and state grants and contracts. For every $1 state taxpayers invest in UCLA, the university generates almost $9 in economic activity, resulting in an annual $6 billion economic impact on the Greater Los Angeles region. The universitys health care network treats 450,000 patients per year. UCLA employs more than 27,000 faculty and staff, has more than 350,000 living alumni and has been home to five Nobel Prize recipients. Read the Los Angeles Times article [1] View televison news broadcast CBS TV / KCAL TV News Channel 9 [2] View the complete New Year Honours List 2007 [3] on The UK Honours System website [1] [2] [3] Fri, 12 Jan 2007 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=223910 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=223910 Widening the protein crystallization bottleneck simple methods that may help expand the range of proteins amenable to crystallization is the topic of Research Highlights in the December issue of Nature Methods. The article references "An approach to crystallizing proteins by synthetic symmetrization" research by D. Rey Banatao and Todd O. Yeates, et al. which was published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on October 31, 2006. Rey Banatao was a 2005 CNSI Postdoctoral Fellow and Todd Yeates, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, is a faculty member of the CNSI. Nature Methods Research Highlight: "Widening the protein crystallization bottleneck"[1] PNAS article: "An approach to crystallizing proteins by synthetic symmetrization"[2] Small times article: "Scientists at California NanoSystems Institute detail research in lysozymes"[3] [1] [2] [3] Tue, 12 Dec 2006 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=212762 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=212762 1st Annual *CNSI International Conference* and *Grand Opening of New Building at UCLA* *DATES:* September 7-9, 2007 Conference Agendas and Speaker Lists Coming Soon. Tue, 17 Oct 2006 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=165308 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=165308 August 31, 2006, St. Petersburg, Florida The 11th International Conference on the Commercialization of Micro and Nano Systems (COMS) is the leading annual conference on micro-nanotechnology commercialization education. COMS 2006, will bring together key people from across the world and from every sector of industry, including end users, equipment suppliers, angel investors, venture capitalists, government representatives, and academics. Conference Registration[1] Organizers: MANCEF and Small Tech in the Sunshine, Inc. www.mancef.org[2] [1] [2] Tue, 04 Apr 2006 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=193538 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=193538 3rd Annual *Frontiers in NanoSystems Conference* March 19-22, 2007 Kauai, Hawaii 1st Annual *CNSI International Conference* and *Grand Opening of New Building at UCLA* September 7-9, 2007 Conference Agendas and Speaker Lists Coming Soon. Thu, 10 Aug 2006 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=190563 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=190563 Friday, July 14th @ 3:00 p.m. Room 57-124 E4, Engineering IV Guest Speaker: Dr. Mineo Yamakawa, Biomedical & Life Sciences R&D, Digital Health Group, Intel Corporation *"Engineering Molecular Nano-Tagging for Biomolecular Detections"* Abstract: As the complex behaviors and patterns of nanoscale interactions between organic and inorganic materials are among the most difficult to decipher, scientific methodologies and their tools for investigations rely more on indirect observations with a significant amount of uncertainty, generating more questions than answers. By taking advantage of the recent advances in computational power and nanoscale chemical processing, we have developed and defined a new molecular signaling agent that is based on self-contained Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering, called COIN, or Composite Organic-Inorganic Nanotag. Its first practical application has led to the development of a highly sensitive, high-resolution molecular marker with a signature-encodable shell, which could be used in identifying or observing specific target biomolecular species in experimental samples. Biography: Dr. Mineo Yamakawa is a Research Scientist in the Biomedical & Life Sciences R&D Division of the Digital Health Group at Intel Corporation, Santa Clara, California. Previously, he was part of the Microsystems (MEMS) Division of the Technology Manufacturing Group and was a key engineer/scientist to create Intel's first biotechnology project in 2000. He has a unique combination of cross-disciplinary training and the accomplishments of more than 15 years of scientific/medical research in molecular biophysics, as well as more than 10 years of consumer product development and engineering management in industry. Dr. Yamakawa received his B.S. in Applied Physics from Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan, and his Ph.D. in Physiology and Biophysics from the University of Oklahoma, Health Sciences Center. During his early research years at the University of Pennsylvania and University of Vermont in the 1980s, he pioneered and published in broadly interdisciplinary research areas, involving molecular genetics, protein/biochemical kinetics, in vivo physiology, and digital signal processing. He supported and sponsored numerous academic research projects through the Intel Research Council, as well as serve as key committee member of Intel's Biotech Initiative in 2001 to fund a seed grant to UCLA for an Intel Educational Lab in 2002. He is a long time member of the ACM and IEEE Societies. Wed, 12 Jul 2006 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=171384 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=171384 The CNSI has found funding available to sponsor a CNSI Summer 2006 Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program. The CNSI will sponsor students in a $4,000 stipend. Additionally, CNSI will provide the host research group with up to $1,000 to cover the cost of supplies and/or equipment. Applicants must be UCLA undergraduate students working in the lab of a CNSI member. The CNSI will expect to receive a short report (1 page) from the student and endorsed by the mentor within one month of completion of the project. * Application Details * Applicants for a CNSI 2006 Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship must be nominated by a CNSI faculty member. Specifically, the following material is required: *Forms are in Microsoft .doc format.* - Application Cover[1] Student Transcript and record of Spring 2006 courses. - Student Resume Form[2] 1 page) - Student Proposal Form[3] (1 page) detailing the proposed research project. - Personal Statement Form [4] (1 page) outlining long-term personal and professional goals and justification of why a CNSI Summer Research Fellowship advances those goals. - CNSI Faculty Mentor Statement Form [5](1 page) Please use the attached forms. The complete application packet should be submitted with an official cover sheet that has been signed by both the undergraduate student and the faculty mentor, to: Susan Rubin, Assistant Director California NanoSystems Institute 6722 Boelter Hall, Box 957151 srubin@cnsi.ucla.edu Completed applications must be RECEIVED no later than 5:00 PM on *May 22, 2006.* Fellowships will be announced no later than May 31, 2006. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Thu, 18 May 2006 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=174174 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=174174 5:00 pm: The UCLA Science Faculty Research Colloquium Series is designed to promote interdisciplinary research and to be of interest to a general audience. Science Engineered by Art Missed the lecture? View our streaming media presentation [IMAGE: ] [IMAGE: ][1] [IMAGE: ][2] Abstract: What have Norse mythology, Christian iconography, Shinto shrines, the Charing Cross Underground Station in London, and Ballantine's beer from New Jersey got in common? They all have a symbol which mathematicians, who are into knot theory, would call a "six-three-two," also known as the Borromean Rings (BRs). Their proliferation on crests and statues, commissioned by the Borromeo family in 15th Century Tuscany, sealed the BRs' etymological fate. In addition to the BRs having made cultural inroads into art, theology and heraldry, the 20th Century witnessed the emergence of this six-node, three-component link on to the scientific scene in particle physics and molecular biology. In his UCLA Science Faculty Research Colloquium, Stoddart will relate how chemistry has just started to get in on the act with molecular BRs these past couple of years. By employing chemical synthesis in an unconventional manner, he will trace how molecular BRs a chemical Gordian knot have become ten-a-penny overnight. The tale illustrates Noel Coward's much quoted words, "The secret of success is the capacity to survive failure." What do Moore Hall, Haines Hall and the Powell Library on the UCLA Campus have in common? Their walls and floors and ceilings are plastered with "four-two-one" knots, also known as Solomon Knots (SKs). This four-noded, two-component link is believed to contain all the wisdom of King Solomon: many cultures, including Stoddart's very own Celtic one, have adopted this emblem to represent knowledge. He will relate how ploutering about with the recipe for making molecular BRs produces molecular SKs. Just how and why remains a mystery to be solved. Ask Stoddart the question, what are these molecular BRs and SKs good for and the answer is he doesn't know yet. What he can claim, however, is that history has a habit of repeating itself. Some 18 years ago, his group made their first "two-two-one" knot, also known as a catenane, i.e., a two-node, two-component link. Bistable analogs, and close relatives of this mechanically interlocked molecular compound, wherein one of the two links the one responsible for bistability is broken and blocked at each end, provide access to nanometer-scale switches. In this simple molecular abacus, which is called a bistable rotaxane, the surviving link can be induced to move between two different stations, realizing the ON/OFF states of the switch in the appropriate device setting. By feats of engineering from the top down, these bottom-up assembled bistable rotaxanes have been used successfully to create molecular random access memory (RAM) at a density that is well beyond 2020 on the semiconductor industry's roadmap. Fraser Stoddart is Director of the California NanoSystems Institute, Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and holds UCLA's Fred Kavli Chair in Nanosystems Sciences. He is internationally renowned for his research in molecular electronics using molecules on the nanoscale as switches in computers and other electronic devices and artificial molecular machines using linear motor-molecules in nanochemomechanical and nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS). Fraser is a pioneer in the making and harnessing of the mechanical bond in chemistry. His Colloquium is titled "Science Engineered by Art." [IMAGE: ] [1] [2] Thu, 04 May 2006 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=173524 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=173524 Britain's Ambassador to the United Nations, Sir Emyr Jones Parry visited with Fraser Stoddart to discuss nanosystems research. Sir Parry, who holds a PhD in Polymer Physics from Cambridge University, expressed great interest in the multidisciplinary research conducted at the CNSI. Sir Jones Parry was accompanied by wife, Lady Jones Parry, Bob Pierce, Consulate General, Dr. Malcolm McLean, Science and Innovation Affairs, and Angus Mackay, Vice Counsel for Public Affairs. Sir Emyr Jones Parry was the keynote speaker for the Globalization Research Center Africa at the UCLA Faculty Center that afternoon. His lecture was titled Africa at the Crossroads Again: Converting Promise into Realty Following the 2005 G8 Agreements. Mon, 01 May 2006 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=168715 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=168715 News about UCLA, University of Michigan Chemists Report Progress in Quest to Use Hydrogen as Fuel for Cars and Electronic Devices is currently featured on the front page of the National Nanotechnology Initiative website. Read More[1] The National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) provides a multi-agency framework to ensure U.S. leadership in nanotechnology that will be essential to improved human health, economic well being and national security. The NNI invests in fundamental research to further understanding of nanoscale phenomena and facilitates technology transfer. [2]Read the Transcript[3] Listen to the Interview[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Tue, 25 Apr 2006 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=148725 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=148725 UCLA Professor Fred Wudl has won the 2005 Richard C. Tolman Medal. The Tolman Medal will be presented to Professor Wudl at a banquet this evening, Tuesday, April 18 at the Faculty Center Sequoia Room. Please come celebrate during the *6:00 pm Social Hour* preceeding the formal ceremony. The Medal is awarded each year by the Southern California Section of the American Chemical Society in recognition of the medalist's outstanding contributions to chemistry. Tue, 18 Apr 2006 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=165964 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=165964 Prof. Miao's research interests lie in the interplay of physics, nanoscience and biology. He pioneered a three-dimensional imaging approach based upon coherent diffraction in combination with a method of direct phase recovery called oversampling. To date, more than a dozen groups worldwide have been working in this field and a series of international workshops has been organized to discuss the current progress and future potential. Fri, 14 Apr 2006 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=150909 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=150909 Special Presentation co-sponsored by the [IMAGE: ] and the [IMAGE: ] Guest speaker: Bruce Stronach, President, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan Wednesday, March 29, 2006 at 2:30 4:00 PM Edward K. Rice Conference Room, 6764 Boelter Hall Abstract: President Stronach's remarks will be of value to those interested in the current state of Japanese education and those engaged in or contemplating research collaborations with Japanese universities. Higher education in Japan has undergone dramatic changes in the past two years, with the central government turning the 96 national universities into independent corporate bodies and reducing their budgets by 1% a year. These reforms are having a profound impact on post-secondary education in Japan, creating a funding dilemma similar to the one the UC System has faced over the past 20 years. President Stronach will give an overview of the history and structure of Japanese higher education. He will describe the various legal, financial, and administrative changes which have taken place over the past two years and how these have affected education and research in the basic and applied sciences. Short Bio: A graduate of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, President Stronach is the only non-Japanese currently heading up a Japanese university. Information on President Stronach can be found at: http://www.yokohama-cu.ac.jp/univ/president/index_e.html[1] PLEASE RSVP AT cnsiadmin@cnsi.ucla.edu. [2] [1] [2] Thu, 23 Mar 2006 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=161200 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=161200 "Folding of Viscous Threads in Diverging Microchannels" by Thomas Cubaud and Thomas G. Mason, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Physics and Astronomy, California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, has just been published in Physical Review Letters 96, 114501 (2006). Read the [1] Wed, 22 Mar 2006 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=150949 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=150949 UCLA Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Heather Maynard[1] has been selected as an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellow. This fellowship is an extraordinarily competitive award, involving nomination of the very best scientists of this generation from the United States and Canada. Read more about the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation[2] Professor Maynard participated as an invited lecturer at the International Advanced Materials Forum for Young Scientists (IAMF) last month in Japan. Sponsored by the International Center for Young Scientists (ICYS) at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) in association with the World Materials Research Institute Forum (WMRIF), the purpose of the IAMF is to exchange innovative ideas in materials research and to enhance international network among emerging young leaders in the materials research community at the early stage of their career. Additionally, Professor Maynard has been selected as one of only 14 U.S. participants in the 2006 U.S./Japan Young Researcher Exchange Program, sponsored jointly by the NSF and MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology in Japan). With a focus on Nanotechnology and Nanomanufacturing, the 2006 program brings together a select group of young researchers from the United States and Japan to encourage substantive future collaborations. On March 6th the group met for a symposium at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and they are scheduled to participate as a U.S. delegation visit to Japan in fall 2006. [1] [2] Sun, 19 Mar 2006 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=149073 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=149073 *50 Graduate Students to attend the 56th Meeting of Nobel Laureates and Students in Lindau, Germany* The Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Sciences Foundation (NSF) announce sponsorship of approxmately 50 graduate students to attend the 56th meeting of Nobel Laureates and Students scheduled for * June 25 30, 2006 in Lindau, Germany*. UCLA Graduate Student *Karina Heredia* has been selected to attend after nomination by Vice Chancellor Roberto Peccei. Her work involving the synthesis of protein-polymer conjugates has been featured in two papers published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Selected students will attend lectures by Nobel Laureates as well as daily informational small-group meetings with Nobel Prize winners to discuss a wide range of issues about their research and other activties. Participants will meet in Washington, DC for an orientation meeting on Friday, June 23, 2006, and travel to Germany as a delegation to attend the meetings. Information on the most recent meeting and comments from students who attended are available at http://www.orau.gov/lindau2005/[1]. An article about the 2005 meeting appeared in the July 14th, 2005 issue of Nature. [1] Wed, 15 Mar 2006 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=160937 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=160937 The UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science; the University of California, Santa Barbara; the University of California, Berkeley; and Stanford are teaming up to launch what will be one of the world's largest joint research programs focusing on the pioneering technology called "spintronics." The Western Institute of Nanoelectronics' headquarters will be located at UCLA Engineering, with scientific and technical responsibility distributed across all four campuses. UCLA Engineering professor Kang Wang[1] will serve as the director of the institute, working closely with professors David Awschalom at UC Santa Barbara, Jeff Bokor at UC Berkeley and Philip Wong at Stanford. All of the nearly 30 eminent researchers taking part in the institute will explore critically needed innovations in semiconductor technology. The program will be co-managed by the four participating campuses and semiconductor industry sponsors, with nearly 10 researchers from semiconductor companies working with the students and faculty on all of the university campuses. This close collaboration, with research and responsibilities shared by four campuses and six industry sponsors, represents an innovative model for cooperative research. Read the press release[2]. Read the article in the Daily Bruin[3]. [1] [2] [3] Thu, 16 Mar 2006 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=148768 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=148768 Dr. Stefan Kurz from the Robert Bosch Company (Germany) was given a tour of the construction site of the new CNSI facility. The building is scheduled for completion in fall 2006. Bosch is a leading global supplier of automotive and industrial technology and of consumer goods and building technology. The Bosch Group comprises some 270 subsidiary companies, of which more than 230 are located outside of Germany. In 2004, worldwide sales of the Bosch Group came to 40 billion euros. Globally, the company has 242,000 employees, 17,880 are in the United States. Dr. Kurz is Director of Corporate Sector Research and Advance Engineering Architecture and Framework, the facilities for which are located in Frankfort and Stuttgart, Germany. Bosch R&D has recently focused on the commercial applications of nanoscale research in the areas of materials and electronics. After touring the CNSI building site, Dr. Kurz met with Dr. David Lundberg, Director of International Strategic Alliances for a briefing on the administrative structure of CNSI and its research priorities. He also visited the lab of CNSI member Ben Schwartz, Professor of Physical Chemistry, to discuss his research into electronic dynamics in disordered media. Photo: Dr. Stefan Kurz from Bosch with CNSI International Strategic Alliances Director David Lundberg and Building Manager Wendy Morris Mon, 13 Mar 2006 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=148558 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=148558 Dr. Michel Israel, Counselor for Science and Technology at the French Embassy in Washington, D.C. visited the CNSI at UCLA accompanied by Christophe Lerouge, Attache for Science and Technology at the French Consulate General in San Francisco. Dr. Israel and Mr. Lerouge met with UCLA Vice Chancellor of Research, Roberto Peccei, CNSI Director, Fraser Stoddart, and CNSI International Strategic Alliances Director, David Lundberg to discuss possible areas of collaboration between CNSI and French research institutions engaged in nanoscale projects. This visit is the result of one made in February by MINATEC (Centre for Micro/Nano Technology) in Grenoble, France. Dr. Israel and Mr. Lerouge are both members of the Science and Technology Mission (MST) to the United States established by the French government and overseen by the Embassy of France. The Mission has four branch offices in Boston, Chicago, Houston and San Francisco, and promotes greater interaction between French educational institutions, research institutes, and private enterprises and their counterparts in the United States. For more information about the French Science and Technology Mission visit the Embassy of France in the United States website[1]. *** The Embassy of France in the United States Office of Science and Technology is hosting events at two U.S. locations: *FORUM USA: The International Networking Event for Researchers, Engineers and Managers* - April 8-9, 2006 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston - April 11-12, 2006 at University of California, Berkeley Forum USA event flyer[2] Nanotechnologies en France flyer [3] [1] [2] [3] Thu, 09 Mar 2006 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=148547 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=148547 Chemists at UCLA and the University of Michigan, including UCLA Professor Omar Yaghi[1], report an advance toward the goal of cars that run on hydrogen rather than gasoline. While the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that practical hydrogen fuel will require concentrations of at least 6.5 percent, the chemists have achieved concentrations of 7.5 percent- nearly three times as much as has been reported previously but at a very low temperature (77 degrees Kelvin). The research, scheduled to be published in late March in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, could lead to a hydrogen fuel that powers not only cars, but laptop computers, cellular phones, digital cameras and other electronic devices as well. "We have a class of materials in which we can change the components nearly at will," said Omar Yaghi, UCLA professor of chemistry, who conducted the research with colleagues at the University of Michigan. "There is no other class of materials where one can do that. The exciting discovery we are reporting is that, using a new material, we have identified a clear path for how to get above seven percent of the material's weight in hydrogen." Read the UCLA press release[2]. [1] [2] Mon, 06 Mar 2006 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145931 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145931 At the Burnham Institute's 28th Annual Symposium, experts will discuss the opportunities and challenges involved in creating devices of "nanoscale" that can detect specific tissue or deliver drugs. Topics will cover targeting, nanofabrication, engineering and phototronics. Visit www.burnham.org[1] to get more information about this event and to register online. It will take place Thursday, April 13, 2006 at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines in beautiful La Jolla, California. View flyer.[2] *Call for Abstracts* For the first time at the symposium, we have added a second day. On Friday, April 14th, students and postdoctoral fellows will be given the opportunity to present their work on nanotechnology at The Burnham Institute. Stipends for travel are available. Announced speakers include: Daniel Morse University of California Santa Barbara Chad Mirkin Northwestern University Naomi Halas Rice University Sadik Esener University of California San Diego Michael Heller University of California San Diego Erkki Ruoslahti The Burnham Institute Register early. The cost is only $100. [1] [2] Fri, 17 Feb 2006 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=146013 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=146013 Over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, the CNSI building project reached another milestone with the delivery of the Crump Institute cyclotron. The new, state-of-the-art cyclotron is a gift from Siemens Molecular Imaging. Siemens acquired CTI, Molecular Imaging, located in Knoxville, TN, last spring. CTI had been one founding corporate sponsors of CNSI, through its interest in the Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging that will be located in the CNSI building. The Crump Institute cyclotron is a small particle accelerator used to create the short-lived radioisotopes and to incorporate them into different types on biologically important molecules for imaging with positron emission tomography (PET). PET provides the means to image and measure the rates of biological processes such as metabolism, DNA replication & cell proliferation, components of cell communication pathways, and pharmacokinetics of drugs. At present, over 20 faculty members from various departments throughout the medical school and colleges have active research involving microPET imaging in mice or rats, with over 2500 microPET studies conducted in 2005. Most of these imaging studies use biomolecules labeled with Fluorine-18, a positron emitting isotope with a half-life of only 2 hours. This requires daily onsite production and chemical synthesis for imaging work. Current imaging requests from the UCLA preclinical imaging community are equally matched by our very active clinical work in patients, creating a high demand for radiochemical production of imaging probes. To alleviate this congestion and to meet he specific needs of the faculty and students of the Crump Institute and their collaborators, a new cyclotron specifically dedicated to preclinical imaging and research programs such as those using integrated microfluidics chips to invent automated chemical synthesis technologies for the nanogram amounts of molecular imaging molecules used in PET (see attached reference just published in the journal _Science_[1]). The cyclotron is part of the Crump Preclinical Imaging Technology Center, which focuses on rodent molecular and structural imaging using specially designed and miniaturized versions of PET, optical and CT imaging technologies. The center is widely used by more than 37 faculty members, with more than 11,000 imaging experiments completed in 2005. Projects cover a wide range of subjects, ranging from preclinical models in oncology, Alzheimer's, diabetes and degenerative bone disease to developing assays for metabolism, DNA replication & cell proliferation, drugs development, cell trafficking, cell communication, antibody interactions and gene expression to be applied in preclinical studies, as well as to subsequently be translated into clinical assays for clinical research and molecular diagnostics. [1] Thu, 16 Feb 2006 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145961 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145961 A delegation from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore visited with officials at the CNSI. The delegation was lead by Dr. Guaning Su, NTU President, and included Dr. Teng-Kee Tan, Director of the Nanyang Technopreneurship Center, and Mr. Sonny Lim, Director of International Relations for NTU. The guests were given a tour of the new CNSI building site. They also visited Professor Shimon Weiss' Advanced Light Microscopy/Spectroscopy Laboratory, a CNSI Core Facility. Meetings were held with Roberto Peccei, UCLA Vice Chancellor of Research, Professor Tony Chan, Dean of Physical Sciences, Professor Leonard Rome, Senior Associate Dean, David Geffen School of Medicine and Associate Director of the CNSI; Dr. Ken Polasko, Director of the UCLA Office of Intellectual Property Administration; and David Lundberg, CNSI International Strategic Alliances Director. Founded in 1955, NTU is one of two universities in Singapore, with an enrollment of 26,000 students. It focuses primarily on science and technology and carries on extensive research into nano devices, nano-biotechnology, nano-materials, nano-magnetics and photonics and organic, molecular electronics. All of this nanoscale work has been grouped into a single Nanoscience & Nanotechnology Cluster (NanoCluster). Discussions are presently underway for the creation of an MOU between the NTU NanoCluster and CNSI involving collaborative research and student and faculty exchanges. Photo caption: The NTU Delegation with Ken Polasko, Roberto Peccei, Leonard Rome, and David Lundberg. (Left to right: Lundberg, Tan, Polasko, Su, Peccei, Chan, Lim) Thu, 16 Feb 2006 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145542 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145542 Washington, DC- The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) has elected 76 new members and nine new foreign associates. Included among the list of newly elected members is Vijay K. Dhir, distinguished professor and dean, Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of California, Los Angeles and member of the CNSI Governing Board. The membership recognizes Dean Dhir for his accomplishments concerning boiling heat transfer and nuclear reactor thermal-hydraulics and safety. Election to the NAE is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to "engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature." and to the "pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education." Thu, 02 Feb 2006 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145117 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145117 Colleagues, As most of you already know, CNSI Associate Director Carlo Montemagno has accepted a position as the Dean of Engineering at the University of Cincinnati. We are saddened to lose our valuable colleague and friend, and appreciate that our loss is Cincinnati's gain. We wish Dean Montemagno all the best in his new position and look forward to continuing our collaborations with him for years to come. I have asked Eli Yablonovitch to take the vacancy as Associate Director and happily, he has agreed. We appreciate Eli's strong CNSI support and look forward to working with our new Associate Director. Please join me in welcoming Eli to his new position. Best regards, Fraser Stoddart Thu, 09 Feb 2006 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145113 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145113 Chemical and biomolecular engineering Professor James Liao has been awarded an "Honorary Epistar Chair Professorship" for 2006 by the College of Engineering at National Tsing Hua University in Hsin-chu, Taiwan. Liao also delivered a keynote address at "The Second International Conference on Biologically Inspired Approaches to Advanced Information Technology" at Osaka University, in Osaka, Japan, in January. Thu, 09 Feb 2006 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145957 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145957 The CNSI was visited by a French delegation from Minatec (Center for Innovation in Micro and Nanotechnology) Ms. Adrienne Perves, Director of the Office of Technology Transfer for the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and Mr. Marcel Morabito, Professor and researcher at Science Po in Paris. They were accompanied by Christophe Lerouge, Attache for Science and Technology at the Consulate General of France in San Francisco. Lengthy discussions were held regarding the organization and operation of Minatec and CNSI. Afterwards the delegation was given a tour of the CNSI building. Founded in 2001 and located in Grenoble, Minatec is a $500 million research center sponsored jointly by the French government and the Rhone-Alpes Region. When opened in May of this year, it will employ 4,000 people and provide educational and R&D facilities for basic and applied research in micro and nanoscience. The center's scope of research[1] will combine physics, chemistry, biology and other disciplines and focus on several key topics: Microelectronics, Nanoscience, Biology and software. Minatec will also participate actively in national and international collaborations. Additional information about Minatec can be found at www.minatec.com [2]. Photo: David Lundberg, CNSI Director, International Strategic Alliances Office of External Affairs and Wendy Morris, CNSI Building Manager with visitors Ms. Adrienne Perves, Director of the Office of Technology Transfer for the CEA and Mr. Marcel Morabito, Professor of and researcher at the Science Po in Paris representing Minatec Center for Innovation in Micro and Nanotechnology. [1] [2] Thu, 16 Feb 2006 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=144921 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=144921 Postdoctoral Research Fellow Post Nanotechnology Research in the group of Prof. James Gimzewski on a new nanotechnology project using MEMS devices for sensing applications in liquid and gaseous environments in conjunction with the University of Stanford. Candidates should have experience in working in nanotechnology or a multi-disciplinary environment. Knowledge in computer automation and data acquisition, flow control, polymers, surface chemistry and biochemistry are desirable. Position involves collaborations with engineering, chemistry and medical schools at UCLA as well as MEMS at Stanford. Applicants are being considered now. Apply to gimadmin@chem.ucla.edu [1] [1] Wed, 08 Feb 2006 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=144505 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=144505 UCLA has developed a new testing method that would help manufacturers monitor and test the safety and health risks of engineered nanomaterials. A review article in the Feb. 3 issue of the journal Science by Dr. Andre Nel, professor of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute, presents a compelling discussion on the potential toxic effects of nanomaterials and the urgent need for developing safety testing. Read the press release[1]. Read the article in Science[2]. *News coverage:* - Daily Bruin[3] - United Press International[4] - Web India 123.com[5] - M&C Science & Nature[6] - PhysOrg.com[7] * Caption:* UCLA's Dr. Andre Nel and Dr. Tian Xia, review nanoparticle research in lab. *Photo Credit: *Reed Hutchinson [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Wed, 01 Feb 2006 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145115 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145115 The Department of Chemistry at Yonsei University, Korea and the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the purpose of scientific and educational exchanges and cooperation in collaborative research. The agreement was signed by CNSI Director Fraser Stoddart and Dr. Dongho Kim, Chair of the Graduate Program at Yonsei University. Thu, 09 Feb 2006 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=144521 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=144521 Ric Kaner[1], Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has been chosen as a 2006 Australian Research Council Distinguished Lecturer. Professor Kaner will be giving presentations on his research "Processable Polyaniline Nanofibers for Flash Welding, Sensors and Actuators" at the following Universities in Australia: - University of Wollongong in Wollongong Feb. 17th - University of New South Wales in Sydney Feb 20th - Macquarie University in Sydney Feb 20th - Australian National University in Canberra Feb 21st - Monash University in Melbourne Feb 22nd - University of Tasmania in Hobart Feb 24th - University of Queensland in Brisbane Feb 27th [1] Tue, 31 Jan 2006 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=130102 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=130102 February 21 24, 2006 Hawaii Conference Registration On-line registration is available here[1] Conference sponsors include the [IMAGE: ], [IMAGE: ], and [IMAGE: ]. Sheraton Kauai Resort [2]Hotel Reservations[3] *Conference sessions to include:* - Advances in NanoScale Metrology and NanoMechanics - Biomimetic NanoSystems - Challenges to NanoManufacturing - Functional Architectonics - Quantum and Low Dimensional Computing - Societal and Economic Impacts *View the Agenda[4] here.* *Onine registration now available!* Please click here[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Sun, 29 Jan 2006 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=144516 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=144516 CNSI Postdocs and Graduate Students spent a day with researchers at HP Laboratories in Palo Alto to discuss their research highlights on projects sponsored by HP. Presentations were given by all of the participants and discussions continued while explaining their research at their posters. The CNSI thanks Stan Williams and his colleague at HP for hosting a wonderful meeting. [IMAGE: ] Thu, 26 Jan 2006 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=144503 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=144503 Professor Fraser Stoddart's nanomotor is featured as the "Image of the Week" on AccessScience, the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology Online[1]. [1] Thu, 26 Jan 2006 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=143444 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=143444 Chemists at Italy's University of Bologna, UCLA and the California NanoSystems Institute have designed and constructed a molecular motor of nanometer size that does not consume fuels; their nano motor is powered only by sunlight. The research, federally funded by the National Science Foundation, will be published Jan. 31 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). "The nano motor can work continuously without any external interference, and operates without consuming or generating chemical fuels or waste," said Fraser Stoddart, UCLA's Fred Kavli Professor of NanoSystems Sciences and director of the institute. Read press release[1]. *View News Coverage:* MIT Technology Review[2] Solar-Powered Nanomotors: New molecular machines could find uses in both computing and cancer treatment United Press International[3] Nano-World: First solar-powered nano motor [1] [2] [3] Tue, 24 Jan 2006 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=141998 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=141998 "Dense Cluster Formation during Aggregation and Gelation of Attractive Slippery Nanemulsion Droplets," by J. N. Wilking, S. M. Graves, C. B. Chang, K. Meleson, M. Y. Lin, and T.G. Mason, has recently appeared in Physical Review Letters 96, 015501 (2006) and has been selected for the January 16, 2006 issue of Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science & Technology. The Virtual Journal, which is published by the American Institute of Physics and the American Physical Society, in cooperation with numerous other societies and publishers, is an edited compilation of links to articles from participating publishers, covering a focused area of frontier research. Tom Mason is the group leader of the team that revealed the new aggregation phenomenon, known as "slippery diffusion limited cluster aggregation", through small angle neutron scattering measurements, as described in the article[1]. He is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry, an Assistant Professor of Physics, and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. The current interests of Mason's research group include: (1) nanoemulsions: forming nanoscale dispersions of droplets of one liquid in another immiscible liquid through extreme shear, (2) microrheology: studying microscale deformation and flow of nanostructured synthetic and biological materials, (3) LithoParticles: probing structures of lithographically designed colloidal particles dispersed in a liquid solution, and (4) small angle neutron scattering: examining structural evolution of nanoscale hydrocarbon materials and dispersions. For more information about the Mason Group please visit http://www.chem.ucla.edu/dept/Faculty/Mason[2]. [1] [2] Tue, 20 Dec 2005 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=141286 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=141286 The California NanoSystems Institute announces the signing of an agreement with The Nature Center of Excellence (COE) at Nagoya University to work together on nanoscale projects of joint interest. Mr. Shin-ichi Hirano, President of Nagoya University recently visited UCLA and participated in the signing ceremony with Fraser Stoddart, Director of the California NanoSystems Institute. The MOU also covers faculty and student exchanges. In 2002 The Nature COE was designated in as a "21st Century COE" in chemistry and materials science by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. It's educational and research activities are carried out in conjunction with 4 departments in the Nagoya University Graduate School of Engineering, the Ecotopia Science Institute and the Institute of Advanced Research. More information about the Nature COE can be found at http://www.nature.coe.nagoya-u.ac.jp/[1]. [1] Thu, 12 Jan 2006 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=137686 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=137686 The Blue Ribbon Task Force on Nanotechnology (created by State Controller Steve Westly and Congressman Mike Honda) released their recommendations to make California the center for nanotechnology research and industry. In building upon California's existing resources, the committee recommended providing the necessary operating funding for all of the California Institutes for Science and Innovation, which includes the CNSI, and pledged to provide new funds to the UC System for the creation of new interdisciplinary courses in nanotechnology. "The State of California is already reaping the benefits of its investment in the construction of the CNSI at UCSB and UCLA in the form of increased nanotechnology conferences, classes, and outreach programs even though the buildings are no yet ready for occupancy. Action: As part of the proposed "California Innovation Initiative" the State should fund the operation of the CNSI centers so that staff and faculty can focus on nanosystems research. The State should also provide line-item funding to the public university and community college systems to support development of new, interdisciplinary courses for the proposed retraining of mid-career professionals." Attached please find the press release[1] issued by State Controller Westly and the full copy of the report. The CNSI will continue to work with the committee in promoting their recommendations to state and federal legislators. [1] Tue, 13 Dec 2005 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=137694 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=137694 A speckle pattern from Miao's group is highlighted on the American Physical Society 2006 calendar. Speckle patterns, when properly sampled, encode both the intensity and phase information and can be directly inverted to high-resolution and high-quality images. Miao pioneered this lensless imaging field and the applications are very broad ranging from physics, chemistry, materials science and nanoscience to biology. See their recent work for details [1]- J. Miao, Y. Nishino, Y. Kohmura, B. Johnson, C. Song, S.H. Risbud, T. Ishikawa, "Quantitative Image Reconstruction of GaN Quantum Dots from Oversampled Diffraction Intensities Alone", Phys. Rev. Lett. *95, 085503 (2005).* [1] Sun, 18 Dec 2005 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=135623 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=135623 A collaboration among scientists at UCLA, the California Institute of Technology, Stanford, Siemens and Fluidigm has developed a new technology using integrated microfluidic chips for simplifying, lowering the cost and diversifying the types of molecules used to image the biology of disease with the medical imaging technology, position emission tomography (PET). These molecules are used with PET to search diagnostically throughout the body to look for, or image, the molecular errors of disease and to guide the development of new molecular therapeutics. Included among the scientists at UCLA involved in the research are CNSI members Owen N. Witte and Michael Phelps. "It is both exciting and gratifying to see members of the CNSI working together and in collaboration with scientists at other research centers on the campus and beyond to achieve such important results in the advancement of the technology for medical imaging." said J. Fraser Stoddart, Director of the CNSI. The research was published this week in the journal Science[1]. For more information see UCLA press release[2]. [1] [2] Thu, 17 Nov 2005 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=144830 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=144830 The Nanomaterials Laboratory (NML), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Tsukuba, Japan and the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), UCLA have agreed to establish a close cooperative relationship with a shared vision toward promoting cooperation in the areas of education and academic research. The two institutes will develop joint programs for information exchanges on research, deliver lectures and jointly hold seminars, symposia and other conferences. The National Institute for Materials Science, or NIMS, was established with the overall purpose of improving the level of material science and technology by conducting research and development work in a comprehensive manner, including basic research in material science/technology and R&D in connection with associated technologies and the research and intellectual infrastructure. *Scope of Activities* - Basic research related to material science and technology, and research and development of related research and intellectual infrastructure. - Encouragement of practical application of R&D results, including transfer to the private sector. - Shared use of institute facilities and equipment with researchers from other institutions. - Training and development of researchers and technical people. Learn more about National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS)[1]. Learn more about Nanomaterials Laboratories (NML)[2]. Read the NIMS NOW International, February 2006[3]. [1] [2] [3] Tue, 13 Dec 2005 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=134617 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=134617 The California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA collaborated with a number of UCLA Institutes/Programs at the Sixteenth Annual California Diversity Forum in Sacramento, CA including CENS, Chem-Bio Interface Training Program, CMISE, FENA, and MCTP. These Diversity forums, planned by a consortium of public and private colleges and universities from throughout California, have been designed particularly to meet the needs of advanced undergraduates and masters candidates who belong to groups that are currently under-represented in doctoral-level programs. The groups include African Americans, Native Americans, Chicanos/Latinos, Filipinos, Pacific Islanders, Asian American women, and Asian American men in the Arts, Humanities, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. [1]Learn more about the California Diversity Forum[2] Photo Caption: Graduate Student, Kirsten Griffiths of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, along with Wes Uehara, CENS, and Chris Henry, Chem-Bio Interface Training Program, recruiting students at the Sixteenth Annual California Diversity Forum in Sacramento, CA held October 29, 2005. [1] [2] Sat, 29 Oct 2005 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145780 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145780 Seth Putterman is featured in this Nature Journal article titled "Physics: Far from the frontier." Purchase this article online at Nature.com[1] [1] Thu, 27 Oct 2005 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=134538 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=134538 Friday, during National Chemistry Week, the CNSI hosted a NanoExhibition featuring science experiments designed for high school classrooms. Developed and adapted by graduate students and post doctoral researchers at UCLA, these experiments were demonstrated by their creators for Los Angeles area high school teachers. Designed to enthuse and educate students about nanotechnology, these experiments provide an eye-opening view into the mysterious nano world of Molecules, Solar Cells, Magnetic Fluids, Photolithography, Polyaniline Sensors, and Scanning Tunneling Microscopes. Learn more about the program.[1] [2] Read more about the NanoExhibit in the Daily Bruin online[3] Photo Caption: Bill Carroll, President of the American Chemical Society was a special honored guest at the CNSI NanoExhibit. [1] [2] [3] Fri, 21 Oct 2005 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145778 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145778 Fraser Stoddart is elected to the rank of AAAS Fellow Read award letter[1] (PDF file). [1] Fri, 14 Oct 2005 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=134503 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=134503 With record-high prices of petroleum and natural gas and growing demand for electricity, the interest in alternative and renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power is once again bubbling to the surface. One team of researchers at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of California in Los Angeles has made strides toward making photovoltaic solar cells that are both cheap and efficient. CNSI member and UCLA engineering Professor Yang Yang and his research team have developed an organic photovoltaic cell that uses polymer, or plastic, material in a unique way. From ABC News online (National)[1] [1] Tue, 11 Oct 2005 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145782 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145782 UCLA Mathematician Awarded Major DOE Grant to Apply Sophisticated Mathematics to Plasma Physics[1] [1] Mon, 15 Aug 2005 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119783 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119783 * August 15, 2005* UCLA mathematics professor Russel Caflisch has been awarded $630,000 by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science to apply sophisticated mathematics to complex problems in plasma physics. UCLA Mathematician Awarded Major DOE Grant to Apply Sophisticated Mathematics to Plasma Physics [1] [1] Mon, 15 Aug 2005 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145784 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145784 Professor Stoddart Awarded the University of Edinburgh Alumnus of the Year Award [1](PDF File) [1] Wed, 10 Aug 2005 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145786 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145786 UCLA Biochemists Provide First Structural Details of Mysterious Bacterial Microcompartments[1] [1] Mon, 08 Aug 2005 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119781 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119781 *August 8, 2005* "This is the first look at how microcompartments are built, and what the pieces look like", said Todd Yeates, UCLA Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry. UCLA Biochemists Provide First Structural Details of Mysterious Bacterial Microcompartments [1] [1] Mon, 08 Aug 2005 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119779 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119779 "With the nano valve, we can trap and release molecules on demand. We are able to control molecules at the nano scale"... UCLA Chemists Create Nano Valve [1] [1] Fri, 15 Jul 2005 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119774 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119774 *June 8, 2005* An international team of chemists and molecular biologists has discovered a fundamental molecular mechanism that seems to play an important role in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, mad cow disease and two-dozen other degenerative and fatal diseases... 'Molecular Zipper' May Hold Important Clues to Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Mad Cow Disease, Team of International Scientists Reports in Nature [1] [1] Wed, 08 Jun 2005 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=121194 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=121194 *June 7, 2005* The UCLA NanoSystems Seminar Series concluded its program for the year with David Awschalom, Professor of Physics and Associate Director for the CNSI at UCSB. Over 200 students, faculty, and friends participated in the lecture, "Spintronics: Semiconductors, Molecules, and Quantum Information Processing" and then joined the reception afterwards in the Court of Sciences. Photos [1] [1] Tue, 07 Jun 2005 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=127855 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=127855 By Lee Bialik *April 8, 2005* Students in 14 underfunded Los Angeles schools will be receiving an unexpected donation to their science classes a scanning tunneling microscope which would cost $100,000 to $280,000 retail price. Thanks to UCLA's Science Outreach Program, graduate and postdoctoral students on campus voluntarily built the microscopes for about $1,000 each, and trained Los Angeles Union School District high school teachers on using them in experiments that they hope will attract more students to science. Learn more about this story from the Daily Bruin at http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/articles.asp?ID 32698[1] [1] Fri, 08 Apr 2005 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119772 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119772 UCLA Scientists Store Materials in Cell's Natural Vaults; May Offer Safer Way to Target Drugs to Living Cells: Engineering of vault nanocapsules with enzymatic and fluorescent properties [1] [1] Tue, 08 Mar 2005 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145794 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145794 Quantum Dots for Live Cells, in Vivo Imaging, and Diagnostics[1] [1] Fri, 28 Jan 2005 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119769 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119769 Research on fluorescent semiconductor nanocrystals (also known as quantum dots or qdots) has evolved over the past two decades... Quantum Dots for Live Cells, in Vivo Imaging, and Diagnostics [1] [1] Fri, 28 Jan 2005 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120257 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120257 Science Features the Evolution of Quantum Dot Imaging and its Potential in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment [1] [1] Thu, 27 Jan 2005 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145796 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=145796 Biology Meets Microchips to Make Tiny Robots[1] [1] Tue, 18 Jan 2005 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120099 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120099 The emerging field of molecular electronics--using nanoscale molecules as key components in computers and other electronic devices--is in excellent health and has a bright future, conclude UCLA, Caltech and University of California, Santa Barbara, chemists who assess the field in the Dec. 17 issue of the journal Science... [1] [1] Thu, 16 Dec 2004 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120103 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120103 Welding in Response to an Ordinary Camera Flash [1] [1] Thu, 28 Oct 2004 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120101 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120101 Researchers at UCLA have demonstrated the first silicon laser, which could lead to more effective biochemical detection, secure communications and defense against heat-seeking missiles... [1] [1] Fri, 22 Oct 2004 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120105 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120105 New UCLA research published in Nature may lead to an effective alternative to antibiotic drugs for treating bacterial diseases... [1] [1] Wed, 22 Sep 2004 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120111 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120111 Local Nanomechanical Motion of the Cell Wall of _ Saccharomyces cerevisiae _ [1] [1] Fri, 20 Aug 2004 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120109 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120109 "Breakthroughs are occurring at the atomic level that will stimulate the creation of new businesses and jobs in fields as diverse as health care, manufacturing, information technology, homeland security, environmental protection, and multimedia entertainment..." [1] [1] Thu, 19 Aug 2004 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120118 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120118 Quantum Computing, Secure Communications Closer to Reality: UCLA Scientists Control a Single Electron's Spin [1] "Quantum computing, which holds the promise of nearly unlimited processing power, secure communications and the ability to decole encrypted conversations by terrorists and others, ia a significant step closer to becoming a reality today with new research [2] published by a team of UCLA scientists in the journal Nature [3]." [1] [2] [3] Wed, 21 Jul 2004 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120120 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120120 Nanotechnology at UCLA was prominently featured nationwide on the evening of Friday, July 16, as a special feature on the Lehrer News Hour's segment "Nano: Where Art and Science Meet." An online forume extends throughout this week, and a real audio feed as well as special education section for grades 9-12 can be found at: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/nanotech/index.html [1] Featured with Jim Gimzewski was Professor Victoria Vesna, Chair of Design/Media Arts, and the artist that collaborated with Jim Gimzewski on NANO, currently running through September 2004 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. [1] Fri, 16 Jul 2004 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120113 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120113 "...private and public state economic development groups are getting in on the action, connecting U.S. companies and universities with their Chinese counterparts in a bid to drive economic prosperity through cross-cultural ties." [1] Learn More [2] about the CNSI Delegation to China. [1] [2] Wed, 14 Jul 2004 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120122 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120122 UCLA Chemists Make Structure of Breathtaking Beauty, Molecular Counterpart of Interlocked Borromean Rings, Whose Origins Date Back to Renaissance Italy [1] [1] Thu, 27 May 2004 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=121196 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=121196 The CNSI was invited by Chinese Governor Zushan Lu to visit with industry and academic leaders from the capital city of Hangzhou, located in the Zhejiang Province. A CNSI delegation of over 20 representatives from academia, industry, and venture capital participated in the three-day summit designed to educate them on the expanding research and industrial base greatly supported by the Chinese government and Zhejiang University. The schedule included visiting with companies specializing in biotechnology, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, software, and fabrication. Much time was also spent meeting with researchers from Zhejiang University and visiting their hospitals, research centers, and newly built Technology Park. Zhejiang University is third largest college in China. The trip was very successful and discussions are currently underway on a number of collaboratives research programs and business partnerships. Photos [1] [1] Tue, 18 May 2004 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120124 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120124 "The Sound of Cells" [1] The sounds produced by cells have been recorded for the first time by chemist Jim Gimzewski, from the University of California in Los Angeles. [1] Thu, 13 May 2004 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120132 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120132 Signal Discovery [1] A Los Angeles scientist says living cells may amke distinct sounds, which might someday help doctors "hear" diseases... [1] Thu, 04 Mar 2004 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120126 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120126 "In what may be the first collaboration of its kind, a group of prominent venture capitalists and corporate investors has lined up to advise the new $350 million nanotechnology research center run jointly by UCLA and UC Santa Barbara." [1] [1] Mon, 01 Mar 2004 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120128 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120128 "We wanted to present nanoscience and nanotechnology in a way that was accessible to the public..." [1] [1] Thu, 12 Feb 2004 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120130 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120130 Three CNSI Members, Doctors lenny Rome (Biological Chemistry), Shimon Weiss (Chemistry & Biochemistry), and Owen Witte (Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics), along with other faculty from UCLA have been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the W.M. Keck Foundation. [1] [1] Thu, 29 Jan 2004 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=127871 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=127871 UCLA Engineering Magazine, Fall 2003 by Chris Sutton UCLA has been selected to lead a new multimillion dollar research center as part of an initiative to expand semiconductor research at universities. The Functional Engineered Nano Architectonics Focus Center (FENA) will be funded by the Semiconductor Industry Association the industry's largest trade association and the Department of Defense. The term "architectonics" is derived from a Greek word meaning "master builder", which aptly describes the center's researchers as they build a new generation of nanoscale materials, structures and devices for the electronics industry. Photo: Professor Kang Wang, the director of FENA, stands in his UCLA Nanoelectronics Facility.(Photo: Irene Fertik) To Read the entire article go to: http://www.engineer.ucla.edu/stories/2003/fena.htm[1] [1] Mon, 10 Oct 2005 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119293 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119293 The research of Giovanni Zocchi, assistant professor of physics at UCLA and member of the California NanoSystems Institute is highlighted in this article: "UCLA Physicists Create Single Molecule Nanoscale Sensor; Possible Applications for Medicine, Biotechnology, Detecting Biological Weapons"[1] [1] Thu, 19 Jun 2003 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119291 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119291 Michael Phelps, chair of the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at UCLA, comments in today's Christian Science Monitor in an article about technology that allows researchers to produce full genome sequences for viruses like SARS (Features, Ideas, Pg. 16). "Biologist as watchmaker, cells as parts"[1] [1] Thu, 08 May 2003 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119241 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119241 Eli Yablonovitch, professor of electrical engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. The election, which took place April 29, marks the first time someone from UCLA's engineering school has become a member. "UCLA Electrical Engineering Professor Elected to National Academy of Sciences"[1] [1] Fri, 02 May 2003 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119239 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119239 Jim Gimzewski, UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry, is profiled in the April 4-10 issue of L.A. Weekly. Gimzewski and Mike Teitell, UCLA assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, are quoted. "Buckyballs and Screaming Cells: The Amazing Miniature World of UCLA Chemist Jim Gimzewski"[1] [1] Fri, 04 Apr 2003 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119237 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119237 Professor Kim's lab was featured in the National Geographic Explorer / MSNBC production of "Secret Weapons", which aired Sunday, March 16, 2003 at 8pm ET/PT on MSNBC. The feature focused on animals and plants that have evolved to be "nature's warriors", surviving in harsh environments by evolving an arsenal of abilities and weapons. Professor Kim's lab has been studying the physics of the microscopic world and developing microdevices inspired by the insects flourishing in the miniature world. Additional information at the National Geographic Website[1] Read more, view trailer.[2] [1] [2] Sun, 16 Mar 2003 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119233 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119233 CNSI Researchers at UCLA and UCSB have invented a new technique for producing "Ultra High Density Nanowire Lattices and Circuits." The paper, published online at sciencemag.org, describes a "general method for producing ultrahigh-density arrays of aligned metal and semiconductor nanowires and nanowire circuits, based upon translating vertical thickness control in thin film growth into lateral spatial patterns. Ultra High Density Nanowire Lattices and Circuits"[1] [1] Thu, 13 Mar 2003 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119229 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119229 UCLA chemists report in the Feb. 28 issue of Science a room-temperature chemical method for producing a new form of carbon called carbon nanoscrolls. Nanoscrolls are closely related to the much touted carbon nanotubes which may have numerous industrial applications but have significant advantages over them, said Lisa Viculis and Julia Mack, the lead authors of the Science article and graduate students in the laboratory of Richard B. Kaner, UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry. "UCLA Chemists Report New Method for Producing Carbon Nanoscrolls, an Alternative to Nanotubes[1] [1] Wed, 05 Mar 2003 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119227 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119227 CNSI member Eli Yablonovitch is among three faculty at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science elected to the prestigious National Academy of Engineering. "Three Faculty Members at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science Elected to National Academy of Engineering"[1] [1] Wed, 19 Feb 2003 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119225 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119225 UCLA will break ground for a new building that will house the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI). The institute is one of Gov. Gray Davis' four UC Institutes for Science and Innovation to expand California's role as the leader in technical invention. "UCLA Breaks Ground for World's Most Advanced Nano-Research Facility, With Gov. Gray Davis and UC President Richard Atkinson "[1] [1] Fri, 14 Feb 2003 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119223 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119223 Bruce Dunn, a materials science professor from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, believes a radical new design for a lightweight, rechargeable battery a design based on three-dimensional geometry will provide power to a host of devices so small that traditional batteries simply cannot be used. "New Battery Design Could Be the Answer to Powering the World's Smallest Devices"[1] [1] Mon, 03 Feb 2003 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119221 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119221 “An Easy Route to Polyaniline Nanofibers”[1] Chemists have developed a simple new way to prepare large quantities of polyaniline nano-fibers. Polyaniline is a conducting polymer that holds great promise for use in electronic and optical devices. (continued on website link) [1] Mon, 06 Jan 2003 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119111 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119111 _*UCLA News*_ CNSI members David Awschalom, Eli Yablonovitch,and Karoly Holczer are cited in a news piece concerning funds for CNSI through CNID,The Center for Nanoscience Innovation for Defense, a government institution created to facilitate the rapid transition of research innovation in the nanosciences into applications for the defense sector. "New Center for Nanoscale Innovation Transfers Knowledge From Universities to Industry"[1] [1] Thu, 12 Dec 2002 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119104 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119104 _*Wall Street Journal*_ The story of how CTI Molecular Imaging teamed up with CNSI member Michael Phelps, Norton Simon professor and chair of the UCLA Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, to build the first PET scanner, was reported in Friday's Wall Street Journal. Wed, 04 Dec 2002 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119102 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119102 _*UCLA News*_ UCLA Professors James Heath Named to Scientific American's List of "50 Visionaries"[1] [1] Mon, 18 Nov 2002 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119100 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119100 _*UCLA News*_ CNSI Member Dr. Sanjiv Gambhir, leads research that will allow scientists to study how cellular proteins talk to one another, the findings may speed development of new drugs for cancer, cardiovascular diseases and neurological diseases. "UCLA Scientists Eavesdrop on Cellular Conversations by Making Mice ‘Glow’ With Firefly Protein"[1] [1] Wed, 13 Nov 2002 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119098 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119098 _*Mercury News*_ CNSI Member James Heath is cited in San Jose Mercury News as one of Scientific American magazine's 50 top science and technology leaders of 2002 (State and Regional News). "Magazine's technology awards recognize practical adaptations"[1] (access requires an account) [1] Mon, 11 Nov 2002 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119096 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119096 _*UCLA News*_ CNSI Member Carlo Montemagno, professor and chair of the UCLA Department of Bioengineering[1], reports that his group has developed a chemical switch that gives them control over a biomolecular motor just 11 nanometers, or 11 billionths of a meter, in size. g>"UCLA Researchers Develop Chemical Switch to Control Biomolecular Motor"[2] [1] [2] Fri, 08 Nov 2002 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119094 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119094 *New York Times* CNSI member James Heath comments today in The New York Times concerning the creation of possibly the world’s smallest logic circuit (Late Edition, Section A, Pg. 22; National Edition, Section A, Pg. 18). Scientists Shrink Computing to Molecular Level"[1] [1] Fri, 25 Oct 2002 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119092 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119092 *Chronicle of Higher Education* CNSI member David Eisenberg, UCLA professor of biological chemistry and director of the UCLA Center for Genomics and Proteomics, is appointed to the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine. He is among 65 new members announced by the Institute. Tue, 15 Oct 2002 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119089 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119089 _*CNSI News*_ * CNSI’s first UCLA NanoSystems Poster Day* attracts over 300 people including Chancellor Carnesale; Vice Chancellor for Research, Roberto Peccei; Dean of Physical Sciences, Tony Chan; Dean of Life Sciences, Fred Eisenberg; Senior Associate Dean for Research, Lenny Rome. Tue, 17 Sep 2002 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119113 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119113 *Date: October 11, 2002 Location: Korn Convocation Hall, UCLA campus. * http://www.seasalum.ucla.edu/symposium.cfm[1] Description: The UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science hosts a symposium examining the technologies that are shaping the future. Researchers from the School of Engineering will present their work in emerging fields of discovery, and government leaders will share their perspectives on the future of advanced technology. Chih-Ming Ho, CNSI Professor and UCLA Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, will be speaking at the symposium. [1] Sun, 01 Sep 2002 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119087 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119087 _*UCLA News*_ A new key part of CNSI, called the Center for Advanced Surgical and Interventional Technology[1] (CASIT), will help promote clinical, educational and research use of surgical robots and digital imaging in surgery and medicine. [1] Fri, 30 Aug 2002 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119117 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119117 *Date: October 8 December 3, 2002 Location: Lecture Hall CS50, located in the Court of Sciences Between Geology and Young Hall * Description: A lecture series for the Fall 2002 Quarter. Professor Paul Alivisatos from UC Berkeley will kick-off the series on Tuesday, October 8 at 3:30 pm. Fri, 16 Aug 2002 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119085 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119085 *_UCLA News_* SCIENCE TECH: The work of Michael Phelps, UCLA professor of molecular and medical pharmacology, to develop the PET scanner was highlighted in the July 30 issue of Business Week. "A Sharper Eye for Seeing Within" [1] [1] Tue, 06 Aug 2002 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119083 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119083 *_UCLA News_* CNSI Professor Richard Kaner provides nanoparticles to assist engineers in emulating Spider's techniques[1]. Thomas Hahn, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Professor, is taking nanoparticles provided by Kaner and putting them into polymers to make stronger and more functional nanocomposites. [1] Tue, 06 Aug 2002 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119115 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119115 *Date: October 26, 2002 Location: Paul D. Boyer Hall, Room 159, UCLA * Description: The Ninth Annual Seaborg Symposium *The Science and Technology of Nanotubes* Honoring Richard E. Smalley, Ph.D. * Date: October 26, 2002 Location: UCLA Covel Commons, Grand Horizon Room * Description: The 16th Annual Glenn T. Seaborg Medal Presentation and Dinner Honoring Richard E. Smalley, Ph.D. Rice University, Winner of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Thu, 01 Aug 2002 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119081 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119081 _*Business Week*_ "A Sharper Eye for Seeing Within"[1] CNSI Professor Michael Phelps' work to develop the PET scanner was highlighted. [1] Tue, 30 Jul 2002 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119079 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119079 _*United Press International*_ "Nuclear medicine evolves beyond cancer."[1] CNSI Professor Michael Phelps[2] comments about the positron emission tomography (PET) scanner. [1] [2] Sun, 21 Jul 2002 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119077 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119077 CNSI Members Michael E. Phelps and Jorge Barrio were chosen by peers for awards in nuclear medicine[1]. Phelps earned the 2002 Cassen Prize for inventing the PET scanner, and Barrio received the 2002 Aebersold Award for lifetime achievement in the basic sciences. [1] Fri, 12 Jul 2002 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119075 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119075 UCLA is the site of the new NASA-sponsored Institute for Cell Mimetic Space Exploration, which will receive up to $40 million over 10 years. Several of the CNSI faculty will participate in research projects that will mimic biological systems. Read more...[1] [1] Fri, 14 Jun 2002 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119073 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119073 CNSI professor Richard Kaner , described as an "outstanding teacher, mentor, scholar, and a remarkable person," was awarded the Gold Shield Faculty Prize for Academic Excellence. Read more...[1] [1] Fri, 14 Jun 2002 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119071 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119071 CNSI Researcher's Work Featured in an Issue of Scientific American. _Spintronics_ has important implications toward information storage and CNSI professor David Awschalom describes how spintronic devices create spin-polarized currents to control current flow. Sun, 02 Jun 2002 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119056 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119056 HHMI Announces Selection of New Investigators Who Conduct Patient-Oriented Research[1] CNSI professor Charles Sawyers was named an investigator for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute for "an innovative program to improve the translation of basic science discoveries into enhanced treatments for patients". [1] Tue, 28 May 2002 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119054 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119054 The Toughest Transistor Yet[1] CNSI Professor Umesh Mishra is co-author of IEEE Spectrum's feature article that describes the prospects of gallium nitride transistors. GaN holds promises for high power and energy-efficient transistors. [1] Thu, 02 May 2002 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120261 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120261 Gov. Gray Davis has signed legislation that will provide $308 million in lease-revenue bonds to help build the four University of California Institutes for Science and Innovation and an additional $26.7 million to construct the first classroom building at UC Merced. [1] [1] Tue, 30 Apr 2002 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119052 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119052 Genefluidics counts on glass to break into nanobio market [1]At the Southern California Technology Venture Forum (SCTVF), CNSI professor Chih-Ming Ho, spoke about what's happening between biological sciences and nanotechnology and of sensitive methods for analyzing material at the nanoscale. [1] Tue, 30 Apr 2002 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120263 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120263 Funding Backs Research to Make Novel Semiconductor in More Commercially Viable Ingot Form [1] [1] Tue, 02 Apr 2002 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119046 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119046 Scientists Develop Plastic That Mends Itself[1] [1] Tue, 05 Mar 2002 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120265 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120265 PDF format [1] Microsoft Word format [2] [1] [2] Mon, 04 Mar 2002 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119040 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=119040 Cylinders make circuits spontaneously[1] CNSI Professor James Heath and colleagues develop conducting grids of carbon nanotubes to function as a diode. (this site requires subscription) [1] Tue, 29 Jan 2002 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=118952 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=118952 HP claims big step in tiny chips[1] Hewlett-Packard and CNSI Professor James Heath patent method to commercialize nanochips. [1] Wed, 23 Jan 2002 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=118931 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=118931 (requires payment for full article) "Colors are Truly Brilliant in Trek Up Mount Metaphor"[1] Scientists, such as CNSI Prof. David Awschalom, deal with pictorial mountains to sort and analyze mathematical data. [1] Tue, 25 Dec 2001 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120267 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120267 CNSI Professor Dr. Awschalom reports in the December 6 issue of Nature the first demonstration of continuous electrical tunability of spin coherence in semiconductor nanostructures. [1] [1] Thu, 20 Dec 2001 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=118924 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=118924 (requires subscription for full article) "Chemistry Highlights 2001"[1] Article highlights 2001 science developments by CNSI Professors Jim Heath, Fraser Stoddart, and Jim Gimzewski. [1] Mon, 10 Dec 2001 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=118917 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=118917 "A new spin on computing. UC scientists suggest way to harness electrons for processors"[1] CNSI Prof. David Awschalom exploits the electron spin for developing new devices. [1] Mon, 10 Dec 2001 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=118906 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=118906 "Letters to Nature: Electrical control of spin coherence in semiconductor nanostructures"[1] [1] Thu, 06 Dec 2001 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=118892 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=118892 "Letters to Nature: Photochemical cycling of iron in the surface ocean mediated by microbial iron(III)-binding ligands"[1] [1] Thu, 27 Sep 2001 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120269 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120269 CNSI Professor Alison Butler and lab discover the functions of the iron-bound ligand molecules, siderophores, in marine micro-organisms. "Understanding the uptake of this scarce micro-nutrient will help provide more insight into how these microscopic plants and bacteria cope int hese oceanic environments." [1] [1] Wed, 26 Sep 2001 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=118890 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=118890 "The Next Small Thing"[1] CNSI Professors Evelyn Hu and Jim Heath featured in July Forbes Magazine. "Scientists are re-creating our world in the realm of the intensely tiny. The potential payoff: denser hard drives, smaller chips, better medicine." [1] Mon, 23 Jul 2001 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120273 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120273 Using femtosecond lasers, the Awschalom lab at UCSB controls electronic spins by manipulating the electron's direction of rotation. Spintronics (spin-based electronics) provide new and exciting ideas toward the development of solid-state quantum computers. [1] [1] Thu, 28 Jun 2001 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=118886 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=118886 "Electronics in a Spin"[1]*. *CNSI professor David Awschalom exploits electron spin to create a "spin battery". [1] Thu, 14 Jun 2001 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120275 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=120275 Dr. Awschalom and researchers at Penn State demonstrate the transfer of electronic spins across semiconductor interfaces. The research uses the spin reservoir of one semiconductor material as the source for "spin batteries" through which a current of spins moves from one material to the other when an electric field is applied. [1] [1] Wed, 13 Jun 2001 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=118871 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=118871 "Nanotube Magic"[1] CNSI Prof. Jim Gimzewski develops perfectly ordered crystals of single-walled carbon nanotubes. [1] Mon, 16 Apr 2001 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=118869 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=118869 "Nanotechnology Research Awards Announced"[1] CNSI Professor Horia Metiu (UCSB) was awarded a research grant on the topic of Nanostructures of Catalysis. [1] Fri, 23 Feb 2001 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=118864 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=118864 California Launches major nanotechnologies initiative. Read more...[1] [1] Thu, 07 Dec 2000 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2051705 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2051705 The Office of Science of the Department of Energy is pleased to announce the researchers selected for negotiation of a financial award under the fiscal year 2012 Early Career Research Program. The funding opportunity for researchers in universities and DOE national laboratories, now in its third year, supports the development of individual research programs of outstanding scientists early in their careers and stimulates research careers in the disciplines supported by the DOE Office of Science. Opportunities exist in the following program areas: Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR); Biological and Environmental Research (BER); Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES); High Energy Physics (HEP), and Nuclear Physics (NP). Xiangfeng Duan[1], Assistant Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute is one of the 68 selectees for fiscal year 2012 were chosen based on peer review of about 850 proposals. Dr. Duan's proposal, *"Rational Design and Nanoscale Integration of Multi]Heterostructures as Highly Efficient Photocatalysts,"* was selected for funding by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences. *Abstract:* The combination of dissimilar materials with nanometer]scale dimensions can enable exciting opportunities to precisely control their electronic and optical properties and to create a new generation of integrated material systems with functional properties not possible in individual components. This project will design and synthesize complex nanostructures of dissimilar materials that integrate a nanoscale photovoltaic device with two distinct redox nanocatalysts. The interaction of light with these nanostructures creates electron]hole pairs that are quickly separated and transported to the integrated nanocatalysts to enable thermodynamically unfavorable redox reactions. Systematic studies will be carried out to develop general strategies for the synthesis of such complex nanostructures and to investigate their fundamental electronic, optical, and photocatalytic properties. The rational design of nanoscale architectures and seamless integration of multiple functional components in a single nanostructure can enable efficient optical absorption, charge generation, separation, transportation and utilization for productive redox chemistry. It therefore has the potential to enable a new generation of highly effective photocatalysts for efficient harvest and conversion of solar energy into chemical fuel. For more information about the DoE 2012 Early Career Research Program visit The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science[2] [1] [2] Wed, 09 May 2012 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2050308 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2050308 *_Save the Date!_* *Thursday, May 31, 2012 Core Lab Open House* _New tools and methods transform perspectives and capabilities in the fields of science, engineering, and medicine_ The core user facilities at CNSI develop and offer a wide array of cutting-edge instrumentation and technical expertise not readily available elsewhere in the United States. These shared, open-access facilities enable a broad range of scientific research and are available to academia and industry researchers in medicine, engineering, public health, the life sciences, and the physical sciences. Highly skilled scientists and engineers facilitate multidisciplinary collaborative research leading to new innovations in health, energy, the environment, and information technology. *RSVP by May 24th to cnsievents@cnsi.ucla.edu* *Fluorescence Imaging Advanced Light Microscopy / Spectroscopy Lab Macro-Scale Imaging Lab Electron Microscopy Electron Imaging Center for Nanomachines Scanning Probe Microscopy Nano & Pico Characterization Lab High Throughput Screening | Drug Discovery| Functional Genomics Molecular Shared Screening Resource Molecular Beam Epitaxy Integrated NanoMaterials Lab Cleanroom Fabrication and Foundry Integrated Systems Nanofabrication Cleanroom * *SCHEDULE:* 2:00 4:00 Core Lab Presentations 4:00- 6:00pm Core Lab Tours & Networking Mixer *WHERE:* The California NanoSystems Institute, UCLA 570 Westwood Plaza, Building 114 Los Angeles, CA 90095 310-267-4838 Map & Directions[1] *RSVP & INFORMATION:* RSVP by May 24th to cnsievents@cnsi.ucla.edu CNSI Core Laboratories provide access, expertise, and training on state-of-the-art tools and methods to diverse users, including students, postdocs, staff, faculty, and industrial scientists from companies large and small. [1] Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2051474 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2051474 CNSI faculty member Mark S. Cohen has been selected to receive one of this year's Postdoctoral Mentoring Awards. Also receiving awards are professors Kelsey C. Martin from the Department of Chemical Biology and James U. Bowie from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Other finalists include CNSI director Paul S. Weiss, MIMG professor David S. Brooks, and Health Services and Psychology professor William McCarthy. The awards recognize mentors who have made truly exceptional contributions to the careers and lives of their postdoctoral mentees. The awards will be presented along with the UCLA Chancellor's Awards for Postdoctoral Research, at a ceremony on *Thursday May 9th, 3:30-5:30pm in the CNSI auditorium*. RSVP here: https://www.gdnet.ucla.edu/rsvp/?Event POSTDOC2012[1]. [1] Mon, 07 May 2012 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2051479 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2051479 Paul Weiss, Director of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, gave the inaugural "Excellence in NanoScience" lecture at the [1] Mon, 07 May 2012 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2050674 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2050674 Gaming system a new step for telepathology and other telemedicine fields Online crowd-sourcing in which a task is presented to the public, who respond, for free, with various solutions and suggestions has been used to evaluate potential consumer products, develop software algorithms and solve vexing research-and-development challenges. But diagnosing infectious diseases? Online crowd-sourcing in which a task is presented to the public, who Online crowd-sourcing in which a task is presented to the public, who Working on the assumption that large groups of public non-experts can be trained to recognize infectious diseases with the accuracy of trained pathologists, researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA have created a crowd-sourced online gaming system in which players distinguish malaria-infected red blood cells from healthy ones by viewing digital images obtained from microscopes. The UCLA team found that a small group of non-experts playing the game (mostly undergraduate student volunteers) was collectively able to diagnosis malaria-infected red blood cells with an accuracy that was within 1.25 percent of the diagnostic decisions made by a trained medical professional. The game, which can be accessed on cell phones and personal computers, can be played by anyone around the world, including children. "The idea is, if you carefully combine the decisions of people even non-experts they become very competitive," said Aydogan Ozcan, an associate professor of electrical engineering and bioengineering and the corresponding author of the crowd-sourcing research. "Also, if you just look at one person's response, it may be OK, but that one person will inevitably make some mistakes. But if you combine 10 to 20, maybe 50 non-expert gamers together, you improve your accuracy greatly in terms of analysis." Crowd-sourcing, the UCLA researchers say, could potentially help overcome limitations in the diagnosis of malaria, which affects some 210 million people annually worldwide and accounts for 20 percent of all childhood deaths in sub-Saharan Africa and almost 40 percent of all hospitalizations throughout that continent. The current gold standard for malaria diagnosis involves a trained pathologist using a conventional light microscope to view images of cells and count the number of malaria-causing parasites. The process is very time-consuming, and given the large number of cases in resource-poor countries, the sheer volume presents a big challenge. In addition, a significant portion of cases reported in sub-Sahara Africa are actually false positives, leading to unnecessary and costly treatments and hospitalizations. By training hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of members of the public to identify malaria through UCLA's crowd-sourced game, a much greater number of diagnoses could be made more quickly at no cost and with a high degree of collective accuracy. "The idea is to use crowds to get collectively better in pathologic analysis of microscopic images, which could be applicable to various telemedicine problems," said Sam Mavandadi, a postdoctoral scholar in Ozcan's research group and the study's first author. Ozcan and Mavandadi emphasized that the same platform could be applied to combine the decisions of minimally trained health care workers to significantly boost the accuracy of diagnosis, which is especially promising for telepathology, among other telemedicine fields. The new UCLA study, "Distributed Medical Image Analysis and Diagnosis Through Crowd-Sourced Games," has been accepted for publication in the journal PLoS ONE. More information is available at http://biogames.ee.ucla.edu[1]. In addition to developing the crowd-sourced gaming platform that allows players to assist in identifying malaria in cells imaged under a light microscope, Ozcan's research group created an automated algorithm for diagnosing the same images using computer vision, as well as a novel hybrid platform for combining human and machine resources toward efficient, accurate and remote diagnosis of malaria. "The most exciting aspect is that this is an entirely novel approach in the area of visual diagnostics, which really challenges diagnostic algorithms used to date," said Karin Nielsen, a professor of infectious diseases in the department of pediatrics at the Geffen School of Medicine. "It is diagnostics outside the box that is, the study introduces an entirely new concept in diagnostics with the use of games for this purpose. The potential applications of this new approach are immense." How the game works: Before playing the game, each player is given a brief online tutorial and an explanation of what malaria-infected red blood cells typically look like using sample images. After completing a short training phase, players go through the actual game, in which they are presented with multiple frames of red blood cell images and can use a "syringe" tool to "kill" the infected cells one-by-one and use a "collect-all" tool to designate the remaining cells in the frame as "healthy." Within each frame, there are a certain number of cells whose status (i.e., infected or not) is known by the game but not by the players. These control cell images allow Ozcan's team to dynamically estimate the performance of gamers as they go through each frame and also helps the team assign a score for every frame the gamer passes through. "I believe that, similar to other very innovative ideas, one of the major challenges will be the skepticism of traditional microscopists, pathologists and clinical laboratory personnel, not to mention malaria experts, who will initially view with suspicion a gaming approach in malaria diagnostics," said Nielsen, also an author of the study. "It is a very revolutionary proposal and it might take a few clinical studies in the field to document the efficacy of this platform in order to convince traditional microbiologists and other infectious disease colleagues." "Scaling up accurate, automated and remote diagnosis of malaria through a crowd-sourced gaming platform may lead to significant changes for developing countries," Ozcan said. "It could eliminate the current overuse and misuse of anti-malarial drugs, improve management of non-malaria fevers by ruling malaria out, lead to better use of existing funds, and reduce risks due to long-term side-effects of anti-malarial drugs on patients who don't need treatment," Mavandadi added. O zcan's team hopes to bring the platform into the field through clinical trials to help validate its use and facilitate implementation of the technology worldwide. Nielsen and Ozcan plan to implement it at clinical sites in countries such as Mozambique, Malawi and Brazil. In addition, the same crowd-sourcing and gaming-based micro-analysis and medical diagnosis platform could be further scaled up for a variety of other biomedical and environmental applications in which microscopic images need to be examined by experts, the researchers said. Other authors of the study included Stoyan Dimitrov, Steve Feng, Frank Yu, Uzair Sikora, Oguzhan Yaglidere and Swati Padmanabhan, all with the UCLA Department of Electrical Engineering. Funding for Ozcan Research Group is provided by the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the Army Research Office Young Investigator Award, the NSF CAREER Award (BISH Program), the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award 2009 and the NIH Director's New Innovator Award. For more information on the Ozcan Research Group, visit http://innovate.ee.ucla.edu[2] and http://biogames.ee.ucla.edu[3]. UCLA Newsroom and link to video[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Thu, 03 May 2012 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2050517 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2050517 Researchers link semiconductor particles electronic properties to their tendency to cause inflammation Researchers report the first model to predict nanoparticle toxicity based on the materials water solubility and electronic properties (_ ACS Nano_, DOI:10.1021/nn3010087[1]). Metal oxide nanoparticles are semiconducting materials that drive oxidation and reduction reactions in devices such as fuel cells and electronics. Andre E. Nel[2] of the University of California, Los Angeles, wondered whether these particles toxicity could be linked to their band gaps, the energy gaps between occupied and unoccupied electron energy levels. He thought that if the magnitude of the band gap matched the energies required to drive oxidation and reduction reactions in human cells, the materials could disrupt these well-regulated cellular reactions, leading to cellular damage and inflammation. To test the hypothesis, Nel and his team studied 24 metal oxide nanomaterials and predicted that six would be toxic: TiO2, Ni2O3, CoO, Cr2O3, Co3O4, and Mn2O3. When applied to human and mouse cells, five of the six predicted metal oxidesall but TiO2caused toxic effects, including reducing cell survival by as much as 80%. Two materials not predicted by their band gaps, CuO and ZnO, were also toxic. Nel says these metal oxides dissolve readily in water to release toxic metal ions, making solubility another crucial part of the toxicity model. Andre Nel collaborated with fellow members of the California NanoSystems Institute among others including Jeffrey Zink[3], Robert Damoiseaux[4], and Yoram Cohen[5]. See this post in _Chemical & Engineering News_ (C&EN)[6]. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Tue, 01 May 2012 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2050553 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2050553 Engineered nanomaterials, prized for their unique semiconducting properties, are already prevalent in everyday consumer products from sunscreens, cosmetics and paints to textiles and solar batteries and economic forecasters are predicting the industry will grow into $1 trillion business in the next few years. But how safe are these materials? Because the semiconductor properties of metal-oxide nanomaterials could potentially translate into health hazards for humans, animals and the environment, it is imperative, researchers say, to develop a method for rapidly testing these materials to determine the potential hazards and take appropriate preventative action. To that end, UCLA researchers and their colleagues have developed a novel screening technology that allows large batches of these metal-oxide nanomaterials to be assessed quickly, based on their ability to trigger certain biological responses in cells as a result of their semiconductor properties. The research is published in the journal ACS Nano[1]. Just as semiconductors can inject or extract electrons from industrial materials, semiconducting metal-oxide nanomaterials can have an electron-transfer effect when they come into contact with human cells that contain electronically active molecules, the researchers found. And while these oxidationreduction reactions are helpful in industry, when they occur in the body they have the potential to generate oxygen radicals, which are highly reactive oxygen molecules that damage cells, triggering acute inflammation in the lungs of exposed humans and animals. In a key finding, the research team predicted that metal-oxide nanomaterials and electronically active molecules in the body must have similar electron energy levels called band-gap energy in the case of the nanomaterial for this hazardous electron transfer to occur and oxidative damage to result. Based on this prediction, the researchers screened 24 metal-oxide nanoparticles to determine which were most likely to lead to toxicity under real-life exposure. Using a high-throughput screening assay (performed by robotic equipment and an automated image-capture microscope), they tested the two dozen materials on a variety of cell types in a matter of a few hours and found that six of them those that had previously met the researchers' predictive criteria for being toxic based on their band-gap energy led to oxidative damage in cells. The team then tested the nanomaterials in well-orchestrated animal studies and found that only those materials that had led to oxidative damage in cells were capable of generating inflammation in the lungs of mice, confirming the researchers' band-gap hypothesis. "The ability to make such predictions, starting with cells in a test tube, and extrapolating the results to intact animals and humans exposed to potentially hazardous metal oxides, is a huge step forward in the safety screening of nanomaterials," said senior author Dr. Andre Nel[2], chief of the division of nanomedicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA and director of the University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology[3]. According to the researchers, this new safety-assessment technology has the potential to replace traditional testing, which is currently performed one material at a time in labor-intensive animal studies using a "wait-and-see" approach that doesn't reveal why the implicated nanomaterials could be hazardous. The UCLA team's predictive approach and screening technique could speed up the ability to assess large numbers of emerging new nanomaterials rather than waiting for their toxicological potential to become manifest before action is taken. "Being able to integrate metal-oxide electronic properties into a predictive and high-throughput scientific platform in this work could play an important role in advancing nanomaterial safety testing in the 21st century to a preventative strategy, rather than waiting for problems to emerge," Nel said. Another major advantage of an approach based on the assessment of nanomaterials' properties is that one can identify those properties that could potentially be redesigned to make the materials less hazardous, the researchers said. The implementation of high-throughput screening is also leading to the development of computer tools that assist in prediction-making; in the future, much of the safety assessment of nanomaterials could be carried out using computer programs that perform smart modeling and simulation procedures based on electronic properties. "We can now further refine the testing of an important class of engineered nanomaterials to the level where regulatory agencies can make use of our predictions and testing methods," said Haiyuan Zhang, a postdoctoral research scholar at the Center for Environmental Implicatioons of Nanotechnology at UCLA's CNSI and the lead author of the study. The UCLA research team included investigators from the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA; the UCLA Division of Nanomedicine; the UCLA departments of medicine, biostatistics, chemical and bimolecular engineering, and chemistry; and the CNSI's Molecular Shared Screening Resource at CNSI. Collaborators included researchers from the IWT Foundation Institute of Materials Science and the department of engineering at the University of Bremen, in Germany, and the department of d'enginyeria informatica i matematiques at the Universitat Rovira i Virgili, in Catalunya, Spain. UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Tue, 01 May 2012 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2050488 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2050488 If you throw a rubber balloon filled with water against a wall, it will spread out and deform on impact, while the same balloon filled with honey, which is more viscous, will deform much less. If the balloon's elastic rubber was stiffer, an even smaller change in shape would be observed. By simply analyzing how much a balloon changes shape upon hitting a wall, you can uncover information about its physical properties. Although cells are not simple sacks of fluid, they also contain viscous and elastic properties related to the membranes that surround them; their internal structural elements, such as organelles; and the packed DNA arrangement in their nuclei. Because variations in these properties can provide information about cells' state of activity and can be indicative of diseases such as cancer, they are important to measure. UCLA bioengineering researchers have taken advantage of cells' physical properties to develop a new instrument that slams cells against a wall of fluid and quickly analyzes the physical response, allowing for the identification of cancer and other cell states without expensive chemical tags. The instrument, called a deformability cytometer, was developed by UCLA biomedical engineering doctoral students Daniel Gossett and Henry Tse and assistant professor of bioengineering Dino Di Carlo. It consists of a miniaturized microfluidic chip that sequentially aligns cells so that they hit a wall of fluid at rates of thousands of cells per second. A specialized camera captures microscopic images of these cells at a rate of 140,000 pictures per second, and these images are then automatically analyzed by custom software to extract information about the cells' physical properties. Other researchers had previously discovered that the physical properties of cells could provide useful information about cell health, but previous techniques had been confined to academic research labs because measuring the cells of interest could take hours or even days. With the deformability cytometer, the group can prepare samples and conduct an analysis of tens of thousands of cells within 10 to 30 minutes. "Our system makes use of an approach that (U.S. Secretary of Energy) Steven Chu used to stretch DNA to, instead, stretch cells," Di Carlo said. "This required us to engineer the fluid dynamics of the system such that cells always entered the stretching flow in the same place, making use of inertial focusing technology my group has been pioneering." With a system in place to measure the physical properties of cells at much higher rates, the bioengineers teamed up with collaborators across the UCLA campus to measure various cell populations of interest to biologists and doctors. Along with UCLA stem cell biologist Amander Clark, an assistant professor of of molecular, cellular and developmental biology, Di Carlo's team confirmed that stem cells that have the capability to become any tissue type stretch much less than their progeny, which are already in the process of becoming a particular tissue. In collaboration with cytopathologist Dr. Jian Yu Rao, a professor of pathlogy and laboratory medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, the team accurately detected cancer cells from pleural fluids using the high-speed deformability cytometer. Pleural fluid, which builds up around the lungs, is traditionally challenging to analyze because it contains a mixture of cell types including immune cells, mesothelial cells from the chest wall lining and, potentially, low concentrations of cancer cells. "The main problem for the diagnosis is that with cytomorphology alone, it can be difficult to distinguish mon-malignant mesothelial cells that are reactive to conditions such as inflammation, infection and injury from metastatic cancer cells or malignant mesothelial cells," Rao said. "So this technique has tremendous clinical utility in that regard." With Rao and Dr. Otto Yang, a professor in the infectious diseases division at the Geffen School of Medicine and the department of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics, the researchers found that in addition to identifying cancer, the technique was also sensitive to states of acute and chronic inflammation in which populations of white blood cells are primed to respond to infection. Measuring the state of the immune system can aid in diagnosing immune disorders such as AIDS or in evaluating patients' rejection of transplants early on, allowing doctors to modify anti-rejection therapies. "The applicability to infectious diseases and organ transplantation is still theoretical," said Yang, who is also a researcher with the UCLA AIDS Institute. "Immune cells change physical characteristics as they are activated, and so, in theory, this technology could be harnessed to detect immune responses against infections or transplanted organs." "Working with other folks across campus has been amazing," Di Carlo said. "Anytime we talked with Amander, Otto or Jian Yu, we learned something new which helped us refine our system and the problems we chose to address. We all live in slightly different worlds, and sometimes communication is difficult, but bioengineering is great in that we can communicate in different languages and bridge the engineering school to medicine and biology much more effectively." The results were reported online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA[1] and will be published in a forthcoming print issue of the journal. More information can be found at Di Carlo's laboratory website[2]. The research was funded by a Young Faculty Award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and a Packard Foundation Fellowship for Science and Engineering. Cytovale Inc., a spin-off out of UCLA Engineering assisted by the school's Institute for Technology Advancement[3], is exploring first steps toward commercialization of the instrument. [1] [2] [3] Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2050317 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2050317 In the fight against emerging public health threats, early diagnosis of infectious diseases is crucial. And in poor and remote areas of the globe where conventional medical tools like microscopes and cytometers are unavailable, rapid diagnostic tests, or RDTs, are helping to make disease screening quicker and simpler. RDTs are generally small strips on which blood or fluid samples are placed. Specific changes in the color of the strip, which usually occur within minutes, indicate the presence of infection. Different tests can be used to detect various diseases, including HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and syphilis. While the advantages of RDTs are significant better disease-management, more efficient surveillance of outbreaks in high-risk areas and the ability of minimally trained technicians to test large number of individuals they can also present problems. "Conventional RDTs are currently read manually, by eye, which is prone to error, especially if various different types of tests are being used by the health care worker," said Aydogan Ozcan, a UCLA professor of electrical engineering and bioengineering. To address such challenges, Ozcan and his colleagues from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science[1] and the California NanoSystems Institute[2] at UCLA have developed a compact and cost-effective RDT-reading device that works in tandem with standard cell phones. "What we have created is a digital 'universal' reader for all RDTs, without any manual decision-making," he said. The RDT-reader attachment, which clips onto a cell phone, weighs approximately 65 grams and includes an inexpensive lens, three LED arrays and two AAA batteries. The platform has the ability to read nearly every type of RDT. An RDT strip is inserted into the attachment, and with the help of cell phone's existing camera unit and a special smart-phone application, the strip is converted into a digital image. The platform then rapidly reads the digitized RTD image to determine, first, whether the test is valid and, second, whether the results are positive or negative, thus eliminating the potential errors that can occur with a human reader, especially one administering multiple tests of various test types. And because the color changes in RDTs don't last more than a few hours in the field, the ability to store the digitized image indefinitely provides an added benefit. After this step, the RDT-reader platform wirelessly transmits the results of the tests to a global server, which processes them, stores them and, using Google Maps, creates maps charting the spread of various diseases and conditions both geographically and over time throughout the world. Together, the universal RDT reader and the mapping feature, which have been implemented on both iPhones and Android-based smart-phones, could significantly increase our ability to track emerging epidemics worldwide and aid in epidemic preparedness, the researchers say. "This platform would be quite useful for global health professionals, as well as for policymakers, to understand causeeffect relationships at a much larger scale for combating infectious diseases," Ozcan said. The research is published in the journal Lab on a Chip[3]. Additional authors of the study include Onur Mudanyali (first author), Stoyan Dimitrov, Uzair Sikora, Swati Padmanabhan, and Isa Navruz, all of the department of electrical engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. Ozcan and his UCLA research team have been developing a variety of cell-phone attachments that utilize the digital components already embedded in standard cell phones to aid in the fight against global disease. With more than 5 billion cell-phone subscribers around the world today, cell phones can play a central role in telemedicine applications, and existing wireless telecommunications infrastructure presents new opportunities for innovative cloud-based health-monitoring and management platforms, the researchers say. For more on their work, visit http://innovate.ee.ucla.edu[4] and http://bit.ly/IfkY6n[5]. Funding for the Ozcan Research Group is provided by the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the ARO Young Investigator Award, the National Science Foundation CAREER Award (BISH program), the ONR Young Investigator Award, and the National Institutes of Health Director's New Innovator Award. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2049526 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2049526 Russel E. Caflisch, professor of Mathematics is among the newly elected members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Caflisch is one of eight new members in the area of Mathematics. Russel E. Caflisch[1], is a professor of both Mathematics and Materials Science and Engineering at UCLA and is a member of the California NanoSystems Institute. View the complete list of 2012 Newly Elected Members[2]. *About the Academy* For over 230 years, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences[3] has been honoring excellence and providing service to the nation and the world. Through independent, nonpartisan study, its ranks of distinguished "scholar-patriots" have brought the arts and sciences into constructive interplay with the leaders of both the public and private sectors. The Academy was founded during the American Revolution by John Adams, James Bowdoin, John Hancock, and other leaders who contributed prominently to the establishment of the new nation, its government, and its Constitution. Its purpose was to provide a forum for a select group of scholars, members of the learned professions, and government and business leaders to work together on behalf of the democratic interests of the republic. Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academys elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs. With a current membership of 4,000 American Fellows and 600 Foreign Honorary Members, the Academy has four major goals: - Promoting service and study through analysis of critical social and intellectual issues and the development of practical policy alternatives; - Fostering public engagement and the exchange of ideas with meetings, conferences, and symposia bringing diverse perspectives to the examination of issues of common concern; - Mentoring a new generation of scholars and thinkers through the Visiting Scholars Program and Hellman Fellowship Program; - Honoring excellence by electing to membership men and women in a broad range of disciplines and professions. The Academy's headquarters are in Cambridge, Massachusetts. With its geographically diverse membership, it conducts activities in this country and abroad. UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2048948 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2048948 We humans tend to think about our immune system only when it fails and we come down with a cold or flu. But every day that we walk around healthy, it's because white blood cells are waging a tireless war on bacteria, viruses, and parasites that invade our bodies, tracking down these foreign agents in the body and eliminating them. Any defense can get overwhelmed, though, and our immune system is no exception. That's why a growing number of researchers are trying to improve on nature and develop their own white blood cellsand maybe learn a bit about how our own cells work in the process. Daniel Hammer, professor of chemical engineering and biological engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, is building white blood cells in the lab from plastics that can act as artificial cell walls. Think of a gel capsule of your preferred headache medicine but on a much smaller scale and with a programmable molecular brain. These synthetic cells, known as leuko-polymersomes[1], could one day deliver the latest cancer-killing drugs directly to a tumor or send out a chemical beacon that signals natural white blood cells to come and join the fight against a disease. "Ultimately I think that we could program these cells to do things that we never thought white blood cells could do," Hammer says. Instead of boosting immune response, for example, Hammer envisions synthetic cells that could act as inhibitors to the body's defenses, providing relief for people suffering from autoimmune disorders. Hammer has been studying how to turn plastics into cellular structures for more than a decade, but it's just in the past few years that the field has kicked into high gear. His team is learning to mimic the targeting capabilities that let natural white blood cells take the fight to viruses and bacteriawhat Hammer describes as a kind of "molecular zip coding"and the adhesive properties that let them stand their ground when they arrive. In 2010, Hammer and colleagues from Duke University designed synthetic molecules shaped like the receptors white blood cells use to find and adhere to inflamed tissue. In-vitro tests showed that synthetic cells could seek out inflamed tissue and stick to it once they arrived. That's only part of the process, however. Once a leuko-polymersome has adhered to an infected cell, it needs to release its medicinal payload. Last year, Hammer's team collaborated with researchers from the University of Delaware to show that a blast of UV light could prompt these biodegradable plastics to unravel and release their contents. That's an early step toward synthetic cells that could be programmed to release their contents on cue. Hammer's synthetic white blood cells aren't the only drug-delivery device taking cues from nature. At UCLA, Tim Deming[2] and his team are among the growing number of scientists taking their inspiration from some of nature's most notorious bad guys: viruses. *...* Read the rest of this article online at Popular Mechanics' webpage[3]! [1] [2] [3] Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2048950 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2048950 The annual printed electronics award winners were announced at the IDTechEx Awards Dinner in Berlin, Germany on April 3rd. The awards recognize outstanding progress in the development and commercialization of printed electronics, an industry that produces a huge amount of technical innovation which will be used in many products. The entries were judged by Professor Iain McCulloch, Imperial College London, UK and Professor Elvira Fortunato, University of Lisbon, Portugal. In summary, the winners for each category are as follows: Best Technical Development Manufacturing Award VTT Best Technical Development Materials Award Heliatek *Academic R&D Award University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)* Best Product Development Award Thinfilm Best Commercialization Award Printechnologics Best Poster Lappeenranta University of Technology Best in Show Award exhibition booth Printechnologics Academic R&D Award UCLA UCLA in collaboration with *Aneeve Nanotechnologies* has developed the first fully printed ink‐jet CNT transistor technology platform. These unique transistors employ the superior electronic performance of semiconducting carbon nanotubes (CNTs), going beyond materials such as amorphous silicon and metal oxide semiconductors that are typically used in display backplane applications. Performances such as μ 50cm2/(Vs), Ion/Ioff 1000, Vth 1.0V have been demonstrated. For additional information about other award recipients visit Printed Electronics World[1]! [1] Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2048971 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2048971 *Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Roadshow Date: Tuesday, April 17th 2012 Location: UCLA CNSI Auditorium Time: 10am 2pm* *10:00-11:30am Morning Mixer* *11:30am-12:10pm Scholarly Publishing* - Discuss Journals Development - Discuss Books/eBooks - Discuss ChemSpider (ChemSpider is a free chemical structure database providing fast text and structure search access to over 26 million structures from hundreds of data sources.) - Discuss Chemistry World (Chemistry World is read by more than 49,000 scientists every month) *12:10-12:40pm ChemSpider Demonstration* - ChemSpider is a free chemical structure database providing fast text and structure search access to over 26 million structures from hundreds of data sources. *12:45-2:00pm Lunchtime Discussion for first 12 students to arrive (21st Century Reading Habits)* *More about RSC:* - International: Over 230 people, globally located in offices in Cambridge (UK), Philadelphia (USA), Tokyo (Japan), Beijing and Shanghai (China), are employed in the publishing operation. - International: Our authors, readers, and customers are truly international. Over 70 countries were represented in published articles throughout the RSC portfolio in 2010. - Impact Factors: The average impact factor (IF) across our portfolio is 5.5. The average for a chemistry journal is 2.54. - Impact Factors: 83% of our titles have an IF over 3 - Impact Factors: RSC Publishing titles make up 30% of the top 20 journals in the multidisciplinary chemistry category. - Journal portfolio: Our newest title RSC Advances covers all aspects of the chemical sciences, including interdisciplinary fields. - Free Access: Institutions can register now for free access to new journals Toxicology Research, Biomaterials Science, Catalysis Science & Technology and RSC Advances. Free Access until the end of 2012 (2013 for Toxicology Research, 2014 for Biomaterials Science). - Books: Our high quality books programme covers the breadth of the chemical sciences, ranging from the highly specialised to educational textbooks and popular science titles. - Books: eBooks and indexed print books on the RSC Publishing platform allow access to one free chapter. *RSC Membership* - RSC Membership is open to all and an annual subscription starts from $104 (65) - Join online at www.rsc.org/join[1] or by application form available at the stand - Members benefit from: Chemistry World, access to the RSC Virtual Library, networking via MyRSC and designatory letters MRSC, FRSC indicating professional status - Local sections and specialist interest groups, specialist careers advice and chances to network with 48,500 other members worldwide - Fantastic student programme with undergraduate/postgraduate membership from just $23 (14) (when signing up for 4 years at $89 (56) - Chartered Chemist programme for the brightest and the best - ChemSpider is a free chemical structure database providing fast access to over 25+ million structures, properties and associated information * ChemSpider[2]* - By integrating and linking compounds from more than 400 data sources, _ChemSpider_ enables researchers to discover the most comprehensive view of freely available chemical data from a single online search [1] [2] Thu, 12 Apr 2012 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2048389 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2048389 *UCLA RESEARCH ALERT* *FINDINGS:* Ion channels, proteins embedded in cell membranes, are central to many of the human body's physiological processes, including cardiac activity. For this reason, they are also important targets for cardiac drugs. But unanticipated interactions between drugs and ion channels can have catastrophic effects, potentially leading to cardiac arrhythmia and death. While ion-channel drug discovery and safety screening is very important, the current technology used by the pharmaceutical industry for testing ion-channel drug interactions is slow, labor-intensive and expensive. Now, bioengineering researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a cell-free artificial membrane chip that tests drug potency with ion channels. The researchers designed the artificial chip to be simple to use, inexpensive and capable of being incorporated into automated processes on a large scale. *IMPACT:* The simplicity and high-yield of this new platform, along with its compatibility with large-scale automation, show great promise for use in ion-channel drug discovery and safety screening. *AUTHORS:* Authors of the research include Ahmad M. El-Arabi and Carl S. Salazar, both recent UCLA bioengineering graduates, and Jacob J. Schmidt[1], a UCLA associate professor of bioengineering and the principal investigator on the research. Schmidt is also a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA[2]. *FUNDING:* The research was supported in part by the National Science Foundation. *JOURNAL:* The research has been published online in the peer-reviewed journal Lab on a Chip[3] and will be included in a forthcoming print issue of the journal. [1] [2] [3] Tue, 10 Apr 2012 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2048183 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2048183 *Wednesday, April 11, 2012 Art|Sci Center presents New Materialities| Paul Thomas Lecture + Exhibition Opening 2:00 PM Lecture @ UCLA Broad Art Center, room 5240 5:00 7:00 PM Exhibition @ CNSI Gallery, room 5419 New Materialities is an exhibition of work by Paul Thomas * Paul Thomas will give a guest lecture on his work, New Materialities. Thomas is the Head of Painting at the College of Fine Art, University of New South Wales and coordinator of Collaborative Research in Art Science and Humanity, Curtin University, Western Australia. Exhibition opening to follow. Event Website[1] [1] Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2047774 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2047774 Tuesday, May 1, 2012 UCLA Lab Safety Fair 1:00 3:00 PM, CNSI Lobby *Who should attend? Anyone interested in lab safety department lab safety coordinators, lab safety coordinators, lab workers* Online registration for expedited entry: https://safetyfair.healthsciences.ucla.edu/attendee-registration[1] Featuring: Environment Health and Safety Lab Safety, Biosafety, and Safety Training Fitwell, Emergency Management, DLAM, Health Systems Safety, UCPD OfficeMax, Fisher Safety, Technical Safety Associates, Mission Linen, VistaLabs, OneSource, Humanscale, Sitmatic, Stericycle, Grainger USA Scientific, Becton Dickinson and Company *Raffle prizes include $50 restaurant gift card, gift basket, X-tracta Gel Extractor, Lab Dog and T-shirt Light Snacks* Event Flyer[2] [1] [2] Fri, 06 Apr 2012 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2047441 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2047441 _By pairing biology and photovoltaics, a new "electrofuel" system could build alternative fuels_ *Excerpt:* A new "bioreactor" could store electricity as liquid fuel with the help of a genetically engineered microbe and copious carbon dioxide. The ideadubbed "electrofuels" by a federal agency funding the researchcould offer electricity storage that would have the energy density of fuels such as gasoline. If it works, the hybrid bioelectric system would also offer a more efficient way of turning sunlight to fuel than growing plants and converting them into biofuel. "The method provides a way to store electrical energy in a form that can be readily used as a transportation fuel," chemical engineer James Liao[1] of the University of California, Los Angeles, explains. Liao and his colleagues report on their "integrated electro-microbial bioreactor" in Science on March 30. Read the entire article in Scientific American[2] [1] [2] Wed, 04 Apr 2012 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2047471 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2047471 Nature | Obituary Crystallographer who pioneered methods of X-ray imaging and modern computing. by Janos Kirz & Jianwei Miao[1] David Sayre, who died on 23 February, was a pioneer in crystallography and diffraction imaging, a visionary in X-ray microscopy and an architect of modern computing. A superb scientist, deep thinker and wonderful mentor, he could have built a scientific empire. But that was not his style. He was driven by the desire to do pure and original science. Sayre was born on 2 March 1924 in New York. His father was an organic chemist whose ancestors helped to found the town of Southampton, New York, in the sixteenth century. His mother was the daughter of Jewish immigrants. Sayre was educated at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, graduating in 1943 at the age of 19 with a bachelor's degree in physics. The Second World War was at its height, so Sayre worked on radar at the Radiation Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. In 1946, guessing biology would be the next exciting field, Sayre became a graduate student in biology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and then at Harvard University in Cambridge. He was not initially interested in what he was learning, but in 1947 Sayre came across an article about X-ray crystallography that changed his life. He joined Raymond Pepinsky's crystallography laboratory at Auburn University in Alabama, where he used a mathematical operation known as the Fourier transform to analyse the structures of crystals probed with X-ray beams. Read the entire obituary in Nature[2]. [1] [2] Wed, 04 Apr 2012 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2046567 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2046567 Imagine being able to use electricity to power your car even if it's not an electric vehicle. Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have for the first time demonstrated a method for converting carbon dioxide into liquid fuel isobutanol using electricity. Today, electrical energy generated by various methods is still difficult to store efficiently. Chemical batteries, hydraulic pumping and water splitting suffer from low energy-density storage or incompatibility with current transportation infrastructure. In a study published March 30 in the journal Science, James Liao[1], UCLA's Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Chair in Chemical Engineering, and his team report a method for storing electrical energy as chemical energy in higher alcohols, which can be used as liquid transportation fuels. "The current way to store electricity is with lithium ion batteries, in which the density is low, but when you store it in liquid fuel, the density could actually be very high," Liao said. "In addition, we have the potential to use electricity as transportation fuel without needing to change current infrastructure." Liao and his team genetically engineered a lithoautotrophic microorganism known as Ralstonia eutropha H16 to produce isobutanol and 3-methyl-1-butanol in an electro-bioreactor using carbon dioxide as the sole carbon source and electricity as the sole energy input. Photosynthesis is the process of converting light energy to chemical energy and storing it in the bonds of sugar. There are two parts to photosynthesis a light reaction and a dark reaction. The light reaction converts light energy to chemical energy and must take place in the light. The dark reaction, which converts CO2 to sugar, doesn't directly need light to occur. "We've been able to separate the light reaction from the dark reaction and instead of using biological photosynthesis, we are using solar panels to convert the sunlight to electrical energy, then to a chemical intermediate, and using that to power carbon dioxide fixation to produce the fuel," Liao said. "This method could be more efficient than the biological system." Liao explained that with biological systems, the plants used require large areas of agricultural land. However, because Liao's method does not require the light and dark reactions to take place together, solar panels, for example, can be built in the desert or on rooftops. Theoretically, the hydrogen generated by solar electricity can drive CO2 conversion in lithoautotrophic microorganisms engineered to synthesize high-energy density liquid fuels. But the low solubility, low mass-transfer rate and the safety issues surrounding hydrogen limit the efficiency and scalability of such processes. Instead Liao's team found formic acid to be a favorable substitute and efficient energy carrier. "Instead of using hydrogen, we use formic acid as the intermediary," Liao said. "We use electricity to generate formic acid and then use the formic acid to power the CO2 fixation in bacteria in the dark to produce isobutanol and higher alcohols." The electrochemical formate production and the biological CO2 fixation and higher alcohol synthesis now open up the possibility of electricity-driven bioconversion of CO2 to a variety of chemicals. In addition, the transformation of formate into liquid fuel will also play an important role in the biomass refinery process, according to Liao. "We've demonstrated the principle, and now we think we can scale up," he said. "That's our next step." The study was funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects AgencyEnergy (ARPAE). UCLA Newsroom[2] [1] [2] Thu, 29 Mar 2012 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2046411 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2046411 Researchers at NYU and UCLA have developed a method to detect sequence differences in individual DNA molecules by taking nanoscopic pictures of the molecules themselves. The work is reported in the Journal of The Royal Society Interface[1]. Using the approach they call "Direct Molecular Recognition," the UCLA and NYU researchers used nanoparticles to turn the DNA molecules into a form of molecular braille that can be read in the scale of nanometers, or one billionth of a meter, using high-speed Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). The leaders of the study are: Jason Reed, a research professor, and Professor Jim Gimzewski[2], nanotechnology pioneer, both at UCLAs California Nanosystems Institute, and Professor Bud Mishra, genomics expert, at NYUs Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. This group believes the method will have many practical uses, such as super-sensitive detection of DNA molecules in genomic research and medical diagnostics as well as in identifying pathogens. While there are a variety of techniques currently used for this purpose, they are time consuming, technically difficult, and expensive. They also require a significant amount of genetic material in order to make accurate readings and often require prior knowledge of the sample composition. According to Mishra, to overcome these shortcomings, the team devised a "single-cell, single-molecule" method that would dispense with the complex chemical manipulations on which existing methods are based, and, instead, utilize the unique shapes of the molecules themselves as the method of identification. This approach has the benefits of being rapid and sensitive to the level of a single molecule. Reed says that "the long term goal of our teams research is to dissect, understand, and control the biology of single cells in complex tissues, such as brain, or in malignant tumors. Furthering this body of work requires that we address an unsolved problem in single-cell molecular analysis: the lack of a method to routinely, reliably, and inexpensively determine global gene transcriptional activity." In their paper, the team closely examined the potential use of this technique to quantify the activity of genes in living tissue, a method known as transcriptional profiling. They were able to show that their Direct Molecular Recognition technique could accurately quantitate the relative abundance of multiple DNA species in a mixture using only a handful of molecules a result not achievable using other methods. Their study was supported by a grant to from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, part of the National Institutes of Health. New York University[3] R&D Magazine[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 28 Mar 2012 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2046303 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2046303 UCLA researchers Dino DiCarlo[1], Assistant Professor of Bioengineering and Xiangfeng Duan[2], Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry are listed among the 2012 Young Investigator Award Recipients from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) - Dr. Dino DiCarlo, University of California, Los Angeles Proposal Title: Selective Cell Isolation in Microscale Vortices - Dr. Xiangfeng Duan, University of California, Los Angeles Proposal Title: High Speed Graphene Transistors with Self-Aligned Nanowire Gate The Office of Naval Research[3] (ONR) is interested in receiving proposals for its Young Investigator Program (YIP). The YIP seeks to identify and support academic scientists and engineers who are in their first or second full-time tenure-track or tenure-track-equivalent academic appointment and for fiscal year 2011, have begun their first appointment on or after Nov. 1, 2006, and who show exceptional promise for doing creative research. The objectives of this program are to attract outstanding faculty members of Institutions of higher education (hereafter also called "universities") to the Department of the Navy's research program, to support their research, and to encourage their teaching and research careers. View the complete list of 2012 Young Investigator Award Recipients[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2046169 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2046169 *RCS Publishing Blog*[1] Species featuring group 12 to group 12 bonds have lately become the subject of much interest and discussion, as have species containing homo-nuclear metal to metal bonds. This Hot Communication from Paul Weiss[2], Shiv Khanna[3], Ayusman Sen[4] and colleagues details the discovery of a dimeric zintl anion featuring an Hg-Hg bond. The new zintl phase contains [As7HgHgAs7]4− ions with an unsupported Hg-Hg bond, as characterized by cyclic voltammetry, molecular orbital diagram, band gap energy and Raman spectra. To find out more about the groups findings you can download there paper below, which is free to access for 4 weeks. On the stability of an unsupported mercurymercury bond linking group 15 Zintl clusters[5] Sukhendu Mandal, Arthur C. Reber, Meichun Qian, Ran Liu, Hector M. Saavedra, Saikat Sen, Paul S. Weiss, Shiv N. Khanna and Ayusman Sen Dalton Trans., 2012, Advance Article DOI: 10.1039/C2DT30083D Br> [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2046176 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2046176 *Findings may help lead to new treatments for infectious diseases, cancer* UCLA researchers have pinpointed a new mechanism that potently activates T cells, the group of white blood cells that plays a major role in fighting infections. The team specifically studied how dendritic cells, immune cells located at the site of an infection, become more specialized to fight the leprosy pathogen known as _Mycobacterium leprae_. Dendritic cells, like scouts in the field of a military operation, deliver key information about an invading pathogen that helps activate the T cells in launching a more effective attack. The research appears online March 25 in the journal Nature Medicine. It was previously known that dendritic cells were important for a strong immune response and that the number of dendritic cells at an infection site positively correlated with a robust reaction. However, until now it was poorly understood how dendritic cells become more specialized to address specific types of infections. The researchers found that a protein called NOD2 triggers a cell-signaling molecule known as interleukin-32, which induces general immune cells called monocytes to become specialized, information-carrying dendritic cells. "This is the first time that this potent infection-fighting pathway with dendritic cells has been identified and demonstrated to be important in fighting human disease," said the study's first author, Mirjam Schenk, a postdoctoral scholar in the division of dermatology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. In conducting the study, the scientists used monocytes taken from the blood of both healthy donors and leprosy patients and incubated the cells with the pathogen M. Leprae or specific parts of the mycobacteria known to trigger NOD2 and TLR2, both of which are associated with immune system activation. The researchers wanted to investigate how these proteins might trigger mechanisms that "turn on" different immune receptors that recognize specific parts of the microbe in an infection. The NOD2 interleukin-32 pathway was the most effective and caused the monocytes to develop into dendritic cells that carry critical information about the pathogen to the T cells. The team studied the gene-expression profiles of the protein-triggered pathways and also examined how the monocytes of leprosy patients responded to NOD2. They found that NOD2 worked to induce moncytes to become dendritic cells in tuberloid leprosy, a milder infection that is more easily contained. The NOD2 pathway was inhibited and could not be activated in lepromatous leprosy, which is more serious and causes widespread infection throughout the body. "We were surprised to find the high potency of the dendritic cells in triggering certain specific T cell responses, which may be useful in developing new therapeutic strategies for infectious diseases and cancer," said senior investigator Dr. Robert Modlin[1], UCLA's Klein Professor of Dermatology and chief of dermatology at the Geffen School of Medicine. Leprosy, one of the world's oldest known diseases, is a chronic infectious disease that affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, the upper respiratory tract and the eyes and can lead to disfigurement of the hands, face and feet. In 2008, approximately 249,000 new cases of leprosy were reported worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Modlin said leprosy is a good model for studying immune mechanisms in host defense since it presents as a clinical spectrum that correlates with the level and type of immune response of the pathogen. In the next stage of research, the scientists will attempt to further understand how to manipulate the innate immune system to induce a potent immune response in human infections, and possibly for cancer immunotherapy as well. The study was funded by the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. (Grant numbers: RO1s AI022553, AR040312 and AI047868.) Additional study authors included Stephan R Krutzik, Peter A Sieling, Delphine J. Lee, Rosane M. B. Teles and Maria Teresa Ochoa from the dermatology division in the department of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; Evangelia Komisopoulou and Thomas G. Graeber[2] from UCLA's Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging, Institute for Molecular Medicine, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, California NanoSystems Institute[3], and department of molecular and medical pharmacology; Euzenir N. Sarno from the department of mycobacteriosis at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Thomas H. Rea from the department of dermatology at the University of Southern California School of Medicine; Soohyun Kim from the department of biomedical science and technology at Konkuk University in Seoul, South Korea; and Genhong Cheng from the department of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2045547 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2045547 UCLA researchers are now able to peer deep within the world's tiniest structures to create three-dimensional images of individual atoms and their positions. Their research, published March 22 in the journal Nature, presents a new method for directly measuring the atomic structure of nanomaterials. "This is the first experiment where we can directly see local structures in three dimensions at atomic-scale resolution that's never been done before," said Jianwei (John) Miao[1], a professor of physics and astronomy[2] and a researcher with the California NanoSystems Institute[3] (CNSI) at UCLA. Miao and his colleagues used a scanning transmission electron microscope to sweep a narrow beam of high-energy electrons over a tiny gold particle only 10 nanometers in diameter (almost 1,000 times smaller than a red blood cell). The nanoparticle contained tens of thousands of individual gold atoms, each about a million times smaller than the width of a human hair. These atoms interact with the electrons passing through the sample, casting shadows that hold information about the nanoparticle's interior structure onto a detector below the microscope. Miao's team discovered that by taking measurements at 69 different angles, they could combine the data gleaned from each individual shadow into a 3-D reconstruction of the interior of the nanoparticle. Using this method, which is known as electron tomography, Miao's team was able to directly see individual atoms and how they were positioned inside the specific gold nanoparticle. Presently, X-ray crystallography is the primary method for visualizing 3-D molecular structures at atomic resolutions. However, this method involves measuring many nearly identical samples and averaging the results. X-ray crystallography typically takes an average across trillions of molecules, which causes some information to get lost in the process, Miao said. "It is like averaging together everyone on Earth to get an idea of what a human being looks like you completely miss the unique characteristics of each individual," he said. X-ray crystallography is a powerful technique for revealing the structure of perfect crystals, which are materials with an unbroken honeycomb of perfectly spaced atoms lined up as neatly as books on a shelf. Yet most structures existing in nature are non-crystalline, with structures far less ordered than their crystalline counterparts picture a rock concert mosh pit rather than soldiers on parade. "Our current technology is mainly based on crystal structures because we have ways to analyze them," Miao said. "But for non-crystalline structures, no direct experiments have seen atomic structures in three dimensions before." Probing non-crystalline materials is important because even small variations in structure can greatly alter the electronic properties of a material, Miao noted. The ability to closely examine the inside of a semiconductor, for example, might reveal hidden internal flaws that could affect its performance. "The three-dimensional atomic resolution of non-crystalline structures remains a major unresolved problem in the physical sciences," he said. Miao and his colleagues haven't quite cracked the non-crystalline conundrum, but they have shown they can image a structure that isn't perfectly crystalline at a resolution of 2.4 angstroms (the average size of a gold atom is 2.8 angstroms). The gold nanoparticle they measured for their paper turned out to be composed of several different crystal grains, each forming a puzzle piece with atoms aligned in subtly different patterns. A nanostructure with hidden crystalline segments and boundaries inside will behave differently from one made of a single continuous crystal but other techniques would have been unable to visualize them in three dimensions, Miao said. Miao's team also found that the small golden blob they studied was in fact shaped like a multi-faceted gem, though slightly squashed on one side from resting on a flat stage inside the gigantic microscope another small detail that might have been averaged away when using more traditional methods. This project was inspired by Miao's earlier research, which involved finding ways to minimize the radiation dose administered to patients during CT scans. During a scan, patients must be X-rayed at a variety of angles, and those measurements are combined to give doctors a picture of what's inside the body. Miao found a mathematically more efficient way to obtain similar high-resolution images while taking scans at fewer angles. He later realized that this discovery could benefit scientists probing the insides of nanostructures, not just doctors on the lookout for tumors or fractures. Nanostructures, like patients, can be damaged if too many scans are administered. A constant bombardment of high-energy electrons can cause the atoms in nanoparticles to be rearranged and the particle itself to change shape. By bringing his medical discovery to his work in materials science and nanoscience, Miao was able to invent a new way to peer inside the field's tiniest structures. The discovery made by Miao's team may lead to improvements in resolution and image quality for tomography research across many fields, including the study of biological samples. This research was conducted at CNSI's Electron Imaging Center for NanoMachines and funded by UC Discovery[4]/Tomosoft Technologies. Tomosoft Technologies is a start-up company based on Miao's work. Other UCLA co-authors included Chris Regan[5], an assistant professor of physics and astronomy and a CNSI researcher; graduate students Mary Scott, Chien-Chun Chen, Matthew Mecklenburg and Chun Zhu; and postdoctoral scholar Rui Xu. In particular, Chen and Scott played an important role in this work. Peter Ercius and Ulrich Dahmen from the National Center for Electron Microscopy at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are also co-authors. UCLA Newsroom[6] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Wed, 21 Mar 2012 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2045331 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2045331 NAE Awards The Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering Grants for Advancement of Interdisciplinary Research WASHINGTON, DC Two Grainger Foundation Frontiers of Engineering Grants of $30,000 each have been awarded to attendees of the National Academy of Engineerings (NAE) 2011 U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium. Ali Khademhosseini (Harvard Medical School) and Aydogan Ozcan (University of California, Los Angeles) will receive a Grainger Grant to support the demonstration of a computational lens-free imaging platform for high-throughput screening of cells. This platform will allow real-time monitoring of cells in an engineered environment, providing a lower-cost and more effective mechanism for future drug discovery and biological science experimentation. Read more about the NAE Frontiers of Engineering Program (FOE)on the National Academy of Engineering[1] website. [1] Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2045345 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2045345 Interested in science from an early age, Paul Weiss[1] interest in chemistry started with a bang. His advice to the next generation is to find something that you enjoy so much that you cannot wait to get up in the morning to get going. Hes the director of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, home of The Exchange. Excerpt: *Tell us about your background. Were you interested in science as a kid?* When I was very young, I was interested in astronomy. Then, when I was 8, my oldest brother blew up a series of chemicals in Technicolor in our driveway, and I was hooked. I have been curious to learn new subjects for as far back as I can remember. That is probably why my science has wandered from chemistry to physics to materials science to electrical engineering to nanoscience to biology, and so on (still going!). *What moment early on in your career stands out as a turning point?* My undergraduate research advisor, Bob Field, used to challenge me every week to come up with ideas for experiments. He made me think constantly about what was new and what was important to do next. I have come back to that exercise over and over again in my career. One has to work out, simultaneously on the day, week, month, year, and decade time scales, the most important things to do, how to spend time and resources effectively. Where are we or could we be uniquely poised to contribute? Who will care? What do we have to give up doing in order to make that happen? What resources will we need and what will we likely find along the way? Read the complete interview at The Science & Entertainment Exchange.org[2] [1] [2] Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2045094 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2045094 Publishing Your Research 101 is a video resource produced by _ACS Publications_ to guide researchers through the process of publishing research in academic journals. *Episode 6: The Review Process for Authors and Reviewers[1]* In the sixth episode of the publishing series, focus is placed on the review process. Several of ACS Publications editors weigh in on the value of peer review, recommendations on how to perform a good review, and the benefits for the author and the journal when authors take the reviewer comments seriously. The editors examine some specific ways in which these principles apply during the publication and peer review process and highlight some of the common problems that arise from both authors and reviewers. Previous episodes of Publishing Your Research 101 video series: *Episode 5: Ethical Considerations for Authors and Reviewers[2]* *Episode 4: Submitting Your Manuscript Using the ACS Paragon Plus Environment[3]* *Episode 3: Selecting Peers to Suggest as Reviewers[4]* *Episode 2: Writing Your Cover Letter[5]* *Episode 1: How to Write a Paper to Communicate Your Research[6]* [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2045097 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2045097 Global Medical Discovery team has identified recent publication in the journal _Nanomedicine_ on "Correlative nanomechanical profiling with super-resolution F-actin imaging reveals novel insights into mechanisms of cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer cells" as being of special interest to the drug development sector and have featured the abstract at Global Medical Discovery.com[1] The authors of the study published in _Nanomedicine_ included Shivani Sharma, Chintda Santiskulvong, Laurent Bentolila[2], Jian Yu Rao[3], Oliver Dorigo, and James K. Gimzewski[4] from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2044433 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2044433 Materials science and engineering professor Bruce Dunn[1], holder of the Nippon Sheet Glass Company Chair in Materials Science, was elected as a fellow of the Materials Research Society. Dunn was cited for "extraordinary contributions to development of new materials based on sol-gel chemistry; synthesis, characterization, and development of electrochemical materials; design, materials, and fabrication processes for three-dimensional battery technology." See his recognition on the Materials Research Society webpage[2]! [1] [2] Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2044441 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2044441 A record-breaking polymer solar cell made by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, converts 10.6 percent of the energy in sunlight into electricity. The performance of the cell surpasses the previous record, 8.6 percent, set in July of last year by the same group. Polymer solar cells are flexible, lightweight, and potentially inexpensive, but their performance lags behind that of conventional cells made from inorganic materials such as silicon. The goal of the researchers, led by Yang Yang[1], professor of materials science and engineering at UCLA, is to make a polymer solar cell that can compete with thin-film silicon cells. Yang's record-breaking cell, enabled by a new photovoltaic polymer developed by a Japanese company, Sumitomo Chemical, is a sign that researchers are getting better at making solar cells from these finicky materials. ... View the full featured article in MIT's Technology Review[2]! [1] [2] Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2044283 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2044283 _*How to achieve 20 nm lateral resolution with regular organic dyes and FPs with your own samples*_ Seminar & Hands-on Imaging Workshop Monday-Friday, March 19 23, 2012 Hosted by the Advanced Light Microscopy/Spectroscopy Lab at CNSI and Leica Microsystems Event Flyer[1] _Monday, March 19 12:30 PM_ Seminar, CNSI Auditorium FREE Lunch to follow _Tuesday, March 20 Friday, March 23_ Workshop & Hands-on Imaging -- ALMS Lab at CNSI, Room 2144B Bring your own samples to be mounted & imaged during the hands-on imaging sessions: 2.5 hours each at 9:00 AM, 12:30 PM and 3:00 PM For free registration & requests for assisted imaging, please contact: Carlos Alonso, Ph.D., Cell: 858-353-8062 Email: carlos.alonso@leica-microsystems.com Attendance is free but space is limited so please RSVP today! [1] Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2044289 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2044289 Electrochemical capacitors (ECs), also known as supercapacitors or ultracapacitors, differ from regular capacitors that you would find in your TV or computer in that they store substantially higher amounts of charges. They have garnered attention as energy storage devices as they charge and discharge faster than batteries, yet they are still limited by low energy densities, only a fraction of the energy density of batteries. An EC that combines the power performance of capacitors with the high energy density of batteries would represent a significant advance in energy storage technology. This requires new electrodes that not only maintain high conductivity but also provide higher and more accessible surface area than conventional ECs that use activated carbon electrodes. Now researchers at UCLA have used a standard LightScribe DVD optical drive to produce such electrodes. The electrodes are composed of an expanded network of graphene a one-atom-thick layer of graphitic carbon that shows excellent mechanical and electrical properties as well as exceptionally high surface area. UCLA researchers from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and the California NanoSystems Institute demonstrate high-performance graphene-based electrochemical capacitors that maintain excellent electrochemical attributes under high mechanical stress. The paper is published[1] in the journal Science. The process is based on coating a DVD disc with a film of graphite oxide that is then laser treated inside a LightScribe DVD drive to produce graphene electrodes. Typically, the performance of energy storage devices is evaluated by two main figures, the energy density and power density. Suppose we are using the device to run an electric car the energy density tells us how far the car can go a single charge whereas the power density tells us how fast the car can go. Here, devices made with Laser Scribed Graphene (LSG) electrodes exhibit ultrahigh energy density values in different electrolytes while maintaining the high power density and excellent cycle stability of ECs. Moreover, these ECs maintain excellent electrochemical attributes under high mechanical stress and thus hold promise for high power, flexible electronics. "Our study demonstrates that our new graphene-based supercapacitors store as much charge as conventional batteries, but can be charged and discharged a hundred to a thousand times faster," said Richard B. Kaner[2], professor of chemistry & materials science and engineering. "Here, we present a strategy for the production of high-performance graphene-based ECs through a simple all solid-state approach that avoids the restacking of graphene sheets," said Maher F. El-Kady, the lead author of the study and a graduate student in Kaner's lab. The research team has fabricated LSG electrodes that do not have the problems of activated carbon electrodes that have so far limited the performance of commercial ECs. First, The LightScribe laser causes the simultaneous reduction and exfoliation of graphite oxide and produces an open network of LSG with substantially higher and more accessible surface area. This results in a sizable charge storage capacity for the LSG supercapacitors. The open network structure of the electrodes helps minimize the diffusion path of electrolyte ions, which is crucial for charging the device. This can be accounted for by the easily accessible flat graphene sheets, whereas most of the surface area of activated carbon resides in very small pores that limit the diffusion of ions. This means that LSG supercapacitors have the ability to deliver ultrahigh power in a short period of time whereas activated carbon cannot. Additionally, LSG electrodes are mechanically robust and show high conductivity (>1700 S/m) compared to activated carbons (10-100 S/m). This means that LSG electrodes can be directly used as supercapacitor electrodes without the need for binders or current collectors as is the case for conventional activated carbon ECs. Furthermore, these properties allow LSG to act as both the active material and current collector in the EC. The combination of both functions in a single layer leads to a simplified architecture and makes LSG supercapacitors cost-effective devices. Commercially available ECs consist of a separator sandwiched between two electrodes with liquid electrolyte that is either spirally wound and packaged into a cylindrical container or stacked into a button cell. Unfortunately, these device architectures not only suffer from possible harmful leakage of electrolytes, but their design makes it difficult to use them for practical flexible electronics. The research team replaced the liquid electrolyte with a polymer gelled electrolyte that also acts as a separator, further reducing the device thickness and weight and simplifying the fabrication process as it does not require special packaging materials. In order to evaluate under real conditions the potential of this all solid-state LSG-EC for flexible storage, the research team placed a device under constant mechanical stress to analyze its performance. Interestingly enough, this had almost no effect on the performance of the device. "We attribute the high performance and durability to the high mechanical flexibility of the electrodes along with the interpenetrating network structure between the LSG electrodes and the gelled electrolyte," explains Kaner. "The electrolyte solidifies during the device assembly and acts like glue that holds the device components together." The method improves the mechanical integrity and increases the life cycle of the device even when tested under extreme conditions. Since this remarkable performance has yet to be realized in commercial devices, these LSG supercapacitors could lead the way to ideal energy storage systems for next generation flexible, portable electronics. UCLA Newsroom[3] [1] [2] [3] Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2043925 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2043925 *Nanoscale Focus: Scientists at UCLAs California NanoSystems Institute emphasize eliminating boundaries in research* Members of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) sometimes seem to be less interested in the nanoscale, per se, than they are in what it takes to work successfully on nanoscale problems. Its not that they arent passionate about their research on the chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering issues of nanoscale systems. They are. But what comes out most prominently in conversations with CNSI members is the centrality of collaboration, of bringing disparate disciplines together to achieve success in nanoscale research. "There is no dividing line between the scientific disciplines at CNSI," says Paul S. Weiss, a chemistry professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, and director of CNSI. "We push the fundamental science. Weve gotten rid of the boundaries for people who want to work in that way. If people want to see what applications there are for chemistry, for example, in medicine or diagnostics or electronics or anywhere else, then they have an opportunity to do that here. We have a very high level of stimulation from all sides at all times." Read the entire feature article in C&EN at http://cen.acs.org/articles/90/i11/Nanoscale-Focus.html[1] [1] Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2043949 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2043949 Researchers at the UCLA stem cell center and the departments of chemistry and biochemistry and pathology and laboratory medicine have identified, for the first time, a generic way to correct mutations in human mitochondrial DNA by targeting corrective RNAs, a finding with implications for treating a host of mitochondrial diseases. Mutations in the human mitochondrial genome are implicated in neuromuscular diseases, metabolic defects and aging. There currently are no methods to successfully repair or compensate for these mutations, said study co-senior author Dr. Michael Teitell[1], a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and a researcher with the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA. Between 1,000 and 4,000 children per year in the United States are born with a mitochondrial disease and up to one in 4,000 children in the U.S. will develop a mitochondrial disease by the age of 10, according to Mito Action, a nonprofit organization supporting research into mitochondrial diseases. In adults, many diseases of aging have been associated with defects of mitochondrial function, including diabetes, Parkinsons disease, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimers disease and cancer. "I think this is a finding that could change the field," Teitell said. "Weve been looking to do this for a long time and we had a very reasoned approach, but some key steps were missing. Now we have developed this method and the next step is to show that what we can do in human cell lines with mutant mitochondria can translate into animal models and, ultimately, into humans." The study appears today in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The current study builds on previous work published in 2010 in the peer-reviewed journal Cell, in which Teitell, Carla Koehler, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a Broad stem cell research center scientist, and their team uncovered a role for an essential protein that acts to shuttle RNA into the mitochondria, the energy-producing power plant of a cell. Mitochondria are described as cellular power plants because they generate most of the energy supply within a cell. In addition to supplying energy, mitochondria also are involved in a broad range of other cellular processes including signaling, differentiation, death, control of the cell cycle and growth. The import of nucleus-encoded small RNAs into mitochondria is essential for the replication, transcription and translation of the mitochondrial genome, but the mechanisms that deliver RNA into mitochondria have remained poorly understood. The study in Cell outlined a new role for a protein called polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPASE) in regulating the import of RNA into mitochondria. Reducing the expression or output of PNPASE decreased RNA import, which impaired the processing of mitochondrial genome-encoded RNAs. Reduced RNA processing inhibited the translation of proteins required to maintain the mitochondrial electron transport chain that consumes oxygen during cell respiration to produce energy. With reduced PNPASE, unprocessed mitochondrial-encoded RNAs accumulated, protein translation was inhibited and energy production was compromised, leading to stalled cell growth. The findings from the current study provide a form of gene therapy for mitochondria by compensating for mutations that cause a wide range of diseases, said study co-senior author Koehler. "This opens up new avenues to understand and develop therapies for mitochondrial diseases," Koehler said. "This has the potential to have a really big impact. We just have to get it to the next step." Gene therapy is often used to express proteins that can treat the cause of a variety of diseases. In this case, post-doctoral fellow Geng Wang developed a strategy to target and import specific RNA molecules encoded in the nucleus into the mitochondria and, once there, to express proteins needed to repair mitochondrial gene mutations. First, the research team had to figure out a way to stabilize the reparative RNA so that it was transported out of the nucleus and then localized to the mitochondrial outer membrane. This was accomplished by engineering an export sequence to direct the RNA to the mitochondrion. Once the RNA was in the vicinity of the transport machinery on the mitochondrial surface, then a second transport sequence was required to direct the RNA into the targeted organelle. With these two modifications, a broad spectrum of RNAs were targeted to and imported into the mitochondria, where they functioned to repair defects in mitochondrial respiration and energy production in two different cell line models of human mitochondrial disease. This study indicates that a wide range of RNAs can be targeted to mitochondria by appending a targeting sequence that interacts with PNPASE, with or without a mitochondrial localization sequence, to provide an exciting, general approach for overcoming mitochondrial genetic disorders, the study states. Going forward, Teitell and Koehler will test their new method in small animal models to determine whether they can fix a mitochondrial defect as it occurs in a whole organism. One potential use for the new method would also be to repair mitochondrial defects in reprogrammed, embryonic or adult-type stem cells for use in regenerative medicine therapies. The one-year study was supported by the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine, the National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association and the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA. The stem cell center was launched in 2005 with a UCLA commitment of $20 million over five years. A $20 million gift from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation in 2007 resulted in the renaming of the center. With more than 200 members, the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research is committed to a multi-disciplinary, integrated collaboration of scientific, academic and medical disciplines for the purpose of understanding human adult and embryonic stem cells. The center supports innovation, excellence and the highest ethical standards focused on stem cell research with the intent of facilitating basic scientific inquiry directed towards future clinical applications to treat disease. The center is a collaboration of the David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLAs Jonsson Cancer Center, the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and the UCLA College of Letters and Science. To learn more about the center, visit our web site at http://www.stemcell.ucla.edu [2] UCLA Newsroom[3] [1] [2] [3] Mon, 12 Mar 2012 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2043596 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2043596 As a graduate student at UCLA, Vinton Cerf worked on a team that eventually created the first computer network. Later, as an associate professor at Stanford, he helped develop a code to allow for the movement of digital data. On Tuesday, Cerf returned to his alma mater as the vice president of the worlds most popular Internet search engine. The Google executive spoke in front of an auditorium packed with students, faculty and curious observers in the California NanoSystems Institute about the Internet and its future as part of a seminar series called Managing Inventions. His talk centered on the transformative potential of Internet technology in fields such as security, medicine and technology. Read more in The Daily Bruin[1] [1] Fri, 09 Mar 2012 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2043502 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2043502 Polyaniline nanofibers. Conducting polymers. Chemical sensors. Are your palms getting clammy yet? Maybe you're flashing back to scary times in high school chemistry? This sort of reaction is something Professor Richard Kaner is used to dealing with when he tells people about his research. Even his title sounds intimidating: He's a professor with joint appointments in Chemistry and Biochemistry in the College of Letters and Science and in Materials Science and Engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. _Read more in UCLA Today[1]_ [1] Thu, 08 Mar 2012 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2042817 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2042817 *Wednesday, March 7, 2012* *Art|Sci Center presents Exposure: Mike Phillips Lecture + Exhibition Opening* *2:00 PM Lecture @ UCLA Broad Art Center, room 5240* *5:00 7:00 PM Exhibition @ CNSI Gallery* *Exposure is an exhibition of work by Mike Phillips, Professor of Interdisciplinary Arts, School of Art & Media at Plymouth University.* Mike Phillips is director of i-DAT, a Principal Supervisor for the Planetary Collegium and a supervisor of the Transtechnology Research Groups. His R&D orbits digital architectures and transmedia publishing, and is manifest in a series of Operating Systems to dynamically manifest data as experience in order to enhance perspectives on a complex world. The year that Eastman Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection was the same year Fujifilm moved from film production to beauty products. This did not just mark a technological shift from film grain to nanoparticles but also a massive cultural shift a shift from capturing the face on film to the embedding of film in the face. The thing that once froze the face in an eternal youthful smile is now the anti-aging nanoparticle that preserves the face we wear. Barthes described the face on film as representing a kind of absolute state of the flesh, which could be neither reached nor renounced2. Now this absolute state is closer to hand and we will walk around wearing our old photo albums as our face, peeling away the frames like layers of dead skin. Our essence, like Garbos, will not degrade or deteriorate. Viewed as a transition Exposure explores the deterioration of the flesh through the temporality of the Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). From the 60th of a second exposure of the Kodak Brownie camera to the 20-minute scan of the AFM the closer the subject the longer the exposure. Incorporating data from an AFM scan of a basal cell carcinoma Exposure explores the convergence of ideologies constructed around imaging technologies. Through a subtle interaction the viewer conjures up a dynamic data/image of a skin cancer over exposed to the sun or the intense light of the camera flashgun. Event Website[1] [1] Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2042608 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2042608 *April 12 & 13, 2012* Technology and Policy Efforts to ReSET our economy to renewables: A cross-disciplinary IGERT workshop Hosted by the UCLA Clean Green IGERT (CGI). *The Renewable & Sustainable Energy Technology Workshop (ReSET)* invites graduate students and high-impact researchers from around the country to visit our campus for an interactive workshop to discuss the effort to reset our economy from conventional to renewable energy technology. The aim of the workshop is to foster communication and collaboration among the fellows and faculty of energy and sustainability IGERT programs from around the country. To this end, the conference will feature a poster session and small break-out sessions where attendees can share their current research with others, gain valuable feedback, and make connections with other fellows and faculty who have similar interests. There will also be panel discussions on emerging technologies in renewable energy designed to explore the varying perspectives of those in industry, government and academia. Event Flyer[1] _ReSET Workshop Sessions and panels to cover_: - Electric Vehicle Adoption and Technology - Technological innovations in energy generation, storage, and efficiency - Overcoming policy, economic, and business barriers to market transformation and commercialization Sponsored by: Clean Green IGERT, National Science Foundation, UCLA, and the California NanoSystems Institute Travel Assistance Available. More information can be found at http://cleanenergy.ucla.edu/reset [2] [1] [2] Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2042282 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2042282 In the effort to convert sunlight into electricity, photovoltaic solar cells that use conductive organic polymers for light absorption and conversion have shown great potential. Organic polymers can be produced in high volumes at low cost, resulting in photovoltaic devices that are cheap, lightweight and flexible. In the last few years, much work has been done to improve the efficiency with which these devices convert sunlight into power, including the development of new materials, device structures and processing techniques. In a new study, available online this week in the journal Nature Photonics, researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and UCLA's California Nanosystems Institute (CNSI) report that they have significantly enhanced polymer solar cells' performance by building a device with a new "tandem" structure that combines multiple cells with different absorption bands. The device had a certified power-conversion efficiency of 8.62 percent and set a world record in July 2011. Further, after the researchers incorporated a new infrared-absorbing polymer material provided by Sumitomo Chemical of Japan into the device, the device's architecture proved to be widely applicable and the power-conversion efficiency jumped to 10.6 percent a new record as certified by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. By using cells with different absorption bands, tandem solar cells provide an effective way to harvest a broader spectrum of solar radiation. However, the efficiency doesn't automatically increase by simply combining two cells. The materials for the tandem cells have to be compatible with each other for efficient light harvesting, the researchers said. Until now, the performance of tandem devices lagged behind single-layer solar cells, mainly due to this lack of suitable polymer materials. UCLA Engineering researchers have demonstrated highly efficient single-layer and tandem polymer solar cells featuring a low-band-gapconjugated polymer specially designed for the tandem structure. The band gap determines the portion of the solar spectrum a polymer absorbs. "Envision a double-decker bus," said Yang Yang[1], a professor of materials science and engineering at UCLA Engineering and principal investigator on the research. "The bus can carry a certain number of passengers on one deck, but if you were to add a second deck, you could hold many more people for the same amount of space. That's what we've done here with the tandem polymer solar cell." To use solar radiation more effectively, Yang's team stacked, in series, multiple photoactive layers with complementary absorption spectra to construct a tandem polymer solar cell. Their tandem structure consists of a front cell with a larger (or high) band gap material and a rear cell with a smaller (or low) band gap polymer, connected by a designed interlayer. When compared to a single-layer device, the tandem device is more efficient in utilizing solar energy, particularly by minimizing other energy losses. By using more than one absorption material, each capturing a different part of the solar spectrum, the tandem cell is able to maintain the current and increase the output voltage. These factors enable the increase in efficiency, the researchers said. "The solar spectra is very broad and covers the visible as well as the invisible, the infrared and the UV," said Shuji Doi, research group manager for Sumitomo Chemical. "We are very excited that Sumitomo's lowband gap polymer has contributed to the new record efficiency." "We have been doing research in tandem solar cells for a much shorter length of time than in the single-junction devices," said Gang Li, a member of the research faculty at UCLA Engineering and a co-author of the Nature Photonics paper. "For us to achieve such success in improving the efficiency in this short time period truly demonstrates the great potential of tandem solar cell technology." "Everything is done by a very low-cost wet-coating process," Yang said. "As this process is compatible with current manufacturing, I anticipate this technology will become commercially viable in the near future." This study opens up a new direction for polymer chemists to pursue designs of new materials for tandem polymer solar cells. Furthermore, it indicates an important step towards the commercialization of polymer solar cells. Yang said his team hopes to reach 15 percent efficiency in the next few years. Yang, who holds UCLA's Carol and Lawrence E. Tannas Jr. Endowed Chair in Engineering, is also faculty director of the Nano Renewable Energy Center at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. The study was supported by the National Science Foundation, the U.S Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the U.S. Office of Naval Research and the U.S. Department of Energy, together with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Sumitomo Chemical[2] is one of Japan's leading chemical companies, offering a diverse range of products globally in the fields of basic chemicals, petro-chemicals, IT-related chemicals and materials, agricultural chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. The company's consolidated net sales for fiscal year 2010 were $23.8 billion. UCLA Newsroom[3] [1] [2] [3] Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2042286 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2042286 Letter from Mark S. Cohen published in _Science_ questions the antiquated and potentially damaging advice often given to graduate students seeking postdoctoral positions and postdocs seeking faculty positions, to look elsewhere than their home institutions. Read the letter in the February 17, 2012 edition of _Science[1]_. Mark Cohen[2] is a Professor, Neurology, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Staglin Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Biomedical Physics IDP, and is a member of the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. [1] [2] Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2041013 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2041013 *UCLA RESEARCH ALERT* *FINDINGS:* Researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science[1] have developed a new cell phonebased fluorescent imaging and sensing platform that can detect the presence of the bacterium Escherichia coli in food and water. The engineers combined antibody functionalized glass capillaries with quantum dots (semiconductors often used for medical imaging) as signal reporters to specifically detect E. coli particles in liquid samples using a lightweight, compact attachment to an existing cell-phone camera. Using battery-powered, inexpensive light-emitting diodes (LEDs), the researchers can excite/pump labeled E. coli particles captured on the capillary surface; there, emissions from the quantum dots can be imaged with the cell-phone camera, using an additional lens inserted between the capillary and the cell phone. The cost-effective cell-phone attachment acts as a florescent microscope, quantifying the emitted light from each capillary after the specific capture of E. coli particles within a sample. By quantifying the florescent light emission from each tube, the concentration of E. coli in the sample can be determined. *IMPACT:* E. coli can easily contaminate food and drinking water. It poses a significant threat to public health, even in highly developed parts of the world, and causes a large number of hospitalizations and deaths every year. As few as 10100 E. coli particles can kill the cells of the intestinal lining, destroy the kidneys and cause blood clots in the brain, as well as seizures, paralysis and respiratory failure. This study illustrates the promising potential of a cell phoneenabled, field-portable and cost-effective E. coli detection platform for the screening of both water and food samples. *AUTHORS:* Authors of the research include UCLA electrical engineering postdoctoral scholar Hongying Zhu; UCLA electrical engineering undergraduate student Uzair Sikora; and UCLA associate professor of electrical engineering and bioengineering Aydogan Ozcan. Ozcan is also a member of the California NanoSystems Institute[2] at UCLA. Learn more about the Ozcan Research Group[3]. *FUNDING:* The Ozcan Research Group is funded by the U.S. Office of Navel Research, the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Army Research Office. *JOURNAL:* The research is published in the peer-reviewed journal The Royal Society of Chemistry[4]. UCLA Newsroom[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2041301 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2041301 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency[1] Administrator Lisa P. Jackson joined scientists, faculty, technology innovators and students at the University of California, Los Angeles to tour its Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology[2]. The center has been awarded a $24 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Science Foundation, and is working to train the next generation of nano-scale scientists and engineers. The facility is one of the nations only centers researching predictive toxicology of nanomaterials, and is developing a new approach to identify impacts and environmental hazards of nanomaterials before they become widely used in the environment. To follow up on President Obamas State of the Union address, Administrator Jackson will discuss Obama administration efforts that benefit both public health and the economy. The visit continues Administrator Jacksons ongoing efforts to speak with Americans across the country, especially students, about EPAs work to protect peoples health and the environment and support job growth. The University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology, founded in September 2008, aims to ensure the safe use of nanotechnology so the world can benefit from the science both economically and socially. The center is housed in the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, with a second major research hub at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Read about the visit in The Daily Sundial[3]. [1] [2] [3] Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2040731 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2040731 *Wednesday, February 22, 2012* *Art|Sci Event Dark Skies: Patricia Olynyk Lecture + Exhibition Opening 2:00 PM Lecture @ UCLA Broad Art Center, room 5240 5:00 7:00 PM Exhibition @ CNSI Gallery* Dark Skies is a work by Patricia Olynyk in Collaboration with Axi:Ome and Christopher Ottinger. Dark Skies is a multi channel projection on CNC routed tiles inspired by the concept of biomimicry. The surfaces of the tiles themselves are based loosely on the shape and topography a wildmouse tastebud. The installation also includes an evocative soundscape, drawn primarily from field recordings captured at twilight in the Rocky Mountains during high summer. "Dark Skies" is an astronomical reference, referring to remote places free of hazy city light that allow for an extended view into deep space and time. This insight offers not only a unique perceptual and psychological experience but the promise of new discovery. Patricia Olynyk is an artist whose prints and installations frequently employ microscopy and biomedical imaging technologies to explore the intersections between art and the life sciences. Currently she is Chair of the Leonardo Education and Art Forum (LEAF). Exhibition opening to follow the lecture. Event Flyer[1] Events Website[2] [1] [2] [3] Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2040816 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2040816 *Spring 2012 DESMA 9. Art, Science, and Technology * Introductory online course to explore and survey the cultural impact of scientific and technological innovations, technology driven art inspired by science and art/science collaborative projects. Students will be introduced to the vast array of cutting edge science research and art projects as well as how scientific innovation influences society and popular culture. GE course, Statistics, visual and performance arts analysis + practice. No pre-requisite required. P/NP or Letter Grading. 5 units. View lectures online or download as video podcasts. More info at DESMA 9 Art|Sci Center[1] UCLA Registrar's Office Schedule of Classes[2] Poster PDF[3] Five UCLA faculty are among 29 UC-wide who have been selected to help pave the way to a digital future for the university through the Online Pilot Project, administered by the UC Office of the President in partnership with the Academic Senate. The university hopes to begin offering as many as 25 online courses by January, 2012. Read more in UCLA Today[4]. [1] [2] [3] [4] Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2040073 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2040073 A new method of collecting the sun's energy and using it to power man's devices is being perfected by Yang Yang[1], a researcher with the university's School of Engineering. Just yesterday, Yang announced... ... that his signature brand of cheap, bendy "solar cell" has broken the world efficiency record in its class by converting 10.6 percent of sunlight into power. Within five years, Yang says he fully expects to raise his cells' efficiency to 15 or even 20 percent -- allowing them to power everyday machines like cars and cell phones. The cells are made of "organic polymer" instead of the traditional silicon, making them more flexible than those used in today's brittle solar panels. Embed the new flexi-cells into a sheet, says Yang, and the possibilities will be endless. We'll be able to hang solar shades in front of our windows; apply them like stickers (in different colors!) to the rooftops of our electric cars; even slap them onto the backs of our iPhones. See the rest of the article in LA Weekly[2]! [1] [2] Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2040075 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2040075 Six outstanding young professors from UCLA are among 126 scientists and scholars from 51 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada to receive 2012 Sloan Research Fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. UCLA and Yale University each had six faculty members selected, second only to Stanford University, which had seven. (One of Stanford's recipients is on leave from UCLA and started a faculty position at Stanford last July.) The fellowships are awarded to exceptional young researchers, "whose achievements and potential identify them as rising stars, the next generation of scientific leaders," according to the New Yorkbased foundation. The UCLA recipients are: *Leah Platt Boustan* Boustan is an assistant professor of economics whose interests lie at the intersection of economic history and modern labor and urban economics. Her research focuses on the Great Black Migration from the rural South during and after World War II and the mass migration from Europe to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A research associate with the California Center for Population Research and a faculty research fellow with the National Bureau of Economic Research, Platt Boustan is writing a book titled "Competition in the Promised Land: Black Migrants in Northern Cities and Labor Markets." *Neil Garg* Garg is an assistant professor of chemistry whose remarkable total synthesis of a natural product created a stir last August at the American Chemical Society's national meeting. His laboratory develops synthetic strategies and methods to enable the synthesis of complex bioactive molecules. He also employs innovative techniques in his teaching, including assigning his undergraduates an extra credit project in which they produce music videos about organic chemistry. Garg joined UCLA's faculty in 2007 and has received numerous awards and honors for his research. *Jin Hyung Lee*[1] Lee is an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, with joint appointments in psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences and in radiology. Her research aims to analyze, debug and engineer brain circuits; her specific goals are to understand the brain's connectivity and its function at the systems level and to develop ways to fix the brain to treat various diseases. This means working on a wide range of topics, including biomedical imaging technologies such as MRI and optical imaging, signal processing algorithms, computational algorithms, optics, genetics and molecular biology. *John Novembre* Novembre, an assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and of bioinformatics, is a population geneticist with an interest in theoretical population genetics and statistical genetics. The central area of interest of his laboratory is the development of theory and statistical methods for analyzing genomic-scale population genetic data. Much of his National Science Foundationfunded research investigates questions in evolutionary genetics, focusing on human evolutionary history and using data from emerging genotyping and sequencing technologies. Novembre has won numerous awards and honors for his research. *Sebastien Roch* Roch is an assistant professor of mathematics who conducts research at the intersection of applied probability, mathematical statistics and theoretical computer science, with an emphasis on applications in bioinformatics. His research, supported by the National Science Foundation, focuses on the use of models and techniques from probability theory to develop new methods for solving large-scale statistical and computational problems for instance, in evolutionary genomics. *Marcus Roper* Roper is an assistant professor of mathematics whose expertise includes mathematical modeling, fluid dynamics, physical biology and asymptotic methods. He is especially interested in studying the physical constraints on organisms that must disperse, grow or propel themselves in challenging physical environments. His research has looked at how spores disperse, how bacteria spread and how fungi shuttle nuclei around during growth. "Today's Sloan Research Fellows are tomorrow's Nobel Prize winners," said Paul L. Joskow, president of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. "These outstanding men and women are responsible for some of the most exciting science being done today. The Foundation is proud to support them during this pivotal stage of their careers." Sloan Research Fellowships are intended to enhance the careers of exceptional young scientists and scholars in chemistry, computer science, economics, mathematics, evolutionary and computational molecular biology, neuroscience, ocean sciences, and physics. For more information, visit www.sloan.org. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] for the full article! [1] [2] Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2037213 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2037213 Jeffery F. Miller has been elected the incoming president of the American Society for Microbiology and will assume the presidency July 1, 2012. Jeff Miller[1] holds the M. Philip Davis Chair in Microbiology and Immunology, and he is Professor and Chairman of the Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics. Established in 1899, the American Society for Microbiology (ASM)[2] is the largest single-discipline life science society, composed of nearly 40,000 scientists and health professionals throughout the world. ASM's mission is to advance the microbiological sciences as a vehicle for understanding life processes and to apply and communicate this knowledge for the improvement of health and environmental and economic well-being worldwide. ASM membership includes scientists who do basic research on viruses, bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoa as well as clinical microbiologists devoted to detecting, treating and preventing infectious diseases. Microbiologists also work on alternative methods of energy production and waste recycling, food safety, new drug development, and environmental problems. Microbiology boasts some of the most illustrious names in the annals of science Pasteur, Koch, Fleming, Leeuwenhoek, Lister, Jenner and Salk and some of the greatest achievements for humanity. In the 20th century, a third of all Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine were bestowed upon microbiologists. [1] [2] Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2035371 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2035371 Chemical & Engineering News editor Rudy M. Baum recounts his visit to the California NanoSystems institute last Fall where he met with CNSI Director Paul Weiss and other faculty scientists at UCLA in his column C&EN Recent Travels[1]. [1] Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2034802 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2034802 Forbes magazine reports on recent UCLA study. Andrei Chikatilo, The Butcher of Rostov, was one of the most prolific serial killers in modern history. Between 1978 and 1990 in the Ukraine, he committed at least 52 murders before he was caught, tried and executed. The pattern of his murders, though, was irregular. There were long periods of no activity, interrupted by several murders within a short period of time. Hoping to gain insight into serial killings to prevent similar murders, his pattern of behavior was examined by Mikhail Simkin and Vwani Roychowdhury[1] of the Department of Electrical Engineering at UCLA. Theyve published a paper[2] on ArXiv with their preliminary results. Visit Forbes[3] for the entire article. [1] [2] [3] Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2034777 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2034777 A team of UCLA scientists has found that the pathogen that causes leprosy has a remarkable ability to avoid the human immune system by inhibiting the antimicrobial responses important to our defenses. In one of the first laboratory studies of its kind, researchers discovered that the leprosy pathogen Mycobacterium leprae was able to reduce and evade immune activity that is dependent on vitamin D, a natural hormone that plays an essential role in the body's fight against infections. The pathogen manipulated micro-RNAs, tiny molecules made of ribonucleic acids that carry information and that help regulate genes to direct cell activity, including immune system defenses. Micro-RNAs are short RNAs that do not code information for proteins, which carry out all cell activity; rather, they bind to the RNAs that do code for proteins and block them. Published in the Jan. 29 online edition of the journal Nature Medicine, the findings demonstrate how an infectious disease pathogen like M. leprae can use micro-RNAs to impact the immune system's fight response. "We may find that these tiny micro-RNAs can be exploited by pathogens to weaken our immune response," said the study's first author, Dr. Philip T. Liu, an assistant professor of medicine at the Orthopaedic Hospital Research Center and in the department of dermatology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "By better understanding how pathogens can escape our immune cells, we can design more effective therapies to boost our immune responses to these difficult to treat infections like leprosy." Leprosy, one of the world's oldest known diseases, is a chronic infectious disease that affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, the upper respiratory tract and the eyes and can lead to disfigurement of the hands, face and feet. In 2008, approximately 249,000 new cases of leprosy were reported worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. For the study, researchers compared the micro-RNAs in human skin lesions from two types of leprosy: tuberloid leprosy, a milder infection that is more easily contained, and lepromatous leprosy, which is more serious and causes widespread infection throughout the body. In the lab, the scientists identified 13 micro-RNAs that differed between the two types of leprosy. The micro-RNAs that were found to be more common in lepromatous leprosy seemed to target the genes important for directing key immune system cells, including macrophages and T cells. The team found that a particular micro-RNA, hsa-mir-21, inhibited the gene activity of the vitamin Ddependent immune pathway used to help fight infection. When researchers neutralized the activity of hsa-mir-21 in macrophages, the cells were able to kill the bacteria again. "The leprosy pathogen was able to effectively evade the host's immune response by regulating critical immune system genes," said senior investigator Dr. Robert Modlin[1], UCLA's Klein Professor of Dermatology and chief of dermatology at the Geffen School of Medicine. "It's like having the enemy sending a decoy message to your combat troops and telling them to lower their weapons." To test the significance of this micro-RNA with other infectious diseases, the researchers also introduced hsa-mir-21 to human macrophages that were then infected with tuberculosis in the lab. Researchers found that the micro-RNA similarly blocked the ability of the macrophages to kill the bacteria. Researchers also demonstrated that immune activation of the leprosy-infected immune cells decreased the leprosy bacteria's viability four-fold but only when hsa-mir-21 activity was silenced. In fact, an over-expression of this micro-RNA blocked immune activity, resulting in a five-fold increase in bacterial viability. "We were surprised at the devastating effects that even a single micro-RNA had on the ability of immune cells to fight the infections," Liu said. In addition, the team showed that this micro-RNA was found in human immune cells only 18 hours after the onset of leprosy infection. The presence of the micro-RNA so early in the infection suggests it might play a role in actual disease development, the researchers said. Further investigation of this single micro-RNA in leprosy may provide a framework for analyzing other micro-RNAs to help determine their cumulative role in regulating the immune response. The micro-RNAs are small, and therefore it is possible to develop treatments which neutralize them, the researchers said. "We may find that a combination of vitamin D supplementation with a genetically targeted therapy could provide an optimal treatment approach to leprosy and possibly other chronic infectious diseases," said Modlin, who also serves as vice chair for cutaneous medicine and dermatological research at UCLA and is a distinguished professor of medicine and of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics. "Vitamin D insufficiency has been associated with a number of infectious and autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disease and cancers," Modlin added. "Our study indicates that micro-RNAs can alter human vitamin D responses and contribute to disease pathology." Dr. Barry Bloom of Harvard University, who was not an author of this study but is part of the research team studying this field, agreed. "Such a novel approach may be especially worth exploring in treatment of drug-resistant pathogens such as some forms of tuberculosis, where antimicrobial therapy is becoming increasingly problematic," Bloom said. Bloom, the former dean of the faculty at Harvard's School of Public Health, is Harvard's Distinguished University Service Professor and the Jack and Joan Jacobson Professor of Public Health in the School of Public Health's department of immunology and infectious diseases and department of global health and population. The study was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Institute of Arthritis, Skin and Musculoskeletal Diseases, both parts of the National Institutes of Health. [1] Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2034044 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2034044 Aydogan Ozcan[1], associate professor of electrical engineering and bioengineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, has garnered a great deal of media attention and professional recognition in recent years for his work on lensless computational microscopy. Just this month, The Scientist, a magazine focusing on the life sciences, research and technology, declared Ozcans microscopy platform the top innovation of 2011, claiming the No. 1 spot in their Top 10 list. Ozcan has been honored with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the National Science Foundation CAREER award, the National Health Institutes (NIH) Directors New Innovator Award as well as the Office of Naval Research and Army Research Office Young Investigator awards. Last year, Ozcan was also the winner of the Innovation Challenge organized by the Rockefeller Foundation and mHealth Alliance. In 2009 and 2010, he was selected by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to receive a Grand Challenges Exploration Award, and named a National Geographic Emerging Explorer. His groups computational microscopy technology, with the help of UCLA Engineerings Institute for Technology Advancement (ITA), has now led to a spinoff called Holomic LLC. Recently, Holomic officially announced its founding and start of full-scale operations in Los Angeles, after receiving $2.5 million in seed funding from a strategic investor as well as an NIH Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant of $383,000. Holomic LLCs mission is to commercialize technologies created by my research group at UCLA and expand the range and number of microscopy applications to benefit communities in the United States, other industrialized nations, as well as resource-limited countries, said Ozcan, founder and director of the company. Holomic would not have reached this stage without the support of the School of Engineering as well as ITA. I am thankful for their support. Neven Karlovac, also a founder and chief executive officer of Holomic, with over thirty years of experience in technology and business management with companies ranging from early-stage startups to Global 500 corporations, was a senior technology strategist with ITA when he met Ozcan. The two soon partnered on Ozcans activities to help identify and shape promising inventions for commercialization. An organization like the ITA is important for talented faculty like Aydogan, said Karlovac. One of the priorities of the ITA is to incubate research that shows potential for commercialization. As a senior technology strategist, I focused on innovative ideas for new applications and emerging markets, which could result in startups like Holomic that can be funded by leveraging various resources like SBIR grants, development contracts, debt financing and venture capital. According to Les Lackman, deputy director of ITA, the Institute has already helped to spin off two successful companies prior to Holomic. One is WaveConnex, Inc. with Frank Chang, distinguished professor and chair of the electrical engineering department and the other, Easel Biotechnologies with James Liao, professor and vice chair of chemical and biomolecular engineering. ITA is a leading organization that helps incubate advanced breakthroughs from our research labs to industry, with the goal of streamlining the creation of products, processes and services that fill the needs of society, said Engineering Dean Vijay K. Dhir about ITA when it first opened. This new institute adds an important component to our mission of education, research and service, and it will help UCLA Engineering remain on the forefront of transitioning dynamic, world-changing research. Optical microscopy is one of the oldest and most important scientific tools widely used in research and clinical settings in a variety of applications. However professional grade microscopes are bulky and range in price from thousands of dollars to tens of thousands of dollars and are largely confined to laboratory use. Ozcans telemedicine microscopy platform captures images using a technology termed Lenseless Ultra-wide-field Cell Monitoring Array platform based on Shadow imaging (LUCAS). With this computational approach, the microscope can be miniaturized to the point where it fits on most cell phones, while remaining inexpensive enough for widespread use in developing countries. Ozcans cell phone microscope is also easy to use and versatile. Samples of blood and saliva can be loaded onto single-use chips that easily slide into the side of the cell phone microscope and can be used to monitor diseases like HIV or malaria and to test water quality in the field after a major disaster like a hurricane or earthquake. Algorithms developed also by Ozcans research group instantly identify and count red and white blood cells and microparticles in large sample volumes, a time consuming process typically done by trained technicians. The image results are then sent by the cell phone to centralized hospitals for analysis by health-care professionals. Holomic is currently in the development stage and plans to introduce a product line of portable, cell phone or wireless based microscopes for a wide range of applications, including scientific research, point-of-care diagnostics, pathology labs, telemedicine and environmental monitoring. First product releases are planned for late 2012. More information on Ozcans research group can be found here: http://innovate.ee.ucla.edu/[2]. Information on Holomic LLC can be found here: http://holomic.com/[3]. See original article at the UCLA Engineering Newsroom[4]. [1] [2] [3] [4] Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2031772 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2031772 *Gerard Wong*, a professor of bioengineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and the California NanoSystems Institute, has been elected to the American Physical Society for his contributions to the understanding of electrostatic interactions in biological systems. Wong is the first UCLA faculty to be elected from the Department of Bioengineering. The 2011 elections will be published in the March 2012 issue of APS News. For a full list of 2011 American Physical Society Fellows[1] see the APS website. The Wong Research Group[2] works on a diverse range of problems where unusual concepts and tools from physics and chemistry are brought to bear on problems in human health and disease . The control of pathogens like bacteria and viruses is an ongoing theme. For example, Wong and his collaborators identified how HIV TAT peptides can have multiple interactions with the cell membrane, the actin cytoskeleton and specific cell-surface receptors to produce multiple pathways of translocation, essentially showing how cell-penetrating peptides for drug delivery act like a Swiss Army Knife[3]. The Wong group has also done significant work to broaden our understanding of bacterial communities. In a 2010 paper in the journal Science, Wong and colleagues described the new surface adaptation the "walking" motility mechanism, observed in Pseudomonas aeruginosa [4], a biofilm-forming pathogen partly responsible for the lethal infections in cystic fibrosis. The *American Physical Society[5]*, founded in 1899, is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review[6] and Physical Review Letters[7], and organizes more than 20 science meetings each year. UCLA Today|Faculty and Staff News[8] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2027787 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2027787 *Tuesday, January 10, 2012* *2:00 PM Lecture, UCLA Broad Art Center, room 5240* *5:00 7:00 PM North|South Mixer, CNSI* What if a game designer attempted to reverse-engineer the reverse-engineering of scientists by making games that enabled us to play realitys rules? This mixer will feature the work of Colleen Macklin, including some of her recent experiments and prototypes, including the debut of a new playable prototype of a two-player game for the iPad. Bring your iPad to the opening to play! + Parsons Design + Technology MFA student work from Victoria Vesnas NanBioArt class, featuring the work of Jeremy Peterson, winner of best final project. Nanoscientist Odo is Art | Sci DJ + Molecular refreshments provided at Mixer Fall / Winter 2011-12 Art|Sci Artist in Residence Colleen Macklin focuses on developing new games, simulations, and play experiences which encourage experimental learning and investigation into social and global issues. She has led social media projects with the UN and Open Society Institute and was exploring scientific concepts for game design during her residency at UCLA. Event Flyer[1] For more information on the UCLA Art|Sci Center, please visit the website[2]. [1] [2] Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2026988 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2026988 _The Scientist_, magazine of the life sciences, has announced its list of the Top Ten Innovations 2011[1]. At the top of the list is LUCAS the Pocket Microscope developed by UCLAs Aydogan Ozcan, professor of electrical engineering and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute. _"Diagnosing malaria or other blood-borne illnesses used to require analyzing cell slides under a bulky, costly light microscopewhich can be difficult to find in impoverished, remote locations. Enter LUCAS (Lensless, Ultra-wide-field Cell monitoring Array platform based on Shadow imaging), an easy-to-use, pocket-size holographic microscope that weighs less than 50g, uses inexpensive, off-the-shelf parts, and can be attached to a cell phones camera, making it ideal for diagnosing disease in isolated, developing countries."_ Read the entire article which includes the complete list of 2011 Top Ten Innovations at The Scientist[2]. [1] [2] Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2026995 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2026995 An internationally known UCLA researcher is applying his expertise and passion for global mentoring to help bolster scientific capacity and technological infrastructure in a nation that boasts one of the fastest-growing economies in Southeast Asia. Professor Omar Yaghi, who was ranked one of the world's top two chemists of the past decade by the Thomson Reuters Center last year, is making a difference in Vietnam by helping the country launch a new advanced research center in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. Based at Vietnam National University (VNU), the new center, MANAR-Vietnam, will focus on the creation and development of molecular and nano-architecture, a field that Yaghi has helped expand. The research center, whose director is Anh Phan, a UCLA graduate who completed her Ph.D. studies under Yaghis guidance, opened Dec. 11. MANAR will be the first collaborative research center at VNU that focuses on basic science and offers a high quality postgraduate program in Vietnam, said Phan, adding that she has long wished for a facility of this kind to benefit Vietnamese researchers and students. The scientists and administrators at the university, who proposed the international partnership to Yaghi, are particularly interested in a class of crystalline materials called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), sponge-like structures that can efficiently store gasses like methane and hydrogen for possible use in alternative-fuel vehicles. "Theyre an interesting class of materials because you can combine organic molecules and inorganic molecules to make new frameworks that are useful for clean-energy applications," said Yaghi, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and of molecular and medical pharmacology. "It is now a technology that is practiced all over the world." Molecular and nano-architecture is a field that Yaghi knows particularly well. He invented reticular chemistry, which focuses on the linking of molecular building blocks into extended crystalline structures. His research has resulted in the creation and production of several new classes of materials that have powerful implications in the advancement of clean energy. The center, which will start with more than two dozen researchers, undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows, will also enable the university to build its research and technology infrastructure, Yaghi explained. Fueling its growth will be industry partnerships, international collaborations and scholarship exchange. The new center will also encourage young scientists to think big and work alongside world-renowned researchers. "We dont do research just to make more money and build the economy," said Yaghi, who was granted a distinguished professorship at VNU. "We do it to inspire young people. Young students have dreams, and we want to help them achieve their dreams. Thats really our focus." The relationships between students and professors will be rooted in the concept of global mentorship, a passion for Yaghi who has been involved in such projects for the past 15 years. "In a university setting we do research that transcends the frontiers of knowledge, but why do we do it?" asked Yaghi, who is also currently working in global mentoring programs in Japan and Korea. "Collaborations have always been around, but global mentoring provides a framework from which to start talking about partnerships and, for researchers, to develop a sustainable path," he said. "Professors have more ideas than they can execute for various reasons. We have a lot of ideas, and the MOF field is full of new ideas. It has opened up a whole new space that requires development." By inspiring students to expand their perspectives and explore their potential, a research program like the one in Vietnam can lead to the creation of an unlimited number of molecular compounds. Yaghis lab has already produced more than 500 of them. The only limit is ones imagination, he said, adding that he hopes the center will also draw investment support from government and industry leaders. "The number of variations that could be made is immense, and so you need talent from the world to be involved in this chemistry because no single group from one single country can develop it," Yaghi said. More importantly, young people can be engaged in this endeavor at a very early stage. "Almost every student can come up with a structure they want to build based on the geometric building block." The global implications for such discoveries are enormous, he said. "These materials are important for clean energy, water, the environment and sustainability," Yaghi said. "These are challenges that transcend borders, and the world needs to join together to solve these problems." To make global mentoring a success requires open communication and detailed consultation to learn the needs of the host country and the expectations of both partnering nations in order to ensure transparency and viability. "You need to help them lead their own effort," Yaghi explained, and "grow it organically from the bottom up. We have students who come to UCLA from around the world who go back to their home country. So why not extend the mentoring bond that weve started with them in our lab overseas to help them build centers of excellence in their own countries?" Special guests at the opening ceremonies at VNU included Nguyen T. An, U.S. consulate general to Vietnam; Phan Thanh Binh, president of VNU; Phillip Szuromi, supervisory senior editor of Science magazine; and Eric M. Frater, environment, science and technology officer at the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[1] [1] Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2024154 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2024154 *_Innovative machine learning method anticipates neurocognitive changes, similar to predictive text-entry for cell phones, Internet search engines_* At UCLA's Laboratory of Integrative Neuroimaging Technology[1], researchers use functional MRI brain scans to observe brain signal changes that take place during mental activity. They then employ computerized machine learning (ML) methods to study these patterns and identify the cognitive state or sometimes the thought process of human subjects. The technique is called "brain reading" or "brain decoding." In a new study[2], the UCLA research team describes several crucial advances in this field, using fMRI and machine learning methods to perform "brain reading" on smokers experiencing nicotine cravings. The research, presented last week at the Neural Information Processing Systems' Machine Learning and Interpretation in Neuroimaging workshop in Spain, was funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which is interested in using these method to help people control drug cravings. In this study on addiction and cravings, the team classified data taken from cigarette smokers who were scanned while watching videos meant to induce nicotine cravings. The aim was to understand in detail which regions of the brain and which neural networks are responsible for resisting nicotine addiction specifically, and cravings in general, said Dr. Ariana Anderson, a postdoctoral fellow in the Integrative Neuroimaging Technology lab and the study's lead author. "We are interested in exploring the relationships between structure and function in the human brain, particularly as related to higher-level cognition, such as mental imagery," Anderson said. "The lab is engaged in the active exploration of modern data-analysis approaches, such as machine learning, with special attention to methods that reveal systems-level neural organization." For the study, smokers sometimes watched videos meant to induce cravings, sometimes watched "neutral" videos and at sometimes watched no video at all. They were instructed to attempt to fight nicotine cravings when they arose. The data from fMRI scans taken of the study participants was then analyzed. Traditional machine learning methods were augmented by Markov processes, which use past history to predict future states. By measuring the brain networks active over time during the scans, the resulting machine learning algorithms were able to anticipate changes in subjects' underlying neurocognitive structure, predicting with a high degree of accuracy (90 percent for some of the models tested) what they were watching and, as far as cravings were concerned, how they were reacting to what they viewed. "We detected whether people were watching and resisting cravings, indulging in them, or watching videos that were unrelated to smoking or cravings," said Anderson, who completed her Ph.D. in statistics at UCLA. "Essentially, we were predicting and detecting what kind of videos people were watching and whether they were resisting their cravings." In essence, the algorithm was able to complete or "predict" the subjects' mental states and thought processes in much the same way that Internet search engines or texting programs on cell phones anticipate and complete a sentence or request before the user is finished typing. And this machine learning method based on Markov processes demonstrated a large improvement in accuracy over traditional approaches, the researchers said. Machine learning methods, in general, create a "decision layer" essentially a boundary separating the different classes one needs to distinguish. For example, values on one side of the boundary might indicate that a subject believes various test statements and, on the other, that a subject disbelieves these statements. Researchers have found they can detect these believedisbelieve differences with high accuracy, in effect creating a lie detector. An innovation described in the new study is a means of making these boundaries interpretable by neuroscientists, rather than an often obscure boundary created by more traditional methods, like support vector machine learning. "In our study, these boundaries are designed to reflect the contributed activity of a variety of brain sub-systems or networks whose functions are identifiable for example, a visual network, an emotional-regulation network or a conflict-monitoring network," said study co-author Mark S. Cohen, a professor of neurology, psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at UCLA's Staglin Center for Cognitive Neuroscience[3] and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA[4]. "By projecting our problem of isolating specific networks associated with cravings into the domain of neurology, the technique does more than classify brain states it actually helps us to better understand the way the brain resists cravings," added Cohen, who also directs UCLA's Neuroengineering Training Program. Remarkably, by placing this problem into neurological terms, the decoding process becomes significantly more reliable and accurate, the researchers said. This is especially significant, they said, because it is unusual to use prior outcomes and states in order to inform the machine learning algorithms, and it is particularly challenging in the brain because so much is unknown about how the brain works. Machine learning typically involves two steps: a "training phase" in which the computer evaluates a set of known outcomes say, a bunch of trials in which a subject indicated belief or disbelief and a second, "prediction" phase in which the computer builds a boundary based on that knowledge. In future research, the neuroscientists said, they will be using these machine learning methods in a biofeedback context, showing subjects real-time brain readouts to let them know when they are experiencing cravings and how intense those cravings are, in the hopes of training them to control and suppress those cravings. But since this clearly changes the process and cognitive state for the subject, the researchers said, they may face special challenges in trying to decode a "moving target" and in separating the "training" phase from the "prediction" phase. Science Poster[5] UCLA Newsroom[6] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Wed, 21 Dec 2011 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2022741 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2022741 Energy takes work. Hard work, and a lot of it, in fact. Thats the starting point in the EnGen Roadshow, a presentation to Los Angeles-area high school science classes created by several UCLA graduate students in engineering and the sciences. Through the use of several demonstrations, including a hand-crank generator, a steam engine, photovoltaic cell, and even a mini-hydroelectric generator, the graduate students begin a discussion on where different sources of energy come from; the technologies and efficiency of converting them to a more useful form of electricity; then finally, the environmental impacts that they each have. The students are all fellows in UCLAs Clean Green Integrative Graduate Education Research Traineeship, a National Science Foundation-funded program that aims to develop leaders in environmental energy through integrated research and coursework in the science, business and policies of clean technology. The interdisciplinary program includes engineers, as well as chemists, economists, statisticians and public policy students. Designing a program to educate K-12 students on clean energy is part of the programs mission. Additional funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act requires a program with impact on the future of green technology in greater Los Angeles. The CGI fellows decided to focus their efforts at the high school level. Many of us felt that we were not exposed to the fundamentals of clean energy in high school and we hoped to make students aware of energy issues as they are beginning to seriously contemplate their future career paths, said CGI fellow Leland Smith, a materials science and engineering graduate student. We hoped to show the relevance of math and science education on real world problems. So far, the group has presented to three high schools, including Bell Gardens High School; Alexander Hamilton High in Los Angeles, and Redondo Union High in Redondo Beach. At Hamilton, the fellows gave their talks in teacher Dina A. Kraemers Advanced Placement environmental sciences classes. Her course is geared to helping students discover strong connections between science, technology and public policy issues. I cannot emphasize enough the power of 20-something grad students presenting, Kraemer said. The kids are mesmerized by individuals that are close in age and see their future in them. At the front of the classroom, the fellows had high school students try a hand-crank generator or lifting a bucket of water overhead for hydroelectric power, both of which connect to an LED that lights up when it receives electricity. But for the students, turning the crank or lifting that bucket starts to become difficult after a minute. And thats the exactly what the UCLA graduate students want, as it shows just how much work it takes to convert even a little bit of potential energy into the more useful form of electricity. Following the demonstrations, the CGI fellows discuss the many types of energy sources, as well as their effects on the environment. Many of the high schoolers questions ask where clean and renewable energy currently stands and when it will become more readily available. Our energy consumption comes at a price, and it is up to us as a society to determine what that price should be, said Joshua Shapiro, a Clean Green IGERT Fellow and an electrical engineering graduate student. We believe that by educating about where electricity comes from and the real costs associated with producing electricity, people will become more prudent consumers of energy. While the lessons are intended to benefit the students they present to, its been a positive learning experience for them as well. As grad students we spend a lot of time thinking about the fine details of energy technology and talking with people who have a deep knowledge of the problem, Smith said. It becomes easy to take for granted that people have a high level of understanding of these issues. It is entirely different to speak with people who know high school science, but not much more about clean energy. As tomorrows leaders in clean energy, this is an invaluable experience for the CGI fellows. In addition to the outreach component, the CGI faculty members have developed two graduate clean energy courses designed to spur discussion and collaboration between the fellows. The topics include policy, economics, energy harvesting, storage, and conservation. The classes are cross-listed and available to all graduate students. One of the premises of our program is to assemble a broad-range of disciplines all involved in clean energy, said electrical engineering professor Diana Huffaker, director of the Clean Green IGERT and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute. It is at the interface of standard disciplines that innovation can come about. More about the Clean Green IGERT Fellowship Program, including contact information, can be found at: http://cleanenergy.ucla.edu/[1]. Visit the UCLA Engineering Newsroom[2] for the full article. [1] [2] Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2022474 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2022474 *UCLA RESEARCH ALERT* *FINDINGS:* Graphene, a one-atomthick layer of carbon lattice with a honeycomb structure, is seen as an attractive semiconductor material for use in future electronics and optoelectronics because of its speed, transparency, flexibility and strength. Recent studies have demonstrated its potential in solar cells, touch panels, ultra-fast lasers and optical modulators. And while graphene has the potential for wideband, high-speed photodetection the sensing of light or other electromagnetic energy it is currently hampered by its low external sensitivity to light and its inability to differentiate different colors of light. Now, researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and the department of chemistry and biochemistry in the UCLA College of Letters and Science have found that by coupling graphene with metallic plasmonic nanostructures, they can overcome these limitations, greatly enhancing the local light intensity, improving overall light sensitivity and enabling the highly specific detection of multiple colors. Such structures could be used to concentrate, guide or filter light on the nanoscale in sensors and various other devices. *IMPACT:* The new development could broadly impact a variety of areas, including image sensor arrays, bio-sensing and communications. *AUTHORS:* Authors of the research include UCLA chemistry postdoctoral scholars Lei Liao, Hailong Zhou and Gang Liu; UCLA materials science and engineering graduate students Yuan Liu, Rui Cheng, Jingwei Bai and Lixin Liu; and UCLA assistant professor of materials science and engineering Yu Huang[1] and UCLA assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry Xiangfeng Duan[2]. Professors Huang and Duan are also members of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. *FUNDING:* The research was supported by National Institutes of Health Director's New Innovator Award program, part of the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. *JOURNAL:* The research was published Dec. 6 in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications[3]. [1] [2] [3] Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2021747 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2021747 On November 17th and 18th, the Fifth Annual Symposium on Nanobiotechnology and Nanohealth was held at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea, hosted jointly by the Yonsei Nanomedical National Core Research Center and the Center for Evolutionary Nanoparticles. It was sponsored by CNSI and the Center for Nanobio Integration (CNBI) at the University of Tokyo. Initiated in 2007 by CNSI and CNBI, the symposia series serves as an international forum for presentations on current research in nanohealth and nanomedicine. Topics discussed at this year were nano stimulation for smart materials and therapeutics and smart nanosensing and imaging. Previous meetings have focused on nanosafety, targeted drug delivery, and DNA therapies. To emphasis their global scope, meetings are held at different locations each year. These have included Los Angeles, Tokyo, Munich, and Seoul. Participants are drawn from Asia, North America, and Europe. Presenters at this years symposium were from Yonsei University (Korea), University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, University of Munich, the Karolinska Insitute (Sweden), and CEA/Leti/Clinatec (France). To emphasize their global scope, meetings are held at different locations each year. These have included Los Angeles, Tokyo, Munich, and Seoul. Participants are drawn from Asia, North America, and Europe. Presenters at this years symposium were from Yonsei University (Korea), University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, University of Munich, the Karolinska Insitute (Sweden), and CEA/Leti/Clinatec (France). CNSI /UCLA was represented by Professors Jeffrey Zink[1], Fuyu Tamanoi [2], Yunfeng Lu[3], Hisan-Rong Tseng[4], and by Dr. David Lundberg. CNSI/UCSB was represented by Tom Soh. The next symposium will take place in November, 2012 in Kyoto and hosted by the Institute for Integrated Cell-Materials Sciences (iCeMS) at Kyoto University. For details contact Professor Takafumi Ueno at taka@icems.kyoto-u.ac.jp[5]. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2020742 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2020742 Two UCLA graduate students are among the prize winners of the 2011 Collegiate Inventors Competition. Sponsored by the Abott Fund, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the U.S. Patent and trademark Office (USPTO) along with Invent Now, a nonprofit organization that recognizes and encourages invention, the Collegiate Inventors Competition was created to promote innovation by recognizing inventors and scientists early in their careers and rewarding students often pioneering ideas as they address the problems of the world. Julio DArcy and Albert Mach, both graduate students at UCLA, received second and third prizes, respectively, for their work. Kyle Allison of Boston University was honored with first prize in the Graduate Category for his new therapy to eliminate bacterial persisters, and a team from Yale University, Elizabeth Asai, Nickolas Demas and Elliot Swart, was honored in the Undergraduate Category for a handheld imaging system that helps to detect potentially cancerous skin lesions. The prize winners were honored for their pioneering technology advances at an event which took place at the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, DC last month. DArcy, a chemistry student under the advisement of Professor Richard Kaner[1], created a universal coating solution for thin-film deposition. A thin-film is a flat, conducting, and transparent architecture that is essential to the fabrication of electronic devices such as solar cells, organic LEDs, transistors, and sensors. This invention is a universal and environmentally friendly solution to thin-film deposition that leads to high quality and large-scale continuous coatings of organic and inorganic electronic materials in a matter of seconds. D'Arcy's invention has been licensed to Fibron Technologies, Inc. (www.fibrontech.com), a start-up company co-founded by Kaner and two of his former graduate students. Fibron Technologies creates nanostructured conducting polymers for antistatics, electronics and engineered plastics. Fibron has a joint Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant with Kaners lab funded by the National Science Foundation. Mach, a bioengineering student under the advisement of Professor Dino Di Carlo[2], invented a process for isolation of rare cancer cells from liquid blood biopsies which he calls the centrifuge chip. The Centrifuge Chip uses cutting-edge microfluidic technology that can perform all of the operations attributed to a benchtop centrifuge, including high-throughput cell concentration, size-based cell sorting and solution exchange. This centrifuge-analogue technology offers an automated and rapid solution for the isolation of viable circulating tumor cells from peripheral human blood, which may be clinically useful as a blood-based biopsy test. Professors Richard Kaner and Dino DiCarlo are both members of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA a multidiscliplinary research institute that fosters technology innovation, cultivates entrepreneurship, and takes pride in preparing the next generation of science and technology leaders. *About the Collegiate Inventors Competition* Invent Now looks for new and creative ways to spread the inventive spirit, developing a range of creative products, programs, and innovative partnerships that emphasize the importance of invention in society. It created the Collegiate Inventors Competition to promote innovation by recognizing inventors and scientists early in their careers and rewarding students often pioneering ideas as they address the problems of todays world. Past finalists and winners have gone on to start their own companies based on their inventions, win prestigious fellowships and grants and receive national attention for their work. Introduced in 1990, this is the 21st year of the program. For more information on the Competition and past winners, visit [3]. [1] [2] [3] Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2020745 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2020745 Five UCLA scholars have been selected as fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)[1], the world's largest general scientific society and the publisher of the journal Science. Members are chosen for their distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications. The selection of fellows has been an AAAS tradition since 1874. UCLA's new fellows are among 539 scholars selected this year. The new fellows will be honored Feb. 18, 2012, at the AAAS annual meeting in Vancouver, and they will be announced in the "AAAS News and Notes" section of the journal Science on Dec. 23. UCLA's new fellows are: *Steve Cole[2]* Cole, associate professor in the division of hematologyoncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, was honored for "pullulating research on the social regulation of human, viral and cancer genomes using functional genomics and bioinformatics to map the signal transduction pathways." His laboratory studies the social regulation of gene expression and the biochemical signaling pathways involved. *Mark L. Green[3]* Green, professor of mathematics, has worked in a number of branches of math, including several complex variables, commutative algebra, Hodge theory and algebraic geometry. He was the co-founder and longtime director of UCLA's Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics, a national research institute funded by the National Science Foundation that fosters interdisciplinary collaboration among mathematical scientists and physical scientists, engineers, biologists, medical researchers, and researchers in the humanities and social sciences. *Robert Modlin[4] * Modlin is UCLA's Klein Professor of Dermatology, Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, and chief of the dermatology division at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He was honored for "distinguished contributions toward understanding human antimicrobial pathways, including Th1/Th2 cytokines, TLR 2 recognition of microbial lipoproteins, and the role of vitamin D in immunity." Modlin's laboratory has made fundamental insights into T cell subsets, cytokine patterns, antigen presentation, innate immunity and antimicrobial mechanisms in the human immune response to infection and is studying patients with leprosy and tuberculosis. Robert Modlin[5] is also a member of the California NanoSystems Institute. *J. David Neelin[6]* Neelin, professor and chair of UCLA's Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, was honored for "distinguished contributions to the fields of theoretical climate dynamics and climate modeling, particularly for insights into the dynamical mechanisms underlying the behavior of the El Nio/Southern Oscillation phenomenon." A member of UCLA's Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, Neelin conducts research on the interactions among various elements of the climate system, starting with oceanatmosphere interaction and spreading to others interactions "that must be understood as fully coupled processes," he says. *William W-G Yeh[7]* Yeh, who holds the Richard G. Newman AECOM Chair in Civil Engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, was honored for "pioneering and distinguished contributions in developing optimization models using advanced system analysis techniques to plan, manage and operate modern water resources systems." Yeh's research interests include groundwater modeling, conjunctive-use planning of surface water and groundwater, and the development of methodologies and models for optimizing large-scale water resources systems. The AAAS[8], founded in 1848, is a nonprofit organization that includes 262 affiliated societies and science academies and serves 10 million people. The association's mission is to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs and science education, including its website devoted to science news, EurekAlert!, at www.eurekalert.org[9]. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[10] for the press release! [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2020174 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2020174 The mHealth Alliance[1] and the Rockefeller Foundation announced the winners of the Top 11 in 2011 Innovators Challenge, a first-of-its-kind challenge which recognizes pioneering mobile health (mHealth) professionals who have used mobile technology in innovative ways to improve health systems and outcomes in even the most remote areas of the world. The winners were announced at a reception held in advance of the mHealth Summit being held this week in the Washington, DC area. UCLA professor of electrical engineering, Aydogan Ozcan[2], was named among the top 11 Innovators for 2011 for cost-effective and field-portable microscope and diagnostics tools for telemedicine application in resource-poor areas and developing countries in Africa, South America, and South Asia.. The Top 11 in 2011 Innovators were selected through a process that included public nominations and voting on the mHealth Alliances HealthUnbound.org, as well as juried selection committee voting. Nominations came from more than 30 countries around the world, highlighting mobile technologys ability to deliver health information and services on a global scale. View a complete list[3] of the winners of the Top 11 in 2011 Innovators Challenge. [1] [2] [3] Mon, 05 Dec 2011 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2019935 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2019935 Since the invention of liquid crystal displays in the mid-1960s, display electronics have undergone rapid transformation. Recently developed organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have shown several advantages over LCDs, including their light weight, flexibility, wide viewing angles, improved brightness, high power efficiency and quick response.. OLED-based displays are now used in cell phones, digital cameras and other portable devices. But developing a lower-cost method for mass-producing such displays has been complicated by the difficulties of incorporating thin-film transistors that use amorphous silicon and polysilicon into the production process. . Now, researchers from Aneeve Nanotechnologies[1], a startup company at UCLA's on-campus technology incubator at the California NanoSystems Institute[2] (CNSI), have used low-cost ink-jet printing to fabricate the first circuits composed of fully printed back-gated and top-gated carbon nanotubebased electronics for use with OLED displays. The research was published this month in the journal Nano Letters[3]. . The startup includes collaborators from the departments of materials science and electrical engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and the department of electrical engineering at the University of Southern California. . In this innovative study, the team made carbon nanotube thin-film transistors with high mobility and a high onoff ratio, completely based on ink-jet printing. They demonstrated the first fully printed single-pixel OLED control circuits, and their fully printed thin-film circuits showed significant performance advantages over traditional organic-based printed electronics. "This is the first practical demonstration of carbon nanotubebased printed circuits for display backplane applications," said Kos Galatsis, an associate adjunct professor of materials science at UCLA Engineering and a co-founder of Aneeve. "We have demonstrated carbon nanotubes' viable candidacy as a competing technology alongside amorphous silicon and metal-oxide semiconductor solution as a low-cost and scalable backplane option." This distinct process utilizes an ink-jet printing method that eliminates the need for expensive vacuum equipment and lends itself to scalable manufacturing and roll-to-roll printing. The team solved many material integration problems, developed new cleaning processes and created new methods for negotiating nano-based ink solutions. For active-matrix OLED applications, the printed carbon nanotube transistors will be fully integrated with OLED arrays, the researchers said. The encapsulation technology developed for OLEDs will also keep the carbon nanotube transistors well protected, as the organics in OLEDs are very sensitive to oxygen and moisture. The technology incubator at the CNSI was established two years ago[4] to nurture early-stage research and to help speed the commercial translation of technologies developed at UCLA. Aneeve Nanotechnologies LLC[5] has been conducting proof-of-concept work at the tech incubator with the mission of developing superior, low-cost, high-performance electronics using nanotechnology solutions that bridge the gap between emerging and traditional platforms. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[6] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2019721 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2019721 * 9:00am-6:00pm* *Workshop Title:* Advanced Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Microscopy: From Cells to Single Molecules *Workshop Description:* PicoQuant GmbH, the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at UCLA and the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) are happy to invite you to participate in the Workshop on Advanced Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Microscopy: From Cells to Single Molecules. The Workshop is a single day event which focusses on latest developments in Single Molecule Detection (SMD) and Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging (FLIM). The topics covered include basic single molecule detection techniques, (high resolution) fluorescence microscopy, Frster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) and Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS). The Workshop is intended for researchers interested in learning about new optical microscopy techniques and methods and single molecule spectroscopy. It is created for all levels of expertise, including graduate students, technicians and professional researchers. Participation for registered persons is free! As the number of participants is limited, we encourage everyone to register as soon as possible through the online-registration form[1]. Registration deadline is January 5, 2012. Workshop Agenda and list of Speakers are available at the Workshop website[2]. [1] [2] Tue, 29 Nov 2011 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2019320 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2019320 Materials Views highlights a recent paper published in Advanced Materials[1] by Adam Stieg[2], Scientific Director of the Nano and Pico Characterization (NPC)Lab and James Gimzewski[3], NPC Director and Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the California NanoSystems, UCLA and their colleagues from the WPI Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Tsukuba, Japan. Highlights Excerpt: Conventional computing is slowed down by log-jams at the von Neumann bottleneck, as instructions and data are shuttled back and forth between memory and processor cores. In a recent paper Adam. Z. Stieg and co-workers explain how a promising new type of computing[4] apes biological systems and avoids information bottlenecks. Reservoir computation is an extension of research into artificial neural networks, in which software running on conventional computer systems mimics information processing in natural systems. In reservoir computing, simultaneous input signals interact with each other and with the network (the reservoir); the output is a change in the state of the system. The reservoir acts as a "black box". It is constantly dynamically modified by the inputs and retains temporal information, a fading memory of previous signals. The reservoir is poised between simply periodic and wildly unpredictable oscillations and, as the authors write, operates at the edge of chaos. Only such a dynamic evolving system can generate emergent phenomena such as intelligence and learning. Read the complete article in Materials Views[5] Adam Z. Stieg, Audrius V. Avizienis, Henry O. Sillin, Cristina Martin-Olmos, Masakazu Aono, James K. Gimzewski, Emergent Criticality in Complex Turing B-Type Atomic Switch Networks, Advanced Materials[6] , 2011, DOI: 10.1002/adma.201103053 [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Mon, 28 Nov 2011 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2018993 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2018993 As the market for liquid crystal displays and other electronics continues to drive up the price of indium the material used to make the indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent electrodes in these devices scientists have been searching for a less costly and more dynamic alternative, particularly for use in future flexible electronics. Besides its high price, ITO has several drawbacks. It's brittle, making it impractical for use in flexible displays and solar cells, and there is a lack of availability of indium, which is found primarily in Asia. Further, the production of ITO films is relatively inefficient. Now, researchers at UCLA report in the journal ACS Nano[1] that they have developed a unique method for producing transparent electrodes that uses silver nanowires in combination with other nanomaterials. The new electrodes are flexible and highly conductive and overcome the limitations associated with ITO. For some time, silver nanowire (AgNW) networks have been seen as promising candidates to replace ITO because they are flexible and each wire is highly conductive. But complicated treatments have often been required to fuse crossed AgNWs to achieve low resistance and good substrate adhesion. To address this, the UCLA researchers demonstrated that by fusing AgNWs with metal-oxide nanoparticles and organic polymers, they could efficiently produce highly transparent conductors. The team of researchers represents a collaboration between the department of materials science and engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science; the department of chemistry and biochemistry in the UCLA College of Letters and Science; and the California NanoSystems Institute[2](CNSI) at UCLA. The team was led by Yang Yang[3], a professor of materials science and engineering, and Paul Weiss[4], director of the CNSI and a professor of materials science and engineering and of chemistry and biochemistry. "In this work, we demonstrate a simple and effective solution method to achieve highly conductive AgNW composite films with excellent optical transparency and mechanical properties," said Yang who also directs the Nano Renewable Energy Center at the CNSI. "This is by far the best solution: a processed, transparent electrode that is compatible with a wide variety of substrate choices." Scientists can easily spray a surface with the nanowires to make a transparent mat, but the challenge is to make the silver nanowires adhere to the surface more securely without the use of extreme temperatures (200 C) or high pressures, steps that make the nanomaterials less compatible with the sensitive organic materials typically used to make flexible electronics. To meet this challenge, Rui Zhu[5], the paper's first author, developed a low-temperature method to make high-performance transparent electrodes from silver nanowires using spray coating of a unique combination of nanomaterials. First, researchers sprayed a solution of commercially available silver nanowires onto a surface. They then treated the nanowires with a solution of titanium dioxide nanoparticles to create a hybrid film. As the film dries, capillary forces pull the nanowires together, improving the film's conductivity. The scientists then coated the film with a layer of conductive polymer to increase the wires' adhesion to the surface. The AgNW composite meshes are highly conductive, with excellent optical transparency and mechanical properties. The team also built solar cells using the new electrodes and found that their performance was comparable to that of solar cells made with indium tin oxide. The research received support from the Office of Naval Research and the Kavli Foundation. Read the UCLA press release[6] View this article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN)[7]. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Mon, 21 Nov 2011 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2018707 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2018707 Central to the field of nanotechnology is the concept of miniaturizing macroscopic structures and functions on the nanoscale. Featured in _ Nature_ "News and Views"[1] on November 10, 2011, Dr. Paul Weiss[2] director of the California NanoSystems Institute, UCLA authored an article describing the latest example of nanoscale miniaturization from the research of Tibor Kudernac. By attaching four rotary motor units to a central axis, Kudernac _et al._ were able to synthesize a self-propelling molecular four-wheeler[3] capable of following directed linear trajectories by altering the rotary motion of the individual motor units, or wheels). This molecular car design provides insight into the development and exploration of more sophisticated nano-mechanical systems with innumerable potential applications. Weiss was also featured on the German public radio program Deutschlandfunk[4] (broadcast available for listening here[5]) and BBCs television show The Naked Scientists[6]. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2018727 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2018727 Andre Nel[1], Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics and Public Health @ UCLA and Chief of NanoMedicine, won one of the Chinese Academy of Science Plenary Awards at the International Conference on Nanoscience & Technology, ChinaNANO 2011[2], held in Beijing, China in September. Dr. Nels talk was about the Use of High Throughput Discovery at the Nano/Bio interface to improve nanotherapeutics and nanosafety, see details below. Anne Andrews[3], Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences and Paul Weiss[4], Director of the CNSI and Fred Kavli Chair in NanoSystems Sciences, were also invited speakers at the conference which served to stimulate discussions on the forefront of research in nanoscience and nanotechnology. The conference focused on inorganic nanomaterials and MOFs, carbon nanomaterials, organic and polymeric nanomaterials, nanocomposites and applications, nanodevices and nanosystem, nanobiotechnology and nanomedicine, characterization and standards of nanostructures, nano-optics and plasmonics, as well as modeling and simulation of nanostructures. Additionally, CNSI co-hosted a special symposium on Self-Assembled Functional Nanostructures with the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (the Beijing NanoCenter) and iNano (Aarhus University). *Use of High Throughput Discovery at the Nano/Bio interface to improve nanotherapeutics and nanosafety* Andre Nel Professor of Medicine, Pediatrics and Public Health @ UCLA Chief, Division of NanoMedicine *Abstract*: In both the design of safe and improved nanocarrier systems for delivery of drugs as well as safety assessment of commercial nanoparticles such as metals, metal oxides and carbon nanotubes, it is required that we understand how the physicochemical characteristics of the engineered nanomaterials relate to biological responses such as cellular uptake, biodistribution, bioavailability and the catalysis of potentially useful or hazardous biological responses the nano/bio interface. While this is a potentially rewarding platform for discovery, the number of perturbations at the nano-bio interface are potentially overwhelming and require the use of high content and high throughput screening approaches to do some modeling. My talk will delineate the implementation of high throughput methodology for cells and zebrafish and describe how the systems can be used for the safety assessment of nanomaterials in general as well as the improvement of nanoparticles that can be used for drug and siRNA delivery. I will describe how the use of compositional and combinatorial nanomaterial libraries are being used to elucidate the material properties that drive biological injury response pathways as well as how to use a multifunctional mesoporous silica nanoparticle drug delivery system to improve safety, biodistribution and therapeutic efficacy through redesign of size, shape, and surface functionalization. I will also show how in silica data transformation and decision-making tools can help to speed up the rate of discovery. [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 16 Nov 2011 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2018644 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2018644 Researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center[1] have developed a new screening approach to identify chemical compounds that can target and kill the stem cells responsible for creating deadly brain tumors. Glioblastoma is one of the deadliest malignancies, typically killing patients within 12 to 18 months. These brain cancers consist of two kinds of cells: a larger, heterogeneous population of tumor cells and a smaller sub-population of stem cells, which are treatment-resistant. The new high-throughput molecular screening approach developed by the UCLA team was specifically designed to find drugs that can target that sub-population and prevent it from re-seeding the brain cancer, said the study's senior author, Dr. Harley Kornblum, a Jonsson Cancer Center scientist and a professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences. "We're pleased that we can present a different way to approach the discovery of potential new cancer drugs," said Kornblum, who also is a researcher with the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA[2]. "And by finding these drugs, we may be able to reveal things about the biology of these cancer stem cells." The study was published in the Oct. 10 issue of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics[3], a peer-reviewed journal of the American Association of Cancer Research. After testing more than 31,000 compounds from seven chemical libraries in an initial screen, the team came up with 694 that showed some activity against the brain cancer stem cells. After further narrowing the field down to 168 compounds, they decided to focus their future studies on four compounds that most successfully inhibited the brain cancer stem cells, Kornblum said. The approach Kornblum and his team used was something of a reversal of typical screening processes. Generally, researchers doing high-throughput screening are seeking a drug to hit a specific target they know is on a cancer cell, perhaps a protein that is causing it to grow or a gene that keeps it from dying. In this case, Kornblum said, the team was basically shooting in the dark because the biology of these brain cancer stem cells is largely unknown. "When brain cancer stem cells were first discovered, we all realized rapidly that we would need to find drugs that attack these cells specifically, because they're resistant to our conventional therapies," Kornblum said. "We needed a way to kill these stem cells." UCLA's high-throughput screening technology is capable of screening as many as 100,000 compounds in a single day. Researchers generally develop cancer cells lines and then create an assay, a procedure in molecular biology to test or measure the activity of a drug or biochemical compound in an organic sample, in this case the cancer cells. The compounds are loaded into plates about the size of an adult's palm that contain 384 wells each. The computerized, robotic screening system executes the process from start to finish, adding the compounds sitting in the tiny wells in the plates to the cancer cells, which are located in corresponding assay plates. In this study, Kornblum and his team had a few clues to help them in narrowing down potential candidates that kill brain cancer stem cells. One method they used was based on a prior discovery by Jonsson Cancer Center researchers. The researchers had identified genes that correlate with how aggressive a brain tumor is, so Kornblum decided to try to find potential drug candidates that might reduce the expression of these genes. Another approach was to figure out which of the molecules killed brain cancer stem cells with greater potency than that with which they attacked other cells within glioblastoma. To grow his cell lines, Kornblum used human tissue taken from UCLA patients diagnosed with glioblastoma. He knew that a certain method of culturing brain cancer cells resulted in a large number of brain cancer stem cells in the population. These cells were then screened with a molecular library of 31,624 compounds available through the cancer center's Molecular Screening Shared Resource[4]. These compounds encompass a wide range of structures and therefore have the possibility of influencing virtually all cellular functions. "We decided on this type of approach because although we have learned a great deal about brain cancer stem cells in the past several years, we still have not discovered enough of their biology to be sure that any single target will be the right one to hit," Kornblum said. Going forward, Kornblum and his team will further study the four identified "lead" compounds to see if they help reveal the biology of the brain cancer stem cells and potentially result in a new and more effective therapy for these deadly brain cancers. "One of our goals was to determine whether some compounds selectively act on glioblastoma stem cells, compared to the less tumorigenic cells from the same tumor," the study states. "This selectivity may allow for the delineation of pathways and processes that are highly important to these cells. By making sure that a drug candidate has the potential to attack these stem cells, one might ensure the highest chance of therapeutic success." Funding for the study was provided by the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[5] for the press release. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2018646 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2018646 Vitamin D is not just important for building strong bones it also plays an essential role in the body's fight against infections such as tuberculosis, an international research team including UCLA scientists has found. Tuberculosis, a potentially fatal lung disease, causes an estimated 1.8 million deaths annually, according to the World Health Organization, and it especially impacts those with reduced immunity, such as HIV-infected individuals. In an interesting twist, people with darker skin traditionally have had a higher susceptibility to tuberculosis, and areas of Africa lead the world with the highest infection rates. Scientists believe this may be partly due to the skin pigment melanin. Melanin is more abundant in darker skin, which helps shield the body from ultraviolet rays, but it also reduces vitamin D production. Vitamin D a natural hormone, rather than a vitamin is known to be instrumental in bone development but also may protect against cancer and autoimmune diseases and fight infections. In a study published online Oct. 12 in the peer-reviewed journal Science Translational Medicine[1], researchers examined the mechanisms that govern the immune system's ability to kill or inhibit the growth of pathogens such as Myobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes tuberculosis. The team found that T cells, which are white blood cells that play a central role in immunity, release a protein called interferon-g that triggers communication between cells and directs infected immune cells to attack the invading tuberculosis bacteria. However, this activation requires sufficient levels of vitamin D to be effective. Researchers next tested serum taken from blood samples in healthy humans, both with and without sufficient levels of vitamin D. They found that the immune response was not triggered in the serum with lower vitamin D levels, as is found in many African Americans. But, when adequate vitamin D was added to this deficient serum, the immune response was effectively activated. Scientists found that there was an 85 percent reduction of colony-forming tuberculosis bacteria in human macrophage cells that were effectively treated with interferon-g in the presence of sufficient vitamin D. "Over the centuries, vitamin D has intrinsically been used to treat tuberculosis. Sanatoriums dedicated to tuberculosis patients were traditionally placed in sunny locations that seemed to help patients but no one knew why this worked," said the study's first author, Dr. Mario Fabri, who conducted the research at UCLA and is currently a member of the department of dermatology at the University of Cologne in Germany. "Our findings suggest that increasing vitamin D levels through supplementation may improve the immune response to infections such as tuberculosis." The team noted that vitamin D may help both innate and adaptive immunity, two systems that work synergistically together to fight infections. Previous research by the team found that vitamin D played a key role in the production of a molecule called cathelicidin, which helps the innate immune system kill the tuberculosis bacteria. Humans are born with innate immunity, which is the preprogrammed part of the immune system. The current research findings demonstrate that vitamin D is also critical for the action of T cells, key players in adaptive immunity, a highly specialized system that humans acquire over time as they encounter different pathogens. "The findings of our previous research with innate immunity provided us with a new opportunity to take a look at the effects and role of vitamin D with acquired immunity, both critical systems of human defense," said senior investigator Dr. Robert Modlin[2], UCLA's Klein Professor of Dermatology and chief of dermatology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Surprisingly, researchers found that although both the innate and acquired immune systems start out by using different receptors to trigger a complex chain reaction in infected cells to kill the tuberculosis bacteria, both converge early on to follow the same pathway that utilizes vitamin D. Specifically, in the current study, researchers discovered that T cells released interferon-g, which not only activated the infected cells called macrophages to generate cathelicidin and other proteins to kill tuberculosis but, like a honing device, also ensured that these proteins were delivered to the compartment of the cell where the bacteria resides. The cells then gobbled up the infectious areas containing bacteria. "These current findings provide the first credible mechanistic explanation for how vitamin D critically contributes to acquired T cell immunity that protects us from infections, particularly tuberculosis," said Modlin, who also serves as vice chair for cutaneous medicine and dermatological research at UCLA and is a distinguished professor of medicine and microbiology, and of immunology and molecular genetics. Researchers also noted that this is the first study to demonstrate that the protein interferon-g activates cells to kill the tuberculosis bacteria. "The role of interferon-g has been speculated for years in numerous studies, but previous research didn't take into account that sufficient vitamin D was needed to help interferon-g trigger an effective immune response," said study author Dr. John Adams, a professor of orthopaedic surgery at UCLA's Geffen School of Medicine. "Now we understand better how this chain reaction works." According to the team, the findings are also important because they show that this unique pathway to fight tuberculosis cannot be studied in a mouse model. Mice, as nocturnal animals, are not exposed to the sun enough to absorb vitamin D; as a result, the pathway they use to kill tuberculosis is entirely different from humans. Fabri noted that most people with tuberculosis are asymptomatic, perhaps due to successful immunological control and sufficient vitamin D to keep the infection from developing into active disease. "At a time when drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis are emerging, understanding how to enhance natural innate and acquired immunity through vitamin D may be very helpful," said co-author Barry Bloom, former dean of the faculty at the Harvard University School of Public Health, Harvard's Distinguished University Service Professor, and the Jack and Joan Jacobson Professor of Public Health in the School of Public Health's department of immunology and infectious diseases and department of global health and population. According to researchers, the next step is to initiate clinical trials to learn whether vitamin D supplementation can enhance the body's resistance to tuberculosis and other infections. The study was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health; the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation); and the Basic Science Research Program, through the National Research Foundation of Korea. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[3] for the press release. [1] [2] [3] Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2018648 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2018648 Researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed a way to image the spread of a dangerous form of prostate cancer earlier than today's conventional imaging techniques. The new method may allow oncologists to find and treat metastases more quickly and give patients a better chance at survival. The gene-based imaging system targets castration-resistant prostate cancer, an aggressive form of the disease that has become resistant to the hormone treatment known as androgen-deprivation therapy. Once this treatment no longer works, the cancer will progress within 12 to 18 months, and the prognosis becomes grim, said senior study author Dr. Lily Wu[1], a professor of molecular and medical pharmacology and a Jonsson Cancer Center researcher. "Anytime you can detect cancer earlier, the chances of more effective control of the cancer increase and the outcomes for patients are better," Wu said. "Unfortunately, there is little that can be done to treat castration-resistant prostate cancer once it has spread. In our study, we focused on finding ways to image these advanced metastatic prostate cancers accurately. " The study was published Sept. 21 in the early online edition of Cancer Research[2], a peer-reviewed journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Wu's team focused on using the "control switches" of genes that are only active in castration-resistant prostate cancer; they linked these molecular switches to a "reporter" gene that can be easily imaged. The specific switch the team used was the prostate-specific enhancing sequence (PSES), an androgen-independent promoter in castration-resistant prostate cancer that is more specific to that form of malignancy. The PSES is derived from the prostate-specific antigen and the prostate-specific membrane antigen and is given a boost by the two-step transcriptional amplification system, which drives the expression of the imaging reporter genes. These reporter genes glow under bioluminescent or positron emission tomography (PET) scanning. The system works well in the androgen-depleted environment and is strongly specific to the prostate, two conditions that are most fitting for castration-resistant prostate cancer. "The engineered system exhibits greatly elevated transcriptional activity, androgen independency and strong prostate cancer specificity, verified in cell culture and pre-clinical mouse models," said Ziyue Karen Jiang, a senior doctoral student in pharmacology who is supported by a Jonsson Cancer Center fellowship. "These advantageous features of the system elicit superior gene-expression capability for castration-resistant prostate cancer, in comparison to the other systems which are driven by androgen-dependent promoters." Based on the favorable features shown in cell culture experiments, the research team expected the PSES-driven imaging system to be discriminating in detecting castration-resistant prostate cancer and cancer that had spread to distant organs. They were surprised to discover that the new system was able to accurately detect a bony metastasis that two traditional imaging methods were unable to detect. The researchers tested the performance capacity of the PSES bioluminescent imaging system in mice that had prostate tumor cells implanted in the right knee to establish bony metastasis. After allowing six weeks for the tumor to grow, the PSES imaging reporter vector was injected into the mice to search for the metastasis. Four days after the injection, the signal from the reporter gene could be clearly seen, correctly identifying the prostate cancer metastasis in the right tibia bone in nine out of nine animals. PET scans were unable to distinguish between the tumor-bearing right knee and the uninvolved left knee. The tumor growth rate in this bone metastasis model is not uniform, ranging from no spread to large tumor lesions in the bone marrow cavity. The PSES imaging system correctly identified two out of nine animals in which the tumor did not grow. These results give researchers confidence that the system is functioning correctly in seeking out prostate cancer bone metastasis in a specific and sensitive manner, Wu said. "This study demonstrated the promising utility of a potent, androgen-independent and prostate cancer-specific expression system in directing gene-based molecular imaging in castration-resistant prostate cancer, even in the context of androgen-deprivation therapy," the researchers said. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the U.S., and its spread to other organs is the major cause of mortality. This year alone, more than 217,000 American men will be diagnosed with the malignancy. Of those, more than 32,000 will die from their disease. The three-year study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Jonsson Cancer Center Foundation and UCLA's Specialist Program of Research Excellence in Prostate Cancer. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[3] for the press release. [1] [2] [3] Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2018650 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2018650 Human pluripotent stem cells, which can develop into any cell type in the body, rely heavily on glycolysis, or sugar fermentation, to drive their metabolic activities. In contrast, mature cells in children and adults depend more on cell mitochondria to convert sugar and oxygen into carbon dioxide and water during a high energyproducing process called oxidative phosphorylation. How cells progress from one form of energy production to another during development is unknown, but a study by UCLA stem cell researchers provides new insight into this transition, and the findings may have implications for using these cells for therapies in the clinic. Scientists had assumed, based mostly on visual appearance, that pluripotent stem cells contained undeveloped and inactive mitochondria, which are the energy-producing power plants within cells that drive most cell functions. It was thought that stem cell mitochondria could not "respire" that is, convert sugar and oxygen into carbon dioxide and water with the production of energy. This led most scientists to expect that mitochondria matured and acquired the ability to respire during pluripotent stem cells' transition into differentiated body cells. Surprisingly, the UCLA researchers discovered that pluripotent stem cell mitochondria respire at roughly the same level as differentiated body cells but they produce very little energy, thereby uncoupling the consumption of sugar and oxygen from energy generation. Rather than finding that mitochondria matured with cell differentiation, as was anticipated, the researchers uncovered a mechanism by which the stem cells switch from glucose fermentation to oxygen-dependent respiration to achieve full differentiation potential. The four-year study appears in the Nov. 15 issue of The EMBO Journal [1], a peer-reviewed journal of the European Molecular Biology Organization. Dr. Michael Teitell[2], a researcher with the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA[3] and a professor of bioengineering, pediatrics, pathology and laboratory medicine, collaborated with Carla Koehler, a UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry, on the study. "A lot of attention is being paid to the role of metabolism in pluripotent stem cells for making properly differentiated cell lineages for research and potential clinical uses," said Teitell, the study's senior author. "The initial question prompting our study was whether metabolism in pluripotent stem cells and cancer cells, which also rely heavily on glycolysis, were molecularly similar. This question led us to study the details of energy-generation by mitochondria in pluripotent stem cells." Cells make energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in two main ways: by glucose uptake and fermentation in the cytoplasm or by using respiration, in which glucose and oxygen are consumed to make carbon dioxide and water to fuel cell functions. Teitell and his team expected that pluripotent stem cells could not respire because of prior reports on the immature appearance and the paucity of their mitochondria. Teitell's team found, however, that the molecular complexes responsible for respiration in the mitochondria of pluripotent stem cells known as the electron transport chain were functional. Yet the cells still relied on glycolysis for energy production. The researchers speculated that there were one or more unknown regulators that kept the stem cells from respiring, since the electron transport chain was functional. Jin Zhang, a UCLA graduate student and first author of the study, discovered that a protein called uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) was highly expressed in the stem cells. He also found that UCP2 blocked respiration substrates derived from sugar from gaining access to the mitochondria, instead shunting them to the glycolytic and biosynthesis pathways located in the cytoplasm. This inhibited the stem cells' ability to respire as a method of generating energy. The team found that as pluripotent stem cells were driven to develop into mature cell types, UCP2 expression was shut off, allowing respiration substrates to enter the mitochondria for energy generation and switching the cells from glycolysis to oxidative phosphorylation. Manipulating UCP2 expression by keeping it switched on in differentiating cells disturbed the cells' maturation, a finding that could make them unsuitable for clinical use and one that points to the importance of properly functioning metabolism for generating safe, high-quality cells. Teitell and his team confirmed these findings in both human embryonic stem cells and in induced pluripotent stem cells, which are mature body cells that are genetically reprogrammed to have abilities and attributes similar to pluripotent embryonic stem cells. "A main question that evolved during the study was whether it was the process of pluripotent stem cell differentiation that was altering the pattern of metabolism, or was it the change in the pattern of metabolism that altered the process of differentiation, a typical chicken-or-the-egg question," Teitell said. "We overexpressed UCP2 in the stem cells and showed that metabolism patterns changed before markers of pluripotency or cell maturation changed, indicating that changes in metabolism affect changes in differentiation and not the other way around, at least for UCP2. "This was important to show causation for metabolic changes in driving the process of cell differentiation. However, it still leaves open the key question of exactly how manipulating cell metabolism controls cell differentiation, a question we are working hard to address." Since metabolism in pluripotent stem cells and cancer cells appears quite similar, Teitell said the finding could potentially be used to target UCP2 in malignant tumors that express it, of which there are many. Silencing UCP2 could force cancer cells to respire, which might impair their ability to grow quickly. The study was supported in part by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, an Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research training grant, the National Institutes of Health and the National Center for Research Resources. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[4] for the press release. [1] [2] [3] [4] Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2016510 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2016510 A new method for making flexible transparent electrodes from nanomaterials could provide an alternative to the indium tin oxide found in todays flat panel displays and solar cells (_ACS Nano_). Strong demand for liquid crystal displays for televisions and portable electronics has driven up the price of indium over the past several years, and China, the country with the greatest reserves of the element, restricted exports last year. Meanwhile, the production of indium tin oxide films for transparent electrodes is inefficient: The sputtering process wastes about 70% of the starting material. Yet another drawback is that indium tin oxide is brittle and not compatible with flexible displays or flexible solar cells. Scientists are looking for alternative materials based on elements that have less volatile markets, that are compatible with more efficient production methods, and that provide greater mechanical flexibility, says Yang Yang[1], a materials scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles[2]. Silver nanowires are a promising alternative, Yang says, because each wire is highly conductive, and scientists can easily spray a surface with the nanowires to make a transparent mat without much waste. But silver nanowires dont adhere well to surfaces, and they connect to one another weakly, so the nanowire network has poor conductivity. To fuse the nanowires to the substrate and to one another, scientists must use high temperatures reaching 200 C or high pressures. These extra steps make the nanomaterials less attractive for widespread use because they are incompatible with the sensitive organic materials typically used to make flexible electronics, Yang says. So he, postdoc Rui Zhu[3], and their colleagues developed a low-temperature method to make high-performance transparent electrodes from silver nanowires. Their process uses the well-known technique of spray coating; the key is the combination of materials. First, the researchers spray a solution of commercially available silver nanowires onto a surface. Then they spray a solution of titanium dioxide nanoparticles to create a hybrid nanoparticle film. As the film dries at 80 C for 10 seconds, capillary forces pull the nanowires together, improving the films conductivity. The scientists finally coat the film with a layer of conductive polymer to increase the wires adhesion to the surface. The resulting nanomaterial mat is highly conductive and adheres well, without the need for additional treatment. The material allows through about 83% of incoming light and has a resistance of 15 ohms per square, values that match those of indium tin oxide. The researchers also built solar cells using the new electrodes and found the cells performance comparable to that of solar cells made with indium tin oxide. L. Jay Guo[4], an electrical engineer at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor[5], admires the methods practicality. He says the transparent electrodes are particularly promising for use in organic solar cells and organic light-emitting diode displays. Yang says his group is now testing the transparent electrodes in other devices with funding from a major electronics company. View this article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN)[6]. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2016503 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2016503 *Cancer Molecular Imaging Program 2011/2012 Monthly Seminar Series* *Featured Speaker:* *Xiaoyuan (Shawn) Chen, Ph.D.*[1] Laboratory of Molecular Imaging and Nanomedicine (LOMIN) National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD *Lecture Title:* Nanoparticles for molecular imaging and drug delivery *Date:* Monday, November 14th, 2011 *Time:* 4:00 5:00 pm *Location:* CNSI Auditorium *Abstract:* Nanomedicine, which is the medical application of nanotechnology, ranges from the medical applications of nanomaterials, to nanoelectronic biosensors, and even possible applications of molecular nanotechnology. This talk will focus on three major aspects: (1) the development of unique composite nanoparticle platforms with unique physical and chemical properties and suitable labeling for multimodality of imaging the functional and molecular properties of cancer; (2) the design of nanomaterials that have both passive targeting and specific targeting characteristics and capacity to load chemo and gene therapeutics for cancer treatment; and (3) theranostics nanoparticles that have both imaging and therapy components to pinpoint the fates of both the delivery vehicle and cargo, as well as the treatment efficacy. This talk will also briefly touch base on the limitations and future challenges of nanoparticle-based systems. For further information, contact Erika Corrin[2] The Cancer Molecular Imaging Program 2011/2012 Monthly Seminar Series is cosponsored by the Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging[3] and UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center[4]. [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 09 Nov 2011 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2013449 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2013449 In a paper to be published in Nano Letters[1], researchers demonstrate a facile method for preparing liquid-phase metal nanoparticles, composed of a eutectic gallium-indium alloy. Particle formation is directed by molecular self-assembly and assisted by sonication. As the bulk liquid alloy is ultrasonically dispersed, fast thiolate self-assembly at the alloy surface protects the material against oxidation. The choice of self-assembled monolayer ligand directs the ultimate size reduction in the material; strongly interacting molecules induce surface strain and assist particle cleavage to the nanoscale. Transmission electron microscopy images and diffraction analyses reveal that the nanoscale particles are in an amorphous or liquid phase, with no observed faceting. The particles exhibit strong absorption in the ultraviolet (~200 nm), consistent with the gallium surface plasmon resonance, but dependent on the nature of the particle ligand shell. These materials will be applied to print metal contacts and with further reactions to print semiconductors and solar cells. The research team, led by Paul S. Weiss[2], represents a collaboration of investigators from the California NanoSystems Institute, the department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and department of Materials and Engineering at UCLA, along with the department of Chemistry at The Pennsylvania State University and department of Chemistry at Dickinson College. The paper, Directing Substrate Morphology via Self-Assembly: Ligand-Mediated Scission of Gallium-Indium Microspheres to the Nanoscale can be accessed at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/nl202728j [3]. [1] [2] [3] Wed, 26 Oct 2011 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2010687 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2010687 James C. Liao[1], the Chancellor's Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, has been named the holder of the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Chair in Chemical Engineering. The chair, established through an endowment by the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, honors the memory and the life work of Ralph Parsons, founder of the global engineering and construction firm bearing his name. The foundation was established in 1961 and has been independent of the company since 1976. It strives to support and facilitate the work of Southern California's best nonprofit organizations, recognizing that those in need today will go on to shape the future of the region and help it set and achieve new goals. The endowed chair is intended to educate a brand of engineers who can design new technological products and systems while at the same time anticipating and preventing adverse social and environmental impacts, such as pollution. Much of Liao's research focuses on creating new ways to produce environmentally friendly biofuels and chemicals. "Jim Liao is a world renowned scholar in metabolic engineering, synthetic biology and systems biology," said Vijay K. Dhir, dean of UCLA Engineering. "In addition, he is an excellent teacher and mentor who has been recognized with several major awards in his field. This chair will help support Jim's work as a leading educator and researcher in biofuel technology." Over the past few years, Liao has received widespread attention for his work in developing methods for the production of more efficient biofuels. This has included genetically modifying E. coli bacteria[2] and modifying cyanobacterium[3] to consume carbon dioxide to produce the liquid fuel isobutanol a reaction powered directly by energy from sunlight, through photosynthesis. "It is an honor to be named the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Chair in Chemical Engineering," Liao said. "This endowment will not only support our efforts to enrich the educational experience of our students but will also support our research in a vitally important area." Last summer, Liao was awarded the 2010 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award[4] from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The first UCLA professor to receive the award in its 15-year history, Liao was recognized for his groundbreaking work recycling carbon dioxide for the biosynthesis of higher alcohols. This process turns CO2 into products that can be used in alternative transportation fuels or chemical feedstock, reducing greenhouse emissions. Liao was also awarded $4 million by the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to develop a method for converting carbon dioxide into the liquid fuel isobutanol using electricity[5] as the energy source instead of sunlight. And last month, he was awarded an additional $2.2 million by ARPA-E, this time to streamline the process by which green plants convert CO2 into sugar or biofuels. This technology could potentially be applied broadly to improve yields of grain and biomass. In addition, Liao has been sponsored by KAITEKI Institute Inc. (TKI) [6], the strategic arm of one of Japan's largest chemical companies, to research ways to recycle and convert CO2 into chemicals that can be used to produce a variety of industrial products, including car bumpers, packaging materials, DVDs and even diapers. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[7], for the press release. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2010694 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2010694 The David and Lucile Packard Foundation has named Dino Di Carlo[1], assistant professor of bioengineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, a 2011 recipient of a Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering. Di Carlo was among 16 recipients in this years class of Packard Fellows. The Fellowship Program was established in 1988 and arose out of David Packard's commitment to strengthening research groups that are the heart of university-based science and engineering programs. By supporting unusually creative professors early in their careers, the Foundation hopes to develop scientific leaders, to further the work of promising scientists and engineers, and to support efforts to attract talented graduate students into university research in the United States. Fifty universities each nominate two faculty members for a fellowship. Out of this pool, only 16 were selected. Each Fellow will receive an unrestricted research grant of $875,000 over five years. Di Carlo will apply the unrestricted grant to conduct research on using the mechanical properties of a cell, rather than molecular properties, as clinically useful and low-cost indicators of a patients health. This approach takes advantage of microscale fluid physics to sequentially align, squeeze, and measure thousands of cells per second to potentially identify cancer, infection, and transplant rejection. I am honored to be selected for a Packard Fellowship, he said. The long term financial support provided by it will help us to extensively explore this exciting emerging area of using cell mechanics as a useful diagnostic marker. I am eager to dive into this endeavor. This prestigious honor from the Packard Foundation is a befitting recognition of Dinos accomplishments, said Vijay K. Dhir, dean of UCLA Engineering. His work in microfluidics applications holds great potential in several areas in healthcare and already hes made big strides in this field. Identification of the particular cells present in blood, urine, as well as fluid that builds up in the cavities around the lungs and gut often provide diagnostic information to doctors concerning the disease state of a patient, whether it be a viral infection or invasive cancer. Currently, these cells are identified by doctors by using a combination of cell properties, including overall size, size and shape of internal cellular structures, and the presence of particular proteins within or on the surface of a cell. These approaches require processing of samples by technicians as well as labeling of the cells with specific reagents that can add cost to obtaining the diagnosis. With the support of the Packard Foundation, Di Carlo hopes to develop a lower cost label-free approach to identify cells based solely on how cells change shape when squeezed. Previously, scientists had shown that the deformability of a cell the ability to change shape with an applied force reflected the particular state of a cell. For example, cancer cells were found to become softer as they become more invasive, and stem cells were found to become stiffer as they differentiated down a route towards a cell type in a mature tissue. These scientists laboriously made manual measurements one cell at a time in a research lab, and could not measure the tens to hundreds of thousands of cells that would be present in a fluid sample obtained from a patient. The ability to use these changes in mechanical properties to reduce the costs of medical diagnosis has been hampered by the lack of a fast and automated approach to measure thousands of cells. The real hope is to develop an automated approach to take advantage of the differences in varied physical properties amongst cells to enable inexpensive clinical diagnostics, Di Carlo said. We have been pioneering precision techniques to engineer and control cell positions in flowing fluids and we are taking advantage of this expertise to stretch and analyze cells quickly using purely fluid-induced forces. Di Carlo is developing a technology to measure the mechanics of thousands of cells per second in an automated fashion. The technique relies on the ability to flow cells one by one at high rates into a fluid wall and capture the changes in cell shape upon hitting that wall with a high-speed camera that can snap over 100,000 photos per second. Software then automatically identifies the cells and extracts information concerning the changes in cell shape that can be reported back to the end user, such as the doctor, in an easy-to-read format. Di Carlo anticipates the approach, if successful, could find broad applications in cases when the physical properties of cells reflect disease state, as in screening for cancer, identifying infection, or monitoring transplant patients for rejection. In the past year, Di Carlo has also received a Young Investigator Award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and an NIH Directors New Innovator Award from the National Institutes of Health. For information on Dino Di Carlos research: http://biomicrofluidics.com/[2] For information on the David and Lucille Packard Foundation: http://www.packard.org[3] Visit the UCLA Engineering Newsroom[4], for the press release. [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2009485 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2009485 94 individuals have been honored by President Barack Obama with this year's Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their research careers. Sixteen federal departments and agencies join together annually to nominate scientists and engineers whose early accomplishments show the greatest promise for assuring America's preeminence in science and engineering. Among the recipients are three exceptional young UCLA scientists * Aydogan Ozcan*[1] (pictured left), *Xiangfeng Duan*[2], and *Joseph Teran*[3]. Click here [4] to view the original article and read more about the award recipients. [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 17 Oct 2011 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2009493 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2009493 *_The Nano Revolution: Welcome to Nano City_* *Airing:* Thursday, October 13, 2011 8:00 PM on CBC-TV Thursday, October 20 at 10 pm ET/PT on CBC News Network The invisible revolution of nano technology is already at work in our lives... In this first episode Professor Jim Gimzewski[1] from UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute introduces us to the world of nanomaterials: to photocatalytic coatings that coat walls and windows, so they automatically clean themselves, and to a manmade nano fibre that is stronger yet lighter than steel. The episode then explores nano's potential role as invisible intelligence in security devices and the impact of ultimate miniaturization, and networking in computers. In Korea, we meet scientists who are working on nano-electronic tags that will revolutionise the tracking of consumer goods. Japanese physicist Dr. Masakazu Aono, is one of the worlds leading nanomaterials scientists and he is now collaborating with Professor Jim Gimzewski in an extraordinarily ambitious project- that seems closer to science fiction than contemporary science-the building of artificial neural systems. [1] Thu, 13 Oct 2011 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2008189 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2008189 *UCLA Sustainability* *Talk Title:* Smart Grid: Get to Work *When:* October 13, 2011 7:00pm-9:30pm, CNSI *Moderator:* Tobin J. M. Richardson, Director, Smart Energy, ZigBee Alliance *Panelists:* Mukhles Bhuiyan[1], P.E., Smart Grid Program Director, Manager of Power System Information and Advanced Technology, LA Dept. of Water and Power Dr. Rajit Gadh[2], Professor, Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, UCLA; UCLA Director, UCLA Smart Grid Energy Research Center (SMERC); Director, UCLA Wireless Internet for Mobile Enterprise Consortium (WINMEC) Doug Kim,[3] Director of Advanced Technology, Southern California Edison Join the SBCLA & UCLA for an evening of sustainable business development and insightful discussion on smart grid technology! Attendees will have an opportunity to learn from industry experts about the innovative new technologies that will be utilized in the development of the next generation of the electric utility grid known as the smart grid. The event features a mixer followed by a panel discussion on smart grid technology and takes place at UCLA's new California NanoSystems Institute, (CNSI.) *Hosted by:* SBC Board Members, Laura Berland-Shane, Steve Glenn, Rob Kramer, Carrie Norton, Lee Wallach Event Website and Registration[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2005340 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2005340 Cell-penetrating peptides, such as the HIV TAT peptide, are able to enter cells using a number of mechanisms, from direct entry to endocytosis, a process by which cells internalize molecules by engulfing them. Further, these cell-penetrating peptides, or CPPs, can facilitate the cellular transfer of various molecular cargoes, from small chemical molecules to nano-sized particles and large fragments of DNA. Because of this ability, CPPs hold great potential as in vitro and in vivo delivery vehicles for use in research and for the targeted delivery of therapeutics to individual cells. But exactly how cell-penetrating peptides and particularly the HIV TAT peptide accomplish these tasks has so far been a mystery. "The HIV TAT peptide is special. People discovered that one can attach almost anything to this peptide and it could drag it across the cell," said Gerard Wong[1], a professor of bioengineering and of chemistry and biochemistry at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. "So there are obvious beneficial drug-delivery and biotechnology applications." In a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science[2], UCLA Engineering researchers, including Wong and bioengineering professors Timothy Deming[3] and Daniel Kamei, identify how HIV TAT peptides can have multiple interactions with the cell membrane, the actin cytoskeleton and specific cell-surface receptors to produce multiple pathways of translocation under different conditions. Moreover, because the researchers now understand how cell-penetrating peptides work, they say it is possible to formulate a general recipe for reprograming normal peptides into CPPs. "Prior to this, people didn't really know how it all worked, but we found that the HIV TAT peptide is really kind of like a Swiss Army Knife molecule, in that it can interact very strongly with membranes, as well as with the cytoskeletons of cells," said Wong, the study's lead author. "The second part wasn't well appreciated by the field." In addition to the membrane activity, researchers discovered that the HIV TAT peptide also creates its own binding site out of the membrane. This means the peptide can actually go through the membrane and induce the cytoskeleton directly to have an endocytotic event. "We found that there are two channels of activity," Wong said. "Because of the peculiar sequence of HIV TAT, it's very good at being able to interact with membranes. Further, with the high-density packing of charged amino acids in the peptide, it can also interact very strongly with the cell's cytoskeleton, as well as its receptors." In addition, the researchers noticed that small cargoes can be transferred directly, while cargoes larger than a few nanometers needed to be anchored to the membrane by the TAT peptide. Deming, who specializes in synthetic methods, prepared the polypeptide samples for use in the experiments. Kamei, an expert in cellular trafficking, performed cell-based endocytosis experiments using inhibitor drugs and confocal microscopy to identify dominant mechanisms of endocytosis. "This research is exciting because cell-penetrating peptides have been used in the area of drug delivery for some time," Kamei said. "Gaining any additional understanding of these delivery agents will help in future drug-carrier designs." It is the group's hope that the new understanding gained from their study will be used to engineer new molecules that are more effective in delivering therapeutic agents. "This collaboration was important because it combined expertise in the areas of synthesis, characterization and cellular trafficking to address a very relevant problem," Kamei said. "I definitely see more opportunity for combining these areas to tackle other problems in the growing field of biomaterials." The study was funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. See this article in context a the UCLA Newsroom[4]. [1] [2] [3] [4] Tue, 04 Oct 2011 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2005142 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2005142 Three exceptional young UCLA scientists have been honored with Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers by President Barack Obama. The faculty members are among 94 individuals to receive this year's awards, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their research careers. Sixteen federal departments and agencies join together annually to nominate scientists and engineers whose early accomplishments show the greatest promise for assuring America's preeminence in science and engineering. "It is inspiring to see the innovative work being done by these scientists and engineers as they ramp up their careers careers that I know will be not only personally rewarding but also invaluable to the nation," President Obama said in announcing the awards. This year's UCLA recipients are: *Xiangfeng Duan*[1] Duan, an assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, studies nano-scale materials and devices and their applications for future electronics, energy science and biomedical science. In particular, he focuses on the rational design and synthesis of highly complex inorganic nanostructures with precisely controlled chemical compositions, physical morphologies and dimensions. Earlier this year, Duan was ranked No. 41 among the world's top 100 chemists and No. 20 among the top 100 materials scientists of the past decade by Thomson Reuters, which rates scientists based on the impact of their published research. He earned his doctorate from Harvard University in 2002 and joined UCLA's faculty in 2008. For more information on Duan's research, visit his group's website[2]. *Aydogan Ozcan*[3] Ozcan is an associate professor of electrical engineering and bioengineering whose innovative research in photonics, and its applications in nanotechnology and biotechnology, is aimed at creating smart global health systems. He has developed new and powerful optical imaging and sensing architectures that can be incorporated into mobile phones, which can then be used to test bodily fluid samples for HIV, malaria and other infectious diseases and to analyze water quality following disasters. These devices, which are relatively inexpensive to produce, have broad applications for improving health care in resource-poor regions of the globe. Ozcan, who joined UCLA's faculty in 2007, has received several distinguished honors for his research, including the National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the National Geographic Emerging Explorer Award and the National Institutes of Health Director's New Innovator Award. He is also a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. For more on Ozcan's research, visit his laboratory's website[4]. *Joseph Teran*[5] Teran is an associate professor of mathematics whose research interests include computational biomechanics and virtual surgery. Teran is using mathematics including computational geometry, partial differential equations and many-core computing to enable surgeons to practice on a 3-D "digital double" of a patient before performing an actual surgery. "Surgical simulation is coming, there is no question about it," he has said. "It's a cheaper alternative to cadavers and a safer alternative to patients." Teran's applied mathematics can also be used to design more durable bridges, freeways, cars and aircraft. Teran was named one of the 50 "Best Brains in Science" in the December 2008 issue of Discover magazine, which lauded him and the other scientists selected as "young visionaries who are transforming the way we understand the world." For more information on Teran's research, visit his website[6]. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[7] to see this article in context. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Mon, 03 Oct 2011 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2004360 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2004360 *Lecture:* Thursday, September 29, 2011 @ 4 PM in the CNSI Auditorium *N|S Mixer:* Thursday, September 29, 2011 @ 5 PM in the CNSI Presentation Space Come meet and greet students, faculty and staff from the other side of campus at this quarterly gatherings for networking and interaction. This quarter's event features a lecture and exhibition opening by Diane Gromala, media artist and Art|Sci Fall 2011 Artist in Residence. *Chronic Pain: Art + Science Collaborations* Prof. Diane Gromala, Founding Director of the Transforming Pain Research Group (TPRG) will be exhibiting the evolving work of this team of world-class researchers. Building on an extensive knowledge base from the fields of Pain Medicine, Interactive Art & Design, Computer Science, Neuroscience and Psychophysics, the research group is developing innovative technologies to address chronic pain, a disease that affects 1 in 5 North Americans. Technologies include meditation, biofeedback, immersive Virtual Reality, visualization, robotics and social media. *Exhibition Dates:* September 29 October 31, 2011 Art + Sci Gallery California NanoSystems Institute UCLA Room 5419 *_Event Flyer (PDF)_*[1] For more information on the UCLA Art|Sci Center, please visit: http://artsci.ucla.edu/[2] [1] [2] Tue, 27 Sep 2011 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2004018 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2004018 Dino Di Carlo[1], assistant professor of bioengineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, was awarded a Young Faculty Award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The goal of the program is to identify and engage rising research stars in junior faculty positions in academia and expose them to Department of Defense needs and DARPA's program development process. Di Carlos research project aims to monitor the immune state of an individual by examining shape changes in white blood cells when precisely squeezed. A key challenge is developing an automated and miniaturized tool that can repeatedly deform and measure thousands of white blood cells in a short time. The project leverages the strong ties between UCLA's Bioengineering Department and the David Geffen School of Medicine to explore new territory for diagnosis of disease based on physical rather than molecular properties of cells. Visit UCLA Today[2] to view the article in context. [1] [2] Wed, 21 Sep 2011 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2004021 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2004021 Andrea M. Kasko[1], assistant professor of bioengineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, has received a 2011 NIH Directors New Innovator Award from the National Institutes for Health. The NIH award program supports exceptionally creative investigators at an early stage in their careers who have proposed highly innovative projects. These projects hold potential for a significant impact on an important biomedical or behavioral research problem. The research grant is for $1.5 million over five years. The award supports Kaskos research in utilizing light-responsive biomaterials to fabricate and manipulate chemically and physically complex three-dimensional cell microenvironments. The research has applications in developmental biology, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, therapeutics and disease models. Kasko is the fifth UCLA Engineering faculty member to receive the NIH Directors New Innovator Award in the past three years. Visit UCLA Today[2] to see the article in context. [1] [2] Wed, 21 Sep 2011 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2002632 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2002632 Graphenes single atomic layer of sp2 carbon has garnered much attention for its potential use in electron applications. In a paper published in ACS Nano[1] researchers report a memory application for graphene which they call graphene flash memory (GFM). The research teams experiments demonstrate the benefits of graphene as a platform for flash memory. The high density of states, high work function, and low dimensionality positively influence device performance, leading to a wide window of operation at low voltages, long retention time, and low cell-to-cell interference. The simulations pertaining to cell-to-cell interference further suggest that graphene may be instrumental in the next round of miniaturization of flash memory. Led by UCLAs Kang Wang[2], Professor of Electrical Engineering and Richard Kaner[3], Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and of Chemistry and Biochemistry, the research team represents a large collaboration involving researchers from IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, the Micro/Nano Technology department, Space Materials Laboratory at the Aerospace Corporation, Device Solution Business , Samsung Electronics, and Materials Engineering and Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis, University of Queensland, Brisbane, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia. [1] [2] [3] Tue, 20 Sep 2011 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2004023 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=2004023 Yi Tang[1], professor of chemical engineering, has been selected as one of 10 recipients of the Arthur C. Cope Scholar Award from the American Chemical Society (ACS). The award was established in 1984 by the ACS Board of Directors to recognize and encourage excellence in organic chemistry. Each award consists of $5,000 and a $40,000 unrestricted research grant that the recipient may assign to any university or nonprofit institution. Tang is an expert on natural product biochemistry, engineered biosynthesis, biocatalysis and protein engineering, and biomaterials. His lab has also recently become engaged in research at the interface of nanotechnology, biomaterials and drug delivery. Visit UCLA Today[2] to view the article in context. [1] [2] Tue, 13 Sep 2011 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1998971 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1998971 MediSens Wireless, which in 2009 was one of the first[1] startup companies selected for the UCLA on-campus technology incubator at the California NanoSystems Institute[2] (CNSI), has received funding from a strategic investor in the greater Los Angeles area. The young company, the first to 'graduate' from the incubator, will now set up its own base of operations in Northern California. The technology incubator was established two years ago[3] to nurture early-stage research and to help speed the commercial translation of technologies developed at UCLA. It was inspired by the success of Nano H2O, a California startup that licensed water purification technology developed by UCLA researchers and conducted proof-of-concept research at CNSI. MediSens, which focuses on the development and manufacture of personal body-monitoring systems for medical and health applications, moved into the incubator to begin commercializing technology invented by Majid Sarrafzadeh, a professor of computer science and engineering at UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science[4] and co-director of the Wireless Health Institute at UCLA[5]. Sarrafzadeh and his team formed the startup when they created a "smart shoe" a shoe equipped with a device allowing it to monitored remotely, enabling health care professionals to keep track of patients with balance problems, such as those with diabetes or those starting a new medication regime. This technology will be used to develop body-monitoring systems with specific applications for diabetics with peripheral neuropathy the loss of sensation in the foot and those with health issues that affect their balance. MediSens began clinical trials[6] in 2010 on its novel Clinical Movement Assessment System (CMAS), a wireless monitoring technology for assessing muscle and neuromotor functions in the upper extremities. CMAS is designed for a wide variety of medical applications and could potentially benefit health care professionals and facilities specializing in the areas of physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, orthopedics, and physical and occupational therapy, among others. It is anticipated that the system will provide clinical assessments of fine motor movement, muscle strength, hand-eye coordination and patient responses to treatment. Repeat assessments could lead to early warning and detection of deteriorating conditions. Additionally, MediSens-patented technology is being implemented on a "smart bedsheet" to monitor patients in bed in real-time, with quantifiably preventative objectives in mind. According to Behrooz Yadegar, the CEO of MediSens, the company will move to Santa Clara in the Silicon Valley area, where it plans to double its staff currently at five employees within a year. At its new base of operations, the company plans to further product hardware and software development and begin marketing and development for its wireless technologies. MediSens Wireless was the first spinoff from the Wireless Health Institute, which Sarrafzadeh helped create. UCLA's Wireless Health Community is made up of experts from many disciplines across campus, including engineering, law, management, medicine, nursing, public health, and theater, film and television. The California NanoSystems Institute[7] is an integrated research facility located at UCLA and UC Santa Barbara. Its mission is to foster interdisciplinary collaborations in nanoscience and nanotechnology; to train a new generation of scientists, educators and technology leaders; to generate partnerships with industry; and to contribute to the economic development and the social well-being of California, the United States and the world. The CNSI was established in 2000 with $100 million from the state of California. An additional $850 million of support has come from federal research grants and industry funding. UCLA CNSI members are drawn from UCLA's College of Letters and Science, the David Geffen School of Medicine, the School of Dentistry, the School of Public Health and the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. They are engaged in measuring, modifying and manipulating atoms and molecules the building blocks of our world. Their work is carried out in an integrated laboratory environment. This dynamic research setting has enhanced understanding of phenomena at the nanoscale and promises to produce important discoveries in health, energy, the environment and information technology. By Jennifer Marcus. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[8] to see the article in full context. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Fri, 09 Sep 2011 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1998197 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1998197 Richard B. Kaner, Professor of Chemistry & Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at UCLA has been selected as the recipient of the *2012 ACS Award in the Chemistry of Materials* sponsored by E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. The ACS recognizes Richard Kaner[1] for the development of simple, high-yield, widely applicable synthetic routes to important materials including conducting polymer nanofibers, ultraincompressible superhard ceramics and carbon nanostructures including graphene. The 2012 National Award recipients will be honored at the Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, March 27, 2012, in conjunction with the 243rd ACS national meeting in San Diego, CA. A formal announcement of the names of the 2012 ACS Award recipients have been published in the September 5th issue of Chemical & Engineering News[2]. Additional background about the ACS Award in the Chemistry of Materials, including a list of past recipients is available on the ACS website[3]. [1] [2] [3] Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1998067 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1998067 Professor of electrical engineering, Aydogan Ozcan[1] has been awarded the 2011 Army Research Office Young Investigator Award. This award will fund Ozcans research on lensless computational microscopy for the next three years. ARO's Young Investigator Program (YIP) seeks to identify and support academic scientists who have received Ph.D. or equivalent degrees within the last five years and who show exceptional promise for doing creative research. Proposals may request up to $100,000 per year for three years. For more information about innovation through photonics visit The Ozcan Research Group[2]. [1] [2] Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1998116 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1998116 NY LASER: The Evolution of Art/Sci Communities cocktails + discussion Saturday, September 24th, 4-7pm Ellen Levy's studio: 40 E 19th St #3-R 212-260-7935 646-209-5355 NY LASER theme: The Evolution of Art/Sci Communities PATRICIA OLYNYCK cordially invites you to a fall Leonardo Education and Art Forum (LEAF) event: NY LASER "I am pleased to inform you of the ever expanding Leonardo Education and Art Forum (LEAF). At the upcoming NY LASER on September 24th, Victoria Vesna will launch the Parsons ArtSci Network in coordination with UCLA Art Sci center at the California NanoSystems Institute. As chair of LEAF, I am keen to include you as an independent or representative of your institution and hope you can join us and share a few words about your work and participate in a discussion about best practices and the evolution of Art/Sci communities. Ellen Levy, past chair of CAA and more recently LEAF is hosting the NY LASER at her studio and we would be delighted to have you present." Please note: we make every effort to include as many institutional and independent representatives as possible and host our LASER events outside the academic setting. Accordingly, these gatherings are informal and scheduled on Saturday afternoons. Space is very limited so please RSVP! If you wish to make a brief presentation of your work, please send up to ten jpg images either single med-res (preferably) or only low-res movies that can be opened with QT to Ellen Levy at: levy@nyc.rr.com[1] . To RSVP, also email Ellen Levy[2]. Visit Leonardo on-line[3]. [1] [2] [3] Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1997782 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1997782 *Department of Earth and Space Sciences Alumni Lecture Monday, October 3, 2011 7:00 PM in the Lenart Auditorium at the Fowler Museum * *Speaker:* Harry W. Green, Ph.D. '68, Distinguished Professor of Geology and Geophysics in the Department of Earth Sciences at UC Riverside *Talk Title:* From the Nano to the Global Scale: Using Nanoscience Observations to Understand Earthquakes and Plate Tectonics *Bio:* Having earned his earned his B.A., M.S. and Ph.D. in geology and geophysics at UCLA, Green began his teaching career at UC Davis in 1970 and joined the faculty of UC Riverside in 1993 as professor in the department of earth sciences and the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics (IGPP). Green has served as Director of the IGPP (1993-1995) and as Vice Chancellor for Research (1995-2000). He has been Distinguished Professor of Geology and Geophysics since 1999. Green, former student of David Griggs and John Christie, is recognized internationally for his research on the physics of earthquakes in subduction zones, phase transformations in Earth's mantle, and mineral microstructures indicative of very high pressure reactions. The recipient of several national and international honors, Green was also elected as Fellow of the Mineralogical Society of America (1990), of the American Geophysical Union (1995), and of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1996). He also received the Bowen Award from the American Geophysical Union in 1994 for the single outstanding contribution in Volcanology, Petrology, or Geochemistry in the previous five years. In 2003, he delivered the UCR Faculty Research Lecture. He served as the Chair of the Executive Committee of the Consortium for Materials Properties Research in Earth Sciences (COMPRES) 2004-20007 and currently serves as President of the Tectonophysics Section of the American Geophysical Union. For more information, visit the event website[1]. [1] Mon, 29 Aug 2011 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1997556 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1997556 NPR Weekend Edition Sunday featured a story on "Solar-Charged Phones Without A 93-Million-Mile Cord" to illuminate how researchers have found a way for LCD screens to charge using solar power, indoor light and the devices' own backlight. That means in a few years, you may be able to recharge your phone by pointing it toward the sun instead of plugging it into the wall. Guest host John Ydstie talks to the lead UCLA researcher, Yang Yang. Listen to the Story / Read the Transcript[1] Visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] [1] [2] Mon, 22 Aug 2011 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1994376 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1994376 We've all worried about the charge on our smartphone or laptop running down when we have no access to an electrical outlet. But new technology developed by researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science could finally help solve the problem. The UCLA engineers have created a novel concept for harvesting and recycling energy for electronic devices one that involves equipping these devices' LCD screens with built-in photovoltaic polarizers, allowing them to convert ambient light, sunlight and their own backlight into electricity. LCDs, or liquid crystal displays, are used in many of today's electronic devices, including smartphones, TV screens, computer monitors, laptops and tablet computers. They work by using two polarized sheets that let only a certain amount of a device's backlight pass through. Tiny liquid crystal molecules are sandwiched between the two polarizers, and these crystals can be switched by tiny transistors to act as light valves. Manipulating each light valve, or pixel, lets a certain amount of the backlight escape; millions of pixels are combined to create images on LCDs. The UCLA Engineering team created a new type of energy-harvesting polarizer for LCDs called a polarizing organic photovoltaic, which can potentially boost the function of an LCD by working simultaneously as a polarizer, a photovoltaic device and an ambient light or sunlight photovoltaic panel. Their research findings are currently available in the online edition of the journal Advanced Materials[1] and will be published in a forthcoming print issue of the journal. "I believe this is a game-changer invention to improve the efficiency of LCD displays," said Yang Yang[2], a professor of materials science at UCLA Engineering and principal investigator on the research. "In addition, these polarizers can also be used as regular solar cells to harvest indoor or outdoor light. So next time you are on the beach, you could charge your iPhone via sunlight." From the point of view of energy use, current LCD polarizers are inefficient, the researchers said. A device's backlight can consume 80 to 90 percent of the device's power. But as much as 75 percent of the light generated is lost through the polarizers. A polarizing organic photovoltaic LCD could recover much of that unused energy. "In the near future, we would like to increase the efficiency of the polarizing organic photovoltaics, and eventually we hope to work with electronic manufacturers to integrate our technology into real products", Yang said. "We hope this energy-saving LCD will become a mainstream technology in displays." "Our coating method is simple, and it can be applied in the future in large-area manufacturing processes," said Rui Zhu, a postdoctoral researcher at UCLA Engineering and the paper's lead author. "The polarizing organic photovoltaic cell demonstrated by Professor Yang's research group can potentially harvest 75 percent of the wasted photons from LCD backlight and turn them back into electricity," said Youssry Boutros, program director for the Intel Labs Academic Research Office, which supported the research. "The strong collaboration between this group at UCLA Engineering and other top groups has led to higher cell efficiencies, increasing the potential for harvesting energy. This approach is interesting in its own right and at the same time synergetic with several other projects we are funding through the Intel Labs Academic Research Office." Ankit Kumar, a materials science and engineering graduate student at UCLA Engineering was the paper's second author. Yang, who holds UCLA's Carol and Lawrence E. Tannas Jr. Endowed Chair in Engineering, is also faculty director of the Nano Renewable Energy Center at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. The research was supported by Intel through a gift to UCLA, and by the Office of Naval Research. See the article in its original context at the UCLA Newsroom[3]. [1] [2] [3] Tue, 09 Aug 2011 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1989481 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1989481 Flow cytometry, a technique for counting and examining cells, bacteria and other microscopic particles, is used routinely in diagnosing disorders, infections and cancers and evaluating the progression of HIV and AIDS. But flow cytometers are big, bulky contraptions that cost tens of thousands of dollars, making them less than ideal for health care in the field or other settings where resources are limited. Now imagine you could achieve the same results using a device that weighs about half an ounce and costs less than five dollars. Researchers at the BioPhotonics Laboratory[1] at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a compact, lightweight and cost-effective optofluidic platform that integrates imaging cytometry and florescent microscopy and can be attached to a cell phone. The resulting device can be used to rapidly image bodily fluids for cell counts or cell analysis. The research, which was led by Aydogan Ozcan[2], a professor of electrical engineering and bioengineering and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, is currently available online in the journal Analytical Chemistry[3]. "In this work, we developed a cell phonebased imaging cytometry device with a very simple optical design, which is very cost-effective and easy to operate," said Hongying Zhu, a UCLA Engineering postdoctoral scholar at the BioPhotonics Lab and co-author of the research. "It has great potential to be used in resource-limited regions to help people there improve the quality of their health care." The device is the latest advance by Ozcan's research team, which has developed a number of innovative, scaled-down, cell phonebased technologies that have the potential to transform global health care. "We have more than 5 billion cell phone subscribers around the world today, and because of this, cell phones can now play a central role in telemedicine applications," Ozcan said. "Our research group has already created a very nice set of tools, including cell phone microscopes, that can potentially replace most of the advanced instruments used currently in laboratories." *How it works * Ozcan's group integrated compact optical attachments to create the optofluidic fluorescent cytometry platform. The platform, which weighs only 18 grams, includes: 1 simple lens (less than $3) 1 plastic color filter (less than $1) 2 LEDs (less than 30 cents each) Simple batteries The microfluidic assembly is placed just above a separate, inexpensive lens that is put in contact with the cell phone's existing camera unit. This way, the entire cross-section of the microfluidic device can be mapped onto the phone's CMOS sensor-chip. The sample fluid is delivered continuously through a disposable microfluidic channel via a syringe pump. The device is illuminated from the side by the LEDs using a simple butt-coupling technique. The excitation light is then guided within the cross-section of the device, uniformly exciting the specimens in the imaging fluid. The optofluidic pumping scheme also allows for the use of an inexpensive plastic absorption filter to create the dark-field background needed for fluorescent imaging. In addition, video post-processing and contour-detection and tracking algorithms are used to count and label the cells or particles passing through the microfluidic chip. In order to demonstrate proof-of-concept for the new platform, the team used the device to measure the density of white blood cells in human whole-blood samples, as white blood cell density is routinely tested to diagnosis various diseases and infections, including leukemia, HIV and bone marrow deficiencies. "For the next step, we'd like to explore other potential applications of this device," Zhu said. "For example, we also want to utilize this device to count potential waterborne parasites for water-quality monitoring." "We'd like to translate our devices for testing in the field and start using them in places they're supposed to be used," Ozcan said. "So I think the next stage for several of our technologies, including this one, is to deploy and test them in extremely poor-resource countries." This study was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research, the Gates Foundation and the Vodafone Americas Foundation. See the press release at the UCLA Newsroom[4]. [1] [2] [3] [4] Thu, 28 Jul 2011 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1988395 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1988395 "Theres nothing more beautiful than [watching] a smart brain working," said actor Alan Alda of the thrill he gets from interviewing researchers on everything from black holes to environmental issues as host of PBS-TVs "Scientific American Frontiers." Alda offered this observation Wednesday to an auditorium brimming with smart brains scientists from UCLA, USC, Caltech and other Southern California research universities gathered at UCLAs California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) for a July 13-15 workshop about how to better communicate the importance and excitement of their research to the public and various constituencies. A director as well as a writer, Alda is probably best remembered for his TV role as Capt. "Hawkeye" Pierce, a U.S. Army hospital doctor in "M*A*S*H." Since last year, he has been a visiting professor at Stony Brook University School of Journalism, where he is a founding board member of the Center for Communicating Science. With support from The Kavli Foundation, the center co-hosted the workshop with CNSI. The workshop received additional support from the Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation and from ACS Nano. In his keynote address, Alda urged scientists to communicate clearly, vividly and even passionately about their work with everyone from the general public to policymakers who control funding dollars. He also drew laughter with humorous anecdotes illustrating his message. For his PBS show, Alda combined his lifelong fascination with science with his experience as an actor. Relying on his improvisational acting skills, he convinced the shows producers to throw away scripts in favor of informal conversations with his subjects. Early on, he recalled, he quit trying to "look smart" and instead let scientists "tell me from the ground up what they do" sometimes to the irritation of his subjects. "A look would come over their face. I told you, they would say. What do you mean you dont get it?" Alda would continue to push and prod "until I understood," which, in turn, led to interviews that TV audiences could also understand. He recounted a lively and friendly TV conversation he once had with a woman scientist. Suddenly, Alda said, "she remembered that this was a lot like a lecture she had given, and slowly she turned away from me and looked right in the camera and started lecturing. Her tone of voice changed, her vocabulary got stiff and it was pretty much unintelligible to me." And while Alda managed to "coach her back" to the informal conversation they were having, she reverted back into lecture mode several times. That experience, Alda said, "was a real turning point" for him when he realized "what a tremendous difference there was between a real conversation and the lecture mode" scientists often fell into. "You scientists," he told his CNSI audience, "are doing such important work thats going to feed us, keep us healthy, help us understand where it all came from. And were (the public) not getting it. Were not hearing it. Were not understanding it." The three-day workshop, which Alda and his colleagues from Stony Brook have given at several locations around the country, included a training session in improvisational skills along with one-on-one coaching in making a presentation. Alda showed a brief video of engineers delivering presentations about their work before and after the training. In one video, a woman engineer said, "I study a group of compounds called cyclohexane diacids esters. Theyre basically a plasticide. So what that means is, fusing this compound to a hard plastic like PVC PVC is polyvinyl chloride so its then enabled to be pliable, and it can then be turned into a variety of products that we use in our everyday lives. Examples include baby toys, IV bags " After coaching from Alda to help her convey her commitment to this research, she began again: "I have a baby. He has tons and tons of toys, and all of them are plastic. In this plastic a lot of times is a compound called diacids esters, and when he sticks that squishy toy into his mouth, those diacids esters go out of that toy into his mouth. And thats where I come in." Aldas talk was followed by a lively Q&A, with many scientists expressing both excitement and trepidation about changing their approach to communicating. "As Im thinking about this wonderful opportunity to learn these techniques, Im also aware that its not a skill that would be rewarded in academia," said Amy Parish, a visiting professor in biological anthropology at USC. "If your research is understandable to the public, then your colleagues question you in terms of whether you really have the academic rigor. Theres a very, very high premium placed on being obscure." Alda conceded, "Its a really serious problem," citing what he called "the Carl Sagan Effect," when the late astrophysicist, cosmologist, author of the book "The Cosmos" and host of a hugely popular 1980s TV series was denied membership in the National Academy of Sciences because his peers "felt he was too popular." Yet, Alda added, "I think this may be changing," pointing to theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking as a scientist who enjoys both mass appeal and the respect of his peers. Another researcher asked, "Do you have any thoughts about how scientists can communicate without overselling their research and creating a false impression? Because then the public thinks, Oh, why dont we have this yet? The scientist told me that its right around the corner." Alda agreed that "scientists are often encouraged by the press to claim more than is" and said that he is grateful when scientists put evidence and accuracy ahead of all else, demonstrating "that what youve discovered in the lab is true. You want the evidence to be the deciding factor." But, he added, the broader problem is that "the public doesnt really understand how science happens that when somebody does a research project, they dont arrive at an unalterable truth, but that its one step along the way in a complex process." One way to overcome this, he said, is to tell the stories behind science and not just about what worked in a piece of research, but about what didnt work. "Don't gloss over the things that dont work, because that's what makes it human. Say, We tried this, and we had high hopes for it, and it failed. It didnt work so then we tried to figure out why it didnt work. People are with you on a story then. "Telling a story is the way we communicate," Alda said. "Its the way weve communicated for eons. Why do we drop that when were talking about some of the most important things in our lives? Our lives now run on science." You may find the original article in UCLA Today[1]. [1] Mon, 18 Jul 2011 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1987159 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1987159 *Energy-storage capacity of ancient microorganism could lead to power source for synthetic cells* Archaea are among the oldest known life-forms, but they are not well understood. It was only in the 1970s that these single-celled microorganisms were designated as a domain of life distinct from bacteria and multicellular organisms called eukaryotes. Robert Gunsalus, a UCLA professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics, developed an interest in Archaea because of their ability to thrive in harsh environments. Now, using state-of-the-art imaging equipment at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA, he has shown for the first time that a type of Archaea known as _Methanosprillum hungatei_ contains incredibly efficient energy-storage structures. The findings are published in the current issue of the journal Environmental Microbiology[1]. _M. hungatei_ is of considerable environmental significance because of its unique ability to form symbiotic relationships with syntrophic bacteria to break down organic matter and produce methane gas. Yet while their important role in the food chain has been studied, little has been known about how they generate and store energy. Gunsalus has researched anaerobic organisms like _M. hungatei_ -- microbes that thrive in oxygen-depleted environments where energy is often extremely limited -- for a number of years. And when Hong Zhou [2], a professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics, arrived at UCLA in 2006, Gunsalus saw an opportunity to delve further into their mysteries. "When Hong came to UCLA, his reputation in imaging nanoscale structures was already well established," said Gunsalus, who is also a member of the UCLA Department of Energy Institute for Genomics and Proteomics[3]. "His arrival on campus brought together the expertise to do what no one had yet done -- a detailed study of the sub-cellular structures in _M. hungatei_." Much of the actual imaging work for the study was performed by Dan Toso, a graduate student in Zhou's lab, using equipment from the Electron Imaging Center for Nanomachines (EICN)[4], a core lab at the CNSI directed by Zhou. When Toso and the rest of the team produced the most detailed images yet made of the _M. hungatei_ interior, they were surprised by the appearance of granules, structures measuring approximately 150 nanometers in diameter that store energy. "Once we imaged the _M. hungatei_, we noticed how dark the granules appeared," said Zhou, a researcher at the CNSI. "The darkness arises from their density, and by studying this density, we discovered their energy-storage capacity." The group was able to determine the granule density -- about four times that of water -- by using a Titan scanning transmission electron tomography (STEM) microscope, cryo-electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, all part of the EICN lab's extensive tool set. The tiny granules, which account for less than 0.5 percent of the cell, are so efficient that they each store 100-fold more energy than the entire rest of the cell. Each _M. hungatei_ produces two granules, one at each end of the cell. Because all _M. hungatei_ produce granules in the same location, and typically at the same time in their life-cycle, it is likely that their DNA contains specific genetic instructions for the creation and positioning of the granules. The researchers hope to utilize knowledge gained from the recent sequencing of the _M. hungatei_ genome by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute to further study the structures. If the specific genetic instructions for creating granules can be found in the genome, it might be possible to use the granules as a sort of chemical battery for engineered synthetic cells. Beyond their energy-storage capacity, _M. hungatei_ still have more secrets to reveal, according to the researchers. They also produce a distinct nanostructure sheath around their cell membrane that might serve as a sort of protection, or "cell armor," against the harsh environments in which they are typically found. Though the sheaths were discovered in the 1970s, the technology necessary for studying them in detail had yet to be developed at that time. "_M. hungatei_ have evolved unique features in order to survive in very harsh and low-energy environments," Gunsalus said. "The presence of cutting-edge equipment and world-class experts at UCLA allows us to closely study them, hopefully revealing their myriad of secrets." The researchers' next goals are to elucidate the exact biological function of the granules and sheaths in _M. hungatei_. Many functions have been proposed for the granules, including as energy sources for cell division, or to power flagella that move the cells, or even as a protection against metal toxicity from heavy metals like iron or copper. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[5], for the press release. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Fri, 08 Jul 2011 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1971698 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1971698 Dark matter, the mysterious substance that may account for nearly 25 percent of the universe, has so far evaded direct observation. But researchers from UCLA, Columbia University and other institutions participating in the international XENON collaboration say they are now closer than ever before. Their new results, announced today at the Gran Sasso National Laboratory in Italy, where the XENON experiment is housed deep beneath a mountain 70 miles west of Rome, represent the highest-sensitivity search for dark matter yet, with background noise 100 times lower than competing efforts. Though the announced results do not indicate the detection of dark matter, the probability of this experiment eventually detecting dark matter is higher than any other experiment in the world, according to Katsushi Arisaka[1], professor physics and astronomy at UCLA and a CNSI researcher. The progress from this experiment sets the stage for an ambitious next-generation project, which will use a much larger, one-ton liquid xenon instrument with highly specialized light-detectors developed at UCLA that make it 100 times more sensitive. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] for the full story. Also visit the National Science Foundation[3] and Science Daily[4]. [1] [2] [3] [4] Thu, 14 Apr 2011 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1997464 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1997464 Omar Yaghi[1] is one of the world's great chemists. He was recently ranked No. 2[2] among the world's top 100 chemists of the past decade, based on the impact of his published research. In this UCLA Newsroom video, Yaghi talks about his pioneering research a world of new matter, with exciting applications for clean energy discusses how he makes discoveries and takes you inside his UCLA laboratory. ... Complete story can be found at the UCLA Newsroom[3]. [1] [2] [3] Thu, 18 Aug 2011 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1997382 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1997382 In the world of solar energy, organic photovoltaic solar cells have a wide range of potential applications, but they are still considered an upstart. While these carbon-based cells, which use organic polymers or small molecules as semiconductors, are much thinner and less expensive to produce than conventional solar cells made with inorganic silicon wafers, they still lag behind in their ability to efficiently convert sunlight into electricity. Now, UCLA researchers and their colleagues from China and Japan have shown that by incorporating gold nanoparticles into these organic photovoltaics taking advantage of the plasmonic effect, by which metal helps to enhance the absorption of sunlight they can significantly improve the cells' power conversion. In a paper recently published in ACS Nano[1], the team of researchers, led by Yang Yang[2], a professor of materials science and engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and director of the Nano Renewable Energy Center at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute, demonstrate how they sandwiched a layer of gold nanoparticles between two light-absorbing subcells in a tandem polymer solar cell in order to harvest a greater fraction of the solar spectrum. They found that by employing the interconnecting gold-nanoparticle layer, they were able to enhance power conversion by as much as 20 percent. The gold nanoparticles create a strong electromagnetic field inside the thin organic photovoltaic layers by a plasmonic effect, which concentrates light so that much more of it can be absorbed by the subcells. The team is the first to report a plasmonic-enhanced polymer tandem solar cell, having overcome the difficulties involved in incorporating metal nanostructures into the overall device structure. "We have successfully demonstrated a highly efficient plasmonic polymer tandem solar cell by simply incorporating gold nanoparticles layer between two subcells," Yang said. "The plasmonic effect happening in the middle of the interconnecting layer can enhance both the top and bottom subcells simultaneously a 'sweet spot' leading to an improvement in the power conversion efficiency of the tandem solar cell from 5.22 percent to 6.24 percent. The enhancement ratio is as high as 20 percent." The research team included Xing Wang Zhang from the Key Lab of Semiconductor Materials Science at the Institute of Semiconductors at Beijing's Chinese Academy of Science and Ziruo Hong from the Graduate School of Science and Engineering at Japan's Yamagata University. Experimental and theoretical results demonstrate that the enhancement effect was attained from local near-field enhancement of the gold nanoparticles. The results show that the plasmonic effect has great potential for the future development of polymer solar cells. The team's proposed interlayer structures as an open platform can be applied to various polymer materials, opening up opportunities for highly efficient, multi-stacked tandem solar cells. The research was financially supported by grants from the U.S. Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foundation. The team also included Jun Yang, Jingbi You, Chun-Chao Chen, and Wan-Ching Hsu of the UCLA Department of Materials Science and Engineering and the California NanoSystems Institute. Yang was recently named the holder[3] of the Carol and Lawrence E. Tannas Jr. Endowed Chair in Engineering. This chair is the first in the world dedicated to the area of electronic information displays. See the article in context at the UCLA Newsroom[4]. [1] [2] [3] [4] Tue, 16 Aug 2011 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1997442 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1997442 The Asia Pacific Advanced Network (APAN) will hold its 32nd Meeting in New Delhi on August 22-27, 2011. APAN is presenting Healthcare Session 1, entitled "International Collaborative Research on Cancer and Nanotechnology." Healthcare Session 1 is a videoconference with venues at the APAN meeting in New Delhi, NCI-Fredericks, NCI-Bethesda, UCLA, National Cancer Center of Korea, and the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology in Beijing. Three members of CNSI are participating--Fuyu Tamanoi[1], PhD, Hsian-Rong Tseng[2], PhD and Jeffrey I. Zink[3], PhD. Contact Information: Logistics: W. Edward Johansen[4] Content: Fuyu Tamanoi[5] *Healthcare Session 1 August 23, 2011 Room 483, Biomedical Sciences Research Building, UCLA You can view Healthcare Session 1 on your home computer or smart phone. Visit http://www.liveto.com/ncc/index2.html[6] and click on the appropriate format (PC, Android, or IPhone) to view the live stream. * Session Chairman: YoungSung Lee, MD, PhD _Session 1-a_ Time: 6:30 PM 7:00 PM PST (7:00-7:30 AM IST) Session 1-a Moderator: Fuyu Tamanoi, PhD 6:30-6:35 PM PST (7:00-7:05 AM IST): Welcome, Jin-Soo Lee, MD, PhD (NCC, Korea), introduced by Dr. Choi 6:35-6:45 PM PST (7:05-7:15 AM IST): Judith C. Gasson, PhD (JCCC, UCLA, USA), introduced by Dr. Tamanoi 6:45-7:00 PM PST (7:15-7:30 AM IST): Keynote Address, Piotr Grodzinski, PhD (NCI, USA) _Session 1-b_ Time: 7:00 PM 8:30 PM PST (7:30-9:00 AM IST) Session 1-b Moderator: Fuyu Tamanoi, PhD 7:00-7:45 PM PST (7:30-8:15 AM IST): Anil K. Patri, PhD (NCI, USA): Resources for Preclinical Assessment of Nanomaterials Jacob Berlin, PhD (City of Hope, Duarte, USA): Carbon-based Nanovectors for targeted paclitaxel delivery Jose J. Galvez, MD, NCI: TBA Jeffrey I. Zink, PhD (UCLA, USA): Multifunctional Mesoporous Nanoparticles for Targeting, Imaging and Drug Delivery Mitch A. Garcia, PhD (UCLA, USA): Nano-velcro for Identification and Isolation of Circulating Tumor cells from Whole Blood Fuyu Tamanoi, PhD (UCLA, USA): Anti-tumor Efficacy of Camptothecin-loaded Mesoporous Nanoparticles 8:30 8:40 PM PST (9:00-9:10 IST): Coffee Break at NCC; Informal discussion among participants in India, the United States and China _Session 1-c_ Time: 8:40 PM 10:00 PM PST (9:10-10:30 AM IST) Session 1-c Moderator: YongDoo Choi, PhD 8:40 PM 9:10 PM PST (9:10-9:40 AM IST): Xingyu Jiang, PhD (NCNST, Beijing, China): What nanoparticles could do to improve the quality of in vitro diagnostic assays Xing-Jie Liang, PhD (NCNST, Beijing, China): Unique Biological and Medical Effects of Structures with Nanoscale Characterizations 9:10 PM 9:25 PM PST (9:40-9:55 AM IST): Amit Dinda, MD, PhD (All Institute of Medical Science, New Delhi, India): Cancer cell targeting with nano-particle for drug delivery; the therapeutic and safety issues 9:25 PM 9:55 PM PST (9:55-10:25 AM IST): Sangyong Jon, PhD (Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Korea): Aptide-based Nanomedicine for Cancer Imaging and Therapy Ji Ho Park, PhD (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Korea): A Systems Approach to Engineering Cancer Nanotechnologies 9:55 PM 10:00 PM PST (10:25-10:30 AM IST): Closing Remarks YongDoo Choi, PhD speaking from Korea Fuyu Tamanoi, PhD speaking from UCLA W. Edward Johansen, MS, JD, speaking from UCLA YoungSung Lee, MD, PhD speaking from India [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1993434 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1993434 *UCLA RESEARCH ALERT* *FINDINGS:* Stretchable electronics, an emerging class of modern electronic materials that can bend and stretch, have the potential to be used in a wide range of applications, including wearable electronics, "smart skins" and minimally invasive biomedical devices that can move with the body. Today's conventional inorganic electronic devices are brittle, and while they have a certain flexibility achieved using ultrathin layers of inorganic materials, these devices are either flexible, meaning they can be bent, or they are stretchable, containing a discrete LED chip interconnected with stretchable electrodes. But they lack "intrinsic stretchability," in which every part of the device is stretchable. Now, researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have demonstrated for the first time an intrinsically stretchable polymer light-emitting device. They developed a simple process to fabricate the transparent devices using single-walled carbon nanotube polymer composite electrodes. The interpenetrating networks of nanotubes and the polymer matrix in the surface layer of the composites lead to low sheet resistance, high transparency, high compliance and low surface roughness. The metal-free devices can be linearly stretched up to 45 percent and the composite electrodes can be reversibly stretched by up to 50 percent with little change in sheet resistance. *IMPACT:* Because the devices are fabricated by roll lamination of two composite electrodes that sandwich an emissive polymer layer, they uniquely combine mechanical robustness and the ability for large-strain deformation, due to the shape-memory property of the composite electrodes. This development will provide a new direction for the field of stretchable electronics. *AUTHORS:* UCLA postdoctoral fellow Zhibin Yu, UCLA professor of materials science and engineering Qibing Pei[1], Xiaofan Niu and Zhitian Liu *FUNDING:* The research was supported by the National Science Foundation. *JOURNAL:* This research was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Advanced Materials and is available online at http://bit.ly/ngbZ5w. *VIDEO:* See the press release at the UCLA Newsroom[2]. [1] [2] Fri, 05 Aug 2011 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1988678 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1988678 *FINDINGS: * Researchers from UCLA and Japan have designed a synthetic synapse for use in computing equipment that mimics the function of synapses in the human brain. The silver sulfide, nanoscale synapse, or "atomic switch," demonstrates both short- and long-term memory to a degree not seen before in solid-state devices. In the brain, synapses are the junction between neurons that enable the transmission of electrical messages from one neuron to another. Emulating this, the silver sulfide synapse is made up of two metal electrodes separated by a nanoscale gap. In their study, the researchers applied a voltage, or "electrical message," to the device at two different intervals one in which the input pulse was repeated every 20 seconds (lower repetition), the other in which it was repeated every two seconds (higher repetition). At the lower repetition rate, the synapse achieved a higher conduction state directly after each input, but that state rapidly faded on its own. This mirrors the short-term plasticity (STP) of a human synapse. At the higher repetition rate, however, the synapse achieved a permanent transition to a higher conduction state, successfully mimicking the long-term potentiation (LTP) mechanism of a human synapse. The STP and LTP activity of the synthetic synapse, the researchers say, conforms to psychological models of human memory including short- and long-term memory and can be achieved without the need for external preprogramming or the poorly scalable software currently used in artificial neural network systems. *IMPACT: * The research represents an important advance toward the construction of artificial neural systems that emulate characteristics of human memory and cognition and could have a significant impact on the future design of computer architecture. *AUTHORS: * James Gimzewski[1], UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a researcher with the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, is available for interviews. The research team was headed by Masakuazo Aono, director general of the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA) at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) in Japan, and also included Takeo Ohno, Tsuyoshi Hasegawa, Tohru Tsuruoka and Kazuya Terabe of MANA. *FUNDING: * The research was supported in part by a MEXT grant (Key-Technology Research Project 'Atomic Switch Programmed Device') and by a JST grant (Strategic Japanese-German Cooperative Program). *JOURNAL: * The research was recently published online in the journal Nature Materials[2]. See the press release at the UCLA Newsroom[3]. [1] [2] [3] Thu, 21 Jul 2011 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1988599 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1988599 *Wednesday, July 27, 2011, Verdon-Smith Room, IAS, First Floor, Royal Fort House, University of Bristol * 'IASIS'[1]- this contrived term combines connotations of a healing process through dialogue and a pathological condition an appropriate vibe for IAS' equivalent of the Enlightenment salon[2]. The idea is that at least twice a term, in the Verdon-Smith room at the IAS, there will be an open house invitation to come along, have a drink of some kind, meet other interesting people and (amongst other things) think over a general issue relevant to our common research and intellectual concerns. This IASIS will have an 'Art/Science' theme partly to reflect the interests and work of our current Artist in Residence, Victoria Vesna [3]. Some of the work Victoria has been producing during her stay in Bristol will be on view, in particular dealing with themes of water and ports. This work is of considerable interest in its own right and should also serve as a stimulus to further discussions about the interface between science, place and the creative imagination. As always, the occasion will be informal and convivial, with refreshments provided. All welcome, but do let Edwina (Edwina.Thorn@bristol.ac.uk) know if you intend to come along. [1] [2] [3] Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1988490 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1988490 Alan Alda[1] was traveling the world interviewing scientists for his PBS series Scientific American Frontiers[2] when he noticed theyd flip to a pedantic tone when the camera light turned on. That was a turning point for me seeing the difference between conversation and lecture modes was the key to whats holding the public back in understanding the work of scientists, he says. From there, he experimented with college workshops a test session at the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering in Los Angeles, followed by a more formal program at the State University of New York at Stony Brook's Center for Communicating Science (CCS)[3] to help young scientists better explain their research in laymens terms. Alda guided science students through improvisational experiences and critiques in order to teach them how to infuse more passion and stories into their research descriptions. Last week, Alda presented his ideas on science communication to an assembly of scientists attending the _Communicating Science: A Kavli Workshop for Scientists_ symposium at the University of California, Los Angeless California NanoSystems Institute. Our lives now run on science and we dont know enough about it. I want scientists to be in a dynamic relationship with people, said Alda, before imploring the audience, Make our hearts beat with the stories of the wonderful adventure youre on. ... For more, please visit the IEEE Spectrum[4] article. [1] [2] [3] [4] Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1988367 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1988367 Bacteria use various appendages to move across surfaces prior to forming multicellular bacterial biofilms. Some species display a particularly jerky form of movement known as "twitching" motility, which is made possible by hairlike structures on their surface called type IV pili, or TFP. "TFP act like Batman's grappling hooks," said Gerard Wong[1], a professor of bioengineering and of chemistry and biochemistry at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA. "These grappling hooks can extend and bind to a surface and retract and pull the cell along." In a study to be published online this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences[2], Wong and his colleagues at UCLA Engineering identify the complex sequence of movements that make up this twitching motility in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a biofilm-forming pathogen partly responsible for the deadly infections seen in cystic fibrosis. During their observations, Wong and his team made a surprising discovery. Using a high-speed camera and a novel two-point tracking algorithm, they noticed that the bacteria had the unique ability to "slingshot" on surfaces. The team found that linear translational pulls of constant velocity alternated with velocity spikes that were 20 times faster but lasted only milliseconds. This action would repeat over and over again. "The constant velocity is due to the pulling by multiple TFP; the velocity spike is due to the release of a single TFP," Wong said. "The release action leads to a fast slingshot motion that actually turns the bacteria efficiently by allowing it to over-steer." The ability to turn and change direction is essential for bacteria to adapt to continually changing surface conditions as they form biofilms. The researchers found that the slingshot motion helped P. aeruginosa move much more efficiently through the polysaccharides they secrete on surfaces during biofilm formation, a phenomenon known as shear-thinning. "If you look at the surfaces the bacteria have to move on, they are usually covered in goop. Bacterial cells secrete polysaccharides on surfaces, which are kind of like molasses," Wong said. "Because these polysaccharides are long polymer molecules that can get entangled, these are very viscous and can potentially impede movement. However, if you move very fast in these polymer fluids, the viscosity becomes much lower compared to when you're moving slowly. The fluid will then seem more like water than molasses. This kind of phenomenon is well known to chemical engineers and physicists." Since the twitching motion of bacteria with TFP depends of the physical distributions of TFP on the surface of individual cells, Wong hopes that the analysis of motility patterns may in the future enable new methods for biometric "fingerprinting" of individual cells for single-cell diagnostics. "It gives us the possibility of not just identifying species of bacteria but the possibility of also identifying individual cells. Perhaps in the future, we can look at a cell and try to find the same cell later on the basis of how it moves," he said. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. The lead authors are Fan Jin from the UCLA Department of Bioengineering, the UCLA Department Chemistry and Biochemistry, and the CNSI, and Jacinta C. Conrad of the department of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Houston. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[3] for the press release. [1] [2] [3] Mon, 18 Jul 2011 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1988385 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1988385 Yang Yang[1], a professor of materials science and engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, has been named the holder of the Carol and Lawrence E. Tannas Jr. Endowed Chair in Engineering. This chair is the first in the world dedicated to the area of electronic information displays. The chair was established with a gift from Lawrence Tannas Jr., a UCLA Engineering alumnus and executive in the electronic information display industry, and his wife, Carol. Yang's research focuses on conjugated polymers and organics, polymer LEDs (light-emitting diodes), and related polymer electronic, photonic and bio-devices. His work with polymer solar cells has led to the creation of higher quality, more affordable and energy-efficient materials for use in consumer electronic devices such as flat-panel televisions, plasma displays and cell phones, as well as electronic information displays. "In the last decade, Yang has made significant advancements in the application of organic LEDs (OLEDs) to electronic displays. Further, his groundbreaking work in the area of polymer solar cells has also achieved considerable attention," said Vijay K. Dhir, dean of UCLA Engineering. "This chair will not only help Yang continue his work as a leading academic and educator, but it will also support his continued efforts in making vital contributions in these very important areas of research." Yang has published more than 200 scientific papers, been invited to give more than 100 presentations and holds 11 U.S. patents. Last year, he was featured as one of 2010's "hot" scientists by Thomson Reuters' ScienceWatch, and the publication's "Hot Papers" database categorized eight of his recent reports as highly cited. In particular, a study in Nature Photonics from 2009 was cited more than 200 times in just 18 months. "It is a tremendous honor to become the Carol and Lawrence E. Tannas Jr. Endowed Chair," Yang said. "I am particularly impressed by Mr. Tannas' vision and contributions to the area of electronic display technology. I look forward to using this endowment to enrich education here at UCLA Engineering, as well as enhance research that will help create more energy-efficient display technology." Yang received his bachelor's degree from National Cheng-Kung University in Taiwan and went on to earn his master's and doctorate in physics and applied physics from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. Prior to coming to UCLA in 1997, Yang worked at UC Riverside as a postdoctoral researcher and at UNIAX Corp. (now DuPont Displays) in Santa Barbara as a research staff member. Yang is the faculty director of the Nano Renewable Energy Center at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA and serves as director of the Center for Organic Opto-electronics Technologies at Zhejiang University in China. He is also the faculty adviser for the UCLA student branch of the Society for Information Display (SID), which was founded at UCLA in 1962. "It is gratifying to know that our gift will help UCLA Engineering for many generations to come by supporting the teaching and research activities of a distinguished faculty member like Professor Yang," Lawrence Tannas said. Tannas, who earned his bachelor's degree in 1959 and master's in 1961 from UCLA, is president of Tannas Electronic Displays Inc., a company specializing in research, development and licensing of intellectual property for preparing liquid crystal displays used in avionics. As president of Tannas Electronics, he also devotes his time to consulting, lecturing and research. Tannas is considered one of the foremost experts on electronic displays. Tannas is also a fellow and past president of SID and is presently on its board of directors. Today, the UCLA Engineering library has the only complete repository of SID publications in the world, the result of Tannas generously donating his comprehensive library of SID journals. The Carol and Lawrence E. Tannas Jr. Endowed Chair in Engineering is part of UCLA Engineering's Enhancing Engineering Excellence (E3) initiative, a $100 million fundraising effort aimed at generating new endowed faculty chairs, graduate fellowships and undergraduate scholarships, as well as funds for capital projects and diversity initiatives. Visit UCLA Newsroom[2] to read the press release. [1] [2] Mon, 18 Jul 2011 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1987444 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1987444 Cancer researchers have now found a way to make high temperatures heal. In a new study, a team found that injecting mice with tiny magnets and cranking up the heat eliminated tumors from the animals' bodies with no apparent side effects. A new Nanoparticle-based hyperthermal therapy developed to shrink cancer tumors is featured in _Science[1]_ "Magnetic Nanoparticles Fry Tumors." The idea of killing cancer with heat isn't new. Researchers know that, like normal cells, cancer cells start to die when the mercury rises above 43˚C. The trick is figuring out how to kill the cancer without harming the body's own cells. One promising idea, known as magnetic hyperthermia, involves injecting minuscule "nanoparticles," basically microscopic lumps of iron oxide or other compounds, into tumors to make them magnetic. The patient is put into a magnetic field that reverses direction thousands of times every second. The magnetic nanoparticles are excited by the applied field and begin to get hot, heating and potentially destroying the surrounding cancer tissue. Because healthy tissue is not altered by the magnetic field, it does not heat up and is not damaged. Nanoscientist Jinwoo Cheon of Yonsei University in Seoul and colleagues set out to create a nanoparticle that would get hotter than traditional nanoparticles so that not as many would need to be injected into the body. They made two-layer nanoparticles, each containing a core of one magnetic mineral inside a shell of another. Because of an esoteric interaction between the two minerals, called exchange coupling, these "core-shell" nanoparticles interacted far more strongly with the magnetic field than do traditional nanoparticles and released up to 10 times as much heat. That means one would need to give only 10% of the original dose to patients to achieve the same degree of hyperthermia as with traditional nanoparticles. The teams research was published in _Nature Nanotechnology[2]_ on June 26, 2011. Jinwoo Cheon[3] is the Director of Convergence Nanomaterials System, National Research Laboratory, Professor of Chemistry, Yonsei University, and a visiting professor at the California NanoSystems Institute. [1] [2] [3] Tue, 12 Jul 2011 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1986838 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1986838 *Communicating Science: A Kavli Workshop for Scientists* Alan Alda "Helping the Public Get Beyond a Blind Date with Science" *Wednesday, July 13th CNSI Auditorium, UCLA* Actor, writer, and director Alan Alda discusses the importance of connecting the public to science. As host of Scientific American Frontiers, Alan Alda interviewed 700 scientists around the world. Now he is helping scientists learn to communicate effectively with the public, including public officials, funders, employers, students, the media, and potential collaborators in other disciplines. The Kavli Foundation, and the Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University present "Communicating Science: A Kavli Workshop for Scientists" -- July 13-15, 2011, at the California NanoSystems Institute, UCLA. To attend workshop program highlights, please RSVP to: cnsievents@cnsi.ucla.edu[1] _Program Highlights Free and Open to Public_ * Wednesday, July 13th CNSI Auditorium* 9:00 am: Alan Alda, Keynote Address: "Helping the Public Get Beyond a Blind Date with Science" Introduction by Paul Weiss, director of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. _10:15 am ? 6:30 pm: Workshop participants only_ 6:30 to 7:45 pm: "Lost in Translation: The Unreasonable Requirements of Communicating Science" KC Cole, award-winning science writer and professor at USC, joined by Greg Critser, science blogger and best-selling author, explore the challenges of communicating science. *Thursday, July 14th CNSI Auditorium* 6:30 to 8:00 pm: Screening of _Losing Control_ A romantic comedy about a scientist seeking the perfect mate. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with filmmaker Valerie Weiss, lead actors Miranda Kent, Ben Weber and Jamison Yang, and science consultants, Dr. Michael Sawaya and Sum Chan. *Workshop Background* "Communicating Science: A Kavli Workshop for Scientists" is conducted by the Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University, which seeks to help scientists communicate more effectively with people outside their field, including the general public, public officials, funders, employers, students, the media, and colleagues and potential collaborators in other disciplines. For more information: http://www.centerforcommunicatingscience.org/[2] Click here[3] for the event flyer. Communicating Science: A Kavli Workshop is supported by the Fred Kavli Foundation, the Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation, ACS Nano, and the California NanoSystems Institute. [1] [2] [3] Tue, 05 Jul 2011 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1986525 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1986525 In a recent article published in the journal Nature Materials,[1] CNSI Member and UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry, James Gimzewski[2] and a team of researchers demonstrate the development of an inorganic synapse, a nanoscale device capable of mimicking aspects of the brain's synaptic behavior, creating interesting possibilities for building artificial neural systems that emulate characteristics of human memory and cognition. The research team represents collaboration between the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA) and the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan, and the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department and California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. Memory is believed to occur in the human brain as a result of two types of synaptic plasticity: short-term plasticity (STP) and long-term potentiation (LTP). Previously, imitation of neural behavior has been difficult to implement in software because of the highly complex interconnected nature of thought processes. The researchers report the discovery of a Ag2S (silver sulfide) inorganic synapse, which emulates the synaptic functions of both STP and LTP characteristics of memory. The Ag2S inorganic synapse has interesting characteristics analogous to an individual biological synapse, and can achieve dynamic memorization, without a need for the poorly scalable software or external preprogramming currently used in artificial neural network systems. These results suggest that individual inorganic synapse elements represent a new functional unit suitable for the design of neural systems, with potential use as hardware underlying artificially and even physically intelligent systems. [1] [2] Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1986583 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1986583 2011 UCLA Sci|Art NanoLab students 'Imagine the Impossible' We cordially invite you to attend the closing ceremony of the 2011 UCLA Sci|Art NanoLab "Imagine the Impossible" summer program and see the efforts of these bright young minds come to fruition. The event will begin promptly at 10 am PST in the CNSI auditorium. If you are unable to attend in person, please feel free to view the event online by visiting the following link: * Video stream at 10:00 Am Friday, July 1st http://cnsi.ctrl.ucla.edu/streaming/art-sci-live[1] * The Sci | Art NanoLab is a highly competitive summer program for high school juniors and seniors interested in collaborating with diverse and notable minds to challenge traditional, polarized perspectives of the arts and sciences. Sponsored by UCLA's ART|SCI Center,[2] Department of Design | Media Arts[3] and the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI),[4] the Sci|Art NanoLab focuses on multi-disciplinary collaborations exploring the possibilities and implications of scientific and technological innovation. Throughout the 2-week intensive program, students have made connections between cutting edge scientific research, popular culture and contemporary arts. Lab visits, workshops, hands-on experiments, and meetings with world renowned scientists are balanced with visits to museums, daily movie screenings and meetings with famous contemporary artists who collaborate with scientists. As part of the program curriculum, students have be asked to develop an original concept for a collaborative project under the general guidelines of "Imagine the Impossible". With the assistance skill workshops and the knowledge base of the Sci|Art Team, groups of students will deliver their final multimedia presentations during the closing ceremony on July 1st. For more information on the program, please visit: http://artsci.ucla.edu/summer[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Thu, 30 Jun 2011 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1985326 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1985326 Bahram Jalali,[1] a professor of electrical engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and member of the California NanoSystems Institute, has been named to UCLA's Northrop Grumman Endowed Opto-Electronic Chair in Electrical Engineering. The chair highlights the school's excellence in the area of opto-electronics and photonics, including devices, circuits and systems research. The application areas of opto-electronics and photonics include biotechnology, high-speed optical networks, data communication and conversion, and radar. "Bahram is a leader in the field of photonic devices and opto-electronic systems and is an exceptional educator and scholar," said Vijay K. Dhir, dean of UCLA Engineering. "This chair will help Bahram to continue to make significant contributions to an important area. I could think of no one better suited to hold this chair." Jalali's research focuses on silicon photonics, fiber optic networks and biophotonics. In recent years, he has developed an ultrafast, light-sensitive video camera[2] that captures images at some 6 million frames per second and a bar code reader[3] that is a thousand times faster than any device currently in use. Jalali has published 300 scientific papers and holds eight U.S. patents. "I am sincerely humbled to have the privilege of being named the Northrop Grumman Opto-Electronic Chair," Jalali said. "Northrop Grumman Corporation's generosity and support will boost our ability to better serve UCLA students and local industry." Jalali is a fellow of IEEE, the Optical Society of America and the American Physical Society and was the recipient of the 2007 R.W. Wood Prize from the Optical Society of America for the invention and demonstration of the first silicon laser. He serves on the board of the California Science Center and the board of visitors of Columbia University's Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science. Northrop Grumman[4] is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide. This endowed chair, established through a $1.16 million gift, is part of UCLA Engineering's Enhancing Engineering Excellence (E3) initiative, a $100 million fundraising effort aimed at generating new endowed faculty chairs, graduate fellowships and undergraduate scholarships, as well as funds for capital projects and diversity initiatives. See the full press release at the UCLA Newsroom.[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Tue, 28 Jun 2011 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1985330 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1985330 Librede Inc.,[1] a startup company at the UCLA/CNSI technology incubator at the California NanoSystems Institute, has received Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding from the National Institutes of Health to further develop technologies for improved ion channel drug discovery and screening. The Phase II funding will provide over $800,000 in funding for two years and will be used to test Librede's biochips with hERG, a cardiac ion channel with which drugs can unintentionally interfere, leading to potentially fatal consequences. Librede's technology aims to greatly improve the cost and throughput of hERG safety screening and drug discovery for other ion channels. Librede, having shown the successful scale-up of its artificial cell membrane technology in Phase I, will work in Phase II to validate the technology with human ion channels. Ion channels are very important physiologically. Ion channel dysfunction has been implicated in a number of diseases, and Librede's platform aims to decrease the time and cost required to find drugs to treat them. "A number of disorders, including depression, chronic pain, heart arrhythmias and epilepsy, have ion channel dysfunction as a root cause," said Jason Poulos, chief technical officer of Librede, Inc. "Our goal is to develop a platform that enables therapeutic drugs for these diseases to be found with less time and cost." "Manufacture and measurement of artificial cell membranes is the core of our technology," Poulos said. "Showing that our platform is compatible with human ion channels is critical to show its relevance for scientific studies and pharmaceutical screening. This is our principal technological hurdle and we already have a large amount of evidence that we will be successful." Compatibility means that ion channel measurements obtained in cells match those obtained in Librede's artificial cell membrane environment. Poulos is a co-founder of Librede and co-inventor of the artificial membrane technology, along with Jacob Schmidt[2], professor of bioengineering at UCLA and member of the California NanoSystems Institute. Librede's technology enables production of an easy-to-use, disposable biochip for cell-free ion channel measurement, resulting in lowered costs and increased throughput, two major obstacles that limit current ion channel drug screening technologies. Librede's Phase II work will take place in the UCLA/CNSI incubator lab facility and in collaboration with UCLA researchers. [1] [2] Tue, 28 Jun 2011 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1984862 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1984862 A new advance by UCLA biochemists has brought scientists one step closer to developing treatments that could delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease and prevent the sexual transmission of HIV. The researchers report that they have designed molecular inhibitors that target specific proteins associated with Alzheimer's disease and HIV to prevent them from forming amyloid fibers, the elongated chains of interlocking proteins that play a key role in more than two dozen degenerative and often fatal diseases. "By studying the structures of two key proteins that form amyloids, we were able to identify the small chain of amino acids responsible for amyloid fiber formation and engineer a 'molecular cap' that attaches to the end of the fibers to inhibit their growth," said research leader David Eisenberg,[1] director of the UCLA Department of Energy Institute of Genomics and Proteomics[2] and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. The study was published online June 15 in the journal Nature and will be available in an upcoming print edition. View the article in Nature. [3] "This research is an important first step toward the development of structure-based drugs designed against amyloid diseases," said Eisenberg, who is a UCLA professor of chemistry, biochemistry and biological chemistry and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. "Our results have opened up an avenue so that universities and industry can start creating therapeutics that could not have been produced 10 years ago." *Toward delaying Alzheimer's disease* Amyloid fibers are elongated, water-tight structures formed from two linked protein sheets. Proteins from each sheet contribute side chains, causing them to interlock like the teeth of a zipper, Eisenberg said. The fibers are found not only Alzheimer's disease but in a variety of conditions, including Lou Gehrig's disease, Parkinson's disease, type II diabetes and a family of disorders related to mad cow disease, among others. In Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases, the tau protein forms amyloid fibers inside brain cells, destroying them through a mechanism that is still being investigated. Though many serious diseases are characterized by amyloid fibers, Alzheimer's is the most prevalent, Eisenberg said. Today there are 5 million patients in the U.S. who suffer from Alzheimer's, with 500,000 new cases every year. Alzheimer's health care cost this year alone have been estimated at $178 billion, including the value of unpaid care for Alzheimer's patients provided by nearly 10 million family members and friends. "By the year 2050, it is projected that there will be 19 million Alzheimer's patients," Eisenberg said. "The care of so many patients with this debilitating illness could be a substantial fraction of the gross domestic product of the United States." Eisenberg and his research team found that of the entire tau protein, a small chain of just six amino acids -- abbreviated VQIVYK -- was responsible for the formation of amyloid fibers. By studying the structure of the fibers using microcrystallography, a method developed at UCLA for this research, the team was able to use the fibers as a template to design an inhibitor that could 'cap' the fiber and stop it from growing. The results were dramatic. The introduction of the inhibitor into a tau protein solution completely prevented amyloid fiber formation, validating the idea that the structure-based design of therapeutics for amyloid diseases is a plausible option. Despite this success, there is still a long road ahead before a viable therapeutic can be developed to combat the onset of Alzheimer's in human patients, Eisenberg said. The inhibitor, a chain of amino acids, is far too large to penetrate deep into the brain where the tau proteins form amyloid fibers. "This research is an important step toward identifying smaller molecules that can be utilized to develop a therapeutic," Eisenberg said. "Our goal is to be able to delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease." *Preventing the transmission of HIV* Unlike the tau protein, the SEVI (semen-derived enhancer of viral infection) protein is a far more accessible target for a molecular blocker because it builds amyloid fibers in a vaginal environment, a key process in the sexual transmission of HIV, Eisenberg said. "The presence of SEVI makes the rate of HIV infection through sexual transmission up to 100,000 times more likely," he said. "By blocking SEVI, we have a method for inhibiting the sexual transmission of HIV." Though the tau and SEVI proteins have different structures and unrelated functions, they both form amyloid fibers with similar morphology, making it possible to design two separate inhibitors using the same process, according to Eisenberg. The SEVI blocker proved to be equally effective in preventing fiber growth, bolstering the idea that blockers can be designed for other diseases associated with amyloid fibers as well. "Though many tests remain, it seems we could be on the way to developing a therapeutic," Eisenberg said. "Our hope is that we could make a blocker that could be applied with a vaginal gel or spray that would help to prevent HIV infection." The tau and SEVI protein inhibitors were designed using synthetic amino acids, similar to the standard protein building blocks of the human body. But these synthetic amino acids were flipped, as if viewed in a mirror, or had added side chains not normally found in nature. Enzymes in the human body that are programmed to break apart protein-like chains are, in principle, unable to recognize the non-natural amino acids, keeping the blockers safe to latch on to the target proteins. This research was federally funded by the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy, as well as by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and the Joint Center for Translational Medicine. Other co-authors of this study included UCLA postdoctoral scholars Stuart Sievers and Lin Jiang; UCLA graduate students Howard Chang and Anni Zhao; John Karanicolas, an assistant professor at the University of Kansas; Jason Stevens, an undergraduate at the University of Kansas; David Baker, a professor at the University of Washington; and professor Jan Mnch and researcher Onofrio Zirafi, of the University of Ulm in Germany. *Small molecules, big job* A second research team also led by Eisenberg recently announced that it had identified four small molecules that bind to amyloid fibers, including a promising candidate called 'orange-G' that wedges into the zipper-like fiber and may be able to break it apart. This study was published June 14 in PLoS Biology, an online journal of the Public Library of Science. View the article in PLoS Biology.[4] "These are the first small molecules visualized as they bind to amyloid-like fibers," Eisenberg said. "These small molecules are less likely to be broken up in the body and can potentially be modified to force apart amyloid fibers or serve as diagnostic tools to identify infected areas of the body." Eisenberg and his research team found that orange-G was uniquely able to pierce the impenetrable "steric zippers" that seal the water-tight amyloid fibers of the amyloid-beta protein that is responsible for forming senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease. "In 10 years we have gotten to the point where we are starting to understand the structural biology of amyloid fibers and how to inhibit them and how to interfere with them," Eisenberg said. "The next step is to make practical molecules that inhibit and break amyloid fibers -- that is the ultimate goal." Co-authors on this UCLA research included Kym Faull, professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences; Jorge Barrio, professor of molecular and medical pharmacology; researchers Michael Sawaya and Jie Liu; postdoctoral scholars Meytal Landau, Lin Jiang and Stuart Sievers; and graduate student Arthur Laganowsky. See the press release at UCLA Newsroom.[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Thu, 23 Jun 2011 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1984656 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1984656 UCLA RESEARCH ALERT FINDINGS Graphene, a one-atom-thick layer of graphitic carbon, has the potential to make consumer electronic devices faster and smaller. But its unique properties, and the shrinking scale of electronics, also make graphene difficult to fabricate and to produce on a large scale. In September 2010, a UCLA research team reported that they had overcome some of these difficulties and were able to fabricate graphene transistors with unparalleled speed.[1] These transistors used a nanowire as the self-aligned gate -- the element that switches the transistor between various states. But the scalability of this approach remained an open question. Now the researchers, using equipment from the Nanoelectronics Research Facility and the Center for High Frequency Electronics at UCLA, report that they have developed a scalable approach to fabricating these high-speed graphene transistors. The team used a dielectrophoresis assembly approach to precisely place nanowire gate arrays on large-area chemical vapor deposition/growth graphene -- as opposed to mechanically peeled graphene flakes -- to enable the rational fabrication of high-speed transistor arrays. They were able to do this on a glass substrate, minimizing parasitic delay and enabling graphene transistors with extrinsic cut-off frequencies exceeding 50 GHz. Typical high-speed graphene transistors are fabricated on silicon or semi-insulating silicon carbide substrates that tend to bleed off electric charge, leading to extrinsic cut-off frequencies of around 10 GHz or less. Taking an additional step, the UCLA team was able to use these graphene transistors to construct radio-frequency circuits functioning up to 10 GHz, a substantial improvement from previous reports of 20 MHz. The research opens a rational pathway to scalable fabrication of high-speed, self-aligned graphene transistors and functional circuits and it demonstrates for the first time a graphene transistor with a practical (extrinsic) cutoff frequency beyond 50 GHz. This represents a significant advance toward graphene-based, radio-frequency circuits that could be used in a variety of devices, including radios, computers and mobile phones. The technology might also be used in wireless communication, imaging and radar technologies. See the press release at the UCLA Newsroom.[2] AUTHORS: The UCLA research team included Xiangfeng Duan,[3] professor of chemistry and biochemistry; Yu Huang,[4] assistant professor of materials science and engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science; Lei Liao; Jingwei Bai; Rui Cheng; Hailong Zhou; Lixin Liu; and Yuan Liu. Duan and Huang are also researchers at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. FUNDING: The work was funded by grants from National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. JOURNAL: The research was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Nano Letters and is available online.[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1983567 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1983567 A delegation from the National Program on Nanotechnology[1] in Taiwan visited the California NanoSystems Institute to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with CNSI. The delegation was led by Professor Yu-Ting Cheng[2], from electronics engineering and the Institute of Electronics at National Chiao Tung University[3] in Hsin Chu Taiwan, who met with CNSI Director, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry and Materials Science & Engineering, and Fred Kavli Chair in NanoSystems Sciences, Paul S. Weiss[4] and CNSI Associate Director, Professor of Biological Chemistry, and Senior Associate Dean for Research at the David Geffen School of Medicine, Leonard H. Rome[5] and toured the CNSI building. During the tour of the facilities the guests were particularly interested in the setup of the CNSI Core Laboratories, and seeing how CNSI staff conduct their own research in the labs while also helping outside users to do experiments with the equipment. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Tue, 14 Jun 2011 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1982488 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1982488 The 14th Annual Workshop on Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus (KSHV) and Related Agents will be held in Helsinki, Finland, August 12-15, 2011. Researchers working on all aspects of KSHV and related viruses are invited to attend the workshop and present their recent work. The meeting will be held at the Hilton Kalastajatorppa, located only 20 min from the Helsinki-Vantaa International Airport. For more information, click here[1] for the workshop's website. [1] Mon, 13 Jun 2011 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1981726 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1981726 A recent post in Mashable, one of the top blogs for social and digital media, discussed new developments in the use of mobile phones for healthcare in developing nations. The first example is an "SMS patient coordination network" started by Stanford University student Josh Nesbit. When he began the project it was called FrontlineSMS:Medic, but has since been updated to Medic Mobile. The project serves 4.5 million people in 11 countries and allows people to send text messages to central databases to get treatment information, provide updates, and receive prompts. The second example in the post focuses on a new technology developed by Aydogan Ozcan[1], a professor of electrical engineering at UCLA and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute. Ozcan has invented a lens-free microscope which attaches and interfaces with almost any mobile phone and can image samples of bodily fluid samples and send a count of microparticles such as red blood cells in the sample to a centralized hospital. This allows doctors at the centralized hospitals to diagnose and track diseases of people spread over huge geographical areas with minimum travel required. Startup companies are commercializing both technologies, Medic Mobile in the case of Nesbit's "SMS patient coordination network" and a company called Holocope is commercializing Ozcan's lens-free imager. Holocope is also in the UCLA on-campus Technology Incubator at the California NanoSystems Institute. Visit Mashable[2] to read the full story. [1] [2] Fri, 10 Jun 2011 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1981212 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1981212 Exhibits of "Blue Morph" were recently installed at art festivals in both Governors Island, New York and in Gdansk, Poland. "Blue Morph" was created by James Gimzewski and Victoria Vesna, for a full review see this review[1] in The Free George. Opening day @ Governor's Island[2] Opening day @ Gdansk[3] Vimeo videos from Gdansk Video One[4] Video Two[5] James Gimzewski[6] is a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA, and the faculty director of the Nano & Pico Characterization[7] core lab at CNSI. Victoria Vesna[8] is a professor of design | media arts at UCLA. The two lead the UCLA Art | Sci Center[9], a collaboration between CNSI and the department of design | media arts that is exploring the intersections between art and science. Gimzewski is the scientific director of the Art | Sci Center and Vesna is the artistic director. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] Mon, 06 Jun 2011 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1980578 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1980578 A recent article from Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN) explores the use of atomic force microscopy (AFM) as a cancer diagnostic tool. For cancer cells to metastasize and travel through the body, their cell walls must be elastic enough to squeeze through tiny capillaries in the blood system. Using this knowledge as a starting point, James Gimezewski[1], a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA, pioneered the use of AFM to probe cell thickness. He determined that metastatic cancer cells were about 70% softer than healthy cells, spawning a wide interest in the use of AFM as a cancer diagnostic tool. The article in C&EN explores several research projects on AFM as a cancer diagnostic tool, as well as the latest research from the Nano & Pico Characterization (NPC) lab at the California NanoSystems Institute, for which Gimzewski is the faculty director. NPC has recently determined the previously unknown reason as to why the cancer drug cisplatin works, it significantly stiffens cancerous ovarian cells while only slightly stiffening normal cells. They have also recently reported that green tea extract stiffens a variety of metastatic cancer cells while not affecting normal cells. Visit the C&EN website[2] to read the full story. [1] [2] Thu, 02 Jun 2011 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1980582 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1980582 Jason Cong, the Chancellor's Professor of computer science at UCLA, has been selected to receive the A. Richard Newton Technical Impact Award, awarded jointly by the IEEE Council on Electronic Design Automation and the ACM Special Interest Group on Design Automation. Cong will share the award with Yuzheng (Eugene) Ding, a senior staff software engineer at the company Xilinx. The award honors contributors whose impact is recognized over a significant period of time. Professor Cong and Dr. Ding will be recognized for their pioneering work on technology mapping for field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Jason Cong[1] founded a startup company at UCLA called AutoESL, which was acquired by Xilinx earlier this year. Cong is also a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute. For information on the other awards announced by IEEE's Council on EDA visit this Marketwire release[2]. [1] [2] Thu, 02 Jun 2011 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1979891 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1979891 Nature News has published a story on portable X-ray technology developed by Seth Putterman[1]. The article focuses on a recent paper from the Putterman group in _Applied Physics Letters_[2], in which they described a device small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, and capable of producing X-rays bright enough to image a human finger. Besides the small size of the device, it also does not require a high voltage power source, another key element in creating a functional portable device. Seth Putterman is a professor of physics and astronomy at UCLA and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute. To read the full story visit the Nature News website[3], or download this PDF[4]. [1] [2] [3] [4] Tue, 31 May 2011 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1980561 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1980561 UCLA postdoctoral scholars were honored at the 2011 Postdoctoral Scholars Reception for their important contributions to the university's interrelated missions of research, teaching, and public service. The reception was held on May 12, 2011 at the Faculty Center. Of the approximately 1200 registered UCLA postdoctoral scholars, 33 were nominated for the Chancellor's Award for Postdoctoral Research. The nominees represent virtually every discipline at UCLA, from the basic and applied sciences to the professional schools, the social sciences, and the humanities. Two of the winners work in laboratories for CNSI researchers. Shelly Claridge is an NIH postdoctoral fellow with CNSI director Paul Weiss [1], and is also the president of the Society of Postdoctoral Scholars at UCLA. Waheb Bishara is a postdoctoral scholar in the BioPhotonics group with Aydogan Ozcan[2]. In total, five of the 33 nominees were selected to receive the Chancellor's Award for Postdoctoral Research -- a $4,000 prize -- for their research accomplishments, which show clear potential to have meaningful and enduring implications in their field. [IMAGE: ][3] Photo Gallery 2011 Postdoctoral Scholars Reception[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Tue, 31 May 2011 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1979438 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1979438 A research team has quantified for the first time two different error-suppressing processes for model nanoelectronic systems and estimated the minimum number of electrons necessary for reliable circuit logic. They found that between the two, physical fault-tolerance error prevention is better than architectural fault tolerance error correction. The team includes Vwani Roychowdhury[1], a professor of electrical engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, and Thomas Szkopek, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at McGill University. The study, published in Physical Review Letters[2], contributes a fundamental insight into the reliability of nanoscale transistor device technologies and scaling and may impose a minimum limit on the size of devices. The findings are of immediate relevance to researchers working in transistor-scaling, through to scientists developing new device concepts. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[3] for the full story. [1] [2] [3] Thu, 26 May 2011 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1979451 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1979451 Aydogan Ozcan[1] has been invited to the U.S. Frontiers of Engineering. An annual three-day meeting that brings together 100 of the nation's outstanding young engineers (ages 30-45) from industry, academia, and government to discuss pioneering technical and leading-edge research in various engineering fields and industry sectors. Ozcan, an associate professor of electrical engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and a researcher at the CNSI, was selected for the symposium following a competitive nomination and selection process. The program provides an opportunity for top-notch engineers, early in their careers, to learn about cutting-edge developments in fields other than their own, thereby facilitating collaborative work and the transfer of new approaches and techniques across fields. Through both formal sessions and informal discussions, the meetings have proven an effective mechanism for the establishment of cross-disciplinary and cross-sector contacts among this country's future engineering leaders. For more information, visit the U.S. Frontiers of Engineering website [2]. [1] [2] Thu, 26 May 2011 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1978622 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1978622 Gevo, Inc., a company with biofuel technology licensed from a UCLA professor, recently completed a $107 million initial public offering. This IPO is the latest in a string of successes for UCLA technologies and another example of the vital role the campus plays in catalyzing both scientific and economic growth. In 2007 Gevo licensed technology that James Liao[1], the Chancellor's Professor and vice chair of the department of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, developed to modify _E. coli_ bacteria to produce biofuels. Gevo plans to create high-yield, renewable alternatives to fossil fuels. Liao is also a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute. The Gevo license and other such technology transfers help fulfill the mission of UCLA as a public land-grant institution; in California alone, more than 100 companies are commercializing inventions from the campus. Other technology transfer stories this year include the acquisition of UCLA startup AutoESL[2] by Xilinx Inc. AutoESL was a system-level synthesis software company founded by Jason Cong[3], Chancellor's Professor in computer science at UCLA Engineering and a researcher at CNSI. Also, ImaginAb, Inc. licensed a novel UCLA radiochemistry technology[4] developed by a group from the Crump Institute, including Anna Wu[5], professor of molecular and medical pharmacology and also a researcher at CNSI. For the full story visit the UCLA Newsroom[6]. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Thu, 19 May 2011 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1978628 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1978628 The Daily Bruin, UCLA's student newspaper, recently featured Yang Yang [1], a professor materials science and engineering, in an article detailing his research and efforts to train his students. The Yang lab is researching organic solar cells, which are cheaper than traditional solar cells because they use plastic instead of silicon. Yang has a successful track record of encouraging the individual projects of his students and helping them to find both academic and industry jobs after graduation. One of the main sources of post-graduation employment for Yang's students is a company in El Monte California called Solarmer, which was founded in 2006 and licenses technology from Yang's lab. Though Yang no longer has a direct relationship with the Solarmer, a number of his former students work for the company. The research for Yang's lab occurs in the Engineering V building of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Nano Renewable Energy Center in the California NanoSystems Institute. Visit the Daily Bruin[2] for a full description of the research in Yangs lab and some students who are propelling that research forward. [1] [2] Thu, 19 May 2011 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1978413 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1978413 Bahram Jalali[1], a professor of electrical engineering and a researcher at CNSI, has been elected as a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS). He has also been appointed as the Northrop Grumman Endowed Chair in Optoelectronics at UCLA. Keisuke Goda, a CNSI postdoctoral researcher in the Jalali lab, has been awarded the Burroughs Wellcome Fund Career Award. This prestigious award comes with $500,000 in support and is meant to cover the time from advanced postdoctoral training and the first three years of faculty service. Keisuke is being recognized for his pioneering work on STEAM technology, new imaging modality that exploits photonic time stretch and fiber optic technologies, and its application to blood screening. Last year, Keisuke won the UCLA Chancellor Award for Postdoctoral Research. The Burroughs Wellcome Fund is an independent private foundation dedicated to advancing the biomedical sciences by supporting research and other scientific and educational activities. Visit their website [2] for more information about the program. Also, Niusha Sarkhosh, a postdoctoral researcher in the Jalali lab, has won the Endeavour Postdoctoral Award. This award provides $35,000 for postdoctoral training for one year. Sarkhosh is being recognized for her work on photonic implementation of an Instantaneous Frequency Measurement (IFM) receiver and its implementation in biomedical application. The Endeavour Awards is the Australian Government's internationally competitive, merit-based scholarship program providing opportunities for citizens of the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Europe and the Americas to undertake study, research and professional development in Australia. Awards are also available for Australians to undertake study, research and professional development abroad. Visit the Endeavour Awards website[3] for more information. Visit the Jalali lab website[4] for more information on their research. [1] [2] [3] [4] Tue, 17 May 2011 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1978398 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1978398 The increasingly popular TEDx one-day lecture program comes to the UCLA campus on Saturday, June 18, with a wide-ranging assortment of short, lively presentations designed to spark imagination and dreams. TEDxUCLA 2011 is billed as a collective exploration around "Minding, Mining, Mending, and Mapping." The event will include UCLA professors, instructors and students, as well as outside experts who will share stories from the arts, humanities, sciences, and technologies. Two CNSI researchers are on the agenda for TEDxUCLA. Omar Yaghi[1] will discuss the material he created, metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and their use in carbon capture and alternative energy. Yaghi is the Christopher S. Foote Chair in Chemistry and Biochemistry, the Irving and Jean Stone Chair in Physical Sciences, and a professor of molecular and medical pharmacology. He is also the director of the Center for Reticular Chemistry at the CNSI. Leonard Rome[2] will also present his research at TEDxUCLA. Rome will discuss vaults, the naturally occurring nanoparticles he discovered which are being adapted for use in targeted drug delivery. Rome is a professor of biological chemistry, Senior Associate Dean for Research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and an Associate Director of the CNSI. For a full list of speakers and registration information, visit the TEDxUCLA website[3]. [1] [2] [3] Tue, 17 May 2011 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1978418 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1978418 Research from Chris Regan, from physics and astronomy at UCLA and a member of CNSI, has been featured in the New Scientist, a general interest magazine covering science and technology. The article is based off of a press release from UCLA titled, "Is space like a chessboard?"[1], and covers the idea that the atomic grid of graphene may mimic a lattice underlying reality, which could explain the curious spin of the electron. Visit the New Scientist[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Tue, 17 May 2011 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1978320 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1978320 On July 1st Robin Garrell[1] will take office as vice provost for graduate education and dean of the graduate division. Her responsibilities will include overseeing operations such as the distribution of some financial fellowships and enforcing Academic Senate regulations, said Michael Goldstein, current interim vice provost for graduate education and dean of the graduate division. Garrell, who is a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and researcher at CNSI, said she accepted her nomination to the dean position out of a desire to better support the students she has come to know on a personal level. Her ongoing and daily interactions with graduate students in her lab was a key part of her appeal as a candidate during the appointment process, said Ron Mellor, who chaired the graduate dean search committee and is a professor of history. Mellor said he is confident Garrell can effectively lobby for graduate students because she works alongside them, understanding their needs on a personal level. Visit the UCLA Daily Bruin[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Mon, 16 May 2011 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1978342 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1978342 A single-molecule electrical circuit, in which organic compounds substituting for components such as wires, transistors, and rectifiers are all covalently bonded, just took a step closer to reality, according to a new report in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS)[1]. In addition to being exceedingly small a major goal in electronics such a circuit could have higher computing power than current silicon-based devices. An obstacle on the path towards single molecule electronics has been how to wire up the molecule. As outlined in the JACS paper, the researchers were able to fashion single molecules that function like circuit elements by developing "chemical soldering", a bond-forming method that connects conductive polymer wire and a phthalocyanine molecule to create a circuit. The 'wire' was 'soldered' using the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope. The researchers now plan to test the molecules they've created as diodes, with the ultimate goal of creating a single molecule electronic circuit. One of the authors of the paper, James Gimzewski[2], is a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA and the faculty director of the Nano & Pico Characterization[3] core lab at the California NanoSystems Institute. For more detailed descriptions, visit the Chemical & Engineering News [4] website, or PhysOrg.com[5]. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Mon, 16 May 2011 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1978180 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1978180 Shelley Claridge, an NIH postdoctoral fellow with CNSI director Paul Weiss, has received both the UCLA Chancellor's Award and the UCLA Molecular Biology Institute (MBI) Award for Postdoctoral Research Excellence. The Chancellor's Award recognizes extraordinary contributions to the UCLA research community across all disciplines. The UCLA MBI award, established by Nobel laureate Paul Boyer and jointly sponsored by the MBI and the department of chemistry and biochemistry, recognizes postdoctoral achievements in the field of molecular biology. Dr. Claridge's research interests focus on the use of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), to measure the structures of peptides. STM is a technique to probe the structures of single atoms and molecules on surfaces. Generalized to more complex biological structures such as transmembrane proteins, a technique to measure peptides with STM could revolutionize the understanding of biological processes from cellular signaling to drug design. Dr. Claridge is also the president of the Society of Postdoctoral Scholars at UCLA. Paul Weiss[1] is a distinguished professor of chemistry & biochemistry and materials science & engineering, and the Fred Kavli Chair in NanoSystems Sciences. Click here[2] for more information about the Chancellor's Award for Postdoctoral Research. Click here[3] for more information about the Molecular Biology Institute Annual Postdoctoral Recognition Awards. [1] [2] [3] Fri, 13 May 2011 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1978187 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1978187 Anastassia Alexandrova[1], an assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA, has been awarded a Young Faculty Award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the research agency of the U.S. Department of Defense. Alexandrova was given the award in the topic area of Functional Materials, for her research project, "The inside-out design of artificial metallo-enzymes with unprecedented specificity and reactivity." The objective of the DARPA Young Faculty Award program is to identify and engage rising research stars in junior faculty positions at U.S. academic institutions and expose them to Department of Defense needs as well as DARPA's program development process. Visit the Alexandrova Lab website[2] for more information on her research. Alexandrova is also a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute. DARPA Young Faculty Award[3] [1] [2] [3] Fri, 13 May 2011 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1977468 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1977468 _ACS Nano_, a journal focused on publishing nanoscience and nanotechnology research articles, has been named to the Rising Stars list of Thomson Reuter's Essential Science Indicators for the seventh consecutive period. This string of appearances on the Rising Stars list breaks the longevity record for any field on the Essential Science Indicators listing. The Rising Stars list tracks which scientists, institutions, countries, and journals have achieved the highest percentage increase in total citations from the fifth bimonthly period of 2010 to the sixth bimonthly period of 2010-that is, from October to December 2010. _ACS Nano_ is a monthly publication of the American Chemical Society. Its founding and current Editor-in-Chief is Dr. Paul S. Weiss[1], who is UCLA's Fred Kavli Chair in NanoSystems Sciences, a distinguished professor of chemistry & biochemistry and of materials science & engineering, and the Director of the California NanoSystems Institute. ESI Rising Stars May 2011[2] Paul Weiss on the history, success, and future goals of _ACS Nano_.[3] [1] [2] [3] Mon, 09 May 2011 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1977492 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1977492 From Tuesday, May 24th to Thursday, May 26th the CNSI Nano & Pico Characterization lab will host an atomic force microscopy workshop with Bruker AXS. The workshop talks will be held in the CNSI Auditorium, while the equipment demonstrations will be in the Nano & Pico Characterization lab on the B Level of the CNSI building. Bruker is an associate partner of the CNSI, and works closely with the Nano & Pico Characterization lab. [IMAGE: ][1] *View a live stream of the workshop* See below for a schedule of the workshop, or download the flyer[2] (PDF). *Tuesday, May 24, 2011* 10:00am-12:00pm: _Bruker Nano AFM Technology Developments Part I High Speed, High Throughput, AFM Imaging_ In this talk we present fundamental advances in the AFM's core systems, which enable a greater than 20x improvement in scan speed, without loss of resolution, force control, ease-of-operation, or cost-of-operation (probes). The embodiment of the high-speed AFM, named Dimension FastScan, is novel in that it is a large area "scanning-tip" design, which implements small fast cantilevers. This configuration eliminates nearly all sample constraints, allowing virtually any sample to be simply imaged at high speeds. Videos in various applications scanned in both air and fluid will be presented. The system is also used at high-speeds with a novel control process, Peak Force Tapping, that directly measures the instantaneous force interaction during each tapping cycle, and this information is used to directly control the tip-surface interaction down to 10pN. 1:00-5:00pm: _Hands-on Experiments with Dimension FastScan AFM in the CNSI's NPC Lab_ *Wednesday, May 25, 2011* 10:00-11:30am: _Bruker Nano AFM Technology Developments Part II Best Practices and Improving Your AFM Experience in the Lab_ In this talk we present best practices and set-up tips for optimizing your AFM measurement session, we will focus on the following topics: - Optimizing scan parameters for ultra-high resolution topography measurements - Magnetic Force Microscopy / Electric Force Microscopy Improving resolution and sensitivity - Scanning Kelvin Probe Microscopy Quantitative measurements with single pass and lift mode KPFM - Tunneling AFM / Conductive AFM Sample preparation, choosing the right probe and AFM image based IV measurements The talk will also cover a new way to control the atomic force microscope and acquire quantitative mechanical and electrical properties at the nanometer scale using new techniques from Bruker Peak Force Quantitative Nanomechanical Mapping (PF-QNM) and Peak Force Tunneling AFM (PF-TUNA). 12:30-5:30pm: _2 Dimension Icon AFM systems will be available to image your samples_ *Thursday, May 26, 2011* 9:00am-1:00pm: _Application Scientists from Bruker will be available to provide guidance and training with AFM characterization on your samples_ *To register for this event, please contact Bruker at:* productinfo@bruker-nano.com[3] Nano & Pico Characterization Events Page[4] Bruker Dimension FastScan AFM[5] Bruker Announces Dimension FastScan, the World's Fastest High-Resolution Atomic Force Microscope[6] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Mon, 09 May 2011 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1976074 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1976074 The ability to use nanoparticles to deliver payloads of cancer-fighting drugs to tumors in the body could herald a fundamental change in chemotherapy treatment. But scientists are still at a relatively early stage in the implementation of this technology. Although developing nanoparticles that work as "magic bullets" selectively targeting tumors while sparing normal, healthy tissues is still the goal, the reality is that most of these nanocarriers are removed through the liver and spleen before ever reaching their intended target. And many of the encapsulated drugs can be lost while the carriers circulate in the blood or degraded on the way to tumors. In a study recently published in the journal _ACS Nano_[1], UCLA scientists report that by using engineered mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNPs) as delivery vehicles, they were able to achieve significant increases in the percentage of drug-carrying nanoparticles that reach and are retained at tumor sites. The MSNP platform allows for the introduction of multiple and customized design features that can help optimize the delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs to a variety of cancer types, said the researchers, led by Dr. Andre Nel[2], a professor of medicine, pediatrics and public health and chief of the nanomedicine division in the UCLA Department of Medicine, and Jeffrey Zink[3], a professor in the UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Nel and Zink are also members of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. A key challenge in enhancing drug delivery has been improving nanocarriers' access to tumors by capitalizing on features like the leakiness of abnormal tumor blood vessels, which allows nanoparticles to slip through and be retained at tumor sites. To achieve that, particles must be designed to be the ideal size, to remain in the blood stream long enough by temporarily evading the liver and spleen, and to stably bind the drug. The dynamic design features employed by the UCLA research team include the manipulation of the size and surface properties of the nanoparticle to improve tumor biodistribution and protected delivery. The study demonstrates how, through an iterative design process, the first-generation MSNP was redesigned and optimized to deliver doxorubicin to a cancer xenograft in a mouse model. The team demonstrated a significant increase in particle retention at the tumor site: Approximately 10 to 12 percent of all the drug-loaded particles injected intravenously reached the tumor site. This high tumor distribution is exceptionally good, compared with other polymer- and copolymer-based nanodelivery platforms for which the best passive tumor targeting is in the range of 3.5 to 10 percent of injected particles, the researchers said. The study also demonstrated efficient drug delivery and tumor cell-killing using the redesigned and optimized MSNP system in mice. "The amount of doxorubicin being delivered to the tumor site was considerably higher than what could be achieved by the free drug, in addition to allowing efficient delivery into the cancer cells at the tumor site," said Nel, who is also a member of UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. Moreover, the improved drug delivery was accompanied by a significant reduction in systemic side effects such as weight loss and reduced liver and renal injury. "This is an important demonstration of how the optimal design of the MSNP platform can achieve better drug delivery in vivo," Nel said. "This delivery platform allows effective and protective packaging of hydrophobic and charged anticancer drugs for controlled and on-demand delivery. Not only are these design features superior to induce tumor shrinkage and apoptosis compared to the free drug, but they also dramatically improve the safety profile of systemic doxorubicin delivery." The UCLA research team also included Dr. Huan Meng and Dr. Tian Xia of the division of nanomedicine; Xue Min and Derrick Y. Tarm of the department of chemistry; and Dr. Zhaoxia Ji of the Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology. This study was funded by a U.S. Health Service grant from the National Cancer Institute. UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 04 May 2011 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1975942 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1975942 UCLA scientists have discovered a way to "wake up" the immune system to fight cancer by delivering an immune system-stimulating protein in a nanoscale container called a vault directly into lung cancer tumors. The new method harnesses the body's natural defenses to fight disease growth. The vaults, barrel-shaped nanoscale capsules found in the cytoplasm of all mammalian cells, were engineered to slowly release a protein the chemokine CCL21 into tumors. Pre-clinical studies in mice with lung cancer showed that the protein stimulated the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells, potently inhibiting cancer growth, according to the study's co-senior author Leonard Rome[1], a researcher at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and associate director of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA. "Researchers have been working for many years to develop effective immune therapies to treat cancer, with limited success," said Rome, who has been studying vaults for decades. "In lung tumors, the immune system is down-regulated, and what we wanted to do was wake it up, find a way to have the cancer say to the immune system, 'Hey, I'm a tumor and I'm over here. Come get me.' " The study appears in the May 3 issue of PLoS One[2], a peer-reviewed journal of the Public Library of Science. *Waking up the immune system* The new vault delivery system, which Rome characterized as "just a dream" three years ago, is based on a 10-year, ongoing research effort focused on using a patient's white blood cells to create dendritic cells, which are immune system cells that process antigen material and present it on their surface to other immune cells known as T cells, stimulating a response. As part of that effort, Dr. Steven Dubinett[3], director of the Jonsson Cancer Center's lung cancer program, led a Phase I study in which these dendritic cells were infected with a replication-deficient adenovirus engineered to carry a gene that prompts them to over-secrete CCL21. The engineered cells were then injected, 10 million at a time, directly into patients' lung cancer tumors to stimulate an immune response the first time the chemokine has been administered to humans. The early-phase study has shown the dendritic cell method is safe, has no side effects and seems to boost the immune response; Dubinett and his team found T lymphocytes circulating in the blood stream with specific cytokine signatures, indicating that the lymphocytes were recognizing the cancer as a foreign invader. However, the process of generating dendritic cells from white blood cells and engineering them to over-secrete CCL21 is cumbersome, expensive and time-consuming. It also requires a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) suite, a specialized laboratory that is critical for the safe growth and manipulation of cells, which many research institutions do not have. "It gets complicated," said Dubinett, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, a member of the CNSI and a co-senior author of the current paper. "You have to have a confluence of things happen: The patient has to be clinically eligible for the study and healthy enough to participate, and we have to be able to grow the cells and then genetically modify them and give them back." There also was the challenge of patient-to-patient variability, said co-senior author Sherven Sharma[4], a professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine and a researcher at the Jonsson Cancer Center and CNSI. It was easier to isolate and grow the dendritic cells in some patients than in others, so results were not consistent. "We wanted to create a simpler way to develop an environment that would stimulate the immune system," Sharma said. *How nanovaults could be more effective, less expensive* In the Phase I study, it takes more than a week to differentiate the white blood cells into dendritic cells and let them grow into the millions required for the therapy. The dendritic cells are infected with the adenovirus and then injected into the patient's tumor using guided imaging. "We thought if we could replace the dendritic cells with a nanovehicle to deliver the CCL21, we would have an easier and less expensive treatment that also could be used at institutions that don't have GMP," Dubinett said. If successful, the vault delivery method would add a desperately needed weapon to the arsenal in the fight against lung cancer, which accounts for nearly one-third of all cancer deaths in the United States and kills 1 million people worldwide every year. "It's crucial that we find new and more effective therapies to fight this deadly disease," Dubinett said. "Right now we don't have adequate options for therapies for advanced lung cancer." The vault nanoparticles containing the CCL21 have been engineered to slowly release the protein into the tumor over time, producing an enduring immune response. Although the vaults protect the packed CCL21, they act like a time-release capsule, Rome said. Rome, Dubinett and Sharma plan to test the vault delivery method in human studies within the next three years and hope the promising results they have found in pre-clinical animal tumor models will be replicated. If such a study is approved, it would be the first time a vault nanoparticle is used in humans for a cancer immunotherapy. The vault nanoparticle would require only a single injection into the tumor because of the slow-release design, and it eventually could be designed to be patient-specific by adding the individual's tumor antigens into the vault, Dubinett said. The vaults may also be targeted by adding antibodies to their surface that recognize receptors on the tumor. The injection could then be delivered into the blood stream and the vault would navigate to the tumor, a less invasive process that would be easier on the patients. The vault could also seek out and target tumors and metastases too small to be detected with imaging. Rome cautioned that the vault work is at a much earlier stage than Dubinett's dendritic cell research, but he is encouraged by the early results. The goal is to develop an "off-the-shelf" therapy using vaults. "In animals, the vault nanoparticles have proven to be as effective, if not more effective, than the dendritic cell approach," he said. "Now we need to get the vault therapy approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in humans." Because a vault is a naturally occurring particle, it causes no harm to the body and is potentially an ideal vehicle for use in the delivery of personalized therapies, Rome said. The study was funded by a University of California Discovery Grant; a Jonsson Cancer Center fellowship grant; the National Institutes of Health; the UCLA Lung Cancer Program; U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Research Funds; and the University of California's Tobacco-related Disease Program Award. UCLA Newsroom[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Tue, 03 May 2011 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1974531 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1974531 Pathologists at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles are consulting with their peers at Second Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University (ZHU) in Hangzhou, China, through scanning technology offered by Aperio, a Vista, Calif.-based developer of digital pathology solutions. More than 100 unusual or complex cases submitted by ZHU have been reviewed by sub-specialty experts in pathology at UCLA through the use of Aperio's ScanScope scanners, Spectrum image management (PACS) software and remote viewing technology. The technology enables ZHU pathologists to capture a digital image at very high resolution of the entire tissue sample on a glass slide and share it with members of the UCLA staff. Pathologists at both locations are also using the technology to participate in digital slide conferences, in which all participants can manipulate the slide and make notes that others can see. The hospitals are also conducting multi-disciplinary conferences. "Digital pathology allows UCLA to offer the advanced skills of our sub-specialty pathologists to China in real time when a specific type of pathology expertise is needed quickly on a difficult or complex case," said Jonathan Braun, MD, PhD, chairman of pathology and laboratory medicine and a professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "Our collaboration illustrates how integral pathology is to patient outcomes. Pathologists have become influential partners in treatment. Digital pathology dramatically enhances our ability to provide patient-centered care." Jonathan Braun[1] is also a research at the California NanoSystems Institute. Business Wire press release from Sys-Con Media[2] Healthcare IT News[3] [1] [2] [3] Thu, 28 Apr 2011 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1973239 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1973239 *UCLA study broadens potential therapeutic applications of vaults* There's no question, drugs work in treating disease. But can they work better, and safer? In recent years, researchers have grappled with the challenge of administering therapeutics in a way that boosts their effectiveness by targeting specific cells in the body while minimizing their potential damage to healthy tissue. The development of new methods that use engineered nanomaterials to transport drugs and release them directly into cells holds great potential in this area. And while several such drug-delivery systems including some that use dendrimers, liposomes or polyethylene glycol have won approval for clinical use, they have been hampered by size limitations and ineffectiveness in accurately targeting tissues. Now, researchers at UCLA have developed a new and potentially far more effective means of targeted drug delivery using nanotechnology. In a study to be published in the May 23 print issue of the journal Small (and currently available online[1]), they demonstrate the ability to package drug-loaded "nanodisks" into vault nanoparticles, naturally occurring nanoscale capsules that have been engineered for therapeutic drug delivery. The study represents the first example of using vaults toward this goal. The UCLA research team was led by Leonard H. Rome[2] and included his colleagues Daniel C. Buehler and Valerie Kickhoefer from the UCLA Department of Biological Chemistry; Daniel B. Toso and Z. Hong Zhou[3] from the UCLA Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics; and the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA. Vault nanoparticles are found in the cytoplasm of all mammalian cells and are one of the largest known ribonucleoprotein complexes in the sub-100-nanometer range. A vault is essentially barrel-shaped nanocapsule with a large, hollow interior properties that make them ripe for engineering into a drug-delivery vehicles. The ability to encapsulate small-molecule therapeutic compounds into vaults is critical to their development for drug delivery. Recombinant vaults are nonimmunogenic and have undergone significant engineering, including cell-surface receptor targeting and the encapsulation of a wide variety of proteins. "A vault is a naturally occurring protein particle and so it causes no harm to the body," said Rome, CNSI associate director and a professor of biological chemistry. "These vaults release therapeutics slowly, like a strainer, through tiny, tiny holes, which provides great flexibility for drug delivery." The internal cavity of the recombinant vault nanoparticle is large enough to hold hundreds of drugs, and because vaults are the size of small microbes, a vault particle containing drugs can easily be taken up into targeted cells. With the goal of creating a vault capable of encapsulating therapeutic compounds for drug delivery, UCLA doctoral student Daniel Buhler designed a strategy to package another nanoparticle, known as a nanodisk (ND), into the vault's inner cavity, or lumen. "By packaging drug-loaded NDs into the vault lumen, the ND and its contents would be shielded from the external medium," Buehler said. "Moreover, given the large vault interior, it is conceivable that multiple NDs could be packaged, which would considerably increase the localized drug concentration." According to researcher Zhou, a professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics and director of the CNSI's Electron Imaging Center for NanoMachines[4], electron microscopy and X-ray crystallography studies have revealed that both endogenous and recombinant vaults have a thin protein shell enclosing a large internal volume of about 100,000 cubic nanometers, which could potentially hold hundreds to thousands of small-molecular-weight compounds. "These features make recombinant vaults an attractive target for engineering as a platform for drug delivery," Zhou said. "Our study represents the first example of using vaults toward this goal." "Vaults can have a broad nanosystems application as malleable nanocapsules," Rome added. The recombinant vaults are engineered to encapsulate the highly insoluble and toxic hydrophobic compound all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) using a vault-binding lipoprotein complex that forms a lipid bilayer nanodisk. The research was supported by the UC Discovery Grant Program, in collaboration with the research team's corporate sponsor, Abraxis Biosciences Inc., and by the Mather's Charitable Foundation and an NIH/NIBIB Award. UCLA Newsroom[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1973346 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1973346 Dr. Jenny Kim, an associate professor of clinical medicine and dermatology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and chief of dermatology for the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, will present a free Science Faculty Research Colloquium on Wednesday, April 27, at 4 p.m. in the CNSI Auditorium[1] (between Boelter Hall and La Kretz Hall). In her colloquium, "Science and Dermatology: More than Skin Deep?", Kim will discuss skin immunity and the sophisticated protective mechanisms that keep us healthy, as well as what happens when these mechanisms go awry. Kim is also member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. She earned a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology and an M.D. from UCLA. The UCLA Science Faculty Research Colloquium Series[2] is designed to promote interdisciplinary research of interest to a general audience. UCLA Newsroom[3] Event Flyer[4] Video[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1973415 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1973415 UCLA researchers have redefined the concept of a microscope by removing the lens to create a system that is small enough to fit in the palm of a hand but powerful enough to create three-dimensional tomographic images of miniscule samples. The advance, featured this week in the early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences[1], represents the first demonstration of lens-free optical tomographic imaging on a chip, a technique capable of producing high-resolution 3-D images of large volumes of microscopic objects. "This research clearly shows the potential of lens-free computational microscopy," said Aydogan Ozcan[2], senior author of the research and an associate professor of electrical engineering at UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. "Wonderful progress has been made in recent years to miniaturize life-sciences tools with microfluidic and lab-on-a-chip technologies, but until now optical microscopy has not kept pace with the miniaturization trend." An optical imaging system small enough to fit onto an opto-electronic chip provides a variety of benefits. Because of the automation involved in on-chip systems, scientific work could be sped up significantly, which might have a great impact in the fields of cell and developmental biology. In addition, the small size not only has great potential for miniaturizing systems but also leads to cost savings on equipment. The optical microscope, invented more than 400 years ago, has tended to grow larger and more complex as it has been modified to image ever-smaller objects with better resolution. To address this lack of progress in miniaturization, Ozcan's research group with graduate student Serhan Isikman and postdoctoral scholar Waheb Bishara as lead researchers developed the new tomographic microscopy platform through the next evolution of a lens-free imaging technology the group created and has been improving for years. Ozcan, a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, makes the analogy that a traditional optical microscope is like a huge set of pipes delivering content, in the form of images, to the user. Over years of development, bottlenecks occur that impede further improvement. Even if one part of the system that is, one bottleneck is improved, other bottlenecks keep that improvement from being fully realized. Not so with the lens-free system, according to Ozcan. "Lens-free imaging removes the pipes altogether by utilizing an entirely new design," he said. The system takes advantage of the fact that organic structures, such as cells, are partially transparent. So by shining a light on a sample of cells, the shadows created reveal not only the cells' outlines but details about their sub-cellular structures as well. "These details can be captured and analyzed if the shadow is directed onto a digital sensor array," Isikman said. "The end result of this process is an image taken without using a lens." Ozcan envisions this lens-free imaging system as one component in a lab-on-a-chip platform. It could potentially fit beneath a microfluidic chip, a tool for the precise control and manipulation of sub-millimeter biological samples and fluids, and the two tools would operate in tandem, with the microfluidic chip depositing and subsequently removing a sample from the lens-free imager in an automated, or high-throughput, process. The platform's 3-D images are created by rotating the light source to illuminate the samples from multiple angles. These multiple angles also allow the system to utilize tomography, a powerful imaging technique. Through the use of tomography, the system is able to produce 3-D images without sacrificing resolution. "The field of view of lens-based microscopes is limited because the lens focuses on a narrow area of a sample," Bishara said. "A lens-free microscope has both a much larger field of view and depth of field because the imaging is done by the digital sensor array and is not constrained by a lens." The research was funded by grants from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Office of Naval Research and the National Institutes of Health and was also supported by the Gates Foundation and the Vodafone Americas Foundation. For more information on the Ozcan research group, visit http://innovate.ee.ucla.edu/[3]. UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Thu, 21 Apr 2011 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1973011 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1973011 Some 20 percent of the world's industrial production is based on catalysts molecules that can quicken the pace of chemical reactions by factors of billions. It is hoped that making current catalysts more efficient will lead to less energy consumption and pollution. A new paper in _Nature Chemistry_[1] by UCLA researchers brings more efficient catalysts closer to reality. The research, led by Yu Huang, demonstrates a new approach to producing nanocrystals with predictable shapes by utilizing surfactants, biomolecules that can bind selectively to certain facets of the crystals' exposed surfaces. This could lead to the ability to rationally produce nanocatalysts with desired shapes and, hence, catalytic properties. Yu Huang[2] is an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, and a researcher at CNSI. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[3] for the full story. [1] [2] [3] Wed, 20 Apr 2011 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1971737 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1971737 The art installation Blue Morph has been extensively reviewed in The Free George, an online magazine covering Upstate New York. The installation was recently on display at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. Blue Morph is a site-specific interactive installation that uses nanoscale images and sounds derived from the journey of a blue morpho chrysalis into a butterfly. Site-specific meaning, the exhibit's nanoscientist Professor James Gimzewski and media artist and UCLA Professor Victoria Vesna have been showing their brainchild butterfly exhibit around the world since 2007, and each temporary home, whether it be Seville, Spain; Joshua Tree, California or in RPI's West Hall, is a somewhat different experience. James Gimzewski[1] is a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA, and the faculty director of the Nano & Pico Characterization[2] core lab at CNSI. Victoria Vesna[3] is a professor of design | media arts at UCLA. The two lead the UCLA Art | Sci Center[4], a collaboration between CNSI and the department of design | media arts that is exploring the intersections between art and science. Gimzewski is the scientific director of the Art | Sci Center and Vesna is the artistic director. Read the full review at The Free George[5]. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1971927 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1971927 A research team led by Gerard Wong has discovered an important pattern in the amino acid content of antimicrobial peptides and has shown that it is consistent with all 1,080 known peptides in the antimicrobial database. The discovery of this pattern allows for the formulation of a general recipe for making antimicrobial peptides. The recipe is based on physical principles behind the generation of membrane curvature, specifically the type of curvature that facilitates membrane pore formation in bacterial membranes. Knowing this rule will greatly facilitate engineering efforts aimed at making new antibiotics. Gerard Wong[1] is a professor of bioengineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1970270 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1970270 ScienceNews, the magazine of the Society for Science & the Public, recently featured research in _Applied Physics Letters_[1] on portable X-ray technology by UCLA physicist Seth Putterman. The article discusses how the Putterman group has built a machine that uses contact electrification, or the triboelectric effect, to generate X-rays. The device, which doesn't require an external high voltage supply, operates by rapidly contacting silicone and a metal-loaded epoxy together in a vacuum, thereby creating a charge imbalance and X-rays. The lab is still testing materials to improve the process and hopes to boost the strength of the X-rays tenfold to create machines that could run on a 12-volt battery. Reducing the power needs to that point could enable the device to operate as a portable X-ray machine for medics in the field. Seth Putterman[2] is a professor of physics and astronomy at UCLA and a researcher at CNSI. ScienceNews[3] [1] [2] [3] Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1970279 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1970279 UCLA K-12 Outreach, a new website created by a team of staff members, provides students, parents and educators with a simple and accessible way to find out about the numerous programs that UCLA offers to complement K-12 education. Taken on as a team project by a group of UCLA staff participating in this year's Professional Development Program (PDP), the website now serves as a valuable resource for parents seeking academic and recreational opportunities for their kids. The website lists more than 100 different programs to help parents, students and educators take advantage of campus resources, from an Acting & Performance Institute offered by the School of Theater, Film and Television to a writing workshop aimed at preparing college-bound students. UCLA K-12 Outreach was headed by the PDP group of Anna Guzman, Ivonne Nelson, Jaya Vaswani, Jill Rochefort and Troy Brown. Visit UCLA Today[1] for the full story. UCLA K-12 Outreach[2] [1] [2] Tue, 12 Apr 2011 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1959661 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1959661 Test drive Cypher, the world's highest resolution AFM, at the UCLA-CNSI Scan Tour/Workshop from April 19-20, hosted by the Nano & Pico Characterization Lab. Each day, demos will be available of Cypher to see its unique features including ease-of-use, fast scanning, and superior resolution imaging and measurement accuracy. Individual demonstrations can be scheduled to run samples, including advanced modes such as ultra high resolution imaging, piezoresponse force microscopy, imaging in liquid, and new electrochemical strain microscopy. Registration is free, but all attendees must register. For registration and for information about submitting samples for individual demonstrations, contact Terry Mehr by email at terry@asylumresearch.com[1], or by phone at 805-696-6466. Asylum Research Presents CypherTM UCLA-CNSI Scan Tour/Workshop April 19-20, 2011[2] Workshop Flyer[3] *Daily Schedule* 9:00am *"Cypher, The World's Highest Resolution AFM"* Presentation *"Look Inside Cypher"* Instrument Overview 10:15am Break 10:30am *Individual demonstrations*. Sign up for 1.5 hour increments for a Cypher demonstration. If you plan to bring your own samples, please contact Asylum before your demonstration so we can verify proper sample preparation, etc. 12:00pm Lunch provided 1:00 4:30pm *Individual demonstrations * [1] [2] [3] Wed, 16 Mar 2011 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1967397 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1967397 While it has long been known that green tea has anticancer properties, it is the first natural product to be approved as a drug by the FDA, the mechanics behind those properties had not been known until now. In a paper published in the journal _Nanotechnology_[1], UCLA researchers demonstrate that green tea extract (GTE) stiffens the cell walls of cancer cells while not affecting healthy cells. This stiffening is important because when cancer metastasizes, its cell walls need to be soft, or malleable, enough to squeeze through tiny capillaries and move throughout the blood system. This new research builds off of a 2007 paper in _Nature Nanotechnology _[2] which showed that cancer cells 'feel' softer in nanomechanical analysis than healthy cells do. They established this by using atomic force microscopy (AFM), where an atomically thin probe is used to 'feel' out nanoscale objects to image their surface. These results stayed consistent with many types of cancer cells; including lung, breast and pancreas. The research team was headed by CNSI researchers James Gimzewski[3], professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Jian Yu Rao[4], associate professor of pathology. Gimzewski is also the faculty director of the Nano & Pico Characterization[5] core laboratory at CNSI, where the research was conducted. Visit the Nanowerk website[6] for the full story. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Tue, 05 Apr 2011 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1966395 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1966395 On March 31, 2011 Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN) published a story about research from the lab of UCLA professor James Gimzewski[1], which was presented at the American Chemical Society (ACS) national meeting in Anaheim, CA. The work, which has not yet been published, describes use of an atomic force microscope (AFM) to probe the stiffening of ovarian cancer cells when treated with the drug cisplatin. Using AFM the team probed the stiffening of ovarian cancer cells when they were treated with cisplatin. Cancer cells are usually softer than normal cells in surrounding tissue because their inner and outer architecture has been remodeled in the process of malignancy. Cisplatin treatment, in the case of ovarian cancer, appears to reverse the trend. An understanding of the structural properties of a diseased or drug-resistant cell might enable researchers to design more effective drugs. Prof Gimzewski is in the department of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA and is the faculty director of the Nano & Pico Characterization Lab[2] at the CNSI, where much of the research for this study was conducted. The work was presented at the ACS meeting by Shivani Sharma, a project scientist in the Nano & Pico Characterization Lab. Read the full story at the Chemical & Engineering News website[3]. [1] [2] [3] Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1965750 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1965750 Nanoscale zinc oxide (ZnO) is becoming widely used in consumer products like sunscreens, but has been designated as 'extremely toxic' in the environment. In research published in _ACS Nano_[1], scientists from the US and Germany have taken a 'safe-by-design' approach to reduce the toxicity of ZnO nanoparticles in living systems. In previous research, the team established the dissolution of ZnO nanoparticles as the cause of their toxicity. This new study shows that doping the ZnO nanoparticles with iron (Fe), changes the materials matrix and slows down the rate of dissolution. The previous research showed that exposure to ZnO nanoparticles leads to acute inflammation in rodent both mouse and rat lungs and interferes with the hatching of zebrafish embryos. The new study compares the results between specimens given doped and nondoped ZnO nanoparticles. The specimens given the doped ZnO showed improved hatching rates in zebrafish embryos and decreased lung inflammation in rodents compared with the specimens given nondoped ZnO nanoparticles. The researchers are now trying the approach with other toxic nanoparticles, as well as looking at other possible routes to the same end such as exploiting the tendency of nanoparticles to aggregate in natural and biological media. The US research team was led by Andre Nel[2], a professor of medicine, pediatrics, and public health, and chief of the Division of NanoMedicine at the UCLA department of medicine. Dr. Nel is also the director of the Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology[3], a nanotoxicology research center funded by the NSF and EPA and headquartered at CNSI. Read the full 'safe-by-design'[4] (PDF) article from Nano Today. [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1963107 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1963107 *Study develops new approaches for sorting out complexities of cancer cells* New drugs that specifically target the mutated genes responsible for cancer growth have shown great success in extending the lives of patients, with far fewer side effects than conventional anti-cancer therapies. Unfortunately, many patients become resistant to these drugs due to secondary mutations. Now, a multidisciplinary team of researchers at UCLA has developed a "roadmap" of the complex signaling processes involved in cancer that could lead to new methods for diagnosing and overcoming such drug resistance. Cancer is a complicated mix of multiple, interconnected events gone awry through mutations. And while scientists have learned much about these individual events, they have long sought a better understanding of how events function together, as a system, to cause malignancies. Proteins function as the main components of the physiological metabolic and signaling pathways of cells. Using proteomics the large-scale study of protein interactions and activities the UCLA team developed an approach for sorting out the complexity of events that gives rise to malignancies. In a study published March 29 in the journal _Science Signaling_, the team demonstrates their use of network-scale proteomic experiments and mathematical analyses to build a "system-wide" view of how signaling mutations cause leukemia and to identify points of susceptibility that can be targeted by "cocktail" therapies to prevent drug resistance. The study is part of a journal issue focused on resistance mechanisms in cancer. "What we need is a 'big picture' perspective," said lead author Thomas Graeber[1], a professor of molecular and medical pharmacology and a researcher at UCLA's Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging[2], Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center[3] and California NanoSystems Institute. "Understanding this complex network of events is critical to designing new molecularly targeted anti-cancer therapies to simultaneously target the primary mutation while preventing the development of secondary, resistance-conferring mutations, and we now have additional tools to do this." Molecularly targeted drugs inhibit the 'signaling' consequences of these mutational events. In many cases, drug resistance results from secondary mutations replacing or amplifying the original cancer-promoting signal targeted by the drug. The future of molecular therapies, researchers say, relies on targeting multiple events simultaneously, making it exponentially more difficult for tumor cells to develop the mutations required to escape the effect of drug therapy. This is somewhat analogous to anti-HIV drug cocktail therapies that target the inhibition of multiple viral-replication steps. In their work, the UCLA team uses state-of-the-art technologies that concurrently measure hundreds of signaling events within cancer cells. They are trying to learn more about how these events interconnect to determine how to target the cancer cells. These new approaches for sorting out the complexities of cancer cells involve building a wiring diagram of the interconnections or "crosstalk" in cancer cells that will help scientists overcome drug resistances. Graeber likens the goal to creating a better roadmap by identifying the bypass routes used by cancer cells to escape the inhibition caused by the drugs. "We have the tourist information, but we need to discover the insider knowledge of the taxi driver to know how the cell gets around traffic jams rather than getting stuck in the traffic jam," he said. "In particular, we use mass spectrometry-based proteomics to measure the activity of proteins involved in mediating the signals that cause cancer cells to grow uncontrollably," said Liudmilla Rubbi, a researcher at UCLA's Crump Institute who helped design the project. "We then analyze the resulting large-scale, quantitative data using computational algorithms to identify the informative patterns within the network of events. These patterns point us to previously unknown interactions that are critical for tumor malignancy." The team applied these approaches in the study of leukemias driven by the Bcr-Abl mutation, a mutation that has been successfully targeted by the well-known drug Gleevec. When drug-resistant cases develop, they become unmanageable in the clinic and are usually fatal. The researchers focused their studies on two proteins involved in clinically occurring resistance mechanisms. An important theme that has emerged from the research is the involvement of negative feedback mechanisms in cancer growth. "The cell has machinery to turn off cancer-promoting signaling, but typically, the effect of the mutation overwhelms the feedback mechanisms," said Björn Titz, a postdoctoral scholar and co-author of the study. "The growth of the cancer requires the correct balance between positive and negative signaling, and the state of the negative feedback mechanisms influences how the cell responds to the shutdown of the initiating mutation targeted by inhibitors such as Gleevec." Leukemias have played a prominent role in guiding cancer research; insights discovered in leukemia research have regularly been transferred to other cancer types. The impact of Gleevec, for example, has spurred the development of other molecularly targeted anti-cancer drugs with similar modes of action. The new roadmap also provides readout points for diagnosing patient cases that may be inherently resistant to molecularly targeted drugs, prior to any drug exposure. In the hopes of addressing this issue, Graeber's laboratory and the Crump Institute are also developing new microfluidic diagnostic technologies[4] for making genetic and signaling measurements on tumor cells to help guide personalized medicine. The research requires a broad range of disciplines, technology engineers and clinicians. The team includes researchers from the Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging; Institute for Molecular Medicine; Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center; California NanoSystems Institute; department of molecular and medical pharmacology; department of molecular, cell and developmental biology; division of rheumatology; and Institute for Genomics and Proteomics at UCLA, and from the department of laboratory medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. The research is funded by the National Institutes of Health, the University of California Cancer Research Coordinating Committee, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and the German Academic Exchange Service. UCLA Newsroom[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Thu, 24 Mar 2011 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1960288 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1960288 Physicists at UCLA set out to design a better transistor and ended up discovering a new way to think about the structure of space. Space is usually considered infinitely divisible given any two positions, there is always a position halfway between. But in a recent study aimed at developing ultra-fast transistors using graphene, researchers from the UCLA Department of Physics and Astronomy and the California NanoSystems Institute show that dividing space into discrete locations, like a chessboard, may explain how point-like electrons, which have no finite radius, manage to carry their intrinsic angular momentum, or "spin." While studying graphene's electronic properties, professor Chris Regan [1] and graduate student Matthew Mecklenburg found that a particle can acquire spin by living in a space with two types of positions dark tiles and light tiles. The particle seems to spin if the tiles are so close together that their separation cannot be detected. "An electron's spin might arise because space at very small distances is not smooth, but rather segmented, like a chessboard," Regan said. Click here[2] for an animation of electrons on the 'chessboard.' Their findings are published in the March 18 edition of the journal Physical Review Letters[3]. In quantum mechanics, "spin up" and "spin down" refer to the two types of states that can be assigned to an electron. That the electron's spin can have only two values not one, three or an infinite number helps explain the stability of matter, the nature of the chemical bond and many other fundamental phenomena. However, it is not clear how the electron manages the rotational motion implied by its spin. If the electron had a radius, the implied surface would have to be moving faster than the speed of light, violating the theory of relativity. And experiments show that the electron does not have a radius; it is thought to be a pure point particle with no surface or substructure that could possibly spin. In 1928, British physicist Paul Dirac showed that the spin of the electron is intimately related to the structure of space-time. His elegant argument combined quantum mechanics with special relativity, Einstein's theory of space-time (famously represented by the equation E mc2). Dirac's equation, far from merely accommodating spin, actually demands it. But while showing that relativistic quantum mechanics requires spin, the equation does not give a mechanical picture explaining how a point particle manages to carry angular momentum, nor why this spin is two-valued. Unveiling a concept that is at once novel and deceptively simple, Regan and Mecklenburg found that electrons' two-valued spin can arise from having two types of tiles light and dark in a chessboard-like space. And they developed this quantum mechanical model while working on the surprisingly practical problem of how to make better transistors out of a new material called graphene. Graphene, a single sheet of graphite, is an atomically-thin layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb structure. First isolated in 2004 by Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov, graphene has a wealth of extraordinary electronic properties, such as high electron mobility and current capacity. In fact, these properties hold such promise for revolutionary advances that Geim and Novoselov were awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize a mere six years after their achievement. Regan and Mecklenburg are part of a UCLA effort to develop extremely fast transistors using this new material. "We wanted to calculate the amplification of a graphene transistor," Mecklenburg said. "Our collaboration was building them and needed to know how well they were going to work." This calculation involved understanding how light interacts with the electrons in graphene. The electrons in graphene move by hopping from carbon atom to carbon atom, as if hopping on a chessboard. The graphene chessboard tiles are triangular, with the dark tiles pointing "up" and light ones pointing "down." When an electron in graphene absorbs a photon, it hops from light tiles to dark ones. Mecklenburg and Regan showed that this transition is equivalent to flipping a spin from "up" to "down." In other words, confining the electrons in graphene to specific, discrete positions in space gives them spin. This spin, which derives from the special geometry of graphene's honeycomb lattice, is in addition to and distinct from the usual spin carried by the electron. In graphene the additional spin reflects the unresolved chessboard-like structure to the space that the electron occupies. "My adviser [Regan] spent his Ph.D. studying the structure of the electron," Mecklenburg said. "So he was very excited to see that spin can emerge from a lattice. It makes you wonder if the usual electron spin could be generated in the same way." "It's not yet clear if this work will be more useful in particle or condensed matter physics," Regan said, "but it would be odd if graphene's honeycomb structure was the only lattice capable of generating spin." UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Fri, 18 Mar 2011 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1968586 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1968586 *4pm in the CNSI Auditorium, Dual Lecture* *Morten Søndergaard*, lecture curator and educator focusing on work and issues around art and the biotech / wet zone. Copenhagen Institute of Technology / Aalborg University. *Ellen Levy*, lecture + exhibition by New York-based artist and educator, past President of the College Art Association, currently chair of Leonardo Education and Art Forum. Live Streaming of Lectures[1] *5pm in the CNSI Presentation Space (Room 5200)* *Spring North | South social mixer* Context Providers: Conditions of Meaning in Media Arts Book Launch Party *LA DIY BIO* is an organization that aims to help make biology a worthwhile pursuit for citizen scientists, amateur biologists, and DIY biological engineers who value openness and safety. Art | Sci Website[2] [1] [2] Wed, 06 Apr 2011 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1959455 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1959455 Yang Yang from materials science and engineering is among the 13 researchers worldwide selected by _Science Watch_ for the list of authors with multiple Hot Papers in 2010. The selected researchers, according to citations recorded during 2010, fielded the highest number of Hot Papers published over the preceding two years. Yang and his lab had 8 Hot Papers in 2010, all for their work on organic solar cells. Yang is one of only two materials scientists to make the list. The other materials scientist is Andre Geim from the University of Manchester, a recent Nobel laureate after sharing the Physics prize in 2010 for his work in graphene. Besides a mathematician, everyone else on the list of multiple Hot Paper authors works in the bio/medicine area. Yang Yang[1] is director of the Nano Renewable Energy Center at CNSI and a professor of materials science and engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. _Science Watch_ is a publication of Thomson Reuters, visit The Hottest Research of 2010[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Tue, 15 Mar 2011 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1959169 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1959169 Chemical & Engineering News, a weekly magazine from the American Chemical Society, is featuring work resulting from a collaboration between UCLA and University of Washington researchers in its March 14th edition. The research, by UCLA professors Paul S. Weiss[1] and Kendall N. Houk[2], centers on the demonstration of precise control over chemical reactions. The team set up a chemical reaction that is very unlikely to occur naturally, but which has the potential to produce more efficient conversion of sunlight to energy. Crucially, the team also modified a Scanning Tunneling Microscope to follow the course of the reaction. They now have a tool capable of measuring complex chemical reactions, allowing for the study of a wide variety of other molecules. For the full story, visit "Poised To React"[3] at C&EN. For more information on the research, visit the UCLA Newsroom[4]. Paul Weiss is a distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry who holds UCLA's Fred Kavli Chair in Nanosystems Sciences. He is also director of UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) and a professor of materials science and engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. Kendall Houk is a UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry who holds the Saul Winstein Chair in Organic Chemistry, he is a CNSI researcher. [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 14 Mar 2011 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1957750 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1957750 *UCLA nanotech research mimics enzymes in directing chemical reactions * Good chemists are passive-aggressive they manipulate molecules without actually touching them. In a feat of manipulating substances at the nanoscale, UCLA researchers and colleagues demonstrated a method for isolating two molecules together on a substrate and controlling how those two molecules react when excited with ultraviolet light, making detailed observations both before and after the reaction. Their research is published today in the journal _Science_[1]. "This is one step in measuring and understanding the interactions between light and molecules, which we hope will eventually lead to more efficient conversion of sunlight to electrical and other usable forms of energy," said lead study author Paul S. Weiss[2], a distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry who holds UCLA's Fred Kavli Chair in Nanosystems Sciences. "Here, we used the energy from the light to induce a chemical reaction in a way that would not happen for molecules free to move in solution; they were held in place by their attachment to a surface and by the unreactive matrix of molecules around them." Weiss is also director of UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) and a professor of materials science and engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. Controlling exactly how molecules combine in order to study the resulting reactions is called regioselectivity. It is important because there are a variety of ways that molecules can combine, with varying chemical products. One way to direct a reaction is to isolate molecules and to hold them together to get regioselective reactions; this is the strategy used by enzymes in many biochemical reactions. "The specialized scanning tunneling microscope used for these studies can also measure the absorption of light and charge separation in molecules designed for solar cells," Weiss said. "This gives us a new way to optimize these molecules, in collaboration with synthetic chemists. This is what first brought us together with our collaborators at the University of Washington, led by Prof. Alex Jen." Alex K-Y. Jen holds the Boeing-Johnson Chair at the University of Washington, where he is a professor of materials science and engineering and of chemistry. The theoretical aspects of the study were led by Kendall Houk[3], a UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry who holds the Saul Winstein Chair in Organic Chemistry. Houk is a CNSI researcher. The study's first author, Moonhee Kim, a graduate student in Weiss' lab, managed to isolate and control the reactions of pairs of molecules by creating nanostructures tailored to allow only two molecules fit in place. The molecules used in the study are photosensitive and are used in organic solar cells; similar techniques could be used to study a wide variety of molecules. Manipulating the way molecules in organic solar cells come together may also ultimately lead to greater efficiency. To isolate the two molecules and align them in the desired but unnatural way, Kim utilized a concept similar to that of toddler's toys that feature cutouts in which only certain shapes will fit. She created a defect, or cutout, in a self-assembled monolayer, or SAM, a single layer of molecules on a flat surface in this case, gold. The defect in the SAM was sized so that only two organic reactant molecules would fit and would only attach with the desired alignment. As a guide to attach the molecules to the SAM in the correct orientation, sulfur was attached to the bottoms of the molecules, as sulfur binds readily to gold. "The standard procedure for this type of chemistry is to combine a bunch of molecules in solution and let them react together, but through random combinations, only 3 percent of molecules might react in this way," UCLA's Houk said. "Our method is much more targeted. Instead of doing one measurement on thousands of molecules, we are doing a range of measurements on just two molecules." After the molecules were isolated and trapped on the substrate, they still needed to be excited with light to react. In this case, the energy was supplied by ultraviolet light, which triggered the reaction. The researchers were able to verify the proper alignment and the reaction of the molecules using the special microscope developed by Kim and Weiss. The work was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the Kavli Foundation. UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Thu, 10 Mar 2011 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1956928 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1956928 CNN has featured Aydogan Ozcan's research in a CNN Labs article. Ozcan is the inventor of a lens-free microscope that can be attached to cell phones. The device, which Ozcan calls LUCAS, is intended for use in developing countries and can be used to detect diseases like malaria, HIV and tuberculosis. Ozcan predicts that LUCAS devices will cost as little as $5, and could be substitutes for optical microscopes costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. The cost savings is achieved by creating a microscope without a lens and using computer software to replace much of the instruments architecture. Visit CNN Labs[1] for the full story. Aydogan Ozcan[2] is a CNSI researcher and associate professor of electrical engineering at UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. Also, Ozcan was recently interviewed by LiveScience[3] on his research and what it is like to be a professor. LiveScience is done in partnership with the National Science Foundation, which supports Ozcan's research. [1] [2] [3] Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1956430 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1956430 AutoESL, which was founded in 2006 with a license to xPilot, a system-level synthesis software developed at UCLA with support from the National Science Foundation and other major funding sources, was acquired by Xilinx Inc., a leader in digital programmable logic devices. Exact terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. AutoESL was founded by Jason Cong[1] and graduate students from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. Using the technology licensed from UCLA, AutoESL found a critical niche in developing tools that reduce design time and improve the quality of integrated circuit design, and in less than five years, the company became an acquisition target for Xilinx. Jason Cong is the Chancellor's Professor in computer science at UCLA Engineering and a researcher at CNSI. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Tue, 08 Mar 2011 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1956062 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1956062 Circulating tumor cells, which play a crucial role in cancer metastasis, have been known to science for more than 100 years, and researchers have long endeavored to track and capture them. Now, a UCLA research team has developed an innovative device based on Velcro-like nanoscale technology to efficiently identify and "grab" these circulating tumor cells, or CTCs, in the blood. Metastasis is the most common cause of cancer-related death in patients with solid tumors and occurs when these marauding tumor cells leave the primary tumor site and travel through the blood stream to set up colonies in other parts of the body. The current gold standard for determining the disease status of tumors involves the invasive biopsy of tumor samples, but in the early stages of metastasis, it is often difficult to identify a biopsy site. By capturing CTCs in blood samples, doctors can essentially perform a "liquid" biopsy, allowing for early detection and diagnosis, as well as improved monitoring of cancer progression and treatment responses. In a study published this month[1] and featured on the cover[2] of the journal Angewandte Chemie, the UCLA researchers announce the successful demonstration of this "nano-Velcro" technology, which they engineered into a 2.5-by-5centimeter microfluidic chip. This second-generation CTC-capture technology was shown to be capable of highly efficient enrichment of rare CTCs captured in blood samples collected from prostate cancer patients. The new approach could be even faster and cheaper than existing methods, and it captures a greater number of CTCs, the researchers said. The prostate cancer patients were recruited with the help of a clinical team led by physicians Dr. Matthew Rettig, of the UCLA Department of Urology, and Dr. Jiaoti Huang, of the UCLA Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. The new CTC enrichment technology is based on the research team's earlier development of 'fly-paper' technology[3], outlined in a 2009 paper in Angewandte Chemie. The technology involves a nanopillar-covered silicon chip whose "stickiness" resulted from the interaction between the nanopillars and nanostructures on CTCs known as microvilli, creating an effect much like the top and bottom of Velcro. The new, second-generation device adds an overlaid microfluidic channel to create a fluid flow path that increases mixing. In addition to the Velcro-like effect from the nanopillars, the mixing produced by the microfluidic channel's architecture causes the CTCs to have greater contact with the nanopillar-covered floor, further enhancing the device's efficiency. "The device features high flow of the blood samples, which travel at increased (lightning) speed," said senior study author Dr. Hsian-Rong Tseng[4], an associate professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the UCLA Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging and the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. "The cells bounce up and down inside the channel and get slammed against the surface and get caught," explained Dr. Clifton Shen[5], another study author. The advantages of the new device are significant. The CTC-capture rate is much higher, and the device is easier to handle than its first-generation counterpart. It also features a more user-friendly, semi-automated interface that improves upon the earlier device's purely manual operation. "This new CTC technology has the potential to be a powerful new tool for cancer researchers, allowing them to study cancer evolution by comparing CTCs with the primary tumor and the distant metastases that are most often lethal," said Dr. Kumaran Duraiswamy, a graduate of UCLA Anderson School of Management who became involved in the project while in school. "When it reaches the clinic in the future, this CTC-analysis technology could help bring truly personalized cancer treatment and management." A feature interview with Tseng appears in the March 7 issue of the journal Nature Medicine. (The digital object identifier for Tseng's Nature Medicine interview is doi:10.1038/nm0311-266; the Angewandte Chemie study is doi: 10.1002/ange.2010005853.) The study was funded by the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the National Cancer Institute. Study collaborators included Dr. Matthew Rettig and Dr. Allan Pantuck, of the UCLA Department of Urology, and Dr. Jiaoti Huang and Dr. David Seligson, of the UCLA Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Additional study authors included Dr. Shutao Wang, Dr. Kan Liu, Dr. Jian Liu, Zeta T.F. Yu, Xiaowen Xu, Dr. Libo Zhao, Tom Lee, Dr. Eun Kyung Lee, Jean Reiss, Dr. Yi-Kuen Lee, Dr. Leland W.K. Chung, Dr. Kumaran N. Duraiswamy and Dr. Clifton K. F. Shen. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[6] for the full story. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1895782 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1895782 *New experimental test of buried contacts paves the way for molecular devices* As electronics become smaller and smaller the need to understand nanoscale phenomena becomes greater and greater. Because materials exhibit different properties at the nanoscale than they do at larger scales, new techniques are required to understand and to exploit these new phenomena. A team of researchers led by Paul Weiss, UCLA's Fred Kavli Chair in NanoSystems Sciences, has developed a tool to study nanoscale interactions. Their device is a dual scanning tunneling and microwave-frequency probe that is capable of measuring the interactions between single molecules and the surfaces to which the molecules are attached. "Our probe can generate data on the physical, chemical, and electronic interactions between single molecules and substrates, the contacts to which they are attached. Just as in semiconductor devices, contacts are critical here," remarked Weiss, who directs UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute and is also a distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry & materials science and engineering. The team, which also includes theoretical chemist Mark Ratner from Northwestern University and synthetic chemist James Tour from Rice University, published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal ACS Nano[1]. For the past 50 years, the electronics industry has endeavored to keep up with Moore's Law, the prediction made by Gordon E. Moore in 1965 that the size of transistors in integrated circuits would halve approximately every two years. The pattern of consistent decrease in the size of electronics is approaching the point where transistors will have to be constructed at the nanoscale to keep pace. However, researchers have encountered obstacles in creating devices at the nanoscale because of the difficulty of observing phenomena at such minute sizes. The connections between components are a vital element of nanoscale electronics. In the case of molecular devices, polarizability measures the extent to which electrons of the contact interact with those of the single molecule. Two key aspects of polarizability measurements are the ability to do the measurement on a surface with subnanometer resolution, and the ability to understand and to control molecular switches in both the on and off states. To measure the polarizability of single molecules the research team developed a probe capable of simultaneous scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) measurements and microwave difference frequency (MDF) measurements. With the MDF capabilities of the probe, the team was able to locate single molecule switches on substrates, even when the switches were in the off state, a key capability lacking in previous techniques. Once the team located the switches, they could use the STM to change the state to on or off and to measure the interactions in each state between the single molecule switches and the substrate. The new information provided by the team's probe focuses on what the limits of electronics will be, rather than targeting devices for production. Also, because the probe is capable of a wide variety of measurements including physical, chemical and electronic it could enable researchers to identify submolecular structures in complex biomolecules and assemblies. UCLA Newsroom[2] [1] [2] Fri, 19 Nov 2010 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1956077 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1956077 Two types of raw materials are currently used for biorefining and biofuel production: carbohydrates and lipids. Biofuels like ethanol are derived from carbohydrate raw materials such as sugars and lignocellulose, while biodiesels are derived from another raw material, lipid-rich vegetable oil. In a study published online March 6 in the journal Nature Biotechnology[1], researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science demonstrate for the first time the feasibility of using proteins one of the most abundant biomolecules on earth as a significant raw material for biorefining and biofuel production. "Proteins had been completely ignored as a potential biomaterial because they've been thought of mainly as food. But in fact, there are a lot of different proteins that cannot be used as food," said James C. Liao[2], the Chancellor's Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UCLA and senior author of the study. "These proteins were overlooked as a resource for fuel or for chemicals because people did not know how to utilize them or how to grow them. We've solved these problems." "This research is the first attempt to utilize protein as a carbon source for energy production and biorefining," said Kwang Myung Cho, a UCLA Engineering research scientist and an author of the study. "To utilize protein as a carbon source, complex cellular regulation in nitrogen metabolism had to be rewired. This study clearly showed how to engineer microbial cells to control their cellular nitrogen metabolism." In nutrient-rich conditions, proteins are the most abundant component in fast-growing microorganisms. The accumulation rate of proteins is faster than that of any other raw materials, including cellulose or lipids. In addition, protein does not have the recalcitrance problems of lignocellulose or the de-watering problem of algal lipids. Protein biomass can be much more easily digested to be used for microorganisms than cellulosic biomass, which is very difficult to break down. Further, cellulose and lipids don't contribute to the process of photosynthesis. But proteins are the major component of fast-growing photosynthetic microorganisms. The challenge in protein-based biorefining, the researchers say, lies in the difficulties of effectively converting protein hydrolysates to fuels and chemicals. "Microorganisms tend to use proteins to build their own proteins instead of converting them to other compounds," said Yi-xin Huo, a UCLA postdoctoral researcher and lead author of the study. "So to achieve the protein-based biorefining, we have to completely redirect the protein utilization system, which is one of the most highly regulated systems in the cell." Liao's team created an artificial metabolic system to dump reduced nitrogen out of cells and tricked the cells to degrade proteins without utilizing them for growth. Proteins contain both ammonia and carbon; Liao's team took away the ammonia and recycled it back for the growth of the algae they worked with. Algae with rich ammonia fertilizers grow quickly and were used only as a carrier to assimilate carbon dioxide and produce protein, which results in more CO2 fixation and growth. With this strategy, expensive photo-bioreactors can be eliminated. "Today, nitrogen fertilizers used in agriculture and biofuel production have become a major threat to many of the world's ecosystems, and the nitrogen-containing residuals in biofuel production can eventually turn into nitrous oxide, which is about 300 times worse than CO2 as a greenhouse gas," Liao said. "Our strategy effectively recycles nitrogen back to the biofuel production process, thus approaching nitrogen neutrality. "Growing algae to produce protein is like putting the interest back into the principal," he said. According to Liao's team, the culture area needed to produce 60 billion gallons of biofuels (30 percent of the United States' current transportation fuel) based on the new technology could be as little as 24,600 square kilometers equivalent to 1.9 percent of the agricultural land in the U.S. "Developing large-scale systems is our next step," Huo said. "Harvesting of the protein biomass economically is a bottleneck of advancing our technology." The research was partially supported by the UCLADepartment of Energy Institute for Genomics and Proteomics. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[3] for the full story. [1] [2] [3] Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1953764 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1953764 UCLA's Andre Nel[1] has been invited to participate in a Science and Technology Working Group visit to Moscow, Russia, from February 27th to March 5th, under the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Commission. Dr. Nel, who is Chief of the Nanomedicine Division at UCLA and Director of the UC Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (UC-CEIN),[2] will head the Nanotechnologyrelated Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) section of the U.S. Delegation for Nanotechnology Sub-Group, part of the commissions working group focused on Science and Technology. Chaired by U.S. Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy John Holdren and Russian Minister of Education and Science Andrey Fursenko, the Science and Technology Working Group strives to develop cooperation in nanotechnology, IT, and climate monitoring and discuss obstacles to science cooperation, including tax, customs, and visa issues. The commission, under the leadership of Presidents Medevedev and Obama and coordinated by Secretary Clinton and Foreign Minister Lavrov, is dedicated to fostering cooperation and pursuing joint projects and actions that strengthen strategic stability, international security, economic well-being, and the development of ties between the Russian and American people. The commissions working groups and sub-committees concentrate on establishing ways to deepen cooperation and demonstrate joint leadership in addressing new challenges. For more information, visit the U.S. Department of States website on the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Commission[3] or view Joint Report: 2009-2010 Results of the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission: Science and Technology.[4] *Delegation for Nanotechnology Sub-Group Participants:* U.S. Chair Clayton Teague Director of the Federal National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO) _Nanotechnology__‐__based Energy Research and Development, U.S._ Puru Jena (co‐chair) Distinguished Professor of Physics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond George Crabtree Senior Scientist, Distinguished Fellow and Associate Division Director, Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory Mildred Dresselhaus Institute Professor of Electrical Engineering and Physics, MIT Walter Kohn Professor of Physics, Emeritus and Research Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara John C. Miller Team Lead for the Chemical Transformations Team within the Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences, Office of Basic Energy Sciences James Murday Director of Physical Sciences, University of Californias Research Advancement Office, Washington DC Bhakta B. Rath Head of the Materials Science and Component Technology Directorate, Associate Director of Research, Naval Research Laboratory Mihail (Mike) C. Roco Senior Advisor for Nanotechnology at the National Science Foundation (NSF), founding Chair of the U.S. National Science and Technology Councils Subcommittee on Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology (NSET) Andrew Schwartz Program Manager for Experimental Condensed Matter Physics, Division of Material Sciences and Engineering, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Department of Energy _Nanotechnology__‐__related Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), U.S._ Andr Nel (co‐chair) Professor of Medicine, Chief/founder, Division of NanoMedicine, UCLA Charles B. Gause Senior Vice President, Business Development, Luna Innovations Cole Matson Executive Director, Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (CEINT), Duke University Jeff Morris National Program Director for Nanotechnology, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, managing EPAs Nanomaterials Research Program Anna A. Shvedova Senior Staff Scientist, Pathology & Physiology Research Branch of National Institute for Occupation Safety and Health, Adjunct Professor in Department Physiology and Pharmacology, West Virginia University Alan Tessier Program Director, Division of Environmental Biology, Directorate for Biological Sciences, National Science Foundation (NSF) Sally Tinkle Senior Science Advisor, Office of the Director, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), National Institutes of Health (NIH) Dennis Utterback Policy Analyst, EPA Office of Science Policy, Office of Research and Development Paul Westerhoff Interim Director, School of Sustainable Engineering and The Built Environment, Arizona State University _Russian Delegation___ Russian Chair and Head of Delegation, Sergey Mazurenko Deputy Minister, Ministry of Education and Science Boris Reutov (co‐chair of Energy Session) Deputy Director, Department of R&D and New Technologies, Federal Agency for Science and Innovation Mikhail Rychev Deputy Director for Innovations, Russian Research Center Kurchatov Institute Victor I. Pantsyrniy Fellow‐in‐Correspondence of the Electrotechnical Academy of Sciences of the Russian Federation, Doctor of Technical Sciences Vladimir Blank Director of Technological Institute for Superhard and Novel Carbon Materials and Chairman, Moscow Regional Carbon Society Viacheslav M. Prokhorov 1st Deputy Director of Technological Institute for Superhard and Novel Carbon Materials Vladimir Razumov Corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Victor A. Bykov (co‐chair of Metrology and Certification Session) Director for Science, Zelenograd Institute for Physical Problems, President of the NT‐MDT Companies group NT‐MDT Alexander Zazhigalkin Deputy Head, Federal Agency on Technical Regulation and Metrology of the Russian Federation Sergey Kalyuzhniy Head of Expertise Department, Member of the Board of Directors of the Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies (RUSNANO) Alexander K. Baturin (co‐chair of EHS Session) Deputy Director, Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Science, head of the Department of epidemiology of nutrition and food chemistry, Institute of Nutrition Boris S. Naroditsky Deputy Director for Research, Head of Laboratory of Molecular Biotechnology, N.F. Gamaleya Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology of Russian Academy of Medical Sciences Yury Tkachuk Director of the Department for Standardization, State Corporation RUSNANO Vladislav Chernov Head of the American Countries Division, Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies, Principal Counselor for International Cooperation, Department for International Cooperation [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1949997 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1949997 *Marko Peljhan "Makrolab" Thursday, March 3 at 6:00pm CNSI Auditorium* Marko Peljhan is active in numerous arts and technology communities. His ongoing mobile laboratory project, Makrolab, focusing on telecommunications, migrations, and weather systems, finds an intersection between art and science, as do his microgravity and space-art experiments in the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre. Associate Professor, UCSB, co-director, UCIRA. Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1947342 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1947342 Mr. Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman of A*STAR, the Singapore Agency for Science, Technology, and Research, met with Paul Weiss[1], Director of CNSI, on Monday, February 14th. The two discussed strategies for strengthening the links between their institutions. These links were initiated in 2005 through an MOU between CNSI and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) which has generated research collaborations and educational exchanges. A*STAR has been a driving force behind the dramatic transformation of the Singapore economy over the past decade. Through investments in science and technology, Singapore's economy is no longer based on the low value activities of assembling products invented elsewhere. It has instead positioned itself as a hub of R&D activity, generating goods and devices distributed throughout the world. Mr. Lim, accompanied by Ms. Tricia Huang, Director of Planning and Policy for A*STAR and Ms. Veon Lee, Assistant Head, had lunch with a small group of CNSI members. Joining them was Kathryn Atchison, Vice Provost for the Office of Intellectual Property, and Prof. Chris Erickson, Director of the National University of Singapore UCLA Global MBA Program. Also attending the lunch were executives of ImaginAb, lead by the CEO and Founder, Christian Behrenbruch. ImaginAb, a start up located in Inglewood, is developing advanced imaging device based on technologies invented by CNSI member, Professor Anna Wu[2]. A portion of ImaginAb's operations are being relocated to Singapore. [1] [2] Wed, 16 Feb 2011 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1947947 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1947947 *Prof. Xiangfeng Duan also among those whose research has biggest impact* Omar Yaghi[1], a UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry and of molecular and medical pharmacology, has been ranked No. 2[2] among the world's top 100 chemists of the past decade by Thomson Reuters, which rates scientists based on the impact of their published research. There are more than 6,000 chemists worldwide. Between January 2000 and the end of 2010, Yaghi published 90 scientific papers, which were cited 19,670 times by other scientists for an "impact score," or average, of roughly 221 (citations per paper). Only Charles Lieber of Harvard University was ranked higher, with 74 papers, 17,776 citations and an impact score of just over 240. No other chemist had an impact rating above 180. "These rankings are further confirmation of Omar Yaghi's international distinction among the world's most exceptional chemists," said Joseph Rudnick, dean of the UCLA Division of Physical Sciences. Yaghi is known as the inventor of reticular chemistry, a branch of chemistry that deals with the linking of molecular building blocks into extended crystalline structures. He has designed and produced several new classes of materials, primarily for use in clean energy applications. Among the crystalline materials he has invented are metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), sponge-like structures that can efficiently store gasses like methane and hydrogen for possible use in alternative-fuel vehicles, and zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs), which isolate and capture carbon dioxide molecules and could be used to reduce the heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions from power plants that contribute to global warming. "Omar has revolutionized inorganic chemistry and revitalized the materials side of inorganic chemistry," said Albert Courey, professor and chair of the UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. In addition to holding UCLA's Irving and Jean Stone Chair in Chemistry, Yaghi is a member of both the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA and the UCLA-Department of Energy Institute of Genomics and Proteomics. For more on Yaghi's research, visit http://yaghi.chem.ucla.edu[3]. Xiangfeng Duan[4], who joined UCLA's faculty in 2008, was also listed among the top 100 chemists (ranking 41st), as well as among the top 100 materials scientists (ranking 20th). This is a "remarkable achievement," especially given Duan's youth, Courey said of the assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, who earned his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2002 and is also a member of CNSI. For more information on Duan's research, visit www.chem.ucla.edu/duangroup/[5]. UCLA Newsroom[6] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Wed, 16 Feb 2011 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1956113 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1956113 The Asia Pacific Advanced Network (APAN)[1] held its 31st Meeting in Hong Kong[2] from February 21-25, 2011. On February 23 APAN held the first Healthcare Session, entitled "APAN as a Partner for International Collaboration on Research on Cancer and Nanotechnology." Fuyu Tamanoi, PhD[3] and Christopher Denny, MD[4] presented from the Executive Conference Room at CNSI. Scientists from the Vietnam National University, the National Cancer Center of Korea and Seoul National University also presented during the videoconference. YoungSung Lee, MD, PhD, Chungbuk University, moderator Yongdoo Choi, PhD, National Cancer Center of Korea: "Gold Nanorod-Based Nanomedicine" Keon Wook Kang, PhD, Seoul National University (SNU, Korea): in vivo Nano-Molecular Imaging of Cancer Fuyu Tamanoi, PhD, California NanoSystem Institute (UCLA) and Jonsson Cancer Comprehensive Center Christopher Denny PhD, California NanoSystem Institute (UCLA) and Jonsson Cancer Comprehensive Center Hien Duy Tong, PhD, Vietnam National University Detection of several cancer biomarkers by semiconductor nanowires Internet2[5] will hold its 2011 Spring Member Meeting on April 18-20, 2011 in Arlington, Virginia. One of the session is entitled Shared Cyber-Infrastructure for Global Cancer Research and will be held on April 20 at 1:15 pm 2:30 pm (EST). The participants include Rajendra Joshi, Centre for Development of Advanced Computing India, George Komatsoulis , National Institutes of Health, Young Sung Lee , University of Chungbuk and APAN, Ravi Madduri , Argonne National Laboratory and Richard Sullivan , European Institute of Oncology. George Komatsoulis participated in International Forum on Cancer, Materials Science and Nanotechnology held on July 15, 2010. Cancer, along with cardiovascular and diabetes and other non-communicable chronic diseases, are being recognized as a global burden which can be eased by international cooperation. In case of cancer new understanding of the disease indicates that global collaboration using shared cyber-infrastructure could lead to new and better therapies. Computational biology including large biomarker studies, next generation sequence and in silico drug design are some areas of cooperation that will be possible by use of advanced networks connecting high performance computers. caGRID (cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid) is an initiative of NIH/NCI which is making international research network cooperation a reality in the field of cancer and gradually for other human maladies. Increasing use of computers and emphasis on syntactic and semantic interoperability along with huge data exchange is making cancer research and treatment an ideal ecosystem for a global knowledge and research cloud. The Asia Pacific Advanced Network (APAN) will hold its 32nd Meeting in New Delhi on August 22-24, 2011. On August 24th, APAN will hold the first Healthcare Session, entitled International Collaborative Research on Cancer and Nanotechnology. Scientists from the California NanoSystem Institute (UCLA), the Jonsson Cancer Comprehensive Center (UCLA), the Vietnam National University, the National Cancer Center of Korea, Seoul National University and Kyushu University will participate during the videoconference. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1946863 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1946863 Topological insulators are new materials that act as both insulators and conductors. Their interiors prevent the flow of electrical currents while their surfaces allow the movement of charge. Because these materials are highly energy efficient and require less power, they have been proposed for use in future transistors, memory devices, and magnetic sensors. In a study published in _Nature Nanotechnology_[1], researchers from UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and from the materials division of Australia's University of Queensland show the promise of surface-conduction channels in topological insulator nanoribbons made of bismuth telluride and demonstrate that surface states in these nanoribbons can be turned on and off depending on the position of the Fermi level, in other words they are "tunable." "Our finding enables a variety of opportunities in building potential new-generation, low-dissipation nanoelectronic and spintronic devices, from magnetic sensing to storage," said Kang L. Wang, the Raytheon Professor of Electrical Engineering at UCLA Engineering, whose team carried out the research. Prof. Wang is also an associate director of the California NanoSystems Institute. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Tue, 15 Feb 2011 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1946179 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1946179 Nanomaterials offer enormous potential in construction applications from structural strength enhancement and energy conservation to antimicrobial properties and self-cleaning surfaces. Before these properties can be taken advantage of though, the possible environmental and health impacts of these nanomaterials must be carefully examined. A recent paper published in _ACS Nano_ reviews state-of-the-art applications of manufactured nanomaterials used in construction, suggests likely environmental release scenarios, and summarizes potential adverse biological and toxicological effects and their mitigation. Shaily Mahendra, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, collaborated on the research with Pedro Alvarez, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rice University. The paper is among the top twenty most downloaded articles[1] at _ACS Nano_ over the past twelve months. It also served as the basis for the authors' selection to the list of "10 Trendsetters of 2010"[2] by Public Works magazine. Nanomaterials in the Construction Industry: A Review of Their Applications and Environmental Health and Safety Considerations[3] [1] [2] [3] Mon, 14 Feb 2011 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1946582 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1946582 On February 10, 2011, Thomson Reuters released data identifying the world's top 100 chemists over the past 10 years as ranked by the impact of their published research. The top 100 is intended to celebrate the achievements of chemists who achieved the highest citation impact scores for chemistry papers (articles and reviews) published since January 2000. Thomson Reuters published the table in support of the International Year of Chemistry. Two UCLA faculty made it on the Thomson Reuters top 100 list, both are researchers at CNSI. Omar Yaghi[1] ranked 2nd on the list, he is the Christopher S. Foote Chair in chemistry and biochemistry. Xiangfeng Duan[2] ranked 41st on the chemistry list, he is the Howard Reiss Career Development Chair in chemistry and biochemistry. Duan is also 20th out of the top 100 materials scientists that Thomson Reuters has measured over the past decade. This survey also shows the prominence of nanotechnology among chemists. Of the 100 chemists listed in the survey, 60 identified nanotechnology as their main focus or a significant research topic. This survey was global, but the US was the most highly represented with 70 people on the list. Given that about 1 million chemists were recorded in the journals indexed by Thomson Reuters during the past decade, the 100 chemists listed represent the top 0.01 of 1 per cent. Sixteen of those listed also ranked in the top 100 by citation impact in materials science, among those who published 25 or more papers in that field during the past decade. Their materials science ranks are noted beside their ranks in chemistry. Top 100 Chemists, 2000-2010[3] [1] [2] [3] Mon, 14 Feb 2011 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1943298 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1943298 Andre Nel[1] will present Grand Rounds for the UCLA Department of Medicine, his presentation is titled, "The Promise of Nanotechnology in Healthcare Delivery." *Time:* Wednesday, February 16 at 8:30 AM *Location:* UCLA's Ronald Reagan Hospital Auditorium (B-130 RRUCLA) Dr. Nel is a professor of medicine, pediatrics, and public health and the Chief of the Division of NanoMedicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He is also a researcher at CSNI and the faculty director of the Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology[2], which is headquartered at CNSI. UCLA Department of Medicine Grand Rounds[3] [1] [2] [3] Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1943529 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1943529 The American Chemical Society is hosting a free webinar for scientists and chemical professionals on maintaining successful careers and relationships. The webinar is scheduled for Thursday, February 10th from 11am-12pm PST, and features chemists Al and Carolyn Ribes, and Sarah Tolbert[1] and Benjamin Schwartz[2]. Participants will learn to: - Understand individual and shared values - Set and agree on priorities - Find an optimal work-life balance - Establish boundaries when to set them and when to let lines blur - Create opportunities for the "trailing spouse" The Ribes met as graduate students at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Since earning their Ph.D.s, both have excelled as chemistry professionals in the United States and abroad. They work for Dow Benelux. They enjoy cooking, wine-tasting, travel, and of course, each other. Tolbert and Schwartz are an academic couple at U.C.L.A. Sarah received a Ph.D. in materials physical chemistry from U.C. Berkeley. Ben received a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from U.C. Berkeley. After postdoctoral work at U.C. Santa Barbara, they joined the faculty at U.C.L.A. and are both also researchers at CNSI. Visit the ACS website[3] for registration details. [1] [2] [3] Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1943534 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1943534 On Thursday, February 17th the California NanoSystems Institute is holding an open house to highlight its shared resource core lab facilities. The core user facilities at CNSI develop and offer a wide array of cutting-edge instrumentation and technical expertise not readily available elsewhere within the United States. These shared, open-access facilities enable a broad range of scientific research across the UCLA campus involving faculty from the schools of medicine, engineering, public health, the life sciences, and the physical sciences and facilitate multidisciplinary collaborative research with industry leading to new innovations with impact on health and medicine, energy, the environment, and information technology. Presentation overviews will be given by lab directors in the auditorium, followed by demonstrations in the labs. *Thursday, February 17th* 9:00 a.m. Breakfast and Registration CNSI Lobby 9:30 11:30 a.m. Core Lab Presentations CNSI Auditorium 11:30 a.m. 3:00 p.m. Core Lab Tours & Demonstrations Levels A, B, 2 1:00 p.m. Lunch CNSI Lobby For a full agenda[1] and list of speakers, visit the CNSI events page [2]. RSVP to cnsievents@cnsi.ucla.edu[3] [1] [2] [3] Tue, 08 Feb 2011 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1942652 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1942652 SPIE, the largest international society for optics and photonics, has selected Aydogan Ozcan[1] for their 2011 Early Career Achievement Award. This award is given annually to an early career professional in recognition of significant and innovative technical contributions to any of the engineering or scientific fields of interest to SPIE. Ozcan was selected in recognition of his pioneering contributions to non-destructive nonlinear material characterization techniques, nearfield and on-chip imaging and diagnostic systems. He will receive the award at an upcoming SPIE conference in Florida, and a $2,000 honorarium. Ozcan is an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and a research at CNSI. Further information on the award can be found at the SPIE website[2]. SPIE is an international society advancing an interdisciplinary approach to the science and application of light. [1] [2] Mon, 07 Feb 2011 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1942664 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1942664 *Thursday, February 10* _Artist Lecture at 2:00pm in Fowler Museum, A103B Exhibition Opening at 6:00pm in EDA, Broad Arts Center_ *Oksana Chepelyk*, a Design | Media Arts Fulbright visiting artist, presents Genesis, a multi-part video and photography installation that examines the genetic currency of the nation. A real-time data stream monitoring newborn births creates an infant data base, triggering visual changes on projected images of children around the world. Each act of childbirth adds up to the collective image of a newborn baby. Genesis Flyer[1] *Tuesday, February 15* _2:00pm at Fowler Museum, A103B_ *Alfred Vendl* is a specialist in making hidden scientific phenomena visible. He works at micro-and nano-scale, bringing invisible procedures to human perception through film. His cinematography in the series "Nature Tech" won a 2008 EMMY Award. _5:00pm at the EDA Broad Arts Center_ *Diane Gromala* teaches in the graduate Information Design and Technology program at Georgia Institute of Technology. Her work pushes art beyond the traditional canvas and computer graphics domains into Virtual Reality and Physiological Computing. She is the founding director of the multidisciplinary Transforming Pain Research Group exploring the silent epidemic of chronic pain. _6:00pm at the EDA Broad Arts Center_ The quarterly *North | South Social Mixer* is a collaborative event hosted by the UCLA Art | Sci Center and the UCLA Department of Design | Media Arts, where colleagues from across disciplines and geographies meet and greet. The mixer rotates between the CNSI on the South campus of UCLA and the EDA Broad Arts Center on the North campus. UCLA Art | Sci Center Website[2] [1] [2] Mon, 07 Feb 2011 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1940761 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1940761 The UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science's annual Tech Forum gathers leading minds from industry and academia to share insights into the future of technology and innovation. This year's Tech Forum will highlight the school's research in three comprehensive areas: nanotechnology, biotechnology, and technologies for emergency response. Tuesday, March 1, 2011 Covel Commons on the UCLA Campus Keynote Address Speakers: *The Honorable Zachary J. Lemnios* Director of Defense Research and Engineering, Department of Defense *Dr. Alison Moore* Vice President, Process and Product Engineering (P&PE), AMGEN *Patricia A. Hoffman* Assistant Secretary, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, Department of Energy 2011 Tech Forum website[1] [1] Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1939174 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1939174 While there is a consensus that nanotechnology, in addition to its vast potential, also poses significant health and environmental challenges, there is no consensus on how to address these challenges. In response, Timothy Malloy, a Professor of Law at UCLA, has published a paper in _ACS Nano_ discussing regulation of nanotechnology. The paper outlines two standard approaches to regulation, hard-law and soft-law, and ways in which the proponents of each approach make their case. After analyzing each approach, Malloy makes the case for an alternative approach, which he calls iterative regulation. Hard-law involves the conventional direct regulation of nanotechnology by bodies such as the Environmental Protection Agency, which sets out performance standards and uses monitoring and penalties to enforce those standards. Soft-law includes self-regulation by industries, and have no or limited legal force. Self-regulation is said to influence business behavior through three incentives tort liability, stigma, and norms. Malloy contends that each of these incentives to self-regulate has limited influence on nanotechnology companies, and that direct regulation is a more effective policy. Malloy envisions iterative regulation to be a three-fold approach. The first element involves identifying areas of regulatory concern based upon the existing and emerging scientific literature. The second element of iterative regulation concerns the implementation of regulations once areas of concern are identified. Because of a lack of detailed studies on the safe levels of many nanomaterials, Malloy advocates the use of industry best practices to shape policies. Regulators should identify successful industry best practices and then use their enforcement powers to ensure that those best practices are deployed throughout the industry. The third element is the continuing adjustment of regulation as new information regarding toxicity, exposure and safer alternatives and practices arises. Over time, this could lead to more conventional forms of direct regulation. Professor Malloy is a faculty director of the UCLA Sustainable Technology and Policy Program, a joint undertaking of the School of Law and the School of Public Health. He is also on the Education and Outreach committee of the UC Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (UC CEIN)[1], a center established to ensure that nanotechnology is introduced in a responsible and environmentally compatible manner. UC CEIN, which is headquartered at CNSI, is funded by a cooperative agreement from the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency. Professor Malloy's paper is titled, "Nanotechnology Regulation: A Study in Claims Making," and can be read in full at _ACS Nano_[2]. [1] [2] Mon, 31 Jan 2011 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1934874 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1934874 *New 'cocktails' support long-term maintenance of human embryonic stem cells* UCLA researchers have developed a new system to generate large supplies of safe and reliable human embryonic stem (hES) cells. Standard cell culture systems have used animal "feeder" cells to cultivate hES cells, but this leads to many cross-contamination problems. The UCLA method utilizes a "defined" culture medium one in which every component is known and traceable. The research findings, published today in the journal Nature Communications[1], represent a major advance in the quest to broadly transition regenerative medicine from the benchtop to the clinic. The study's senior author is Hong Wu, the David Geffen Professor of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a researcher with UCLA's Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research. Wu and Chih-Ming Ho are corresponding authors of the study, Ho is the Ben Rich-Lockheed Martin Professor at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. Hideaki Tsutsui, a UCLA postdoctoral scholar, is lead author. Other authors included Antreas Hindoyan, Rong Qiao, Xianting Ding, Shuling Guo, Owen N. Witte[2] and Xin Liu. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[3] for the full story. [1] [2] [3] Tue, 25 Jan 2011 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1931195 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1931195 MediSens, a company in the CNSI Incubator, is featured in the January 2010 issue of _Alaska Airlines Magazine_. The article explores the business incubation strategies of various universities ranging from UCLA, USC, Arizona State University, and the University of Oregon. It also details the development of MediSens and how UCLA, through its Office of Intellectual Property and Industry Sponsored Research and through the CNSI Incubator, has nurtured the company's development. The CNSI Incubator program is unique because it is located directly on UCLA's campus, giving the entrepreneurs running the start-up companies unparalleled access to the universities research community and business and law schools. MediSens is creating high tech body monitoring systems to allow doctors to have round-the-clock, accurate information on a patient's status. The company's products are in clinical trials and on the verge of entering the marketplace. Visit page 44 of _Alaska Airlines Magazine[1]_ Digital Edition to read the full story. _Alaska Airlines Magazine_ is a travel, lifestyle and business publication covering the Alaska Airlines route system. [1] Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1930554 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1930554 Researchers from the US and Japan have devised a method to string metal-containing molecular segments in specific sequences and lengths to form surface-tethered metal-organic complexes, including one with three types of metals and a total of six metal atoms. Complexes of this type may mediate highly selective catalytic reactions or "cascading reactions," which have been called "green chemistry" because by carrying out several transformations in one synthetic operation great savings of time, labor, resources, and waste can be generated. The research team was led by Omar Yaghi[1], UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a CNSI member. Visit Chemical & Engineering News[2] for the full story. The research was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society[3]. [1] [2] [3] Wed, 19 Jan 2011 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1930724 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1930724 The research groups of Shaily Mahendra, PhD, Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering at UCLA and Cafer T. Yavuz, PhD, assistant professor, Graduate School of Energy, Environment, Water, and Sustainability of KAIST are holding a videoconference today at the California NanoSystems Institute. The two groups will discuss current and future research in order to stimulate collaborative research in the areas of environmental and biological applications of novel materials. The Institute for the NanoCentury at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has had a Memorandum of Understanding with CNSI to cooperate on research since 2008. Wed, 19 Jan 2011 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1930292 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1930292 *Thursday, January 27 5pm CNSI Auditorium* Working in collaboration with scientists and engineers, science photographer Felice Frankel's images have been published in over 300 journal articles and/or covers and various other publications for general audiences. She will take us through her process of how she creates communicative representations of scientific research and discuss the hurdles and ethical questions confronted by all those representing scientific data and concepts. **Watch the Live Stream @ 5pm Tue, 18 Jan 2011 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1930302 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1930302 UCLA neuroscientists have collaborated with physicists to develop a non-invasive, ultra-high-speed microscope that can record in real time the firing of thousands of individual neurons in the brain as they communicate, or miscommunicate, with each other. "In our view, this is the world's fastest two-photon excitation microscope for three-dimensional imaging _in vivo_, said UCLA physics professor and CNSI member Katsushi Arisaka[1], who designed the new optical imaging system with UCLA assistant professor of neurology and neurobiology Dr. Carlos Portera-Cailliau and colleagues. Neuropsychiatric diseases like autism and mental retardation often display no physical brain damage, so the new microscope is hoped to help understand how the brains of people with these conditions differ from healthy brains. Their research appears in the Jan. 9 edition of the journal Nature Methods[2]. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[3] for the full story. [1] [2] [3] Tue, 18 Jan 2011 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1926242 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1926242 *Consider the untapped potential of your business plan and maximize your success by learning how to leverage intellectual property (IP)!* Students MS/MBA/MD/JD/PhD and postdoctoral scholars from around the world are invited to participate in this global competition which focuses on business plans that include an overview of its IP assets and how these IP assets will be commercialized to achieve business goals. Licensing Executives Society Foundation Graduate Student Business Plan Competition[1] June 4, 2011 London, England *Register by February 18, 2011* and submit your business plan by March 4, 2011 for the opportunity to: - Receive an all-expenses-paid trip to London, England to compete in the Final Round and attend the 2011 LES International Annual Conference for educational sessions and networking with global IP leaders - Win cash and in-kind prizes, including $10,000 for the Grand Prize and $5,000 for the LESI Global Award - Receive comprehensive feedback throughout the competition process from IP business veterans who share their valuable expertise earned in the trenches of businesses ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies For more information and to register visit the LES2011 website[2]. [1] [2] Tue, 11 Jan 2011 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1923733 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1923733 The W.M. Keck Foundation has awarded a $900,000 grant to a team of scientists for a research project, "Nano X-ray Diffraction of Biological Materials," to develop tools that may someday reveal the secrets of cells in health and disease by providing precise pictures of the interacting molecules. "Often the great breakthroughs in science come from new tools," said David Eisenberg[1], director of the UCLA-Department of Energy Institute of Genomics and Proteomics and a CNSI member. "Nano X-ray diffraction can reveal the three-dimensional atomic structure of intracellular organelles and aggregates that mediate the metabolism and pathology of cells. In contrast, nearly all present information on the atomic structure of cellular constituents has come from purified molecules, removed from cells." Eisenberg and his colleagues will exploit recent advances in the production of highly focused (nano) X-ray beams and free electron lasers, directing these beams onto biological cells and subcellular organelles, prepared by new methods for X-ray examination. They will then devise methods for collecting and interpreting the diffraction data. The other principal investigators on the project are Todd Yeates[2], professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a CNSI member, and James Bowie, also a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a member of Eisenberg's UCLA-DOE Institute of Genomics and Proteomics. Visit UCLA Today[3] for the full story. [1] [2] [3] Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1923739 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1923739 *Event Date:* January 20, 2011 _*Registration Deadline:* January 7, 2011._ *Event Sponsors:*PicoQuant GmbH, the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry at UCLA and the Advanced Light Microscopy/Spectroscopy Laboratory at the California NanoSystems Institute. *Online Registration & Workshop Schedule*[1] This workshop is intended for researchers interested in learning about new optical microscopy techniques / methods and single molecule spectroscopy. It is intended for all levels of expertise, including graduate students, technicians and professional researchers. Basic knowledge about light microscopy is beneficial, but not necessary to attend this workshop. [1] Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1923744 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1923744 *Reverse osmosis membrane innovator receives business, cleantech, regional and industry honors* NanoH2O, a global provider of reverse osmosis (RO) membranes for desalination, was the recipient of four distinguished awards in the second half of 2010 for its innovation that leverages nanotechnology to significantly lower the cost of desalination. In less than six months, NanoH2O was selected by The Artemis ProjectTM as a Top 50 Water Company, won _The Wall Street Journal_ 2010 Technology Innovation Award, was recognized as a 2010 Global Cleantech 100 and was named a finalist in the _Los Angeles Business Journal_ 2010 Patrick Soon-Shiong Innovation Award. NanoH2O, is commercializing desalination technology invented by Eric Hoek[1], a CNSI researcher and assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The company incubated at the CNSI for two years before moving to its own space in El Segundo. When they signed their lease in the CNSI building in 2007, NanoH2O was the first private company to lease space on a University of California campus. Visit Enhanced Online News[2] for the full story on NanoH2O's awards. [1] [2] Thu, 06 Jan 2011 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1923092 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1923092 ACS Nano, a journal focused on publishing nanoscience and nanotechnology research articles, has been named to the Rising Stars list of Thomson Reuters Essential Science Indicators for the sixth consecutive period. This string of appearances on the Rising Stars list ties the longevity record for journals on the Essential Science Indicators listing. The Rising Stars list tracks which scientists, institutions, countries, and journals have achieved the highest percentage increase in total citations from the third bimonthly period of 2010 to the fourth bimonthly period of 2010that is, from June to August 2010. ACS Nano[1] is a monthly publication of the American Chemical Society. Its founding and current Editor-in-Chief is Dr. Paul S. Weiss[2], who is also the Fred Kavli Chair in NanoSystems Sciences, a distinguished professor of chemistry & biochemistry and of materials science & engineering, and the Director of the California Nanosystems Institute. ISI Rising Stars January 2011[3] Paul Weiss on the history, success, and future goals of ACS Nano[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1922692 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1922692 Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a new transparent electrode based on silver nanowires (AgNW) that could replace indium-doped tin oxide (ITO); a key, though expensive, material in electronics. The new electrode uses low-cost, non-toxic and stable materials and is easy to fabricate. It is produced on a cross-linked, transparent polyacylate substrate, which is cheaper than glass and can be stiff and rigid or flexible and stretchable. The resulting AgNW/polymer electrodes have high transparency, low sheet resistance comparable to ITO, and low surface roughness. They are substantially more compliant than ITO and would be suitable for the fabrication of high-performance and stretchable OLEDs, touch screens, and solar cells. The research, which was published in Advanced Materials[1], was led by Qibing Pei[2], a professor of materials science and engineering and a CNSI researcher. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[3] for the full story. [1] [2] [3] Tue, 04 Jan 2011 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1921528 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1921528 David Lundberg, Director of the CNSI Global Partnership Program, spoke at Kyoto University's Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) on December 6th and addressed challenges facing newly founded research institutes and effective measures that can be employed to increase their global standing. Drawing from his experience building international partnerships at CNSI, Dr. Lundberg discussed five key elements in the process of increasing international visibility: - Effective use of print and electronic media to target varied audiences in the sciences, political world, and society; - Bridging barriers between university faculty and administrators; - The importance of building personal contacts, giving a human face to the institution; - Hosting academic meetings, including workshops, seminars, and symposia to create opportunities for collaboration with other international institutions; and - Formalizing partnerships and collaborative efforts with academic exchange agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoUs). Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences[1] [1] Mon, 03 Jan 2011 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1921536 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1921536 Thursday, January 13, 2011 Friday, January 14, 2011 The California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA together with the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) will hold a joint symposium related to nano-scale materials, devices and systems. The workshop enables JAIST faculty who were recently appointed as part of a new initiative by Japan in nanoscience and nanotechnology to disseminate their research and interact with CNSI faculty and students with complementary interests. This is the 3rd Annual CNSI-JAIST Workshop and the second to be held at CNSI. *View Agenda*[1] *Register*[2] For more information about the event and featured speakers Click Here. [3] [1] [2] [3] Mon, 03 Jan 2011 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1916955 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1916955 The Foresight Institute, a nanotechnology education and public policy think tank based in Palo Alto, has announced the winners of the prestigious 2010 Foresight Institute Feynman Prizes in Nanotechnology. The winner of the 2010 Feynman Prize for Experimental work is Masakazu Aono[1] (MANA Center, National Institute for Materials Science, Japan) in recognition of his pioneering and continuing work, including research into the manipulation of atoms, the multiprobe STM and AFM, the atomic switch, and single-molecule-level chemical control including ultradense molecular data storage and molecular wiring; and his inspiration of an entire generation of researchers who have made their own ground-breaking contributions to nanotechnology. Established in 1993 in honor of Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman, two $5,000 prizes are awarded in two categories, theory and experiment, to recognize researchers whose recent work has most advanced the field toward the achievement of Feynman's vision for nanotechnology: molecular manufacturing, the construction of atomically-precise products through the use of molecular machine systems. Visit 2010 Feynman Prizes in Nanotechnology[2] for additional information. [1] [2] Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1914415 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1914415 On Tuesday, December 7, 2010 UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute celebrated its 10 year anniversary. Honored guest, former Governor Gray Davis, who enabled the creation of CNSI and the network of California Institutes for Science and Innovation (Cal ISI), along with Chancellor Gene Block and CNSI Director Paul S. Weiss commemorated the center's founding with a plaque dedicated to Governor Davis. Other attendees included, Josh Green, general partner of venture-capital firm Mohr Davidow, and Alex Fay, Director of the Los Angeles Mayors Office of Economic and Business Policy, offered their congratulations. Both expressed their appreciation for CNSIs role in stimulating the local economy. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[1] for the full story. [1] Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1912590 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1912590 Bioengineers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have been exploring a unique phenomenon whereby randomly dispersed microparticles self-assemble into a highly organized structure as they flow through microscale channels. This self-assembly behavior was unexpected, the researchers said, for such a simple system containing only particles, fluid and a conduit through which these elements flow. The particles formed lattice-like structures due to a unique combination of hydrodynamic interactions. The research, published online in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was led by UCLA postdoctoral scholar Wonhee Lee and UCLA assistant professor of bioengineering Dino Di Carlo[1], who is a research at CNSI. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1912600 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1912600 The USA Today Science Fair blog and Nat Geo News Watch recently featured the research of Aydogan Ozcan[1]. The piece in the USA Today blog focused on a new prototype wide-field fluorescent microscope developed by Ozcan which attaches to a standard cell phone to operate as a telemedicine diagnostic device. USA Today Science Fair[2] The Nat Geo News Watch piece is an interview with Ozcan. This year he was selected as an National Geographic Emerging Explorer, and the interview goes in-depth on his research goals and motivations. Nat Geo News Watch[3] [1] [2] [3] Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1912619 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1912619 Prometheus Laboratories Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical and diagnostic company, and The Regents of the University of California, Los Angeles campus, today announced the execution of an exclusive research agreement that will focus on the identification of biological markers of mucosal healing in patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The research will be led by Dr. Jonathan Braun[1], Chair of the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, a professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, and a researcher at CNSI. Using a cross sectional study design, Dr. Braun's laboratory will determine the correlation of genotoxicity markers to mucosal healing and disease activity in IBD patients. Prometheus will evaluate in its laboratory, additional markers of inflammation and other markers traditionally associated with the diagnosis and prognosis of IBD. "We have come to realize that symptom response is not a true indication that a drug has been effective in stopping the progression of IBD. We need to look at mucosal healing as a more accurate predictor of effective response," said Dr. Jonathan Braun. "There is a clinical need for a non-invasive biomarker of mucosal healing as currently this has been seen using a colonoscopy." "Adding this research project to our R&D portfolio is the latest in a series of investments Prometheus has made to answer the clinical questions related to optimization of the use of biologic therapies commonly used in IBD treatment," said Joseph M. Limber, President & Chief Executive Officer of Prometheus. "Our goal is to be able to answer the clinical questions of who will respond to these drugs up front, how one can manage patients most effectively while on these drugs and to have a non-invasive measurement of treatment efficacy." Under the terms of the exclusive agreement, Prometheus will fund the research activities in Dr. Braun's laboratory in exchange for rights to any intellectual property generated as a result of the project. Prometheus holds a license to technology Dr. Braun co-invented and Dr. Braun is a co-founder of Prometheus. PR Newswire[2] [1] [2] Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1910454 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1910454 The California NanoSystems Institute celebrated a decade of discovery to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Governor Gray Davis Institutes for Science and Innovation (GGDISI). The CNSI is one of four Institutes for Science & Innovation initiated by then-governor Gray Davis for the State of California in 2000. The institutes were established to foster the commercial translation of new innovations in science and technology and to drive entrepreneurial growth, create jobs, and expand the California economy into new industries and markets. _Speakers:_ UCLA Chancellor Gene Block Governor Gray Davis Josh Green, General Partner, Mohr Davidow Alex Fay, Director, Los Angeles Mayor's Office of Economic and Business Policy Paul S. Weiss, CNSI Director Videos and pictures will be posted soon! _The four institutes include:_ - California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) UCLA, UCSB - California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) UC Irvine and UC San Diego - California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (qb3) UC Santa Cruz and UC San Francisco - Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) UCs, Berkeley, Davis, Merced and Santa Cruz Wed, 08 Dec 2010 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1910026 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1910026 *High-throughput attachment also allows for dark-field microscopy* *FINDINGS:* UCLA researchers have developed a matchbox-sized attachment that converts a cell phone's camera into a fluorescent microscope. The device utilizes an inexpensive lens and battery-powered, light-emitting diodes to create a field of view some two orders of magnitude larger than previous cell-phone fluorescent microscopy technology. It is more than five times smaller than previous cell phone microscopes. By using side-illumination geometry, the device is also capable of dark-field microscopy on both fluorescent and non-fluorescent specimens, an illumination technique in which only light shown on a biological sample is captured, making it appear as if the sample is on a black background and enhancing the image. The side-illumination technique negates the need for more expensive thin-film interference filters typically used in fluorescent microscopy; an inexpensive plastic color filter can be used for this purpose. *IMPACT:* The compact and inexpensive cell phone add-on, with its ability to quickly and accurately test large sample sizes, could serve as a vital telemedicine tool in underdeveloped areas of the globe where conventional health care services are not available. While the device does not achieve the resolution of conventional microscopes, its resolution is high enough to screen for labeled pathogens in drinking water or food and to image various body fluid samples to search for disease markers. The device easily fits on most cell phones and can be repeatedly attached and detached without fine alignment or tuning. *AUTHORS:* Study authors are Hongying Zhu, Oguzhan Yaglidere, Ting-Wei Su, Derek Tseng, and Aydogan Ozcan[1]. Ozcan, the inventor of the fluorescent microscope cell phone attachment and an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, is available for interviews. Ozcan is also a researcher at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute. For more on his work, visit http://innovate.ee.ucla.edu[2]. *FUNDING:* The research was funded by grants from the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research and the National Institutes of Health and was supported by the Gates Foundation, the Vodafone Americas Foundation, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research. *JOURNAL:* This research was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Lab on a Chip and is available online at http://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2011/LC/C0LC00358A[3]. [1] [2] [3] Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1909563 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1909563 The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science an $8.4 million grant for research on a technology known as non-volatile logic, which enables computers and electronic devices to keep their state even while powered off, then start up and run complex programs instantaneously. The research has broad implications across a range of technologies, including portable electronics, remote sensors, unmanned aerial vehicles and high-performance computing. UCLA Engineering researchers will conduct studies into the materials, design, fabrication and tools used to develop such technologies. "The technologies developed in this project will form the basis for a paradigm shift, not only in spintronics, but in the electronics industry as a whole," said Kang Wang[1], UCLA's Raytheon Professor of Electrical Engineering and joint principal investigator on the project. "The support from DARPA is critical, since it will allow the U.S. to take the lead in developing this new non-volatile electronic technology." Prof Wang is also an Associate Director of the California NanoSystems Institute. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Mon, 06 Dec 2010 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1909591 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1909591 A protein that is crucial for regulating the self-renewal of normal prostate stem cells, which are needed to repair injured cells or restore normal cells killed by hormone-withdrawal therapy for cancer, also aids the transformation of healthy cells into prostate cancer cells, researchers at UCLA have found. The findings, by scientists with the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA, may have important implications for controlling cancer growth and progression. Results from the three-year study, done in primary cells and in animal models, were published Dec. 2 in the early online edition of the peer-reviewed journal Cell Stem Cell[1]. The protein, called Bmi-1, is often up-regulated, or turned on, in prostate cancer. It has been associated with higher-grade cancers and is predictive of poor prognosis, according to previous studies. However, its functional roles in prostate stem cell maintenance and prostate cancer have been unclear, said the study's senior author, Dr. Owen Witte[2], director of the Broad Stem Cell Research Center, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, and a researcher at CNSI. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[3] to read the full story. [1] [2] [3] Mon, 06 Dec 2010 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1896790 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1896790 *Suggests new therapies to prevent chronic rejection, stop cancer progression* UCLA researchers have pinpointed the culprit behind chronic rejection of heart, lung and kidney transplants. Published in the Nov. 23 edition of Science Signaling[1], their findings suggest new therapeutic approaches for preventing transplant rejection and sabotaging cancer growth. The team focused on the mechanism behind narrowing of the donor's grafted blood vessels, which blocks blood from reaching the transplanted organ. Starved of oxygen and other nutrients, the organ eventually fails, forcing the patient back on the transplant waiting list. "Chronic rejection is the No. 1 cause of organ failure in the first year of transplant," explained CNSI researcher Elaine Reed[2], director of the UCLA Immunogenetics Center and professor of pathology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "In the first five years, some 40 percent of organs fail after transplant due to blockage of the grafted blood vessels. Currently, we have no way to treat this deadly condition." The team uncovered a relationship between two molecules, HLA and itegrin beta 4, where the interaction of the two molecules causes growths that lead to chronic rejection and eventually tumors. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[3] to read the full story. [1] [2] [3] Thu, 18 Nov 2010 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1895747 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1895747 On November 12th, 2010 the CNSI hosted two events exploring the intersections of art and science, the International Fulbright Science & Technology Conference and the North / South Mixer. At the first event, a panel of artists and scientists sought to foster the compatibility of art and science by showing how the two are being combined in the world. The panel was presented to the recipients of the International Fulbright Science and Technology Award, a scholarship given to international students that supports study at top U.S. universities for science, engineering and technology. The North / South Mixer is a quarterly event bringing together artists and scientists which alternates locations between the Broad Art Center on the North section of campus, and the CNSI on the South section. Both events were sponsored by the UCLA Art | Sci center + lab, a collaboration between the department of Design | Media Arts and the CNSI. Visit the UCLA Daily Bruin[1] for a write-up of the International Fulbright Science & Technology Conference. [1] Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1895240 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1895240 *New stamp-sized microchip enables low-cost screening of a library of artificial viruses* Gene therapy holds the promise for curing a variety of diseases, including cancer, and nanoparticles have been recognized as promising vehicles for effective and safe delivery of genes into specific type of cells or tissues. This can provide an alternative gene manipulation and/or therapy strategy to the conventional approaches that use viruses. However, the existing process available for producing and examining nanoparticles for this purpose is limited due to the use of conventional synthetic approaches that are cumbersome and time-consuming. Additionally, the conventional approaches are frequently not sufficient to generate productive outcomes that meet the complex need in biology, in this case, optimal gene-delivery performance. In an effort to overcome this issue, UCLA researchers from the California NanoSystems Institute and the Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging have established a faster way of producing highly efficient nano-vehicles for gene delivery. The research team developed a supramolecular synthetic approach to produce a library of nanoparticles for gene delivery by simply mixing several molecular building blocks and DNA payloads (without the use of complicated/multi-step synthesis). In order to streamline the process, a digital dual core microreactor (DCM), or microchip, was designed and fabricated for producing and examining the library of artificial viruses in search of an optimal gene delivery performance. In a paper featured on the cover of the October issue of ACS Nano, the research team outlines their results, which represent a proof-of-concept demonstration for establishing the new method to perform bioassays that are typically conducted to measure the effects of a substance on a living organism and are essential in the development of new drugs. The paper is available online http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/nn101908e[1]. "We envision that our new approach can be adopted for generating nanoparticle-based vehicles to deliver a variety of cargos, including different genes, siRNA, proteins, drugs, as well as any combination of these elements," said Professor Hsian-Rong Tseng[2], an associate professor of molecular and medical pharmacology and member of CNSI and Crump. "Unlike the conventional methods based manual operations, the UCLA microchip is specifically designed to avoid human error, accelerate handling procedures, enhance reproducibility and achieve economical use of samples," said Dr. Hao Wang, a staff research associate in Dr. Tseng's research laboratory and the lead author of this paper. "It allows automated formulation of a large-scale library consisting of up to 648 different DNA-containing nanoparticles within 2.5 hours." Over the past six years, Tseng's research group has pioneered the exploration of digital microfluidics for sequential and parallel chemical reactions. Digital microfludics is an alternative technology for lab-on-a-chip systems based upon micromanipulation of isolated droplets. The research team is currently exploring the use of these highly efficient nano-vehicles for delivery of genes that facilitate the reprogramming of human cells in order to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) which are crucial in the field of regenerative medicine. Led by professor Tseng, the UCLA team collaborated with researchers from the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at Wuhan Textile University, China and the University of Texas Health Center in Houston, Texas. The research was supported by NIH-NCI NanoSystems Biology Cancer Center and California Institute of Regenerative Medicine. UCLA Newsroom[3] [1] [2] [3] Tue, 16 Nov 2010 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1895248 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1895248 The Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation has named Xiangfeng Duan[1] as a Camille and Henry Dreyfus Environmental Chemistry Mentor for the Foundation's Postdoctoral Program in Environmental Chemistry. The award will provide funding over two years to appoint a postdoctoral fellow to carry out research in environmental chemistry. Xiangfeng, a CNSI researcher and assistant professor in chemistry and biochemistry, is one of nine recipients of this year's award. The purpose of the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.[2], is to advance the science of chemistry, chemical engineering and related sciences as a means of improving human relations and circumstances. Established in 1946 by chemist, inventor and businessman Camille Dreyfus as a memorial to his brother Henry, the Foundation became a memorial to both men when Camille Dreyfus died in 1956. Throughout its history the Foundation has sought to take the lead in identifying and addressing needs and opportunities in the chemical sciences. The Foundation seeks to further the development of scientific leadership in the field of environmental chemistry with its postdoctoral fellowship program. *Xiangfeng Duan's Research Area of Interest* Water splitting multi-heterostructures will be designed and synthesized to integrate a nanoscale photovoltaic device with two redox catalysts, to form freestanding photoelectrochemical nanodevices that can function as highly efficient and stable photocatalysts for artificial photosynthesis and solar fuel generation. [1] [2] Tue, 16 Nov 2010 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1891470 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1891470 UCLA biochemists have produced a three-dimensional structural model of the RNA "core domain" of the telomerase enzyme. Because telomerase plays a surprisingly important role in cancer and aging, understanding its structure could lead to new approaches for treating disease, the researchers say. "We still do not know how the RNA and the proteins cooperate to do this magical thing extend the ends of our telomeres but we are now one step closer to understanding that," said CNSI researcher Juli Feigon [1], a UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry and senior author of the research, which was published Nov. 2 in the print edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences[2]. Telomerase is an enzyme that maintains the DNA at the ends of our chromosomes, known as telomeres. In the absence of telomerase activity, every time our cells divide, our telomeres get shorter. This is part of the natural aging process, as most cells in the human body do not have much active telomerase. Eventually, these DNA-containing telomeres, which act as protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, become so short that the cells die. But in some cells, such as cancer cells, telomerase, which is composed of RNA and proteins, is highly active and adds telomere DNA, preventing telomere shortening and extending the life of the cell. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[3] for the full story. [1] [2] [3] Mon, 08 Nov 2010 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1891474 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1891474 *Friday, November 12, 2010 3-7 PM California Nanosystems Institute, UCLA, Los Angeles* *_3-5 PM_* Welcoming International Fulbright Science & Technology conference attendees. Introductions by Victoria Vesna, artist and James Gimzewski, scientist Featuring Art|Sci work by Mattia Casalegno, Romie Littrell, Silvia Rigon, Johanna Reed and Jiacong Yan, and Pinar Yoldas *_5-7 PM_* Social mixer with molecular cocktails by Johanna Reed and Jiacong Yan, music by Odo Event Co-sponsored by The Center for Society and Genetics www.socgen.ucla.edu[1] UCLA Art|Sci center + lab Creation of the Third Culture TWO locations, ONE mission: ART Broad Art Center, Room 5250 Los Angeles, CA 90095 Tel: (310) 794-2118 fax: (310) 825-9233 web: artsci.ucla.edu SCIENCE California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) Los Angeles, CA 90095 Artists in Labs, Scientists in Studios, Lectures | Symposia, Visiting Scholars, Community Outreach & Social Mixers Event Flyer (PDF)[2] __ [1] [2] Mon, 08 Nov 2010 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1887955 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1887955 *October 18, 2010* The Wall Street Journal has published an article examining technologies intended to alleviate global water shortages. A number of technologies were featured, including those to plug leaks in water infrastructure, recycling and reuse water, and desalination of seawater. The desalination section featured NanoH2O, a company commercializing technology invented by Eric Hoek[1], a CNSI researcher and assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. NanoH2O is utilizing reverse osmosis for desalination, to turn sea water and brackish water into drinkable water. Reverse osmosis uses extremely high pressure to force water through a semipermeable membrane and separate out salts. The company adds a thin layer of nanoparticles to a polymer-based membrane, which causes the nanomaterials attract water and reject salts and other particles that can clog other membranes, reducing the energy needed to push water through the membrane. Because 97% of the world's water resides in the oceans, finding an affordable way to desalinate saltwater would provide a virtually unlimited source of drinking water. Read the full article at The Wall Street Journal[2] website. *Background on company* NanoH2O incubated at the CNSI for two years before moving to its own space in El Segundo. When they signed their lease in the CNSI building in 2007, NanoH2O was the first private company to lease space on a University of California campus. [1] [2] Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1888001 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1888001 *October 26, 2010* This is the second year of the Global Cleantech 100, first published in 2009 as a joint venture between the Guardian and the Cleantech Group as a true representation of global innovation and private company creation. To be on the list, companies must be independent, for-profit, cleantech companies that are not listed on any major stock exchange and are most likely to make the most significant market impact over the next 5-10 years. Two companies affiliated with CNSI made this years list. The first, Gevo, is using algae to convert waste and other raw materials into isobutanol and other biofuels to use as motor fuels. Gevo was co-founded by James Liao[1], a CNSI researcher and professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at UCLAs Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. The second company, NanoH2O, is commercializing desalination technology invented by Eric Hoek[2], a CNSI researcher and assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The company is developing new filter membranes which would be used (in a process called reverse osmosis) to clean up salt water, brackish water (water with a high level of salinity) and wastewater. NanoH2O incubated at the CNSI for two years before moving to its own space in El Segundo. When they signed their lease in the CNSI building in 2007, NanoH2O was the first private company to lease space on a University of California campus. Read the full story at The Guardian website[3]. An interactive map[4] of all 100 companies. [1] [2] [3] [4] Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1887404 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1887404 *Conductive plastic coatings could lead to new solar cells, windows, sensors* Oil and water don't mix, but add in some nanofibers and all bets are off. A team of UCLA chemists and engineers has developed a new method for coating large surfaces with nanofiber thin films that are both transparent and electrically conductive. Their method involves the vigorous agitation of water, dense oil and polymer nanofibers. After this solution is sufficiently agitated it spreads over virtually any surface, creating a film. "The beauty of this method lies in its simplicity and versatility," said California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) researcher Richard B. Kaner[1], a professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a professor of materials science and engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. "The materials used are inexpensive and recyclable, the process works on virtually any substrate, it produces a uniform thin film which grows in seconds and the entire thing can be done at room temperature." Conducting polymers combine the flexibility and toughness of plastics with electrical properties. They have been proposed for applications ranging from printed electronic circuits to supercapacitors but have failed to gain widespread use because of difficulties processing them into films. "Conducting polymers have enormous potential in electronics, and because this technique works with so many substrates, it can be used in a broad spectrum of applications, including organic solar cells, light-emitting diodes, smart glass and sensors," said Yang Yang[2], a professor of materials science and engineering at the Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and faculty director of the Nano Renewable Energy Center at the CNSI. One of the potential applications is smart, or switchable, glass that can change between states when an electric current is applied for example, switching between see-through and opaque states to let light in or block it. The UCLA research group is applying the technique to other nanomaterials in addition to polymer nanofibers in the hopes of expanding the number of available applications. The team's solution-based technique, published in the peer-reviewed journal Proceedings of National Academy of Science[3], was discovered serendipitously when a transparent film of polymer spread up the walls of a container while nanofibers in water were being purified with chloroform. "What drew me in immediately was the eerie phenomenon of what appeared to be self-propelled fluid flow," said Julio M. D'Arcy, lead author on the PNAS paper and a senior graduate student in the Kaner's UCLA lab. "Now I can tell people that I make films in L.A.," he joked. When water and oil are mixed, a blend of droplets is formed, creating a water-oil interface that serves as an entry point for trapping polymer nanofibers at liquid-liquid interfaces. As droplets unite, a change in the concentration of blended solids at the water-oil interface leads to a difference in surface tension. Spreading up a glass wall occurs as result of an attempt to reduce the surface-tension difference. Directional fluid flow leads to a continuously conductive thin film comprised of a single monolayer of polymer nanofibers. The uniformity of the film surface is due to the particles being drawn out of the water-oil interface, sandwiched between two fluids of opposing surface tensions. Development of the technology is occurring in collaboration with Fibron Technologies Inc., with support from the National Science Foundation through a Small Business Technology Transfer grant. Fibron is a small company that has licensed the technology from UCLA. It was founded by Kaner, who serves as chief scientific adviser, and two of his former Ph.D. students Christina Baker and Henry Tran, who have gone on to take leadership roles in the company. Fibron's CEO, Christian Behrenbruch, said "working with UCLA to develop this technology has been a win-win. It enables us to access incredibly innovative people, but also, the NSF has helped enable the establishment of a formal and transparent IP releationship with the university. The good news is that this technology is moving rapidly into commercial development." Other techniques exist for creating thin films of conducting polymers, but each technique tends to work only a limited number of applications, or they are not feasible for scaling up. A method has long been sought which would overcome the limitations of each of the previous methods. The water and oil technique, with a bit of nanotechnology thrown in, might provide just that a scalable universal method for creating large thin films of conducting polymers. UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1887450 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1887450 *New method allows faster, more efficient screening for improved diagnostics* Inappropriate growth and survival signaling, which leads to the aberrant growth of cancer cells, is a driving force behind tumors. Much of current cancer research focuses on the kinase enzymes whose mutations are responsible for such disregulated signaling, and many successful molecularly targeted anti-cancer therapeutics are directed at inhibiting kinase activity. Now, UCLA researchers from the Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging, the Institute for Molecular Medicine, the California NanoSystems Institute, the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and the department of molecular and medical pharmacology have developed an _in vitro_ method for assessing kinase activity in minute tissue samples from patients. The method involves an integrated microfluidics and imaging platform that can reproducibly measure kinase enzymatic activity from as few as 3,000 cells. In a paper published Nov. 1 in the journal Cancer Research[1], the UCLA researchers describe several new technological advances in microfluidics and imaging detection they co-developed to measure kinase activity in small-input samples. The team applied their microfluidic kinase assay to human leukemia patient samples. "Because the device requires only a very small tissue sample to give results, this method creates new potential for direct kinase experimentation and diagnostics on patient blood, bone marrow and needle biopsy samples," said lead investigator Thomas Graeber[2], a UCLA professor of molecular and medical pharmacology. "For example, the stem cell properties of leukemia can be directly studied from patient samples." To improve radio-signal detection, the team used a novel imaging detector, in the form of a solid-state beta camera, which can sensitively detect and spatially resolve radioactive signal directly from a microfluidic chip. The beta camera provides a picture of the activity on the chip, allowing real-time monitoring of the assay performance and outcome. It is highly sensitive and quantitative. In their first application of the device, the team measured the activity of the mutated kinase responsible for chronic myelogenous leukemia. This mutation is targeted by the clinically successful kinase inhibitor Gleevec. "We are not aware of other work demonstrating solid-state integrated radioactive imaging from a microfluidic platform," said co-investigator Arion Chatziioannou, a UCLA professor of molecular and medical pharmacology. The resulting microfluidic in vitro kinase radioassay improves reaction efficiency, compared with standard assays, and can be processed in much less time. This greater efficiency, coupled with the high sensitivity of the beta camera, reduces the amount of sample cell input by two to three orders of magnitude, compared with conventional and 96-well assays. The assay includes a kinase immunocapture step to increase specificity towards the kinase of interest. "To get the kinase assay to work in a microfluidic environment, we needed to develop new protocols and reagents for efficiently manipulating solid-support kinase capture beads using microfluidic trap-and-release valves," said co-investigator Hsian-Rong Tseng[3], a UCLA professor of molecular and medical pharmacology. "Integration of the solid-state beta camera allows researchers to monitor the assay in real time, which proved useful during our protocol development and testing," said Cong Fang, the leading graduate student on the project. "The integrated microfluidic and imaging platform opens new possibilities and makes miniaturization of many common radioactivity-based bioassays to the microfluidic realm possible." "With the integration of the compact camera, the microfluidic format assay has the potential to be developed into inexpensive bench-top, stand-alone units," said UCLA postdoctoral fellow Nam Vu, who led the imaging development. "Taken together, the reduced sample input required, the decreased assay time, and the digitally controlled reproducibility of the team's microfluidic kinase radioassay facilitates direct experimentation on clinical samples that are either precious or perishable," said UCLA postdoctoral fellow Yanju Wang, who led the design of the network of microfluidic components that run the assay. Future experiments will develop reproducible sample collection and measurement conditions for primary patient samples. Other applications could include profiling of patient and animal model samples for their kinase-inhibitor drug sensitivity, or measurement of kinase activity from stem cells, cancer stem cells and other rare immune cells. The research team included collaborators from Children's Hospital Los Angeles' division of hematology and oncology and the University of Southern California. UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1884652 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1884652 *October 21, 2010* A delegation of scientists representing the California NanoSystems Institute and UCLA recently visited with colleagues at the Zhejiang California International NanoSystems Institute at Zhejiang University in China. The delegation included Paul S. Weiss, Director of the California NanoSystems Institute, Fred Kavli Chair in NanoSystems Sciences and Distinguished Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry and Materials Science Engineering; Leonard H. Rome, Senior Associate Dean for Research at the David Geffen School of Medicine, Associate Director of CNSI and Professor of Biological Chemistry; and Ren Sun, Senior Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; Associate Vice Provost, International Institute and Director of the CSST program. Zhejiang California International NanoSystems Institute (ZCNI) is a first of its kind research and technology innovation platform in China established in June, 2005 at Hangzhou, Zhejiang, which is the joint effort among Zhejiang Provincial Government, Zhejiang University (ZJU), California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), and whose mission is to accelerate the application of nanotechnology in biology, medicine, material, information technology, and chemistry. ZCNI strives to become the catalyst of the integration of academics and industry, the accelerator of the development of Zhejiang science and technology and the new engine of the evolution of Zhejiang society and economy. For more information about the Zhejiang California International NanoSystems Institute at Zhejiang University, visit: http://www.zcni.zju.edu.cn/en/main_en.html[1] [IMAGE: ] (Left to Right: Prof. Ren Sun, Prof. Leonard Rome, Prof. Paul Weiss, Prof. Yang Hui, Prof. Wu Lan, Dr. Zhao Lingyun, and Prof. Zhang Qilong) [1] Wed, 27 Oct 2010 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1884855 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1884855 The Board of Trustees of the Gordon Research Conferences has named CNSI Director Paul Weiss[1] the Alexander M. Cruickshank Lecturer in the Physical Sciences for 2011. Cruickshank lecturers are appointed annually in one of the three principal sub disciplines of the conferences the Biological, Chemical, and Physical Sciences. Weiss, the Fred Kavli Chair in NanoSystems Sciences, will present his lecture in July at the Gordon Research Conference on Clusters, Nanocrystals & Nanostructures at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA. The Gordon Research Conferences were initiated by Dr. Neil E. Gordon, of the Johns Hopkins University, who recognized in the late 1920s the difficulty in establishing good, direct communication between scientists, whether working in the same subject area or in interdisciplinary research. The Gordon Research Conferences promote discussions and the free exchange of ideas at the research frontiers of the biological, chemical and physical sciences. Scientists with common professional interests come together for a full week of intense discussion and examination of the most advanced aspects of their field. These Conferences provide a valuable means of disseminating information and ideas in a way that cannot be achieved through the usual channels of communication publications and presentations at large scientific meetings. The Board of Trustees of the Gordon Research Conferences established the Alexander M. Cruickshank Lectures to honor the many years of service to the organization by the former director, Dr. A.M. Cruickshank. Visit the Gordon Research Conferences website[2] for more information about the Alexander M. Cruickshank Lectures. [1] [2] Wed, 27 Oct 2010 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1883910 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1883910 UCLA further enhances its credentials as an interdisciplinary center of research with the opening of the Terasaki Life Sciences building. The building features open laboratories designed to increase interactions among scientists, and integrates such fields as cell biology, molecular biology, computational biology, genomics, bioinformatics, stem cell biology, evolutionary biology, physiology and cognitive neuroscience. One of the buildings special features is the newly launched Broad Stem Cell Research Center-California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Laboratory, on the third floor, which conducts human stem cell research under the leadership of Dr. Owen Witte[1], director of the UCLA's Broad Stem Cell Research Center, a researcher at CNSI, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. The CIRM, created by the passage of California's Proposition 71 in November 2004, administers state funds for stem cell research. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] for the full story on the Terasaki Life Sciences Building. Faculty video interviews[3] with UCLA Life Scientists, including CNSI researchers Matteo Pelligrini[4] and Owen Witte. [1] [2] [3] [4] Tue, 26 Oct 2010 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1883914 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1883914 Three young CNSI researchers in the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science are opening up new avenues of inquiry and developing new tools for the precise control of nanoparticles, figuring out new ways to debug the brain circuit and building ultrasensitive biosensors for the early detection of disease. For their pioneering work, Dino Di Carlo[1], assistant professor of bioengineering, Yu Huang[2], assistant professor of materials science, and Jin Hyung Lee[3], assistant professor of electrical engineering, have been named recipients of the 2010 NIH Directors New Innovator Award. Given to young faculty by the National Institutes of Health, the award includes funding of $1.5 million over five years for each investigator to support highly innovative research. Visit UCLA Today[4] to read about the research of all three young innovators. [1] [2] [3] [4] Tue, 26 Oct 2010 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1884078 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1884078 *Clean Green IGERT Open House* At the California NanoSystems Institute Monday, November 22, 2010 5:00 7:00 pm RSVP to mariko@cnsi.ucla.edu[1] Thinking about applying to graduate school? Learn about programs available for interdisciplinary graduate education spanning science, technology, engineering, mathematics and social sciences Undergraduates Welcome! *Clean-Green IGERT (CGI) Mission Statement* - Train U.S. scientists and engineers for leadership roles in clean energy sector - Impact economic growth in Los Angeles - Address challenge of meeting increasing energy needs without further negative environmental affect - Community programs designed to educate and involve future scientists and leaders in K-12 Open House Presentations by the following Clean Green research groups: Diana Huffaker (PI), Electrical Engineering Laurent Pilon (co-PI), Materials Science & Engineering Magali Delmas (co-PI), Institute of the Environment Kang Wang (co-PI), Electrical Engineering Yang Yang (co-PI), Materials Science & Engineering Bruce Dunn, Materials Science & Engineering Sarah Tolbert, Chemistry Richard Kaner, Chemistry, Materials Science & Engineering Eric Hoek, Civil & Environmental Engineering Chang-Jin Kim, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering James C. Liao, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Richard Wirz, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Clean Green Fellowship Program Flyer (PDF)[2] Participation includes academic, research training, and professional development with scientific, business and policy emphasis. See flyer for fellowship benefits. Clean Energy for Green Industry Fellowship Program is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) http://www.igert.org/[3] Clean Green IGERT website: http://cleanenergy.ucla.edu/[4] RSVP to mariko@cnsi.ucla.edu[5] [IMAGE: ] [IMAGE: ] [IMAGE: ][6] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Tue, 26 Oct 2010 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1883919 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1883919 Researchers in the radiation oncology department at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have received a $14 million grant to develop countermeasures that will help treat damage caused by radiological or nuclear attacks, such as a dirty bomb attack. The grant, awarded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is a renewal of a five-year, $14 million grant first awarded to UCLA in 2005. The grant is part of a major research effort to develop medical products to diagnose, prevent and treat the short- and long-term consequences of radiation exposure after a radiological or nuclear terrorist attack. The project is led by William McBride, a professor of radiation oncology and a Jonsson Cancer Center researcher, and his team, which includes Jonsson Cancer Center researchers Robert Schiestl and Genhong Cheng[1], who is also a researcher at CNSI. The team has already identified several compounds that may be effective in combating radiation damage, including the antibiotic tetracycline. They will continue to use high-throughput screening to search for other compounds that may be useful. Read the full story at the UCLA Newsroom[2]. [1] [2] Tue, 26 Oct 2010 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1880492 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1880492 Researchers at UCLA are creating tiny batteries the size of a grain of salt. These miniature energy storage devices are hoped to one day power the electronics and mechanical components of tiny micro- to nano-scale devices. One component of the system, the electrolyte that allows charge to flow between electrodes, is being designed by CNSI researcher Jane Chang[1], the William F. Seyer Chair in Materials Electrochemistry and a professor of chemical engineering at UCLAs Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. The research groups goal is to create three dimensional batteries, which because of their architecture could be vastly smaller than the currently used two dimensional batteries. CNSI researcher Bruce Dunn [2] is also on the research team, he is the Nippon Sheet Glass Chair, and a professor of materials science and engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. While other components besides the electrolyte have also been developed, they all have yet to be assembled and integrated to make a functional battery. Visit the PR Newswire[3] website to read the full story. Engineering LixAlySizO Thin Films as a Solid Electrolyte for 3D Microbatteries[4] Los Angeles Times[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1877548 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1877548 A collaborative research team with members from UCLA and UMass was awarded the Best Student Paper Award at the IEEE International Symposium on Defect and Fault Tolerance in VLSI Systems ( http://www.dfts.org/[1]). The symposium was held in Kyoto, Japan from October 6th to 8th. The paper and the research that went into it was a collaborative effort between the group of professor Chi On Chui[2] at UCLA and professor C. Andras Moritz at the University of Massachusetts. The research was sponsored by the Center for Functional Engineered Nano Architechtonics (FENA). The full reference for the award winning paper is: P. Narayanan, M. Leuchtenburg, J. Kina, P. Joshi, P. Panchapakeshan, C. O. Chui, and C. A. Moritz, "Parameter Variability in Nanoscale Fabrics: Bottom-Up Integrated Exploration," The 25th IEEE Int. on Symp. Defect and Fault Tolerance in VLSI Syst. (DFT'10), Kyoto, Japan, October 6-8, 2010. Chi On Chui is a CNSI researcher and an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Congratulations to both groups. [1] [2] Fri, 15 Oct 2010 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1876521 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1876521 A little bit more proverbial light has been shown on the phenomenon of scotch tape emitting X-ray light when peeled in a vacuum. Two years ago UCLA physicists led by CNSI researcher Seth Putterman[1] lit up the scientific community when they published a paper demonstrating that scotch tape is capable of producing X-rays. Their demonstration of the effect did not unveil how the X-rays are produced though. Now, a pair of papers has gone a bit further in explaining the phenomenon. A paper by Putterman, who is a professor of physics and astronomy, in _Applied Physics B: Lasers and Optics_[2] reported that bremsstrahlung radiation is the source of the X-rays, and a paper by Australian scientists in _Applied Physics Letters_[3] showed that X-rays mostly spray at a right angle to the direction the tape is pulled. Visit the ScienceNews website[4] for the full story. [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 13 Oct 2010 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1875282 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1875282 *FINDINGS:* Despite the potential benefit of automated and portable male fertility testing, the current gold standard for semen analysis involves manually counting sperm and tracking those that are moving by viewing semen samples with an optical microscope a method that is not feasible outside of a laboratory setting. In addition, automated systems capable of matching the results of manual counting have proved too bulky and expensive for widespread use. To provide a portable system capable of automatically counting sperm in the field, UCLA researchers have adapted their light-weight, lens-free telemedicine microscope for fertility testing. Through the use of a holographic imaging system, the telemedicine microscope can produce phase and amplitude images of saliva, blood, semen and other fluid samples. The system is capable of instantly counting the number of sperm in a sample, and by comparing 20 holographic images taken over 10 seconds, it can identify which are moving and which are immotile. *IMPACT:* The lens-free telemedicine microscope fills an important gap between simple male fertility tests that determine the number of sperm in a sample and more sophisticated systems that also provide information on the movement of individual sperm. This technology provides a portable, automated system for semen analysis which could be used in fertility clinics, in personal male-fertility test kits and for veterinary medicine field applications, such as stud farming and animal breeding. *AUTHORS:* Ting-Wei Su, Anthony Erlinger, Derek Tseng and Aydogan Ozcan[1]. Ozcan, the inventor of the lens-free telemedicine microscope and an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, is available for interviews. Ozcan is also a researcher at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute. For more on his research, visit http://innovate.ee.ucla.edu/[2]. *FUNDING:* This study was funded by grants from the National Science Foundation, the Office of Naval Research and the National Institutes of Health and was supported by the Okawa Foundation, the Vodafone Americas Foundation, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research. *JOURNAL:* This research was recently published in the journal Analytical Chemistry and is available online at http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ac101845q[3]. UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 11 Oct 2010 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1874061 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1874061 *Nanofabrication facility includes bio-suites to support UCLA medical research* The California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA has opened its new Integrated Systems Nanofabrication Cleanroom (ISNC), more than doubling the amount of cleanroom space available on the Westwood campus and extending research capabilities to researchers in biology and medicine. The facility, which houses more than $8 million of state-of-the-art equipment, features 9,700 square feet of highly purified and regulated cleanroom and support space, kept free of bacteria, viruses and other contaminants. "This facility greatly enhances the nanofabrication services available to researchers," said the facility's faculty director, Kang Wang[1], the Raytheon Professor of Physical Electronics at UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and an associate director of the CNSI. "By offering unique services like bio-suites capable of maintaining stringent cleanliness for biological applications, the ISNC is an excellent resource for companies interested in product development but who do not have access to a fully outfitted cleanroom." As a shared resource facility, the ISNC is available to all researchers at UCLA, as well as those from other universities, industry and government. Like all the CNSI's core labs, the ISNC is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. After setting up an account and undergoing training, researchers can book equipment using an online reservation system. Equipped with tools like an electron-beam writer capable of fabricating nanoscale structures with device geometries as low as 10 nanometers and an ASML optical stepper capable of 0.3-micron resolution, the ISNC will also serve as a valuable resource for startup companies. Early-stage companies like those at UCLA's on-campus technology incubator at the CNSI don't have the resources to purchase millions of dollars worth of cleanroom equipment, though such equipment can be vital for their proof-of-concept work. The ISNC is divided into 12 "aisles," or process bays, with adjacent support chases. Four of the aisles are rated at Class 100, meaning that each cubic foot of air contains less than 100 particles larger than 0.5 microns. To minimize contamination, the cleanroom has only one point of entry; researchers enter through a gowning area, where they are outfitted with a full cleanroom suit, including booties, gloves and a hood. The facility also includes six Class 1,000 aisles and two integrated bio-suite bays with their own isolated air supply for working with cells, tissues and other biological samples. The integrated bio-suites were developed as a tool for researchers at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, both located on campus, less than five minutes from the CNSI. This proximity makes it is easy to transport live samples such as cells directly into the cleanroom. "The bio-suites will be a vital tool for medical researchers," said CNSI associate director Leonard H. Rome[2], who is also senior associate dean for research at the Geffen School of Medicine and a professor of biological chemistry. "Nanotherapeutics is a very promising field, and the opening of the cleanroom will help bring medical diagnostics devices and treatments from research settings into actual use in medicine." For researchers working on medical devices that must operate in biological environments, the ISNC provides a unique opportunity to do all the patterning and biological processes in a cleanroom environment, avoiding the problems of contamination encountered when moving devices between laboratories. "The ISNC is up and running thanks to generous support from Intel, one of CNSI's founding industry partners," said Paul S. Weiss[3], CNSI director and Fred Kavli Professor of Nanosystems Sciences at UCLA. "Successes like this highlight CNSI's close collaborations with industry partners to commercialize nanoscience and nanotechnology research at UCLA." In addition to support from Intel, significant equipment contributions came from ASML, Micron Technology Inc. and International Rectifier. To maximize the cleanroom services offered on campus, the ISNC was developed as a complementary facility to the Nanoelectronics Research Facility (NRF) at UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. Each of these cleanrooms has its unique strengths the ISNC with biological processes and patterning smaller features, and the NRF with electronics research. The partnership also provides ISNC staff with a valuable resource, as they are able to tap into the NRF staff's 20 years of experience. UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Fri, 08 Oct 2010 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1873593 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1873593 Many drug-resistant infections are the result of bacterial biofilms, structured aggregates of bacteria that live on surfaces and that are extremely resistant to environmental stresses. These biofilms impact human health in many ways cystic fibrosis, for example, is a disease in which patients die from airway bacterial biofilm infections that are invulnerable to even the most potent antibiotics. Now, UCLA researchers and their colleagues have found that during the initial stages of biofilm formation, bacteria can actually stand upright and "walk" as part of their adaptation to a surface. "Bacteria exist in two physiological states: the free-swimming, single-celled planktonic state and the surface-mounted biofilm state, a dense, structured, community of cells governed by their own sociology," said Gerard Wong[1], a professor of bioengineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. In the study, which appears in the current issue of the journal Science[2], Wong and his research group describe the new surface adaptation the "walking" motility mechanism, which was observed in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a biofilm-forming pathogen partly responsible for the lethal infections in cystic fibrosis. Read the full story at the UCLA Newsroom[3]. [1] [2] [3] Thu, 07 Oct 2010 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1873087 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1873087 The 14th Annual National Conference of the National Institutes of Health Centers for AIDS Research (CFAR) will be held in Los Angeles on November 3rd and 4th, 2010. Distinguished speakers will present the most cutting-edge research on multiple disciplines including basic science, clinical research, and international and behavioral research perspectives. The HIV and Stem Cell Conference along with the CFAR Scientific Symposium will provide synergy in that they highlight one of the major scientific themes of the UCLA Center for AIDS Research, which is stem cell therapeutic approaches to HIV infection. The Conference comprises three full days of meetings: - Wednesday, November 3: *CFAR Administrators Meeting* UCLA California Nanosystems Institute (CNSI) - Wednesday, November 3: *CFAR External Scientific Advisory Meeting* Biomedical Sciences Research Building, Room 483 - Wednesday, November 3: *HIV and Stem Cell Conference* Biomedical Sciences Research Building, Room 154 - Wednesday, November 3: *Pan-Africa CFAR Working Group Meeting* UCLA Faculty Center, Hacienda Room - Thursday, November 4: *CFAR Scientific Symposium* UCLA California Nanosystems Institute (CNSI) - Friday, November 5: *CFAR Directors Business Meeting* UCLA Faculty Center, California Conference Room Registration and complete details available at CFAR Conference website: http://cfarconference2010.org/[1] [1] Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1873091 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1873091 The U.S. Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science $6 million to support the construction of the new state-of-the-art Western Institute of Nanotechnology on Green Engineering and Metrology (WIN-GEM). The new building will provide core research facilities that will serve UCLA Engineering's "centers of excellence" dedicated to advancing energy conservation technologies for microelectronics and nanotechnology. The principal investigator for WIN-GEM is Kang Wang[1], Ratheon Chair Professor in physical electronics, and an associate director of CNSI. The co-principal investigator is Jane Chang[2], William F. Seyer Chair in Materials Electrochemistry, chemical and biomolecular engineering, and a researcher at CNSI. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[3] for the full story. [1] [2] [3] Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1873097 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1873097 CNSI Director Paul Weiss[1] has been elected as an Honorary Fellow of the Chinese Chemical Society (CCS) at its Board voting. An Honorary Fellow designation is the highest honor that CCS bestows on an individual and it is only conferred on eminent chemists who have made significant contributions towards the advancement of chemistry. As a rule, it is only awarded to 100 individuals worldwide. Weiss was selected due to his assistance of the progress of chemistry in China and for his efforts to facilitate international cooperation and exchanges in the field of chemistry, particularly between China and other parts of the world. He was notified of his election by Chunli Bai, President of the Chinese Chemical Society and Executive Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Weiss is the Fred Kavli Chair in NanoSystems Sciences at UCLA and a distinguished professor of both chemistry & biochemistry and materials science & engineering. [1] Wed, 06 Oct 2010 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1872342 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1872342 Natural gas-powered vehicles may soon be able to travel double the distance on a single tank due to metal organic frameworks (MOFs). BASF research scientists have developed an innovative method for solvent-free industrial-scale manufacture of those materials for better gas storage. MOFs produced by the new method are currently in trials for natural gas storage in heavy duty vehicles. With their special structure and large surface area, MOFs open up new opportunities for alternative propulsion systems, in catalysis, as nanoreactors, and in drug delivery, making them hugely interesting both for industry and university research. MOFs are highly crystalline structures with nanometer-sized pores that allow them to store hydrogen and other high-energy gases. For the past ten years BASF has been working with UCLA chemist Omar Yaghi[1], the discoverer of MOFs, towards industrial-scale synthesis. Yaghi is the Christopher S. Foote Chair in Chemistry and Biochemistry, the Irving and Jean Stone Chair in Physical Sciences, and the faculty director of the Center for Reticular Chemisty at the California NanoSystems Institute. Visit the BASF website[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1871353 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1871353 During the 2009-10 academic year, which ended June 30, UCLA entered into 36 licensing agreements to commercialize novel technology; 26 were with small companies. This so-called "technology transfer" was triple that of 2007 and five times greater than a decade ago. "These startup companies are both a source of new jobs and a new source of jobs," said UCLA Vice Provost Kathryn Atchison, who oversees UCLA's Office of Intellectual Property and Industry Sponsored Research. "As these technologies mature and these companies grow, they will add to the economic development of Los Angeles, California and the nation." Take, for example, NanoH2O, an El Segundo, Calif., startup that plans to sell technology to desalination plants. The technology, which was invented by UCLA associate professor of civil and environmental engineering Eric Hoek[1], uses nanoparticles to coat filters used for water desalinization, making them more efficient. NanoH2O was originally housed at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute, in the campus's first attempt to incubate technology. This led to the development of UCLA's current technology incubator, which houses eight to 10 early-stage projects for one to two years. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Mon, 04 Oct 2010 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1868809 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1868809 Popular Mechanics has announced the winners of its sixth annual Breakthrough Awards, recognizing the innovators and products poised to change the world in the fields of technology, medicine, aviation, environmental engineering, and more. The honorees will be celebrated at a ceremony at Hearst Tower in New York City on the evening of October 5. The exclusive sponsors of this year's event are Cub Cadet and DigiKey. "From soccer balls that generate light to cell phones that diagnose medical conditions, our diverse, inspired winners are making the seemingly impossible a reality," says James B. Meigs, editor-in-chief of Popular Mechanics. "The 2010 Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award honorees are the people and products leading the way into the future, and were thrilled to recognize their advances." Aydogan Ozcan[1] has been recognized in the Breakthrough Innovator Awards: Celebrating Innovation in Science and Technology category. Ozcan is an Assistant Professor of electrical engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute. *MOBILE HEALTHCARE: Cellphone Microscope* - *Aydogan Ozcan, University of California, Los Angeles:* Aydogan Ozcan hopes to make microscope lenses obsolete. By hacking a cellphone's software to perform the same function, Ozcan has engineered a device that can be used to diagnose disease cheaply and effectively anywhere in the world. It uses a camera's image sensor to create digital holograms of samples, such as red blood cells misshaped by the malaria parasite, which can then be analyzed instantaneously. Future apps could screen for parasites in drinking water and help monitor the health of HIV patients by counting T-cell levels in their blood. Eventually, Ozcan believes, U.S. point-of-care facilities will begin replacing expensive and time-consuming lab procedures with cellphone-based diagnostic tools as well. See all the winners at the Popular Mechanics website[2]. [1] [2] Wed, 29 Sep 2010 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1867352 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1867352 Over the next year a resident artist from Sydney, Australia, D. V. Rogers will be working on and developing his project 'LA * 2011 LA Moves: A Seismic Disaster Machine Action,' the event will coincide with the Great Shake Out in Los Angeles on October 21. This year Rogers has planned a day of Community Emergency Response Team training to take place in Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, October 16, as well as a musical performance by the USGS earthquake quartet at LACE on the evening of Thursday, October 14. Survival Research Labs will feature the new Spine Robot in the Mad Science exhibition at the Sonoma County Museum and performing live at the opening of the exhibition in Santa Rosa, California at 3:30 pm on Saturday, October 30. Visit the Fringe blog[1] for news about upcoming exhibitions. [1] Mon, 27 Sep 2010 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1867361 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1867361 The Body Computing Slam is an opportunity for up-and-coming networked medicine research teams, project groups, companies, and thought teams to inject their work into the consciousness of Body Computing. The competition took place the evening of September 23rd, the night before the Body Computing Conference 4.0 at USC. Presentations, which are fast-paced and entertaining, were judged by a professional panel who weighed in on each group. An audience vote determined Aydogan Ozcan[1] as the winner, for which he received the illustrious Body Computing Slam top prize. Ozcan, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute, was awarded the prize for his lensfree microscope technology which connects to cell phones to become a mobile medical diagnostic device. For further information visit the Body Computing Conference website[2] . For further information on Ozcan's lensfree microscope technology visit this story[3]. [1] [2] [3] Mon, 27 Sep 2010 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1867454 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1867454 Researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered a new cell signaling pathway that controls cell growth and development a pathway that, when defective, helps promote the formation of several major forms of human cancer, including lymphoma and leukemia. The new pathway, part of a global DNA damage response, turns off 136 genes, including some known to cause cancer, because, when unchecked, they can promote aberrant cell division. The senior author on the study is Dr. Michael Teitell[1], a UCLA professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and a researcher at the Jonsson Cancer Center and the California NanoSystems Institute. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] for the full story. The study appears in the Sept. 24 issue of the peer-reviewed journal Molecular Cell[3]. [1] [2] [3] Mon, 27 Sep 2010 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1866790 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1866790 Omar Yaghi[1] has been named to the shortlist of chemists predicted to win a Nobel Prize in 2010. Each year Thomson Reuters, the information and media giant, analyzes highly cited research papers in physics, chemistry, economics, and physiology or medicine to generate three or four likely candidates to win Nobel Prizes. Being selected for the shortlist doesnt guarantee anything, Nobel selections are notoriously difficult to predict. From 2002 to 2008 Thomson Reuters correctly predicted winners less than one fifth of the time. Yaghi is the Christopher S. Foote Chair in Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Irving and Jean Stone Chair in Physical Sciences at UCLA, a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute, and the Faculty Director of the Center for Reticular Chemistry at CNSI. See the predictions at Thomson Reuters[2] Scientific American[3] also has a write-up on the predictions [1] [2] [3] Thu, 23 Sep 2010 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1866369 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1866369 A feature in the technology section of BBC News highlights several promising projects to modify standard cell phones perform sophisticated scientific tasks. Two of the technologies detailed were a clip-on for a cell phone able to diagnose eye conditions such as nearsightedness and farsightedness; and a handset modification which transforms a cell phone into a microscope, replacing bulky and expensive lenses with innovative engineering and computer software. The lens-free microscope was invented by Aydogan Ozcan[1], an assistant professor of electrical engineering at UCLAs Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute. Visit the BBC website[2] to read the full story. [1] [2] Wed, 22 Sep 2010 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1865604 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1865604 Aydogan Ozcan[1] has been selected to the inaugural class of Emerging Investigators by the journal Lab on a Chip, a publication of the UK's Royal Society of Chemistry. Lab on a Chip featured the Emerging Investigators in a themed issue in August which included a short interview with each investigator and publication of their latest research. The profile and interview of Ozcan from Lab on a Chip is below, it can also be viewed by downloading this PDF[2]. Ozcan is an assistant professor of electrical engineering at UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute. The Ozcan group's publication in the themed Lab on a Chip issue investigates the use of the lensfree imaging system[3] invented by Ozcan as a mobile water quality screening tool. The lensfree imager operates as a holographic microscope capable of imaging and detecting pathogenic protozoan parasites at low concentration levels. Because the imager does does not have the size constraint of a lens, Ozcan has miniaturized it enough to be compatible with and fit onto a cell phone. Interfacing with the cell phone is the key element allowing for the use of this technology in the field. Wireless transmission reduces the amount of software and hardware necessary in the field and allows results to be sent instantly to central hospitals. Cellphone networks have also become ubiquitous globally, penetrating even the most underdeveloped countries. See the full publication at Lab on a Chip[4] *Profile & Interview from Lab on a Chip Emerging Investigators* Dr Aydogan Ozcan received his Ph.D. degree at Stanford University Electrical Engineering Department. He is currently an Assistant Professor at UCLA, leading the Bio- and Nano-Photonics Laboratory ( http://innovate.ee.ucla.edu/[5]) at the Electrical Engineering Department. Dr Ozcan holds 17 issued patents and another 8 pending patent applications; and is the author of one book and the co-author of more than 110 peer-reviewed research articles in major scientific journals and conferences. Dr Ozcan received several awards including NSF CAREER Award, NIH Director's New Innovator Award, ONR Young Investigator Award, IEEE Photonics Society Young Investigator Award and MIT's TR35 Award for his seminal contributions to near-field & onchip imaging, and telemedicine based diagnostics. Dr Ozcan is also the recipient of the National Geographic Emerging Explorer Award, Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Award, Netexplorateur Award, the Wireless Innovation Award given by the Vodafone Americas Foundation, as well as the Okawa Foundation Award. (Q) What is your view of the "killer application"? (A) One of the most important signs of a killer application is that you should be able to explain it to your grandparents in an elevator within less than a minute, and still deeply excite them with the prospects of your work. If this combines with solid research and development validating those prospects, this would indeed be a successful killer application of an idea. (Q) What are the main difficulties you face working in this area of research? (A) Addressing global health challenges, especially in third-world settings, requires a different mindset. You cannot readily assume that most of the well established technologies that shaped our thinking for decades would be available or would even be functioning in such resource poor settings. As a result, we need to detach ourselves from conventional designs, and rethink the solution for these challenges. This often requires an interdisciplinary effort, which needs both depth and breadth in various fields to provide a well engineered solution. (Q) What do you think the future holds for this field and these technologies? (A) One of the most impactful things that the consumer electronics market brought to our lives is the cellphone. Benefiting from this revolutionary platform, telemedicine will surely help us to address several global health challenges that we face today; and in this regard we will see new telemedicine based technologies that aim to make the most out of this digital platform. Hopefully, the end result will make life simpler for everyone, helping to close the gaps between the developed and the developing nations. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Mon, 20 Sep 2010 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1864082 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1864082 The California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA and the MESA+ Institute of Nanotechnology at the University of Twente in the Netherlands have signed a memorandum of understanding to use their combined intellectual and physical resources to collaborate on projects that apply nanotechnology to problems of global concern in health and the environment. Two of the world's leading institutes of nanoscience and nanotechnology, the CNSI and MESA+ are helping to expand the understanding of the nature and behavior of phenomena at the nanoscale. Through joint research projects and educational exchanges, the institutes will focus special attention on nanoelectronics, medical diagnostic and therapeutic devices, and new materials. Collaborative efforts will be undertaken to commercialize the research, moving it from the lab to the marketplace in order to maximize the economic and social benefits of discoveries and devices. The memorandum was signed Sept. 14 by CNSI director Paul S. Weiss[1] and MESA+ scientific director Dave Blank at a ceremony held at the University of Twente in conjunction with the MESA+ annual research conference. "We're excited to formalize our ties with MESA+, a preeminent center of nanoscience and nanotechnology," said Weiss, who holds UCLA's Fred Kavli Chair in Nanosystems Sciences. "CNSI seeks to encourage greater participation in the global scientific community, and this partnership will broaden the research capabilities of faculty at CNSI and UCLA. We look forward to collaborating on innovative research that will result in new technologies for improved therapeutics." "MESA+ and CNSI are both using nanoscience to explore biological operations at the cellular level," said Blank, noting the shared research agendas of the two institutes. "Our discoveries will contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and viral diseases. This agreement will be a valuable means of generating collaborations among researchers and exchanges of graduate students. From these joint efforts are certain to flow discoveries and inventions having great social and economic value for the Netherlands and the United States, and for the entire world." The CNSI has become an international center for nanoscience and nanotechnology with links to universities and other institutions throughout the world, and it serves as a hub for exchanges between scientists engaged in nanoscale research in Asia and Europe. The institute currently has formal agreements with major universities and institutes in Japan, Korea, the United Kingdom, Germany and Singapore. The MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology[2] is one of the world's largest nanotech research facilities, employing 500 people, 275 of whom are Ph.D.s or postdoctoral scholars. It includes 1,250 square meters of clean-room space, combined with a wide array of advanced instrumentation and other equipment. MESA+ emphasizes interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary projects and encourages and supports cooperative activities among researchers through a unique, flexible administrative structure. The institute is designed to allow physicists, electrical engineers, chemists and mathematicians to work collaboratively on problems dealing with the environment, energy and drug delivery. Their efforts are enhanced by cooperative research arrangements with scientists and institutions throughout the world. The MESA+ environment also fosters the establishment and maturation of startups in the micro- and nano-industries. Through a special technology-transfer program, the institute opens its research facilities and clean-room space to small and medium-sized enterprises. This policy has resulted in the creation of more than 40 high-tech startups. UCLA Newsroom[3] Signing Ceremony Photo Album[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Fri, 17 Sep 2010 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1863588 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1863588 Not everyone heard about UCLA's first Volunteer Day in 2009 ahead of time, but after 5,000 new Bruins cleaned Los Angeles from beaches to elementary schools to hiking trails, it was impossible not to hear about it and impossible not to want to participate in the next one, according to some of this year's team leaders. "Everyone wants to help out," said Erica Eddings, an outreach program coordinator in UCLA's California Nanosystems Institute (CNSI). All 30 staffers at CNSI have signed up to be site leaders for the second annual Volunteer Day this Tuesday, Sept. 21. "Even when we didn't know what project we would be working on, once we heard about last year's Volunteer Day, we all agreed we wanted to be part of this one." An estimated 5,000 freshmen and transfer students will fan out across Los Angeles County on Tuesday, led by almost 1,000 staff, faculty, returning students and alumni for UCLA's second annual Volunteer Day [1], the biggest student volunteer event of its kind. In a feat of logistics calling for military precision, ROTC cadets will guide the 6,000 volunteers onto 100 buses, which will transport them to 22 sites countywide. CNSI's volunteer team represents the largest group from a single campus unit, so UCLA's Volunteer Center[2] put them in charge of the day's largest project: coordinating roughly 1,000 students in beach cleanups from Malibu to Redondo Beach. They'll give 101 lifeguard tower railings a fresh coat of paint, pick up litter, paint a mural at the Santa Monica Pier and more. "It's huge," said Jennifer Marcus, CNSI's marketing and communications director and one of the center's volunteers. "We're really excited about it. CNSI has a reputation for planning a lot of events and getting involved in big, organized projects conferences, seminar series, student activities but this is by far the largest." The hallways are buzzing with talk about Volunteer Day, said Eddings. "We even had a day when we all went to check out the sites: where to meet our bus, which towers are ours," she said. "It was really helpful. And really cold!" Working with her colleagues will make Volunteer Day that much more meaningful, Eddings continued. "With everybody involved, it makes it feel even more fun and important," she said. "We're working with the freshmen and the campus. It's so beneficial. If every university did something like this every year, it would change so much." New employees are also getting involved. Andrea Delgado, who joined CNSI staff in August after graduating in June, jumped on board once she heard about Volunteer Day. "I was born and raised in Los Angeles, so I intend to take care of this city," Delgado said. "And it's great to have a project to work on together. It can really foster some good experiences among the staff at CNSI." Cleaning the beach feels particularly apt, she said. "People come from all over the world to see California's beaches," Delgado said. "By keeping them clean, UCLA and CNSI are really doing something good." The new Bruins will also be cleaning and painting the Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles; clearing fire-fueling brush from Griffith Park; gardening at a downtown senior center; and painting murals and doing other beautification projects at six Los Angeles Unified School District schools. UCLA's Volunteer Center, run by Antoinette Mongelli and David Bloome, coordinates the annual Volunteer Day. Last year's successful event was widely covered in the news, such as in this CBS Evening News video[3], which raised awareness for volunteers this year. Hearing about last year's projects spurred Rosina Becerra to volunteer this year. "Last year, I didn't know that much about it," said Becerra, professor in the School of Public Affairs and UCLA's outgoing vice-provost for faculty diversity and development. "But it was such a big success. So this year I thought it would be something I would really like to participate in and support. It's important for the university to be out in the community, and it's a way for me to both support the campus and participate with the students to help the community." UCLA Today[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Thu, 16 Sep 2010 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1861611 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1861611 *Integrated Systems Nanofabrication Cleanroom Grand Opening* Wednesday, October 6, 2010 9:00 am 2:30 pm @ CNSI, UCLA The California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) is pleased to announce the grand opening of the Integrated Systems Nanofabrication Cleanroom (ISNC) core laboratory. You are invited to come learn about the equipment capabilities and see the facility from 9:00am until 2:30pm on Wednesday, October 6th. For a full schedule of the day's events download the ISNC Grand Opening PDF[1], and to RSVP for the opening email cnsievents@cnsi.ucla.edu[2]. ISNC is the largest of eight CNSI Core Laboratories, comprising 9,700 square feet of cleanroom and support space on the A level of the CNSI Building. More than eight million dollars of state-of-the-art nanofabrication equipment is located in the cleanroom, including a Vistec E-Beam Writer capable of fabricating nanoscale structures on small pieces of up to six-inch diameter substrates with device geometries down to 10 nm. The cleanroom is divided into 12 aisles or suites. There are six class 1,000 process aisles, four class 100 yellow room bays for lithographic processing, and two integrated bio-suite bays with their own isolated air supply for working with cells, tissues, and other biological processes. Processes now available include electron-beam lithography, contact printing, optical projection printing, SEM analysis, sputter deposition, dry dielectric etching, and various metrology tools. Dry metal etching and electron-beam evaporation will be added in the upcoming months. ISNC is open to UC Faculty, other universities, industry, and government laboratories. Like all core labs at CNSI, the facility will be open twenty four hours a day and seven days a week. After setting up an account and being trained, users book equipment through an online reservation system. ISNC Flyer[3] (PDF) RSVP cnsievents@cnsi.ucla.edu[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Tue, 14 Sep 2010 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1857519 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1857519 The California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA has announced plans to collaborate with Hamamatsu Photonics Corp., a leading developer and manufacturer of photon detectors and camera systems, to apply nanoscience and nanotechnology to projects having global importance in health, medicine, energy and the environment. Hamamatsu will provide the CNSI with state-of-the-art photon detectors and systems and will work with CNSI researchers on new instruments to advance the field of nano-level optical imaging. Hamamatsu manufactures optical sensors, electric light sources and other similar technologies that are necessary for nanoscale research. Founded in 1953, with headquarters in Hamamatsu City, Japan, the company has established an international reputation for high-quality optical instruments, and its products are marketed throughout the world. "CNSI places great value on collaborations with industry. We are committed to strengthening our links to the private sector," said Paul S. Weiss[1], who directs the CNSI and holds UCLA's Fred Kavli Chair in Nanosystems Sciences. "CNSI will greatly benefit from this partnership with Hamamatsu. The equipment they are providing will enhance our ability to image and to manipulate particles at the nanoscale." The Hamamatsu instruments will be employed in the Macro-Scale Imaging Laboratory and the Advanced Light Microscopy/Spectroscopy core lab, two of eight shared resource facilities at the CNSI. These two core labs focus on optical imaging and advanced image-analysis techniques for the study of macromolecules, cellular dynamics and the nanoscale characterization of biomaterials, down to the single-molecule level. "These items will augment and expand our existing imaging capabilities," said Laurent Bentolila[2], scientific director of both core labs. "They will put our microscopy lab in the front ranks of research facilities using ultra-high-speed microscopy and spectroscopy and FLIM (fluorescence lifetime imaging)." "Hamamatsu welcomes this opportunity to form a substantive collaboration with researchers at UCLA and CNSI," said Akira Hiruma, president and CEO of the Hamamatsu Photonics Corp. "This connection will advance the field of photonic technologies and help find new applications for our instruments." The CNSI's laboratories contain a wide array of instruments essential to nanoscale research. These instruments are offered to the UCLA community on a shared basis and have served as a catalyst for multidisciplinary collaborations across the campus. UCLA Newsroom[3] [1] [2] [3] Wed, 08 Sep 2010 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1853974 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1853974 Graphene, a one-atom-thick layer of graphitic carbon, has great potential to make electronic devices such as radios, computers and phones faster and smaller. But its unique properties have also led to difficulties in integrating the material into such devices. In a paper published Sept. 1 in the journal Nature[1], a group of UCLA researchers demonstrate how they have overcome some of these difficulties to fabricate the fastest graphene transistor to date. With the highest known carrier mobility the speed at which electronic information is transmitted by a material graphene is a good candidate for high-speed radio-frequency electronics. But traditional techniques for fabricating the material often lead to deteriorations in device quality. The UCLA team, led by professor of chemistry and biochemistry Xiangfeng Duan[2], has developed a new fabrication process for graphene transistors using a nanowire as the self-aligned gate. Self-aligned gates are a key element in modern transistors, which are semiconductor devices used to amplify and switch electronic signals. Gates are used to switch the transistor between various states, and self-aligned gates were developed to deal with problems of misalignment encountered because of the shrinking scale of electronics. To develop the new fabrication technique, Duan teamed with two other researchers from the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, Yu Huang[3], an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Kang Wang[4], a professor of electrical engineering at the Samueli School. "This new strategy overcomes two limitations previously encountered in graphene transistors," Duan said. "First, it doesn't produce any appreciable defects in the graphene during fabrication, so the high carrier mobility is retained. Second, by using a self-aligned approach with a nanowire as the gate, the group was able to overcome alignment difficulties previously encountered and fabricate very short-channel devices with unprecedented performance." These advances allowed the team to demonstrate the highest speed graphene transistors to date, with a cutoff frequency up to 300 GHz comparable to the very best transistors from high-electron mobility materials such gallium arsenide or indium phosphide. "We are very excited about our approach and the results, and we are currently taking additional efforts to scale up the approach and further boost the speed." said Lei Liao, a postdoctoral fellow at UCLA. High-speed radio-frequency electronics may also find wide applications in microwave communication, imaging and radar technologies. Funding for this research came from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. UCLA Newsroom[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Thu, 02 Sep 2010 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1852188 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1852188 *Researchers clear hurdle on path toward gene-therapy treatment for disease* One of the most difficult aspects of working at the nanoscale is actually seeing the object being worked on. Biological structures like viruses, which are smaller than the wavelength of light, are invisible to standard optical microscopes and difficult to capture in their native form with other imaging techniques. A multidisciplinary research group at UCLA has now teamed up to not only visualize a virus but to use the results to adapt the virus so that it can deliver medication instead of disease. In a paper published last week in the journal Science[1], Hongrong Liu, a UCLA postdoctoral researcher in microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics, and colleagues reveal an atomically accurate structure of the adenovirus that shows the interactions among its protein networks. The work provides critical structural information for researchers around the world attempting to modify the adenovirus for use in vaccine and gene-therapy treatments for cancer. To modify a virus for gene therapy, researchers remove its disease-causing DNA, replace it with medications and use the virus shell, which has been optimized by millions of years of evolution, as a delivery vehicle. Lily Wu[2], a UCLA professor of molecular and medical pharmacology and co-lead author of the study, and her group have been attempting to manipulate the adenovirus for use in gene therapy, but the lack of information about receptors on the virus's surface had hampered their quest. "We are engineering viruses to deliver gene therapy for prostate and breast cancers, but previous microscopy techniques were unable to visualize the adapted viruses," Wu said. "This was like trying to a piece together the components of a car in the dark, where the only way to see if you did it correctly was to try and turn the car on." To better visualize the virus, Wu sought assistance from Hong Zhou[3], a UCLA professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics and the study's other lead author. Zhou uses cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) to produce atomically accurate three-dimensional models[4] of biological samples such as viruses. Wu, who is also a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA, learned of Zhou's work after he was jointly recruited to UCLA from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston by the UCLA Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics and UCLA's CNSI. About a year ago, once the transfer of Zhou's lab was complete, Sok Boon Koh, one of Wu's students, sought out Zhou's group for their expertise and initiated the collaboration. "This project exemplifies my excitement about being part of an institute as innovative as CNSI," Zhou said. "Not only am I able to work with state-of-the-art equipment, but because CNSI is the hub for nanotechnology research and commercialization at UCLA, I have the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues across many disciplines." Working in the Electron Imaging Center for Nanomachines[5] at the CNSI, a lab run by Zhou, the researchers used cryoEM to create a 3-D reconstruction of the human adenovirus from 31,815 individual particle images. "Because the reconstruction reveals details up to a resolution of 3.6 angstroms, we are able to build an atomic model of the entire virus, showing precisely how the viral proteins all fit together and interact," Zhou said. An angstrom is the distance between the two hydrogen atoms in a water molecule, and the entire adenovirus is about 920 angstroms in diameter. Armed with this new understanding, Wu and her group are now moving forward with their engineered versions of adenovirus to use for gene therapy treatment of cancer. "This breakthrough is a great leap forward, but there are still many obstacles to overcome," Wu said. "If our work is successful, this therapy could be used to treat most forms of cancer, but our initial efforts have focused on prostate and breast cancers because those are the two most common forms of cancer in men and women, respectively." The group is working with the adenovirus because previous research has established it as a good candidate for gene therapy due to its efficiency in delivering genetic materials inside the body. The virus shell is also a safe delivery vehicle; tests have shown that the shell does not cause cancer, a problem encountered with some other virus shells. The adenovirus is relatively non-pathogenic naturally, causing only temporary respiratory illness in 5 to 10 percent of people. CryoEM enables such a high-resolution reconstruction of biological structures because samples, in water, are imaged directly. In contrast, with X-ray crystallography (the conventional technique for atomic resolution models of biological structures), researchers grow crystal structures replicating the sample and then use diffraction to solve the crystal structure. This technique is limited because it is difficult to grow crystals for all proteins, samples for x-ray crystallography need to be very pure and uniform, and crystals of large complexes may not diffract to high resolution. These limitations resulted in critical areas of the adenovirus surface being unresolved using x-ray crystallography. The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute and the U.S. Department of Defense. UCLA Newsroom[6] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1852211 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1852211 ScienceWatch.com has named CEIN Director Andre Nel's[1] 2006 Science paper "Toxic potential of materials at the nanolevel" as the "Fast Moving Fronts" paper for September 2010 in the field of Pharmacology and Toxicology. In a new interview with Sciencewatch, Dr. Nel discusses the importance of this seminal Science paper, as well as the process that led to the formation of the NSF and EPA funded UC Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology, which is headquartered at the California NanoSystems Institute. To read the full interview, visit: http://sceincewatch.com/dr/fmf/2010/10sepfmf/10sepfmfNel/[2] ScienceWatch.com Fast Moving Fronts paper for September 2010 Pharmacology and Toxicology: Nel, A; Xia, T; Madler, L; Li, N. "Toxic potential of materials at the nanolevel[3]." Science, 311 (5761): 622-627. Feb 3, 2006. [1] [2] [3] Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1852247 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1852247 At the past four bimonthly updates, the journal ACS Nano has been named a Rising Star in the field of Chemistry, i.e., has had the highest percent increase in total citations out of any journal in this field in Essential Science Indicators from Thomson Reuters. The current record for the journal in this field is 805 papers cited a total of 5,364 times between its founding in 2007 and April 30, 2010. This figure represents a 24% increase in total citations from February to April of this year. ACS Nano is a monthly publication of the American Chemical Society. Its founding and current Editor-in-Chief is Dr. Paul S. Weiss[1], who is also the Fred Kavli Chair in NanoSystems Sciences, the Distinguished Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry and of Materials Science & Engineering, and the California Nanosystems Institute Director at the University of California, Los Angeles. Visit ScienceWatch.com[2] to read an interview with Weiss about ACS NANO's history, citation achievements, and future directions. [1] [2] Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1851089 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1851089 CNSI Director Paul Weiss[1] has been awarded a certificate and medal of Molecular Science Forum Lecture Professorship by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Chemical Society. The certificate was awarded when he delivered the 68th Molecular Science Forum Lecture at the Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS) on Monday, August 23rd. Weiss is the Fred Kavli Chair in NanoSystems Sciences, and a Distinguished Professor of both Chemistry & Biochemistry and Materials Science & Engineering. He was presented the certificate by Lijun Wan, Director of ICCAS. Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences[2] [1] [2] Tue, 31 Aug 2010 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1844555 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1844555 One of the main obstacles in cancer treatment is the debilitating and even potentially fatal side effects of chemotherapy. Not only do the chemotherapeutic agents affect the tumor tissue but they can also cause serious harm to healthy cells, tissues and organs. Thus, a primary objective in cancer treatment has been the development of drug carriers that can safely encapsulate, selectively deliver and controllably release the anticancer drugs only at the site of the cancer. UCLA researchers, led by CNSI members Dr. Jeffrey Zink[1], Dr. Andre Nel[2] and Dr. Fuyu Tamanoi[3], in collaboration with Dr. J. Fraser Stoddart from Northwestern University in Chicago, developed a novel nano-machine-controlled drug delivery system. The machine, a type of nanovalve, is attached to mesoporous silica nanoparticles to trap chemotherapeutic agents and other small molecules in the pores. The pores are a honeycomb-like arrangement of tubes. The nanovalves that encircle the pore openings on the particle's surface remain closed in the blood compartment but open autonomously when the nanoparticles enter the cancer cell. The intracellular opening and unloading of the particles' drug content is governed by a pH change in the cellular compartment that is responsible for taking the particles into the cell by pinching off from the surface membrane. This uptake compartment makes use of an acid pump that releases the funnel-shaped nanovalve from each attachment site to the pore opening. Thus, with the valve open, the cancer drug is specifically released inside the cancer cell, leading to cell death. The addition of a biological responsive nanovalve to the mesoporous drug delivery platform represents the first example of a pH-responsive silica nanoparticle that can be used for cancer drug delivery. By combining this feature with previously published data from the same group that uses proteins or other biological targeting molecules attached to the particle to seek out cancer cells, a delivery system that can avoid the release of chemotherapeutic agents in the blood and target and control delivery to the tumor site has been achieved. The development of a nanovalve-functionalized pH-responsive silica nanoparticle delivery system could potentially improve the efficacy and safety of chemotherapy. The researchers are currently conducting animal studies to demonstrate the efficacy and safety profile of this drug delivery system in intact animals. Experiments for the research project were performed by Drs. Huan Meng and Tian Xia in Division of NanoMedicine, Department of Medicine, and UCLA graduate student Min Xue in Department of Chemistry. The research team also involved Prof. Fuyu Tamanoi from Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, and Fraser Stoddard, a professor of chemistry at Northwestern University who began his collaboration with Zink while he was a professor of chemistry at UCLA. The paper is published on the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS)[4]. [1] [2] [3] [4] Thu, 19 Aug 2010 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1841218 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1841218 UCLA researchers have developed a spray deposition technique to fabricate polymer solar cells, an inexpensive and flexible alternative to the current standard silicon solar cells. The group, lead by Yang Yang[1] from materials science and engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, published their method in the journal _ACS Nano_[2]. The new UCLA technique is an advance from previous methods because it is not only capable of delivering large-area, uniform polymer thin films, but is also very controllable. This new level of control allows for the construction of novel device structure not previously possible. Prof. Yang is a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) and Faculty Director of the Nano Renewable Energy Center at CNSI. Visit Nanowerk.com[3] to read the full story. [1] [2] [3] Fri, 13 Aug 2010 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1839515 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1839515 *ACS On Campus: USC* Join ACS Publications and the Seaver Science Library for ACS on Campus: USC September 23 & 24 Download the save-the-date flyer[1] (PDF) for a schedule and speaker information. Co-Host: *Norah Xiao*, Science and Engineering Librarian, University of Southern California Libraries Speakers Include: *Marinda Wu*, ACS Board Member, Career Consultant, formerly with Dow Chemical *Sonja Krane*, Managing Editor, _Journal of the American Chemical Society_ *Michael Torrice*, Assistant Editor, _Chemical & Engineering News_ Paul Weiss[2], Editor-in-Chief, _ACS Nano_, UCLA Miguel Garcia-Garibay[3], Associate Editor, _Journal of the American Chemical Society_, UCLA Sign up for resume review with ACS Career Consultant, Dr. Marinda Wu through Michele Dea in the USC Chemistry Department. Email michele@usc.edu[4] to sign up. ALL events require RSVP at pubs.acs.org/r/acsoc[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Wed, 11 Aug 2010 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1838017 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1838017 Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) have been theoretically predicted to have a very large magnetoresistance, and a group from UCLA has now experimentally shown that they in fact do. Magnetoresistance is the property of a material to change the value of its electrical resistance when an external magnetic field is applied to it. The UCLA study was published in _Nature Nanotechnology_ as an advanced online publication. GNRs are thin strips of graphene, or unrolled single-walled carbon nanotubes, and have been theorized as a possible alternative to copper for integrated circuit interconnects. To show the electrical transport characteristics, the UCLA team fabricated graphene nanoribbon field-effect transistors (FET). Authors of the paper include Alexandros Shailos[1], the Technical Director of the Center for Quantum Research at CNSI; Kang Wang[2] and Yu Huang[3] from the departments of electrical engineering and materials science & engineering respectively at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science; and Xiangfeng Duan[4] from the department of chemistry & biochemistry. Prof. Wang is an Associate Director of CNSI, and Profs Huang and Duan are both researchers at CNSI. _Nature Nanotechnology_[5] (Subscription Required) Very large magnetoresistance in graphene nanoribbons[6] (PDF) [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Tue, 10 Aug 2010 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1837474 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1837474 Researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and the departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine have uncovered a role for an essential cell protein in shuttling RNA into the mitochondria, the energy-producing "power plant" of the cell. They show a new role for a protein called polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPASE) in regulating the import of RNA into mitochondria. The study appeared Aug. 5, 2010, in the peer-reviewed journal Cell[1]. "This discovery tells us that PNPASE regulates the energy producing function of mitochondria by mediating cytoplasmic RNA import," said Dr. Michael Teitell[2], a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, a Jonsson Cancer Center researcher and co-senior author of the study. "The study yields new insight for how cells function at a very fundamental level. This information provides a potential new pathway to control mitochondrial energy production and possibly impact the growth of cells, including certain types of cancer cells." Dr. Teitell is also a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute. Visit the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center website[3] to read the full story. [1] [2] [3] Mon, 09 Aug 2010 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1837544 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1837544 Working with the unique nanoscience capabilities of the Molecular Foundry at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, a multi-institutional team of researchers has developed the first model of signal-to-noise-ratios for low frequency noises in graphene on silica. Their results show noise patterns that run just the opposite of noise patterns in other electronic materials. The researchers, who hope to use this info to develop next-generation electronic devices using graphene, published their study in the journal Nano Letters[1]. The study's lead author is Guangyu Xu, from electrical engineering at UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and the two corresponding authors are Yuegang Zhang, a Berkeley Lab materials scientist, and Kang Wang[2], from the electrical engineering department and an Associate Director of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. Visit the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory website[3] for the full story. [1] [2] [3] Mon, 09 Aug 2010 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1837549 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1837549 *New nanomaterial could improve therapeutics and imaging in cancer treatment* Scientists from UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute and Korea's Yonsei University have developed an innovative method that enables nanomachines to release drugs inside living cancer cells when activated remotely by an oscillating magnetic field. The new system the first to utilize a class of porous nanomaterials driven by a magnetic core has the potential to improve both targeted drug-delivery and magnetic resonance imaging in the treatment of cancer and other diseases. The research appears in the July issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society[1]. In recent years, cancer research has increasingly focused on developing therapies that, unlike chemotherapy, target only cancer cells while leaving healthy cells unharmed. To that end, scientists have created nanomachines that can trap and release drug molecules from pores directly into individual cancer cells in response to a stimulus. While many methods have been created for controlling how and when pores load and unload their cargos, for therapeutic applications, an external and noninvasive method of activation is preferable for the most effective results. The new method, developed by the research groups of Jeffrey Zink[2], a UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Jinwoo Cheon[3], a professor of chemistry at Korea's Yonsei University, uses a material that combines a framework of mesoporous silica nanoparticles with magnetic zinc-doped iron oxide nanocrystals, along with attached nanovalves that help hold drug molecules in the pores. When a magnetic-field stimulus is applied, the valves open and release the drug molecules from the pores into the target cells. "The hydrophobic nature of the interior of the pores, as well as the ability to functionalize the silica surface with hydrophilic functionalities, makes these particles attractive for anti-cancer drug delivery," Zink said. "Adding a magnetic core to the silica-based nanoparticles is of interest for its potential applications in magnetic resonance imaging, as addition of the magnetic core may make it useful as a contrast agent." For this study, nanoparticles carrying the anti-cancer drug doxorubicin were introduced to and endocytosed by breast cancer cells. When the cancer cells containing the nanoparticles were then exposed to an oscillating magnetic field, cell death occurred. "The novel magnetic-core silica nanoparticles are effective in activating nanovalves which release anti-cancer drugs when they are exposed to an oscillating magnetic field," Zink said. The magnetic-field oscillation causes the zinc-doped iron oxide nanocrystals to heat. This increased heat causes the molecular machines to activate, and the doxorubicin in the pores is delivered into the cells. "Magnetic nanocrystals are important in biomedical applications because they can be used for both therapeutics and imaging," said Cheon, director of the National Creative Research Initiative Center for Evolutionary Nanoparticles and the H.G. Underwood Professor of Chemistry and division head of the Nano-Medical National Core Research Center at Yonsei University. "The ability to deliver anti-cancer drugs only to the cancer cells without affecting healthy cells is of key importance," added Cheon who is also a visiting professor at UCLA's CNSI. Experiments for the research project were performed by UCLA graduate students Courtney Thomas and Daniel Ferris and Yonsei University graduate students Je-Hyun Lee and Eunsook Kim, who are part of the research group of professor Jeon-Soo Shin. The research team also involved Fraser Stoddard, a professor of chemistry at Northwestern University who began his collaboration with Zink while he was a professor of chemistry at UCLA. During his UCLA tenure, Stoddart served as Fred Kavli Chair of Nanosystems Sciences and director of the CNSI, positions now held by distinguished professor of chemistry Paul S. Weiss. The next step in the research will be to examine the effects _in vivo_ and to determine if it can be used to offer precise control over location of delivered drugs. The ultimate goal would be to develop this system to have applicability in treatment of cancer patients. The research received support from numerous sources including the UC Toxic Substances Training and Research Program, the National Science Foundation, the NanoMedical National Core Research Center, and the Creative Research Initiative Program of Korea. UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 09 Aug 2010 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1831876 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1831876 *The Women in Green Forum is the nation's only conference focused on women in environmental careers.* The Forum will bring together an international audience focused on environmental issues, including academic researchers, business experts, energy analysts, and technology developers. The WIGF will also appeal to regulatory agencies involved in developing the policies and legislation which will further the development and propagation of green technologies on our roads, in our homes and at our schools. Visit the Women in Green Forum website[1] for more information and to register. [1] Fri, 06 Aug 2010 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1826179 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1826179 *Technology marks advance toward predictive and personalized medicine* New technologies for the diagnosis of cancer are rapidly changing the clinical practice of oncology. As scientists learn more about the molecular basis of cancer, the development of new tools capable of multiple, inexpensive biomarker measurements on small samples of clinical tissue will become essential to the success of genetically informed and personalized cancer therapies. Researchers at UCLA have now developed a microfluidic image cytometry (MIC) platform that can measure cell-signaling pathways in brain tumor samples at the single-cell level. The new technology combines the advantages of microfluidics and microscopy-based cell imaging. The ability to make these _in vitro_ molecular measurements, or "fingerprints," marks a new advance in molecular diagnostics that could ultimately help physicians predict patient prognosis and guide personalized treatment. "The MIC is essentially a cancer diagnostic chip that can generate single-cell 'molecular fingerprints' for a small quantity of pathology samples, including brain tumor tissues," said Dr. Hsian-Rong Tseng[1], a UCLA associate professor of molecular and medical pharmacology and one of the leaders of the research. "We are exploring the use of the MIC for generating informative molecular fingerprints from rare populations of oncology samples for example, tumor stem cells." The research, which appears in the Aug. 1 issue of the journal Cancer Research[2], represents the teamwork of 35 co-authors from UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center with expertise in surgery, pathology, cancer biology, bioinformatics and diagnostic devices. Led by Tseng and Thomas Graeber[3], an assistant professor of molecular and medical pharmacology, both of whom are researchers at the Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA, the team analyzed a panel of 19 human brain tumor biopsies to show the clinical application of the MIC platform to solid tumors. The researchers also developed new bioinformatics computational and statistical techniques and algorithms that allowed them to process and analyze the data gleaned from the MIC platform's single-cell measurements. "Because the measurements are at the single-cell level, computational algorithms are then used to organize and find patterns in the thousands of measurements," Graeber said. "These patterns relate to the growth signaling pathways active in the tumor that should be targeted in genetically informed or personalized anticancer therapies." "The single-cell nature of the MIC brain tumor data presented an exciting and challenging opportunity," said Dr. Nicholas Graham, a postdoctoral scholar at the CNSI who worked out the data analysis. "To make sense of the data, we had to develop some new bioinformatics approaches that would preserve the power of single-cell analysis but allow for comparison between patients." Molecular and medical pharmacology graduate researcher Michael Masterman-Smith approached the project as a translational cancer biologist. "When we incorporated patient outcome data into our analyses and found that these 'biosignatures' clustered to reveal distinctive signaling phenomena that correlated with outcome, it got truly exciting," he said. Microscale technology platforms are finding wide application in biological assays in which careful manipulation and measurement of limited sample amounts are required, and the new MIC platform is capable of making molecular measurements on small tumor samples provided by tumor resection and biopsy using as few as 1,000 to 3,000 cells, according to the researchers. "The promise and attractiveness of this approach is the small amount of tissue needed for analysis in the face of increasing numbers of prognostic and predictive markers, and the possibility of quantifying tumor genetic heterogeneity," said Dr. William Yong, a Jonsson Cancer Center physician-scientist who led the pathology aspects of the research. "However, much work remains to validate this study with larger sample sizes and with more markers." "We are excited about the possibility of using this method to investigate responses of individual tumors to potential therapeutics, as well as to enhance our knowledge about how they become resistant to therapies," said Dr. Harley Kornblum, a physician-scientist who studies brain tumor biology and is a member of both UCLA's Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center and the Johnson Cancer Center cell biology program area. "Scientific, medical and engineering disciplines each have their own approach to problem-solving" said Dr. Jing Sun, a postdoctoral scholar at CNSI and an organic chemist. "For the innovative process to yield something useful, it must be faster, better, cheaper and of course, with microscale technologies smaller." The researchers will next apply the new platform to larger cohorts of cancer patient samples and integrate the diagnostic approach into clinical trials of molecular therapies. CytoScale Diagnostics has signed a letter of agreement regarding the technology mentioned in this paper. This study was funded by the National Cancer Institute/ National Institutes of Health (NCI/NIH) and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Tue, 03 Aug 2010 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1824431 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1824431 The National Science Foundation has awarded the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science $7.5 million to renovate its current infrastructure for use in sustainability research. Core mechanical, electrical and plumbing infrastructure at UCLA's Boelter Hall will be renovated to create state-of-the-art collaborative labs or "collaboratories" for research on renewable and alternative energy production and storage, sustainable infrastructure, and environmental engineering. "The four collaboratories will be designed to the specs with input from the faculty," said Jane Chang[1], UCLA Engineering's associate dean of research and physical resources. "The end-users will also be monitored by sensors in terms of their energy and utility consumption. This information will then be centralized to enable our fifth, 'virtual' collaboratory on embedded networked sensing. Chang, the principal investigator for the project, is the William F. Seyer Chair in Materials Electrochemistry, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and also a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Mon, 02 Aug 2010 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1814163 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1814163 CNSI Director Paul Weiss[1] received three feathers in his cap this week. First, a publication in the journal _ACS Nano_, for which he was co-lead author, was selected by _Science_ Magazine for its Editors' Choice section. In this section, each editor of _Science_ selects one publication a week from another journal to highlight. Visit the _Science_[2] website for the full story. Second, Prof. Weiss has been named a member of the second class of ACS Fellows. He and the 191 other new fellows will be honored at the society's fall national meeting in Boston at the end of August. For more information on ACS Fellows and to see the entire class visit the ACS website[3]. Third, _ACS Nano_, for which Prof. Weiss is Editor-in-Chief, was selected, for the third consecutive period, by Essential Science Indicators as a Rising Star. Essential Science Indicators, a research evaluation tool from Thomson Reuters, selects Rising Stars bi-monthly based on which scientists, institutions, countries, and journals have achieved the highest percentage increase in total volume of citations in the preceding six month period. See the list of Rising stars for March[4], May[5], and July[6] 2010. Prof. Weiss is a distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry, materials science and engineering, holds UCLA's Fred Kavli Chair in Nanosystems Sciences, is director of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA, and is the Editor-in-Chief of ACS Nano. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1814179 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1814179 Port Tech LA is looking for 25 Fundable Maritime Tech Companies to Incubate or Accelerate. Investors and Service Providers and Capital Providers, Marine Related Businesses, and other interested parties are invited to the Doubletree Hotel in San Pedro on Wednesday, September 15th to discuss incubation and acceleration of maritime tech companies. Download the flyer here[1] (PDF) Registration Instructions: *PARTICIPANTS:* send an email to John Salcedo at jsalcedo@ptdcenter.org[2] and then pay the $100 registration fee with PayPal *ENTREPRENEURS:* To request an online application, email John Salcedo at jsalcedo@ptdcenter.org[3] and then pay the $100 registration fee with PayPal Representatives from the Port of Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles, Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles, Small Business Development Centers, San Pedro Chamber of Commerce, Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, Harbor City Chamber of Commerce, Clean San Pedro, Office of Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa, Office of Council member Janice Hahn, Technoplex, Inc., and others sit on the Boards of Port Tech LA. [1] [2] [3] Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1814192 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1814192 UCLA scientists have identified for the first time a cell of origin for human prostate cancer, a discovery that could result in better predictive and diagnostic tools and the development of new and more effective targeted treatments for the disease. The researchers, from UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, proved that basal cells found in benign prostate tissue could become human prostate cancer in mice with suppressed immune systems, a finding that bucks conventional wisdom. Owen Witte[1], the senior author of the study, is a UCLA professor of microbiology, immunology & molecular genetics, a Howard Hughes Medical Institue Investigator, a Jonsson Cancer Center member, director of the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center, and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] for the full story. The study can be viewed at the _Science_ website[3] (subscription required) [1] [2] [3] Fri, 30 Jul 2010 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1810660 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1810660 Ocean Therapy Solutions (OTS), a Santa Barbara based company owned by Kevin Costner, has developed a centrifuge in partnership with Eric Hoek[1] capable of separating oil from water. The device is quickly becoming one of the main tools being used to clean up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Hoek, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute, was able to improve the efficiency of the centrifuge to the point that water emerges 99.9% pure from it, meeting Environmental Protection Agency and Coast Guard requirements. BP purchased 32 of the machines in June, and the federal government is providing assistance to Gulf Coast communities that will enable them to buy their own centrifuges. Visit the Santa Barbara Independent[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1808214 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1808214 The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), the largest organization in Europe for advancing the chemical sciences, has awarded Omar Yaghi[1] with a 2010 Centenary Prize. Yaghi, the Christopher S. Foote Chair in Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Jean Stone Chair Professor in the Physical Sciences at UCLA and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute, was awarded the prize for "his pioneering work in porous metal organic frameworks and their application in gas storage for clean energy." The RSC Centenary Prize is given to up to three candidates annually. It is awarded to outstanding chemists from overseas to give lectures in the British Isles. Prof. Yaghi will present his award lectures at Cambridge, Oxford, Liverpool, and Edinburgh Universities. Visit the Royal Society of Chemistry website[2] to read more about the Centenary Prize. [1] [2] Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1808241 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1808241 George Whitesides has been profiled in a wide-ranging piece titled "Can Nanotechnology Save Lives" in the August issue of Smithsonian magazine. Whitesides, the Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University, discusses his research in the article, and his plans to leverage his work to better society. His latest work involves the creation of a lab on a chip diagnostic tool the size of a postage stamp. This tool, made from paper, provides health workers in remote locations a way to diagnose one of 16 or so diseases by placing a drop of patient's blood or urine on the stamp to see what color it changes, and which disease that color corresponds to. Prof. Whitesides is also a member of the CNSI External Advisory Board [1]. Visit the Smithsonian website[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Wed, 28 Jul 2010 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1781243 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1781243 Presenting at the International Forum on Cancer, Materials Science and Nanotechnology videoconference, CNSI Director and Professor Paul S. Weiss[1] led a contingent of UCLA scientists sharing recent research developments in the utilization of nanotechnology for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer to scientists from Egypt. Hosted by the Egyptian Cultural and Educational Bureau in Washington, D.C., the videoconference brought together scientists, public officials, and students from four other locations: CNSI's Auditorium at UCLA in Los Angeles, CA; Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA; University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, TX; and the Egyptian National Science and Technology Information Network's (ENSTINET) Office in Cairo, Egypt. The Cultural and Educational Bureau's Director, Professor Maha M. Kamel[2], noted that the videoconference was part of an effort to strengthen scientific cooperation between the United States and Egypt, an initiative resulting from President Obama's June 2009 speech in Cairo on America's relationship with Muslim communities around the world. All of the forum participants were welcomed in a keynote by Maged L. Sherbiny[3], PhD, President, Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, who also expressed confidence in the benefits of future collaboration between the two countries and the participants of the forum. Researchers from the United States and Egypt presented novel perspectives on how nanotechnology is advancing the arsenal against cancer. Professor Weiss's presentation focused on the array of new microscopy capabilities at CNSI that allow researchers to push the envelope to 'see' and manipulate nanoparticles at unprecedented scale, enabling among other advances, the development of targeted medicines. The hope of eliminating the side effects of conventional radiation therapy by developing new targeted cancer drugs dominated much of the discussion. UCLA Professor Jeffrey I. Zink[4] described how new nanodelivery devices including mesoporous silica nanoparticles can be activated by light or distinct enzymatic combinations within a tumor to release a drug payload, which could destroy cancer cells. And Professor Fuyu Tamanoi[5] presented promising research that illustrated how mesoporous silica nanoparticles are targeting the delivery of drugs directly to a tumor with much greater accuracy and effectiveness. Both Zink and Tamanoi are researchers at UCLA's CNSI. Professor Mostafa A. El Sayed[6], currently at the Georgia Institute of Technology described his experiments with gold nanoparticles, which, when superheated by a safe laser pulse are effective at destroying cancer cells. Professor Paolo Decuzzi[7] of the University of Texas Health Science Center noted that the size, shape and surfacing of engineered nanoparticles determined their effectiveness in traversing the walls of blood vessels to reach a targeted tumor. Speaking from Washington, D.C., Dr. Piotr Grodzinski[8] of the National Cancer Institute put the problem in perspective noting that more than seven and one half million people died of cancer worldwide in 2005, the last year for which statistics are readily available. He noted that a Harvard study indicated that targeted drug delivery solutions are more effective in fighting cancer. Also from D.C., Dr. George A. Kamatsoulas[9], of the National Cancer Institute introduced the Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG), noting that simple knowledge can sometimes be the key to reducing cancer fatalities. Between 1977 and 2009, survival rates from childhood ALS rose from near 50% to over 82%. The key was analysis of case histories maintained as part of an open source database of cases. When it was noted that cases involving certain abnormalities responded well to particular drug therapy, other abnormalities required more stringent therapies. By providing easily accessible information to doctors across the US, the survival rate improved. This resonated with the Egyptian scientists, [Dr. Mostafa A. El Sayed of Cairo University and] Dr. Ahmed Galal Helmy[10] of Cairo University and Dr. Abdel-Rahman N. El Zekhri[11] of National Cancer Institute (Egypt) at Cairo University, who noted that they currently access caBig's databases in a limited fashion, but look forward to fuller access in 2011, which has been declared the US-Egypt Year of Science by US Ambassador to Egypt Margaret Scobey and Professor Hany Mahfouz Helal, Egypt's Minister of Higher Education. The Egyptian scientists welcomed the cooperation of Dr. Eric J. Novotny[12] of the Civilian's Research & Development Foundation (CRDF), which seeks to foster peace and prosperity through international scientific cooperation. Noting that the costs of research periodicals in Egypt was inordinately high, the scientists responded very favorably to the news that CRDF has relationships with International scientific publishers that can lower the cost of access to these materials as well as help Egypt to build out its scientific data infrastructure. Dr. Novotny noted that this was not a one-sided transaction. He cited three significant scientific developments: a new ceramic that aided bone tissue repair, an aerosol that is effective in the treatment of lung cancer and a new diagnostic sensor all of which were developed in nations in Southeast Asia or the Middle East. W. Edward Johansen from the Global Research & Education Network opened with an overview of the Series of Videoconferences on United States-Egypt Science as a prelude to 2011 the Year of United States-Egypt Science. Mr. Johansen presented background for this forum and moderated the event from the CNSI's Auditorium in Los Angeles. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] Mon, 19 Jul 2010 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1771196 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1771196 WaveConnex, a start-up company in the CNSI Incubator, whose contact-less electronics connection technology was accelerated for commercialization at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science's Institute for Technology Advancement (ITA), has given a gift of cash and company equity back to the engineering school. This is the first time that the school has received a gift of a companys equity. Visit the UCLA Engineering[1] website for the full story. For more information on WaveConnex visit the UCLA Newsroom[2]. WaveConnex Website[3] [1] [2] [3] Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1771282 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1771282 A new trend has emerged from synthetic biology where researchers outside the scientific mainstream are playing a role in discovery and innovation. Synthetic biology exists at the intersections of biology and engineering, and is essentially the modification or creation of new organisms. Though synthetic biology is all the rage in major research institutions across the world, there are a number of researchers involved in what has come to be termed DIYbio, or do-it-yourself biology. In January the UCLA Art | Sci Center and the California NanoSystems Institute organized a symposium on DIYbio called, Outlaw Biology. An article in the July issue of UCLA Magazine explores the contributions and implications of these DIYers, and the findings of the Outlaw Biology symposium. Download the UCLA Magazine Outlaw Biology here[1] (PDF). Visit the Outlaw Biology website[2] for further info on the symposium. [1] [2] Fri, 16 Jul 2010 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1767299 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1767299 Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles (MSNP) can be functionalized to act as a dual delivery vehicle for Dox as well as Pgp siRNA in a drug resistant cancer cell line. To improve the drug sensitivity of KB-V1 cells, UCLA researchers used phosphonate attachment to deliver the drug as well as the siRNA via a lysosomal processing pathway. This dual delivery system increased the intracellular Dox levels to the extent that it improves cytotoxic killing in this KB-V1MDR cell line. This new strategy could be an effective new approach for the treatment of cancers that develop multiple drug resistance. The research study, led by CNSI members Andre Nel[1] and Jeff Zink[2], is published in ACS Nano[3]. The design features extend the utility of MSNP as a drug delivery platform for chemotherapeutic agents. In addition to being able to deliver hydrophobic drugs such as campthothecin and paclitaxel, the researchers show that it is also possible to deliver water-soluble drugs by a packaging and release mechanism that is quite different from the phase transition principle that is involved in hydrophobic drug delivery. Read more[4] [PDF] [1] [2] [3] [4] Thu, 15 Jul 2010 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1763808 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1763808 Chemists from UCLA and South Korea report the "ultimate porosity of a nano-material," achieving world records for both porosity and carbon dioxide storage capacity in an important class of materials known as MOFs, or metal-organic frameworks. The research could lead to cleaner energy and the ability to capture heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions before they reach the atmosphere and contribute to global warming, rising sea levels and the increased acidity of oceans. The senior author on the research is Omar Yaghi[1], a UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a member of both the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA and the UCLADepartment of Energy Institute of Genomics and Proteomics[2]. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[3] for the full story. The research was published in Science[4]. [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1755344 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1755344 A delegation of Italian academics, entrepreneurs, and business people engaged in nanoscale research visited the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) on Thursday, June 24th and spent a half day meeting with CNSI scientists and touring the building. The group was introduced to research underway at CNSI in nanoscience and nanotechnology and to the resources used in support of these activities. Discussions were held regarding opportunities for collaborations, educational exchanges, and mutual sponsorship of seminars, workshops, and symposia. The visit was arranged by the Embassy of Italy in conjunction with the Italian Consulate of Los Angeles and the Italian Trade Commission. Nicola Faganello, Consul General, and Dr. Carlo Bocchi, Trade Commissioner, gave brief presentations on the current state of science and technology in Italy. At an evening reception, catered by Drago Restaurant and personally supervised by Chef/Owner Celestino Drago, the group was welcomed by Roberto Peccei, Vice Chancellor for Research at UCLA; Leonard H. Rome, Associate Director of CNSI and Senior Associate Dean for Research at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine; and Dr. Kathryn Atchison, Vice Chancellor for Intellectual Property at UCLA. The importance of establishing international research links was highlighted during the Italian's visit, as well as the leadership role CNSI has taken in this area. Mon, 12 Jul 2010 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1755412 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1755412 The Sci | Art NanoLab Summer Institute a two-week summer collaboration of UCLA's Art | Sci Center and the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) recently introduced 40 high school students to the art and science that stimulates scientific innovation. "Creativity is creativity, and whether it is used in artistic or scientific endeavors it needs to be cultivated," said James Gimzewski [1], scientific director of the Art | Sci Center and a professor of chemistry and biochemistry. "The NanoLab strives to ensure that the scientists and artists of tomorrow will be well-rounded thinkers." Guided by a team of UCLA science and art graduate students, NanoLab participants studied cutting-edge scientific research, popular culture and contemporary arts to discover connections between science and art. On the science side, the program's focus was on nanotechnology through the study of optics, materials and new devices. Daily scientific activities consisted of visits to labs like UCLA's Physics Anechoic Chamber, hands-on experiments, and meetings with world-renowned UCLA scientists including Environmental Health Sciences Professor Hilary Godwin[2] and Electrical Engineering Assistant Professor Aydogan Ozcan [3]. The artistic perspective was explored through popular culture and art projects inspired by nano and bio sciences and included visits to museums such as the Hammer Museum and Getty Center, daily sci-fi movie screenings and meetings with famous contemporary artists, including Gil Kuno[4]. "There are so many wonderful resources available at UCLA and throughout Los Angeles," said Victoria Vesna[5], artistic director of the Art | Sci Center and professor of design | media arts. "It is gratifying to be able to expose high school students to these varied trains of thought and see the amazing things their young minds can dream up." Enthusiastic students posted daily blog posts[6] about their experiences in the class and worked in teams on nano-themed final projects based on the Institute motto, "Imagine the Impossible." On July 2, program faculty and parents of the participating students were treated to a creative array of sophisticated presentations on topics ranging from clothing that morphs depending on the weather, to gene therapy for the eradication of HIV. The annual program has proven so popular that, even though enrollment is limited to high school students, requests to participate have come from people of all ages. To address this interest, organizers have posted selected videos, lectures, tutorials and more at http://nanobioart.com/nanolab/[7]. Sci | Art NanoLab is sponsored by UCLA's Art | Sci Center[8], the department of Design | Media Arts[9], and the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI). To increase collaboration opportunities, the NanoLab also runs in parallel with NanoSystems Chemistry and Engineering Research (NanoCER), a graduate program at CNSI, and the Design | Media Arts Institute high school program at the Broad Arts Center. UCLA Today[10] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Mon, 12 Jul 2010 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1745650 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1745650 *Findings hold important implications for cancer therapy* The application of nanotechnology in the field of drug delivery has attracted much attention in recent years. In cancer research, nanotechnology holds great promise for the development of targeted, localized delivery of anticancer drugs, in which only cancer cells are affected. Such targeted-therapy methods would represent a major advance over current chemotherapy, in which anticancer drugs are distributed throughout the body, attacking healthy cells along with cancer cells and causing a number of adverse side effects. By carrying out comprehensive studies on mice with human tumors, UCLA scientists have obtained results that move the research one step closer to this goal. In a paper published July 8 in the journal Small [1], researchers at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute and Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center demonstrate that mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), tiny particles with thousands of pores, can store and deliver chemotherapeutic drugs _in vivo_ and effectively suppress tumors in mice. The researchers also showed that MSNs accumulate almost exclusively in tumors after administration and that the nanoparticles are excreted from the body after they have delivered their chemotherapeutic drugs. The study was conducted jointly in the laboratories of Fuyu Tamanoi[2] , a UCLA professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics and director of the signal transduction and therapeutics program at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Jeffrey Zink[3], a UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry. Tamanoi and Zink are researchers at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) and are two of the co-directors of the CNSI's Nano Machine Center for Targeted Delivery and On-Demand Release. The lead investigator on the research is Jie Lu, a postdoctoral fellow in Tamanoi's lab. Monty Liong and Zongxi Li, researchers from Zink's lab, also contributed to this work. In the study, researchers found that MSNs circulate in the bloodstream for extended periods of time and accumulate predominantly in tumors. The tumor accumulation could be further improved by attaching a targeting moiety to MSNs, the researchers said. The treatment of mice with camptothecin-loaded MSNs led to shrinkage and regression of xenograft tumors. By the end of the treatment, the mice were essentially tumor free, and acute and long-term toxicity of MSNs to the mice was negligible. Mice with breast cancer were used in this study, but the researchers have recently obtained similar results using mice with human pancreatic cancer. "Our present study shows, for the first time, that MSNs are effective for anticancer drug delivery and that the capacity for tumor suppression is significant," Tamanoi said. "Two properties of these nanoparticles are important," Lu said. "First, their ability to accumulate in tumors is excellent. They appear to evade the surveillance mechanism that normally removes materials foreign to the body. Second, most of the nanoparticles that were injected into the mice were excreted out through urine and feces within four days. The latter results are quite interesting and might explain the low toxicity observed in the biocompatabilty experiments we conducted." Researchers at the Nano Machine Center for Targeted Delivery and On-Demand Release are modifying MSNs which are easily modifiable so that the nanoparticles can be equipped with nanomachines. For example, nanovalves are being attached at the opening of the pores to control the release of anticancer drugs. In addition, the interior of the pores is being modified so that the light-induced release of anticancer drugs can be achieved. "We can modify both the particles themselves and also the attachments on the particles in a wide variety of ways, which makes this material particularly attractive for engineering drug-delivery vehicles," Zink said. The team is now planning future research that involves testing MSNs in a variety of animal-model systems and carrying out extensive studies on the safety of MSNs. "Comprehensive investigation with practical dosages which are adequate and suitable for _in vivo_ delivery of anticancer drugs is needed before MSNs can reach clinics as a drug-delivery system," Tamanoi said. The research received support from National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. In addition, NanoPacific Holdings Inc. provided critical support for the animal experiments. UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Fri, 09 Jul 2010 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1738835 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1738835 In a podcast series called Meet the Scientist, Carl Zimmer, a regular writer for the New York Times and a contributing editor and columnist for Discover magazine, interviews James Liao[1], Chancellor's Professor in the UCLA department of chemical and biomolecular engineering and a research at the California NanoSystems Institute. Zimmer and Liao discuss Liao's work to engineer microbes to churn out high-performance fuel. Visit the MicrobeWorld[2] website to listen to the podcast. [1] [2] Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1735197 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1735197 In the development of future molecular devices, new display technologies, and "artificial muscles" in nanoelectromechanical devices, functional molecules are likely to play a primary role. Rotaxanes, one family of such molecules, are tiny, mechanically interlocked structures that consist of a dumbell-shaped molecule whose rod section is encircled by a ring. These structures behave as molecular "machines," with the ring moving along the rod from one station to another when stimulated by a chemical reaction, light or acidity. To realize the potential of these molecular machines, however, it is necessary to understand and to measure their function at the nanoscale. Previous methods for observing their operation have involved chemical measurements in solution and studying collections of them attached to surfaces, but neither has provided an accurate picture of their function in environments that are relevant to molecular-device operation. Now, a multidisciplinary team of researchers from UCLA, Northwestern University, UC Merced, Pennsylvania State University and Japan has succeeded in observing single-molecule interactions of bistable rotaxanes functioning in their native environment. The team's findings are published in the current edition of the journal ACS Nano[1]. Led by Paul Weiss[2] from UCLA and Fraser Stoddart from Northwestern University, the team developed a molecular design that firmly attached rotaxanes to a surface, enabling them to be individually examined in their native environment by a scanning tunneling microscope (STM). Using this technology, the researchers were able to record station changes by the rotaxanes' rings along their rods in response to electrochemical signals. Previously, rotaxanes had to be grouped for study because of their mobility and flexibility when attached to surfaces. And because STM instruments utilize an atomically thin tip to feel out nanoscale surfaces in much the same way a blind person reads Braille the rotaxanes' flexible nature made it difficult to study them individually. The research team's molecular design, however, helped significantly reduce this flexibility. The STM developed by the team enables much more detailed studies of molecular machines, leading to greater understanding of how they interact with their neighbors and how they might work together in nanoelectromechanical devices. Paul Weiss, distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry, holds UCLA's Fred Kavli Chair in Nanosystems Sciences and is director of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA. Fraser Stoddart is the Board of Trustees Professor of Chemistry and director of the Center for the Chemistry of Integrated Systems (CCIS) at Northwestern University. The work was funded by the National Science Foundation, the Semiconductor Research Corporation and the Kavli Foundation. UCLA Newsroom[3] [1] [2] [3] Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1718604 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1718604 A new academic study led by UCLA scientists has found that even brief exposure to ultrafine pollution particles near a Los Angeles freeway is potent enough to boost the allergic inflammation that exacerbates asthma. The research team was led by Andre Nel[1], Chief of nanomedicine at UCLA, Director of the Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology, and a researcher at CNSI, the Fred Champion Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Southern California and co-director of the Southern California Particle Center. The multicampus team also included researchers from Michigan State University and the University of California, Irvine. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] to read the full story. The research was published in AJP Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology[3] [1] [2] [3] Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1636318 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1636318 Stem cell researchers at UCLA have uncovered a previously unknown pattern in DNA methylation, an event that affects cell function by altering gene expression. The finding could have implications for preventing some cancers and correcting defects in human stem cell lines. Using high-throughput DNA sequencing to study sites on DNA where high levels of methylation occur, the team of scientists discovered a relationship between methylation and the positioning of nucleosomes, which compact and regulate access to DNA in the nucleus of a cell, said Matteo Pellegrini[1] and Steve Jacobsen, researchers with the Broad Stem Cell Research Center at UCLA and senior co-authors of the study. The researchers hope their work will lead to cancer treatments. DNA methylation patterns go awry in cancer, and by learning more about the process the researchers hope to discover how to correct it, preventing cancer. Pellegrini is an associate professor of molecular, cell and developmental biology at UCLA and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute. Jacobsen is a professor of molecular, cell and developmental biology at UCLA and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] to read the full story. The study was published in Nature[3] [1] [2] [3] Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1461002 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1461002 A group of researchers from UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering have created a new type of reverse-osmosis membranes for water desalination which resists the clogging that plagues current membranes. Reverse-osmosis membranes act as a filter, allowing water to pass through, but catching impurities such as mineral salt ions, or bacteria. Over time these impurities build up leading to clogging and membrane damage, which drives up the cost of desalination. The research team, lead by UCLA professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering Yoram Cohen[1], created a type of moving brush over their membrane which prevents particles from building up. They are now working with the UCLA Water Technology Research (WaTeR)[2] Center to test the membranes performance under field conditions. In addition to being Director of the WaTeR Center, Cohen is a Co-PI at the Center for Environmental Implications of NanoTechnology (CEIN)[3], and also a member of the California NanoSystems Institute. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[4] to read the full story. The research was published in the Journal of Materials Chemistry[5]. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Wed, 07 Apr 2010 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1439004 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1439004 Research at UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science is laying the groundwork for next generation electronic devices. The research, called spintronics, examines the use of the spin of electrons to transmit information in electronic devices. Current technology utilizes the charge of electrons, removing the need to use a charge would allow for much lower power consumption in spintronics devices. Kang Wang[1], a professor of electrical engineering at UCLA, is leading the research project. Wang is also an associate director of the California NanoSystems Institute. The Center for Functional Engineered Nano Architectronics (FENA)[2], and the Western Institute of Nanoelectronics (WIN)[3] at UCLA Engineering, two centers which funded this research, along with Intel Corp., both have laboratories in the CNSI building. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[4] for the full story. The research was published in Nature Materials[5]. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1300595 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1300595 The research team, which also included researchers from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), was led by UCLA's David Eisenberg, the Paul D. Boyer Professor of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry. They discovered the main factors causing proteins to turn into sticky, fibrous clumps that can grind cellular activity to a halt. These protein clumps are thought to lead to age-related diseases, including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and type 2 diabetes. Eisenberg's team has established that the clumping occurs when certain amino acid sequences in proteins stick to similar amino acids in other proteins forming what is called a Steric zipper that can stack tightly on top of one another, which causes the clumping. Some organisms prevent this clumping through the placement of the amino acids, or by having proteins rigid enough that the amino acids won't come into contact with each other. The HHMI team is now working to better understand the exact mechanisms employed to avoid the clumping and use that knowledge to cure human age-related diseases. David Eisenberg[1] is also the Director of the UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics & Proteomics at UCLA and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute. To read the full story, visit the HHMI website[2]. The research was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences[3]. [1] [2] [3] Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1735296 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1735296 Ahmed Zewail[1], the Linus Pauling Chair professor of chemistry and a professor of physics at the California Institute of Technology contributed an op-ed piece to the Los Angeles Times dealing with the power of science to shape global diplomacy. Prof. Zewail is also a member of the CNSI External Advisory Board. In January President Obama appointed Prof. Zewail as the US science envoy to the Middle East, and this op-ed piece reflects his plans to use the USs prominence in science to advance worldwide development. Visit the Los Angeles Times[2] to read the full story. [1] [2] Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1714249 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1714249 *Lensless cellphone microscope receives three major awards* Cell phones are accumulating a Swiss Army Knife-esqe assortment of capabilities; substituting as cameras, providing internet access, and soon operating as medical labs if Aydogan Ozcan's[1] plans come to fruition. This month's cover article of the journal Lab on a Chip[2] features the latest creation by the Ozcan group, a functioning prototype of a cell phone microscope. The lensless imaging platform behind the cell phone microscope is nearing readiness for real world trials, after receiving prestigious awards in the past month from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, National Geographic, and the National Science Foundation (NSF). "Cell phones present a tremendous opportunity in Global healthcare," remarked Ozcan, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and a researcher at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute. "We can leverage the fact that eighty percent of the world's population lives in areas covered by cell phone networks to bridge the gaps left by a lack of health care infrastructure in developing countries." That lack of health care infrastructure includes not only buildings, but also trained personnel. For telemedicine tools to effectively fill in for hospitals, the devices have to meet several criteria. They must be cheap enough for widespread use in poor areas, be simple enough for a minimally trained person to correctly operate, and be able to easily transmit information over existing cellular networks. Optical microscopes, a key diagnostic tool in hospitals, are too bulky for telemedicine applications. In optical microscopes, one of the elements which limits the miniaturization possibilities and drives up the cost is the lens. Ozcan's telemedicine microscope avoids both these constraints by capturing an image with a lensless system. This innovative engineering means that the microscope can be miniaturized (it only weighs ~1.5 ounces) to the point where it fits on most cell phones, while remaining inexpensive enough for widespread use in developing countries, costing only about ten dollars each. Images are captured through a process called diffraction, or shadow-based, imaging. An ordinary light-emitting diode (LED) from the top illuminates the sample, and the detector array already installed in cell phone cameras captures the image, recording the patterns created by the shadows resulting from the LED light scattering off of the cells in the sample. Because cells are semi-transparent, enough information is obtained from this type of imaging to detect sub-cellular elements, and to produce holographic images. By using an inexpensive LED light instead of a laser as typically required for holographic imaging, the size and cost are further reduced. The cell phone microscope is also easy to use, and versatile. Samples (blood smears or saliva) are loaded into single-use chips that easily slide into the side of the microscope. Because the microscope uses the entire detector array to capture an image and has a relatively large aperture, it has a wide imaging field-of-view. Samples do not need to be precisely aligned for images to be captured, and the chance of debris clogging the light source is lessened. Alternate uses of the technology include testing water quality in the field following a disaster like a hurricane or earthquake. The lensless imaging platform is an ideal telemedicine tool because it is so easily integrated with cell phones, which are becoming cheaper to produce while gaining sophistication. Even base models in developing countries often have cameras. Ozcan's group developed an algorithm that instantly identifies and counts red and white blood cells and microparticles in samples, a time consuming process typically done by trained technicians. The image results are then sent by the cell phone to centralized hospitals for analysis by doctors. As an alternative for people whose cell phones don't have built-in cameras, Ozcan's group also created a standalone lensless microscope that only requires a USB connection for power and to upload the captured shadow images to either a laptop or cell phone for transmission. Field tests of the cell phone microscope will begin in Africa this summer using funds received from the three major awards. In early May a proposal of Ozcan's was selected by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for a $100,000 Grand Challenges Exploration Grant; in mid May he was selected as a National Geographic Emerging Explorer, for which he will receive $10,000; and in late May he received $400,000 for a CAREER award from the NSF. For more information on Ozcan's research group, visit http://innovate.ee.ucla.edu/[3]. UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1710985 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1710985 CNSI researchers Yoram Cohen[1] and Eric Hoek[2] were recently featured in an article on technology transfer from UCLA's Office of Intellectual Property & Industry Sponsored Research. They are two of the founding members of UCLA's Water Technology Research Center (WaTeR), which is dedicated to developing new technologies for fresh water production. Cohen, Director of the WaTeR Center and a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science at UCLA, is currently working on integrating reverse-osmosis desalination membranes with chemical demineralization. Using this technology, WaTeR researchers recently achieved an unprecedented 95-percent product-water recovery in desalting brackish water. Full-scale water production requires a lot of collaboration, so the WaTeR Center works with partners in industry, state and municipal water agencies, and a number of international partners to develop technologies to help areas with limited fresh water supplies. Hoek, a co-founder of the WaTeR Center and assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at UCLA, has combined nanoparticles with reverse-osmosis membranes to make them energy-efficient and fouling-resistant. His research is being commercialized by a private company, NanoH2O, which incubated at CNSI before moving into its own space in El Segundo. One of the benefits that Hoek has found from focusing his research on projects leading to end products is the extra motivation and excitement it provides his students, who have witnessed research leading to a company and now want to repeat the feat themselves. Visit the UCLA OIP website[3] for the full story. [1] [2] [3] Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1711072 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1711072 The website AZoNano.com features a series of articles called "Nanotech Thought Leaders," with input from leading nanotechnology researchers. Paul Weiss[1], a distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry, UCLA's Fred Kavli Chair in Nanosystems Sciences and director of UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute, recently contributed an article discussing work to study and control materials at the molecular and atomic level. The AZoNano.com "Nanotechnology Thought Leaders" Series is a selection of original articles that cover the key technology areas where Nanotechnology is making an impact and where it will make an increasing impact. All the articles are written by world leading experts who have been invited as recognized leaders in their fields to provide a "state of the art" contribution. Visit AZoNano.com[2] to read Prof. Weiss's full Thought Leader article. [1] [2] Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1711111 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1711111 The Final Presentations for the 2010 Sci | Art Summer Institute will be live streamed online on Friday, July 2nd from 10:00am until 1:00pm. Participants in the summer course will deliver group presentations based on what they've learned over the two week course. Visit the link below on Friday, July 2nd between 10:00am and 1:00pm to view the live presentations. Link for live streaming[1] For more info, visit the Sci | Art Summer Institute Website[2] *Schedule of Presentations* 10:00am Intro 10:30am F.A.R.T.S.: Functional Automated Roving Terraforming Structure 10:45am Morfix 11:00am iWearnano 11:15am Eradicating Diease through Nanotechnology 11:30am Nano-Optics 11:45am Nano-Tech Tattoo 12:00pm Break 12:15pm Sharing Brain Waves for Enhanced Communication 12:30pm House of the Future 12:45pm Dream Keyper [1] [2] Tue, 29 Jun 2010 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1689462 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1689462 We all want to leave smaller carbon footprints, the more we learn how harmful carbon dioxide, primarily in the form of exhaust from burning fossil fuels, can be to air quality. But imagine being able to personally claim credit for removing millions of tons of CO2 from the atmosphere. That's exactly what James C. Liao, the Chancellor's Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and member of the California NanoSystems Institute, may soon be able to boast. His technological breakthrough turning CO2 into alternative fuel was acknowledged June 21 in Washington, D.C., when he was presented with the 2010 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The awards, launched 15 years ago, promote research on and development of technologies that reduce or eliminate hazardous waste in industrial production. "It's a great honor to receive this award," Liao said after the ceremony, at which he and four other honorees were lauded by EPA chief Lisa Jackson, and by President Obama in a written congratulatory statement. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] for the complete story. [1] [1] [2] Wed, 23 Jun 2010 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1685748 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1685748 Patrick Soon-Shiong: Man on a Mission tells the inspiring story of Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D., a visionary who has conceived and created new lifesaving drugs and medical treatments in addition to transforming the model of health delivery systems. He is internationally acclaimed for transformational developments in medicine and innovative approaches to healthcare that benefit individuals from all walks of life, locally and around the world. From accompanying him on hospital rounds to interviews with patients impacted by his medical discoveries, the documentary offers a glimpse inside the world of the internationally renowned physician, surgeon, inventor, scientist, entrepreneur and philanthropist._More_[1] Airdates: Wed Jun 23, 2010 -- 8:00PM -- KCET Sun Jun 27, 2010 -- 5:00PM KCET Visit the KCET website for local listings[2] [1] [2] Tue, 22 Jun 2010 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1673230 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1673230 More than 250 faculty and graduate students attended the *Novel Nanodelivery of siRNA/miRNA Symposium* on June 10th at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. The auditorium was filled to capacity and video streaming was made available in the lobby to accommodate the over flow of attendees. Sponsored jointly by the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) and the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Signal Transduction Therapeutics Program Area, the symposium focused on highlighting recent dramatic advances concerning siRNA and miRNA including the successful delivery of siRNA in clinical settings and brought together a wide variety of researchers working with biology and medical application of these novel molecules. "One of the major issues in the use of siRNA and miRNA for therapeutic purposes is to come up with efficient methods to deliver these reagents," said UCLA's Fuyu Tamanoi[1], professor and vice chair of the department of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics. "A variety of nanodelivery vehicles can be used for this purpose and the meeting served to facilitate discussion on novel nanodelivery methods for siRNA/miRNA," added Tamanoi who was also the event organizer. Symposium Keynote Speakers were Mark Davis, Warren and Katherine Schlinger Professor of Chemical Engineering, Caltech and Antoni Ribas, Professor of Medicine Hematology/Oncology, UCLA. During the keynote address, Davis and Ribas discussed their recent paper concerning the use of targeted nanoparticles with RNA in humans published in Nature last March. Leonard H. Rome[2], CNSI associate director and senior associate dean of research for the David Geffen School of Medicine introduced the keynote speakers. Hua Yu, Professor of Cancer Immunotherapeutics & Tumor Immunology, City of Hope presented a special lecture on _In Vivo Delivery of siRNA to Immune Cells_. The program included a diverse array of speakers who presented on a variety of topical themes involving siRNA/miRNA. In addition to sessions on biology and medical applications and nanodelivery systems, a special panel discussion on industry perspectives was chaired by Earl Weinstein, associate director of the office of intellectual property at UCLA. The industry panel speakers included Stanley F. Barnett, senior investigator at Merck and Co., Inc., David Nowotnik, senior vice president R&D of Access Pharmaceutical, Thomas Schluep, chief scientific officer of Calando Pharmaceutical, and Tohru Yasukohchi, general manager of the DDS development division of NOF Corporation. During the symposium, researchers working on all aspects of siRNA and miRNA nanodelivery exhibited scientific posters of their work throughout the lobby and the fifth floor presentation space at the CNSI. The full list of speakers and their talks is available on the symposium website at http://cnsi.ctrl.ucla.edu/sirnamirna/pages/[3]. Conference Photo Gallery[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Fri, 18 Jun 2010 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1666283 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1666283 It's not enough to know everything about microbiology or atmospheric sciences to succeed in science, which today is more of a team "sport" rather than a go-it-alone pursuit. Leadership and communication skills have become an essential component of successful contemporary scientific careers. To teach students how to become effective leaders, UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) and campus partners teamed up to help 115 graduate students, postdoctoral candidates and junior faculty discover what their natural leadership styles are and how to communicate with staff members and colleagues to be an effective leader. Several participants from non-scientific fields also attended the event because of their interest in the leadership training. "Leadership skills and the ability to communicate effectively are vital, yet often overlooked, training areas for young scientists," said Paul Weiss[1], a distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry, UCLA's Fred Kavli Chair in Nanosystems Sciences and director of CNSI. "A well-rounded skill set enhances a scientist's technical know-how, and ability to garner resources and to publish papers in scientific journals." Leading the May 28 workshop a daylong series of seminars, small group discussions and case studies was Edward O'Neil, who has been helping new and future scientists through his Scientific Leadership Course at UC San Francisco become better leaders and managers within a research organization since 2005. O'Neil has also presented this unique curriculum for scientists at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Genentech and the NIH. UCLA participants at the workshop, which was modeled after his course, learned key techniques to motivate and mentor others. The Career Advancement for Scientists: Becoming Effective Leaders workshop was also sponsored by the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs for the Biomedical and Life Sciences, College of Letters and Science Division of Life Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, Graduate Division and the Society of Postdoctoral Scholars. The goal for the workshop was to help participants explore their own leadership style and understand how it impacts their ability to direct and motivate others in their research group. Each participant took a Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment prior to the workshop. The assessment sorts participants into one of 16 personality types[2], though there are no favored types or combination of types. Each person was then guided through the process of interpreting the results of their own MBTI assessment. They also discovered the specific challenges their leadership style might present to their research group. Participants learned how to skillfully engage in difficult conversations and how different MBTI types approach tasks in different ways. "Our focus is to give people the training and skills necessary to be successful in any pursuit," said Leonard H. Rome[3], senior associate dean for research at the David Geffen School of Medicine, a professor of biological chemistry and associate director of CNSI. "This curriculum is tailored for those leading research groups, but the material translates to any setting." "The conference was simply great, and I hope you hold it every year," Dr. Elizabeth Tully, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine, told organizers in her evaluation. She's also chief of child & adolescent psychiatry for the UCLA-Kern Psychiatry Fellowship. "It would be great if future workshops include a special session for women, given the disparities in leadership positions, and the ongoing problems of sexual discrimination," Tully said. "As a psychiatrist, I have to say that I was happy to see how many scientists were interested in behavior." Based on positive feedback, organizers plan on holding another workshop next year. Those interested in attending next year's workshop can visit this website[4] to sign up for advance notification. UCLA Today[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Wed, 16 Jun 2010 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1636336 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1636336 The University of California was awarded the most U.S. patents of any university in 2009. Of the 251 patents awarded to UC, 60 came from researchers at UCLA, which brings the total number of UCLA patents to 581. The patent numbers come from the annual report by the Intellectual Property Owners Association, and are detailed in a story from UCLA Today. The UCLA Today story also highlights the work in organic electronic materials and devices by the Yang Yang[1] group, which received four patents in 2009. Yang is a professor of materials science and engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute. Another patent recipient featured in the article is Lily Wu[2] and a team of researchers from UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine. The group took out a patent on a promising method that will help them better image metastatic cancer cells that have progressed to parts of the body beyond their original sites in specific organs, such as the breast or prostate. Wu is a professor of molecular and medical pharmacology and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute. Visit UCLA Today[3] to read the full story. [1] [2] [3] Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1636378 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1636378 Two exceptional graduate students in the UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry have been selected to attend a prestigious meeting of more than 60 Nobel laureates and the world's premier students in the medieval city of Lindau, Germany, from June 27 to July 2. Erin Broderick and Tanya Petrossian are among just 94 American students and 694 students overall who were selected based on distinguished research in the fields of chemistry, physics, and physiology and medicine after a rigorous, intensive screening process. The Nobel laureates are from the United States, Europe, Russia, Asia and Israel. The Interdisciplinary Meeting of Nobel Laureates provides a forum for the transfer of knowledge between generations of outstanding scientists. Broderick's faculty mentor is Paula Diaconescu[1], an assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] to read full profiles on both Broderick and Petrossian. [1] [2] Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1625608 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1625608 *Method can be applied to organelles, viruses and cells and could impact treatment of human diseases* Three-dimensional imaging is dramatically expanding the ability of researchers to examine biological specimens, enabling a peek into their internal structures. And recent advances in X-ray diffraction methods have helped extend the limit of this approach. While significant progress has been made in optical microscopy to break the diffraction barrier, such techniques rely on fluorescent labeling technologies, which prohibit the quantitative 3-D imaging of the entire contents of cells. Cryo-electron microscopy can image structures at a resolution of 3 to 5 nanometers, but this only works with thin or sectioned specimens. And although X-ray protein crystallography is currently the primary method used for determining the 3-D structure of protein molecules, many biological specimens such as whole cells, cellular organelles, some viruses and many important protein molecules are difficult or impossible to crystallize, making their structures inaccessible. Overcoming these limitations requires the employment of different techniques. Now, in a paper published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences[1], UCLA researchers and their collaborators demonstrate the use of a unique X-ray diffraction microscope that enabled them to reveal the internal structure of yeast spores. The team reports the quantitative 3-D imaging of a whole, unstained cell at a resolution of 50 to 60 nanometers using X-ray diffraction microscopy, also known as lensless imaging. Researchers identified the 3-D morphology and structure of cellular organelles, including the cell wall, vacuole, endoplasmic reticulum, mitrochondria, granules and nucleolus. The work may open a door to identifying the individual protein molecules inside whole cells using labeling technologies. The lead authors on the paper are Huaidong Jiang, a UCLA assistant researcher in physics and astronomy, and John Miao[2], a UCLA professor of physics and astronomy. The work is a culmination of a collaboration started three years ago with Fuyu Tamanoi[3], UCLA professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics. Miao and Tamanoi are both researchers at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute. Other collaborators include teams at Riken Spring 8 in Japan and the Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, in Taiwan. "This is the first time that people have been able to peek into the 3-D internal structure of a biological specimen, without cutting it into sections, using X-ray diffraction microscopy," Miao said. "By avoiding use of X-ray lenses, the resolution of X-ray diffraction microscopy is ultimately limited by radiation damage to biological specimens. Using cryogenic technologies, 3-D imaging of whole biological cells at a resolution of 5 to 10 nanometers should be achievable," Miao said. "Our work hence paves a way for quantitative 3-D imaging of a wide range of biological specimens at nanometer-scale resolutions that are too thick for electron microscopy." Tamanoi prepared the yeast spore samples analyzed in this study. Spores are specialized cells that are formed when they are placed under nutrient-starved conditions. Cells use this survival strategy to cope with harsh conditions. "Biologists wanted to examine internal structures of the spore, but previous microscopic studies provided information on only the surface features. We are very excited to be able to view the spore in 3-D", Tamanoi said. "We can now look into the structure of other spores, such as Anthrax spores and many other fungal spores. It is also important to point out that yeast spores are of similar size to many intracellular organelles in human cells. These can be examined in the future." Since its first experimental demonstration by Miao and collaborators in 1999, coherent diffraction microscopy has been applied to imaging a wide range of materials science and biological specimens, such as nanoparticles, nanocrystals, biomaterials, cells, cellular organelles, viruses and carbon nanotubes using X-ray, electron and laser facilities worldwide. Until now, however, the radiation-damage problem and the difficulty of acquiring high-quality 3-D diffraction patterns from individual whole cells have prevented the successful high-resolution 3-D imaging of biological cells by X-ray diffraction. UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1618124 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1618124 A group using a new cancer diagnostic tool as inspiration for a business proposal tied for first place in the Knapp Venture Competition, a student-run UCLA Anderson School of Management competition that simulates the experience of starting a business by requiring students to develop and market their own company. The group's proposal, titled CytoScale, detailed a startup company based off of technology invented by Hsian-Rong Tseng[1], an associate professor of molecular & medical pharmacology at UCLA. CytoScale tied with a group called L.A. Burger, which proposed an American restaurant chain for the French market. Both groups received $11,250, to eventually turn their proposals into an actual startup company after graduating. Prof. Tseng is also a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute and a member of the Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging. Visit the UCLA Daily Bruin[2] to read the full story. For videos of the winners and their presentations please visit AsAble.com[3]. [1] [2] [3] Wed, 02 Jun 2010 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1618139 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1618139 Dr. Carolyn Bertozzi, an internationally-renowned chemical biologist, has pioneered inventions with a wide range of biopharmaceutical applications throughout her career. While working to advance the diagnosis and treatment of diseases like cancer, arthritis and tuberculosis, she has also made significant advances manipulating the complicated process that takes place inside the living human cell. For these game-changing innovations she has been awarded the prestigious 2010 $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize. Dr. Bertozzi is the T.Z. and Irmgard Chu Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, Senior Faculty Scientist in the Materials Science Division at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Professor of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology at the University of California, San Francisco, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute External Advisory Board. Visit the Lemelson-MIT Program[1] website for the full story. [1] Wed, 02 Jun 2010 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1597726 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1597726 Aydogan Ozcan[1], an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute, has received a highly competitive and prestigious National Science Foundation 2010 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award. Prof. Ozcan will use the award for his research on lensfree imaging for telemedicine tools. His group has invented a miniaturized lensfree microscope[2] for use as a telemedicine tool. Their microscope is robust and ultra-portable, a tool capable of functioning as a mobile blood analysis lab to diagnose and track diseases such as malaria and HIV. The microscope operates automatically once the sample of saliva or a blood smear is loaded using a small chip that fits into a slot on the side of the device. Results are then sent wirelessly to centralized hospitals for analysis, filling in for the lack of health care infrastructure in many parts of the world. The CAREER award is the National Science Foundation's most prestigious award in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations. Such activities should build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research. *Proposal Title:* A new Telemedicine Platform using Incoherent Lensfree Cell Holography and Microscopy On a Chip *Abstract:* The recent revolutionary progress in digital technologies together with novel image reconstruction algorithms and theories can fundamentally transform the way that we conduct cell microscopy, cytometry and medical diagnostics. With this vision, this proposal makes a systematic effort to highlight this timely opportunity to revolutionize cell microscopy by making it free of any lenses, lasers or other bulky optical components with a much simpler, compact and cost-effective imaging architecture especially suitable for telemedicine needs and requirements. Through incoherent lensfree cell holography & on-chip microscopy platform of this proposal (i.e., LUCAS), the PI proposes to compensate in the digital domain for the lack of complexity of optical components by recording individual phase & amplitude holograms of various cell types. These cell holograms also yield accurate reconstruction of microscopic images featuring sub-cellular resolution over a very large field of view (FOV) even at cell densities reaching up to ~0.4 Million cells/L. Merging cost-effective and compact LUCAS imagers with the state-of-the-art cell-phone technology will create numerous opportunities for telemedicine to improve health care especially in the developing world where medical facilities and infrastructure are extremely limited. NSF CAREER Award[3] [1] [2] [3] Thu, 27 May 2010 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1594338 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1594338 ABC7 Eyewitness News interviewed UCLA professor Edward McCabe[1] to give context to the announcement that Craig Venter's research group had created the first example of synthetic life. Venter's group replaced the entire chromosome of one bacteria with that of another, and their creation was able to reproduce, a first step along the path towards creating artificial life. Professor McCabe discussed similar work at UCLA in his role as co-director of UCLA's Center for Society and Genetics. He also discussed the moral and practical dangers of such research. McCabe is the Mattel Executive Endowed Chair of Pediatrics at UCLA and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute. Visit the ABC7 website[2] for the full story and a video clip. [1] [2] Wed, 26 May 2010 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1594409 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1594409 The California NanoSystems Institute is proud to host a Joint Symposium on Monday, June 14th with the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Science at Kyoto University and the Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology research effort at the Japan Science and Technology Agency. Symposium Agenda[1] (PDF). See below for further details, and RSVP instructions. *Framework materials in the future PCPs meet COFs & MOFs* June 14th, 2010 in the CNSI Auditorium, UCLA: 9:00am-5:30pm *Participating Institutions* Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS), Kyoto University California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), UCLA Exploratory Research for Advanced Technology (ERATO) Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) *Featured Speakers* Susumu Kitagawa iCeMS/ERATO (JST) Omar Yaghi CNSI/UCLA *Speakers* David BRITT (UCLA) Seth COHEN (UCSD) Alexander CZAJA (BASF) Stephane DIRING (iCeMS/ERATO) Shuhei FURUKAWA (iCeMS/ERATO) Felipe GANDARA (UCLA) Mio KONDO (iCeMS) Ryotaro MATSUDA (iCeMS/ERATO) Mike OKEEFFE (ASU) Hiroshi SATO (ERATO) Joobeom SEO (ERATO) Kenji SUMIDA (UCB) Fernando URIBE-ROMO (UCLA) Shun WAN (UCLA) RSVP Required[2] Deadline Wednesday, June 9th Download the Symposium Flyer[3] (PDF) Symposium Agenda[4] (PDF) [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 26 May 2010 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1591142 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1591142 An article in the University of California Newsroom features three examples of university-industry partnerships for green technology at UC campuses. One of the three examples highlighted is a partnership between UCLA professor Yang Yang[1], and his industrial partner Solarmer, Inc. Yang invented cost-effective, flexible, semi-transparent solar panels as alternatives to current silicon solar cells, Solarmer is commercializing the research. The article also features a video of Yang discussing his collaboration. Yang is a professor of materials science and engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and head of the Nano Renewable Energy Center at the California NanoSystems Institute. Visit the UC Newsroom[2] for the full story and video. UCLA Today[3] [1] [2] [3] Tue, 25 May 2010 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1591153 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1591153 A story in UCLA Today details how for the first time in UCLA history, campus researchers this year have broken the $1 billion mark for research grant and contract awards won in any given year. The story highlights several recent grants, including one for $4 million[1] from the Department of Energy to James Liao[2] for his work on a method to convert carbon dioxide to the liquid fuel isobutanol using electricity. Liao is the Chancellor's Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute. Also in the article Roberto Peccei, UCLA's Vice Chancellor for Research, discusses how recent building projects on campus, including the California NanoSystems Institute building, have allowed UCLA's infrastructure to keep up with evolving research needs. Visit UCLA Today[3] for the full story. [1] [2] [3] Tue, 25 May 2010 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1587989 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1587989 The US Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) has awarded James C. Liao[1] a grant worth $4 million over three years to develop a method for converting carbon dioxide into liquid fuel isobutanol using electricity. The project involves using electricity as a power source instead of sunlight for genetically modified E. coli bacteria and cyanobaterium to consume carbon dioxide to produce isobutanol. This process would store electricity in liquid fuels that can be used as high octane gasoline substitutes. Liao is the Chancellor's Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute. To read the full story, visit the UCLA Newsroom[2]. [1] [2] Mon, 24 May 2010 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1588000 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1588000 A commonly used PET-scanning probe and a new probe developed by UCLA researchers reveal different functions in diverse cells of the immune system and, when used in combination, provide a much clearer picture of an immune response in action. According to Owen Witte[1], the senior author of the research study, the probes each target specific areas of the immune system, and can be used in combination to evaluate therapies that target different cellular components of the immune system. This targeted tracking could lead to much quicker evaluations of whether therapies are working, sparing patients' months of exposure to an ineffective drug. Witte is a UCLA professor of microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics; a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator; and a research at the California NanoSystems Institute. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] for the full story. The study was published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation[3] [1] [2] [3] Mon, 24 May 2010 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1588011 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1588011 In an interview for Highlights in Chemical Biology from the Royal Society of Chemistry Publishing group Heather Maynard[1] discusses polymers, proteins, and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration. Maynard is an associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA, a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute, and has recently been appointed to the Editorial Board of ChemComm. Visit the RSC Publishing[2] website to read the full interview. [1] [2] Mon, 24 May 2010 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1588030 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1588030 UCLA researchers have advanced a technique to use gold nanoparticles as anticancer agents. The research, lead by Hsian-Rong Tseng[1], demonstrates the optimization of supramolecular assemblies of gold nanoparticles. When these assemblies are irradiated with lasers, the gold nanoparticles become hot quickly, hot enough to generate explosive microbubbles that will kill nearby cancer cells. The research paper shows that the size of the assembly is optimized for delivery to cancer tumors. Tseng, an associate professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at UCLA, is a member of several institutes. He is a member of the Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging; the California NanoSystems Institute; the Institute for Molecular Medicine; and the Nanosystems Biology Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence. Visit the NCI Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer[2] website for the full story. _Angewandte Chemie International Edition_[3] [1] [2] [3] Mon, 24 May 2010 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1578105 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1578105 *Exhibit features student projects that use art to make scientific concepts accessible to others* Bridging the divide between North and South Campus is a collaboration rarely seen in the halls of UCLA. But, students featured in the Bio/Nano exhibit hope to change this. Students from UCLA's biotechnology and art honors classes will present their work alongside Parsons The New School for Design in New York City that blends elements of art and science. The exhibition, which runs through June 7, at the California NanoSystems Institute Art | Sci Gallery and Lab, uses science and art to respond to environmental issues, food consumption and animal breeding through a collection of collaborative art and performance installations. The exhibit will present the student's final project proposals that blend art and biology. The show is largely influenced by the work of Siddharth Ramakrishnan, a postdoctoral researcher in bioelectronics at Columbia University. Ramakrishnan and Design | Media Arts Professor Victoria Vesna co-teach a class on nanotechnology, biotechnology and art. The themes of the class partly inspired the exhibition, as it exemplifies the correlations and connections between science and art. "The goal of the exhibition is to blend these two separate fields to prove that they are not completely different worlds," Ramakrishnan said. The exhibit opened on May 14, with the North | South Social Mixer, a quarterly open house bringing students in the fields of both art and science together to discuss and present the work theyve created that displays innovative scientific concepts. Visit the UCLA Daily[1] Bruin for the full story. [1] Fri, 21 May 2010 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1578218 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1578218 A new report traces the origins of 100 companies to federally funded, university based research. The report by The Science Coalition indicates that collectively these companies employ well over 100,000 people, have annual revenues approaching $100 billion, and become publically held companies at a far greater rate than the average for new businesses. Three UCLA companies are in the initial list of 100. Included in those three UCLA companies is Solarmer Energy Inc., which is commercializing solar cell technologies from UCLA materials science professor Yang Yang[1] from the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. Yang also heads The Nano Renewable Energy Center at the California NanoSystems Institute. Sparking Economic Growth (PDF)[2] The Science Coalition Report Website[3] Solarmer Energy company profile[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Fri, 21 May 2010 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1571666 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1571666 *NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ANNOUNCES EMERGING EXPLORERS FOR 2010* _PNY Technologies Is Mission Partner and Presenting Sponsor for Emerging Explorers Program_ Fourteen visionary, young trailblazers from around the world including an electrical engineer, a musician, a bioarchaeologist, a mobile technology innovator and a herpetologist have been named to the 2010 class of National Geographic Emerging Explorers. National Geographic's Emerging Explorers Program recognizes and supports uniquely gifted and inspiring adventurers, scientists, photographers and storytellers making a significant contribution to world knowledge through exploration while still early in their careers. The Emerging Explorers each receive a $10,000 award to assist with research and to aid further exploration. PNY Technologies is a presenting sponsor of the Emerging Explorers Program and a National Geographic Mission Partner for Exploration & Adventure. The program is made possible in part by the Catherine B. Reynolds Foundation, which has supported the program since its inception in 2004. The 2010 Emerging Explorers are environmental scientist *Saleem H. Ali *; mobile technology innovator *Ken Banks*; wildlife biologist * Aparajita Datta*; agroecologist *Jerry Glover*; bioarchaeologist * Christine Lee*; research scientist and engineer *Albert Yu-Min Lin*; paleontologist *Bolortsetseg Minjin*; educator and activist *Kakenya Ntaiya*; electrical engineer *Aydogan Ozcan*[1]; musician and activist *Feliciano dos Santos*; molecular biologist *Beth Shapiro*; wildlife researcher and conservationist *Emma Stokes*; herpetologist-toxinologist *Zoltan Takacs*; and marine biologist and conservationist *Jose Urteaga*. The new Emerging Explorers are introduced in the June 2010 issue of National Geographic magazine. A Web feature at http://www.nationalgeographic.com/emerging[2] includes comprehensive profiles of the explorers. National Geographic Emerging Explorers may be selected from virtually any field, from the Societys traditional arenas of anthropology, archaeology, photography, space exploration, earth sciences, mountaineering and cartography to the worlds of technology, music and filmmaking. "National Geographic's mission is to inspire people to care about the planet, and our Emerging Explorers are outstanding young leaders whose endeavors further this mission. We are pleased to support them as they set out on promising careers. They represent tomorrow's Edmund Hillarys, Jacques Cousteaus and Dian Fosseys," said Terry Garcia, National Geographic's executive vice president for Mission Programs. *Aydogan Ozcan Comprehensive Profile* *"Today's sophisticated technologies are not really advancing the state of health care globally. To invent something that will do that, we need to approach the entire problem differently."* Aydogan Ozcan has the Ph.D., the expertise, and the engineering acumen to perfect the world's most complex medical diagnostic technology. Instead, he's solving global health issues-with a cell phone. His UCLA research team has invented a way to turn common cell phones, already in the hands of four billion people worldwide, into imaging tools that will bring accurate medical diagnoses to the most remote, resource-poor corners of the planet. "Very few of the great technologies we play with in advanced countries can actually be applied in developing parts of the world," he points out. "You can't even assume there will be consistent electricity in rural clinics or villages. Because the infrastructure gap is so huge, we aren't delivering our best thinking to the people who need it most. I find that very disturbing." To demonstrate the gap, Ozcan points to sophisticated $100,000 blood count analyzers found in advanced labs. He feels they are already so state of the art that any improvements will be merely incremental. But in developing nations, even basic technology can be transformative. "Since there's virtually nothing there to start with, it's much easier to make a huge impact, quickly." In many rural villages, patients remain untreated until mobile units reach them. Even then, tools are woefully inadequate. "You can't afford to take hundreds of blood samples, transport them to a hospital, then return with results," he explains. "Many diseases remain entirely missed; people are dying from simple infections that could be easily treated if only they were diagnosed." Conventional microscopes, the mainstay of diagnosis for centuries, are impractical on a global level. "They are too heavy and powerful to be cost-effectively miniaturized. They also can't quickly capture and screen the large number of cells needed for statistically viable diagnoses," he says. What's more, because technicians in remote areas may be poorly trained, they often interpret images inaccurately. "In some parts of Africa, 70 percent of malaria diagnoses are incorrect false-positives." These constraints convinced Ozcan that rather than inventing another new ultrahigh-performance tool, we need to think like engineers: "Who's going to use it and how much can I spend?" This mindset led him directly to cell phones. "Here's this extremely inexpensive, yet advanced, technology that's in use almost everywhere. It presents an obvious opportunity that can be leveraged to benefit health environments where cost drives everything," he says. "So that's what we're doing-creating digital technologies that replace microscopes and enable cell phones to make diagnostic decisions, even in a distant desert village." Ozcan's invention solves the dilemma of poorly trained technicians by arming the phones with sophisticated algorithms that do the interpreting. To tackle the most expensive part of microscopes-lenses-his team simply eliminated them. "With our lens-free imaging platform, instead of detecting the cell, we detect its shadow," he explains. "When you shine light on a cell, it casts a shadow from which we can reconstruct the cell image, perform advanced processing, and detect signatures of disease. We're able to do this because unlike flat, dark, human shadows, the shadows of cells are semitransparent, very textured, and contain specific fingerprints." Ozcan's modified phone uses a special light source and the phone's camera to capture an image of a blood sample, essentially turning the phone into a lens-free microscope. "It's lightweight, instantly shows us huge numbers of cells, and fits into the palm of your hand." Field tests slated to begin this year will distribute hundreds of the devices to mobile health units in rural Africa with a focus on diagnosing malaria. A central, inexpensive PC station will be installed in a hospital. Mobile health workers will collect blood, load images of the samples into the modified phones, and transmit them to the PC station via the Internet. Within minutes, the data will be processed and a summary diagnosis sent back into the field. Records will also be stored, creating an unprecedented database of global disease statistics. "Treating malaria is actually very simple," Ozcan notes, "What's been lacking is the diagnosis." Using the devices to analyze blood and other bodily fluids will also be crucial in detecting tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and other conditions. Additionally, wireless telemedicine platforms can be a much needed breakthrough in monitoring patients. "Today, HIV doesn't have to be deadly. If patients are monitored regularly it can be controlled. The ability to easily, frequently check patients would allow us to treat HIV like diabetes, saving so many lives." The future, Ozcan believes, lies not only in new technologies, but in innovative applications of existing technologies. Blending an engineer's discipline and a social entrepreneur's heart, he predicts, "That's what will transform global health care in powerful, practical ways we've never before imagined." National Geographic Emerging Explorers Announcement[3] National Geographic Emerging Explorers[4] Aydogan Ozcan Emerging Explorer Comprehensive Profile[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Tue, 18 May 2010 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1564752 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1564752 *Lensfree on-chip imaging achieves sub-micron resolution over an ultra-wide imaging area* Simplicity rarely comes without a tradeoff, but newly reported advances in the capabilities of a lensfree on-chip imaging system invented by the Ozcan Research Group at UCLA might be an exception to the rule. The advances were published online in the journal Optics Express[1] and show Ozcan Group's lensfree system capable of sub-micron resolution while imaging with a field-of-view over 100 fold greater than conventional microscopes with a similar resolution. The authors of this work are Prof. Aydogan Ozcan[2], Dr. Waheb Bishara, and graduate students Ting-Wei Su and Ahmet Coskun. With a larger field-of-view, the lensfree on-chip imager does not need to be precisely aligned, making it possible to operate with minimal training. Also, sample analysis is done automatically, through custom designed algorithms which identify and count microparticles such as red or white blood cells. Ease of use is important because Ozcan, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute, intends for this lensfree on-chip imaging system to be part of telemedicine networks in resource limited settings where trained personnel are in short supply. A larger field-of-view also enhances the lensfree on-chip imaging system's capability to diagnose infectious diseases such as TB and malaria typically found in third world countries. In diagnostic tests for these conditions, a larger imaging area leads to more accurate results because the disease signatures are rare and hard to find. Therefore, a larger imaging area allows a larger sample to be tested, providing more definitive results. The lensfree on-chip imaging system achieves its new performance as a result of a novel pixel super-resolution algorithm that effectively shrinks the pixel size of a digital sensor array by more than five fold without a tradeoff in the imaging area. Ozcan Group's funding for this research was provided by ONR, NIH, NSF, DARPA, and Vodafone Americas Foundation. For further information on Ozcan's lensfree on-chip imaging system, visit his group's website[3]. UCLA engineer invents world's smallest, lightest telemedicine microscope[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Fri, 14 May 2010 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1564760 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1564760 *The technique could lead to a new generation of psychiatric medications* UCLA researchers and their collaborators have developed a method that could open the door for investigations into the function of half of all proteins in the human body. The research team has demonstrated nanoscale control over molecules, allowing for the precise study of interactions between proteins and small molecules. Their new technique, in which molecules are used as bait to capture and study large biomolecules, could lead to a new generation of psychiatric medications. In a paper published last month in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience[1], an interdisciplinary team of researchers from UCLA and the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) report on their investigation of the interactions between large biomolecules, which include DNA and proteins, and small molecules, which include hormones and neurotransmitters such as serotonin. The research team, led by Anne Andrews[2], professor of psychiatry and a researcher at both the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA and UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), is studying these interactions to identify a new generation of targets, or key molecules that correspond to specific diseases or conditions. Interactions between large biomolecules and small molecules are ubiquitous in nature; they are the method for communication within and between cells. But these interactions have proven difficult to isolate in a laboratory setting. Increased understanding of these interactions is vital for the development of new medications for psychiatric disorders, the researchers say. "Currently, little is known about which targets apply to specific diseases," Andrews said. "Pharmaceutical companies are very good at designing medications once they have a target to go after; my group is working on providing them with targets." Up to this point, drug development for psychiatric disorders such as depression has been a trial-and-error process in which pharmaceutical companies refine new drugs based on a few existing drugs that were discovered accidentally. Andrews said she hopes that her team's research will lead to more effective treatments, because current depression medications only work for 30 to 50 percent of the population. Nanoscale control is the key to the UCLA-Penn State team's findings. Their breakthrough capitalizes on work by the research group of co-author Paul Weiss[3] on patterning self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), single layers of molecules that orient themselves on flat surfaces. Weiss, a distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry who holds UCLA's Fred Kavli Chair in Nanosystems Sciences, and others discovered that SAMs don't actually form perfect surfaces. They contain defects, which can in turn be used to isolate single molecules. "Currently we are able to space defects out over a surface. We then use these defects to control the placement and environment of the individual functional molecules," said Weiss, who is also director of the CNSI. Even spacing is important because the UCLA-Penn State team placed serotonin, a small molecule, in defects to act as bait to capture and study large molecules. If the defects are not widely spaced, there is not enough space between serotonin molecules for each to capture a large molecule. Large biomolecule and small molecule interactions have proved notoriously difficult to study using previous methods. When the SAM fishing pole baited with serotonin captures a large molecule, the research team is able to study the interactions in a way that replicates the molecules' natural interactions. UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Fri, 14 May 2010 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1564816 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1564816 A team of UCLA Engineers lead by principal investigator CJ Kim[1] has been awarded $5.5 million from the US Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) to create electronically connected, rotating microscale motors for sensing and communications as part of the agency's Information Tethered Micro Automated Rotary Stages program. Kim is a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. Kim, and two other members of the research team, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering Eric Chiou[2], and professor of electrical engineering Jason Woo[3] are also researchers at the California NanoSystems Institute. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[4] for the full story. [1] [2] [3] [4] Fri, 14 May 2010 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1557116 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1557116 The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced 78 grants of $100,000 each in their latest round of Grand Challenges Explorations. One of these grants has been awarded to Aydogan Ozcan[1], assistant professor of electrical engineering at UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute, for a project titled "Compact and Cost-effective Testing of Blood Samples in the Field using Digital Holography on a Wireless Phone." To receive funding, Ozcan showed in a two-page application how his idea falls outside current scientific paradigms and might lead to significant advances in global health. The initiative is highly competitive, receiving almost 2,700 proposals in this round. Building on a lens-free imaging system Ozcan invented[2], his group has created a miniature microscope which can be integrated with a cell phone for rapid, automated and accurate diagnosis of malaria in resource limited settings. This on-chip cell phone microscope is based on digital holography and does not require any lenses, lasers or other bulky components making it extremely cost-effective and compact. Ozcan's project is among the grants announced by the Gates Foundation in the fourth funding round of Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative to help scientists around the world explore bold and largely unproven ways to improve health in developing countries. The grants were provided to scientists in 18 countries on six continents. The Grand Challenges Exploration grants function as a sort of proving ground for innovative ideas. Initially, grantees receive $100,000 in funding to prove the viability of their ideas. Successful projects have the opportunity to receive a follow-on grant of $1 million or more, and could eventually evolve into a Grand Challenges project. "The winners of these grants show the bold thinking we need to tackle some of the world's greatest health challenges," said Dr. Tachi Yamada, president of the Gates Foundation's Global Health Program[3]. "I'm excited about their ideas and look forward to seeing some of these exploratory projects turn into life-saving breakthroughs." *About Grand Challenges Explorations* Grand Challenges Explorations is a five-year, $100 million initiative of the Gates Foundation to promote innovation in global health. The program uses an agile, streamlined grant process applications are limited to two pages, and preliminary data are not required. Proposals are reviewed and selected by a committee of foundation staff and external experts, and grant decisions are made within approximately three months of the close of the funding round. Applications for the current round of Grand Challenges Explorations are being accepted through May 19, 2010. Grant application instructions, including the list of topics for which proposals are currently being accepted, are available at http://www.grandchallenges.org/explorations[4]. [1] [2] [3] [4] Tue, 11 May 2010 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1557146 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1557146 The KAITEKI Institute (TKI) from Japan is sponsoring James Liao's[1] CO2 conversion research. Liao is a leader in the quest to genetically modify bacteria to convert CO2 into alcohols for use in biofuels and chemicals. TKI, a strategic arm of Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Corp., Japan's largest chemical company, is interested in using his research to create a variety of industrial products, such as car bumpers, packaging materials, diapers and DVDs. Liao is the Chancellor's Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute. TKI will fund Liao's research annually. For the full story please visit the UCLA Newsroom[2]. [1] [2] Tue, 11 May 2010 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1542993 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1542993 UCLA Art | Sci center + lab Invites you to the quarterly *North | South social mixer* and exhibition opening *MAY 14, 2010, 5-7 pm* California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) Art | Sci gallery 570 Westwood Plaza (5th floor) Students from Professor Victoria Vesna's 2010 graduate seminars Data + Flesh, Department of Design | Media Arts, UCLA + Hybrid Worlds: Nano_Biotech + Art, Parsons The New School for Design in New York and UCLA Honors class Biotech + Art exhibit their concepts / proposals / presentations of objects, performances / art installations -- all responding to how we are changing our bodies, the food we consume, the animals we breed & the environment we inhabit. co-sponsored by UCLA Center for Society and Genetics supported by Leonardo ISAST + UCIRA + Parsons AMT nanobioart.net May 14 June 7, 2010. Open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Parking is $10 all day, and is available near CNSI in structure 9, adjacent to the building. For more information, call 1.310.794.2118. Thu, 06 May 2010 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1540953 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1540953 *WHAT:* The first annual mini-symposium of the UCLA-Peking University Joint Research Institute in Science and Engineering (JRI) will provide a forum for exchanging the institute's latest research results in the areas of science, engineering and medicine and for stimulating collaborations between UCLA and Peking University faculty members. The symposium will feature sessions addressing innovations in clean energy, including carbon capture and storage, batteries and energy storage, and bioenergy; advances in information technology, such as wireless health; and research in the life sciences. Each session will showcase new developments from leading faculty at both universities. For more information on the symposium visit http://cnsi.ctrl.ucla.edu/pku/pages[1]. *WHO:* A diverse group of 30 faculty members from UCLA and Peking University will share their research. The event will also feature the following speakers: - JRI co-directors Jason Cong[2] (UCLA) and Xiaoming Li (PKU) will give welcome remarks and report on progress of institute activities. - UCLA Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Scott Waugh and Peking University Vice President and the Provost Jianhua Lin will deliver opening addresses. - UCLA Vice Provost for International Studies Nick Entrikin will give an update on international programs at UCLA. *WHEN:* 8:30 a.m.-5:50 p.m., Thursday, May 6 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Friday, May 7 *WHERE:* California NanoSystems Institute, on the campus of UCLA (map[3]) *INFORMATION:* The UCLA-PKU Joint Research Institute in Science and Engineering[4] was established to encourage extensive research collaborations between Peking University and UCLA faculty in multiple areas of science, engineering and medicine. It is one of the largest collaborative research efforts between any UC campus and an overseas university, involving more than 100 faculty members from both universities. Additional support for the symposium was provided by the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. For more information on Peking University, visit http://english.pku.edu.cn[5]. *MEDIA CONTACT:* Jennifer Marcus, CNSI at UCLA, 310-267-4839 *PARKING:* Campus parking is available for $10. Journalists should call media contact to arrange courtesy parking. UCLA Newsroom[6] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Wed, 05 May 2010 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1451281 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1451281 In a paper published in the _Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences[1]_ UCLA researchers outline a discovery that could lead to a cure for a wide range of common deadly viruses. The research team is led by Benhur Lee, a professor of microbiology, immunology, & molecular genetics at UCLA. Many viruses, including those that cause HIV, Ebola, Nipah virus encephalitis, and the common flu, are categorized as envelope viruses because they contain an outside surface (called envelope) which is used to latch onto a host cell, allowing the virus to enter and infect the cell. A compound developed by Lee's lab inhibits this virus envelope, rendering the virus incapable of infection. This research was funded in part by the California NanoSystems Institute. The research team also includes CNSI member Michael Jung[2] from the department of chemistry and biochemistry, and Robert Damoiseaux[3], scientific director of the Molecular Screening Shared Resource core lab at CNSI. Please visit Scientific American[4] for the full story. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[5] for further details on this research. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Fri, 02 Apr 2010 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1432782 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1432782 In a ceremony on Wednesday, May 5th UCLA Professor of chemistry and biochemistry James Gimzewski[1] was presented an honorary doctorate from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. The presentation ceremony was held as part of Strathclyde's University Day celebrations. This is his second honorary doctorate, the first came from the University of the Mediterranean, Aix-Marseille II, in France. Gimzewski is also a researcher at the CNSI, and the faculty director of the Nano & Pico Characterization CNSI Core Lab. University of Strathclyde News Release[2] [1] [2] Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1216560 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1216560 Xiangfeng Duan, the Howard Reiss Career Development Chair in chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA, has received a highly competitive and prestigious National Science Foundation's 2010 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award. The CAREER award is the National Science Foundation's most prestigious award in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations. Such activities should build a firm foundation for a lifetime of leadership in integrating education and research. Below are the technical and non-technical abstracts for Professor Duan's award. Technical: The research program of this CAREER award focuses on a new graphene nanostructure, graphene nanomesh, which can effectively introduce lateral quantum confinement into a large piece of graphene to form a uniform semiconducting nanomesh thin film. Using block copolymer lithography or nanodot lithography, graphene nanomeshes are fabricated with variable periodicities and neck widths down to the sub-5 nm regime, and hence to fine tune the degree of lateral quantum confinement and the size of the band gap. The nanomesh structures are characterized using scanning probe microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. In addition to fundamental materials science research, the project includes electrical transport studies in order to determine the critical material parameters including the band gap and carrier mobility, theoretical calculations carried out through collaborations to understand the fundamental band structure of this new graphene nanostructure and to guide experimental optimization, and fabrication of testing top-gated graphene nanomesh devices. Non-technical: The project addresses basic research issues in a topical area of materials science with high technological relevance. The success of the project is expected to have impacts on the further advancement of nanoelectronics and, in general, nanoscience and nanotechnology. The research and education programs of the project are integrated. The research program provides graduate students with an education and training opportunity that is broadly based and goes beyond traditional educational boundaries. Underrepresented groups are actively recruited to participate in the research program. A partnership with industry for education is developed for students to gain first-hand experience in industry and to better prepare them as the future workforce for emerging technologies. The materials and methodologies developed in this project are integrated into graduate and undergraduate courses to broaden the education experience beyond the PI's lab; and are used to train high school teachers and design experimental kits for high school science classes to reach the local communities beyond the university. Together, these efforts contribute significantly to train and supply a steady and diversified source of highly qualified individuals for emerging technologies, and contribute to maintain the competitive advantage of America's technology. Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1534465 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1534465 *Cryo-electron microscopy images shed light on virus structure, function* UCLA researchers report in the April 30 edition[1] of the journal Cell that they have imaged a virus structure at a resolution high enough to effectively "see" atoms, the first published instance of imaging biological complexes at such a resolution. The research team, led by Hong Zhou[2], UCLA professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics, used cryo-electron microscopy to image the structure at 3.3 angstroms. An angstrom is the smallest recognized division of a chemical element and is about the distance between the two hydrogen atoms in a water molecule. The study, the researchers say, demonstrates the great potential of cryo-electron microscopy, or Cryo-EM, for producing extremely high-resolution images of biological samples in their native environment. "This is the first study to determine an atomic resolution structure through Cryo-EM alone," said Xing Zhang, a postdoctoral candidate in Zhou's group and lead author of the Cell paper. "By proving the effectiveness of this microscopy technique, we have opened the door to a wide variety of biological studies." With traditional light microscopy, a magnified image of a sample is viewed through a lens. Some samples, however, are too small to diffract visible light (in the 500 to 800 nm range, or 5,000 to 8,000 angstroms) and therefore cannot be seen. To image objects at the sub-500 nm scale, scientists must turn to other tools, such as atomic force microscopes, which use an atomically thin tip to generate an image by probing a surface, in much the same way a blind person reads by touching Braille lettering. With electron microscopy, another sub-500 nm technology, a beam of electrons is fired at a sample, passing through empty areas and bouncing off dense areas. A digital camera reads the path of the electrons passing through the sample to create a two-dimensional projection image of the sample. By repeating this process at hundreds of different angles, a computer can construct a three-dimensional image of the sample at a very high resolution. Zhou is faculty director of the Electron Imaging Center for Nanomachines (EICN) at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute, which is using cryo-electron microscopy to create 3-D reconstructions of nano-machineries, nano-devices and biological nano-structures, such as viruses. Structurally accurate 3-D reconstructions of biological complexes are possible with cryo-electron microscopy because the samples are flash frozen, which allows them to be imaged in their native environment, and the microscope operates in a vacuum, because electrons travel better in that environment. The Cell paper focused on a structural study of the aquareovirus, a non-envelope virus that causes disease in fish and shellfish, in an effort to better understand how non-envelope viruses infect host cells. "We are extremely excited about the recent breakthrough achieved by Hong Zhou and his team at the EICN lab," said Leonard H. Rome[3], senior associate dean for research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and associate director of the California NanoSystems Institute. "The ability to understand the structure of viruses at an atomic level will open avenues for manipulating them for use in drug delivery and propel numerous innovations in treatments of diseases. UCLA is fortunate to have such specialized instrumentation and the expertise of Professor Zhou and his team to take advantage of these marvelous microscopes." Viruses can be classed into two types: envelope and non-envelope. Envelope viruses, which include influenza and HIV, are surrounded by an envelope-like membrane which the virus uses to fuse with and infect a host cell. Non-envelope viruses lack this membrane and instead use a protein to fuse with and infect cells. This process was poorly understood until Zhou's study. "Through better knowledge of virus structures, we hope to engineer medications in three ways," Zhou said. "If we understand how viruses work, first we can identify small molecules or drugs that block their infection; second, we can engineer ultra-stable and non-infectious virus-like particles as optimal vaccines; and third, we can alter their characteristics so that instead of delivering a disease, viruses could deliver medications. "Indeed, we are working with UCLA physicians and engineers to engineer viruses for gene therapy and drug delivery," he said. "In essence, we hope to take advantage of millions of years of evolution that have made viruses incredibly effective delivery platforms." From the high-resolution 3-D images produced with the cryo-electron microscopy, Zhou's group was able to determine that the aquareovirus employs a priming stage to accomplish cell infection. In its dormant state, the virus has a protective protein covering, which it sheds during priming. Once the outer shell has been shed, the virus is in a primed state and is ready to use a protein called an "insertion finger" to infect a cell. The team's study ushers in a new era of structural biology for understanding important biological processes. The group was able to discover this functionality because of the accurate structural model produced through cryo-electron microscopy. In addition to producing a high-resolution 3-D image of samples, the technology allows samples to be imaged in their native environment, so the structural model is faithful to the original sample. From a technical point of view, this work also demonstrates the power of cryo-electron microscopy in obtaining 3-D structures of biological complexes without needing to grow a crystal. UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 03 May 2010 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1496776 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1496776 *Participate in the process by posting your comments and viewing a video* Visit the NanoLab SAND (Social ArtSci Networked Discourse) page on the Digital Media and Learning Competition website to learn about an innovative educational program being developed at UCLA. Post your comments on the NanoLab SAND page to participate in a discussion about the ways art influences science and vice versa. NanoLab SAND (Social ArtSci Networked Discourse)[1] Also, this introductory video[2] was produced by Victoria Vesna, a Professor of Design | Media Arts who is heading the NanoLab SAND project. NanoLab Summer Institute is an educational initiative for high school students organized by the Art | Sci center at UCLA and hosted by the California NanoSystems Institute. The program is for high school students who are interested in pursuing science, but feel nervous that they may have to sacrifice their creativity. For the NanoLab, which is the pilot phase of the program, 60 students spend two weeks on UCLA campus attending daily lectures, lab visits, blogging, and working together in teams on both artistic and scientific projects. SAND is a prototype expansion of NanoLab using open source tools to create a social network around a class introducing Nano_Biotech + Art to students of all disciplines and actively engage students in a discourse around social and ethical issues that arise when new nano / bio sciences collide with media arts. Spearheaded by Victoria Vesna[3] and co-collaborators James Gimzewski[4], Adam Stieg and others, this project connects directly to the Leonardo network with the executive director endorsement and is supported by the UCLA CNSI and the School of the Arts. Initial classes will be offered simultaneously at UCLA and Parsons, NY and offered online to students in the UC system. All course materials will be available for free to the public. The Digital Media and Learning Competition was created in 2007 to find "and to inspire" the most novel uses of new media in support of learning. Projects explore how digital technologies are changing the way people learn and participate in daily life. Awards have recognized individuals, for-profit companies, universities, and community organizations using new media to transform learning. NanoLab SAND is a Learning Lab Finalist in the Digital Media and Learning contest. SAND connects a global network of participating institutions, view this video[5] to learn more about the program and network. NanoLab SAND (Social ArtSci Networked Discourse)[6] *Instructions for posting comments* - Register[7] - Create a User name and password to post comments. - You will receive an activation e-mail, with a link to confirm your address, and can then log in to the system. - Use the Search Feature in the upper right corner to locate the page for SAND: Nano_Bio + Art! - Share your thoughts and positive feedback! Interested in collaborating? The applicants will have a chance to incorporate your input during the resubmission period. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Tue, 20 Apr 2010 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1534401 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1534401 Representing the Nano & Pico Characterization (NPC) lab at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), Adam Stieg[1] has been awarded a Veeco Labs Energy Innovation Research Grant. Stieg is the Technical Director of NPC, one of the CNSI Core Labs which afford critical work space for numerous research projects led by CNSI and other faculty and are available for use by industry and academia. NPC's winning research project is titled, "Pyroelectricity for Energy Harvesting." Veeco Labs is a competitive grant program that was created to facilitate collaboration between Veeco and the leading scientists in the SPM community. This phase of Veeco Labs solicited development and validation proposals for using an SPM to speed the characterization of, facilitate the development of, improve the yield/efficiency of, or enhance the fundamental understanding of energy generation (e.g., solar, thermovoltaics), storage (e.g., batteries, hydrogen), or conservation (e.g., LEDs, engineered materials). The proposals were reviewed by a panel of Veeco scientists based on a broad range of technical criteria. Veeco News Release[2] [1] [2] Mon, 03 May 2010 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1526066 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1526066 The Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh (SSP) has announced that Louis Bouchard[1], an assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute, is the recipient of its 2010 SSP Starter Grant Award. The SSP Starter Grant Award is given to encourage high-quality, innovative research by beginning chemistry professors. The goal of the grant is to promote the training and development of graduate students in the fields of spectroscopy and analytical chemistry. Professor Bouchard will be presented with the award at the SSP's Annual Awards Ceremony at Duquesne University on May, 19, 2010. The award includes a grant of $40,000 for his research activities. [1] Fri, 30 Apr 2010 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1519294 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1519294 Three UCLA professors have been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences "in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research," the academy announced on April 27th. Membership in the academy is one of the highest honors given to a scientist in the United States. Among the academy's most renowned members have been Albert Einstein, Robert Oppenheimer, Thomas Edison, Orville Wright and Alexander Graham Bell. There are currently more than 2,000 active academy members, of whom nearly 200 have been awarded the Nobel Prize. The election of this year's UCLA members, who are among 72 new members from across the U.S. and 18 foreign associates from 14 countries, brings the number of current UCLA academy members to 37. The three new UCLA members are Ken Houk[1], Saul Winstein Chair in Organic Chemistry; Robert Mare, distinguished professor of sociology and statistics; and Charles S. "Chip" Stanish, a professor of anthropology and director of UCLA's Cotsen Institute of Archaeology. Professor Houk is one of the most prolific chemists in the world and one of the world's leading physical organic chemists. The holder of UCLA's Saul Winstein Chair in Organic Chemistry and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, he has pioneered the use of computer calculations and simulations to study organic chemistry and to predict chemical reactivity. His research group has made predictions of new phenomena that have been verified experimentally. Houk has made critical contributions to our understanding of how enzymes are able to selectively catalyze reactions, and in 2008, his research group used computer methods to create "designer enzymes" and to predict structures of proteins that can catalyze reactions which do not occur naturally. He and his colleagues are now working on computational methods to predict catalysts for reactions that will have important applications in industry and in therapies for fighting disease. UCLA Newsroom[2] National Academy of Sciences Press Release[3] [1] [2] [3] Wed, 28 Apr 2010 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1516607 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1516607 Two stories in the University of California newsroom highlight commercialization activities at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI). The first, "Companies turn research into reality," covers startup efforts throughout the UC system. According to the article, UCLA has recently played a significant role in the number of startups generated in the UC system. In 2009 UC inventions led to 47 new startup companies, with approximately half (22) of those startups spinning out of UCLA. Companies turn research into reality[1] The second article, "Kick-starting a company," profiles MediSens, the first startup company to officially join the UCLA on-campus Technology Incubator program, which is housed at CNSI. MediSens, which was started by UCLA computer science professor Majid Sarrafzadeh, is commercializing body monitoring systems with specific applications for diabetics with peripheral neuropathy the loss of sensation in the foot and those with health issues that affect their balance. Kick-starting a company[2] [1] [2] Tue, 27 Apr 2010 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1503163 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1503163 *Portable, lensless device can deliver health care in resource-limited settings* Aydogan Ozcan[1], whose invention of a novel lensless imaging technology for use in telemedicine could radically transform global health care, has now taken his work a step further or tinier: The UCLA engineer has created a miniature microscope, the world's smallest and lightest for telemedicine applications. The microscope, unveiled in a paper published online in the journal _ Lab on a Chip_[2], builds on imaging technology known as LUCAS (Lensless Ultra-wide-field Cell Monitoring Array platform based on Shadow imaging), which was developed by Ozcan, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and a researcher at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute. Instead of using a lens to magnify objects, LUCAS generates holographic images of microparticles or cells by employing a light-emitting diode to illuminate the objects and a digital sensor array to capture their images. The technology can be used to image blood samples or other fluids, even in Third World countries. "This is a very capable and yet cost-effective microscope, shrunk into a very small package," Ozcan said. "Our goal with this project was to develop a device that can be used to improve health outcomes in resource-limited settings." The lensless microscope, in addition to being far more compact and lightweight than conventional microscopes, also obviates the need for trained technicians to analyze the images produced images are analyzed by computer so that results are available instantaneously. Weighing 46 grams approximately as much as a large egg the microscope is a self-contained imaging device. The only external attachments necessary are a USB connection to a smart-phone, PDA or computer, which supplies the microscope with power and allows images to be uploaded for conversion into results and then sent to a hospital. Samples are loaded using a small chip that can be filled with saliva or a blood smear for health monitoring. With blood smears, the lensless microscope is capable of accurately identifying cells and particles, including red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. The technology has the potential to help monitor diseases like malaria, HIV and tuberculosis in areas where there are great distances between people in need of health care and the facilities capable of providing it, Ozcan said. It can even be used to test water quality in the field following a disaster like a hurricane or earthquake. Using a couple of inexpensive add-on parts, the lensless microscope can also be converted into a differential interference contrast (DIC) microscope, also known as a Nomarski microscope. DIC microscopes are used to gain information on the density of a sample, giving the appearance of a 3-D image by putting lines and edges in stark contrast. The additional parts for conversion to a DIC microscope cost approximately $1 to $2. A number of design elements lead Ozcan to believe his lensless microscope will be a useful medical tool in resource-limited settings, such as some countries in Africa. Two key requirements for such settings are ease of use and durability. The microscope requires minimal training; because of its large imaging field of view, the sample does not need to be scanned or perfectly aligned in the microscope. And operating the microscope is as simple as filling a chip with a sample and sliding the chip into a slot on the side of the microscope. Because of its large aperture, the lensless microscope is also resistant to problems caused by debris clogging the light source. In addition, there are few moving parts, making the microscope fairly robust. The lensless microscope is also an example of a type of medicine known as telemedicine. In resource-limited settings, tools that are portable enough to do medical tests in the field are vital. Tools like the lensless microscope could be digitally integrated as part of a telemedicine network that connects various mobile health-care providers to a central lab or hospital, filling gaps in physical infrastructure with mobile tools. The transmission connections for such networks already exist in cellular networks, which have penetrated even the most remote corners of the globe. "Making things user-friendly is what I love about being an engineer," Ozcan said. "It is very rewarding to create something that to the end-user is very simple, when in reality years of research and work went into the technology and product development." UCLA Newsroom[3] [1] [2] [3] Thu, 22 Apr 2010 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1500024 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1500024 The UCLA Center for Society and Genetics and the King-Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science[1] in South Los Angeles will host a daylong event at UCLA to educate local students about important concepts in human genetics and health. The event is in celebration of the eighth annual National DNA Day[2]. The King-Drew students will be introduced to the concept of nanotechnology, an emerging field that will have a profound effect on diagnostic and therapeutic technologies aimed at improving human health. *Schedule* 10 a.m.-11:45 a.m. California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA Noon-1:30 p.m. UCLA Center for Society and Genetics, Rolfe Hall The UCLA Center for Society and Genetics[3] is unique nationwide in the variety of disciplines it brings to bear on genetic research and medicine. In 2008, the center was awarded a grant from the UCLA Center for Community Partnerships' UCLA in LA initiative for a two-year pilot program[4]. The program is designed to broaden interest in these issues and enable high school students and teachers from underrepresented communities to more actively engage in these social genetics discussions. [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 21 Apr 2010 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1496824 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1496824 Jenny Kim[1], an associate professor of dermatology at UCLA and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute, published a study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology reviewing the currently published scientific literature to determine what evidence exists to support the use of vitamins in skin care products to slow down or reverse the effects of sun damage. Visit the American Academy of Dermatology for the full story.[2] [1] [2] Tue, 20 Apr 2010 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1485271 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1485271 Exhibition opening and North|South Mixer: Friday, May 14, 4-8 p.m. Art|Sci Gallery and Lab, CNSI Building (5th floor) Gallery hours: Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. (closed on campus holidays) Students from UCLA's Biotech and Art honors class, along with their peers from Parsons The New School for Design in New York, will exhibit their final work. The event takes form in presentations, performances and art installations, all responding to how we are changing our bodies, the food we consume, the animals we breed and the environment we inhabit. The quarterly North|South Mixer is a collaborative event hosted by the UCLA Art|Sci Center and the UCLA Department of Design|Media Arts, where colleagues from across disciplines and geographies meet and greet. The exhibition and mixer take place at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) on the UCLA campus. Fri, 16 Apr 2010 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1514212 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1514212 Imagine the "Impossible" The Sci | Art NanoLab is a highly competitive summer program for high school students interested in collaborating with diverse and notable minds to challenge traditional, polarized perspectives of the arts and sciences. This program is open to high school students who are graduating seniors or will be juniors and seniors in the fall. Throughout the 2-week intensive program, students will make connections between cutting edge scientific research, popular culture and contemporary arts. Lab visits, workshops, hands-on experiments, and meetings with world renowned scientists will be balanced with visits to museums, daily movie screenings and meetings with famous contemporary artists who collaborate with scientists. A team of science and art graduate students will lead participants. The application deadline for the 2010 Sci | Art NanoLab is Midnight (PST) on Friday, April 30th. The program, which runs from June 21st to July 2nd, is sponsored by UCLA's Art | Sci Center, Department of Design | Media Arts, and the California NanoSystems Institute. For further information and to register, visit the NanoLab website[1]. [1] Mon, 26 Apr 2010 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1485227 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1485227 Dr. Andre Nel[1], a Professor of Medicine at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine and researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute, was invited by the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) to co-chair the U.S.-Russia Nanotechnology Experts Meeting at the U.S. State Department on April 8-9, 2010. The U.S.-Russia Nanotechnology Experts Meeting occurred concurrently with the signing of New Start, the new nuclear arms reduction treaty signed by the U.S. and Russia. Dr. Nel presented during the meeting with another co-chair, Alexander Baturin, Deputy Director, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, under the title, "Nanotechnology-related Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Research." Also, Dr Nel was one of eight US experts chosen to conduct a study on behalf of the NNI and the National Science Foundation (NSF) titled "International Study of the Long-term Impacts and Future Opportunities for Nanoscale Science and Engineering." [1] Fri, 16 Apr 2010 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1485309 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1485309 Protein work by a UCLA team led by David Eisenberg[1], the Paul D. Boyer Professor of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry at UCLA and a researcher at the California NanoSystems Institute was recently featured in an article in Nature News. Amyloids, the sticky aggregates that form on proteins, are known to play a role in age-related diseases and new research is shedding light on some of the bodies natural defenses against them. Knowledge gained from work like Eisenberg's, showing how amyloids form and are prevented, is providing hope for new treatments for diseases like Alzheimer's and Creutzfeldt-Jakob. Visit the Nature News[2] website or download this PDF[3] for the full story. [1] [2] [3] Fri, 16 Apr 2010 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1467043 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1467043 The annual William Potter Lecture was created by the late William Potter Wear, a Jefferson Life Trustee, to honor his grandfather and former President of the Jefferson Medical College and Hospital Board of Trustees, the honorable William Potter, LLD. The 2010 lecture was delivered on April 7th by CNSI Director Paul Weiss[1], a Distinguished Professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA. Prof. Weiss presented, "Eyes of the 21st Century: Controlling the Placement, Environments, and Interactions of Molecules at All Scales." The annual William Potter Lecturer is selected each year by the Officers of the Thomas Jefferson University Chapter of Sigma Xi. The lectures are in the realm of biomedical sciences and are oriented especially to students. Sigma Xi William Potter Lecture[2] [1] [2] Fri, 09 Apr 2010 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1467060 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1467060 Memristors, a new class of nano-sized switches intended to replace transistors in computers, have taken their next step towards functionality in actual products. A proof-of-concept for memristors was first reported by Stan Williams, the Director of the Information & Quantum Systems Lab at HP, two years ago, though they were proposed as the missing 4th element of computer chips over 40 years ago. In the two years since first unveiling them, Williams's team has developed functioning memristors. They have created a new method for storing and retrieving information from a vast three-dimensional array of memristors, and have managed to increase their switching speed to match today's conventional silicon transistors. The researchers have done lab tests, proving that the memristors can reliably make hundreds of thousands of reads and writes. Williams anticipates advancing memristor technology to the point of integration into consumer products in three years time. Stan Williams[1] is also the Co-Chair of the California NanoSystems Institute External Advisory Board. Please visit the New York Times website[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Fri, 09 Apr 2010 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1461104 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1461104 Professor Chi On Chui[1], from electrical engineering at UCLA, was awarded the first annual EDS Early Career Award. This award was established to promote, recognize, and support early career technical development. It is awarded to those working in the field of interest for the Electronic Devices Society (EDS), one of the technical society & councils that can be joined as an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) member. Candidates for the EDS Early Career Award must have received their first professional degree within the last decade at the time of nomination. Prof. Chui received the award for his work in nanostructure devices and technology for nanoarchitectonics, biomedical electronics, and nanoelectronics. He is also a member of the California NanoSystems Institute. EDS Early Career Award[2] EDS Early Career Award page from IEEE newsletter[3] [1] [2] [3] Wed, 07 Apr 2010 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1461151 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1461151 Radius Health, the latest startup company to join the UCLA on-campus Technology Incubator at the California NanoSystems Institute, has been featured in the Technology Review, published by MIT. Radius Health is developing a briefcase-sized unit capable of taking x-ray images. In early tests, the radiation produced by this portable unit is considerably less than that produced by current x-ray machines used in hospitals. The portable device also has potential for use in the field by the military. Visit the Technology Review[1] website for the full story. Radius Health joins tech incubator at CNSI to conduct proof-of-concept research[2] Radius Health Website[3] [1] [2] [3] Wed, 07 Apr 2010 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1458040 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1458040 In addition to commercialization, education is a major part of CNSI's mission. One of the successful education programs at CNSI is the High School Nanoscience Program. In this program high school science teachers are taught nanoscience experiments by UCLA graduate students, who designed the experiments. The high school teachers are then given experiment kits to take back to their classrooms and teach the experiments to their students. These experiments are based off of the prescribed high school curriculum for the Los Angeles Unified School District. The CNSI High School Nanoscience Program is featured in a recent article in Photonics Spectra, an industry magazine, which highlights education programs at UCLA and UCSF that train high, middle, and elementary school teachers to educate their students in science concepts. Visit Photonics.com[1] to read the full article. The High School Nanoscience Program is lead by Sarah Tolbert[2], a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA, and a member of CNSI. [1] [2] Tue, 06 Apr 2010 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1451299 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1451299 UCLA researchers in the Electron Imaging Center for Nanomachines (EICN)[1] core lab at CNSI have found a pattern in a virus that appears to rhyme with one of Mozart's piano sonatas. The research team, lead by Hong Zhou[2], a professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics at UCLA, was investigating the structure of the vesicular stomatitis virus, or VSV, when they discovered the patterns. The VSV virus has long been used as a model system for understanding the life cycles of viruses like those that cause influenza, measles, and rabies, but until recently an accurate model of the virus structure had been missing. Using a new imaging technique called cryo-electron microscopy, Zhou's research team was able to generate a 3-D structure of VSV virus which reveals how the virus assembles itself. Upon learning about the virus assembly, the team also discovered that the sequence in the assembling viral protein and RNA molecules appears to rhyme with the first several measures of Mozart's piano sonata in C-Major (K545). The virus structure accompanied by Mozart's sonata can be seen and heard in this video[3]. Prof. Zhou is a member of CNSI and the Faculty Director of the EICN lab. For the full story on the determination of the VSV virus structure, see this CNSI news item[4]. [1] [2] [3] [4] Fri, 02 Apr 2010 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1449833 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1449833 *Radius Health joins tech incubator at CNSI to conduct proof-of-concept research* While today many medical-imaging needs are being met with traditional vacuum tube-based technology, large segments of the X-ray-imaging market are poorly served, and there is widespread demand for both performance improvements and cost reductions. Based on groundbreaking patented technology licensed from UCLA, startup company Radius Health is developing a lightweight, flat-panel X-ray source Microemitter Array X-rays (MAX) technology that has the potential to address these needs by enabling new X-ray imaging applications while lowering the cost of traditional applications. The startup has been selected to move into the UCLA on-campus incubator space at the California NanoSystems Institute to develop a lightweight X-ray emitter employing MAX technology an X-ray source on a chip capable of delivering the same spectrum as traditional sources. The MAX technology was developed by Gil Travish, Ph.D., a research scientist in the UCLA Department of Physics and Astronomy, and his colleagues James Rosenzweig, a UCLA professor of physics, and Rodney Yoder, an assistant professor of physics at Manhattanville College in New York. The MAX technology works like this: Using an array of particle sources from microfabricated structures, parallel X-rays are generated uniformly across a flat panel. The MAX source, which can be produced using the current generation of semiconductor foundry processes, generates diagnostic X-rays without the need for fragile vacuum tubes and bulky, expensive power electronics and radioactive materials. The technology has the potential to deliver advanced and potentially safer imaging options than are available with current commercial X-ray systems, and to extend the 'application space' of X-ray radiology. "Moving our development activities into CNSI is a real landmark moment for us," said Mark Evans, CEO for Radius Health. "The access to the facilities and knowledge will greatly help us accelerate our product to market and bring this key technology nearer to deployment in clinical systems." Radius Health expects to make extensive use of the microfabrication facilities at the new Integrated Systems Nanofabrication Cleanroom at CNSI. The use of pyroelectric emission is important, as the voltage required to generate electrons within the X-ray production process is produced within a crystal, eliminating the need for 'clean' power supplies, transformers, high-voltage electronics and the associated shielding required and most importantly, fragile vacuum tubes. Unlike past efforts with pyroelectric-based sources, Radius Health is able to control the emission of electrons and thus maintain a stable and controlled emission of X-rays, which allows this type of source to be applied to clinical applications. The journey from vacuum tubes to flat panels could be as transformational in X-rays as it has been in visual displays. "In most areas of electronic product development, such as computing, displays and radar, solid-state technology has replaced vacuum-tube technology due to the improvements in reliability, energy consumption and portability," Travish said. "We see this story being extended to X-ray sources." The UCLA on-campus Technology Incubator Program at the CNSI is an innovative resource with a mission to help accelerate the growth of entrepreneurial startup companies and early-stage technology research projects that originate at UCLA. The incubator offers shared, flexible lab space dedicated to housing eight to 10 early-stage incubation projects for short periods of time. UCLA Newsroom[1] [1] Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1440670 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1440670 AOL News has run a three part special report titled 'The Nanotech Gamble: Bold Science. Big Money. Growing Risks.' The series examines the potential benefits of nanotechnology, but puts special emphasis on the growing debate surrounding health and safety issues for nanotechnology. Andre Nel[1], professor of medicine at UCLA, is quoted in the first part of the series as an expert in interpreting the results of scientific studies of nanotechnology health effects. Prof. Nel, also a member of the California NanoSystems Institute, is Director of the Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology, or CEIN, which is headquartered at CNSI. Created in 2008 with funding from the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the CEIN was established to ensure that health testing keeps pace with rapid advancements in new material creation from nanotechnology. Visit AOL News[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Thu, 25 Mar 2010 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1439006 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1439006 The 2010 Distinguished Teaching Awards are presented by the UCLA Academic Senate, and are given to the most skilled and inspiring teachers, as proven by letters from colleagues, students and former students, as well as course evaluations. Katsushi Arisaka[1] is a professor of physics and astronomy, and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute. Visit the UCLA Today[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1438993 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1438993 Aydogan Ozcan[1], a professor of electrical engineering at UCLA, has added fluorescent detection capability to an imaging system he invented. The system is lens-free imaging, or LUCAS, where microparticles can be identified from the shadow pattern created by shining a light on them in a solution. By using a computer chip to analyze the shadow patterns, counting and identifying the microparticles occurs instantly. Another benefit to the system is the removal of the lens, which allows it to be scaled down enough to fit into ultra portable devices, such as cell phones. The LUCAS system is capable of monitoring the condition of HIV and malaria patients. By adding fluorescent detection to LUCAS, biological markers can now be used to study things like the quantity of circulating tumor cells. This advance further enhances the capability of LUCAS as a mobile diagnostic device, especially for use in remote areas with insufficient health care infrastructure The fluorescent LUCAS advance was published online[2] in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal _Lab on a Chip_. Prof. Ozcan is also a member of the California NanoSystems Institute, for more details on LUCAS see here[3]. [1] [2] [3] Wed, 24 Mar 2010 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1435990 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1435990 The California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA and the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) at Japan's Kyoto University have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on international research efforts and academic exchanges. "This memorandum strengthens our ties to iCeMS and to Kyoto University, and the CNSI research agenda will be greatly advanced by this connection," said CNSI director Paul Weiss[1], a distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry who hold's UCLA's Fred Kavli Chair in Nanosystems Sciences. "The iCeMS is already carrying out transformative work in the cell-material field, which promises to have major impact on regenerative medicine and the development of new drugs." The iCeMS is one of five World Premier International Research Centers selected under a national initiative by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to promote pioneering research fields in which Japan has a competitive edge. The institute aims to advance cell-material sciences, for which Kyoto University is known, and to develop new scientific fields through the integration of biosciences, chemistry, material sciences and physics, followed by innovative technologies and applications. The new agreement, signed on March 15 by Professor Norio Nakatsuji, director of the iCeMS, and Weiss, outlines the institutes' intentions to work together on international collaborative research efforts, including joint research projects; short-term exchanges of scientists, faculty members and students; and jointly organized conferences and workshops. Through these activities, the iCeMS and the CNSI will enhance their science communication skills and social literacy globally, with the aim of nurturing the scientists of tomorrow. According to Nakatsuji, the agreement with the CNSI will lead to multidisciplinary collaborations with benefits for both institutions. "The memorandum will enhance the quality of research at iCeMS and encourage greater participation in the global scientific community among our scientists," he said. "Both are essential for Japan's continued role as a leader in science and technology." The two institutes share interests in gaining a deeper understanding of molecular interactions in order to further advance stem-cell research and new drug therapies and delivery systems, as well as green chemical technologies and sustainable energy resources. Several collaborations involving researchers at both institutes are already underway, including a collaboration between UCLA professor Omar Yaghi and Kyoto University professor Susumu Kitagawa on the synthesis of multifarious pores, and one between UCLA professor Jim Gimzewski and Kyoto professor Takafumi Ueno on the chemical design of protein surfaces toward integrated meso-molecular devices. This agreement reflects the CNSI's commitment to the globalization of science. The institute has positioned itself at the forefront of international centers of nanoscience and nanotechnology by creating strong links with universities and other research facilities in Asia and Europe. Presently, the CNSI has formal connections with institutions in China, Japan, Singapore, Korea, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands and serves as a crossroads for top scientists and engineers from around the world. *The Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences at Kyoto University[2]* aims to advance the integration of cell and material sciences both of which are traditionally strong fields for the university by creating a uniquely innovative global research environment. The iCeMS seeks to integrate biosciences, chemistry, material science and physics to capture the potential power of meso-control of functional architectures and stem cells. Cells in living organisms have acquired these tools to control the mesoscale realm (5-100 nanometers) through the course of evolution, thereby realizing clean chemical reactions in ambient environments to perform functions such as energy conversion, cell growth and differentiation. UCLA Newsroom[3] [1] [2] [3] Tue, 23 Mar 2010 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1410664 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1410664 Patrick Soon-Shiong, the Executive Chairman of Abraxis Biosciences, has been named the 2010 Business Person of the Year by the Los Angeles Business Journal. Soon-Shiong received the award based on his entrepreneurial and philanthropic activities. The recent sale of some of his businesses propelled him to the top of the Business Journal's 2009 list of Wealthiest Angelenos and have allowed him to pursue a variety of philanthropic activities. Visit the Los Angeles Business Journal[1] website to read the full story, which includes an in-depth history of Soon-Shiong's research and business activities. In addition to his Executive Chairman position at Abraxis Bioscience, Soon-Shiong is the Chief Executive of a startup called Abraxis Health, the Executive Director of UCLA's Wireless Health Institute, and a member of the CNSI External Advisory Board. [1] Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1399360 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1399360 Aaron Tremaine, PhD, MBA, Director of Business Development at the California NanoSystems Institute, has been selected to the Board of Directors at Port Technology Development Center (Port Tech LA) at the Port of Los Angeles. Port Tech LA is a technology center and business incubator founded by the San Pedro and Wilmington Chambers of Commerce in collaboration with both the City and Port of Los Angeles. As CNSI Director of Business Development, Aaron Tremaine focuses on new commercial opportunities for UCLA technologies, and helped establish the UCLA on-campus Technology Incubator at CNSI to accelerate the growth of UCLA start-up companies and early stage technologies. As a member of the Port Tech LA Board of Directors, Tremaine will be central to the understanding and development of the port's technology needs and stewarding of technology companies that will serve maritime related organizations, including cargo and land shipping. Port Tech LA's emphasis in energy and green technologies aligns with research at the CNSI and is directed at creating a new "green collar" job base at Los Angeles' harbor area communities. "Virtual incubation" efforts have begun with interested companies receiving information and referral assistance from Port Tech LA and an initial facility for incubating companies is planned to open the first half of FY10. The Port of Los Angeles plays an important role in the creation of jobs approximately 260,000 jobs are associated with port activities. Given the size and scope of the port, Port Tech LA's four-year plan includes a larger, 40,000 sq. ft. facility to incubate 40 companies addressing the ports emerging environmental, energy and security technology needs. Port Tech LA seeks to become a major player in green energy and well integrated into job creation in the Southern California Community. Representatives from the Port of Los Angeles, City of Los Angeles, Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles, Small Business Development Centers, San Pedro Chamber of Commerce, Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, Harbor City Chamber of Commerce, Clean San Pedro, Office of Los Angeles Mayor Villaraigosa, Office of Council member Janice Hahn, Technoplex, Inc., and others sit on the Boards of Port Tech LA. For additional information about the Port of Los Angeles Port Technologies Development Center visit http://www.portoflosangeles.org/business/ptdc.asp[1]. [1] Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1388191 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1388191 The research, which was featured in the UCLA Daily Bruin, involves a new study conducted on the structure of the bullet-shaped vesicular stomatitis virus. The study, published in the journal _Science_, is the first to accurately portray the assembly and interactions of proteins that assemble to form the virus. Hong Zhou[1], the principal investigator on the study, is a member of the California NanoSystems Institute and the Faculty Director of the Electron Imaging Center for NanoMachines[2], a core lab at CNSI involved in the study. Visit the Daily Bruin[3] for the full story. CNSI News item[4] on 3-D structure of bullet-shaped virus. [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1373476 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1373476 Recent research in the journal ACS Chemical Neuroscience reveals that brain serotonin transporters differ based on genetic differences. Anne Andrews[1], a professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at UCLA, was lead author on the paper, other authors were from Pennsylvania State University, University of Pittsburgh, Michigan State Unviersity, and Imperial College London. The research shows how serotonin transporter function in the brain differs based on genetic factors. Serotonin is a chemical in the brain which influences various bodily functions, and is thought to play a role in anxiety disorders and depression. Prof. Andrews is also a member of the CNSI and a Senior Research Scientist at the Hatos Center for Neuropharmacology, Semel Institute (NPI). ACS Chemical Neuroscience[2] [1] [2] Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1373491 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1373491 Richard Kaner[1], professor of chemistry & biochemistry and materials science & engineering at UCLA, has been selected as the 2010 recipient of the Richard C. Tolman Medal. The medal is awarded each year by the Southern California Section of the American Chemical Society in recognition of the medalist's outstanding contributions to chemistry. Prof. Kaner is also a member of CNSI. The Tolman Medal is named in honor of Richard C. Tolman, a pioneering chemist at Caltech during the first half of the 20th century, who made key discoveries on electrons, among other significant scientific findings. This is the second year in a row the medal has gone to a faculty member at UCLA, the 2009 recipient was Joan Valentine from chemistry and biochemistry. Past recipients of the Tolman award include seven Nobel Laureates. [1] Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1369525 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1369525 The California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA and the Centre for Nanoscience and Quantum Information (NSQI) at England's University of Bristol have entered into an agreement to expand research collaborations and educational exchanges in nanoscience and nanotechnology. CNSI director Paul Weiss[1] and NSQI director Daniel Robert signed a memorandum of understanding at a March 2 ceremony on the UCLA campus. The MOU forges a link between two of the world's foremost centers for nanoscale research, allowing them to apply their combined resources in nanotechnology to problems of global concern in energy, health and the environment. "This is a landmark event for CNSI," Weiss said. "It is our first MOU with a European institution and will provide access to advanced instrumentation and new approaches to nanoscale research. The joint research and education efforts of CNSI and NSQI members will provide benefits of worldwide importance." "Current collaborations between individual members of CNSI and NQSI will be strengthened by this agreement," Robert said. "It raises these partnerships to an institutional level, giving the researchers involved access to the full resources of UCLA and the University of Bristol. The MOU will accelerate the flow of people and ideas between the U.S. and the U.K." The memorandum is the culmination of a series of research interactions that began with a collaboration between the CNSI's Jim Gimzewski[2], distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and NSQI's Mervyn Miles. The University of Bristol was one of two U.K. university participants in a workshop on nanotechnology held at the CNSI in 2009. Currently, three members of NSQI are spending a week in residence at the CNSI as part of a program funded by the British Research Council to encourage academic exchanges between British and American universities. Weiss will travel to Bristol for the official NSQI opening this September. The CNSI carries out both basic and applied research, all focused on increasing the understanding of phenomena at the nanoscale and finding applications for nanoscience and nanotechnology in the fields of energy, medicine, communications and the environment. Specific areas of research include renewable energy; cancer care, including diagnostics, therapies and targeted drug delivery; nanotoxicology; biosensors; and graphene production. Research at the CNSI is based on the assumption that scientific inquiry is borderless, transcending political boundaries, and is advanced through international partnerships and collaborations. The agreement with NSQI continues the efforts of the CNSI to play a leading role in the globalization of science. Over the past three years, the CNSI has created formal links with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Beijing Nano Center, the University of Tokyo, the University of Kyoto, Kyushu University, Yonsei University, Seoul National University, KAIST and the University of Bristol. *The Bristol Centre for Nanoscience and Quantum Information[3]* provides state-of-the-art specialized laboratories whose vibration and acoustic noise levels are among the lowest achieved anywhere. The center also has a unique purpose-designed environment in which a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research community drawn from science, engineering and medicine can be fostered and thrive through stimulating interactions and the exchange of ideas. UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1365815 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1365815 Most people would get discouraged after studying something for 25 years but still not understanding its function, but Leonard Rome[1] is not most people. Rome, a professor of biological chemistry at UCLA, discovered particles that he calls vaults almost 25 years ago, and has been working with them ever since. Vaults are barrel like nano-structures found in every human cell, they are thought to be among the most abundant particles in the body, but it has yet to be determined what role vaults play in the body. The Rome Lab's work with vaults is detailed in the March issue of _The Scientist_, a magazine focused on the life sciences. The article explores the history of their research, some of their collaborators, and eventual goals for the project. Prof. Rome has theorized that vaults function as delivery vessels for proteins into cells nuclei, and hopes to modify vaults to act as nano-sized drug delivery vehicles. Prof. Rome is also the Senior Associate Dean of Research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and an Associate Director of the California NanoSystems Institute. Please visit The Scientist.com[2] to read the full story. [1] [2] Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1352648 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1352648 UCLA researchers have designed a new graphene nanostructure, which they call a nanomesh, capable of effectively operating as a semiconductor thin film for use in electronics. The research team includes two members of the California NanoSystems Institute, Yu Huang [1] from department of materials science and engineering, and Xiangfeng Duan[2] from the department of chemistry and biochemistry. Their work was published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology[3]. Since its discovery, graphene (a single atom thick layer of carbon) has been proposed for a variety of uses in next generation electronics. Adoption, though, has been held back by band gap restrictions in graphene, which keep it from functioning as a semiconductor. The new nanomesh material opens up the band gap in graphene to improve its semiconductor qualities. Multidisciplinary research, such as this project involving engineers and chemists, is a main focus of the California NanoSystems Institute, which brings together researchers from the physical sciences, schools of engineering, medicine, public health and dentistry. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[4] to view the full release. [1] [2] [3] [4] Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1352657 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1352657 A research paper published in the Journal _ACS Nano_ was highlighted in the February 26th edition of Editor's Choice in the journal _ Science_. The paper explores the syntheses of nanoassemblies with tunable electronic properties. Paul Weiss[1], Director of CNSI and a Professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA, was lead author of the paper. Science Editor's Choice[2] ACS Nano[3] [1] [2] [3] Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1352669 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1352669 Were it not for the presence of mysterious forces in the universe, galaxies would not stay intact. There is not enough visible matter present for gravity alone to keep stars from flying out of their galaxy orbits. Galaxies do stay together though, so astronomers have coined the terms 'dark matter' and 'dark energy' for the as yet undetected forces. The 'UCLA Symposium on Sources and Detection of Dark Matter and Dark Energy in the Universe', from February 24th to the 26th, brought together over 140 physicists and astronomers from the U.S., Europe, and Asia to discuss current research on dark matter and dark energy. One topic of discussion at the symposium was a recently constructed dark matter detector in Italy. The detector, a collaboration between researchers at ten universities across the world, was presented to the symposium by UCLA physics and astronomy Professor Katsushi Arisaka[1] and UCLA physics and astronomy researcher Hanguo Wang. Prof. Arisaka is also a member of the California NanoSystems Institute. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] to read the symposium release. [1] [2] Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1349152 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1349152 *Librede Inc. has licensed technology developed by UCLA professor and team* Librede Inc. has joined the UCLA on-campus technology incubator space at the California NanoSystems Institute, where the startup company will work on developing technologies to improve ion channel drug discovery and screening. Ion channels are proteins in cell membranes that play a central role in generating and transmitting cardiac and neural signals. The channels control the passage of ions into and out of cells; the effects of drugs that act on ion channels can be determined by measuring the flow of ions through these channels. However, conventional measurement technologies, which utilize live cells, are relatively slow and expensive. A team led by Jacob Schmidt[1], associate professor of bioengineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, has developed a cell-free artificial membrane technology for ion channel measurement that may result in significant savings of time and cost. This technology has been exclusively licensed by Librede, which was founded in July 2008 by Schmidt and Jason Poulos, Librede's chief technical officer and a co-inventor of the technology. As part of this arrangement, the University of California will earn a royalty on the company's future products. Librede moved into lab space at the CNSI incubator this month and has access to CNSI core lab facilities such as the Molecular Shared Screening Resource (MSSR) for research and development. "The CNSI's incubator space is ideal for us," Poulos said. "We have access to state-of-the-art facilities and technical staff that will allow us to rapidly develop our technology and grow our company." "Although cell-free platforms for ion channel measurement have been used for decades, their cost and expertise requirements have mostly limited their use to scientists," Schmidt said. "We have developed an artificial cell membrane that is inexpensive, easy to use and automatable. We hope that our technology will reduce the cost and time associated with ion channel measurements." The UCLA on-campus Technology Incubator Program at the CNSI is an innovative resource with a mission to help accelerate the growth of entrepreneurial startup companies and early-stage technology research projects that originate at UCLA. The incubator offers shared, flexible lab space dedicated to housing eight to 10-early-stage incubation projects for short periods of time. UCLA Newsroom[2] Librede Website[3] [1] [2] [3] Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1345562 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1345562 The delegation, which was lead by UCLA Chancellor Gene Block, made stops in Hong Kong and Beijing during the visit. Other members of the delegation included Chancellor's Professor of computer science Jason Cong[1], also a member of CNSI; Vice Provost of International Studies at UCLA Nicholas Entrikin; Executive Director of the UCLA International Institute John Peralta; and UCLA Professor of chemistry and biochemistry and California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) Director Paul Weiss[2]. In Beijing, Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) were signed between UCLA and Peking University establishing a Joint Research Institute and between UCLA, CNSI and the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), established jointly by the Chinese National Academy of Sciences (CAS), Peking University, and Tsinghua University. For UCLA, the latter MOU was signed by Paul Weiss and witnessed by Chancellor Block, for NCNST the MOU was signed by NCNST Director Chen Wang and witnessed by CAS Executive Vice-President and NCNST President of the Board Bai Chunli. Signing ceremony photo gallery[3]. In Hong Kong, a number of joint programs were discussed with The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Paul Weiss presented the Distinguished Lecture at the Institute for Advanced Study. Prof Weiss's lecture was titled, "Eyes of the 21st Century: Controlling the Placement and Environments of Molecules at All Scales." An event hosted by UCLA's Hong Kong alumni celebrated former UCLA faculty member and Dean Tony Chan becoming the president of HKUST. Distinguished Lecture Photo Gallery[4], and Flyer[5]. *About NCNST* At the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST)[6] basic and applied research in nanoscience are the main focus of research. The Center's objective is to build a public technological platform and research base for nanoscience, which will feature state-of-the-art equipment and which is open to both domestic and international users. *About HKUST* An innovator in research and teaching, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)[7] is the only science and technology research university in Hong Kong, and the only one to offer an all-PhD faculty. Its groundbreaking work in science, engineering, business, humanities and social science is successfully pushing back the boundaries of the information age. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1345725 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1345725 UCLA welcomed Professor Chunli Bai, Executive Vice President, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Mr. Jinghua Cao, Deputy Director General, Bureau of International Cooperation, Beijing who visited the campus on Monday, February 22, 2010 to meet with Chancellor Gene Block and California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) director Paul Weiss[1]. A special lecture was given by Professor Bai titled "Nano Science and Technology: Challenges and Opportunities" illuminating how nanoscience and nanotechnology will play a very important role in the next science and technology revolution. Professor Bai used some examples to illustrate recent nano applications in China, and made an analysis on the nano science and technology developments including problems and challenges to be faced along with the potential opportunities for nano science and technology to make breakthroughs in the future. The lecture took place in the CNSI auditorium. Preceding the special lecture, Chancellor Gene Block hosted a luncheon at his residence to honor Professor Chunli Bai and to promote research collaboration and an exchange of ideas between the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology (NCNST), the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the UCLA California NanoSystems Institute. CNSI and the NCNST have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding which will encourage immediate growth of research collaborations in three areas: (a) nano-characterization; (b) infectious disease screening and vaccine development; and (c) nano-toxicology and nano-safety. This visit demonstrates UCLA's commitment to growing international collaborations among leading scientists in the US and China and strengthens the relationship between UCLA and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In January, a UCLA delegation visited China and made a stop in Beijing to meet with Professor Bai, visit this news item[2] to learn more. Photo Gallery[3] of visit to UCLA by Prof. Chunli Bai and Mr. Jinghua Cao. [1] [2] [3] Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1345740 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1345740 A research team lead by Owen Witte[1] has discovered a possible cause of malignancy in prostate cancer. In research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences the team shows how they discovered a specific gene in basal stem cells which seems to be responsible for turning prostate cancer malignant. Witte is the President's Chair in developmental immunology, microbiology, immunology & molecular genetics at UCLA and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute. Visit the Science News[2] page of US News and World Report for the full story. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences[3] [1] [2] [3] Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1327132 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1327132 With five Sloan Fellows, UCLA ranks third nationally in the number of fellowships. The Sloan Research Fellowships are awarded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a philanthropic, not-for-profit grantmaking institution in New York City. Yu Huang[1], an assistant professor of materials science and engineering and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute, received one of the 5 UCLA fellowships for her research into creating nanoscale materials using chemical and biological approaches. The other 4 recipients are Steven Furlanetto from physics and astronomy, Rupak Majumdar from computer science, Monica Visan from mathematics, and Xinshu Xiao from physiological science. The Sloan Research Fellowships seek to stimulate fundamental research by early-career scientists and scholars of outstanding promise. These two-year fellowships are awarded yearly to 118 researchers in recognition of distinguished performance and a unique potential to make substantial contributions to their field. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] for the full news release. [1] [2] Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1307371 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1307371 Miller-McCune.com, the online version of Miller-McCune magazine which reports on how current academic research addresses pressing social concerns, has featured the UC Center for the Environmental Impact of Nanotechnology (UC CEIN) in an article. Lead scientists at UC CEIN Patricia Holden from UCSB and Andre Nel[1] from UCLA are quoted in the article. Prof. Nel is Chief of the Division of Nanomedicine at UCLA and a member of the CNSI, the UC CEIN is also headquartered at CNSI. The article focuses on the new field of nanotoxicology, and how health and safety researchers have had to create new methodologies to keep pace with new nanomaterials. Toxicology of the Tiny[2] [1] [2] Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1303949 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1303949 UCLA chemists report creating a synthetic "gene" that could capture heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions, which contribute to global warming, rising sea levels and the increased acidity of oceans. The research appears in the Feb. 12 issue of the journal _Science_[1]. "We created three-dimensional, synthetic DNA-like crystals," said UCLA chemistry and biochemistry professor Omar M. Yaghi[2], who is a member of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA and the UCLA-Department of Energy Institute of Genomics and Proteomics. "We have taken organic and inorganic units and combined them into a synthetic crystal which codes information in a DNA-like manner. It is by no means as sophisticated as DNA, but it is certainly new in chemistry and materials science." The discovery could lead to cleaner energy, including technology that factories and cars can use to capture carbon dioxide before it reaches the atmosphere. "What we think this will be important for is potentially getting to a viable carbon dioxide-capture material with ultra-high selectivity," said Yaghi, who holds UCLA's Irving and Jean Stone Chair in Physical Sciences and is director of the CNSI's Center for Reticular Chemistry. "I am optimistic that is within our reach. Potentially, we could create a material that can convert carbon dioxide into a fuel, or a material that can separate carbon dioxide with greater efficiency." The research was federally funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Basic Energy Sciences. The lead author is Hexiang "DJ" Deng, a UCLA graduate student of chemistry and biochemistry who works in Yaghi's laboratory. "DNA is a beautiful molecule that has a way to code for information," Yaghi said. "How do you code information in a crystal in the same way that DNA does? DJ and I figured out a way to do this. The sequence of organic functionalities that decorates the pores of the crystals is most certainly a unique code. "DJ has illustrated that one member of a series of materials he has made has 400 percent better performance in carbon dioxide capture than one that does not have the same code," he said. In the early 1990s, Yaghi invented a class of materials called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), sometimes described as crystal sponges, in which he can change the components nearly at will. MOFs have pores openings on the nanoscale in which Yaghi and his colleagues can store gases that are usually difficult to store and transport. Molecules can go in and out of the pores unobstructed. Yaghi and his research team have made thousands of MOFs. "We have created crystals of metal-organic frameworks in which the sequence of multiple functionalities of varying kind and ratios acts as a synthetic 'gene,'" Yaghi said. "With these multivariate MOFs, we have figured out a way to incorporate controlled complexity, which biology operates on, in a synthetic crystal taking synthetic crystals to a new level of performance. "This can be a boon for energy-related and other industrial applications, such as conversion of gases and liquids like carbon dioxide to fuel, or water to hydrogen, among many others," he said. Yaghi has been collaborating with his former UCLA chemistry colleague and former CNSI director Sir J. Fraser Stoddart on how to take concepts from biology and incorporate them into a synthetic material. "We hope the materials we are creating will introduce a new class of structures that have controlled complexity," Yaghi said. "Chemists and materials scientists are now able to ask new questions we have never asked before. Also, new tools for characterizing the sequences and deciphering the codes within the crystals will have to be developed." Carbon dioxide is polluting Earth's atmosphere and damaging coral reefs and marine life impacts that are irreversible in our lifetime, Yaghi said. Co-authors on the study are Christian Doonan and Hiroyasu Furukawa, UCLA postdoctoral scholars in Yaghi's laboratory; Ricardo Ferreira, a UCLA visiting undergraduate; John Towne, a former UCLA undergraduate; Carolyn Knobler, a research associate in Yaghi's laboratory; and Bo Wang, a UCLA postdoctoral scholar in Yaghi's laboratory. *Try 100 times* A few years ago, Yaghi spoke at Shanghai's Fudan University, which is known for having one of the best chemistry departments in China. There, he met Deng, who at the time was an undergraduate student at the university. Deng and his colleagues had tried unsuccessfully to make new MOFs. "DJ told me, 'Professor, we tried a slight variation to make new MOFs and it did not work,'" Yaghi recalled. "I asked, 'How many times did you try?' He said, 'Two or three times.' I said, 'How about 20 times, 30 times? How about 100 times? If it were that easy, why would it need a smart person like you to do it? Success and excellence do not come that easily.' I said, 'If you really want to learn how to do MOF chemistry, you better come and work with me.' I think that shocked him, but here he is." How did Deng react to Yaghi's offer? "Definitely," said Deng, who plans to become a chemistry professor. "And," he added, "the story ends with me trying enough times to get it right. It took me about a hundred more times." "With MOF chemistry," Yaghi said, "it is not all design; there is a lot of trial and error because we are trying to learn what nature is telling us, and learning that code takes time. "What is special about DJ and the other students who have worked in my laboratory is that no matter how much you raise the bar, they jump high enough to rise above it," Yaghi said. "It takes a special student to do that, but they are out there, and they need to be inspired. Working with students like DJ that I can challenge in this way is every professor's dream." UCLA Newsroom[3] [1] [2] [3] Thu, 11 Feb 2010 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1300587 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1300587 Aydogan Ozcan[1], Assistant Professor of electrical engineering at UCLA and a member of CNSI, was recently awarded a 2010 Netexplorateur Award. Prof. Ozcan received one of only 11 Netexplorateur awards given out this year for innovative digital technology. The Netexplorateur group functions as an observatory, monitoring new uses of internet and mobile technology. It has a network of 200 spotters worldwide including researchers, journalists, academics, technologists and experts who track trends and new ideas. These observations are aggregated into the "Netexplorateur 100", the 100 most promising initiatives in digital media and the Web from around the world, based on criteria of originality, impact and exemplarity. Of these 100 technologies, 10 are chosen by the international experts to become "Netexplorateurs of the Year", while one receives the "Grand Prix Netexplorateur 2010." Netexplorateur is based in France, and is under the patronage of the French Senate as well as the Secretary of State for Strategic Studies and the the Development of the Digital Economy. 2010 Netexplorateurs of the Year[2] [1] [2] Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1296307 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1296307 *Study of vesicular stomatitis virus leads to model of viral assembly process* Vesicular stomatitis virus, or VSV, has long been a model system for studying and understanding the life cycle of negative-strand RNA viruses, which include viruses that cause influenza, measles and rabies. More importantly, research has shown that VSV has the potential to be genetically modified to serve as an anti-cancer agent, exercising high selectivity in killing cancer cells while sparing healthy cells, and as a potent vaccine against HIV. For such modifications to occur, however, scientists must have an accurate picture of the virus's structure. While three-dimensional structural information of VSV's characteristic bullet shape and its assembly process has been sought for decades, efforts have been hampered by technological and methodological limitations. Now, researchers at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute and the UCLA Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics[1] and colleagues have not only revealed the 3-D structure of the trunk section of VSV but have further deduced the architectural organization of the entire bullet-shaped virion through cryo-electron microscopy and an integrated use of image-processing methods. Their research findings appear this month in the journal Science[2]. "Structures of individual rhabdovirus proteins have been reported in Science and other high-profile journals, but until now, how they are organized into a bullet shape has remained unclear," said study author Z. Hong Zhou[3], UCLA professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics and a member of the CNSI. "The special shape of VSV a bullet head with a short, helical trunk has lent to its evasion from three-dimensional structural studies." Based on their research into the structure of VSV, the team proposed a model for the assembly of the virus, with its origin at the bullet tip. Their data suggest that VSV assembles through the alternating use of several possible interaction interfaces coded in viral protein sequences to wind its protein and RNA chain into the characteristic bullet shape. "Our structure provides the first direct visualization of the N and M proteins inside the VSV virion at 10.6-Å resolution. Surprisingly, our data clearly demonstrated that VSV is a highly ordered particle, with the nucleocapsid surrounded by, instead of surrounding, a matrix of M proteins," said lead study author Peng Ge, a visiting graduate student at UCLA from Baylor College of Medicine. "To our amusement, the sequence in assembling viral protein and RNA molecules into the virus appears to rhyme with the first several measures of Mozart's piano sonata in C-Major, K.545." (This musical correlation is illustrated in the paper's supplementary movie 2[4].) The findings could help lead to advances in the development of VSV-based vaccines for HIV and other deadly viruses, according to the researchers. "Our structure provides some of the first clues for understanding VSV-derived vaccine pseudotypes and for optimizing therapeutic VSV variants," Zhou said. "This work moves our understanding of the biology of this large and medically important class of viruses ahead in a dramatic way. The next stage of research for our team will be to reveal the details of molecular interactions at the atomic scale using advanced imaging instruments now available at CNSI." The Electron Imaging Center for Nanomachines[5] (EICN) lab at the CNSI has Cryo-EM instrumentation, including the Titan Krios microscope, which makes atomically precise 3-D computer reconstructions of biological samples and produces the highest-resolution images available of viruses, which may lead to better vaccines and new treatments for disease. The Science paper is available at www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/327/5966/689[6]. In addition to Z. Hong Zhou and Peng Ge, the research team included colleagues from the laboratory of Ming Luo, professor of microbiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Stan Schein[7], UCLA professor of psychology. The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health. UCLA Newsroom[8] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1281636 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1281636 *Technology has potential to improve 'smart cards,' Internet infrastructure, entertainment electronics* UCLA has opened its on-campus technology incubator space at the California NanoSystems Institute to WaveConnex Inc., a startup company that plans to conduct proof-of-concept research for the development of contactless electronic connections that can be used in virtually all electronic systems. WaveConnex, which was incorporated in August 2009, is dedicated to leveraging research in millimeter-wave radio technology developed by UCLA electrical engineering professor Frank Chang toward the development of products for contactless connections. The company has licensed the technology from UCLA. Contactless connections allow data to be exchanged between electronic devices without them touching one other. The technology being developed by WaveConnex will potentially enable wide-ranging applications in the areas of database transfer, Internet infrastructure and entertainment electronics, among others. The company will exploit the propagation properties of millimeter-wave electromagnetic radiation generated on silicon material. The product platform form-factor is a piece of silicon measuring 2 x 1 mm, about the size of a grain of rice. WaveConnex expects that its products will serve as replacements for metal-to-metal interconnections currently used in nearly all electronic systems. These new products will have the potential to overcome the limitations of current connectors in terms of performance, reliability and size. Among the potential applications are improved pocket-sized "smart cards" with embedded integrated circuits that can store and process large amounts of data without ever coming into direct contact with another device. "Imagine you have a credit card sized 'smart card' in your wallet that contains all of your medical history and records in encrypted form, including medications, X-rays, MRI results, etc.," Chang said. "The technology has the potential to enable any doctor to access, with permission, your accurate medical profile, giving them detailed information for the prescription of treatments and enabling them to update your profile." While such applications are feasible today, they remain highly impractical due to the limitations in speed and size of the current technology. The new technology being developed by WaveConnex will help make this practical by enabling substantially faster transfer of large databases. "Our products will be based on deep sub-micron CMOS semiconductor technology designed by WaveConnex and manufactured outside of UCLA," said Ira Deyhimy, CEO of WaveConnex. The UCLA on-campus Technology Incubator Program at the CNSI is an innovative resource with a mission to help accelerate the growth of entrepreneurial startup companies and early-stage technology research projects that originate at UCLA. The incubator offers shared, flexible lab space dedicated to housing eight to 10 early-stage incubation projects for short periods of time. WaveConnex's activity in the incubator space will include preparation, testing, and characterization of the product prototypes. WaveConnex received initial sponsorship from the Institute for Technology Advancement (ITA) of the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science (HSSEAS). ITA continues to support startup ventures such as WaveConnex which leverage commercial applications of on-going research activities within HSSEAS. UCLA Newsroom[1] [1] Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1274180 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1274180 The California NanoSystems Institute is pleased to be hosting the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science Engineering (SEAS) Tech Forum on Thursday, February 11, 2010. The 2010 Tech Forum addresses two of the Grand Challenges of the 21st century: sustainability and security. Celebrating its 65th anniversary, SEAS continues to conduct research responsive to the nation and society. This year's Tech Forum will again showcase the groundbreaking advances in research made at UCLA Engineering. For event highlights, program, and registration please visit the Tech Forum website[1]. [1] Wed, 03 Feb 2010 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1268947 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1268947 The Chemical Heritage Foundation, an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to highlighting and promoting chemistry, has named George M. Whitesides recipient of the 2010 Othmer Gold Medal. The medal ceremony and dinner will take place on Wednesday, April 7th 2010. Whitesides is the Woodford L. and Ann A. Flowers University Professor at Harvard University and is a member of the CNSI External Advisory Board. *About the Othmer Gold Medal* The Chemical Heritage Foundation established the Othmer Gold Medal in 1997 to honor outstanding individuals who have made multifaceted contributions to our chemical and scientific heritage through outstanding activity in such areas as innovation, entrepreneurship, research, education, public understanding, legislation, or philanthropy. Chemical Heritage Foundation Press Release[1] CNSI External Advisory Board Page[2] [1] [2] Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1261895 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1261895 *Prof James Gimzewski, a principal investigator for NIMS/MANA, a World Premiere International Center is interviewed extensively* The profile airs on NHK, Japan's public broadcasting network, on Sunday, January 31st and Tuesday, February 2nd as part of the series, "The Proposal for the Future." The program details Prof. Gimzewski's history, story, and research through interviews with him and his colleagues, and through visits to some of the laboratories where he has carried out his groundbreaking research. Prof. Gimzewski, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA, is a principal investigator of the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), a research facility housed at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), and one of five World Premier Institutes funded by the Japanese government to keep the nation in the forefront of science and technology. Gimzewski is also the faculty director of the Nano & Pico Characterization Core Lab at CNSI, and oversees two MANA laboratories, one at NIMS and another located within CNSI's Nano & Pico lab. CNSI has a history of productive collaborations with nanotechnology research centers in Japan and has a memorandum of understanding with NIMS. NHK Website[1] (In Japanese) [1] Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1254421 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1254421 The CNSI is hosting a two-day symposium called "Outlaw Biology? Public Participation in the Age of Big Bio," which has been organized by the UCLA Center for Society and Genetics. The symposium will explore the study and practice of biological science outside of universities and pharmaceutical companies, raising questions and cultivating ideas about how, and by whom, life can and should be studied. Please visit the UCLA Newsroom[1] for full information about the event. *WHEN:* Friday-Saturday, Jan. 29-30 - Jan. 29: 4-8 p.m. (panels) - Jan. 30: 10 a.m.-3 p.m. (workshops and exhibition) *The Panel Discussion will be streamed live using Windows Media* Please click here to access the stream![2] *(Please note the stream will not be active until 15 minutes prior to the beginning of the discussion)* Mac users not running Windows Media Player 9 can install a *Flip4Mac* plug-in to access the stream. *Click here to download the plug-in*[3] [1] [2] [3] Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1254430 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1254430 Several UCLA researchers received INCITE awards, among them Vidvuds Ozolins[1] from the department of materials science and engineering and a member of CNSI. The Innovative and Novel Computational Impact on Theory and Experiment (INCITE) program promotes cutting-edge research that can only be conducted with state-of-the-art supercomputers. The Leadership Computing Facilities (LCFs) at Argonne and Oak Ridge national laboratories, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science, operate the program. The LCFs award sizeable allocations (typically tens of millions of processor hours per project) on powerful supercomputers to researchers from academia, government, and industry addressing grand challenges in science and engineering such as developing new energy solutions and gaining a better understanding of climate change resulting from energy use. *Wolverton & Ozolins Awardee Fact Sheet* *Type:* Renewal *Title:* "Kinetics and Thermodynamics of Metal and Complex Hydride Nanoparticles" *Principal Investigator:* Christopher Wolverton, Northwestern University *Co-Investigators:* Vidvuds Ozolins, University of California, Los Angeles *Scientific Discipline:* Materials Science: Materials Discovery, Design, and Synthesis *INCITE Allocation: 8,000,000 processor hours* *Site:* Argonne National Laboratory *Machine (Allocation):* IBM Blue Gene/P (8,000,000 processor hours) *Research Summary:* General adoption of hydrogen as a vehicular fuel depends critically not only on the ability to extract it at sufficiently rapid rates but also on the ability to store hydrogen on-board at high volumetric and gravimetric densities. Recent experimental and theoretical studies have identified several new complex hydrides with thermodynamic properties and material storage capacities approaching and, in some cases, surpassing the DOE system targets. However, all these materials suffer from extremely poor kinetics. This project will use INCITE resources to rationally design novel nanostructured hydrogen storage materials with fast (de)hydrogenation kinetics and favorable thermodynamics. The accurate predictive power of first-principles modeling will be utilized to understand the microscopic kinetic processes involved in the hydrogen release and uptake so that we can design new systems with improved properties. Areas of study will include the fundamental factors that control hydrogen-metal bond strength, the role of surface structure and finite size on the thermodynamics and kinetics of hydride nanoparticles, and the effect of dopants and nanoscale catalysts in achieving fast kinetics and reversibility at the atomic level. 2010 INCITE program[2] [1] [2] Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1251789 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1251789 Nanomandala, a collaborative artistic piece by CNSI members James Gimzewski and Victoria Vesna, is featured in an art exhibition in Perth, Australia. The exhibition opening will be on February 4th, 2010, and will be housed in the John Curtin Gallery at the Curtin University of Technology. *art in the age of nanotechnology* Curated by Chris Malcolm To be opened by Dr Colin Milburn, author of _Nanovision: Engineering the Future_ (2008). Thursday 4 February 2010 at 6pm RSVP essential 9266 4155 The exhibition runs from 5 February 30 April 2010 Featuring artists and scientists: Boo Chapple (Aus); Mike Phillips (UK); Christa Sommerer (Austria) & Laurent Mignonneau (Fr); Paul Thomas (Aus) & Kevin Raxworthy (Aus) and Victoria Vesna (USA) & James Gimzewski (UK/USA) Visit the website http://johncurtingallery.curtin.edu.au/[1] or Facebook for further exhibition details Exhibition Announcement (PDF)[2] [1] [2] Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1251812 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1251812 Chancellor Gene Block presented UCLA's strategic plan to the UC Board of Regents on Wednesday, Jan. 20, laying out a blueprint that will take the university to its centennial in 2019 and beyond, defining the role of a public research university for the 21st century. Several themes were identified by the Chancellor in his strategic plan, including 'Academic excellence'. Within academic excellence he highlighted the Freshman Cluster Courses and CNSI for their contributions to UCLA's culture of collaboration in teaching and research. "CNSI members have brought in $129 million for collaborative work using CNSI facilities," Block told the regents, who met this week in San Francisco. "They [representing 3% of UCLA Faculty] were responsible for 40 percent of all invention disclosures at UCLA in 2008-09, and they have published more than 4,000 journal articles. This is a center that has really taken off." Visit UCLA Today[1] to read the full story. [1] Mon, 25 Jan 2010 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1243383 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1243383 The University of California Institute for Research in the Arts (UCIRA) is pleased to announce a new system wide course offered in conjunction with the UCIRA Integrative Methodologies Initiative. Open to students from throughout the UC system. Students may register by Simultaneous Enrollment for undergraduate credit or via the Intercampus Exchange Program for graduate credit. Please see http://www.registrar.ucsb.edu/Intercampus.htm#sim-enroll[1] or contact your home campus registrar for additional information. Students may attend this course online. Please contact Professor Victoria Vesna for further information: vv@ucla.edu[2]. LAST DAY TO REGISTER IS MONDAY, JANUARY 25TH *Class Description:* Seminar, six hours. Bioartists use cells, DNA molecules, proteins, and living tissues to bring to life ethical, social, and aesthetic issues of sciences. Study of how bioart blurs distinctions between science and art through combination of artistic and scientific processes, creating wide public debate. Exploration of history of biotechnology as well as social implications of this science. Syllabus[3] [1] [2] [3] Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1216566 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1216566 Aneeve Nanotechnologies, a startup company which recently joined UCLA's On Campus Technology Incubator at CNSI, has been featured in the Technology Review published by MIT. The article focuses on Aneeve's plans to use printed nanocircuits to sense hormones for the treatment of infertility. Please visit the Technology Review[1] website for the full story. News release for Aneeve joining Technology Incubator[2] [1] [2] Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1216622 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1216622 The Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) and the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) will hold the second annual joint symposium on January 18 & 19, 2010 in Japan. This year's symposium will be on the JAIST campus in the city of Nomi in the Ishikawa Prefecture. The objectives are to enhance research in the fields of biological, energy-related, environmental, and materials-related nano-science and strengthen cooperation between JAIST and UCLA. The delegation from CNSI travelling to Japan include CNSI Members Bruce Dunn from materials science and engineering, Eric Chiou from mechanical and aerospace engineering, Dolores Bozovic from physics and astronomy, Eric Hoek from civil and environmental engineering, Diana Huffaker from electrical engineering, and Vidvuds Ozolins from materials science and engineering. Please visit the conference website[1] on the JAIST site for full details. [1] Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1213084 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1213084 The Birck Nanotechnology Center is hosting the University Government Industry Micro/Nano Symposium [UGIM] on Purdue's campus in June 2010 and invites you to submit a paper following this webpage's instructions for the "Call for Papers[1]." The purpose of this symposium is to bring together leading educators and researchers from university, government, and industry around the world to promote the various exciting fields of micro/nanotechnology. Representatives of university micro/nano fabrication facilities, ranging from new start-up labs to nationally recognized facilities, have found this symposium an excellent forum for exchanging information and presenting new research and educational concepts. Government agencies such as NSF, NIH, NIST, SEMATECH, SRC, DoD and ONR regularly participate with research papers and updates on funding opportunities. Industry interactions with universities, including technology transfer, collaborative research, and training efforts are frequently presented. Visit the website for additional details: nano.purdue.edu/UGIM[2]. For questions, please contact Peter Ye by email: yep@purdue.edu[3] [1] [2] [3] Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1213104 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1213104 Applications are now open for the National Security Innovation Competition and the student team registration deadline is approaching quickly! The Application to Compete must be *_submitted by February 3_ *. The first round papers themselves are *_due March 3_*. This is a great opportunity to expose the innovative security research being done by students at UCLA. Commitments have already been received from a number of senior decision makers within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Defense and industry to act as judges and technology scouts. Check the website by following this link[1] (or simply go to www.coloradohda.org and click on the NSIC 2010 link on the left) for rules and to obtain a full listing of research topics which have been of interest to the Science and Technology Directorate of DHS since its inception. For further info please contact; Roger P. Neeland, Ph.D., PMP Competition Director National Security Innovation Competition Phone 719-685-7877 ext 119 rneeland@cstionline.org[2] [1] [2] Thu, 14 Jan 2010 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1209252 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1209252 MediSens Wireless, a startup company in UCLA's on-campus technology incubator at the California NanoSystems Institute, has obtained approval under federal Food and Drug Administration guidelines to begin clinical trials on its novel wireless body-monitoring system, which assesses muscle and neuromotor functions in the upper extremities. The Clinical Movement Assessment System (CMAS) is designed for a wide variety of medical applications and could potentially benefit health care professionals and facilities specializing in the areas of physical medicine and rehabilitation, neurology, orthopedics, and physical and occupational therapy, among others. MediSens moved to the new CNSI incubator in 2009 to begin commercializing licensed technology originally invented by a team led by Majid Sarrafzadeh, a UCLA professor of computer science and engineering and co-director of the Wireless Health Institute at UCLA. The company's mission is to design and deliver personal medical monitoring systems that advance human health. "The data gathered by our monitoring system, CMAS, has the potential to enable health care professionals to improve care through early intervention and better tracking of outcomes and response to treatment," said Dr. Jay Rindenau, M.D., the company's chief medical officer. The system also has potential for in-home use to assess patient progress following neurotraumas and as a rehabilitative tool to expand the reach of telemedicine. In addition, CMAS could possibly be used to differentiate and help diagnose diseases states, such as Parkinson's disease, at an early stage with sensitive assessments of fine movements, according to Reggie Edgerton, Ph.D., a professor of neurophysiology at UCLA and co-inventor of CMAS. The CMAS system consists of a clinical assessment device and associated software that will allow health care providers to capture current and ongoing muscle and neuromotor functions, thereby providing them with quantifiable, real-time data for their decision-making. Clinical trials will establish the viability of CMAS. It is anticipated that the system will provide clinical assessments of fine motor movement, gross muscle strength, hand-eye coordination and patient response to treatment. Closely captured repeat assessments will lead to early warning and detection of deteriorating conditions. According to MediSens' medical director, Dr. Nick Terrafranca, D.P.M., the trials are planned as a multicenter, multidiscipline study that will involve community hospitals and public health facilities, as well as Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. The first phase of the trial will deal with baseline evaluations and therapeutic exercise. The second phase will involve an in-depth analysis of different sensory-motor pathways. The success of the trial will be evaluated by the efficacy and cost effectiveness of the system in testing early interventions for better outcomes and long-term patient care. For more news, visit the UCLA Newsroom[1] For additional information about MediSens Wireless, see UCLA press release 8.4.09[2] [1] [2] Wed, 13 Jan 2010 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1205440 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1205440 The CEIN is organizing several outreach events in conjunction with the California Science Center for NanoDays & invites any CNSI members who are interested to participate... If you are interested, please contact Catherine Nameth directly (contact info below). - *_Saturday, January 30:_* UCLA undergraduates & CEIN/CNSI-affiliated graduate students to CA Science Center for a co-training with Museum staff to prepare for NanoDays 2010. 10am-1pm. - _*Saturday, February 27:*_ CEIN/CNSI-affiliated faculty and postdocs to CA Science Center to assist Museum staff in preparing for NanoDays 2010. 10am-1pm. - _*Saturday, April 3:*_ NanoDays 2010 Event at CA Science Center (All day). CEIN/CNSI-affiliated students, postdocs, faculty will choose a 2- or 3-hour shift. - _*Saturday, April 24:*_ "Nanotechnology: Small is Big!" CEIN Outreach event at Santa Monica Public Library. 2-3:30pm. More volunteers-students, postdocs, faculty-are needed. Contact Catherine for details (cnameth@cnsi.ucla.edu[1]). Catherine Nameth Education & Outreach Coordinator UC Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (CEIN) University of California, Los Angeles 6520 CNSI Building, 570 Westwood Plaza Box 957227 Los Angeles, CA 90095-7227 (310) 983-3243 phone (310) 983-3165 fax [1] Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1202526 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1202526 The American Chemical Society Scholars Program, now in its 15th year, began accepting applications for the 2010-2011 academic year on-line on November 1, 2009. This undergraduate scholarship program is for African American, American Indian and Hispanic/Latino students majoring in and planning a career in the chemical sciences. Award amounts range from a minimum of $1000 per year up to $5000 per year depending on year of study and financial need. Undergraduate students should visit www.acs.org/scholars[1] to apply. The deadline is March 1, 2010 [1] Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1189500 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1189500 Aneeve to develop sensors to monitor hormone levels for menopause, fertility Aneeve Nanotechnologies LLC has been selected to work in the UCLA on-campus Technology Incubator Program at the California NanoSystems Institute. The startup company will conduct early-stage research for the development of a novel hormone sensor/meter for biomedical applications in the areas of infertility and menopause. Aneeve[1] has licensed related carbon nanotube technology from UCLA developed by Kang Wang, a UCLA professor of electrical engineering. The technology increases hormonal detection sensitivity significantly, allowing detection beyond traditional sensors. The company is using this technology to develop biomedical applications that are low in power consumption and small in size and that involve ultra-sensitive nanoelectronic technologies. Aneeve's primary research focus within the incubator will be to develop a consumer-based, simple-to-use meter for sensing estrogen and progesterone hormone levels to assist women in mitigating unwanted symptoms of menopause. The meter will provide on-demand hormonal levels so patients can better control drug intake related to hormone therapy. The system is intended to be low cost, compact and easy to use. Currently, there is no such meter commercially available. The sensor and transducer technology will measure hormone concentrations using specially made hormone tabs similar to the glucose tabs used by diabetics made by low-cost and precise ink-jet printing of carbon nanotubes. Additionally, the device will allow couples to monitor hormone patterns to help increase chances of fertility, especially among those seeking infertility treatments. Aneeve's scientific advisory committee includes Kang Wang, who holds the Raytheon Chair in Physical Science at UCLA and is a University of California Distinguished Professor in Electrical Engineering; Wang is a pioneering scientist and technologist who brings vast experience in charge-based nanodevices. The committee also includes University of Southern California professor Chongwu Zhou, who holds joint appointments within the USC College departments of physics and chemistry and has extensive experience in carbon nanotube fabrication, devices and carbon nanotube-on-insulator technology. "After speaking with medical experts at UCLA and USC, our research collaborators recognized a real need for a simple non-invasive device," said Wang, upon whose technology the license is based. "Such consumer-based meters for on-demand sensing of estrogen and progesterone concentrations are not currently available." As a startup in the UCLA incubator, Aneeve will benefit from close access to the core facilities within CNSI. In developing the hormone sensor, the company plans to make extensive use of such labs as the Center for Quantum Research, the Nano and Pico Characterization lab, the Electron Imaging Center for Nanomachines, the Integrated Nanomaterials Lab and the Integrated Systems Nanofabrication Cleanroom. "Aneeve's proof-of-concept work will be greatly aided by access to cutting-edge lab equipment and technical expertise at the incubator," Zhou said. "This will propel the research and development efforts significantly and help Aneeve to get to market that much faster." Aneeve is currently funded via the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) with Small Business Innovation Research awards totaling more than $900,000. UCLA Newsroom[2] [1] [2] Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1186225 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1186225 The ability to determine the structure of matter in three dimensions has profoundly advanced our understanding of nature. Traditionally, the most widely used schemes for 3D structure determination of an object are implemented by acquiring multiple measurements over various sample orientations, as in the case of crystallography and tomography, or by scanning a series of thin sections through the sample, as in confocal microscopy. Now the Miao group, in collaboration with Richard Sandberg and Henry Kapteyn of University of Colorado, Boulder and Jincheng Du of University of North Texas, has developed a novel 3D imaging modality, termed ankylography (derived from the Greek words ankylos meaning 'curved' and graphein meaning 'writing'), which under certain circumstances enables complete 3D structure determination from a single exposure using a monochromatic incident beam. With further development, this approach of obtaining complete 3D structure information from a single view could find broad applications in the physical and life sciences. For more details, please refer to the paper, which is published in Nature. UCLA researchers from the department of physics and astronomy, Kevin Raines, Sara Salha, Huaidong Jiang, Jose Rodríguez and John Miao[1], who is also a CNSI Member, have played an important role in developing this method. This work is also in collaboration with Richard Sandberg and Henry Kapteyn of University of Colorado, Boulder and Jincheng Du of University of North Texas. Three-dimensional structure determination from a single view[2] [1] [2] Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1180687 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1180687 Mice without the deoxycytidine kinase (dCK) enzyme have defects in their adaptive immune system, producing very low levels of both T and B lymphocytes, the major players involved in immune response, according to a study by researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. The finding could have ramifications in treating auto-immune disorders, in which the body attacks itself, and possibly certain cancers of the immune system. A drug could be developed to create lower levels of dCK in the body, thereby tamping down immune response. Such a drug might also be effective in transplant patients to decrease risk for rejection, said Dr. Caius Radu, an assistant professor of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, a Jonsson Cancer Center researcher and senior author of the study. The study, part of a long-term research project that has resulted in the development of a new probe for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanning and the creation of a non-invasive approach to observe chemotherapy at work in the body, appears this week in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences [1]. "It would be desirable to have drugs that can inhibit immune response when that response is detrimental and increase response when needed," said Radu, who also is a scientist with the Broad Stem Cell Research Center. "We are now trying to identify drugs that inhibit or activate dCK in the hopes of testing them on certain diseases." The dCK enzyme helps recycle the products of DNA degradation, allowing cells to efficiently replicate their DNA during cell division. Until now, the enzyme was thought to play a relatively minor role in providing cells the material for DNA replication. However, this finding challenges that view and indicates the enzyme plays a profound role in normal lymphocyte development. Wayne Austin, a graduate study in Molecular and Medical Pharmacology and first author of the study, said the research team expected to find widespread defects in development when they knocked out the dCK enzyme in the mice. "Surprisingly, we found that the gene had a highly specific role in the development of organs crucial to a normally-functioning immune system," Austin said. "Mice lacking the dCK enzyme have thymuses that are reduced in size by 90-fold. That defect in thymus size resulted in mice having 5 to 13-times fewer lymphocytes circulating throughout the body." This finding is part of research that was launched several years ago and represents the third significant discovery. The first was the development of a new probe for PET scanning created by modifying a common chemotherapy drug, an advance that allowed UCLA researchers to model and measure the immune system in action and monitor response to new therapies. Researchers created the molecule, called FAC, by slightly altering the molecular structure of gemcitabine, a chemotherapy drug that is activated by dCK activity. They added a radiolabel so the cells that take in the probe can be seen during PET scanning. The probe was based on a fundamental cell biochemical pathway called the DNA Salvage Pathway, which includes dCK. All cells use this biochemical pathway to different degrees. But in lymphocytes, which are the active players in the adaptive immune system, the pathway is activated at very high levels. Because of that, the probe accumulates at high levels in those cells, said Dr. Owen Witte[2], director of the Broad Stem Cell Research Center and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. That work was published June 8, 2008 in the journal Nature Medicine. The second significant finding was the development of a non-invasive approach that may allow doctors to evaluate a tumor's response to a drug before prescribing the treatment, enabling physicians to personalize therapy to the patient's unique biochemistry. In this study, the UCLA team injected the FAC probe into mice that had developed leukemias that either had or did not have active dCK enzyme. After an hour, the researchers imaged the animals' bodies with a PET scan, which operates like a molecular camera, enabling the researchers to watch biological processes inside animals and people. The PET scan offered a preview for how the tumor will react to a specific therapy because tumor cells that retained the probe also will be sensitive to chemotherapy drugs that also are activated by dCK. If the cells didn't absorb the probe, the tumor might respond more favorably to the drugs that don't need interaction with dCK to be effective. That work appeared Feb. 2, 2009 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The next step, outlined in this study, was to determine what would happen without any dCK in the body at all, and what ramifications that might have on certain diseases and their treatment. The study was funded by grants from the National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Energy, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the Dana Foundation. EurekAlert![3] UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1180695 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1180695 A new study on cluster-assembled materials by Paul Weiss[1], Director of the CNSI at UCLA and his colleagues from Virginia Commonwealth University and The Pennsylvania State University is published in ACS Nano[2]. The results of the study demonstrate how the remarkable properties of clusters evolve into the properties of cluster-assembled materials in unexpected ways. The research team's findings, that the HOMO of the alkali metal countercation and the degree of charge transfer play important roles in determining the band gaps of these cluster-assembled solids, open the possibility of tuning the electronic properties of other cluster assemblies through systematic choices of the alkali/Crypt cations and their combinations. Developing new polyvalent anions with varying valence configurations through covalent bonding of the existing clusters with other elements offers an additional method for controlling the band gaps of cluster assemblies. Thus, linking Zintl ions through both covalent bonds, as well as electrostatic interactions, enables greater control over band gaps than possible in typical Zintl phases simply consisting of Zintl ions and alkali metals. This novel strategy for the development of tunable band gap materials using combinations of clusters and counterions may find applications in optoelectronics and enable the assembly of more complex materials with multiple band gaps. [1] [2] Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1121677 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1121677 Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a new intracellular delivery platform with great potential in protein therapy. The delivery method involves nanocapsules made up of a single-protein core with a thin polymer shell that can be engineered to either degrade or remain stable based on the cellular environment. With this level of control, researchers are able to deliver proteins across cell membranes, which had not previously been possible. This new technique represents a major advance in protein therapy, the delivery of healthy proteins directly into human cells to replace malfunctioning proteins. Their research appears Dec. 29 in the January 2010 edition of the journal Nature Nanotechnology and is currently available online[1]. Yi Tang[2], a UCLA professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, was a co-author and leader of the research team. The lead author of the study is Yunfeng Lu[3], a UCLA professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, co-authors also included Lily Wu[4], a professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and Tatiana Segura[5], a UCLA professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering. Zhen Liu, a professor of chemical engineering at Tsinghua University in China, is also a team member and co-author. All four researchers from UCLA are members of the CNSI. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[6] for the full story. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1119110 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1119110 As you know, the campus will be closing non-essential buildings from Saturday, December 19, 2009 through Sunday, January 3, 2010, and reopen Monday, January 4, 2010. The CNSI building will be partially open during the break. Please see below as to what services and laboratories will remain open. - CNSI Building Access will remain in holiday mode. You will need your CNSI security access card to operate Lobby and Laboratory doors as well as accessing your floor via elevators. New CNSI access card requests can be submitted to CNSISecurity@cnsi.ucla.edu[1] before the Holiday closure to ensure building access. All safety or security emergencies can be reported by contacting mlozano@cnsi.ucla.edu[2]. *Core Lab Info* *Hours* *Tech Director* *Alternative Contact Person* Advance Light Microscopy/Spectroscopy and Macro-Scale Small Animal Imaging *B145, 2144, and 2152* *Open* normal hours, self-service only; No new training or assistance Laurent Bentolila 310-983-1076 alms@cnsi.ucla.edu[3] Center for Quantum Research (CQuaRe) *B200 and B117* *B200* *Open* normal hours *B117* *Closed* Alexandros Shailos 310-983-1051 Shailos@cnsi.ucla.edu[4] Clean Room *Level A* *Closed* Electron Imaging Center for NanoMachines *B146, B144, B122, B220* *Closed* Integrated NanoMaterials *2133 and 2139* *Open* normal hours *except* Dec 25, Jan 1 Baolai Liang 310-206-0853 or 310-983-3116 bliang@cnsi.ucla.edu[5] Kalyan Nunna 310-983-3116 or 310-983-3117 nunnakc@ucla.edu[6] Molecular Screening and Shared Resource Core *2145* *Closed* Nano and Pico Characterization Core *B123, B139* *Open* normal hours *except* Dec 24, 25, 31, Jan 1 Adam Stieg Lab 310-206-2144 Office 310-983-1026 stieg@cnsi.ucla.edu[7] Jason Reed 310-206-6227 reed@cnsi.ucla.edu[8] Shivani Sharma 310-983-1027 sharmas@cnsi.ucla.edu[9] Download Holiday Closure PDF[10] for full info about the year end closure [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=978313 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=978313 Los Angeles Times Magazine "The California Cure" features interviews with several California Innovators including Leonard Rome[1] and Michael Phelps[2]. - Small is Beautiful: Dr. Leonard Rome[3] - New Directions in Diagnostics: Dr. Michael Phelps[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=902951 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=902951 *UCLA Engineering's new M3 helps cut costs, time in producing clean water* Concern over access to clean water is no longer just an issue for the developing world, as California faces its worst drought in recorded history. According to state's Department of Water Resources, supplies in major reservoirs and many groundwater basins are well below average. Court-ordered restrictions on water deliveries have reduced supplies from the two largest water systems, and an outdated statewide water system can't keep up with population growth. With these critical issues looming large, researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science are working hard to help alleviate the state's water deficit with their new mini-mobile-modular (M3) "smart" water desalination and filtration system. In designing and constructing new desalination plants, creating and testing pilot facilities is one of the most expensive and time-consuming steps. Traditionally, small yet very expensive stationary pilot plants are constructed to determine the feasibility of using available water as a source for a large-scale desalination plant. The M3 system helps cut both costs and time. "Our M3 water desalination system provides an all-in-one mobile testing plant that can be used to test almost any water source," said Alex Bartman, a graduate student on the M3 team who helped to design the sensor networks and data acquisition computer hardware in the system. "The advantages of this type of system are that it can cut costs, and because it is mobile, only one M3 system needs to be built to test multiple sources. Also, it will give an extensive amount of information that can be used to design the larger-scale desalination plant." The M3 demonstrated its effectiveness in a recent field study in the San Joaquin Valley in which it desalted agricultural drainage water that was nearly saturated with calcium sulfate salts, accomplishing this with just one reverse osmosis (RO) stage. "In this specific field study by our team, in the first part of the reverse osmosis process, 65 percent of the water that was fed in was recovered as drinking water, or potable water," said Yoram Cohen[1], professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering [member of the California NanoSystems Institute] and lead investigator on the team. "We can potentially go up to 95 percent recovery using an accelerated chemical demineralization process that was also developed here at UCLA. This first field study with the M3 was a major achievement and the first phase of our high-recovery RO process demonstration program." Andi Rahardianto, a postdoctoral researcher on the team, said that the approach taken by the group is "a significant leap" from the standard practice in the industry of constructing different pilot plants, often from scratch, in order to evaluate and demonstrate the feasibility of water production from different source waters. "We believe systems such as the M3 can help accelerate not only water technology development but also its adoption," he said. In addition to its use as a pilot-scale testing unit, the M3, according to Bartman, could also be deployed to various locations and used to produce fresh water in emergency situations. "The M3's 'smart' nature means it can autonomously adapt to almost any variation in source water, allowing the M3 system to operate in situations where traditional RO desalination systems would fail almost immediately," he said. Though the system is compact enough to be transported anywhere in the back of a van, it can generate 6,000 gallons of drinking water per day from the sea or 8,000 to 9,000 gallons per day from brackish groundwater. By Cohen's estimate, that means producing enough drinking water daily for up to 6,000 to 12,000 people. "The system measures in real-time water pH, temperature, turbidity and salinity," said Cohen, who is also the director of UCLA's Water Technology Research (WaTeR) Center, which is overseeing this project. "It can control a variety of process variables, including the precise measure of chemical additives to condition the water. All the valves are computer-controlled, so the system can adjust itself automatically. We can also see how much energy we're using, and in the software, we've also included various techniques for optimizing the system so that it can run with minimum energy consumption." "The last time UCLA went into the field with its own newly built pilot system was in the '60s," Cohen said. "This new system is one-twentieth the size of what was built then, maybe even smaller, and can produce up to 30 percent more potable water. So to actually go back to the San Joaquin Valley with new advanced technology and be successful is quite an event." Rahardianto said that the highly saline agricultural drainage wastewater in the San Joaquin Valley is one of the most difficult source waters to desalt. "It has been a persistent issue for communities in the valley, one of California's most productive agricultural regions," he said. "While numerous attempts have been made to develop and test various desalting technologies since the 1960s, a practical, cost-effective solution has not yet been adopted, increasingly affecting the ability to sustain agricultural productivity in the region." Cohen's team is working with water agencies and industries across the United States, as well as with the international community, and collaborates with research institutions such as Ben Gurion University in Israel, Victoria University in Australia and Tarragona University in Spain. According to Stephen Gray, director of the Institute for Sustainability and Innovation at Victoria University, "the M3 system is a very significant improvement in desalination operations, allowing the membrane systems to effectively and quickly adapt to changes in water quality and to achieve high water recoveries. Such advances are of great importance to Australia and many other places in the world, where many communities are facing shortages in fresh water supplies and are becoming more reliant on saline water sources." "We envision a future where many of these systems are deployed all around the world and their operation monitored from a central location," Bartman said. "The M3 could be used to rapidly test water sources so that desalination plants can be constructed to augment the diminishing fresh water supply. The system could also be used in the event of emergencies to provide a quick source for fresh drinking water where it is needed most." "The work comes out of necessity, certainly for California, but there are also many places around the world that share our same challenges," Cohen said. "I feel we have an opportunity to make a real impact with our work. We're pointing out where advanced technology can make a difference. We're trying to find real solutions, and in this area, UCLA is certainly leading the way." Creating the M3 was a unique multidisciplinary team project involving faculty and students from the chemical, electrical and civil engineering departments with expertise in control theory and optimization, process design/monitoring, computational fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, and software development. UCLA Newsroom[2] [1] [2] Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=315043 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=315043 Visit the 2nd City Council Art Gallery + Performance Space for an exhibit featuring the work of twenty-four California artists who explore "Art & Science." Delight in mythical bone creatures with historical reference both real and imagined. View/listen to obscure technologies that explore the acoustic properties of metallic materials. Consider art created as a result of a statement by I.I. Rabi, who was a nuclear physicist and said of the atomic bomb project, "They (scientists) treated human beings as matter." *Artists:* Brian S. Asdell, Debra S. Babylon, Lee Balan, Teresa Blatt, Winifred Johnson Brewer, Carl Burmeister, John Chwekun, Bill Collins, Linda Frost, Nuvia Crisol Guerra, Tim Harlan, Frank W. Higley, Judy Hiramoto, Jim Hornung, Karl William Johnson, Michael Krapes, Melissa Lambert, Benjamin James Powell Lavender, Stacie B. London, Ken Marsh, Lisa Medlen, William A. Tuggle, David Eli Vaughn, & Glenn Waggner. *Exhibit:* July 28 thru September 6, 2007, Regular Gallery Hours Wednesday through Sunday, Noon to 5 p.m. *Reception/Exhibit Opening:* Saturday, Aug 4, 2007 from 7pm -- 9pm 2nd City Council Art Gallery + Performance Space Performance by Marc Nimoy, Laptop Rockstar Arty Science Bar where you can perform experiments. *Where:* 2nd City Council Art Gallery + Performance Space, 435 Alamitos Avenue, Long Beach, CA 90802 (562) 901-0997 For more information, visit the website: [1]www.2ndcitycouncil.org[2] or Email: [3]2ndcitycouncil@earthlink.net[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 30 Jul 2007 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=279621 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=279621 RIYADH, 17 April 2007 On behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and Minister of Defense and Aviation, presented the King Faisal International Prizes to the 2006 recipients at a glittering ceremony here last night. In the science category, Britains James Fraser Stoddart, professor of NanoSystems Sciences, University of California, received the prize for his efforts in nano-science in the field of chemistry, primarily for his work in molecular recognition and self-assembly. Read the article in [1]Arab News[2] [1] [2] Tue, 17 Apr 2007 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=279617 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=279617 April 2, 2007 -- This years Global Water Awards were presented in conjunction with GWI 2007 Barcelona last week. Award winners were chosen by subscribers to Water Desalination Report, Global Water Intelligence and members of the IDA, AMTA and IWPA. The two day conference, subtitled Where Water Meets Money, was attended by more than 240 delegates who heard international speakers discuss the international water and desalination sector. [1]Nanocomposite Membrane [2] is given Distinction as Innovation of the Year by the Global Water Intelligence. The concept for the innovation was developed by Dr Eric Hoek at UCLA. It is being commercialized by NanoH2O. View the complete list of projects recognized by the 2007 Global Water Awards at [3]www.globalwaterawards.com[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 16 Apr 2007 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=254842 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=254842 February 27, 2007 The Journal of the American Chemical Society has announced its [1] Most-Cited Articles of 2006[2]. Rankings of Most-Cited Articles listed are based on data from Thomson ISI Web of Science. Five of the top twenty most-cited papers include CNSI, UCLA members: Ken Houk, Omar Yaghi, J. Fraser Stoddart, and CNSI Education Manager, Manashi Chatterjee. 4. *Direct Asymmetric _anti_-Mannich-Type Reactions Catalyzed by a Designed Amino Acid* Susumu Mitsumori, Haile Zhang, Paul Ha-Yeon Cheong, K. N. Houk, Fujie Tanaka, and Carlos F. Barbas, III J. Am. Chem. Soc.; *2006*; 128(4) pp 1040 1041; *(Communication)* DOI: 10.1021/ja056984f Access: Abstract / Supporting Info 8. *Exceptional H2 Saturation Uptake in Microporous Metal-Organic Frameworks* Antek G. Wong-Foy, Adam J. Matzger, and Omar M. Yaghi J. Am. Chem. Soc.; *2006*; 128(11) pp 3494 3495; *(Communication)* DOI: 10.1021/ja058213h Access: Abstract / Supporting Info 10. *Effects of Functionalization, Catenation, and Variation of the Metal Oxide and Organic Linking Units on the Low-Pressure Hydrogen Adsorption Properties of Metal-Organic Frameworks* Jesse L. C. Rowsell and Omar M. Yaghi J. Am. Chem. Soc.; *2006*; 128(4) pp 1304 1315; (Article) DOI: 10.1021/ja056639q Access: Abstract / Supporting Info 15. *Beyond Switches: Ratcheting a Particle Energetically Uphill with a Compartmentalized Molecular Machine* Manashi N. Chatterjee, Euan R. Kay, and David A. Leigh J. Am. Chem. Soc.; *2006*; 128(12) pp 4058 4073; (Article) DOI: 10.1021/ja057664z Access: Abstract / Supporting Info 18. *Operating Molecular Elevators* Jovica D. Badjic. Clia M. Ronconi, J. Fraser Stoddart, Vincenzo Balzani, Serena Silvi, and Alberto Credi J. Am. Chem. Soc.; *2006*; 128(5) pp 1489 1499; * (Article)* DOI: 10.1021/ja0543954 Access: Abstract / Supporting Info View the entire list of top twenty [3] Most-Cited articles of 2006[4] of the Journal of the American Chemical Society [1] [2] [3] [4] Fri, 30 Mar 2007 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=263243 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=263243 *Deadline Extended!!* *April 1st 2007*- New Deadline Learn more and Apply on line! http://www.cnsi.ucla.edu/fellowships/fellowships-graduate-student[1] [1] Mon, 19 Mar 2007 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=250225 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=250225 Public Lecture: *Wednesday, February 28, 2007 *- Lecture begins at 5:00pm (refreshments at 4:30) in 110 LaKretz Hall. Reception to immediately follow at the IPAM Building. This lecture is held in conjunction with the IPAM workshop: "Topological Quantum Computing" and is co-sponsored by the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI). About the speaker: Michael Freedman is the director of Microsoft's Project Q. The work for which he is best known is the solution of the Poincare conjecture in four dimensions, for which he received the Fields Medal, the highest honor in mathematics. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the AMS Veblen Prize, and the National Medal in Science. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences. Abstract: Einstein wrote, "God integrates empirically, he is not concerned with our mathematical difficulties". A quantum computer will allow us (as well) to integrate the Shrodinger equation. Like the microscope before it, the quantum computer will peer into an unseen space. It is difficult to believe that this space, once illuminated, will be less interesting or less germane than the "space" of a living cell. "Building" a quantum computer appears to be a nearly impossible task, however, we may expect to "find" natural quantum computers through the study of 2-dimensional systems of interacting electrons. These natural computers are topological states of matter exhibiting "nonableian statistics". Sun, 18 Feb 2007 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=268772 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=268772 Wednesday, April 4, 2007 1:00 3:30pm UCLA Physics and Astronomy Building, 4-330 PAB Guest presenter Dr. Ravi Marawar, PhD, Academic Marketing Development Manager will host this event. *Topics to be discussed are:* 1:00 2:00 pm Unified Toolchain for Control, Simulation, and Mechatronic Systems 2:30 3:30 pm Empowering Nanotechnology Research with Virtual Instrumentation Gain experience in modeling, designing, and building powerful, custom measurement, and control applications with intuitive graphical programming during this presentation designed specifically for UCLA. In addition to Mike Roberto, Field Engineer, National Instruments. For more information and details about registration click here[1]. [1] Fri, 19 Jan 2007 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=276753 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=276753 April 2, 2007 The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is awarding the UCLA School of Public Health $18.5 million to create the Center for Rapid Influenza Surveillance and Research (CRISAR). A team of Physicians, Veterinarians, Researchers, and Biologists has been assembled from across the U.S. to conduct research on influenza viruses with pandemic potential. CRISAR will utilize the federally and state-funded UCLA High Speed, High Volume Laboratory Network for Infectious Diseases, created to quickly analyze and process large quantities of biological samples. Improving the global capacity to make rapid and critically important decisions to save lives, the lab will enhance animal and human surveillance and permit an up-to-date view of infectious disease outbreaks for effective decision-making and public health interventions. [1] Dr. Scott Layne[2], a Professor at the School of Public Health and a member of the CNSI, is the Principal Investigator for CRISAR. Domestic surveillance of wildlife especially wild birds and domestic animals will be conducted along the Pacific Flyway of North America in states including Alaska, Washington, and California. International surveillance will be conducted in far eastern Russia, Japan, Cambodia, Laos, and Mongolia. Once samples have been collected, CRISAR will analyze influenza genes from thousands of viruses each year, creating a capacity that is at least 10 times greater and far faster than currently exists to fully characterize influenza viruses as they evolve. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the [3] National Institutes of Health (NIH)[4], has established six Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance to expand its influenza surveillance program both internationally and in the United States. The goal of the newly created centers is to provide the federal government with important information to inform public health strategies for controlling and lessening the impact of seasonal influenza as well as a potentially deadly influenza pandemic. Read the complete[5] UCLA Press Release[6]. Read the [7] NAID Press Release[8]. Read [9] UCLA Today online[10] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Fri, 19 Jan 2007 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=237510 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=237510 *2007 Summer Program in Nanosystems Chemistry and Engineering Research NanoCER -- June 24th August 31st Apply now!!!! Extended Application deadline Feb 26, 2007 * The Nanosystems Chemistry and Engineering Research (NanoCER) program is a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Undergraduates interested in chemistry and engineering will learn how to be scientists and engineers by participating in teams that develop new materials, devices and applications of nanotechnology. The 10-week summer program includes: weekly stipend, on-campus housing, workshops and seminars. Participants will have access to and be trained in the use of sophisticated instrumentation and fabrication facilities. To apply, participants must: - Have a GPA of 3.0 or greater. - Have completed their junior year. - Clearly articulate an interest in nanotechnology in their personal statement. - NanoCER strives to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups who continue on to doctoral study in science and engineering. Women, African-American, Chicano(a)/Latino(a), American Indian, and Pacific Islander students are encouraged to apply. READ FLYER[1] APPLY HERE[2] [1] [2] Thu, 18 Jan 2007 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=242871 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=242871 *Public Lecture* Monday, February 12th 4:30 pm (refreshments at 4:00) in 110 LaKretz Hall. Reception to immediately follow at the IPAM Building. This lecture is held in conjunction with the IPAM workshop: "Small Scales and Extreme Events: The Hurricane." It is co-sponsored by the Institute of the Environment (IoE) and the Joint Institute for Regional Earth System Science and Engineering (JIFRESSE). Abstract: Hurricanes have inspired literature and art through the ages and changed the course of history. In this lecture, Emanuel will discuss the science of hurricanes and their role in human history, ending with a discussion of the effect of climate change on hurricane activity. About the speaker: Kerry Emanuel is a professor of meteorology at MIT. He is one of the field's foremost experts on hurricanes, tropical circulations, and convection. Professor Emanuel recently was awarded the Rossby medal, the most prestigious award of the American Meteorological Society, and was named one of Time Magazine's 100 influential people in 2006. He has written a widely acclaimed and award winning book on the lore, history and science of Tropical Cyclones. Wed, 17 Jan 2007 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=233686 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=233686 "Organic crystals at large" in Nature's News & Views section (December 14, 2006) highlights the paper "Patterning organic single-crystal transistor arrays" which appears in the same issue. The paper details a method representing a step towards practical applications of high-quality, but fragile, single crystals of organic semiconductors, and could show the way to high-performance electronic devices that extend over large and flexible surfaces. The team for this research paper includes researchers from the department of Chemical Engineering at Stanford University and the department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Exotic Materials Institute, Department of Materials Science and Engineering at UCLA including Yang Yang, Fred Wudl, and Alejandro Briseno, a former UCLA grad student who worked under the supervision of professor Wudl and is now doing graduate study at the University of Washington. Nature: Patterning organic single-crystal transistor arrays[1] Nature News & Views: Organic Crystals at Large[2] See article at Nano Science and Technology Institute (NSTI) website: University Researchers Announce Breakthrough in Flexible Electronics [3] [1] [2] [3] Mon, 08 Jan 2007 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=233692 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=233692 Post-Doc Thomas Cubaud and Professor Thomas Mason recently received the American Physical Society (APS) and the American Institute of Physics (AIP) Gallery of Fluid Motion Award for their entry entitled, "A Microfluidic Aquarium." The 2007 award was presented to Mason and Cubaud at the November APS Division of Fluid Dynamics in Tampa, Florida. This is the second year in a row that Cubaud and Mason have won this award for their work on directed pattern formation and instabilities of stratified viscous flows in microfluidics and nanofluidics. [IMAGE: ] For the American Physical Society website, click here[1]. For the American Institute of Physics website, click here[2]. [1] [2] Mon, 08 Jan 2007 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=223725 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=223725 Heather Maynard is the recipient of a 2007 National Science Foundation CAREER Award for a project titled: "Efficient Chemical Reactions to Pattern and Array Proteins at the Micron and Nanoscale" The NSF established the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) program in 1994 in recognition of the critical roles played by faculty members in integrating research and education, and in fostering the natural connections between the processes of learning and discovery. The CAREER program is a Foundation-wide activity that offers NSFs most prestigious awards for junior faculty members, and which embodies NSFs commitment to encourage faculty to practice, and academic institutions to value, integration of research and education. The intent of the program is to provide stable support at a sufficient level and duration to enable awardees to develop careers as outstanding teacher-scholars in the context of the mission of their organization. CAREER awards have a 5-year duration. The minimum CAREER award (including indirect costs) is $400,000 for all NSF directorates with the exception of the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO), where the minimum CAREER award is $500,000. A link to the solicitation (NSF 05-579) can be found on the CAREER Home Page[1]. [1] Mon, 11 Dec 2006 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=222165 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=222165 For the period January 1996 to June 30, 2006, Omar Yaghi is ranked by the Institute for Scientific Information as the 22nd most-cited chemist with a total of 8,632 citations from 73 papers at an impressive frequency of 118 citations per paper. Omar has risen from #28 in November 2005. See In-Cites: http://www.in-cites.com/nobel/2006-che-top100.html[1] [1] Wed, 06 Dec 2006 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=218903 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=218903 *DATE:* Saturday, January 6, 2007 9:00 am 5:00 pm *AGENDA AND SPEAKERS:* See *Symposium Agenda[1]* *REGISTRATION:* On-line Conference Registration[2] Required. *POSTER SESSION REGISTRATION:* Poster Presentations invited. Please contact Stephanie Tjioe[3]. *LOCATION:* UCLA Campus -- Physics & Astronomy Building, Room 1434A [1] [2] [3] Fri, 01 Dec 2006 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=219913 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=219913 MICROSCOPE: A new X-ray microscope that can produce three-dimensional images of nanomaterials, co-developed by John Miao, UCLA assistant professor of physics and astronomy, was featured today in a story by United Press International. Miao collaborated with University of California Davis Professor Subhash Risbud along with colleagues from Japan and Taiwan. The device can be used for making better materials in electronics, optics and biotechnology. The research appears in the journal of Physical Review Letters. Read the news article on UPI.com[1] [1] Thu, 30 Nov 2006 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=214718 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=214718 *Video Download Available[1]!* Get the Windows Media Player[2] *Tuesday, November 14, 2006* 12:30 6:00 pm CHS 73-105 The foremost experts in the emerging field of "super-resolution optical imaging" will discuss the most recent breakthroughs and their potential to impact life sciences and medicine. Nanoscopy is set to answer some of the most fundamental questions in biology that require molecular-level imaging resolution. *AGENDA AND SPEAKERS:* See Conference *Speakers*[3] See Conference *Agenda*[4] See Conference *Poster*[5] (PDF download) The Symposium is open to the public, however seating is limited. Please RSVP[6] View *A Map & Directions*[7] (PDF download) View *Parking*[8] Information **** Symposium Description: Fluorescence microscopy has become the most popular imaging tool in cell biology. It is non-invasive and allows probing cellular functions and structures in the 3-dimensional space at the submicron scale. Fluorescent light microscopy is however limited in spatial resolution because the smallest possible spot size of light is intrinsically dictated by diffraction (known as Abbe's law). Exciting proof-of-principal experimental breakthroughs are now emerging to beat this diffraction barrier. They are yielding high-resolution images of intracellular structures to obtain ever-better resolution well within 15 nm. Pioneering new concepts in light microscopy are paving the way towards nanoscale microscopy and are ripe to tackle outstanding fundamental questions in biology that lie somewhere at nanometer spatial resolution. This CNSI symposium will address such state-of-the-art "super-resolution" methods as Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED), Structured illumination (I5M), Photoactive localization microscopy (PALM), Stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) and 4Pi microscopy by bringing to UCLA the foremost experts in the field. The foremost experts in the emerging field of "super-resolution optical imaging" will discuss the most recent breakthroughs and their potential to impact life sciences and medicine. Nanoscopy is set to answer some of the most fundamental questions in biology that require molecular-level imaging resolution. ****Speakers Mark Bates, Harvard[9] Joerg Bewersdorf, Jackson Lab[10] Rolf Borlinghaus, Leica[11] Mats Gustafsson, UC San Francisco[12] Harald Hess, Howard Hughes Medical Institute[13] Sam Hess, University of Maine[14] Stefan Hell, Max Plank Institute[15] Sponsored by the CNSI with special thanks to the Institute for Complex Adaptive Matter [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] Wed, 29 Nov 2006 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=219911 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=219911 A delegation from The National Education Program on Image Display, an initiative sponsored by the Taiwan government which promotes collaborations between universities and industries, visited CNSI on November 28, 2006. The group was lead by Professor Y.S. Tarng, Director of the Opto-mechatronics Technology Center at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, and included faculty from National Chung Cheng University, National Chung Hsing University, National University of Kaohsiung, and the National Taiwan University. They met with Professor Yang Yang, and were given an overview of CNSI and tour of the new building by David Lundberg, Director of International Strategic Alliances. Preliminary discussions were held about possible future collaborations between CNSI and Taiwanese universities. Tue, 28 Nov 2006 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=219169 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=219169 The McCoy Award for the Greatest Discovery in Chemistry 2006 has been awarded to Omar Yaghi for the development of new microporous Metal-Organic Framework materials (MOFs) that exhibit exceptional uptake of hydrogen gas. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) were invented by the McCoy Award winner in the early 90s. MOFs have crystal structures that resembles a scaffold made of linked rods a solid-state structure that gives them a multitude of nanoscale pores and a correspondingly vast internal surface area where gas molecules can accumulate. A pinch of a MOF has roughly the surface area of a football field. An analysis of seven new MOFs, reported in a communication in the Journal of the American Chemical Society earlier this year, revealed two of them that exhibit a combination of substantial H2 uptake and moderate densities. These approach the 2010 DOE target of 45 g of H2/L volume, demonstrating that the volumetric capacity of MOFs is feasible as a storage medium for stationary and mobile fueling applications. 45g is 22.5 moles and would occupy more than 500 liters! The Herbert Newby McCoy Award was established in 1964 by Mrs. Ethel Terry McCoy in honor of her husband. He wrote Introduction to General Chemistry (1919) with his wife-to-be, Ethel Terry, and contributed to numerous papers on physical chemistry, radioactivity and rare earths. To support her husband's life-long interest in science, Mrs. McCoy designated that this annual award be made to a student or faculty member in the chemistry department making the greatest contribution of the year to science. Wed, 01 Nov 2006 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=211712 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=211712 Researchers, led by biophysicist Shimon Weiss[1] of UCLA, have been awarded $4.5 million to study the effects of the folding environment on protein-folding structures. The National Science Foundation (NSF)'s Frontiers in Integrative Biological Research (FIBR) has awarded over $4.5 million dollars to researchers at UCLA led by Shimon Weiss to study the effects of the folding environment on protein folding mechanisms and shed new light on what is known as the "protein folding problem," the deciphering of rules for encoding protein structure by its DNA sequence. Shimon Weiss, a member of UCLA's California Nano-systems Institute (CNSI), and his team will use a host of recent methodological advances, pioneered and advanced by members of the FIBR research consortium. These advances will allow the detection and study of protein folding processes under physiologically relevant solution conditions and with the spatial and temporal resolutions required to make unequivocal conclusions about the effects of environmental differences on protein folding mechanisms. The UCLA group has pioneered and continues to develop the use of high-resolution single-molecule spectroscopies to study protein folding processes. Dr. Vijay Pande of Stanford is the founder and director of Folding@Home distributed super-computing project which harnesses the power of over 200,000 computers worldwide to conduct large-scale protein folding simulations. Dr. Arthur E. Johnson of Texas A&M University pioneered the method of non-natural amino-acid labeling and has recently succeeded in applying this technique to study the conformations of ribosome-bound nascent proteins. Dr. Carla Koehler, also from UCLA, is an expert in the field of mitochondrial protein transport. Dr. Olgica Bakajin of the UC Davis/NSF Center for Biophotonics Science and Technology continues to push the limits of experimental protein folding kinetics with her innovative microfluidic mixing devices. Dr. Lisa J. Lapidus of Michigan State University has pioneered a spectroscopic technique which can determine the rates for intra-molecular contact formation in peptides. Finally, Dr. Jeff Kelly of the Scripps Research Institute is a pioneer in the field of synthetic peptide chemistry and in-vivo protein folding. This research consortium will study the unfolded states of three different proteins in-vitro in the absence of chemical denaturants, under a variety of solution conditions, with different concentrations of various additives, and while the proteins are being made directly on the ribosome itself. By comparing such in-vitro studies to protein folding experiments conducted within mitochondria, this project seeks to understand the major differences between in-vitro and in-vivo folding environments and the effects of such differences on protein folding mechanisms. It is expected that this project will lead to the development of novel tools and methods as well as a general approach for studying complex biological processes on the molecular level and to the dissemination of these research tools to the broad scientific community. The NSF has awarded three new grants totaling $14 million over five years to researchers at UCLA, Stanford, UC Davis, Texas A&M, Michigan State University, and the Scripps Research Institute to investigate biologys most challenging questions and to use innovative approaches to address these questions by integrating scientific concepts across disciplines that include biology, mathematics and the physical sciences, engineering, social and the informational sciences. Read the National Science Foundation press release[2] Read the UCLA press release[3] [1] [2] [3] Fri, 06 Oct 2006 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=215285 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=215285 October 2006 Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has established the Lawrence Fellowship, a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship program. The purpose of the fellowship is to pursue cutting-edge science and stimulate cross-fertilization of ideas. Application deadline is November 1, 2006. Fellowships are awarded to candidates with exceptional talent, scientific track records, and potential for significant achievements. Typically two to four fellowships are awarded each year. This fellowship has a three year term. After this period, the fellows may consider any career options, including staying at the Laboratory. The fellows may participate in experimental and/or theoretical work at LLNL. They will have access to LLNL's extensive computing facilities, specialized laboratory facilities and field equipment. Research areas include all of the disciplines listed below. The fellows will most likely conduct their research in a collaborative, multidisciplinary manner with others in a team environment. A senior staff scientist will serve as a mentor to each of the fellows. The fellows' primary residence will be in the mentor's organization. Biosciences Chemistry and Material Science Computation Defense and Nuclear Technologies Energy and Environment Engineering National Ignition Facility Nonproliferation, Homeland and International Security Physics and Advanced Technologies Safety and Environmental Protection Please visit the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory website[1] for more information. [1] Thu, 05 Oct 2006 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=217513 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=217513 United Press International reports on nanotech desolation membrane developed by Civil and Environmental Engineering Assistant Professor Eric Hoek and colleagues at UCLA's School of Engineering and Applied Science. Using extreme high pressure to force saline or polluted waters through the pores of a semi-permeable membrane, water molecules under pressure pass through the pores but salt ions and other impurities cannot, resulting in highly purified water. The reverse osmosis membrane promises to cut the cost of seawater desalination and wastewater reclamation and make the process more efficient. Read the UPI article: Nanotech desolation membrane developed[1] UCLA Engineering article[2] [1] [2] Thu, 05 Oct 2006 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=216845 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=216845 "Nanoemulsions: formation, structure, and physical properties", T.G. Mason et al 2006, in Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter, Vol 18, ppR635 (2006), was downloaded 250 times. This number of downloads was achieved in merely 27 days from the date of publication. To put this into context, across all IOP journals 10% of articles were accessed over 250 times this quarter. Abstract. We summarize procedures for producing 'nanoemulsions' comprised of nanoscale droplets, or 'nanoemulsions', methods for controlling the droplet size distribution and composition, and interesting physical properties of nanoemulsions. In contrast to more common microscale emulsions, nanoemulsions exhibit optical transparency at high droplet volume fractions, surprisingly strong elasticity at low droplet volume fractions, and enhanced diffusive transport and shelf stability. For these reasons, nanoemulsions have great potential in a wide range of industries including pharmaceuticals, foods, and personal care products. Read the full article at Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter: [1] [1] Thu, 05 Oct 2006 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=217546 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=217546 Applications are invited for two new lectureships in molecular nanometrology. One is in the Department of Physics[1] (Ref 120/06) and one in the Department of Pure Applied Chemistry[2] (Ref 121/06). The deadline is December 8th, 2006. In 2005, these Departments launched the multidisciplinary Centre for Molecular Nanometrology[3] with 2M investment in order to combine expertise towards the common focus of understanding, fabricating and controlling molecular systems of relevance to biology, medicine and materials. Download flyer[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Thu, 05 Oct 2006 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=217991 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=217991 UCLA researchers in collaboration with researchers at Rutgers University have solved longstanding mysteries surrounding DNA transcription, the first step in carrying out instructions contained in our genes. The breakthrough described in an article in the Nov. 17 issue of the journal Science reveals important structural information about the gyrations of DNA during transcription and the effects of those gyrations on the process. The discoveries, which inform our understanding of the structure and mechanics of RNAP an enzyme responsible for making RNA from a DNA or RNA template can help set the stage for new opportunities in combating bacterial diseases that kill 13 million people worldwide each year. The researchers used single-molecule spectroscopy to monitor the transfer of energy between nd hence the distance separating pairs of fluorescent chemical tags attached to key structural elements of RNAP and the DNA double helix during initiation of the transcription process. "The study of molecular machines, the dynamics of their moving parts and their translocation on molecular tracks is of great interest to nanotechnologists at the CNSI," said Shimon Weiss, the leader of the UCLA team. "Beyond furthering the understanding of transcription regulation, the novel methods and findings of this work will aid future studies of other molecular machines involved in cell replication, transcription and protein synthesis." Read the UCLA Press Release[1]. [1] Thu, 05 Oct 2006 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=208889 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=208889 _California and the Future of Energy_ Thursday, September 28, 2006 Ackerman Grand Ballroom, UCLA CNSI 7:00 am 12:30 pm Keynote Speaker: John Podesta, President and CEO, Center for American Progress, Former Chief of Staff for President Clinton Conference Fee: $350 Table of Eight: $1600 Join the UCLA Anderson Forecast Economists and guests speakers as they discuss: *Topics: * - The Economic Forecast for the Nation, State and Region - The Imperative for a Comprehensive Energy Security Strategy - Fossil Fuel and Alternative Energy: Where are We Today and What's Around - the Corner? - Energy Challenges and Opportunities: What Businesses Need to Know *Questions addressed:* - How much and how long will housing slow the economy? - What are the real costs of our reliance on fossil fuels? - Can alternative energy really save my company money? - How do we confront the threat posed by climate change? More Information[1] [1] Fri, 22 Sep 2006 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=208371 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=208371 December 14th-15th, 2006 Hilton Towers San Francisco Yosemite Ballroom A Focus Topics: - Future metrology needs for beyond CMOS - Advanced probing and imaging methods - Novel measurement methods at the nanoscale - Nanometrology for defect detection and defect repair Registration: Please register at www.fena.org[1] NanoMetrology Workshop Flyer[2] Additional information, contact Katie Christensen at 310-825-8144 katie@fena.org[3] Sponsors include: The MARCO Center on Functional Engineered Nano Architectonics (UCLA), the NSEC Center on Probing the Nanoscale (Stanford), and the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA [1] [2] [3] Wed, 20 Sep 2006 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=203680 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=203680 *DATES:* Conference Sessions:* March 19-21, 2007* CNSI Members Retreat:* March 21-22, 2007* *AGENDA AND SPEAKERS:* See Conference Agenda[1] *REGISTRATION:* On-line Conference Registration[2]. *ROOM RESERVATIONS:* Sheraton Kauai Resort[3]. *POSTER SESSIONS:* If you are interested in participating in our poster presentation please email Nikki Lin at nlin@cnsi.ucla.edu[4]. Poster Sessions will be organized to highlight research. *ISLAND ACTIVITIES:* The CNSI has organized a number of Island Activities[5] including Golf, Helicopter Tours, Zipline Adventure, and ATV Tour. Please join us! *View Conference Photos[6]* [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Tue, 19 Sep 2006 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=130108 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=130108 The 2005 Annual Research Report is available online. Please go here[1] to see it. [1] Tue, 22 Nov 2005 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1121763 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1121763 The California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA has announced a new collaboration with Japan-based NOF Corp. to explore initiatives in nanotherapeutics research for new drug-delivery systems. "CNSI is committed to strong and productive collaborations with industry," said Paul S. Weiss[1], CNSI director and UCLA's Fred Kavli Chair in Nanosystems Sciences. "We look forward to working with the researchers at NOF's Drug Delivery Systems Development Division." "We are delighted to collaborate with the stellar group of investigators at CNSI and UCLA on shared interests in new methods and materials for drug delivery," said Akiharu Kobayashi, director and operating officer of NOF and general manager of the company's Drug Delivery Systems (DDS) Development Division. The collaboration agreement between the CNSI and NOF, signed on Dec. 15 by Weiss and Kobayashi, also marks the beginning of the Frontier Research Program, an industry-affiliated research initiative at the CNSI. The program is designed to promote close interdisciplinary research collaborations between diverse industries and researchers at UCLA and focuses on novel technologies for the nanodelivery of drug therapies. In the future, the Frontier program aims to cover activities in three main areas of research: information technology, including nanolectronics, computation and information technology; green technology, including water, solar and other technologies; and human health and the environment, including nanomedicine, health care devices and nano-safety. NOF Corp.[2], headquartered in Tokyo, was incorporated in 1937 and has become Japan's leading oleochemicals group, producing a highly diversified range of products. NOF pursues multi-faceted business development in eight divisions, based on its own technologies, with the aim of creating new values in a broad spectrum. The company focuses in particular on the areas of life sciences, electronics and information, and energy and the environment. UCLA Newsroom[3] [1] [2] [3] Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1119011 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1119011 A poster series exhibition is currently on display in the Presentation Space on the 5th floor of the CNSI Building. The exhibition is by Henri W. Lucas, Professor and Chair of the UCLA Department of Design | Media Arts. Since October 2005, Lucas has been involved in designing material for the Arts + Activism lecture and symposium series organized by the UCLA Art | Sci center and the UCLA Art | Global Health center. This exhibition presents an overview of works by Lucas and his student assistants. Exhibition opened December 3, 2009 and runs through January 22, 2010. For more details please visit: http://artsci.ucla.edu/?q node/329[1] [1] Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1118965 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1118965 Hilary Godwin[1] is a professor of environmental health sciences with an appointment at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. Prof. Godwin was selected for "distinguished contributions to the fields of bioinorganic chemistry and environmental health, particularly for elucidating the molecular toxicology of lead, and for communicating science to diverse audiences." She also serves as associate dean for academic programs at the UCLA School of Public Health. The other four fellows are Utpal Banerjee, professor and chair of molecular, cell and developmental biology and professor of biological chemistry; Jack Feldman, distinguished professor of neurobiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; Robert B. Goldberg, distinguished professor of molecular, cell and developmental biology and a member of the National Academy of Sciences; and Edward Keenan, distinguished professor of lingusitics. AAAS, founded in 1848, is a nonprofit organization that includes 262 affiliated societies and science academies and serves 10 million people. The association's mission is to "advance science and serve society" through initiatives in science policy, international programs and science education, including its website devoted to science news, EurekAlert!, at www.eurekalert.org[2]. To read the full story please visit the UCLA Newsroom[3]. [1] [2] [3] Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1119082 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1119082 A new exhibition opening at the John Curtin Gallery from February 5, 2010, called *_art in the age of nanotechnology_*, is a series of collaborative projects designed to challenge, explore and critique our understanding of the material world. Bringing together artists and scientists from around the world to merge art, science and technology, the exhibition presents new ways of seeing, sensing and connecting with matter that's miniscule and abstract. _Nanotechnology is the study of matter on a molecular scale, 100 nanometres or less in size. To better understand the miniscule scale of this, consider the average thickness of a human hair is 50,000 nanometres._ *_art in the age of nanotechnology_*, presented as part of the Visual Arts program of the 2010 Perth International Arts Festival, features internationally-recognised artists and scientists such as Christa Sommerer (Austria) and Laurent Mignonneau (France); Paul Thomas (Aus) & Kevin Raxworthy (Aus); Mike Philips (UK); Boo Chapple (Aus) & William Wong (Aus); and Victoria Vesna (USA) & James Gimzewski (USA). John Curtin Gallery Director, Chris Malcolm, said the exhibition, which is one of the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere, reflected the new ways in which scientists and artists are exploring matter. "Nanotechnology is a relatively young science and it was an interesting concept to bring together contemporary artists (who are always looking for new tools of expression) with scientists who are developing new tools of investigation, in an area of science that is currently the topic of much public debate," said Mr Malcolm. Using state-of-the-art technologies like the Atomic Force Microscope, works include audio speakers made from bone and a visual landscape projection produced from the surfaces of dead and living cells to show their differences below a cellular level. One of the works, _Nanomandala_ by US-based artist Victoria Vesna[1], Director of the UCLA Art | Sci Centre and Professor at the Department of Design | Media Arts and James Gimzewski[2], Scientific Director at the Art | Sci Centre based at the California Nanosystems Institute (CNSI) and nanoscience pioneer, was inspired by watching nanoscientists working in much the same way as Buddhist monks who laboriously create sacred sand mandalas grain by grain. Senior Lecturer at Curtin's School of Design and Art, Paul Thomas, who collaborated with Kevin Raxworthy on an installation entitled _ Nanoessence_, said there was debate on the future implications of nanotechnology, which had the potential to create new materials with wide-ranging applications. "Nano art allows for a reconfiguring of our conscious understanding of space, which is our lived experience, generating the potential for new material and spatial understandings," said Mr Thomas. "Gimzewski and Vesna explore the concept of reconfiguring our consciousness and talk about the shift in our minds (that) has to take place to comprehend the work that nanoscience is attempting and the repercussions of such a shift." "When scientists collaborate with artists, their individual research can be seen from alternative perspectives," he said. Mr Thomas, Director of the Centre for Research in Art, Science and Technology (CRASH), is also chairing a free public symposium on Sunday 7 February which is co-hosted by the John Curtin Gallery. Entitled "strange futures: collaborations that make nano-art", the symposium is a forum for artists and scientists in the exhibition to speculate and explore the nano world. The keynote speaker at the symposium is Dr Colin Milburn, Associate Professor of English and member of the Science and Technology Studies Program at the University of California, Davis. His research focuses on the cultural intersections between science, literature and media technologies. He has written about the social imagination of nanotechnology in his book "Nanovision: Engineering the Future" (Duke University Press, 2008) and is currently completing a new book about the convergence of video games and the molecular sciences. *_art in the age of nanotechnology_* is also part of Curtin's dedication to science and its applications and will feature a video link to the i500 Project which will be beamed directly from the University's new Resources and Chemistry Precinct. The i500 Project uses state-of-the-art projection technology to display the work undertaken in the Precinct onto the walls and ceiling of the main building, as well as into the Gallery. The exhibition opens 5 February and closes 30 April 2010. Exhibition Press Release[3] [1] [2] [3] Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1088632 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1088632 Global climate change has prompted efforts to drastically reduce emissions of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas produced by burning fossil fuels. In a new approach, researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have genetically modified a cyanobacterium to consume carbon dioxide and produce the liquid fuel isobutanol, which holds great potential as a gasoline alternative. The reaction is powered directly by energy from sunlight, through photosynthesis. The research appears in the Dec. 9 print edition of the journal Nature Biotechnology[1]. This new method has two advantages for the long-term, global-scale goal of achieving a cleaner and greener energy economy, the researchers say. First, it recycles carbon dioxide, reducing greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the burning of fossil fuels. Second, it uses solar energy to convert the carbon dioxide into a liquid fuel that can be used in the existing energy infrastructure, including in most automobiles. While other alternatives to gasoline include deriving biofuels from plants or from algae, both of these processes require several intermediate steps before refinement into usable fuels. "This new approach avoids the need for biomass deconstruction, either in the case of cellulosic biomass or algal biomass, which is a major economic barrier for biofuel production," said team leader James C. Liao[2], Chancellor's Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UCLA and associate director of the UCLADepartment of Energy Institute for Genomics and Proteomics. "Therefore, this is potentially much more efficient and less expensive than the current approach." Using the cyanobacterium Synechoccus elongatus, researchers first genetically increased the quantity of the carbon dioxidefixing enzyme RuBisCO. Then they spliced genes from other microorganisms to engineer a strain that intakes carbon dioxide and sunlight and produces isobutyraldehyde gas. The low boiling point and high vapor pressure of the gas allows it to easily be stripped from the system. The engineered bacteria can produce isobutanol directly, but researchers say it is currently easier to use an existing and relatively inexpensive chemical catalysis process to convert isobutyraldehyde gas to isobutanol, as well as other useful petroleum-based products. In addition to Liao, the research team included lead author Shota Atsumi, a former UCLA postdoctoral scholar now on the UC Davis faculty, and UCLA postdoctoral scholar Wendy Higashide. An ideal place for this system would be next to existing power plants that emit carbon dioxide, the researchers say, potentially allowing the greenhouse gas to be captured and directly recycled into liquid fuel. "We are continuing to improve the rate and yield of the production," Liao said. "Other obstacles include the efficiency of light distribution and reduction of bioreactor cost. We are working on solutions to these problems." The research was supported in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. Please visit the UCLA Newsroom[3] to read the full release. [1] [2] [3] Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1084007 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1084007 A new class of materials called Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs), which have great potential in carbon capture, were recently featured in the New York Times on December 7, 2009. Carbon capture is a leading technique for cleansing power plants of climate changing emissions, and MOFs have been experimentally shown to be much more effective at capturing carbon dioxide than current techniques. The new materials were developed by Omar Yaghi[1], a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute. Professor Yaghi was quoted in the article. Please visit the New York Times[2] website for the full story. The research referenced in the New York Times article was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences[3]. [1] [2] [3] Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1065457 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1065457 David Eisenberg[1], a professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and a distinguished professor of biological chemistry at UCLA has been awarded the inaugural Paul D. Boyer Professorship in Molecular Biology & Biochemistry. Eisenberg is noted for his seminal contributions to structural and computational molecular biology. The Paul D. Boyer professorship was funded by the late James Peter and his wife Joan. James Peter served as a postdoctoral researcher and later professor at UCLA in the 1960's and 1970's. In 1975 Peter left UCLA to found Specialty Laboratories, which became a field leader through providing proprietary esoteric tests. While at UCLA, Peter worked with Paul D. Boyer, a professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA and 1997 Nobel laureate in Chemistry. James and Joan Peter established the Paul D. Boyer professorship at UCLA in honor of Professor Boyer. The Peter's also fund the Annual Postdoctoral Recognition Awards from the Molecular Biology Institute (MBI) at UCLA. Professor Eisenberg was awarded with the professorship in a ceremony at UCLA on Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009. The event was sponsored by the MBI. Professor Eisenberg is also Director of the UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute. [1] Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1048321 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1048321 Researchers at UCLA and the University of Colorado at Boulder have succeeded in getting custom-shaped microparticles to interact and self-assemble in a controlled way in a liquid crystal. Their work appears in the Nov. 20 edition of the journal Science[1]. The researchers have learned some of the rules governing how the microparticles self-assemble, for instance that particles with an even number of sides (a square) interact differently than those with an odd number of sides (a triangle). Once the rules for self-assembly are better understood, it might be possible to build larger scale assemblies. Tom Mason[2], a CNSI member and professor of chemistry and physics at UCLA, is part of the research team. Please visit the UCLA Newsroom[3] to read the full release. [1] [2] [3] Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1048426 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1048426 The multidisciplinary research team has used a novel material to create treatment device for peripheral arterial disease, or PAD, which affects nearly 10 million Americans. Their device has shown promising results in avoiding thrombosis, or blood clots, a typical byproduct of PAD treatment. The new device, while not proven, has shown enough promise to be awarded a $1 million Challenge Grant from the National Institute of Health to further the research. Greg Carman[1], the lead investigator of the team, is a CNSI member and professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UCLA. Please visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] to read the full release. [1] [2] Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1045950 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1045950 A recent article in the New York Times Business Section outlined two research projects using nanoparticles for cardiovascular medicine. One group from Northwestern University in Chicago has created particles capable of binding and releasing cholesterol particles that become built up in arteries. Another group from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in Manhattan has developed similar nanoparticles intended primarily for imaging and diagnosis of atherosclerosis, the hardening of the arteries caused by plaque buildup. Andre Nel[1], Chief of the division of nanomedicine at CNSI, and director of the Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology[2], was quoted as an outside expert. Read the full article at the New York Times website[3]. [1] [2] [3] Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1046054 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1046054 Patrick Soon-Shiong, a CNSI Faculty Member and founder of the pharmaceutical company Abraxis Bioscience, has been profiled in an interview for the Los Angeles Times Business Section. The interview touches on some of Soon-Shiong's history includes a discussion of philosophy and goals. Please visit the Los Angeles Times website[1] to read the full story. [1] Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1032812 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1032812 Calling it "the right thing to do," the University of California Board of Regents unanimously voted today (Nov. 19) to approve entering into a partnership agreement with Los Angeles County to create a private, nonprofit corporation that will reopen and run Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital. The hospital is expected to open in phases, beginning in late 2012. The MLK partnership is being underwritten through a $100 Million guaranty from The Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation. Patrick Soon-Shiong, Chairman of the foundation is a CNSI Faculty member and founder of Abraxis Bioscience, a Founding Industry Partner of CNSI. Read the full story from UC Newsroom[1] Soon-Shiong offers guaranty to reopen MLK[2] [1] [2] Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1030343 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1030343 A new technology developed by UCLA researchers may help improve diagnosis, prognosis and treatment monitoring for cancer patients. The UCLA team designed a silicon chip to capture circulating tumor cells (cells associated with metastatic cancer) in fluid samples. By covering a 1-by-2 centimeter silicon chip with densely packed nanopillars the chip acts as 'fly paper' capturing cancer cells it comes into contact with. This form of liquid biopsy is much less invasive than current standard practices of physical biopsies from tumor sites. The nanopillar covered chip captures about 10 times the amount of cancer cells in about half the time than current liquid biopsy technologies. This research was published in the current issue of Angewandte Chemie [1], all authors of the paper are members of the Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging, the Institute for Molecular Medicine, the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, CNSI, and UCLA. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] to read the full news release. Video: UCLA's nanopillar chip[3] [1] [2] [3] Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1013644 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1013644 *November 19-20, 2009* *WHAT:* Nanotechnology has shown great promise for applications in the areas of energy, information technology and the environment. In the health and medicine fields, however, its promise has progressed beyond possibility to become reality. Nanoscale research has led to techniques and devices with the potential to revolutionize health care, including imaging tools that detect cancers at the atomic level, nanomachines programmed to release drugs within specific cells, and biosensors that monitor changes from deep within body organs. The impact of these and other developments on the current state of medicine and their implications for the future will be explored at the third annual Global Symposium on NanoBioTechnology, "New Directions in NanoHealth: Diagnostics, Therapies, Drug Delivery, NanoSafety."[1] Symposium topics will include: magnetic and light control of nanotherapy; tissue regeneration, cell therapy and cancer therapy; imaging and diagnostics; nanoparticles and nanotherapy; and biosensors and biomanipulations. *WHO:* Participating institutions: - California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA - Center for NanoBio Integration at the University of Tokyo - Nanomedical National Core Research Center at Yonsei University - Nanosystems Institute Munich, represented by the Technical University of Munich and Ludwig-Maximilians-University Click here for a complete list of speakers.[2] *WHEN:* ThursdayFriday, November 1920 *WHERE:* California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA (Building 114) *INFORMATION | REGISTRATION:* Click here for more information.[3] Click here to register for this event visit.[4] *BACKGROUND:* The annual symposium, initiated in 2007, alternates locations between the two founding institutions, the CNBI in Japan and the CNSI in America. To expand the global theme of the symposium, this year's speakers will also include participants from Korea and Germany. Special emphasis will be given to breakthrough discoveries from laboratories in Asia, North America and Europe. *MEDIA CONTACTS:* Jennifer Marcus | 310-267-4839 | jmarcus@cnsi.ucla.edu Mike Rodewald | 310-267-5883 | mrodewald@cnsi.ucla.edu *PARKING:* Parking will be available in Lot 9 on Westwood Plaza. Press should contact media contacts for parking reservations. Read this release online[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1009612 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1009612 With the successful enzyme recreation, UCLA researchers have brought the goal of made-to-order medications a step closer. The research team, led by Yi Tang[1], associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and CNSI Member, has artificially recreated an enzyme responsible for producing the blockbuster cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin. The research could also lead to the development of other similarly beneficial compounds. Visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] to read the full news release. [1] [2] Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1008388 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1008388 The Sunday, November 7th edition of the New York Times Business section features a write-up on Aydogan Ozcan[1], a Professor of Electrical Engineering at UCLA and a Member of the California NanoSystems Institute. The article discusses lens-free microscopy technology he has integrated into cell phones to transform the phones into medical diagnostic tools. Ozcan is in the process of bringing his invention to the marketplace, and has formed a company called Microskia to commercialize the technology. Please visit the New York Times Business section[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1006670 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1006670 Dr. David Lundberg, Director of the CNSI Global Partnership Program, met with members of Nano Connect Scandinavia, a newly formed consortium of universities in Southern Sweden and Denmark with programs in nanoscience and nanotechnology. Among the consortium are the University of Lund, Chalmers University of Technology, Technical University of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, and the University of Gothenburg. The consortium's purpose is to connect member institutions with facilities engaged in nanoscale research in Europe, North America, and Asia and to facilitate links with private industry and the investment community. Funding is provided by the European Regional Development Fund and Oresund University. Dr. Lundberg visited the consortium to discuss possible collaborative enterprises and educational exchanges between CNSI and Scandinavian universities. Nano Connect Scandinavia[1] In another potential collaboration, Dr. Lundberg and CNSI hosted a visit by a delegation from MESA+, a large nanotechnology research institute at the University of Twente in The Netherlands. The delegation toured the CNSI building, met with CNSI members to discuss potential research projects, and attended a reception in the evening at CNSI. The reception host was Mr. Bart van Bolhuis, Consul General of the Netherlands Consulate for Los Angeles and San Francisco and closing remarks were made by UCLA Vice Chancellor for Research Roberto Peccei and CNSI Director Paul Weiss. MESA+ Reception Photo Gallery[2] [1] [2] Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1004935 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1004935 *The companies will use a compound developed in UCLA laboratories* Astellas Pharma Inc. of Japan and California's Medivation Inc. have announced a global agreement to develop and commercialize MDV3100, a chemical compound developed in UCLA science laboratories that is now Medivation's investigational drug for the treatment of prostate cancer. MDV3100 is currently being evaluated in the Phase 3 AFFIRM clinical trial in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer who were previously treated with docetaxel-based chemotherapy. Michael Jung[1], UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a researcher at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and his research group designed and synthesized the molecule that became MDV3100. The molecule was tested in biology research that was conducted in the UCLA departments of medicine, urology and pharmacology by Charles Sawyers and his research group; Sawyers has since moved to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, where he serves as chair of the human oncology and pathogenesis program. Medivation Inc. tested MDV3100 in clinical trials. "This pharmaceutical offers the promise of extended life for patients with prostate cancer, and I am proud that it was developed in a collaborative research effort at UCLA by world-class scientists led by Michael Jung and Charles Sawyers," said UCLA Chancellor Gene D. Block. "While treatment is still in the testing phase, the path to approval looks quite promising." "It is very encouraging that Medivation has decided to collaborate with Astellas on the development of MDV3100 for the treatment of prostate cancer," said Jung, who is also a member of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA. "I am hopeful that this new agreement will help the process of approval of this new drug, which potentially could help many men with prostate cancer. This is indeed good news." The companies will collaborate on a comprehensive development program that will include additional studies to develop MDV3100 for both late- and early-stage prostate cancer. Subject to receipt of regulatory approval, the companies will jointly commercialize MDV3100 in the United States. Astellas will have responsibility for developing and commercializing MDV3100 outside the United States. Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer among men in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. More than 2 million American men have prostate cancer the second leading cause of cancer death among men after lung cancer. In 2009, an estimated 192,000 new cases are expected to be diagnosed, and approximately 27,000 men are expected to die from the disease. MDV3100, a new generation of oral anti-androgen, which shows different pharmacological profiles from current anti-androgens, has been shown in preclinical studies to provide more complete suppression of the androgen receptor pathway than bicalutamide, the most commonly used anti-androgen. MDV3100 slows growth and induces cell death in bicalutamide-resistant cancers through three complementary actions: It blocks testosterone binding to the androgen receptor, impedes movement of the androgen receptor to the nucleus of prostate cancer cells (nuclear translocation), and inhibits binding to DNA. Research published in the journal Science earlier this year demonstrated that MDV3100 has shown considerable promise in early clinical trials involving patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer, or CRPC, whose disease has become resistant to current drugs. In September 2009, Medivation began enrolling patients in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multinational Phase 3 clinical trial known as AFFIRM. This trial is evaluating MDV3100 at a dose of 160 mg taken orally once daily versus placebo in men with castration-resistant prostate cancer who were previously treated with docetaxel-based chemotherapy. This trial is expected to enroll approximately 1,200 patients at sites in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, Australia and South Africa. Medivation previously announced interim safety and efficacy results from an ongoing Phase 1-2 clinical trial of MDV3100 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting in May 2009. The interim results showed that MDV3100 was associated with anti-tumor activity in patients who had become resistant to bicalutamide or other standard anti-androgen treatments, including both patients who had failed prior chemotherapy and patients who were chemotherapy naive. Anti-tumor activity was demonstrated by reductions in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, improvement or stabilization in tumors that had spread to soft tissue or bone, and a decrease in circulating tumor cells, which has been associated in published literature with improved survival in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer. MDV3100 was generally well tolerated in this trial at doses up to and including 240 mg a day, with fatigue being the most frequently reported adverse event. In an article published April 9, 2009, in the online edition of the journal Science, Sawyers, Jung and other chemists and biologists at UCLA and colleagues at several other institutions, including Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, described the development and testing of two novel compounds, MDV3100 and RD162, which block the androgen receptor in CRPC cells, and reported results from a clinical trial in which MDV3100 was found to lower PSA levels a marker for tumor growth in men with CRPC. The UCLA patents for both compounds were licensed by the pharmaceutical company Medivation Inc., which chose to test MDV3100 in clinical trials. Prostate cancer becomes resistant to currently approved anti-androgen drugs when cancer cells begin to increase production of the androgen receptor, Sawyers said. When the level of androgen receptors on the cells' surface reaches a certain level, the drugs that originally suppressed the cancer actually begin to stimulate cancer growth. Sawyers and his colleagues therefore set out to design a new generation of drugs that can block the androgen receptor without this unwanted side effect, even when levels of the receptor are high. In addition to Sawyers' and Jung's teams, researchers from the Oregon Health and Science University, the University of Washington and Medivation contributed to the research. This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Prostate Cancer Foundation and Medivation and was conducted through the Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium. For more information about Jung, visit www.chem.ucla.edu/~jung/home.html[2]. UCLA Newsroom[3] [1] [2] [3] Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1006521 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1006521 At the 11th annual Adaptive Business Leaders (ABL) Innovations in Healthcare SM Awards Event Patrick Soon-Shiong was presented with the "Leadership in Innovation" award and delivered the keynote address. Soon-Shiong is currently leading Abraxis Health, a spin-off of CNSI Founding Industry Partner Abraxis Bioscience Inc., and is working towards the providing "personalized" medicine, tailored to the specific molecular profile of patients. Soon-Shiong founded Abraxis Bioscience, but stepped down as President and CEO earlier this year to focus on Abraxis Health and his charitable work. He is also a member of the CNSI Advisory Board. Read the ABL Press Release[1] for full information about the event. [1] Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1004896 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1004896 _Friday, November 13th, 2009_ Workshop is free, but space is limited! Registration is Open! 10:00am Introduction to Confocal Raman and Scanning Probe Microscopy Workshop This workshop, provided in collaboration with WITec GmbH, is the third in this series which is aimed at assessing the level of interest within the CNSI, UC, and industrial scientific communities toward a variety of nanoscale characterization techniques. The series serves to aid the CNSI and NPC Lab in determining the best path for new instrument acquisitions. To register, send your contact information electronically to Arthur Posner at arthurposner@wbhsi.net[1]. *Workshop venue:* University of California Los Angeles California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) 5th floor Presentation Space Los Angeles, CA USA Room: CNSI Presentation Space See the workshop flyer[2] as well as our respective websites for more detailed information: http://www.witec.de/en/home/[3] http://www.cnsi.ucla.edu/nanopicolab/[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1006551 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1006551 The UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry held its annual Departmental Awards Ceremony on November 2nd. Congratulations to all the award winners, but we'd like to highlight several awardees with connections to CNSI. Graduate Awards *Excellence in First Year Academics and Research* Courtney Thomas, a member of the Jeff Zink group *Excellence in Teaching* Terry Kennair, a Pioneer Fellow and member of the Tom Mason group *Excellence in Research* *Ralph & Charlene Bauer Award for research in Inorganic Chemistry* Matthew Allen, a MCTP Trainee and member of Yang Yang & Ric Kaner groups *John Stauffer Fellowship for most outstanding research in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry* Gregory Kuzmanich, a MCTP Trainee and member of the Miguel Garcia-Garibay group Faculty Awards *Herbert Newby McCoy Awards* Juli Feigon[1], Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry, CNSI Member Michael Jung[2], Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry and Organic Chemistry, CNSI Member Todd Yeates[3], Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry, CNSI Member [1] [2] [3] Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1005587 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1005587 The U.S. Army has funded a joint research project between CNSI members Bahram Jalali[1] from the electrical engineering dept and Dino Di Carlo[2] from Biomedical engineering. Their project focuses on rare cell detection using time-encoded amplified microscopy and inertial ordered cells in high-throughput flow. Additionally, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a research group in the U.S. Department of Defense, has funded Jalali's research on components for ultrafast real-time imaging. And the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) has funded Jalali's research on enhanced white light sources. Congratulations to both Bahram & Dino. [1] [2] Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=984737 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=984737 *Clean Green Open House* At the California NanoSystems Institute Thursday, November 5, 2009 5:00 7:00 pm RSVP to mariko@cnsi.ucla.edu[1] Thinking about applying to graduate school? Learn about programs available for interdisciplinary graduate education spanning science, technology, engineering, mathematics and social sciences Undergraduates Welcome! *Clean-Green IGERT (CGI) Mission Statement* - Train U.S. scientists and engineers for leadership roles in clean energy sector - Impact economic growth in Los Angeles - Address challenge of meeting increasing energy needs without further negative environmental affect - Community programs designed to educate and involve future scientists and leaders in K-12 Open House Presentations by the following Clean Green research groups: Diana Huffaker (PI), Electrical Engineering Laurent Pilon (co-PI), Materials Science & Engineering Magali Delmas (co-PI), Institute of the Environment Kang Wang (co-PI), Electrical Engineering Yang Yang (co-PI), Materials Science & Engineering Bruce Dunn, Materials Science & Engineering Sarah Tolbert, Chemistry Richard Kaner, Chemistry, Materials Science & Engineering Clean Green Fellowship Program Flyer (PDF)[2] Participation includes academic, research training, and professional development with scientific, business and policy emphasis. See flyer for fellowship benefits. Clean Energy for Green Industry Fellowship Program is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) http://www.igert.org/[3] Clean Green IGERT website: http://cleanenergy.ucla.edu/[4] RSVP to mariko@cnsi.ucla.edu[5] [IMAGE: ] [IMAGE: ] [IMAGE: ][6] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1002040 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=1002040 A story in the Los Angeles Times[1] details a $100 million offer by Patrick Soon-Shiong to guarantee funding for the reopening by 2012 of Martin Luther King-Jr. Harbor Hospital (MLK) near Watts in Los Angeles. Soon-Shiong is Chairman and CEO of Abraxis Health and a member of the CNSI Advisory Board. The donation underwrites operating costs for the re-opened 120-bed nonprofit hospital which will be a collaboration between the County of Los Angeles and the University of California. Soon-Shiong hopes to include the revamped MLK in his proposed national network for electronic medical records. "This could be the county hospital of the future," said Soon-Shiong, 57, a former UCLA surgeon. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, whose district includes the former hospital, played a key role in the negotiations between the University of California and Soon-Shiong. Ridley-Thomas has endorsed Soon-Shiong as a guarantor of the hospital. A video of the press conference announcing the $100 million guaranty for MLK hospital has been posted to Ridley-Thomas's website[2]. [1] [2] Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=997482 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=997482 Solarmer Energy, Inc., a leading developer of plastic solar panels, has done it again, breaking the plastic solar cell world record for a second consecutive time. Solarmer announced on October 23rd their champion plastic solar cell efficiency of 7.6%, certified by the Newport Corporation's Technology and Applications Center's Photovoltaic (TAC-PV) Lab. The Newport Corporation is a globally recognized leader in advanced technology products and solutions. Plastic solar panels, the next generation of solar products, will be flexible, transparent, and able to generate low cost clean energy from the sun. Attractive and colorful, customizable shape and sizes, and better low light performance are just a few in a long list of the unique characteristics of plastic solar panels. These solar panels will transform the renewable energy industry, because of their ability to drive cost down to 12-15 cents/kWh and much less than $1/Watt. In the process of completing their pilot manufacturing line, this efficiency milestone increases anticipation for Solarmer's plastic solar panels, which will be available next year. "Breaking the 7% efficiency barrier for organic photovoltaics is a huge accomplishment for Solarmer and the organic photovoltaic (OPV) industry." said Dr. Gang Li, Vice President of Technology Development. "We are thankful for the contributions of our two primary collaborators, Prof. Luping Yu at the University of Chicago and Prof. Yang Yang[1] at UCLA [a member of CNSI]. We believe that our world class team will ensure that we continue along the path to the commercial success of OPVs." "We are pleased that Newport's recently launched certified PV lab is helping Solarmer in achieving outstanding results in efficiency. Our collaboration in material research and certified testing is a great example of how two very different companies can benefit by working together", says Dr. Ruben Zadoyan, Director of Technology and Applications Center of Newport Corporation. Solarmer Energy, Inc. will be speaking more to the public about this achievement at this year's Solar Power International conference in Anaheim, California. The company will be exhibiting at booth #3073 from October 27th to the 29th. Business Wire[2] [1] [2] Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=997075 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=997075 Research on mesoporous silicon nanoparticles, or nanovalves, that open and close based on acidity changes has been highlighted in _Nature Materials_. The Nanovalves, which are intended for use in drug delivery, are the creation of Jeff Zink[1], a professor of chemistry & biochemistry, inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, and a member of the CNSI. The original research was published in the _Journal of the American Chemical Society_. Please download this PDF[2] to see the _Nature Materials_ write-up. Journal of the American Chemical Society[3] [1] [2] [3] Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=990095 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=990095 The California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA has announced a collaboration with Photron USA Inc., a manufacturer of high-speed imaging systems and image analysis software, to develop specialized instrumentation for the CNSI's core laboratory facilities. Photron, an international photo-instrumentation company that provides photo-optics and electronic technologies to the research community, is committed to furthering scientific research and development through the use of their high-speed motion analysis cameras. The company has donated three state-of-the-art cameras for use in the CNSI's Advanced Light Microscopy/Spectroscopy (ALMS) core lab. The ALMS lab, one of eight core labs at the CNSI, focuses on optical imaging and advanced image analysis techniques for the study of macromolecules, cellular dynamics and the nanoscale characterization of biomaterials, including single-cell study and single-cell detection. "CNSI is committed to collaborations with industry," said Paul S. Weiss[1], CNSI director and UCLA's Fred Kavli Chair in Nanosystems Sciences. "The high-speed cameras donated by Photron will greatly aid our investigators in the ALMS core lab as they develop new methods of molecular imaging." "Photron is delighted to collaborate with the CNSI at UCLA," said Tak Takimizu, president of Photron USA. "The researchers using the core facilities there are clearly poised to lead the development of many important innovations and technologies." The CNSI provides a unique collaborative space that offers an array of shared user facilities featuring cutting-edge technologies from diverse fields. The center's core labs provide essential instrumentation for the support of collaborative research across the UCLA campus. The California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA is an integrated research center operating jointly at UCLA and UC Santa Barbara whose mission is to foster interdisciplinary collaborations for discoveries in nanosystems and nanotechnology; train the next generation of scientists, educators and technology leaders; and facilitate partnerships with industry, fueling economic development and the social well-being of California, the United States and the world. The CNSI was established in 2000 with $100 million from the state of California and an additional $250 million in federal research grants and industry funding. At the institute, scientists in the areas of biology, chemistry, biochemistry, physics, mathematics, computational science and engineering are measuring, modifying and manipulating the building blocks of our world atoms and molecules. These scientists benefit from an integrated laboratory culture enabling them to conduct dynamic research at the nanoscale, leading to significant breakthroughs in the areas of health, energy, the environment and information technology. Please click here[2] to see a photo gallery of the signing. To see the news release, visit the UCLA Newsroom[3]. [1] [2] [3] Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=987565 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=987565 Research by Paul Weiss's[1] group at CNSI has been featured in Editors' Choice of _Science_ Magazine's October 16th issue. The research describes a new scanning tunneling (STM) microscopy technique which allows both the bottoms and tops of monolayers to be visualized. Because STM involves a probe tip traveling over the top of surfaces to map out structures it had previously been difficult to visualize the bottom of monolayers. Paul Weiss is a Professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA and the Director of CNSI. _Science_ Magazine Editors' Choice[2] "Heads _and_ Tails: Simultaneous Exposed and Buried Interface Imaging of Monolayers", _ACS Nano_[3] [1] [2] [3] Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=986652 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=986652 Bruce Dunn[1], a UCLA Professor of materials science and engineering and member of the California NanoSystems Institute was recently interviewed for the website LiveScience. The interview covers information about his background, research, and thoughts on the nuts and bolts of research. Dunn's group is developing next generation three-dimensional batteries, fuel cells and capacitors, including a battery powered by sugar. Visit LiveScience.com[2] to read the full interview. [1] [2] Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=960224 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=960224 The CNSI is hosting a Core Lab Open House and Exhibitor Showcase on Thursday, October 15, 2009. Come and see the world class equipment available in the CNSI Core Labs and meet the companies working with the Core Facilities in the Exhibitor Showcase. *Attendees must RSVP to cnsievents@cnsi.ucla.edu[1]* *9:00 9:30am* CNSI Lobby *BREAKFAST & REGISTRATION* *9:00 3:00pm* CNSI Lobby *EXHIBITOR SHOWCASE* Meet the companies who currently work with the Core Facilities. *9:30 11:30am* CNSI Auditorium *CORE LAB PRESENTATIONS* *Welcoming Remarks* Paul Weiss[2], Director - *Integrated Systems Nanofabrication Cleanroom* _A Level_ Steve Franz[3], Technical Director - *Integrated NanoMaterials Lab* Baolai Liang[4], Technical Director - *Electron Imaging Center for NanoMachines* _Room B120/B140/B146_ Hong Zhou[5], Faculty PI - *Center for Quantum Research(CQuaRe)* _Room B200_ Alexandros Shailos[6], Technical Director - *Molecular Screening Shared Resource (MSSR)* Robert Damoiseaux[7], Scientific Director - *Nano and Pico Characterization* _Room B133_ Adam Stieg[8], Technical Director - *Advanced Light Microscopy / Spectroscopy (with Macro-Scale Imaging facility)* _Room B145_ Laurent A. Bentolila[9], Scientific Director *11:30 3:00pm* Levels A, B, 2 *CORE LAB TOURS & APPOINTMENTS AVAILABLE* All labs will be open to view equipment and learn more about each lab's specialty. Appointments to meet one-on-one with a Technical Director can be scheduled during this time cnsievents@cnsi.ucla.edu[10] Demonstrations of Equipment Reservation System will be available throughout the building. *1:00pm* CNSI Lobby *LUNCH* Guests who participate during the presentations or visit a core lab will receive lunch. *Participating Vendors* [IMAGE: ] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=984690 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=984690 In an interview with Jane Wells from CNBC, Patrick Soon-Shiong, Founder of Abraxis Biosciences Inc and a member of the CNSI's Advisory and Oversight Board, describes his vision for transforming the processes of healthcare, both for patients and providers. Soon-Shiong is trying to digitize health records so they are available online anywhere and combined with the most up to date medical information relevant to the patients situation. Please visit CNBC.com[1] to read the full article and see a video of the interview with Soon-Shiong. [1] Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=976574 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=976574 El Monte-based Solarmer Energy has raised $4.3M. Solarmer is targeting 4 applications: consumer & portable electronics, building-integrated photovoltaics, smart fabrics, and sensor networks. Solarmer was founded in 2006 to commercialize technology which was developed by Professor Yang Yang[1] at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. The startup's plastic solar cells, which are made from very thin layers of plastics, convert light energy into electricity. View full story on The Alarm Clock[2] including video link to *The Economic Report with Greg Gumbel reports on Solarmer Energy, Inc.'s* alternative energy product development: [1] [2] Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=974322 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=974322 Patrick Soon-Shiong, Chairman of Abraxis BioScience and Chairman and CEO of Abraxis Health led the ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the opening of the Abraxis/CNSI Collaborative Laboratory at the California NanoSystems Institute. Opening remarks were made by Dr. Soon-Shiong, California State Senator Dean Florez, Leonard H. Rome and Paul S. Weiss. Photo Gallery[1] The opening ceremony was followed by a mini-symposium which showcased the faculty members who are UCLA's lead investigators for six inaugural research collaborations which seek to usher in the next generation of nanomedicines. View the complete Agenda[2] for the ceremony and mini-symposium. [1] [2] Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=976597 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=976597 Cell phones have come a long way in the last decade. Today, one can talk, text message, shoot photos and video, send and receive e-mail, and even access the Web. Now imagine a cell phone that can be used to monitor diseases like HIV or malaria and to test water quality after a major disaster like a hurricane or earthquake. Aydogan Ozcan[1], assistant professor of electrical engineering at UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, has been working to make this cell phone-turned-mobile medical lab a reality. The proliferation of such devices could alter the direction of health care in the developing world, as well as in industrialized nations, in the next several years. The great promise of Ozcan's work has earned him several prestigious honors for young scientists, most recently the 2009 NIH Director's New Innovator Award. Given to young faculty by the National Institutes of Health, the award includes funding of $1.5 million over five years to support highly innovative research projects. "It is an honor to receive such an award from the NIH," said Ozcan, who is a member of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA. "This award will be invaluable in my efforts to create a revolutionary device that is capable of significantly improving health care in the long-run by increasing the throughput and speed of nano-imaging." This NIH award program is specifically designed to support creative new investigators with highly innovative research ideas at an early stage in their career, when they may lack the preliminary data required for traditional grants. The review process emphasizes creativity, innovative research approaches and the potential of a given project to have a significant impact on an important biomedical or behavioral research problem. Ozcan will use the NIH award to further his research, exploring new ways to image and sense nanoscale events using compact imaging architectures that can potentially be interfaced with standard cell phones. "This research has the potential for global impact, and we are very excited that the NIH has recognized both Professor Ozcan and his work," said Paul S. Weiss[2], director of the CNSI. "Aydogan's work has great potential in transforming mobile phones into portable yet powerful medical devices," said Vijay K. Dhir, dean of UCLA Engineering. "The significant attention he's received for his research is well deserved and is a testament to the quality of young faculty we have here at the school." In Ozcan's lab, a prototype cell phone[3] diagnostic unit has been constructed that utilizes LUCAS, an innovative lens-free, high-throughput imaging platform. LUCAS (Lensless Ultra-wide-field Cell Monitoring Array platform based on Shadow imaging) first uses a light source to illuminate a sample of blood, saliva or other fluid. Then, with a sensor array, a "shadow image" essentially a diffraction pattern is obtained of the microparticles in the sample, such as red blood cells. Because red blood cells and other microparticles have a distinct diffraction pattern, they can be identified and counted virtually instantaneously by LUCAS using a custom-developed "decision algorithm" that compares the captured shadow images to a library of images. Data collected by LUCAS can then be sent to a hospital for analysis and diagnosis using the cell phone, or transferred by USB to a computer for transmission to a hospital. The compact, lightweight and portable nature of LUCAS makes the potential impact of Ozcan's mobile lab very exciting. Currently, microscopes and advanced medical lab equipment, like flow cytometers, represent the standard for examining, identifying and counting cells. But they are bulky, cost tens of thousands of dollars and require trained technicians to operate. "With LUCAS, we were able to simplify the imaging device. And because LUCAS does not require a lens, we were also able to increase the visual field to a few hundred times larger than the area that can be seen under a microscope," Ozcan said. "LUCAS really provides a capability that doesn't exist today." Resource-poor areas, like parts of Africa, India and Brazil, would benefit enormously from having tools that could diagnose and monitor diseases in the field. Today, the great distances between people in need of health care and the facilities capable of providing it still pose a major obstacle to improving health. According to Ozcan, the LUCAS platform can be produced rather inexpensively -parts cost less than $10 and all one needs is a simple camera phone. In developed nations like the United States, point-of-care testing can potentially be done by LUCAS as well, reducing the cost and frequency of visits to the doctor's office and to labs. Specifically, for HIV patients, the phone can be used to measure CD4 or CD8 cells in a person's blood to determine if an HIV patient has AIDS; or a red blood cell count can determine if someone is anemic or might have malaria. Further, in the event of a disaster in which water quality may be compromised, the cell phone can be used to detect hazardous microparticles that might have contaminated drinking water. To broaden the applications of LUCAS, Ozcan's next goal is to modify the imaging platform so that it is able to detect low concentrations of bacteria, at levels of 100 to 1,000 bacteria per milliliter. Ozcan says he is confident that when merged with nanotechnology, LUCAS can be enhanced to analyze nanoparticles like viruses, proteins and even DNA. In addition to the New Innovator Award, Ozcan, 30, was also recently named one of Technology Review's top young innovators[4] under the age of 35. The magazine honors technologists and scientists whose work they believe is changing the world. UCLA press release[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=976641 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=976641 October 2009 A group led by Dr. Michael Teitell[1] at UCLA has demonstrated that misregulation of the protein SPAK may contribute to B-cell lymphoma development. Their report can be found in the October 2009 issue of The American Journal of Pathology[2]. B-cell lymphomas are the most frequent human immune system cancers. Epigenetic changes, such as DNA hypermethylation, may promote B-cell transformation by silencing tumor suppressor genes. Expression levels SPAK, a protein that regulates cellular stress responses, are reduced during cancer progression. Using a mouse model of B-cell malignancies and human B-cell lymphoma tissue samples, Balatoni et al report that SPAK expression is inhibited in B-cell tumors due in part to hypermethylation. Decreased SPAK expression protected B cells from environmental stressors that would induce cell death in non-cancerous cells. This SPAK-silenced protection may therefore be responsible for survival and metastatic progression in DNA-damaged B cells. Dr. Teitell and colleagues suggest "that SPAK silencing in B-cell lymphomas promotes cancer progression by crippling genotoxic stress signaling to impair caspase activation. These results likely generalize to breast, prostate, and possibly other cancers beyond B lymphoma and uncover a novel role for SPAK in controlling the DNA damage response, highlighting a protective cell death mechanism that is disabled during the progression of cancer. SPAK expression or repression may also help indicate those patient tumors that should or should not receive genotoxic therapies as the development of personalized medicine pushes ahead." Balatoni CE, Dawson DW, Suh J, Sherman MH, Sanders G, Hong JS, Frank MJ, Malone CS, Said JW, Teitell MA: Epigenetic Silencing of Stk39 in B-Cell Lymphoma Inhibits Apoptosis from Genotoxic Stress. Am J Pathol 2009, 175: 1653-1661 The American Journal of Pathology[3] EurekAlert Press Release[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=976532 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=976532 Andrea Giordano, a graduate student of CNSI director Paul S. Weiss, has been selected to participate in the annual NNIN International Winter School for Graduate Students (iWSG) program a two-week intensive technical and social education experience in INDIA. Once again, NNIN will conduct an International Winter School for Graduate Students, this year in Mumbai at IIT-Bombay, Nov 30-Dec 13, 2009. This year's topic will be *Nanoelectronics*. This follows last year's inaugural offering on Organic Electronics and Optoelectronics held at IIT-Kanpur. The School will consist of an intense technical course on Nanoelectronics at the graduate level a one semester course taught over an intense 6 days. The course will be taught by leading faculty from US and Indian institutions. Approximately 10 outstanding graduate students from across the US are chosen to participate. They will be joined by 50 or more students and faculty from India. After the technical course, the US and Indian participants will participate in a field experience for 4 or 5 days in an Indian village, working with a local NGO. The two week program provides an intense academic experience in an international environment, coupled with a developing world technology implementation experience to help examine the broader social context of nanotechnology. National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN) is funded by a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation as a resource for nanoscience instrumentation. NNIN serves nanoscale science, engineering and technology. For more information about NNIN[1] please visit http://www.nnin.org/ [1] Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=973557 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=973557 UCLA scientists have identified two chemicals that convince our cells to ignore premature signals to stop producing important proteins. Published in the Sept. 28 edition of the Journal of Experimental Medicine[1], the findings could lead to new medications for genetic diseases, such as cancer and muscular dystrophy, that are sparked by missing proteins. "When DNA changes, such as nonsense mutations, occur in the middle rather than the end of a protein-producing signal, they act like a stop sign that tells the cell to prematurely interrupt protein synthesis," said Dr. Richard Gatti, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and of human genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "These nonsense mutations cause the loss of vital proteins, which can lead to deadly genetic disorders." Gatti's lab specializes in studying ataxia-telangiectasia (A-T), a progressive neurological disease that strikes young children, often killing them by their late teens or early 20s. For four years, the UCLA Molecular Shared Screening Resource center of the campus's California NanoSystems Institute has screened 35,000 chemicals, searching for those that ignore premature stop signals. Liutao Du, a postgraduate fellow in the UCLA Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and the first author of the study, developed the screening technology in Gatti's laboratory. "Of the dozens of active chemicals we discovered, only two were linked to the appearance and function of ATM, the protein missing from the cells of children with A-T," Du said. "These two chemicals also induced the production of dystrophin, a protein that is missing in the cells of mice with a nonsense mutation in the muscular dystrophy gene." The UCLA team is optimistic that their discovery will aid pharmaceutical companies in creating drugs that correct genetic disorders caused by nonsense mutations. This could affect one in five patients with most genetic diseases, including hundreds of thousands of people suffering from incurable diseases. Because nonsense mutations can lead to cancer, such drugs may also find uses in cancer treatment. Gatti's lab is funded by the Los Angeles-based Ataxia-Telangiectasia Medical Research Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the New Yorkbased Ataxia-Telangiectasia Ease Foundation. The study's co-authors included Robert Damoiseaux[2], Shareef Nahas, Kun Gao, Hailiang Hu, Julianne Pollard, Jimena Goldstine, Michael Jung [3], Susan Henning and Carmen Bertoni, all of UCLA. The Journal of Experimental Medicine "Nonaminoglycoside compounds induce readthrough of nonsense mutations"[4] UCLA Press Release[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=968536 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=968536 *New imaging method enables 3-D study of nanoscale structures, organisms* *WHAT:* The two-day Advanced Electron Microscopy in NanoMedicine Symposium[1] at the California NanoSystems (CNSI) at UCLA brings together researchers from academia and industry to discuss cryo-electron microscopy, or cryoEM, an important new imaging tool with major applications for nanobiology and nanomedicine, particularly for understanding viruses and other macromolecular complexes. Researchers can use cryoEM to visualize a broad range of assemblies and nanometer-scale structures in three dimensions from molecular to atomic resolution. Organized by the Electron Imaging Center for Nanomachines (EICN)[2], a newly established CNSI core lab, the symposium will also serve as a venue for the public unveiling of the top-of-the-line Titan Krios cryoEM and Titan (S)TEM microscopes in the EICN lab. These multimillion-dollar transmission electron microscopes from the FEI Co. have already produced some of the highest-resolution images yet of nanoscale devices and viruses. *WHO:* Conference speakers and participants will include representatives from: - UCLA - Scripps Research Institute - Baylor College of Medicine - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, UC Berkeley - University of Virginia - Columbia University - University of Colorado at Boulder - California Institute of Technology - Max Planck Institute of Biophysics (Germany) - École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland) - National University of Singapore - Osaka University (Japan) - FEI Co. - National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health - Florida State University For a complete list of speakers, visit www.cnsi.ucla.edu/electron-microscopy/speakers[3]. *WHEN:* Friday, Oct. 2-Saturday, Oct. 3 *WHERE:* California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, Building 114 (map[4]) *INFORMATION | REGISTRATION:* For more information and to register for the event, visit www.cnsi.ucla.edu/cryoEM[5]. *BACKGROUND:* Part of the difficulty of creating cures against virus infections is that their assembly mechanism and molecular interactions are poorly understood without atomic resolution structures. The cryoEM technique, by providing valuable structural information for research in cell biology, microbiology, molecular and biomolecular science, medicine, pharmaceuticals, and materials science, is bridging that knowledge gap and could help lead to major advances in structure-based rational drug design, targeted delivery and biology-inspired nanomachines. *MEDIA CONTACTS:* Mike Rodewald | 310-267-5883 | mrodewald@cnsi.ucla.edu[6] Jennifer Marcus | 310-267-4839 | jmarcus@cnsi.ucla.edu[7] *PARKING:* Parking will be available in Lot 9 on Westwood Plaza. Press should contact media contact for parking reservations. UCLA Newsroom[8] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Wed, 23 Sep 2009 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=970187 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=970187 CNSI Members James Gimzewski[1] and Victoria Vesna[2] are featured in an exhibition opening today in Spain. The exhibit runs from September 25th to October 25th at El Tanque (The Tank). Two pieces from Gimzewski and Vesna are included in the exhibition, Nanomandala and Zerowave. Download the PDF flyer below for further details on the exhibition. Electronic Universe Flyer[3] [1] [2] [3] Fri, 25 Sep 2009 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=958018 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=958018 A mini-symposium and ribbon-cutting ceremony will commemorate the opening of the Abraxis/CNSI Collaborative Laboratory at the California NanoSystems Institute on Tuesday, September 29, 2009. Abraxis Bioscience, Inc. is a Founding Industry Partner of the CNSI. A schedule of the scientific presentations and activities is below, to attend please RSVP to cnsievents@cnsi.ucla.edu[1]. 12:30-1:15pm Introductions and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony (4th floor Abraxis/CNSI Lab) 1:30-6:00pm Scientific Presentations (CNSI Auditorium) 6:15-8:30pm Cocktail Reception (CNSI lobby) 12:30-1:15pm Introductions and Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony (4th floor Abraxis/CNSI Lab) *Introductions* *Shahrooz Rabizadeh, Ph.D.* Director, Molecular Drug Discovery, Abraxis BioScience *Kayvan R. Niazi, Ph.D.* Director, Immunotherapeutics, Abraxis BioScience *Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Leonard Rome[2], Ph.D.* Associate Director, California NanoSystems Institute Professor, Biological Chemistry Senior Associate Dean for Research, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA *Paul Weiss[3], Ph.D.* Director, California NanoSystems Institute Fred Kavli Chair in NanoSystems Sciences Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry *Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D.* Chairman, Abraxis BioScience Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Abraxis Health Member, CNSI Advisory Board Executive Director, UCLA Wireless Health Institute *Senator Dean Florez* Senate Majority Leader, California State Senate 1:30-6:00pm Scientific Presentations (CNSI Auditorium) 1:30-2:00pm *Michael Teitell[4], M.D., Ph.D.* Professor, Pediatrics, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine _"Identifying and Characterizing Cancer-Initiating and Treatment-Resistant Cell Subpopulations"_ 2:00-2:30pm *Eric Hoek[5], Ph.D.* Assistant Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering *Richard Kaner[6], Ph.D.* Associate Director, California NanoSystems Institute Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Materials Science and Engineering _"Nanostructure Membranes for Advanced Bioseparations"_ 2:30-3:00pm *Aydogan Ozcan[7], Ph.D.* Assistant Professor, Electrical Engineering _"A New Tool for TeleMedicine: Lensfree On-Chip Imaging for High-throughput Cytometry and Point-of-care Diagnostics"_ 3:00-3:30pm *Robin Garrell[8], Ph.D.* Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry _"Droplet Microfluidics for Bioanalytical and Medical Applications"_ 3:30-3:45pm *Break* 3:45-4:15pm *Z. Hong Zhou[9], Ph.D.* Director, Electron Imaging Center for NanoMachines (EICN) Professor, Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics _"High-Resolution Structure of Tumor Herpesvirus Capsid"_ 4:15-4:45pm *Leonard Rome[10], Ph.D.* Associate Director, California NanoSystems Institute Professor, Biological Chemistry Senior Associate Dean for Research, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA _"Engineered Vault Nanocapsules as Therapeutic Delivery Vehicles"_ 4:45-5:15pm *Kathleen Kelly[11], Ph.D.* Associate Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine _"CD8+ Suppressor Cells and ImmunoVaults"_ 5:15-5:45pm *Michael Jung[12], Ph.D.* Director, Bioscience Synthetic Chemistry Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry _"Synthetic Approach to the Immunosuppressive and Cytotoxic Agent Brasilicardin A and its Analogues"_ 5:45-6:15pm *Bahram Jalali[13], Ph.D.* Professor, Electrical Engineering _"Serial Time Encoded Microscopy (STEAM): A New Imaging Modality for Study of Fast Dynamic Phenomena"_ 6:15-8:30pm Cocktail Reception (CNSI lobby) [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=967509 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=967509 Until recently only the top layers of monolayers, or closely packed molecules, could be characterized using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), a powerful technique for viewing surfaces at the atomic level. This technique relies on measuring the interactions at the atomic level of a probe tip traveling over surfaces. Because the tip travels over the surface it has not been possible to visualize the bottom of molecule structures until now. Paul Weiss[1], Director of the CNSI, has developed a technique to 'peer through' a thin monolayer to map out the bottom of it using STM. The new technique is described in a paper which has been published online in the journal ACS Nano. Heads and Tails: Simultaneous Exposed and Buried Interface Imaging of Monolayers[2] [1] [2] Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=962147 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=962147 The Nano and Pico Characterization (NPC) Lab at CNSI would like to announce the first instrumentation workshop of an upcoming series entitled: "Converting an AFM into an analytical tool: Material identification and characterization based on nanoscale thermal analysis and imaging" This workshop, provided in collaboration with Anasys Instruments, is the first in a series aimed at assessing the level of interest within the CNSI, UC, and industrial scientific communities toward a variety of nanoscale characterization techniques. The series serves to aid the CNSI and NPC Lab in determining the best path for new instrument acquisitions. Upcoming events will include nanoscale thermal analysis, confocal Raman imaging/spectroscopy, and scanning ion conductance microscopy over the next few months. *Schedule* *Tuesday, October 6, 2009* 10:00am-11:00am Seminar (CNSI Auditorium) 11:00am-12:00pm Demonstration (CNSI B139) 12:00pm-1:00pm Lunch Starting at 1:00pm Analysis of CNSI-UCLA samples (by appointment) *Venue* University of California, Los Angeles California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) Los Angeles, CA 90095 t: (310)267-4838 CNSI Auditorium (3rd Floor) Nano & Pico Characterization Lab (Rm B139) The workshop is free of charge but it requires registration due to limited availability of places. To register, please send your contact information electronically to Roshan Shetty roshan@anasysinstruments.com[1]. Please indicate in your email if you'd like your samples to be analyzed on site. The number of participants is limited; please register early to save your place. Please see the workshop flyer[2] as well as our respective websites for more detailed information: http://www.cnsi.ucla.edu/nanopicolab/[3] http://www.anasysinstruments.com/[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 16 Sep 2009 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=964217 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=964217 Andre Nel, M.D., Ph.D.[1] received an Honorary Professorship from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS)[2] in Beijing. Dr. Nel, a professor of medicine, pediatrics and public health and chief of the division of nanomedicine at UCLA, was presented with a medal in honor of his nomination as "Visiting Professor for Senior International Scientists of The Chinese Academy of Sciences" during an official ceremony held in the Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) at CAS. The medal was presented by Dr. Xiaoming Jiang[3], Professor & Associate Director of IHEP. Dr. Paul S. Weiss[4], newly appointed director of the California NanoSystems Institute and Fred Kavli Chair of Nanosystems Sciences, attended the ceremony and gave a presentation introducing the CNSI and read a message of congratulations from the UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. Dr. Nel gave a lecture, entitled, "Nanotoxicology as a predictive science" which included an overview of the recently established Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (CEIN)[5]. Drs. Nel and Weiss attended a dinner hosted by the Chinese Academy of Science Executive President, Professor Chunli Bai, who presented a certificate to Dr. Nel to commemorate his nomination. The two went on to attend the ChinaNano2009 conference during which Dr. Nel gave a keynote lecture and Dr. Weiss gave a plenary talk. Andre Nel is in the process of setting up a strategic agreement between CEIN and his counterpart in CAS, Dr Yuliang Zhao, who is Director of the CAS Key Lab for Biomedical Effects of Nanomaterials and Nanosafety, Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and National Center for Nanoscience and Technology of China. He is also assisting Paul Weiss in setting up a strategic relations agreement with CAS at large. "We are delighted to see the ties between UCLA and the CAS strengthening. We are particularly proud that Prof. Andre Nel, a leader in nanobiotechnology at UCLA and worldwide is being honored with a CAS Visiting Professorship for Distinguished Scientists," said Gene Block, UCLA Chancellor. "As head of international programs at UCLA, we are happy to see these strong and growing personal and professional connections between UCLA and the CAS," said Nicholas Entrikin, Vice Provost, International Studies. "We look forward to Prof. Nel's new position catalyzing further ties. Congratulations!" Photo Gallery[6] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=966764 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=966764 Anne Andrews, Professor of Psychiatry and a member of CNSI, has been selected to receive a 2009 Independent Investigator Award from NARSAD, the world's leading charity dedicated to mental health research. With the award Prof. Andrews will investigate genetic variations that appear to influence the effectiveness of serotonin-selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). SSRIs are the most widely prescribed antidepressants, but only 30 percent of patients respond to them favorably. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter importantly involved in depression. A common variant of the serotonin transporter gene is associated with differences in anxiety-related traits and susceptibility to stress-related depression. Using rodent models, Prof. Andrews will explore a disputed question of how the gene variant affects serotonin expression, information that might help to provide a strategy for more individualized, effective drug therapy. *About NARSAD* NARSAD raises money from donors around the world and invests it directly in the most promising research projects in mental health. It funds psychiatric brain research such as schizophrenia, depression, childhood disorders, bipolar disorder, and anxiety disorders. Every dollar donated to NARSAD goes directly to research--100% of all donations--as two private family foundations cover all operating expenses. Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=949724 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=949724 The open-source project, Frontline SMS: Medic, is scaling up an effort to provide a free cell phone to remote villages in East Africa. A village health care worker is then trained to send text messages (SMS) to communicate with the central hospital for the village. This wireless communication will save doctors time and money as previously they had to send a nurse to the village on a motorbike to physically check up on patients. The group is also working with Aydogan Ozcan[1], CNSI Member and Professor of Electrical Engineering at UCLA, to provide a cheap portable blood tester capable of detecting HIV and malaria which uses the cell phones digital camera. Please visit VentureBeat[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=949775 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=949775 James Gimzewski[1], Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry and the faculty director of the Nano & Pico Characterization lab at CNSI, discussed nanotechnology and nanomaterials with program host Ira Flatow and Mark Ratner, a Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University, September 4th on the NPR program Science Friday. Please visit the Science Friday[2] website for the full transcript or download the podcast here[3]. [1] [2] [3] Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=944932 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=944932 Patrick Soon-Shiong, Chairman and CEO of Abraxis Health, will receive the 2009 "Leadership in Innovation" Award and Keynote the 11th Annual Innovations in HealthcareSM Awards Event, presented by the Adaptive Business Leaders Organization (ABL), on October 28, in Newport Beach, CA. Soon-Shiong, who is a member of the California NanoSystems Institute Advisory and Oversight Board, is receiving the Leadership Award in recognition of his work to better healthcare delivery. He is developing, testing and validating diagnostics and drugs to target pre-selected patients based on molecular profiles that predict drug response to particular therapeutics, enabling personalized medicine. Please visit PR Web[1] to read the full release. [1] Wed, 02 Sep 2009 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=945283 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=945283 James Gimzewski[1], Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at UCLA and a member of CNSI will be giving the Carnegie Centenary Lecture 2009 on Thursday, September 3rd. Professor Gimzewski's lecture, entitled Nano tips: Exploring this planet, your body and beyond, will examine the advancements which have been made in the past two decades in microscopy which uses atomic forces to probe the electron density of atoms and molecules. Please visit Media Newswire[2] to read the full release. [1] [2] Wed, 02 Sep 2009 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=943643 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=943643 Developed by CNSI member John Miao[1] and colleagues in 1999, lensless diffractive imaging involves shooting x-rays at a sample and using complicated computer algorithms to record the diffraction pattern of those x-ray beams and reconstruct the structure of the sample. In an article from _Nature_ magazine's News and Views[2] (subscription required), Miao and Margaret Murnane from the University of Colorado at Bolder describe a new technique by Ravasio _et al._ which uses lensless diffractive imaging to record ultrafast events at the nanoscale. This recording is possible through bright, laser-like flashes of x-rays which will allow scientists to see the most rapid natural events, those that occur at attosecond (10-18 seconds) or femtosecond (10-15 seconds) timescales. This technique has promise to follow indirectly how electrons and atoms couple together as molecules change shape and other nanoscale interactions. [1] [2] Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=941987 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=941987 King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology (KACST) in Saudi Arabia and UCLA, represented by Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, have signed an agreement that will establish a Center of Excellence in Green Nanotechnology to promote educational and research exchanges, as well as an agreement with UCLA for research in nanoelectronics and clean energy for the next 10 years. The center will be co-directed by Prince Turki Ibn Saud Ibn Mohammad Al-Saud of KACST and Professor Kang L. Wang. The agreements were made official at a signing ceremony, held August 11, at the Edward K. Rice Room in Boelter Hall. KACST is both Saudi Arabia's national science agency and its national laboratories. At the signing ceremony, KACST was represented by Prince Turki, the organization's vice-president for research institutes. UCLA Engineering was represented by Dean Vijay K. Dhir and Professor Kang L. Wang, Raytheon Professor of Electrical Engineering at UCLA. The initial kick-off phase of $3.2 million will fund the center over three years in the following research areas: * Nanostructures for high efficiency solar cells * Patterned nanostructures for integrated active optoelectronics on silicon * Carbon nanotube circuits "I am very delighted that we have started a joint collaboration with UCLA on green nanotechnogy," said Prince Turki. "We view UCLA as a leading world institution in many fields, and nanotechnology in particular. This collaboration is part of KACST's programs to implement the National Science, Technology and Innovation plan for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The plan calls for the Kingdom to join the technologically advanced industrialized nations by 2025. We are looking forward to expand our joint Center with other fields in the future." "We foresee a fruitful cooperation lasting many years that includes research in emerging nanotechnology areas to benefit both the Saudi Kingdom and the U.S. economies, whilst training the next generation of science and engineering professionals." said Kang L. Wang[1] [also associate director of the California NanoSystems Institute]. Said Dhir: "Through this new cooperative agreement, we are looking forward to working with KACST researchers on current challenges in Green Nanotechnology in energy and nano-bio areas. UCLA Engineering has some of the very best researchers in the world in these areas, and this joint collaboration will certainly help turn innovative ideas into technologies that will have great societal benefits for both of our countries." UCLA Today[2] [1] [2] Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=942093 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=942093 Nano H2O, a new technology start-up company spun out of research by CNSI Member Eric Hoek[1], was recently featured on Forbes.com. The article discusses current water desalination technology and the improvements made by Nano H2O using technology licensed from Prof. Hoek. Please visit Forbes.com[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=942164 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=942164 Patrick Soon-Shiong, Founder of Abraxis Biosciences Inc, and a member of the CNSI's Advisory and Oversight Board, recently had a discussion with Kym McNicholas from Forbes.com about his plans to create a health grid that empowers the patient and the provider. Soon-Shiong has committed much of his time and $1 billion of his $5 billion fortune to the effort to create a sort of public utility (comparable to national electricity grid) that would put electronic medical records and real time information at the fingertips of both patients and doctors. Please visit Forbes.com[1] to read the full interview. [1] Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=940345 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=940345 The book, _DNA: Promise and Peril_, was reviewed by Michael A. Goldman from the department of biology at San Francisco State University. Both of the books authors are geneticists at UCLA, Linda McCabe is an Adjunct Professor of Human Genetics, while Edward McCabe[1] is the Mattel Executive Endowed Chair in Pediatrics and a member of the CNSI. Goldman's review is balanced, beginning and ending the review on a positive note but focusing on areas he felt were lacking in the middle. He praises the authors for their thorough analysis of ethical issues surrounding genetic research while criticizing them for focusing on rare, relatively predicable single-gene disorders prominent in medical academia and giving little space to discussions about complex genetic conditions involving interplay between the action of many genes and the environment which he believes will have the greatest impact on society. Please visit Science Magazine[2] (subscription required) for the full review. [1] [2] Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=940405 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=940405 A story on the UCLA Newsroom highlights a new UCLA study which sheds light on the link between high cholesterol and osteoporosis and identifies a new way that the bodys immune cells play a role in bone loss. Linda Demer[1], Vice Chair and Professor of Medicine as well as member of the CNSI, was a co-author of the study. Please visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=939068 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=939068 Please view the pages! Page 1[1]. Page 2[2]. [1] [2] Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=936980 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=936980 The four grants for UCLA researchers, from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), represented one third of the total number of grants given. All four UCLA grants went to researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA, of which Owen Witte[1] is the director and a CNSI member. "It is wonderful to see the breadth and quality of stem-cell basic science at UCLA recognized by the awarding of these four grants in the latest round of CIRM awards," said Dr. Owen Witte, professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at UCLA. "Research supported by these grants will propel future translational and clinical advances, enabling us to realize the full potential of human stem cells in the development of new, more effective therapies for a host of diseases." One of the grants, for $1.32 million, was awarded to CNSI Member Michael Teitell[2], a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine. Teitell will use the grant to fund research to uncover the role of mitochondria, the cell's energy factories, in stem cell proliferation, maintenance of pluripotency and differentiation potential. Please visit the UCLA Newsroom[3] for the full release. [1] [2] [3] Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=935314 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=935314 Technology Review magazine has announced that Aydogan Ozcan[1], professor of electrical engineering at UCLA, has been recognized as one of the world's top innovators under the age of 35 for his lens free imaging platform and its implications in wireless health. Selected from more than 300 nominees by a panel of expert judges and the editorial staff of Technology Review, the TR35 is an elite group of accomplished young innovators who exemplify the spirit of innovation. Their work--spanning medicine, computing, communications, nanotechnology, and more--is changing our world. Ozcan, also a member of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA, developed the imaging platform, known as LUCAS (Lensless Ultra-wide-field Cell monitoring Array platform based on Shadow imaging), as a wireless health application which is capable of monitoring the condition of HIV and malaria patients, as well as testing water quality in undeveloped areas or disaster sites. The LUCAS platform has been scaled down enough to fit on a standard cell phone. The device acquires an image by using a short wavelength blue light to illuminate a blood, saliva or other fluid sample. LUCAS captures an image of the microparticles in the solution using a sensor array. Because red blood cells and other microparticles have a distinct diffraction pattern, or shadow image, they can be identified and counted virtually instantaneously by LUCAS using a custom-developed "decision algorithm" that compares the captured shadow images to a library of training images. Data collected by LUCAS can then be sent to a hospital for analysis and diagnosis using the cell phone, or transferred via USB to a computer for transmission to a hospital. "The TR35 honors young innovators for accomplishments that are poised to have a dramatic impact on the world as we know it," said Jason Pontin, editor in chief and publisher of Technology Review magazine. "We celebrate their success and look forward to their continued advancement of technology in their respective fields." Ozcan and the other TR35 winners for 2009 will be featured in the September/October issue of Technology Review magazine and honored at the EmTech@MIT 2009 Conference to be held at MIT in Cambridge, MA. September 2224, 2009. Additional information about past and present TR35 winners and judges is available at www.technologyreview.com/tr35/[2]. For more information about EmTech@MIT 2009 Conference please visit: http://www.technologyreview.com/emtech[3]. Please visit the TR35 website[4] to see Ozcan's Young Investigator profile. *About Technology Review, Inc.* Technology Review, Inc., an independent media company owned by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is the authority on the future of technology, identifying emerging technologies and analyzing their impact for leaders. Technology Review's media properties include Technology Review magazine, the oldest technology magazine in the world (founded in 1899); the daily news website TechnologyReview.com; and events such as the annual EmTech@MIT Conference. [1] [2] [3] [4] Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=932562 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=932562 The $10M NSF award will be used within the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences to develop a technology which aims to drastically improve the computing power of health care and other specialized areas. The center which will lead this effort, the UCLA Center for Domain-Specific Computing (CDSC) is directed by CNSI member and Chancellor's Professor of Computer Science Jason Cong[1]. Current computer techniques and programming languages have been developed in a general purpose way to handle a broad range of applications. The idea behind domain-specific computing is to develop customizable architecture and custom-oriented, high-level computer languages for specific areas of research. This customization ultimately results in much less energy consumption, faster results, lower costs and increased productivity. Please visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] to read the full press release. [1] [2] Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=932709 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=932709 Research by CNSI member Jeff Zink[1], a professor of chemistry & biochemistry at UCLA has been featured in the Research Highlights section of the August 7th edition of Nature Chemistry. The advance covered involves nanoparticles which require two external stimuli to release their cargo. The two stimuli involved are light and pH levels, or acidity. Nanoparticles requiring a single stimuli for release have been previously reported, but this is the first instance of system requiring dual stimuli. This dual system gives improved control, and is able to respond to both external and biological triggers. Please visit Nature Chemistry[2] for the full story (subscription required). [1] [2] Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=930904 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=930904 Leading nanoscientist Paul S. Weiss[1] has been named director of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and holder of the Fred Kavli Chair in Nanosystems Sciences. Weiss comes to UCLA from Pennsylvania State University, where he was Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Physics. His multidisciplinary research group includes chemists, physicists, biologists, materials scientists, electrical and mechanical engineers, and computer scientists. "Paul Weiss is an internationally renowned scientist, and we are fortunate that he is bringing his extraordinary talent and expertise to UCLA," said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. "His experience with such a wide array of disciplines makes him the right leader for CNSI, where research involves more than 25 academic departments." The CNSI is one of four institutes for science and innovation established within the University of California system in 2000 by the state of California. The institute fosters collaborations with industry to accelerate the commercialization of inventions and discoveries in nanotechnology. Weiss and his research group focus on the atomic-scale chemical, physical, optical, mechanical and electronic properties of surfaces and supramolecular assemblies. He and his students have pioneered the development of new techniques to expand the applicability and chemical specificity of scanning probe microscopies and have applied these and other tools to the study of catalysis, self- and directed assembly, physical models of biological systems, and molecular and nanoscale electronics. They work to advance nanofabrication down to ever-smaller scales and greater chemical specificity in order to connect, operate and test molecular devices. "Professor Weiss is a groundbreaking scientist, and we look forward to the key contributions that he and his wife, Professor Anne Andrews, will make to research and education here," said Joseph A. Rudnick, dean of the UCLA Division of Physical Sciences. "Our community will be significantly richer for having them join the UCLA faculty." Anne Andrews has been appointed professor of psychiatry at UCLA. Leonard H. Rome[2], who has served as the CNSI's interim director for the last two years, will resume his previous role as associate director. Rome is also senior associate dean for research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a professor of biological chemistry. "CNSI has flourished under Lenny Rome's leadership," Block said. "He steered the institute through the grand opening of its state-of-the-art research facility in 2007 and the subsequent development of critical shared lab space. He also has been instrumental in expanding our international collaborations with top universities and institutes in Asia, Europe, and North and South America." Rome was a key proponent of establishing CNSI bylaws, which have had a significant impact on the development of valuable standing committees to ensure that the institute's membership shares in the development of effective governing practices for the benefit of all. Rome has also played a significant role in developing relationships with industry, including the CNSI's founding partners, which include Abraxis BioScience, BASF, Hewlett-Packard and Intel. "I have enjoyed serving as interim director of CNSI," Rome said. "Paul Weiss brings vast prestige and distinction to UCLA, and I am delighted to be able to hand over the leadership of the institute into his capable hands. Weiss is one of the world's preeminent nanoscience scholars and CNSI is very lucky, indeed. I look forward to working with him." "The faculty in the department of chemistry and biochemistry are thrilled to have Paul Weiss join us as a member of our physical chemistry division," said Albert Courey, professor and chair of the UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. "Weiss is a renowned leader in nanoscience, and he will add greatly to the international stature and visibility of our department and UCLA at large. Under Weiss' leadership, the American Chemical Society journal _ACS Nano_ has developed into one of the leading nanoscience journals in the world." "In addition to being an amazing research scientist, Professor Weiss is an outstanding educator, as evidenced by the multiple teaching awards he received as a member of the Penn State faculty," Courey added. "He is also a dedicated mentor to his Ph.D. students and will be a wonderful addition to our graduate program." Weiss has published more than 200 papers and patents and has given more than 400 invited and plenary lectures. Among his honors are a National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award (1991-96), the B.F. Goodrich Collegiate Inventors Award (1994), an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship (1995-97), the American Chemical Society Nobel Laureate Signature Award for Graduate Education in Chemistry (1996) and a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship (1997). He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2000), the American Physical Society (2002) and the American Vacuum Society (2007) and a senior member of the IEEE (2009). He received Penn State's Teaching Award from the Schreyer Honors College in 2004 and other teaching awards. Weiss earned S.B. and S.M. degrees in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1980 and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1986. He was a postdoctoral member of the technical staff at Bell Laboratories from 1986 to 1988 and a visiting scientist at the IBM Almaden Research Center from 1988 to 1989. Weiss began his academic career at Penn State as an assistant professor in 1989. From 1996 to 1997, Weiss was a visiting professor in the department of molecular biotechnology at the University of Washington, and from 1998 to 2000, he served as visiting professor at Kyoto University's electronic science and engineering department and Venture Business Laboratory. He also served on the U.S. National Committee for the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry from 2000 to 2005. Weiss was senior editor of the IEEE Electron Device Letters journal for molecular and organic electronics from 2005 to 2007 and since 2007 has served as founding editor-in-chief of the journal _ACS Nano_. Under his leadership, _ACS Nano_ won the Association of American Publishers Award for Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE) in 2008 for best new journal in science, technology and medicine. Weiss' appointment as CNSI director is for a five-year term. He will assume his role as director this month. UCLA Newsroom[3] [1] [2] [3] Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=929357 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=929357 James Gimzewski[1], CNSI Member and Professor of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA was recently admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Society. The Royal Society has been at the forefront of research since its founding in 1660. Each year, the society applies a rigorous peer-review process to elect a maximum of 44 new fellows who are citizens of the United Kingdom, other Commonwealth countries or Ireland, and several foreign members. Fellowship is a lifetime honor. Press release[2] announcing Prof. Gimzewski's election to the Royal Society. [1] [2] Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=927384 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=927384 FEI Company, a leading provider of three-dimensional (3D) molecular, cellular and atomic-scale imaging systems, has issued a press release announcing that installation has been completed for the Titan Krios transmission electron microscope (TEM) in the Electron Imaging Center for Nanomachines (EICN) core lab at CNSI. The Titan Krios will be publically unveiled at a conference at CNSI from October 2nd to 3rd titled "Advanced Electron Microscopy in NanoMedicine.[1]" Please visit the FEI website[2] for the full press release. [From the FEI Press Release] The Titan Krios is specifically designed for 3D molecular imaging applications where samples are imaged at cryogenic temperatures, which preserves the biological samples in their native hydrated state. The microscope's ability to generate images used in the creation of 3D molecular structures with resolutions as small as a few tenths of a nanometer allows scientists to investigate the structure and function of biological nanomachines at the molecular scale. [1] [2] Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=927419 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=927419 A recent Associated Press article explores the partnership involving the Los Alamos National Laboratory and a joint UCLA center between the School of Public Health and the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI). The new center, the Emerging Infectious Disease Center, will be housed at the CNSI and will substantially increase the speed of genetic sequencing. The center will have equipment capable of automated genome sequencing that is 100 times faster than the current work being manually done. With this increased speed, the Los Alamos and UCLA partnership is the first piece in a global surveillance network intended to track and respond to pandemics such as the recent swine flu outbreak. CNSI Member and professor of epidemiology at UCLA Scott Layne[1] is the Faculty Director of the new center. Please see the San Francisco Chronicle[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Fri, 07 Aug 2009 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=926464 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=926464 MediSens developing body monitoring systems for diabetes, balance issues UCLA's newly launched on-campus technology incubator at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) has opened lab space to MediSens Wireless, a startup company that develops and manufactures personal body-monitoring systems for medical and health applications. The incubator program was established in March to nurture early-stage research and accelerate the commercial translation of technologies developed at UCLA. MediSens Wireless has licensed patented technology from UCLA for wireless sensor systems developed by Majid Sarrafzadeh, a UCLA professor of computer science and engineering, and his team. The technology is for real-time wireless monitoring of pressure and motion in both medical and non-medical products. The technology will be used to develop body monitoring systems with specific applications for use by diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy the loss of sensation in the foot and those with health issues affecting balance who are at high risk of falls. As part of this arrangement, MediSens Wireless has obtained an exclusive license that will provide the University of California with a royalty on the company's products. MediSens has rented lab space at the CNSI and will move into the incubator space this month, with access to CNSI core lab facilities for research and development. "We consider ourselves very fortunate to have been selected to join the UCLA incubator program at CNSI," said Eric Collins, president and CEO of MediSens. "The collaborative and innovative environment within the CNSI facility is an important competitive advantage for MediSens in our mission to bring to market products that improve millions of lives." The UCLA on-campus Technology Incubation Program at the CNSI is an innovative resource with a mission to help accelerate the growth of entrepreneurial startup companies and early-stage technology research projects that originate at UCLA. The incubator offers shared, flexible lab space dedicated to housing eight to 10 early-stage incubation projects for short periods of time. "The incubator program is an important way for UCLA to make the fruits of our world-class faculty's research available to the public as rapidly as possible," said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. "California looks to universities like UCLA for innovative technology. It is fitting then to have these startup companies embedded within the CNSI, whose mission is to fuel economic development by nurturing novel technologies and transferring them from the lab to the clinical arena and commercial market." "We look forward to working with MediSens to move the technology to product development," said Sarrafzadeh. "The collaborative research environment at CNSI is invigorating, and we are delighted to have MediSens in lab space that benefits from UCLA's great resources. "We hope that this technology will help to reduce the large number of injuries caused by diabetic foot ulcers and by falls each year, both in hospital rehabilitation departments and in at-home care environments," Sarrafzadeh said. "We anticipate great success for MediSens as it continues to develop products based on the convergence of computer science and engineering technology with medical and health applications," said Leonard H. Rome [1], interim director of the CNSI and senior associate dean for research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "CNSI is committed to facilitating collaborations with private industry for the rapid commercialization of new innovations, and we are excited to welcome this startup into the incubator space as it carries out its essential R&D." Sarrafzadeh is also a co-director of the Wireless Health Institute (WHI) at UCLA, which is dedicated to improving the timeliness and reach of health care through the development and application of wireless, network-enabled technologies integrated with current and next-generation medical enterprise computing. The WHI is under the executive direction of Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, a UCLA visiting professor of bioengineering and of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics and founder and chairman of Abraxis BioScience, a founding partner of the CNSI. UCLA Newsroom[2] [1] [2] Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=926508 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=926508 Jason Reed, a Senior Project Scientist in the Nano & Pico Characterization (NPC) Lab at CNSI has been featured on the Young Investigator Profile of the website Genomeweb. Prior to working in the NPC lab Reed was a post doc in the lab of CNSI Member James Gimzewski [1], who is the Faculty Director for the NPC Lab. Young Investigator Profile from Genomeweb; *Unlocking Biology With Nanotechnology* Jason Reed investigates biomolecular mechanical systems, in particular the use of micro fabrication and metrology for the characterization of biological material. Reed was previously a post doc in the lab of UCLA's Jim Gimzewski where he helped create a novel measurement method using interference microscopy that can determine simultaneously the nanomechanical properties of hundreds-to-thousands of individual cells. Reed has also collaborated with New York University's Bud Mishra in an effort to develop nanotechnology to examine single molecules in order to determine gene expression and enable researchers to zero in on gene transcription in individual cells. They hope that "GRIN technology"-genomics, robotics, informatics, and nanotechnology combined-will become cheap enough for any investigator to utilize. Genomeweb[2] (expand the Young Investigator Profile box on the right side of the screen) [1] [2] Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=924070 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=924070 Just as the idea of a computer being as large as an entire room now seems antiquated, one day the idea of a scientific lab requiring bench tops to run experiments may seem outdated. Thanks to research at UCLA, that day is now closer as Rachel Champeau reports in the UCLA newsroom on research recently published by CNSI Member Hsian-Rong Tseng[1]. Prof Tseng is the lead author of a study outlining the development of a microfluidic device capable of simultaneously performing over a thousand chemical reactions at one time. This new tool provides the capability to quickly screen drug molecules to establish which work most effectively with targeted protein enzymes. Read the full article at the UCLA Newsroom[2]. [1] [2] Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=920604 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=920604 Three internationally renowned chemists have been appointed to prestigious endowed chairs in UCLA's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. UCLA Chancellor Gene Block has named Kendall N. Houk[1] to the Saul Winstein Chair in Organic Chemistry, Omar M. Yaghi[2] to the Irving and Jean Stone Chair in Physical Sciences, and Shimon Weiss[3] to the Dean M. Willard Chair in Chemistry. "These are three outstanding scientists who add to the distinction and prestige of UCLA, and we are honored to count them among our colleagues," said Albert Courey, professor and chair of the chemistry and biochemistry department. All three scientists are members of the CNSI. UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=920416 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=920416 (London, UK) *Nanotechnology Market Projected To Grow 20% Per Year To 2013* According to a report by Companiesandmarkets.com, a UK consulting firm, nanotechnology will pave the way for a revolution in materials, information and communication technology, medicine, genetics and other areas as it moves from laboratories to new markets. It will improve products and production processes giving them better characteristics or new functionalities. In coming years, products based on nanotechnology are expected to impact nearly all-industrial sectors and will enter the consumer markets in large quantities. The future prospects of nanotechnology are causing countries across the world to invest heavily in this sector. The global market demand for nanotechnologies is projected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of around 20% till 2013, says "Forecast to 2013" an analytical study by RNCOS. The report also projects that market for nanotechnology incorporated in manufactured goods will be worth US $1.6 Trillion, representing a CAGR of more than 49% in the forecast period (2009-2013). This growth will largely be driven by massive investments in nanotechnology R&D by both governments and corporations throughout the world. To read the full report, visit Nanotechnology Market Forecast to 2013: http://www.companiesandmarkets.com/r.ashx?id G77IW4TO974403[1] According to the NSF Nanotechnology Initiative: the U.S. is the world leader in terms of patents, research support, R&D and nanotechnology companies and products. [1] Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=920633 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=920633 The Los Angeles Times today ran a story discussing the effect on higher education of the state of California's budget cuts. The impact on UC, Cal State and community colleges are discussed. The Chancellor of UCLA, Gene Block, and CNSI member and UCLA professor of chemistry & biochemistry Robin Garrell[1] are quoted. LATimes[2] [1] [2] Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=915776 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=915776 The American Chemical Society (ACS) has announced the first class of ACS Fellows. These 162 members are being honored for outstanding achievements in and contributions to science, the profession, and the society. Fellows come from the entire breadth of ACS's membership and the chemical enterprise-including high school teaching, entrepreneurship, government service, and all sectors of industry and academia. Ken Houk[1], a member of the CNSI and professor of chemistry & biochemistry and organic chemistry at UCLA, is part of the inaugural class of ACS Fellows. ACS Announcement[2] [1] [2] Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=915910 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=915910 A recent article from the magazine ScienceNews about carbon dioxide (CO2) capture research features a supporting quote from Omar Yaghi[1]. The article describes a macromolecule which has been discovered by researchers at the University of Southampton in England that seems to soak up atmospheric CO2. The finding happened inadvertently as the researchers were trying to design and create molecules which could capture negatively charged ions. When analyzing an alkaline solution of various organic substances that had been left out to evaporate, they discovered that it contained carbonate, which form in solutions containing CO2. They have surmised that the CO2 must have come from the air in the lab, establishing that spontaneous absorption of CO2 is possible with the macromolecule. Yaghi is a member of the CNSI and Christopher S. Foote Chair of Chemistry & Biochemistry at UCLA. Though he was not involved in the research he is quoted as an expert in the CO2 capture field. Yaghi has pioneered the development of a new class of materials called metal organic frameworks which are capable of selectively capturing and storing CO2 molecules. ScienceNews[2] [1] [2] Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=915955 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=915955 Until recently the accumulation of amyloids, or formations of protein sheets, was thought to only have negative implications and cause pathological conditions including Alzheimer's disease and type II diabetes. Research recently published in Science Magazine has shown that some amyloid formations are functional, and can be present in healthy cells and tissues. The research is a collaboration between scientists from ETH Zurich, Salk Institute, UCLA, UCSD, Tufts Medical Center, and Linkoping University. David Eisenberg[1], a member of the CNSI and distinguished professor of biological chemistry at UCLA, is one of the authors. Visit Science Magazine[2] (subscription required) to see the paper. [1] [2] Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=916017 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=916017 (from Semiconductor Today) Professor Bahram Jalali[1] of University of California, Los Angeles' Electrical Engineering Department has joined the advisory board of GigOptix Inc of Palo Alto, CA, USA, which designs optical modulators, drivers and transimpedance amplifier (TIA) ICs based on III-V materials. "This is a great opportunity for me to get involved with a vibrant young company," says Jalali, who is also a member of the CNSI. "GigOptix not only has unique technology in the field of ultra-high-speed photonics but also a compelling vision to address real market needs and a consistent track record of providing innovative solutions," he adds. Semiconductor Today[2] [1] [2] Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=911204 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=911204 The Nanotechnology Students Summer School fosters international collaboration and intellectual exchange for young researchers. Started in 2004 by Masakazu Aono (NIMS) and Mark Welland (Cambridge), the Summer School now includes students from UCLA/CNSI represented by James Gimzewski. The inclusion of UCLA/CNSI stems from the Memorandum of Understanding reached by UCLA/CNSI and NIMS in 2008 and is a reflection of the two institutions' goals for international research collaboration. The goal of the Summer School is to bring together doctoral students from varied nanotechnology research backgrounds from across the globe and give them an informal yet constructive forum to discuss their work, get feedback from their peers and interact with one another on an intellectual level as well as social and cultural level. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Presentations are open to all who are interested. Student Presentations: July 28th 9:30am-12:00pm, 1:00pm-4:00pm CNSI Auditorium July 29th 9:30am-12:00pm, 1:00pm-4:00pm CNSI Auditorium July 30th 9:30am-12:00pm, 1:00pm-4:00pm CNSI Auditorium ---------------------------------------------------------------------- A PDF of the program can be downloaded here[1]. (Adobe Acrobat[2] required). Summer School has been hosted by NIMS and Cambridge alternatively each year. UCLA/CNSI will host for the first time in July 2009. Thirty students (ten from each institution) will convene for a week-long symposium where they will each present their current research to other young researchers. For many of these young researchers, this is their first opportunity to formally present their work in a conference-like environment thus helping to hone their presentation skills and prepare them for careers in academia or industry. In this environment, students are able to experience a conference first hand without any of the intimidation of a formal conference. They get feedback from fresh eyes and ears on the research itself as well as valuable details like aesthetics of their presentation slides. Most importantly, the students receive valuable constructive criticism from some of the world's leading researchers in nanotechnology. [1] [2] Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=907241 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=907241 Solarmer Energy, Inc. has become the world record holder for plastic solar cell and plastic solar panel efficiencies. The record-breaking performances were certified by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for the solar cells, and by the Newport Corporation for the solar panels. Solarmer is building on academic research at two institutions, the University of Chicago, and UCLA, where CNSI member Yang Yang's[1] polymer solar cell research has been licensed by the company. Solarmer is also an Associate Partner of the CNSI. Visit Marketwire[2] for the full press release. [1] [2] Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=906536 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=906536 Yu Huang[1], an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science [and a CNSI Member], has been named a recipient of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor given by the United States government to young engineers and scientists at the outset of their professional careers. Huang, whose research interest centers on the interface of functional nanosystems and biosystems, was nominated for the award by the Department of Defense's Army Research Office for her work on the biomolecule-regulated synthesis and assembly of nanocatalysts for artificial photosynthesis systems, which could one day lead to solutions in renewable clean energy. At the heart of the artificial photosynthesis process, Huang said, is photocatalytic water splitting, in which solar energy is used to split water and produce hydrogen fuel. Huang's group is developing highly active and selective nanocatalysts for this purpose. "It's usually very difficult for young faculty to explore new areas of research. It is a great honor to be recognized with the PECASE," said Huang, who was awarded $1 million in support of her work for the next five years. "Now our research group can take a significant step toward addressing the increasing challenges related to global warming." Huang is among this year's 100 recipients, who will be invited to participate in a special White House ceremony in the fall. She is also one of four UCLA Engineering faculty members to have received the PECASE in the last five years. "We are extremely proud of Yu and her research accomplishments," said Vijay K. Dhir, dean of UCLA Engineering. "We take great pride in knowing that her work in nanoscale technology will contribute to the important area of renewable energy, and it is gratifying to see one of our faculty recognized at a national level once again." The Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers, established in 1996, embody the high priority the White House places on producing outstanding scientists and engineers to advance the nation's goals and contribute to all sectors of the economy. Each year, nine federal departments and agencies nominate scientists and engineers who are in the early stages of their independent careers and whose work shows exceptional promise for leadership at the frontiers of scientific knowledge. Participating agencies award these talented scientist and engineers with up to five years of funding to further their research in support of critical government missions. UCLA Newsroom[2] [1] [2] Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=905074 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=905074 *UCLA researchers bring in record $966 million in contract and grant awards* Energized by new funding opportunities that have opened up for basic and applied research, UCLA scientists had a record-breaking year in 2008-09 and reaped a total of $966.3 million in grant and contract awards. That's $50 million more than the previous record of $916.1 million set in 2006-2007. "It's clearly a testament to the strength of our research enterprise and the excellence of our faculty," said Vice Chancellor for Research Roberto Peccei. Researchers went into high gear in response to the surge in funding opportunities triggered by the government's reinvestment in science, a commitment that preceded the Obama administration, as well as the infusion of stimulus money. The awards are given by the government to fund specific research activities and cannot be used to offset budget cuts. But this vital revenue will support UCLA's research enterprise at a time when resources are stretched, said campus officials. And the remarkable achievement underscores UCLA's capacity to function as an economic engine, with the ability to create new jobs and spur economic development. "There are few businesses in Southern California that grew by 10 percent during the last fiscal year," Peccei said, referring to the increase in contract and grant dollars from last year. The blitz of grant proposals at UCLA was heaviest between April 1 and June 15 when campus researchers scrambled to generate more than $1.05 billion in proposals twice as many as usual. Roughly half of these proposals were for stimulus funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). "The level of activity on the part of faculty has been nothing short of spectacular," said Peccei, who also had high praise for staff, especially the Office of Contracts and Grants. Most of the 2,400 grant proposals that were submitted during this blitz were processed by this office. About $20 million in ARRA stimulus funding has come to UCLA so far after nearly 50 campus awards were made. The National Science Foundation, which awarded the most money, gave UCLA researchers $8.9 million. The biggest chunk, however, is still to come, research officials predict, because the National Institutes of Health (NIH), with $10 billion of stimulus money to distribute, is still reviewing some 20,000 proposals it has received. UCLA's giant biomedical research enterprise represents the largest sector of campus research. "What we've seen so far is only the first wave of ARRA awards," said Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Administration Marcia Smith. "Our expectation is that we'll see a surge of awards in August and September." The vast majority of the grants that came in during 2008-09 draw on non-ARRA funds. "It's been a very positive distraction from all the other doom and gloom we are hearing," Peccei said, in contrast to the dismal state funding situation which has triggered horrendous budget cuts. "In my view, it's been very helpful to morale. The fact is that a large swath of faculty is finding opportunities to pursue their research dreams." One of the largest grant awards during the last fiscal year went to UCLA and its 12 partner institutions $24 million in federal funding to establish the University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology, which will be based at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute. The new center is under the direction of Dr. André Nel[1], chief of the Division of Nanomedicine at UCLA. It is the only center of its kind to focus on the study of environmental impacts of nanotechnology, Peccei said. Last May, UCLA engineers scored a major coup in landing a multimillion-dollar Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy at $11.5 million over five years. Scientists will focus on the creation and production of nanoscale materials that will be used to convert solar energy into electricity, store electrical energy, and capture and separate greenhouse gases. The new center is directed by Vidvuds Ozolins[2], professor of materials science and engineering. All of this research activity on campus will create jobs for technicians, postdoctoral scholars, study coordinators and others who will be hired to support the research work, although there is no way to predict accurately how many will be hired, Peccei said. The boom in research will also benefit the local economy, he noted. New employees will be spending money on goods and services. And some of the awards are instrumentation grants to make large purchases of equipment. The UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, for example, is buying a supercomputer, funded by $1.9 million in stimulus money from the National Center for Research Resources in the National Institutes of Health. Lab director Arthur Toga, who submitted a total of 31 ARRA grant proposals in two months' time, said the new supercomputer will greatly enhance researchers' capacity to work with huge databases of brain images so that they can be compared. "There's a great deal of computation involved when you combine a lot of brain images," Toga said. "The ability to compute all this within a reasonable timeframe is going to give us a huge advantage." The mathematics department, which has received the most stimulus money so far, was awarded two $2.5 million ARRA-funded National Science Foundation grants to jumpstart graduate students who are U.S. citizens and permanent residents into research. The grants will allow the math department to continue its highly successful program to train graduate students to do research in fields such as algebra, number theory and analysis, said Mathematics Professor Don Blasius. Peccei, who traveled to Washington, D.C., this spring with four campus researchers, said everyone returned to campus energized by their meetings with Congressional staff, key committee members on the Hill, officials with the Office of Science, journalists and others. Research at UCLA is very strong in the fields of energy and climate, biomedicine, computation and new materials, Peccei noted. "My guess is that this growth trend is going to continue in the new fiscal year, primarily because of the ARRA funding." UCLA Today[3] [1] [2] [3] Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=905190 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=905190 The New York Times business section explores a promise for the future in the collaboration by California's university research centers, small companies and venture firms in an emerging area called nanotechnology. Read the Entrepreneurial Edge in the New York Times[1] for the full story. [1] Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=898445 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=898445 *The method could provide an answer to a manufacturing issue* Though the solar industry today predominately produces solar panels made from crystalline silicon, they remain relatively expensive to make. New players in the solar industry have instead been looking at panels that can harvest energy with CIGS (copper-indium-gallium-selenide) or CIGS-related materials. CIGS panels have a high efficiency potential, may be cheaper to produce and would use less raw materials than silicon solar panels. But unfortunately, manufacturing of CIGS panels on a commercial scale has thus far proven to be difficult. Recently researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a low-cost solution processing method for CIGS-based solar cells that could provide an answer to the manufacturing issue. In a new study to be published in the journal Thin Solid Films on July 7, Yang Yang[1], a professor in the school's Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and his research team show how they have developed a low-cost solution processing method for their copper-indium-diselenide solar cells which have the potential to be produced on a large scale. "This CIGS-based material can demonstrate very high efficiency," said William Hou, a graduate student on Yang's team and first author of the study. "People have already demonstrated efficiency levels of up to 20 percent, but the current processing method is costly. Ultimately the cost of fabricating the product makes it difficult to be competitive with current grid prices. However, with the solution process that we recently developed, we can inherently reach the same efficiency levels and bring the cost of manufacturing down quite significantly." The copper-indium-diselenide thin-film solar cell developed by Yang's team achieved 7.5 percent efficiency in the published study but has in a short amount of time already improved to 9.13 percent in the lab. "We started this process 16 months ago from ground zero. We spent three to four months getting the material to reach 1 percent and today it's around 9 percent. That is about an average increase of 1 percent every two months," said Yang, also a member of the California NanoSystems Institute, where some of the work is being done. Currently, most CIGS solar cells are produced using vacuum evaporation techniques called co-evaporation, which can be costly and time-consuming. The active elements copper, indium, gallium and selenide are heated and deposited onto a surface in a vacuum. Using vacuum processing to create CIGS films with uniform composition on a large scale has also been challenging. The copper-indium-diselenide material created by Yang's team does not need to go through the vacuum evaporation process. Their material is simply dissolved into a liquid, applied and baked. To prepare the solution, Yang's team used hydrazine as the solvent to dissolve copper sulfide and indium selenide in order to form the constituents for the copper-indium-diselenide material. In solar cells, the "absorber layer" (either copper-indium-diselenide or CIGS) itself is the most critical to performance and the most difficult to control. Their copper-indium-diselenide layer, which is in solution form, can be easily painted or coated evenly onto a surface and baked. "In our method, material utilization is one advantage. Another advantage is our solution technology has the potential to be fabricated in a continuous roll-to-roll process. Both are important breakthroughs in terms of cost," said Hou. The team's goal is to reach an efficiency level of 15 to 20 percent. Yang predicts three to four years before commercialization. "As we continue to work on enhancing the performance and efficiency of the solar cells, we also look forward to opportunities to collaborate with industry in order to develop this technology further. We hope this technology will lead to a new green energy company in the U.S., especially here in California so that it may also bring job opportunities to many who need it," said Yang. The study was funded in part by the NSF Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship-Materials Creation Training Program. UCLA Newsroom[2] [1] [2] Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=892592 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=892592 Yoram Cohen is a professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at UCLA and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute. Follow him around UCLA's campus as he discusses water desalination and the possibilities of solving the global water crisis. YouTube[1] [1] Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=890021 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=890021 *Advances in technology could lead to targeted treatment of tumors with microscopic robots* Current nanotechnology research at UCLA involves developing nanoparticles that fight cancer cells, and experts say we will see nanomachines building other nanomachines in the future. Nanotechnology is a rising field in science that involves the manufacture of microscopic particles that usually measure 100 nanometers or less, said Chris Phoenix, director of the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology, a nonprofit research and advocacy organization focusing on the effects of nanotechnology. Nanotechnology takes advantage of the changes in physical properties that occur when the quantities of a material are very small. These changes in properties have come to be popularly known as quantum physics. Many medical applications of nanotechnology focus on cancer treatments, Phoenix said. At UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Fuyu Tamanoi[1] is the director of the signal transduction and therapeutics program. He is further developing nanoimpellers, a special type of nanoparticles that received much attention a year ago for its success at carrying anti-cancer drugs to targeted cells in vitro. Today, Tamanoi builds upon that landmark to bring the research _in vivo_, or to a living organism. Tamanoi is also co-director for the Nano Machine Center for Targeted Delivery and On-Demand Release at the California NanoSystems Institute. Other directors of the Nano Machine Center are Jeffrey Zink[2], Andre Nel[3] and Fraser Stoddart. "The greatest issue in cancer treatments right now is the controlled release of drugs only in response to external stimuli," Tamanoi said. In theory, these nanoparticles are delivered to patients inside tissue diagnosed with a cancerous tumor. Once inside the body, the particles, carrying within them anti-cancer drugs, target these cancerous cells, Tamanoi said. The particles are then activated by light exposure to releasing the drugs within them and the cell dies, Tamanoi added. Currently, this concept is explored at the Tamanoi Lab. In 2008, Tamanoi's and Zink's research culminated in a silica mesoporous nanoparticle that releases its contents in an aqueous or biological environment. The pores in this silicate nanoparticle contain anti-cancer drugs that are expelled from the pores when azobenzene, which coats the interior of the particle's pores, is exposed to blue light and moves. This movement of the molecules "pushes the drugs out of the pores like a bat," said Travis Pecorelli, a member of the Zink research group, which collaborates with Tamanoi. Using this technique, Tamanoi has been able to successfully deliver anti-cancer drugs to pancreatic and colon cancer cells in vitro. Currently, Tamanoi is conducting research in tumors _in vivo_. The potential delivery methods of these nanoparticles include intravenous injection and oral capsules. According to Tamanoi, intravenous injections seem the most promising. Researchers hope for this research to someday become a standard cancer treatment. Phototherapy, as the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology has named the process, will deliver several small doses in several sessions. The dosage can then be controlled through light intensity and exposure time, according to the Tamanoi Lab. Of course, nanotechnology brings forth a number of potential dangers along with the hope of better cancer treatments. The dangers involving any application of nanoscale technology compare to those of any other research field with unstudied products, Phoenix said. Nanotechnology is developing chemicals that scientists have not studied enough to ensure their safety, Phoenix said. "Within a decade, I see nanotechnology developing a nanomachine that is able to replicate a completely functional copy of itself from fragments of other molecules, Phoenix added. When machine builds machine, the implications become more dangerous. Still, Tamanoi believes research in nanotechnology holds potential benefits. "I think, when it comes to medical advancements in nanotechnology," Tamanoi said, "UCLA is definitely one step ahead of everybody else." Daily Bruin[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=890037 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=890037 *How can companies springing from UCLA research get a foothold in this economy? By nestling into the UCLA business incubator.* A new business is as fragile as a new baby. And in the case of commerce, the economic crisis makes nurturing even more acute. Enter UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), which is fueling economic development through an ambitious, interdisciplinary project the UCLA On-Campus Technology Incubator. "The whole country is going to need strong, new technology and new business, especially California," explained UCLA Chancellor Gene Block during a conference at CNSI to unveil the program in March. The incubator is a collaborative effort between UCLA's schools of engineering and medicine, physical and life sciences and public health, information technology, health and medicine. UCLA's Office of Intellectual Property and Industry-Sponsored Research, Anderson School of Management and the School of Law will advise on business development and structures and practices for commercializing technology. "UCLA has worked for many years to create a method for incubating our faculty research discoveries through commercialization," says Kathryn Atchison, UCLA vice provost of intellectual property and industrial relations. "The incubator is a culmination of the accomplishments made by UCLA's faculty, staff, administration and students, all coming together to create an improved culture of entrepreneurship." Initially, four to five start-ups will be chosen for the incubator, which will nurture companies that have licensed or at least optioned technology and are starting to raise money. The incubator will also focus on fledgling firms in the proof of concept and early stages of research and development stages most investment agencies avoid to cut their risk. "It's a real challenge associated with starting a company based in the physical sciences," says Jeff Green, CEO of NanoH20, a start-up in the incubator's pilot program. "The support of a university can help overcome those challenges." The start-ups will pay modest rent for up to two years to use a portion of 2,000 square feet of flexible lab space within CNSI. At their disposal will be eight state-of-the-art core lab facilities with multimillion-dollar equipment, access to other researchers and other amenities. UCLA is procuring funding for a seed grant fund, as well as fellowships for students in commercialization and entrepreneurship. Also under consideration is further expansion to an existing off-site UCLA building in Santa Monica. "We're hoping to have multiple off-campus incubators," says Block, who sees the current incubator as a necessary step toward establishing a research park in the future. UCLA Magazine[1] [1] Mon, 29 Jun 2009 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=898315 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=898315 Stem cell therapeutics company Fate Therapeutics said today that it has acquired from the University of California, Los Angeles, exclusive intellectual property rights covering small molecule compositions and methods for inducing bone formation. With the deal, UCLA becomes at least the eighth university or research institution from which Fate has licensed IP to bolster its portfolio of stem-cell modulators small molecules and biologics to modulate cells for therapeutic purposes. The small molecules, or osteogenic agents, were developed by Farhad Parhami, professor of medicine at UCLA, and Michael Jung[1], professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the school [and member of the California NanoSystems Institute]. According to Fate, Parhami and Jung have demonstrated that the agents can regenerate bone tissue _in vivo_. Fate said that while many current therapeutics address bone deficiencies by preventing further decay, osteogenic agents instead stimulate positive bone growth and may improve the treatment of orthopedic conditions such as bone fractures and osteoporosis. "Dr. Parhami and his research team have not only advanced the understanding of the biology around bone formation, but also identified and created small molecules that may be used to induce the differentiation of adult stem cells in the body for osteo-regenerative medicine," Paul Grayson, president and CEO of Fate Therapeutics, said in a statement. "The potential of these small molecules has been confirmed in several different _in vivo_ proof-of-concept studies, and we look forward to their continued preclinical development for bone generation," Grayson added. Specific financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. UCLA is the first UC-affiliated campus with which Fate has disclosed an IP licensing deal. Under the UC system tech-transfer policy, the inventors would receive 35 percent of net licensing income from the deal; the UC system would receive 25 percent; and the UCLA campus 40 percent. Biotech Transfer Week[2] [1] [2] Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=885485 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=885485 *Senate vice chair wins Gold Shield Faculty Prize* Faculty members who attended the Academic Senate's Legislative Assembly meeting on June 11 weren't surprised to see Robin Garrell[1], professor of chemistry and biochemistry, sitting at the front of the room next to the Senate's current chair, Michael Goldstein. A familiar face to senate members, Garrell has served as vice chair/chair-elect in 2008-2009 and will take over as chair on Sept. 1. But what most of the people in the Charles E. Young Grand Salon didn't know was that Garrell was about to receive the 2009 Gold Shield Faculty Prize, a $30,000 award sponsored by Gold Shield, Alumnae of UCLA. The Gold Shield prize is given annually to a mid-career faculty member who has demonstrated extraordinary quality in teaching and in research or creative activity, together with a significant level of public service within the university. Garrell's peers applauded enthusiastically as she accepted the Gold Shield Faculty Prize plaque from Chancellor Gene Block, who gave a brief account of her impressive research in polymer chemistry, her active role in the chemistry community and her ability to inspire and encourage students. Block drew chuckles when he told the audience, "Perhaps the highest compliment came from a course evaluation, when a student wrote that Robin's class 'was worth waking up at 6:30 a.m. for.' " Garrell's colleagues in the Chemistry and Biochemistry Department Michael Jung and Ric Kaner called her "the complete package" in their nomination letter. "She is a creative and accomplished scientist, an innovative and lauded educator, and an effective and dedicated leader," they wrote. "She embodies the tripartite mission of UCLA: excellence in research, education and service. We can think of no one more deserving of the singular honor the Gold Shield Faculty Prize represents." The prize winner herself is a gentle, soft-spoken soul who is known for doing some pretty innovative things in the classroom. For example, students entering Garrell's general chemistry class on the first day might encounter a dark room with the Rolling Stones' "Start Me Up" blaring and balloons bursting. When the lights come up, there is the petite professor standing on a bench, welcoming the students to class. Garrell has found that it helps to be visual, so she uses Silly Putty and huge, foam-rubber models of atoms and molecules to deftly illustrate the concept of chemical bonds. To explain the idea of thermodynamics, she asks her students to think about something familiar, like pizza. "Have you ever wondered why, when you eat a bite of pizza straight from the oven, the cheese burns the roof of your mouth, yet the crust doesn't burn your tongue? You could put a thermometer into the cheese and crust, and they're the same temperature," she said. "That's because it's all about heat capacity. Cheese has a higher heat capacity than bread." Using familiar concepts makes thermodynamics a little less painful, Garrell said. "I try to make things relevant. That's a big part of what I do." As a youngster growing up in Michigan and Connecticut, Garrell enjoyed studying chemistry, biology and physics, and figured that one day she would become an executive at a big plastics company. But while a doctoral student at the University of Michigan, she was mentored for a faculty position in analytical chemistry. "I applied for both industry and academic jobs, and I got offers in both," she said. "I decided it would be easier if things didn't work out in academics to go into industry. So I took the riskier road and became an assistant professor of analytical chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh." That was in 1984. In 1991, Garrell was recruited to come to UCLA, which had one huge thing in its favor: Kenneth Houk, UCLA's Saul Winstein Chair in Organic Chemistry, who also happens to be Garrell's husband. For six years, Houk and Garrell had maintained a long-distance relationship he in Los Angeles and she in Pittsburgh so Garrell was more than happy to accept the UCLA position. Today, Garrell directs a number of wide-ranging research projects. One of her projects involves finding faster, cheaper ways to develop tiny, hollow polymer shells made out of resorcinol-formaldehyde to be used in nuclear fusion technology. Her work has also provided the basis for building a new "lab on a chip" platform, in which liquids are moved as droplets between two plates, enabling high-throughput sample preparations in micro- and nanoscale analysis. Garrell also directs two training programs funded by the National Science Foundation one for graduate students called the Materials Creation Training Program (MCTP), and one for undergraduates called NanoCER (Nanosystems Chemistry and Engineering Research). The Gold Shield Faculty Prize comes at a great time for Garrell, who is considering using it to support student travel to conferences. "I had a student this past year who was working on a project that was difficult to get external funding for. She's doing art conservation chemistry, and there's not a lot of federal or state money to fund that kind of work," she said. Her student had submitted her research to a conference in India and had gotten accepted, but Garrell didn't have the money to send her there. But now thanks to the Gold Shield prize she does. "It's a wonderful prize because it doesn't have any restrictions on it," she said. When reminded that she will be taking over as chair of the Academic Senate during a challenging economic time, Garrell laughed. "Many people have complimented me on my sense of timing," she said. "Impeccable, I think is the word they used. But almost every person has followed up with a very quick rejoinder, saying, 'Anything I can do to help.' Many have said that they will step up to the plate over the academic year to help us make some of these decisions. And I'm going to hold them to that!" UCLA Today[2] [1] [2] Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=875399 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=875399 *Review article calls for measures to enable safe design of nanomaterials* The recent explosion in the development of nanomaterials with enhanced performance characteristics for use in commercial and medical applications has increased the likelihood of people coming into direct contact with these materials. There are currently more than 800 products on the market including clothes, skin lotions and cleaning products claiming to have at least one nanocomponent, and therapeutic nanocarriers have been designed for targeted drug delivery inside the human body. Human exposure to nanomaterials, which are smaller than one one-thousandth the diameter of a human hair, raises some important questions, including whether these "nano-bio" interactions could have adverse health effects. Now, researchers at UCLA and the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), along with colleagues in academia and industry, have taken a proactive role in examining the current understanding of the nano-bio interface to identify the potential risks of engineered nanomaterials and to explore design methods that will lead to safer and more effective nanoparticles for use in a variety of treatments and products. In a research review published in the July issue of the journal Nature Materials (and currently available online[1]), the team provides a comprehensive overview of current knowledge on the physical and chemical properties of nanomaterials that allow them to undergo interactions with biological molecules and bioprocesses. "What we have established here is a blueprint that will serve to educate the first generation of nanobiologists," said Dr. Andre Nel[2] , leader of the team and chief of the division of nanomedicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the California NanoSystems Institute. Despite remarkable advances in nanoscience, relatively little is known about the intracellular activity and function of engineered nanomaterials, an area of study particularly important for the development of effective and safe nanoparticle drug-delivery systems. Much of the current knowledge derives from the study of tagged or labeled nanoparticles and their effects on cells after cellular uptake without any detailed understanding of what these interactions may lead to, good or bad. The review article examines the variety of ways in which nanomaterials interface with biological systems and presents a roadmap of the physical and chemical properties of the materials that could lead to potentially hazardous or advantageous interactions at the nano-bio interface. A better understanding of the biological impact, combined with appropriate stewardship, will allow for more informed decisions about design features for the safe use of nanotechnology. In addition to Nel, the team included Tian Xia, a researcher in UCLA's nanomedicine division, UCLA associate professor of civil and environmental engineering Eric Hoek[3], Lutz Mädler of the University of Bremen, Darrell Velegol of Penn State University, Ponisseril Somasundaran of Columbia University, Fred Klessig of Pennsylvania Bio Systems, Vince Castranova of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and Mike Thompson of FEI Co. "We are committed to ensuring that nanotechnology is introduced and implemented in a responsible and safe manner," said Nel, who also directs the Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology[4] , which is funded by the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency and is headquartered at the CNSI. "Based on our rapidly improving understanding of nano-bio interactions, we have done a thorough examination of the literature and our own research progress to identify measures that could be taken for safe design of nanomaterials," he said. "Not only will this improve the implementation and acceptance of this technology, but it will also provide the cornerstone of developing new and improved nanoscale therapeutic devices, such as drug-delivering nanoparticles." The review article spotlighted several important research advancements: - A classification of the interactions when nanomaterials contact and bind to biological systems will help scientists understand how man-made materials may react when exposed to cells, tissues and various life forms in different natural environmental contexts. - When nanomaterials enter a biological fluid for example, blood, plasma or interstitial fluid the materials' surface may be coated with proteins. Understanding how these protein layers change the properties of the nanomaterials and the ways in which they interact in the body can provide valuable information on how to alter the protein coatings to allow for targeted delivery of nanomaterials to specific tissues, such as in cancer treatments. - Physicochemical properties such as size, charge, shape and other characteristics could greatly affect the ability of nanomaterials to enter a cell; this could determine whether a material can be useful in nanomedicine applications or could cause harm if taken in by life forms in an ecosystem or food chain. - Nanoparticles can elicit a wide range of intracellular responses, depending on their properties, concentrations and interactions with biological molecules. These properties and their relationships to cellular function can induce cellular damage or induce advantageous cellular responses, such as increased energy production and growth. Based on the link between certain nanomaterial properties and potential toxic effects, the team asserts that scientists can reengineer specific nanomaterial properties that are hazardous while maintaining catalytically useful function for industrial use. As an example of a safe design feature, some nanoparticles now receive a surface coating designed to improve safety by preventing bioreactivity. Nanoparticles in cosmetic formulations such as suntan lotions, for instance, may be coated with a water-repelling polymer to reduce direct contact with human skin. An extension of this principle uses polymers and detergents to decrease cellular uptake. However, there is the potential that when the coating wears off, the material may become hazardous. It is therefore important to consider improving the stability of coating substances. Coating nanoparticles with protective shells is also an effective means of preventing the breakup of materials that could release toxic substances upon dissolution. "Instead of waiting for knowledge to unfold randomly, we can already begin to view the events at nano-bio interface as a discoverable scientific platform that can be used for setting up a deliberate inorganic-organic roadmap to new, better and safer products," Nel said. "What we can identify by understanding the rules that shape the nano-bio interface will have a massive impact on the ability to develop safe nanomaterials in the future." UCLA Newsroom[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Fri, 19 Jun 2009 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=872590 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=872590 *New institute to foster broad exchange of educational & cultural experiences between next generation of U.S. and Chinese engineers* Xilinx, Inc. today announced its support for a new Joint Research Institute of Science and Engineering by Peking University (PKU) and the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). At this week's opening event in Beijing, China, PKU President Zhou Qifeng and UCLA Chancellor Gene Block conducted an official signing ceremony with dignitaries in attendance from government, industry and academia. The new Joint Research Institute of Science and Engineering will provide an institutional umbrella for collaborative, multi-disciplinary research between the two universities. Beyond the engineering lab, PKU and UCLA faculty and students will benefit from cross-educational and cross-cultural experiences through a jointly-defined syllabus, hands-on training, and an exchange program between the two universities. A new engineering laboratory at each university will be dedicated to advanced system design and fully equipped with hardware, software, FPGA silicon, IP and tools provided through donations from corporate sponsors. Xilinx is donating more than $500K in commercial value of Xilinx' flagship Virtex(R) FPGA development systems and electronic design software through the Xilinx University Program (XUP). In addition, the company has agreed to establish two XUP $7,500 scholarships to support overseas study and research for students enrolled in the program, one from UCLA attending PKU and one from PKU attending UCLA. "UCLA and Xilinx have over fifteen years of collaboration history in the area of FPGA architecture and synthesis tool research," said Jason Cong[1], Chancellor's Professor of the UCLA Computer Science Department and Founding Co-director of the Joint Research Institute in Science and Engineering by UCLA and PKU. "We're very grateful to Xilinx for its generous support of the joint research institute. The company's donation of hardware, software and student scholarships will allow us to set up state-of-the art embedded system design labs with shared curriculum, and to support students for international educational research." "We're honored to collaborate with two of the most prestigious engineering universities in the world to educate the next generation of Chinese and US engineers through a program that extends beyond the engineering lab," said Fai Yeung, vice president of sales and marketing for Xilinx Asia Pacific. "We appreciate each university's vision and commitment to providing engineering students with a rigorous training program, complemented by cross-cultural experiences that will prepare them for success as they enter the working world in today's global economy." PR Newswire[2] [1] [2] Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=874282 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=874282 Dr. David Lundberg, director of the CNSI global partnership program, met with leaders of the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) in Braga, Portugal on May 12, 2009. Discussions were held regarding possible academic exchanges and research collaborations. INL is jointly funded and administered by Portugal and Spain, but is expected to draw scientists from throughout the world. Pictured below, from left to right, are Jose Rivas, Director General of INL, Dr. Lundberg, Prof. Paulo Freitas, Deputy Director of INL, and Christina Padilla, INL Building Manager. Behind them is the INL building scheduled for completion in 2010. It will provide 22,000 square meters of research space, and include an auditorium, restaurant, science museum, and guest house/hostel. When fully operational, INL will house 200 researchers and focus on nanomedicine, nanoelectronics, nanomanipulation, and environmental and food control. Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=847861 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=847861 Dr. David Lundberg, director of the CNSI global partnership program, met with leaders of the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) in Braga, Portugal on May 12, 2009. Discussions were held regarding possible academic exchanges and research collaborations. INL is jointly funded and administered by Portugal and Spain, but is expected to drawn scientists from throughout the world. Pictured below, left to right, are Jose Rivas, Director General of INL, Dr. Lundberg, Prof. Paulo Freitas, Deputy Director General of INL, and Christina Padilla, INL Building Manager. Behind them is the INL building scheduled for completion in 2010. It will provide 22,000 square meters of research space, and include an auditorium, restaurant, science museum, and guest house/hostel. When fully operational, INL will house 200 researchers and focus on nanomedicine, nanoelectronics, nanomanipulation, and environmental and food control. Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory[1] [1] Tue, 15 Jun 2010 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=854932 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=854932 Tiny particles called vaults which were discovered by Leonard Rome[1], Interim Director of CNSI, have been selected as the June 2009 'Molecule of the Month' by the Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics (RCSB) Protein Data Bank (PDB). The PDB is an online database of experimentally-determined structures of proteins, nucleic acids, and complex assemblies. Please visit the PDB website[2] to see the vault write-up. The Molecule of the Month feature provides an easy introduction to the RCSB PDB for all types of users, but especially for teachers and students. It is used in many classrooms to introduce structures to students, and is an integral part of the protein modeling event at the Science Olympiad. It is not intended to be a comprehensive index to entries in the PDB archive, nor necessarily represent the historical record. The structures used to illustrate each installment are chosen at the discretion of the authors. [1] [2] Fri, 05 Jun 2009 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=854899 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=854899 QuantumSphere Inc., a leading manufacturer of nano metals and alloys for applications in renewable energy, electronics and other markets demanding advanced materials, has announced that CNSI Member Thomas Hahn[1] and his team in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering Departments at UCLA have been selected to receive a research grant from QuantumSphere to validate the use of magnetic nanoparticles for various commercial applications. Applications for the potential use of magnetic nanoparticles include hard drive data storage, cell phones, remote sensing, biosensors and magnetic polymers. Initial data provided by Dr. Hahn's team has demonstrated strong magnetic performance, and these applications are of particular interest to QuantumSphere as having high commercial potential. Earlier this year, QuantumSphere initiated a call for research grant proposals to partner with universities and sponsor individual or group research through prototype phase in an effort to accelerate validation and commercialization of these advanced materials in consumer and industrial applications. The call for proposals was open to graduate and postdoctoral students involved in full-time research within the University of California system, Caltech, Stanford and USC during the 2006-'07 academic year. "The response to the call for research proposals was tremendous, and we are thrilled to be working with a world-class university like UCLA and Dr. Hahn's team with vast knowledge in materials science, engineering and magnetics," stated Kevin Maloney, CEO, QuantumSphere Inc. "Too many research projects focus on the development of abstract experiments in the laboratory with no short-term commercial potential. However, our goal is to partner with experts at leading universities and fund research that validates the use of our materials with strong commercial potential. Identifying current challenges in the market and providing viable solutions are critical. Dr. Hahn and his team clearly understand the market need and have demonstrated technical expertise in this area. Most importantly, the proposal outlined a solid path to the validation and development of products that can be manufactured and used in near-term consumer and industrial applications. We look forward to a fruitful collaboration with Dr. Hahn and UCLA over the next year and the potential to move this new technology out of the university lab and into commercial use." Hahn stated, "My research team and I are excited to explore magnetic nanoparticle research, and QuantumSphere's grant will enable us to reach exciting breakthroughs in magnetic nanocomposites for high-value commercial applications." Adapted from RP news wires, "UCLA team gets nanotechnology research grant[2]". Reliable Plant Magazine. [1] [2] Thu, 04 Jun 2009 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=866938 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=866938 The American Society of Gene Therapy has honored Tatiana Segura[1], assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, as an Outstanding New Investigator in the field of gene therapy research. The award is an annual feature of the ASGT Annual Meeting and recognizes contributions from researchers in their first seven years of a career. Segura received the honor for her work engineering nonviral vectors for gene delivery. [1] Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=866944 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=866944 Chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Yoram Cohen[1] has been elected as a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). Election as an AIChE Fellow recognizes professional attainment, and significant accomplishment in engineering. Cohen has also been appointed as a UCLA Luskin Scholar in the Luskin Center for Innovation. The Luskin Center for Innovation is a special initiative of UCLA supported by the Chancellor's Office and made possible by an endowment from Meyer Luskin. The Luskin Center focuses on urban pollution and sustainability issues. [1] Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=866906 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=866906 An article in the June 8th edition of the UCLA Daily Bruin features an interview with CNSI Member Andre Nel[1], Chief of the Division of NanoMedicine at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, regarding the benefits of sunscreen that utilize nanoparticles. Nel explains the role of nanoparticles such as zinc oxide and titanium oxide in blocking ultraviolet A radiation to limit sun damage. Nel also gives his opinion of the safety of nanoparticles in sunscreen concluding that, "Where human use is concerned, if there was anything dangerous, we would have had a lot of reports by now of the medical effects on skin." Please visit the Daily Bruin website[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=831861 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=831861 Awarded by the Gold Shield, Alumnae of UCLA, the Gold Shield Prize is awarded annually, alternating between awardees from the north campus and those from the south campus, thus providing a more equitable distribution of recipients across the campus. The prize is given for outstanding all-around contributions to teaching, research and service. It is for approximately $30,000 and is to be used for scholarly purposes. Prof Garrell[1], from chemistry & biochemistry as well as a member of CNSI, will be honored with this prize at a reception following the last meeting of the Legislative Assembly Meeting on June 11. Additional information on the Gold Shield Faculty Prize can be found at: Gold Shield Faculty Prize[2] [1] [2] Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=852155 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=852155 In recent years, obesity has taken on epidemic proportions in developed nations, contributing significantly to major medical problems, early death and rising health care costs. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates, at least a quarter of all American adults and more than 15 percent of children and adolescents are obese. While recent research advances and treatment methods have had little effect in reducing obesity levels, researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, in collaboration with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, may have discovered a completely new way to approach the problem. In a study to be published in the June 3 issue of the journal Cell Metabolism, chemical and biomolecular engineering professor James Liao [1], associate professor of human genetics and pediatrics Katrina Dipple and their research team demonstrate how they successfully constructed a non-native pathway in mice that increased fatty acid metabolism and resulted in resistance to diet-induced obesity. "When we looked at the fatty-acid metabolism issue, we noted there are two aspects of the problem that needed to be addressed," said Liao, who is also a member of the California NanoSystems Institute. "One is the regulation; fatty acid metabolism is highly regulated. The other is digestion of the fatty acid; there needs to be a channel to burn this fat." "We came up with an unconventional idea which we borrowed from plants and bacteria," said Jason Dean, a graduate student on Liao's team and an author of the study. "We know plants and bacteria digest fats differently from humans, from mammals. Plant seeds usually store a lot of fat. When they germinate, they convert the fat to sugar to grow. The reason they can digest fat this way is because they have a set of enzymes that's uniquely present in plants and bacteria. These enzymes are called the 'glyoxylate shunt' and are missing in mammals." To investigate the effects of the glyoxylate shunt on fatty acid metabolism in mammals, Liao's team cloned bacteria genes from Escherichia coli that would enable the shunt, then introduced the cloned E. coli genes into the mitochondria of liver cells in mice; mitochondria are where fatty acids are burned in cells. The researchers found that the glyoxylate shunt cut the energy-generating pathway of the cell in half, allowing the cell to digest the fatty acid much faster than normal. They also found that by cutting through this pathway, they created an additional pathway for converting fatty acid into carbon dioxide. This new cycle allowed the cell to digest fatty acid more effectively. "The significance of this is great. It is a unique approach to understanding metabolism. Perturbing metabolic pathways, such as introducing the glyoxylate shunt and seeing how it affects overall metabolism, is a novel way to understand the control of metabolism," Dipple said. The team also found that the new pathway decreased the regulatory signal malonyl-CoA. When malonyl-CoA levels are high, a signal is released that tells the body it is too full and that it needs to stop using fat and begin making it. Malonyl-CoA is high after eating a meal, blocking fatty acid metabolism. The new pathway, however, allowed for fat degradation even when the body was full. Ultimately, the research team found that mice with the glyoxylate shunt that were fed the same high-fat diet 60 percent of calories from fat for six weeks remained skinny, compared with mice without the shunt. "One exciting aspect of this study is that it provides a proof-of-principle for how engineering a specific metabolic pathway in the liver can affect the whole body adiposity and response to a high-fat diet," said Karen Reue, a UCLA professor of human genetics and an author of the study. "This could have relevance in understanding, and potentially treating, human obesity and associated diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease." "We are very hopeful," said Liao. "This is the first example of how people can build new genes into mammals to achieve a desired function. It's very exciting that we've been able to achieve this new pathway in mammals that could potentially be used to fight a very serious problem." UCLA Newsroom[2] [1] [2] Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=852224 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=852224 Developing methods to precisely determine the locations and occupancy of DNA-binding proteins is instrumental to scientists' understanding of cellular processes like gene expression and regulation. But a method has been lacking to measure distances between probes bound to combed DNA with nanometer resolution. Now, a method for making nanometer-distance measurements between individual color probes has been developed by UCLA researchers. The research team, from the department of chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA, includes Prof Xavier Michalet and members from the lab of Prof Shimon Weiss[1], a member of CNSI. Please visit the Nano Werk[2] website for a full description of the research. Or visit the ACS journal Nano Letters[3] to see the journal paper. [1] [2] [3] Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=832282 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=832282 Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, founder and chairman of Abraxis BioScience and executive chairman and CEO of Abraxis Health, has been appointed executive director of the UCLA Wireless Health Institute. He has also accepted a position as a visiting professor of bioengineering and of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics. Soon-Shiong's appointment as executive director is effective immediately. The Wireless Health Institute (WHI), established in 2008, is a community of UCLA experts and innovators from a variety disciplines including engineering, medicine, nursing, pharmacology and public health dedicated to improving the timeliness and reach of health care through the development and application of wireless, network-enabled technologies integrated with current and next-generation medical enterprise computing. A leading institute in this new field, the WHI has created partnerships with industry to bridge the gap between available wireless information technologies and their translation into successful, widely adopted products and services. "With Dr. Soon-Shiong's experience as a physician, surgeon, innovator and health care executive and his interest in addressing health care disparities in the nation, he is uniquely qualified to lead the Wireless Health Institute at UCLA," said UCLA Chancellor Gene Block. "The Wireless Health Institute will enable multidisciplinary, integrated exchange among the country's leading scientists and clinicians, and under Dr. Soon-Shiong's leadership, the institute will catalyze innovation as the country undergoes transformational change in health care management and delivery." Soon-Shiong's association with UCLA has been significant and extensive. Appointed an assistant professor of surgery at the university in 1983, he performed UCLA's first whole-organ pancreas transplant in 1986. After leaving the university, he performed the country's first encapsulated insulin-cell transplant in a diabetic patient, in 1993, and developed the first protein-bound nanoparticle chemotherapeutic for breast cancer, which received approval from the Food and Drug Administration in 2005. That same year, he established an FDA-approved facility for heparin production in China that has helped supply the blood-thinning medication to the United States. In 2007, Soon-Shiong established the Chan Soon-Shiong Center for Life Sciences at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., and the Center for Health Informatics, which brings together computer scientists from UCLA, the University of Southern California, the Argonne National Laboratory at the University of Chicago and St. John's Health Center to address the complex problem of health care integration. His support helped make possible the opening of the new California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) facility at UCLA in 2007 and the establishment, in 2008, of both the Science and Entertainment Exchange at the CNSI, developed by the National Academy of Sciences, and the Institute of Technology Advancement at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. Since 2006, Soon-Shiong has devoted his attention to addressing health care delivery in the United States, with a specific focus on issues related to disparities in care, the need for data sharing and health integration, and the pursuit of evidence-based, outcomes-driven medicine. "I am honored and delighted to accept the opportunity to lead the Wireless Health Institute," Soon-Shiong said. "We are at a unique point in history, where the convergence of medical science, computer science and engineering could truly transform health care in this country. The Wireless Health Institute will harness the collective scientific talent in the nation, from every discipline involved in the complex supply chain of medicine, to address the urgent imperative to reform health care." The WHI was developed at UCLA by co-directors Dr. Denise Aberle, professor and vice chair of radiological sciences; Dr. Lillian Gelberg, professor of family medicine and a health services researcher; William Kaiser, professor of electrical engineering; and Majid Sarrafzadeh, professor of computer science. The institute continues to lead the development of cutting-edge wireless solutions, including personal communication and monitoring devices, wireless wearable sensors, and a variety of other innovative technologies, for a wide array of health care-related applications. In addition to the primary benefits of wireless health for new health management and health care delivery methods, the institute also has sought to exploit technological advantages to extend health care services to those who otherwise would have limited access. "The current proliferation of broadband wireless services and advances in handheld devices will enable a transformational change in health management and health care with the introduction of real-time monitoring and guidance for a wide array of patient needs," said Vijay K. Dhir, dean of UCLA Engineering. "Low-cost sensors and wireless systems can now create a constantly vigilant and pervasive monitoring capability at home, at work and in conventional point-of-care environments." "Our team is very excited to work with Dr. Soon-Shiong," said WHI co-director Sarrafzadeh. "His vision for the future is compelling for all of us in WHI." "Wireless health services will support large communities," said WHI co-director Kaiser. "Ubiquitous personal wireless devices will enable the participation and development of collective results from large populations. Concepts and new programs under development now are focused on 'healthy cities,' where many decisions and design objectives may appear that guide development of urban environments to promote health and wellness. I look forward to working with Dr. Soon-Shiong as the institute takes on some of these exciting new concepts and programs." UCLA Newsroom[1] [1] Thu, 21 May 2009 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=661261 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=661261 Sign up to receive news about CNSI through Twitter. We will provide updates on the latest research, events, and news related to CNSI. A Twitter account is required to sign up, the service is free. Updates can be received through email, SMS messaging, and by checking the website. To follow CNSI on Twitter and for more information please use this link; http://twitter.com/CNSI_UCLA[1] Sign up and let us know, what are you doing? [1] Fri, 30 Jan 2009 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=821804 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=821804 Scott Layne[1], UCLA Professor of epidemiology, was quoted in a New Scientist article as an expert in antiviral use for flu containment. Please visit the New Scientist[2] website for the full article. Layne is also head of a soon to be opened high-throughput laboratory situated in the California NanoSystems Institute. In addition to providing near real time global surveillance and response to infectious diseases, the Emerging Infectious Diseases Core Lab will open new opportunities for applied research, development and delivery of nanotechnology in several ways. It will provide well-characterized infectious disease samples to use and appropriate biological safety level space to test promising nanotechnology. Also, it will provide high-throughput laboratory systems that serve as "gold standards" to compare commercial macrotechnology against promising nanotechnology. The Emerging Infectious Diseases Core Lab will be opening in the CNSI in the end of June. [1] [2] Fri, 15 May 2009 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=786117 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=786117 *6th Annual Summer School for Nanotechnology Graduate Students July 27-31, 2009* *Deadline for Abstract Submission: Friday, June 5th* Sponsored by: National Institute of Materials Science WPI Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (Japan) Interdiciplinary Research Center (UK) University of California, Los Angeles California NanoSystems Institute Flyer[1] Application[2] We are currently accepting abstracts for nano related research presentations by UCLA graduate students. This week-long symposium is an opportunity for graduate students to present their work, get critical feedback from their peers and to mix and collaborate with peers in their field from across the world. Previous UCLA participants have also gone on to do research in Japan and received fellowships for their travel and living expenses. One page abstracts should be emailed to Tuanvu Le (le@cnsi.ucla.edu[3] ) by Friday June 5, 2009. Expect talks to be 15-20 minutes long. Please include the above application form with your abstract. You will be notified on June 15, 2009. The Nanotechnology Students Summer School fosters international collaboration and intellectual exchange for young researchers. Started in 2004 by Masakazu Aono (NIMS) and Mark Welland (Cambridge), the Summer School now includes students from UCLA/CNSI represented by James Gimzewski[4]. The inclusion of UCLA/CNSI marks the Memorandum of Understanding reached by UCLA/CNSI and NIMS in 2008 and is a reflection of the two institutions' goals for international research collaboration. The goal of the Summer School is simple: bring together doctoral students from varied nanotechnology research backgrounds from across the globe and give them an unintimidating and constructive forum to discuss their work, get feedback from their peers and interact with one another on an intellectual level as well as social and cultural level. Summer School has been hosted by NIMS and Cambridge alternatively each year. UCLA/CNSI will host for the first time in July 2009. Thirty students (ten from each institution) will convene for a week-long symposium where they will each present their current research to other young researchers. For many of these young researchers, this is their first opportunity to formally present their work in a conference-like environment thus helping to hone their presentation skills and prepare them for careers in academia or industry. In this environment, students are able to experience a conference first hand without any of the intimidation of a formal conference. They get feedback from fresh eyes and ears on the research itself as well as valuable details like aesthetics of their presentation slides. Most importantly, the students receive valuable constructive criticism from some of the world's leading researchers in nanotechnology. [1] [2] [3] [4] Fri, 01 May 2009 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=821928 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=821928 James Gimzewski[1], UCLA Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, was today elected a 2009 fellow of Britain's prestigious Royal Society in recognition of his scientific excellence. Fellowship in the Royal Society, the world's oldest scientific academy in continuous existence, is granted to those who have made substantial contributions to research and advancing understanding in their field of science, medicine or engineering. It is one of the highest honors a scientist can receive. The Royal Society's citation reads: "Jim Gimzewski has pioneered the use of the scanning tunnelling microscope to image, characterise and manipulate molecules on surfaces. His insights into the fundamental properties of single molecules, and his visionary experimental methods have made fundamental changes in the way chemistry at the single-molecules level is perceived. His enthusiastic and innovative way in which he communicates his science has been universally recognized." "It's a great honor," said Gimzewski, who grew up in Glasgow, Scotland, and is a British citizen. "The Royal Society was established in the mid-1600s." Gimzewski applies nanotechnology to real-life problems in areas such as nanomedicine, where his work may lead to more effective treatments for cancer and other diseases and, he hopes, more personalized medical treatment. His research overlaps chemistry, nanotechnology, physics, biology, medicine, engineering and art. He is the scientific director of UCLA's Art | Science Center, which has a gallery at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) and a lab at the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Center at UCLA, and is the director of the CNSI's Nano and Pico Characterization Laboratory. "It is only now that nanotechnology has come to the point where it can start to change the world," Gimzewski said. "We may be able to get to the point where we can dramatically reduce medical costs through nanotechnology. We may also be able to produce cheap, mass-produced solar cells and fuel-cell technology, to name just a few possible applications. Can pharmaceuticals be delivered right to a tumor without killing off surrounding healthy cells? Nanomedicine holds great promise." In December 2007, Gimzewski and colleagues at UCLA published research in the journal Nature Nanotechnology that used state-of-the-science nanotechnology to demonstrate that metastatic cancer cells are softer than healthy cells. The study represented one of the first times researchers have been able to take living cells from human cancer patients and use nanotechnology to determine which were cancerous. For cancer to spread throughout the body, diseased cells must enter the bloodstream and maneuver through tight anatomical spaces; they must be more flexible, or softer, than normal cells. Gimzewski and his colleagues used one of the most valuable tools in the nanotechnology arsenal, an atomic force microscope (AFM), to measure the relative softeness of cells in fluid collected from the chest cavities of patients with lung, breast and pancreatic cancers cells which are less than half the diameter of a human hair. The AFM uses a minute, sharp tip on a spring to push against a cell's surface and determine its degree of softness. It then assigns a "softness" value based on the resistance encountered. Gimzewski and his co-authors, including Jian Yu Rao[2], a researcher at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center and an associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, found that the metastatic cancer cells were all extremely soft and easily distinguishable from normal, healthy cells, despite similarities in appearance. Gimzewski and Rao are continuing to conduct research together and are investigating the possibility of increasing the stiffness of cancer cells so they can't travel as easily through the body and harm healthy cells. In one study, they are examining whether green tea extract affects the stiffness of cells. Gimzewski is also studying the stiffness of leukemia cells and is working with UCLA biological chemistry professor Geraldine Weinmaster on the mechanics of interactions between cells. "We're expanding our collaborations in the medical school and molecular biology to look at different types of cancer and cell-cell interaction through nanomechanics," he said. "Nanomedicine is an adventure in uncharted territory. We're working with real experts." Gimzewski is beginning to study objects inside cells, on the nanoscale, including mysterious barrel-shaped capsules known as vaults, which are found in the cytoplasm of all mammalian cells and whose function is poorly understood, and exosomes, which play a role in cancer of the mouth. In other research, Gimzewski and colleagues have produced high-energy beams of neutrons, photons, ions and electrons. He and UCLA physics professor Seth Putterman demonstrated that they could generate nuclear fusion in a pocket-sized device. Before joining UCLA's faculty in 2001, Gimzewski worked on nanotechnology and biotechnology at the IBM Zurich Research Laboratory from 1983 to 2001. "Creativity is becoming more important than knowledge," Gimzewski said. "Knowledge is distributed on the Internet, where anyone can find it." Gimzewski has been working closely with Victoria Vesna[3], a UCLA professor of design and media arts, to communicate nanoscience through art installations in museums worldwide and through innovative courses. "Nanotechnology requires new approaches," Gimzewski said. "You need both lobes of the brain functioning. Artists can handle complexity and the unknown. I want to bring together art and science both halves of the brain." He said his most exciting research is always his current project. The Royal Society has been at the forefront of research since its founding in 1660. Each year, the society applies a rigorous peer-review process to elect a maximum of 44 new fellows who are citizens of the United Kingdom, other Commonwealth countries or Ireland, and several foreign members. Fellowship is a lifetime honor. More than 20 Nobel laureates currently number among the society's more than 1,400 fellows and foreign members. Fellows have included Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Francis Crick and James Watson. For more information about the Royal Society and a complete list of 2009 fellows, visit www.royalsociety.org[4]. UCLA Newsroom[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Fri, 15 May 2009 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=852272 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=852272 *Games by Gautam Rangan* JUNE 5th 12th, 2009 *OPENING RECEPTION* June 5th, 5:30 7:00 pm UCLA California NanoSystems Institute CNSI, Art|Sci Lab suite 5419 *GAUTAM RANGAN* (DMA MFA Class of 2010) uses animation and imagery to investigate ideas found in nature. He has created animations for 11 different faculty at UC Berkeley, the Discovery Science channel, and the Connecticut Science Center opening in 2009. Most recently Gautam worked on a series of short games to help with physical therapy for Parkinson's patients at the Baker Fitness Center at UCSF. Art|Sci Website[1] [1] Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=817306 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=817306 *Single-step process promises cheaper, more powerful electronic devices* Researchers at UCLA have developed a new method for producing a hybrid graphene-carbon nanotube, or G-CNT, for potential use as a transparent conductor in solar cells and consumer electronic devices. These G-CNTs could provide a cheaper and much more flexible alternative to materials currently used in these and similar applications. Yang Yang[1], a professor of materials science and engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and a member of UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), and Richard Kaner[2], a UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a CNSI member, outline their new processing method in research published today in Nano Letters, a journal of the American Chemical Society. Transparent conductors are an integral part of many electronic devices, including flat-panel televisions, plasma displays and touch panels, as well as solar cells. The current gold standard for transparent conductors is indium tin oxide (ITO), which has several limitations. ITO is expensive, both because of its production costs and a relative scarcity of indium, and it is rigid and fragile. The G-CNT hybrid, the researchers say, provides an ideal high-performance alternative to ITO in electronics with moving parts. Graphene is an excellent electrical conductor, and carbon nanotubes are good candidates for transparent conductors because they provide conduction of electricity using very little material. Yang and Kaner's new single-step method for combining the two is easy, inexpensive, scalable and compatible with flexible applications. G-CNTs produced this way already provide comparable performance to current ITOs used in flexible applications. The new method builds on Yang and Kaner's previous research, published online in November 2009, which introduced a method for producing graphene[3], a single layer of carbon atoms, by soaking graphite oxide in a hydrazine solution. The researchers have now found that placing both graphite oxide and carbon nanotubes in a hydrazine solution produces not only graphene but a hybrid layer of graphene and carbon nanotubes. "To our knowledge this is the first report of dispersing CNTs in anhydrous hydrazine," Yang said. "This is important because our method does not require the use of surfactants, which have traditionally been used in these solution processes and can degrade intrinsic electronic and mechanical properties." G-CNTs are also ideal candidates for use as electrodes in polymer solar cells, one of Yang's main research projects. One of the benefits of polymer, or plastic, solar cells is that plastic is flexible. But until an alternative to ITOs, which lose efficiency upon flexing, can be found, this potential cannot be exploited. G-CNTs retain efficiency when flexed and also are compatible with plastics. Flexible solar cells could be used in a variety of materials, including the drapes of homes. "The potential of this material (G-CNT) is not limited to improvements in the physical arrangements of the components," said Vincent Tung, a doctoral student working jointly in Yang's and Kaner's labs and the first author of the study. "With further work, G-CNTs have the potential to provide the building blocks of tomorrow's optical electronics." This research was partially supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 13 May 2009 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=815029 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=815029 Diagnosis and treatment in one go: Korean researchers led by Tae Gwan Park and Jinwoo Cheon[1] have developed the basis for a four-in-one agent that can detect, target, and disable tumor cells while also making them macroscopically and microscopically visible. Jinwoo Cheon is currently a visiting scientist at the California NanoSystems Institute. He came to CNSI to develop his research on nanomaterials synthesis for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Please visit Wiley InterScience[2] for details of this new research. Please also visit the Royal Society of Chemistry[3] website for a write-up on the research. [1] [2] [3] Tue, 12 May 2009 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=813505 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=813505 A leader in research on sustainable energy and clean technology, the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science will now be home to a new multimillion-dollar Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC) funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The center, which the DOE plans to fund at $11.5 million over five years, will focus on the creation and production of nanoscale materials for use in converting solar energy into electricity, electrical energy storage, and capturing and separating greenhouse gases. "A center for energy research is something we've been trying to establish for a long time," said Vidvuds Ozolins[1], UCLA professor of materials science and engineering, [member of the California NanoSystems Institute] and the new center's director. "We want the center to provide revolutionary breakthroughs, game-changing solutions, and we want to carry the research into real life. By bringing together several faculty across campus who have already done significant work in energy production, energy storage and carbon capture, we'll be able to hit the ground running." The center, whose goal also is to increase societal awareness of sustainable energy issues through an integrated program of research, education and outreach, will be collaborating with scientists and faculty at the DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Eastern Washington University, the University of Kansas and the University of California, Davis. "Being awarded this new multimillion-dollar energy research center is a testament that UCLA Engineering faculty continue to be at the forefront of research," said Vijay K. Dhir, dean of UCLA Engineering. "Global energy demands will only continue to grow, and the center's work will be essential in helping to make alternative and renewable energy a viable resource for the 21st century." UCLA's center will be one of 46 new EFRCs across the country. Of the 46 selected, 31 will be led by universities, 12 by DOE national laboratories, two by nonprofit organizations and one by a corporate research laboratory. The new centers were selected from among a pool of some 260 applicants based on a rigorous merit review process utilizing outside panels composed of scientific experts. The EFRCs will bring together groups of leading scientists to address fundamental issues in a variety of fields, including solar energy, biofuels, transportation, electricity storage and transmission, clean coal, carbon capture and sequestration, and nuclear energy. More than 110 institutions from 36 states and the District of Columbia and eight foreign countries will be participating in EFRC research. UCLA Newsroom[2] [1] [2] Mon, 11 May 2009 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=813642 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=813642 The May 8 edition of the Chronicle of Higher Education reports on the development by Omar M. Yaghi[1], UCLA's Christopher S. Foote Professor of Chemistry, and his research team of a new class of materials that can isolate and capture atoms and molecules including methane and carbon dioxide with potential applications for clean-energy vehicles and pollution-free power plants. Yaghi, a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA and head of the Center for Reticular Chemistry at CNSI, is quoted. The Chronicle of Higher Education "Chemist's Pursuit of Molecular Beauty May Yield Energy Breakthroughs" [2] [1] [2] Mon, 11 May 2009 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=813671 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=813671 The May 8 edition of the Chronicle of Higher Education highlights research by Yang Yang[1], UCLA professor of materials science and engineering, on a new polymer for use in solar cells, and research by Yoram Cohen[2], UCLA professor of chemical and biomedical engineering, on energy-saving membranes for use in water desalination plants. Professors Yang and Cohen are both members of the California NanoSystems Institute. The Chronicle of Higher Education "Stimulus Law Revs Up Research on Energy" [1] [2] [3] Mon, 11 May 2009 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=806713 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=806713 *Matrix Sensors developing sensor systems for detection of harmful gases* UCLA has opened its new technology incubator space within the California NanoSystems Institute to Matrix Sensors Inc., a startup company in the process of developing multichannel gas and biological sensor systems based on technology developed jointly by UCLA and Stanford University researchers. The technology holds promise for the highly sensitive and accurate detection of harmful gases, which could have practical applications in both public and industrial settings. Matrix Sensors is a seed-stage company founded in March 2006 by UCLA chemistry and biochemistry professor James Gimzewski[1] and Stanford electrical engineering professors Butrus (Pierre) T. Khuri-Yakub and Calvin F. Quate, the key researchers and inventors in the area of developing CMUT (capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer) technology for chemical and biological sensors. As part of this arrangement, Matrix Sensors has obtained an exclusive license for this technology that will provide the University of California with an equity position in the company. Matrix has rented lab space in the incubator at the CNSI and has access to core lab facilities to pursue research and development work. The company proposes to use CMUT technology for gas and biological analytes. The goal of the technology is to develop products with high analyte resolution, accuracy and stability suitable for commercial applications, such as monitoring the release of gases in large public settings. Atomic-force microscope instrumentation will be used to characterize sensor microchips to do functionalization work. This will lay the foundation to test, in careful and controlled ways, how well the chemical layers can be applied. The initial goals are to make microchip devices that are chemically sensitive and to characterize the nature of the chemical sensitivity. "The CNSI is committed to accelerating the transfer of new technologies from the laboratory to the clinical and commercial marketplace," said Leonard H. Rome[2], interim director of the CNSI and senior associate dean of research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "Matrix can serve as a potential model for how UCLA may support start-ups with unique access to faculty and lab facilities to nurture early-stage R&D. This directly flows from the institute's mission to facilitate collaborations with private industry for the rapid commercialization of new innovations." "At this stage in the company's development, we can't possibly afford to set up sufficient lab space on our own," said Mike Cable, CEO of Matrix Sensors. "Having access to core lab facilities, particularly the Nano and Pico Characterization Lab[3], with state-of-the-art atomic-force microscopes, will be essential to our ability to take the R&D to the next level." "The versatility of these microchip sensors is very encouraging in terms of practical applications," Gimzewski said. "We think the sensors can be placed in portable hand-held devices such as cell phones, which broadens the accessibility of instant analysis." UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Fri, 08 May 2009 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=803301 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=803301 In an effort to explore the boundary between thermodynamics and quantum mechanics two fundamental yet seemingly incompatible theories of physics a team from the UCLA Department of Physics and Astronomy has created the world's smallest incandescent lamp. The team, which is led by Chris Regan[1], assistant professor of physics and astronomy and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, and includes Yuwei Fan, Scott Singer and Ray Bergstrom, has published the results of their research May 5 in the online edition of the journal Physical Review Letters. Thermodynamics, the crown jewel of 19th-century physics, concerns systems with many particles. Quantum mechanics, developed in the 20th century, works best when applied to just a few. The UCLA team is using their tiny lamp to study physicist Max Planck's black-body radiation law, which was derived in 1900 using principles now understood to be native to both theories. Planck's law describes radiation from large, hot objects, such as a toaster, the Sun or a light bulb. Some such radiation is of fundamental and current scientific interest; the thermal radiation left over from the Big Bang, for instance, which is called the cosmic microwave background, is described by Planck's law. The incandescent lamp utilizes a filament made from a single carbon nanotube that is only 100 atoms wide. To the unaided eye, the filament is completely invisible when the lamp is off, but it appears as tiny point of light when the lamp is turned on. Even with the best optical microscope, it is only just possible to resolve the nanotube's non-zero length. To image the filament's true structure, the team uses an electron microscope capable of atomic resolution at the Electron Imaging Center for Nanomachines (EICN)[2] core lab at CNSI. With less than 20 million atoms, the nanotube filament is both large enough to apply the statistical assumptions of thermodynamics and small enough to be considered as a molecular that is, quantum mechanical system. "Our goal is to understand how Planck's law gets modified at small length scales," Regan said. "Because both the topic (black-body radiation) and the size scale (nano) are on the boundary between the two theories, we think this is a very promising system to explore." The carbon nanotube makes an ideal filament for this experiment, since it has both the requisite smallness and the extraordinary temperature stability of carbon. While the intensive study of carbon nanotubes only began in 1991, using carbon in a light bulb is not a new idea. Thomas Edison's original light bulbs used carbon filaments. The UCLA research team's light bulb is very similar to Edison's, except that their filament is 100,000 times narrower and 10,000 times shorter, for a total volume only one one-hundred-trillionth that of Edison's. This research is supported by an National Science Foundation Career award #0748880. UCLA Newsroom[3] [1] [2] [3] Thu, 07 May 2009 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=803333 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=803333 The research from CNSI member Chris Regan[1], which seeks to explore the boundary between thermodynamics and quantum mechanics has been featured on LiveScience.com, which chronicles the daily advances and innovations made in science and technology. Please visit Yahoo News[2] to see the full article. [1] [2] Thu, 07 May 2009 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=795250 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=795250 *Monday, May 11, 5pm --> 2 events* *ART | SCI Lecture and Exhibition* *ART AND ACTIVISM Lecture Series: LISA JEVBRATT EDA lecture space, Broad Art center, 5-6:30pm* _Enabling Interspecies Collaboration_ Lisa Jevbratt will present and contextualize "Interspecies Collaboration" her current research focus and the topic of an art class she teaches at UCSB in which the students make art projects together with non-human animals. With her explorations of Interspecies Collaboration, Jevbratt wants to raise awareness that speciesm is a cousin to racism and sexism, and that it's no more just than those. *Exhibition: GIL KUNO Art | Sci gallery at the California Nanosystems Institute, 7-9pm* *ANTMASTER IV* The Antmaster is an experiment in hybridizing Dynamic Media (projections) with Static Media (paintings.) Digitally projected images of live ants are superimposed onto painted surfaces to achieve a new amalgam of motion and still images. In addition, nanosounds of ants moving and communicating were recorded in a nanoscience lab to act as a soundtrack to the pieces. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- *LISA JEVBRATT* Jevbratt is a Swedish born new media artist, currently an associate professor in the Art Department and the Media Art Technology program at University of California, Santa Barbara. Her work, ranging from Internet visualization software to biofeedback and interspecies collaboration, is concerned with collectives and systems, the languages and conditions that generate them, and the exchanges within them. The projects explores alternative, distributed and unintentional collaborations and the expressions of the collectives they create. *GIL KUNO* Through experiments in sound and re-envisioning experiences common within everyday life, Gil's aim is to push people away from paradigmatic thinking. He takes a whimsical approach in subverting common perceptions of reality. By exaggerating perception and derailing reality, Gil redefines the familiarity we associate with the organic and social processes that surround us. Gil has exhibited/performed at: The National Art Center Tokyo, The Hammer Museum (L.A.), Fuji Rock Festival (Naeba, Japan), Laforet Harajuku (Tokyo), The Melkweg (Amsterdam), Schouwburg (Rotterdam), The Sprawl (London), Liquid Room (Tokyo), Womb (Tokyo), Milk (Tokyo), New Wight Gallery (L.A.), Code (Shinjuku, Tokyo), Core (Roppongi, Tokyo), Warp (Tokyo), Heaven's Door (Tokyo), Rockets (Osaka), Loft (Tokyo), among others. Photos[1] [1] Mon, 04 May 2009 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=785698 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=785698 *Reps from U.S., Europe, Japan to explore research programs worldwide* *WHAT:* Government policymakers from the U.S., Europe and Japan will meet with science and technology researchers and industry leaders from these regions to address their respective state-of-the-art technologies and discuss future international collaborations in nanotechnology at the fifth International Nanotechnology Conference on Communication and Cooperation[1], a four-day event at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA. The conference will feature in-depth discussions and technical sessions aimed at strengthening dialogue among the U.S., Japan and Europe on nanotech issues. Topics will include nanoelectronics, nanobiomedical research, nanotoxicology, and the economics and societal implications of emerging technologies. For the complete program and agenda, visit www.inc5.org/pages/program-full[2]. *WHO:* UCLA Chancellor Gene Block will give the welcome address, and Nobel laureate Dr. Louis J. Ignarro, a professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, will deliver the keynote. Conference speakers and participants will include representatives from the U.S. Departments of Defense, Energy and Agriculture; the Environmental Protection Agency; the National Institutes of Health; the National Science Foundation; the Food and Drug Administration; NASA; Japan's Cabinet Office, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, and National Institute for Materials Science; the European Commission; Belgium's IMEC; France's CEA-LETI; Germany's Fraunhofer Society; and university academics from the key regions represented. Industry speakers will include representatives from Toshiba, NEC, Abraxis Bioscience Inc., Intel, the Semiconductor Industry Association, the Semiconductor Research Corporation and the Association for European Nanoelectronics Activities (AENEAS). For a complete list of speakers, visit www.inc5.org/pages/speakers1[3] . *WHEN:* Monday, May 18-Thursday, May 21 *WHERE:* California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, Building 114 (map[4]) *INFORMATION:* For more information and to register for the event, visit www.inc5.org [5]. *MEDIA CONTACTS:* Jennifer Marcus | 310-267-4839 | jmarcus@cnsi.ucla.edu[6] Mike Rodewald | 310-267-5883 | mrodewald@cnsi.ucla.edu[7] *PARKING:* Parking will be available in Lot 9 on Westwood Plaza. Media should contact the media contacts for parking reservations. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Fri, 01 May 2009 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=783010 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=783010 The science of the very tiny is taking very big steps into the realm of everyday life. Nanotechnology the ability to create materials the size of an atom is changing the way scientists do everything from store solar energy to diagnose cancer to make socks that keep your feet from smelling. Some estimate there will be 100,000 nano products on the market within the next decade. Rapid nanoscale advances are already finding their way into consumer hands with products such as sunscreen, cosmetics, super-strong tennis rackets and bicycle frames, even stain- and wrinkle-resistant pants. As the market grows, questions arise about the effects these new materials have on human and environmental safety. To further public policy in this emerging industry, UC researchers are working to advance our understanding of how nanomaterials react in the environment and what hazards they might pose to workers and consumers. "Nanotechnology is neither intrinsically bad or good, but it offers tremendous opportunities to improve the world we live in. Hence, we must learn to implement nanotechnology safely," said Eric Hoek[1], a UCLA environmental engineering associate professor. Hoek, who is also a researcher in the UCLA-based Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology [at the California NanoSystems Institute], spoke at a March seminar on nanotech that the California Toxic Substances Control Department and UC's Toxic Substances Research and Teaching Program sponsored in Sacramento. UCLA's environmental implications center, sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, studies the toxicology and environmental impacts of nanomaterials to develop guidelines for safe use. One of the debates among regulatory agencies, researchers and companies commercializing nano discoveries is how much this new world of science can be regulated without stifling innovation. *Nano behavior* To put nanoscale into perspective, a nanometer measures one-billionth of a meter. A single human hair is about 80,000 nanometers wide. Nanomaterials are often stronger and behave differently than the same materials produced at their regular size. "We make things with different shapes, different forms, different modifications; we make them on the nanoscale," said Rick Kelly, director of environmental health and safety at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Molecular Foundry. "All of a sudden they start doing things which nobody's ever seen before. New good stuff for the most part, but mixed into that is the concern that maybe in at least some of the cases, the new stuff thats going to evolve out of nanotechnology is potentially harmful to workers or to the environment or even to consumers." There are few occupational exposure guidelines for nanomaterials, said Kelly. He's worried about potential hazards at small startup nano companies without proper worker health and safety procedures. "People working in factories that are working in carbon nanotubes, for example, might be at risk before the general public or at more severe risk," Kelly said. "That's the part that I think the state should probably take a look at whether or not regulation is required or even necessary." At the Molecular Foundry, he said, researchers treat all nanomaterials as if they were toxic even when they don't yet know if they are. Researchers wear protective gear and work with robotic arms inside protective boxes. The foundry follows DOE guidelines for working with nanomaterials. "We do worry because we have to worry to be prudent," said Emory Chan, a postdoctoral researcher at the foundry who has been working with nanotech for 10 years. "I worry about what happens to me and how I stay healthy, and I feel very comfortable here. We know how to be safe in using these materials." If regulatory agencies make laws that stifle innovation, Chan said, people won't want to do research. "It's not like there are nanobots who can take over the world," said Chan. Still there is much to learn about how these new materials will react and what the consequences will be. *Evolving regulation* The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers many nanomaterials as chemicals subject to the federal Toxic Substances Control Act. The EPA looks at the molecular structure of a chemical to decide whether it is classified in its existing chemical inventory or if it is a new chemical and, therefore, subject to different pre-manufacturing or importing regulations. In January, the EPA issued an interim report on its new Nanoscale Materials Stewardship Program, which calls for voluntary reporting on engineered nanomaterials on the part of manufacturers. As of December 2008, 29 companies and trade associations had submitted information on 123 nanoscale materials. At the same time researchers and regulators are exploring the nano landscape, the general public has some catching up to do. Some researchers warn that nanomaterials are becoming the next GMOs in the public's mind because nanotechnology can be as little understood and as greatly feared as genetically modified organisms. So is the public really ready for a nano world? It all depends. Awareness studies have found that 70 to 90 percent of people in the United States have little or no knowledge of nanotechnology. Social anthropologist Barbara Harthorn, director of the Center for Nanotechnology in Society at UCSB, studies the public's perceptions of risk involved with nanotechnology. In a recent study of U.S. and U.K. consumers, Harthorn's research team found that people were more likely to think positively about nanomaterials in energy applications such as making cheaper, flexible solar cells than nanomaterials in health applications such as drug delivery and disease treatment. People also had concerns about the expense of health applications and whether there will be equitable access to these groundbreaking medical discoveries. The researchers conducted four-hour nanotech workshops for the study participants in both countries and found similar attitudes. "We had all this technical information, but most people weren't interested in learning the intricacies of the science," said Harthorn. "But they don't need to understand it to form opinions. That's like saying you can't use an iPod unless you know the science behind it, and that's not the case." No one can yet predict all the new technologies and scientific approaches that are going to come out of nanotechnology, said Kelly: "In some ways we're going into the jungle, and we're going to come out with whatever the best products are. We can only guess now at all the benefits to society." Visit University of California Online to view a video interview of Rick Kelly[2] [1] [2] Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=783061 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=783061 Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common bacterial agent of sexually transmitted disease, accounting for more than a million reported infections in the United States each year. Researchers at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA have now designed a unique method for inducing immunity to the infection. The findings could accelerate progress toward the development of a vaccine against Chlamydia trachomatis infections, which can lead to reproductive dysfunction and profound local inflammation requiring medical attention. Their study, which describes the first use of a novel vaccine platform that utilizes an engineered nanoparticle delivery system, appears in the April 30 edition of the peer-reviewed online journal PLoS ONE, published by the Public Library of Science, and is available at http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0005409[1]. The research team, a partnership between UCLA immunologists and nanotechnologists, is led by Kathleen Kelly[2], an associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and a CNSI member, and Leonard H. Rome[3], interim director of the CNSI and a professor of biological chemistry. The team also includes Cheryl I. Champion, Valerie A. Kickhoefer, Guangchao Liu, Raymond J. Moniz, Amanda S. Freed, Lisa L. Bergmann, Dana Vaccari, Sujna Raval-Fernandes and Ann M. Chan. The researchers were able to uncover a surprising connection between vault nanoparticles and mucosal immunity. Vaults are barrel-shaped nanoscale capsules found in the cytoplasm of all mammalian cells that can be engineered to serve as potential therapeutic delivery devices. "The primary goal of vaccines is to generate robust cell-mediated immune responses at mucosal surfaces while reducing overall inflammation caused by infection," Kelly said. "We found that vault nanoparticles containing immunogenic proteins can act as 'smart adjuvants' for inducing protective immunity at mucosal surfaces while avoiding destructive inflammation." Adjuvants are molecular triggers that initiate vaccine responses. Mucosal immune responses provide superior protection against disease, but there are currently no adjuvants approved by the Food and Drug Administration that are capable of stimulating cell-mediated immune responses within mucosal tissues. Mucosal surfaces are hostile environments, and immunogenic proteins require added protection for delivery to cells in order to induce immunity. The team produced recombinant vaults through a process that involved the molecular engineering of these naturally occurring cellular structures to test the concept that vaults can have a broad nanosystems application as malleable nanocapsules. "Our research team wanted to find out if recombinant vaults could provide such protection by encapsulating an antigen and preserving its functional characteristics, even within the cells," Kelly said. The internal cavity of the recombinant vault nanoparticle is large enough to hold multiple immunogenic proteins, and because vaults are the size of small microbes, a vault particle containing such proteins can be easily absorbed by the targeted cells. Vaults are being studied for use in the delivery of a range of potential therapeutics, including synthetic and natural compounds, nucleic acids, and proteins. Recombinant vaults containing proteins are easily produced, making vaults a viable vaccine delivery platform. "Adjuvants provide the necessary assistance to vaccine preparations for promoting immunity or protection from infection by combining the vault with a part of the Chlamydia organism," Kelly said. "We were able to design a vaccine that prevented Chlamydia infection better than other designs." The research team found that when they immunized female mice with recombinant vaults containing a component of Chlamydia and then exposed the mice to a vaginal challenge with live Chlamydia, their reproductive tracts were protected from severe bacterial infection. The results suggest that vaults are superior adjuvants for immunization against infections largely limited to mucosal tissues. "We are encouraged that our findings could accelerate progress toward developing a vaccine to guard against this infection," Kelly said. The research was supported by the UCLA AIDS Institute and the National Institutes of Health. UCLA Newsroom[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=782947 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=782947 *Camera relies on an entirely new type of imaging* Ultrafast, light-sensitive video cameras are needed for observing high-speed events such as shockwaves, communication between living cells, neural activity, laser surgery and elements of blood analysis. To catch such elusive moments, a camera must be able to capture millions or billions of images continuously with a very high frame rate. Conventional cameras are simply not up to the task. Now, researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a novel, continuously running camera that captures images roughly a thousand times faster than any existing conventional camera. In a paper in the April 30 issue of Nature (currently available online), UCLA Engineering researchers Keisuke Goda, Kevin Tsia and team leader Bahram Jalali[1] describe an entirely new approach to imaging that does not require a traditional CCD (charge-coupled device) or CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) video camera. Building on more than a decade of research on photonic time stretch, a technique for capturing elusive events, the team has demonstrated a camera that captures images at some 6 million frames per second. "The most demanding application for high-speed imaging involves fast events that are very rare, rogue events or the proverbial needle in the haystack in other words, unusual events that carry important information," said Jalali, a professor of electrical engineering and principal investigator of the project. One of the applications he envisions for the camera is flow cytometry, a technique used for blood analysis. Traditional blood analyzers can count cells and extract information about their size, but they cannot take pictures of every cell because no camera is fast and sensitive enough for the job. At the same time, images of cells are needed to distinguish diseased cells from healthy ones. Today, pictures are taken manually under a microscope from a very small sample of blood. But what if you needed to detect the presence of very rare cells that, although few in number, signify the early stages of a disease? Circulating tumor cells are a perfect example. Typically, there are only a handful of them among a billion healthy cells; yet these cells are precursors to metastasis, the spread of cancer that causes about 90 percent of cancer mortalities. "The chance that one of these cells will happen to be on the small sample of blood viewed under a microscope is negligible," Jalali said. "To find these rogue cells needles in the haystack you need to analyze billions of cells, the entire haystack. Ultra-high-speed imaging of cells in flow is a potential solution for detection of rare abnormal cells." The new imager operates by capturing each picture with an ultrashort laser pulse a flash of light only a billionth of a second long. It then converts each pulse to a serial data stream that resembles the data in a fiber optic network rather than the signal coming out of a camera. Using a technique known as amplified dispersive Fourier transform, these laser pulses, each containing an entire picture, are amplified and simultaneously stretched in time to the point that they are slow enough to be captured with an electronic digitizer. The fundamental problem in performing high-speed imaging, Jalali says, is that the camera becomes less and less sensitive at higher and higher speeds. It is simple to see why: At high frame rates, there is less time to collect photons in each frame before the signal becomes weaker and more prone to noise. The new imager overcomes this because it is the first to feature optical image amplification. "Our serial time-encoded amplified microscopy (STEAM) technology enables continuous real-time imaging at a frame rate of more than 6 MHz, a shutter speed of less than 450 ps and an optical image gain of more than 300 the world's fastest continuously running camera, useful for studying rapid phenomena in physics, chemistry and biology," said research co-author Goda, a postdoctoral researcher in the group. One such phenomenon the group has studied with the new camera is laser ablation, an important technology that is the basis of laser medicine. The camera can capture laser ablation happening in real time, providing important clues for understanding the process and optimizing its effectiveness. "Unlike other high-speed imaging methods, our approach does not require cooling of the camera or high-intensity illumination problems that plague conventional CCD and CMOS cameras," said Kevin Tsia, a graduate student in the group and a co-author of the research. The study was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA), the U.S. Department of Defense's central research and development organization. UCLA Newsroom[2] BBC News Coverage[3] [1] [2] [3] Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=782777 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=782777 Layne, professor of epidemiology and environmental health sciences at the UCLA School of Public Health and a member at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute, was quoted Monday April 27th in two New York Times Q&As (1[1] | 2[2]) and a Los Angeles Times[3] article about the current swine influenza outbreak. [1] [2] [3] Thu, 30 Apr 2009 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=757015 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=757015 Call for papers -- Special Issue: NANOTECH & ART Deadline: Abstracts: June 1, 2009 Papers: July 1, 2009 In coordination with a large art exhibition at the Science Gallery in Dublin this Fall. Running from 1 October through 17 December 2009 at the Science Gallery, NANO will explore the dream spaces of nanotechnology alongside the realities and near-term applications of nanoscale phenomena. NANO will not only sample the tools, techniques, and applications of nanoscience, but its underlying metaphors, and what those may hold for our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world. Small stuff, big budgets, even bigger hopes and fears... In the nearly fifty years since Richard Feynman famously proposed the entire field of nanotechnology with a talk entitled, "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom," scientists and their funders have rushed to explore and exploit this new domain-with industry and marketers never far behind. On the tiniest of human-made structures, most still only imagined, some enormous claims have been staked, and some outsized hopes and fears have been raised. Popular writing on nanotechnology routinely oscillates between extraordinary promise and dark foreboding, from drug delivery targeted to individual cells to sci-fi scenarios of self-replicating nanobots reducing the world to mush. Meanwhile, our sunscreen continues to improve. Nanoscale phenomena did not originate with Feynman's call to action or the efforts of those who followed it-those structures and effects were always in and around us, whether we knew it or not. What began with his talk, and has only accelerated since, was an imaginative and very public coupling of some existing knowledge with some longstanding hopes to create a fertile new space both for action and more imagining. It is in that space and on the dreams, nightmares, and genuine achievements that inhabit it, that NANO will focus. So what has nanoscience accomplished so far, and what are the dreams and nightmares that attend and even drive its attempts to manipulate nature at a scale of individual atoms? Are those dreams separable from the science and the efforts to promote and fund it? Are they any different from those that accompanied earlier expansions of scientific territory? How might the metaphors on which this new science rests, and the new ones it will produce, challenge our notions of ourselves? Leveraging Science Gallery's unique adjacency to a working nanoscience facility, NANO will include strong links within the exhibition to the people, equipment and processes at CRANN as well as remote links to labs at Tyndall Institute and UCLA Incorporating residencies, performances, and interactive installations and reflecting the perspectives of scientists, artists, and their publics, NANO will provide rich opportunities for public interaction with leading scientists, artists, engineers and policymakers around important questions in physics, biomedicine, mathematics, social theory, and public policy. Send your abstracts and papers to Victoria Vesna, North American Editor AI & Society vv@ucla.edu[1] [1] Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=756363 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=756363 Six UCLA professors are among 210 distinguished scholars, scientists, writers, artists, and corporate and philanthropic leaders elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences this year, in recognition of their "preeminent contributions to their disciplines and to society at large," the academy announced on Monday. The two CNSI members are Bill Gelbart[1], distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Stanley Osher[2], professor of mathematics and director of special projects at UCLA's Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics. Founded in 1780 by John Adams, John Hancock and other scholar-patriots, the Academy has elected as fellows "the finest minds and most influential leaders from each generation." Previous fellows have included George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Daniel Webster, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Albert Einstein and Winston Churchill. The current membership includes more than 250 Nobel laureates and more than 60 Pulitzer Prize winners. The induction ceremony will take place at a ceremony on October 10, 2009 at the Academy's headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts. CONGRATULATIONS BILL AND STAN! Please visit the UCLA Newsroom[3] for the UCLA press and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences[4] website for their press release. [1] [2] [3] [4] Tue, 21 Apr 2009 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=726917 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=726917 A Perspectives piece in _Science_ Magazine provides a fresh analysis of virus structures by William Gelbart[1] and Charles Knobler. The authors show how the small scale of viruses, measured in nanometers, affects virus functionality. Both authors are members of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles, Prof. Gelbart is also a member of the CNSI. Uniquely, the genomes of viruses can be made up of either single-stranded (ss) RNA or double-stranded (ds) DNA. ssRNA viruses have the benefit of being able to mutate and evolve faster because unlike dsDNA ssRNA replication does not involve proofreading corrections. Viruses with dsDNA have higher pressures due to the higher force required to store the larger dsDNA as opposed to ssRNA. In order to infect other organisms, viruses must insert their DNA or RNA into the nucleus of a host cell. Some viruses accomplish this by completely entering the nucleus of a host cell, while others inject the nucleus from outside the cell. To accomplish this injection, the DNA must be stored at a high enough pressure inside the virus for the pressure to move the virus DNA into the host cell. dsDNA viruses enjoy an advantage with injection because of their higher pressurization. This understanding shows why most bacterial viruses have dsDNA genomes. Bacterial viruses are not able to enter the bacteria, and must inject their DNA from outside. Most plant and animal viruses are able to enter their host cell completely to make deliveries. A more complete understanding of virus functionality could lead to better vaccines. Pressurized Viruses[2], _Science_ Magazine (subscription required) Click here to download a PDF of the article[3] [1] [2] [3] Thu, 02 Apr 2009 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=749542 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=749542 The UCLA External Affairs office has created a series of 30 second messages highlighting the research and service of UCLA faculty and students. These messages began airing April 15th on television in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., as well as on the Los Angeles Times Web site. In one of the messages, CNSI Member Omar Yaghi[1] discusses Metal Organic Frameworks, an invention of his which can be used to store large quantities of natural gas, hydrogen or CO2 in very small spaces. Over the next month, the 30-second television messages will run on highly rated newscasts including the "Today Show", news shows such as "60 Minutes" and entertainment programs carried by the three major network stations, as well as on PBS shows such as "News Hour with Jim Lehrer." Please visit the UCLA Spotlight Website[2] to see the Yaghi clip. Or check out UCLA Today[3] for the full story. [1] [2] [3] Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=743281 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=743281 In an article published on April 9th in the journal Science a research team including members from UCLA and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have announced a promising new therapy for a particularly lethal form of prostate cancer. The therapy involves two new drugs which were synthesized in the lab of Michael Jung[1], from the department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UCLA and a member of the CNSI. Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials have successfully been completed and the Food and Drug Administration has given approval for the team to start on phase 3 trials, which could result in it being approved for use in the next few years. Please visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] for the full story. Science Magazine[3] (subscription required) [1] [2] [3] Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=744742 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=744742 *CALL FOR IDEAS The Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin (www.sciencegallery.com [1]) is seeking ideas and proposals from scientists, engineers, artists, designers and creative thinkers for a new interdisciplinary exhibition and festival exploring nanotechnology and its implications for our future.* Focused on the dreams, nightmares, possibilities and achievements of this broadly interdisciplinary field, the exhibition will explore what it means to act in a realm we can never directly see and to consider how our emerging science and technology is enmeshed with some of our deepest hopes and fears. *What we are looking for:* We want your suggestions and ideas for events, speakers, debates, films, workshops, live experiments performances, competitions, exhibits, interactive installations and demonstrations exploring nanotechnology, its applications and implications. Suggestions may be based on previously existing projects or may be a new proposal specifically for NANO. We are also very interested in hearing from you about people and projects you think we should contact or include even if you are not directly involved. Please send initial suggestions to nano@sciencegallery.com[2] The Expression of Interest form may be downloaded from http://www.sciencegallery.com/nano[3] *Key themes:* We are especially interested in exploring the following issues through the exhibition and festival: Health (nanomedicine and nanofood, potential health risks and benefits of nanotechnology), Energy and environment, Safety and Privacy, Learning from nature's nanotechnology and Ethics and human enhancement. Science Gallery avails of a unique location sharing a building with the CRANN nanoscience research laboratories (www.crann.tcd.ie[4]). Proposals which avail of the opportunity to provide a window on living research or the direct manipulation of the nanoworld are especially welcome. We also welcome projects that offer opportunities for direct face-to-face contact between the public and researchers. *Target audience:* Science Gallery exhibitions and events target an audience aged 15+, so an adult engagement with nanotechnology is essential. *When we need submissions:* The deadline for submission of expressions of interest is *May 15, 2009* at 12 noon. *Informal enquiries:* We welcome informal enquires to nano@sciencegallery.com[5] prior to submission of the EOI. *Exhibition and Festival dates:* 25:09:09-03:10:09: NANO Festival 25:09:09-18.12.09: NANO Exhibition *About the Science Gallery* The Science Gallery is a new space dedicated to igniting creativity and discovery where science and art collide located in the heart of Dublin at Trinity College. Highlights from earlier Science Gallery exhibitions can be viewed at www.sciencegallery.com[6] and http://www.youtube.com/sciencegallery[7]. *Curators* NANO is curated by an interdisciplinary team including *Victoria Vesna * and *Jim Gimzewski[8]* of UCLA, and *John Pethica* of Trinity College Dublin and *Michael John Gorman* of the Science Gallery. *Partners* Project partners include SEED magazine, UCLA's ART/SCI Institute and California Nanosystems Institute, the Centre for Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN) at Trinity College Dublin, the Tyndall National Institute at University College Cork and Intel Corp. *Critical essays Finally we are also seeking critical writings about nanotechnology for a special issue of the journal _AI and Culture_* please submit short abstracts to nano@sciencegallery.com[9] *Please visit http://www.sciencegallery.com/nano[10] for further details and to download the EOI form.* [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] Tue, 14 Apr 2009 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=736979 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=736979 A group including Aydogan Ozcan[1], a member of CNSI and Assistant Professor in Electrical Engineering at UCLA, has been selected as a winner of the 2009 Wireless Innovation Project of the Vodafone Americas Foundation. Ozcan's submission was the lens-free imaging platform on a cell phone for disease detection and diagnostics which he calls LUCAS. Two other groups also won awards, one from University of California at Berkeley and one from Columbia University. The winners will share in prizes totaling up to $700,000 to support their next phase of advancement and implementation. The three winners were selected from nearly 100 applicants from U.S. universities and nonprofit organizations for their multi-disciplinary approach using an innovation in wireless related technology to address a critical global issue in the areas of education, health, economic development, the environment or access to communication. Vodafone Americas Foundation Webpage for Ozcan Project[2] Download Press Release[3] [1] [2] [3] Thu, 09 Apr 2009 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=728145 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=728145 *Researchers from Argentina & the US Met in Patagonia to Develop Nanotechnology Partnership* Faculty and graduate students from the UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry recently travelled to South America to participate in a US-Argentina Workshop on Nanomaterials, NanoMat09, on March 15-17, 2009. The setting was the Amancay Hotel in Bariloche in the beautiful Patagonia mountain region of Argentina. The workshop was a stimulating forum for US and Argentinean faculty, industrial, and student researchers to come together and share top-notch science in the general area of nanomaterials. Of the US participants, all the UCLA faculty at the workshop were members of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), and all UCLA grad students were from labs of CNSI Members. NanoMat09 was selected as the first Bilateral Cooperation on Nanotechnology by the respective countries. As a result, Mr. James Perez of the US Embassy in Buenos Aires and Dr. Chris Cannizzaro of the US State Department both attended. A joint Statement on Increasing Cooperation in Nanotechnology was signed by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State, Tom Shannon and Argentina's Minister for Science, Technology and Productive Innovation, Lino Baraao on July 10, 2008. Both countries have existing scientific programs and are committed to promoting this cooperation on nanotechnology through interactions in the frame of joint projects. Roundtable discussions between UCLA and Argentinean professors in parallel to the workshop resulted in steps to promote and further nanotechnology cooperation between the US and South America. A second workshop involving the same group will be held in Argentina in 2010, and a meeting has been proposed for the US in 2011. A workshop has also been scheduled for August of 2009 in Brazil between that country, Argentina and the US. NanoMat09 was a unique learning opportunity for the students involved. The 14 US students who attended were given a historical tour of Buenos Aires. The students also participated in a cultural exchange, with the US students teaching the Argentinean students about the meaning of Thanksgiving and the Argentinean students teaching the US students about the history of Yerba Mate, the national drink of Argentina. As a result of the workshop two US grad students have been invited for three month internships in Argentina. UCLA Associate Professor, Heather Maynard[1], first proposed the idea for the workshop as part of her National Science Foundation (NSF) Career Award. She and Assistant Professor Lia Pietrasanta of the Universidad de Buenos Aires co-organized the event. Funding from the US was provided by the NSF through the International Center for Materials Research (ICMR) and the CNSI. "The workshop far exceeded our expectations for generating a proliferation of tangible goals for joint research at the frontier of chemistry and materials science," explained Maynard. "These interactions will strengthen cooperation and networking between the two countries." Maynard and Pietrasanta are now collaborating on research as a result of their work together organizing this workshop. Photo Gallery[2] La Nacion[3] [1] [2] [3] Fri, 03 Apr 2009 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=731927 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=731927 (This text has been translated from the original) *Laura Garca Oviedo For LA NACION* SAN CARLOS DE BARILOCHE, ARGENTINA. The Argentinean investigator Orlando Auciello, who works at the Argonne National Laboratories in the United States, is developing an almost science fiction-like device: an experimental microchip that works like an artificial retina so blind people can see, albeit partially. A unique aspect of this work is that his latest test was done utilizing a new ingredient, the "ultranano" crystalline diamond, which to be made is manipulated in a scale of 1 to 100 nanometers (a nanometer is one billionth of a meter). The ultranano crystalline diamond is just one of a range of materials that scientists modify on infinitely small scales to provide them with new properties, such as a greater strength. Last week, a scientific meeting held in this city the US-Argentina Workshop on Nanomaterials _e_SEnD_ reviewed precisely these nanomaterials, which, besides microchips, are already being used in an experimental way to promote wound closure and as anti-contaminant "sponges", among many other applications. "Already there are people who have received the first prototype of artificial retina and now we are testing a second type of design of microchip covered with diamond nanomaterial to improve its efficiency," said Auciello during his presentation. Auciello has been living for more than 30 years in the United States and collaborates with the prestigious team headed by Dr. Mark Humayun. On another front, the team headed by Galen Stucky, from the University of California at Santa Barbara, is developing nanotechnology-designed materials capable of stopping hemorrhages from different types of wounds. In particular, the group works with a silicon nanomaterial that helps to speed up wounds coagulation. Stucky's team, which also participated in this Argentinean-American initiative, managed to identify how changes in the structural properties and the surface of metallic oxide influence the coagulation response of blood. But, for now, on the experimental terrain, investigators think that this same nanomaterial could be used to transport antibiotics and therapeutic proteins. The truth is that "bionanomedicine" is only one of multiple fields where experiments are being done using these types of materials. Dr. Galo Soler Illia, an investigator of CONICET and the Atomic Energy National Commission, is working on the development of a nanoporous oxide material with "eco-friendly" properties. "We made a type of sponge with nanometric holes, a "nano- gruyere cheese", that can, for example, capture polluting molecules," he said to LA NACION. "In a gram of titanium oxide, thanks to its nanoholes, we were able to create 200 to 300 square feet of exposed surface, something equivalent to a tennis court," said Soler Illia, who presented his work during the meetings. Another area of nanomaterial experimentation is in energy generation. Thomas Moore, chemistry professor of the Arizona State University Center of Bioenergy and Photosynthesis, is running experiments in the area of energy efficiency from a biological perspective. "In our laboratory, we were inspired by biology to create artificial photosynthesis with the help of nanotechnology. Although it is already known how to transform solar energy into electricity, our challenge is to convert solar energy into fuel," noted Moore. For this, they are currently experimenting with photobiocombustable cells, which work via light-generated chemical reactions, utilizing ethanol and hydrogen. But Moore emphasizes that, for now, there are still many obstacles to overcome. The meetings, where these scientific advances were presented, were organized by Lia Peitrasanta, Director of the Advanced Microscopies Center of the Faculty of Exact Sciences of Buenos Aires University, and by Heather Maynard[1] from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry [...as well as the California NanoSystems Institute...] of the University of California at Los Angeles. "The objective was to promote the meeting of investigators and students from both countries to exchange experiences, to stimulate discussion about the latest advancements in the area of nanomaterials, and to strengthen cooperation between participants," said Pietrasanta to LA NACION. The meetings, which had 82 participants, received support from Argentina's Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation and from the Embassy and State Department of the United States. The organizers are planning to hold a second workshop in Argentina in 2010 and another one the following year in the United States. La Nacion (Spanish)[2] CNSI News Item[3] [1] [2] [3] Mon, 06 Apr 2009 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=723035 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=723035 Benny Ng, a graduate student in CNSI Member Sarah Tolbert's[1] lab, has been chosen to receive a 2008-09 Charles E. and Sue K. Young Graduate Student Award. This award is given once a year to four "outstanding graduate students for exemplary academic achievement, research and university citizenship". Benny will be presented with the award at the College of Letters and Science Awards Dinner on April 27, 2009. Benny has been very involved with outreach at CNSI. As part of the Materials Creation Training Program (MCTP)[2] at CNSI he helped to develop a Self Assembly[3] experiment that has been used as part of a program to teach nanoscience in Los Angeles area high schools. This experiment is adaptable for teaching in both biology and physics and teaches students how foam "atoms" can spontaneously form order structures. Another outreach program he has worked with is the National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates (NanoCER)[4] program through CNSI. As a mentor for the 2008 participants he worked with the undergraduates and was someone they could go to with questions or for advice. Benny has been a great help to CSNI and we are very happy to see him get this well deserved recognition. "I thank the department for the nomination, and all the faculty members and CNSI Staff who gave me guidance and opportunities for department services," remarked Benny. "Without the support from CNSI for MCTP, high school outreach, and NanoCER, I would not have the opportunities to contribute to these programs and would not have received this award." [1] [2] [3] [4] Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=723324 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=723324 CNSI Member Ozcan[1], from Electrical Engineering at UCLA was recently interviewed for Earth & Sky which is a science program syndicated on 1,800 international broadcast outlets, including NPR affiliates. Text from the interview is below; you may also download the podcast (right-click and save file as)[2], or listen to the interview here[3]. *AIDS detection lab on a cell phone* _Aydogan Ozcan:_ Most HIV patients today are either in India or Africa, and they don't have the resources to really take blood, send it to a central lab, get the counts back. That's Aydogan Ozcan, head of the Bio-and Nano-photonics Laboratory at UCLA. He's developing a device to detect infectious diseases in people in the most impoverished parts of the world, using a cell phone. _Aydogan Ozcan:_ If you look at the statistics of how cell phones are being used in the world, it's an amazing story to find that more than 20% of the population in Africa, in India, in Brazil, they still carry cell phones. Dr. Ozcan, who's an optics expert, modified a standard cell phone with a camera sensor to diagnose malaria and monitor HIV- infected patients. He added a special blue light, and a place for a tiny glass slide that holds a blood sample. _Aydogan Ozcan:_ We detect the shadow of cells. That is kind of like the fingerprint of the cell if it's infected, it's going to yield a different shadow. Ozcan's modified phone photographs these shadows, then sends the images to a database. Within 5 minutes, the database sends the phone a text with the results of the analysis. Dr. Ozcan believes this technology could be especially helpful to people in poor, remote villages. _Aydogan Ozcan:_ It's a technology that will provide bread and butter for people who don't have anything. Earth & Sky[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=715570 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=715570 For four years, a team of researchers led by Eric Hoek[1] worked on adding nanoparticles to a water-purifying membrane in an effort to increase its efficiency to desalinate sea water for human consumption. Their goal: to address the growing and global scarcity of potable water by making the technology of desalination commercially viable. *Incubator Launch Video Stream* [IMAGE: ][2] The nanocomposite membrane yields twice as much potable water as regular membranes at least in the laboratory. To help mass-produce nanocomposite membranes based on the UCLA technology, Hoek, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and a faculty member of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), began a collaboration in 2005 with NanoH2O, a private industry startup devoted to developing the next generation of water purification technology. The collaboration was a classic example and one of the early success stories of CNSI's mission to fuel economic development by nurturing new technologies and transferring them from the lab to the clinical arena and commercial market. That objective was recently enhanced by inviting startups that use UCLA technology and include a faculty representative to conduct early research at CNSI, while taking advantage of a new component of the incubator program: Expert advice on business matters offered by the Anderson School of Management and the School of Law. In a conference on March 24, CNSI launched a "technology incubator" the first of its kind for UC in conjunction with UCLA's Office of Intellectual Property and Industry Sponsored Research (OIP-ISR). The event, held in the CNSI auditorium, brought together faculty entrepreneurs, representatives of industry startups and venture capital firms. The UCLA on-campus technology incubator will be housed in the CNSI building and will offer four to five separate startup projects access to a total of 1,000 square feet of flexible lab space for 18 to 24 months. Only companies that use technology owned by the UC regents will be admitted, and the startups will pay a modest rent based on Westwood market rates. "The very location of this incubation space right here at the CNSI building provides startups with direct access to eight state-of-the-art core lab facilities offering a wide array of instrumentation, including training and in-house technical expertise," said Leonard H. Rome[3], CNSI's interim director and senior associate dean for research at the David Geffen School of Medicine. In addition to the labs, some of which are under construction, startups will have access to the 260-seat auditorium as well as conference rooms and interaction spaces, replete with wireless Internet facilities, Rome said, adding that CNSI is making efforts to double the incubator space and establish a $10 million endowment for seed funding of start-up projects. Besides NanoH2O, which became part of the incubator in July 2007 and secured $15 million in funding to commercialize its technology in September 2008, CNSI added another start-up last November: Matrix Sensors, Inc., a gas and biological sensor systems company developed by Chemistry Professor Jim Gimzewski[4] in collaboration with researchers at Stanford University. The startup's technology "promises highly sensitive and accurate detection of harmful gases for practical applications in public and industrial settings," Rome said. The incubator is a "culmination of a list of accomplishments made by UCLA over at least five years and highlights the cohesiveness of UCLA's family faculty, staff, administration and students, all coming together behind a goal of creating an improved culture of entrepreneurship," said Kathryn Atchison, vice provost for OIP-ISR. The first of several milestones along the incubator's journey, she noted, was in 2004, when faculty requested of then-Chancellor Albert C. Carnesale that "more attention be paid to their many critical, exciting research discoveries," Atchison said. The Chancellor's Office "responded aggressively" by offering more support for the faculty's needs, including expanding the staff within OIP-ISR. The on-campus incubator is essentially what Atchison described as "an experiment" to determine a set of best practices aimed at furthering UCLA's research efforts geared toward private industry. UCLA is also considering a 20,000-square foot off-campus incubator, possibly in its existing facility in Santa Monica, to conduct early-state research. Eventually the university plans to develop a full-fledged research park, she added. To determine the criteria for what kind of startups will be housed in the incubator and how long they should stay, OIP-ISR has established a faculty advisory committee that includes CNSI members, the School of Medicine, the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of Public Health, the College of Letters and Science, the Anderson School and the School of Law. The success of startups in the incubator program will be judged by a set of criteria that the OIP-ISR is still in the process of determining. The extent of funding, especially in today's economic climate, will be one measure, Atchison said, adding that another measure will be the speed with which startups accelerate their research by demanding increased access to core lab facilities. Companies are already showing interest. "We received 13 applications today and we haven't even had an official opening," quipped Atchison. The CNSI's activities and its interim director's effort to promote them have generated "lots of excitement and are really going to pay off," said Chancellor Gene D. Block in the conference's keynote address. Recounting what he called an "intellectual property story that was painful for me," he said that 12 years ago he was riding in a car driven by a former colleague of his from the University of Virginia when he noticed that the colleague's use of a cell phone was hampering his driving. "Normally we have these high-frequency corrections on the steering wheel, and I noticed that when you're on a cell phone you weave a little bit because you can't pay attention to two things at one time," Block said. He recalled thinking that "if you have an artificial intelligence program that keeps track of steering wheel movements, you could pretty accurately tell whether a person's fatigued or inebriated and there might actually be a way to prevent an accident." Block said that "being an inventor," he shot off a proposal to the UVA's patent foundation. "And I get this response: 'Well, you know, we need some more research, and we really don't have the facilities ... and we can't really support these activities to get them to a place where they might be marketable.' " Still, Block "always liked that idea." Sure enough, he later came across a magazine article about automobile gizmos, "and right there it said that the high-end Mercedes is coming out with a program that measures wheel movements using artificial intelligence programs ..." The moral of that story, Block said, is that "there is a need for investments in intellectual property" because, more than ever before, California requires business-oriented technology from universities like UCLA, the largest land-grant university in the nation's second-largest city, where the unemployment rate is currently high. UCLA graduates often end up in Northern California for information technology opportunities and in Southern California for opportunities in the pharmacological industry, Block said, adding: "One of the goals of this incubator is to keep technology here in Los Angeles, where we have a tremendous debt to our community." UCLA Today[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Thu, 26 Mar 2009 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=712568 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=712568 A fact-finding group from the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) visited CNSI to collect information on the current state of nanotechnology in the United States. CNSI was singled out for special attention because of its leading role in this field. Discussions were held regarding nanoscience research presently underway at CNSI, and the process of commercializing these results. A final report of their findings will be submitted to MEXT, the Japanese ministry which funds academic research, and will be the basis for Japanese government policies on support for nanotechnology over the next decade. The JST delegation was lead by Dr. Jun'ichi Sone, Vice President for Research at NEC and included; Dr. Hitoshi Tabata, Professor of Electronic Engineering at the University of Tokyo; Kohei Uosaki, Ph.D., Professor of Physical Chemistry at Hokkaido University; Naoya Kaneko, Fellow, Center for Research and Development Strategy, Japan Science and Technology Agency; Hiroshi Tsuda, Fellow, Center for Research and Development Strategy, Japan Science and Technology Agency; Tomohiro Nakayama, Ph.D., Fellow, Program Officer, Center for Research and Development Strategy, Japan Science and Technology Agency; Kazunobu Tanaka, Ph.D., Principal Fellow, Center for Research and Development Strategy, Japan Science and Technology Agency. Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=712637 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=712637 A delegation from the Kyoto Environmental Nanotechnology Cluster (EnviNano) at the University of Kyoto met with Professor Andre Nel[1], Director of the Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (CEIN) at CNSI. The group was lead by Kazumi Matsushige, Professor of Electrical Engineering and former Vice President of the University of Kyoto. Discussions were held regarding collaborations between CEIN and EnviNano in the field of nanotoxicology, a topic of great interest in Japan. Prof. Nel was invited to be a keynote speaker at the International Forum and Expo on EnviNano and Green Industry, to be held in July, 2010 in Kyoto. The visit concluded with the signing of an MOU between CEIN and EnviNano by Prof. Nel and Prof. Matsushige, pictured above. Center for the Environmental Impact of Nanotechnology[2] Kyoto EnviNano Center[3] [1] [2] [3] Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=699781 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=699781 Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and CNSI Member Aydogan Ozcan[1] has been selected to receive a *2009 ONR Young Investigator Award* for his work entitled "_A New Approach for High-throughput Battlefield Diagnostics and Tele-medicine; Lensfree On-Chip Imaging using Digital Holography and Nano-Plasmonics._" This year only 15 young investigators from all disciplines of engineering and physical sciences were received this award from a pool of 193 proposals. The objectives of the Young Investigator Program (YIP) are to attract to naval research outstanding new faculty members at institutions of higher education, to support their research, and to encourage their teaching and research careers. Professor Aydogan Ozcan joined UCLA in July 2007. He received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 2005. After a short post-doctoral fellowship at Stanford, he was appointed as a Faculty Member at the rank of Instructor at Harvard Medical School before joining UCLA in the summer of 2007, where he is currently an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering leading the Bio and Nano-Photonics Laboratory[2]. Dr. Ozcan holds 15 licensed and 9 pending US patents for his inventions in nanoscopy, wide-field imaging, nonlinear optics, fiber optics, and optical coherence tomography. He is also the co-author of more than 60 peer reviewed research articles in major scientific journals and conferences. Professor Ozcan's research interests include photonics and its applications to nano and bio-technology, including but not limited to (a) imaging the nano-world, especially in bio-compatible settings; (b) providing powerful solutions to global health related problems such as measurement of the cell count of HIV patients in resource limited settings; (c) rapid and parallel detection of hundreds of thousands of molecular level binding events targeting microarray based proteomics and genomics; and (d) monitoring of the biological state of 3D engineered tissues. [1] [2] Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=696012 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=696012 Kang L Wang[1] received the 2009 Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) University Researcher Award presented at the annual SIA Washington conference on March 12. Dr. Wang is currently Raytheon Chair Professor of Physical Electronics in the Electrical Engineering Department of the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science at UCLA. He also serves as the Director of the Center of Functional Engineered NanoArchitectonics (FENA) and Director of the Western Institute of Nanoelectronics (WIN) and as an Associate Director of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA. "The 'crown jewel' in the U.S. innovation ecosystem is our network of world-leading research universities," said Hector Ruiz, chairman of SIA, announcing the award to Wang. "America's research universities attract the best and brightest students and teachers from around the world. University researchers do the fundamental research that has enabled U.S. chipmakers to lead the world in developing innovative products and solutions. Each year, the SIA recognizes university researchers who have made significant contributions to solving the obstacles that must be overcome to continue on our technology roadmap," Ruiz continued. (from SIA release) Wang received the university researcher award to recognize his relevant work addressing the significant challenges the semiconductor industry is facing as they move beyond the horizons of the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors. His award was followed with personal congratulatory letters and meetings with Jerry Lewis and Henry Waxman, Californian representatives of the US Congress. "Your contributions to the semiconductor industry set a wonderful example on how hard work and commitment can keep America competitive", said Congressman Jerry Lewis in his letter to Dr. Wang. "Dedicated and talented researchers like you are key to the success of our nation's innovation efforts" was echoed by Congressman Waxman. Dr. Kang Wang has been a professor in the Electrical Engineering Department at UCLA since 1979, and served as chair of the department from 1993 to 1996. His contributions include fundamental properties of SiGe strained layers and the first demonstration of the strained Complementary Metal Oxide Transistors (CMOS). He has directed research projects across the nation in semiconductor through FENA and WIN. His work on nanodevices, self-assembly of quantum structures, spintronics materials and devices, and more recently electric field control of nanoscale ferromagnetic semiconductor devices as well as other basic research to develop technologies enables continued progress in semiconductor technology beyond the limits of CMOS. He holds more than 25 patents and has published over 400 papers. He has received many awards, including IBM Faculty Award; Guggenheim Fellow; IEEE Fellow; TSMC Honor Lectureship Award; Honoris Causa at Politechnico University, Torino, Italy; Semiconductor Research Corporation Inventor Awards; European Material Research Society Meeting Best paper award; the Semiconductor Research Corporation Technical Excellence Achievement Award. The SIA is the leading voice for the semiconductor industry and has represented U.S. semiconductor companies since 1977 such as IBM, Intel, Motorola, Texas Instruments, and Applied Materials. The semiconductor industry is America's second-largest exporting industry. Semiconductor Today[2] [1] [2] Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=688443 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=688443 *World-Renowned Researcher, Physician and Surgeon Will Assemble Team of Global Visionaries to Explore Innovative Ideas for Life Sciences X PRIZEs* The X PRIZE Foundation, an educational nonprofit prize institute dedicated to fostering radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity, today announced the appointment of Patrick Soon-Shiong, M.D., as Chairman of its Life Sciences Prize Group Steering Committee (GSC). Under Dr. Soon-Shiong's direction, the GSC will steer the direction of future Life Science related X PRIZEs to ensure that they address the audacious grand challenges where market failures currently exist. The Life Sciences GSC will address such subjects as healthcare, genomics, proteonomics, bionics/human augmentation, rapid disease detection, disease prevention, human longevity and artificial intelligence in medical diagnosis. Dr. Soon-Shiong, who also serves as Chairman and CEO for Abraxis BioScience Inc., a global pharmaceutical company, will soon expand the group to include other key individuals that represent the breadth of the life sciences areas. "The need to transform healthcare in our country is a national, moral and economic imperative. Stimulating innovation through nonprofit organizations such as The X PRIZE Foundation is an important catalyst. It is my vision that X PRIZEs will help transform healthcare in the United States," said Soon-Shiong. "This transformation will require the integration of many disciplines both within life sciences and others that encompass math, informatics and energy to achieve accelerated outcomes to solve some of the most complex challenges we face today. My role as Chairman of the Group Steering Committee will be to ensure that the Foundation remains focused on the grand challenges facing humanity and applies X PRIZEs to areas that could have meaningful impact in changing the lives of all." The X PRIZE Foundation is currently operating a single prize in the Life Sciences area -- the Archon Genomic X PRIZE -- which challenges scientists and bioengineers to be the first to sequence 100 human genomes within 10 days or less. Several others are in development, including a Healthcare X PRIZE in partnership with WellPoint Inc., one of the nation's largest health benefits companies. Other potential prizes include: point-of-care tuberculosis diagnosis, bionics and vision restoration. Life Sciences currently represents the Foundation's most active portfolio of prize development. "Dr. Soon-Shiong's vision for healthcare, coupled with his extraordinary credentials as a scientist, physician and innovator, makes him ideal to lead the Foundation's Life Sciences Prize Group Steering Committee," said Robert K. Weiss, President, The X PRIZE Foundation. "We're thrilled that he will champion the X PRIZE model for innovation in Life Sciences." Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, Chairman and CEO, The X PRIZE Foundation, adds, "Dr. Soon-Shiong has a breadth of interests and expertise that spans all the areas of Life Sciences prize development that the Foundation is pursuing. The audacity of his vision and his desire to boldly change the future of Life Sciences makes him a natural partner for The X PRIZE Foundation and the best choice for Chairman of our Group Steering Committee. I'm excited to be working with him." ABOUT PATRICK SOON-SHIONG Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong is Chairman and CEO of the global pharmaceutical company, Abraxis BioScience Inc. A noted researcher, physician and surgeon, Soon-Shiong developed and co-invented the nanoparticle delivery technology known as Abraxane, which is used in the treatment of advanced metastatic breast cancer. This technology is also being developed for lung, ovarian, prostate, melanoma, head and neck cancers. Dr. Soon-Shiong's research has received numerous national awards, including: the American College of Surgeons Schering Award, the Peter Kiewit Distinguished Membership in Medicine Award, and the International J.W. Hyatt Award for Service to Mankind. He is the recipient of the Gilda Club Award for the advancement of cancer medicine, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the St. Mary Medical Center Life Achievement Award, the St. John's Health Center Caritas Award, and the Medical Visionary Award from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. His work has also been recognized by such noted organizations as the Association for Academic Surgery and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons. Dr. Soon-Shiong currently serves on the Board of Directors for the National Institute of Transplantation, the Technology Council for the new Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence at Northwestern University and advisory boards for the RAND Corporation, the RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy, the RAND Health Board, and The President's Council at RAND. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the Saint John's Health Center in Los Angeles, the Advisory Board of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, and the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Dr. Soon-Shiong has turned his attention more intensively onto the widening gap between the rapid advancements in medicine and physicians' cognitive abilities to process and interpret large amounts of information at a rapid pace. As Chairman of the newly formed Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation, Dr. Soon-Shiong is focused on charitable endeavors that will transform healthcare in America. ABOUT THE X PRIZE FOUNDATION The X PRIZE Foundation is an educational nonprofit prize institute whose mission is to create radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. On October 4, 2004, The X PRIZE Foundation captured world headlines when Mojave Aerospace Ventures, led by legendary aircraft designer Burt Rutan and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, built and flew the world's first private vehicle to space twice in two weeks to win the $10 million Ansari X PRIZE. The X PRIZE Foundation has since launched the $10 million Archon X PRIZE for Genomics, the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE and the $10 million Progressive Automotive X PRIZE. The Foundation will continue to offer new prizes for breakthroughs in the areas of life improvement, exploration, equity of opportunity and sustainability. The X PRIZE Foundation is widely recognized as the leading model for fostering innovation through competition. For more information, please visit www.xprize.org[1]. Soon-Shiong Appointment Press Release[2] [1] [2] Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=688470 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=688470 *Stem cell order may help boost local economy* The stroke of a pen gave local scientists a renewed sense of freedom Monday as they looked forward to a period of unfettered stem cell research something they feel could eventually lead to cures for a number of diseases. President Obama's decision to lift a ban on federal funding for stem cell research pumps life back into a number of stalled projects in a state that leads the nation in stem cell study. "Many of the cumbersome restrictions imposed on scientists under Bush have been relieved," said Dr.Owen Witte[1], director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research. "As a scientist, I think the president's announcement spoke very clearly that scientists should not be fettered and tied but enabled to do the creative work we are capable of." The news was especially well-received in California, whose scientists complained that the eight years of restrictions placed on them by George W. Bush stymied the flow of exploring, unraveling and sharing work about embryonic stem cells. Obama's executive order will allow research labs to operate at their full potential. The loosening up of federal funds gives California even greater momentum as a leader in biomedical research, experts said. California voters approved Proposition 71 in November 2004, authorizing the sale of $3 billion in bonds to fund stem-cell research over the next 10 years. The measure created the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, which has since allocated $700 million in grants for stem-cell research statewide. "I'm pretty optimistic that California will stay at the forefront," said John Robson, vice president for operations at CIRM. "For people who are awaiting treatments, it's great news because there will be more people working on the problems," Robson said. "It's going to make it easier for us to meet our mission in a timely way." It could also offer a timely boost to the local economy, said Jack Kyser, senior vice president for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. "This is positive for the region, as more grant money comes in," Kyers said. "New treatments could mean new companies could open." At least two local universities already have the infrastructure to flourish. In recent years, stem cell research centers at the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Southern California benefited from $75 million in donations by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad. The University of California's San Francisco campus also received some of those funds. "With federal funds now available, the rest of the country can follow California's lead," Eli Broad said in a statement. "Without a doubt, stem cell research will lead to the dramatic improvement in the human condition and will benefit millions of people." But some physicians cautioned against expecting immediate results from the lifting of the ban. "I don't want people to think (it) will be a cure for cancer tomorrow," said Dr. Peter Weiss, an obstetrician-gynecologist who practices in Beverly Hills and is a clinical professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA School of Medicine. "My job as a physician is to tell patients the truth." Still, scientists say the removal of the ban bodes well for treating diseases like macular degeneration, which deteriorates vision. "It's a particularly important message to the young," said Martin Pera, director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC. "It means they have a future." Los Angeles Daily News[2] [1] [2] Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=695565 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=695565 *WHAT:* The California NanoSystems Institute and the Office of Intellectual Property and Industry Sponsored Research will hold a conference to introduce the UCLA on-campus Incubator at CNSI as a novel way to support faculty research and the commercialization of university research. The conference will bring together a unique mix of faculty entrepreneurs, and representatives from industry start-up companies and venture capital firms who will discuss the role of technology transfer and the importance of technology incubators and will give illuminating case histories. The UCLA Incubator is the first on-campus incubator with a built in education program. Workshops are planned in cooperation with the Anderson School of Management and the School of Law to provide start-ups with support in all areas of business development. UCLA supports economic development of the scientific findings which are generated with federal support. *WHEN:* Tuesday, March 24th, 2009 3:00 pm 6:00 pm *WHO:* Conference Participants include: *Leonard H. Rome* _Welcome Remarks_ CNSI Interim Director, Senior Associate Dean for Research, David Geffen School of Medicine *Kathryn Atchison* _Incubator Program and Role of Technology Transfer_ Vice Provost of Intellectual Property & Industry Relations *UCLA Chancellor Gene Block* _Key Speaker_ Industry/start-up representatives and panel of faculty entrepreneurs/VCs: *Jeff Green*, CEO Nano H2O _keynote speaker_ *Wenyuan Shi*, Founding Scientist and Chief Scientific Advisor, C3 *Jim Kim*, Senior Partner, CMEA Capital *John Miao*, TomoSoft Technologies, LLC *WHERE:* The California NanoSystems Institute 570 Westwood Plaza, Building 114 Los Angeles, CA 90095 310-267-4838 www.cnsi.ucla.edu[1] *RSVP & INFORMATION:* cnsievents@cnsi.ucla.edu[2] *MEDIA CONTACT:* Jennifer Marcus jmarcus@cnsi.ucla.edu[3] Mike Rodewald mrodewald@cnsi.ucla.edu[4] *PARKING:* Parking will be available in Lot 9 on Westwood Plaza. Media should RSVP to media contact for parking reservations. *ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND:* The UCLA On-campus Technology Incubator is an innovative resource designed to help accelerate the growth of entrepreneurial start-up companies and early stage research projects based on technologies developed by UCLA faculty. It represents the first on-campus technology incubator that includes a built in education program. The UCLA on-campus Technology Incubator at CNSI will ultimately house 4-5 start-up companies which will use the space for early stage incubation purposes. Having developmental lab space on campus with close access to UCLA faculty researchers and lab facilities is highly desirable for such start up companies. In addition, workshops are planned in cooperation with the UCLA Office of Intellectual Property, the Anderson School of Management and the School of Law to provide start-ups with support in all areas of business development. The CNSI's physical facilities offer eight core lab facilities with state-of-the-art imaging instrumentations and nanofabrication clean rooms. A new Incubation space is in development to provide a suite of "research incubation" laboratories for new, highly interactive, cross-disciplinary research projects. The space will include an integrated cluster of offices and conferencing facilities. UCLA Newsroom[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=687784 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=687784 _*New technology presented at world's largest optical communication conference produces better sources of white light*_ A freak wave at sea is a terrifying sight. Seven stories tall, wildly unpredictable, and incredibly destructive, such waves have been known to emerge from calm waters and swallow ships whole. But rogue waves of light -- rare and explosive flare-ups that are mathematically similar to their oceanic counterparts -- have recently been tamed by a group of researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). UCLA's Daniel Solli, Claus Ropers, and Bahram Jalali[1], a member of CNSI, are putting rogue light waves to work in order to produce brighter, more stable white light sources, a breakthrough in optics that may pave the way for better clocks, faster cameras, and more powerful radar and communications technologies. Their findings will be presented during the Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exposition/National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference (OFC/NFOEC), taking place March 22-26 in San Diego. Rogue bursts of light were first spotted a year ago during the generation of a special kind of radiation called supercontinuum (SC). SC light is created by shooting laser pulses into crystals and optical fibers. Like the incandescent bulb in a lamp, it shines with a white light that spans an extremely broad spectrum. But unlike a bulb's soft diffuse glow, SC light maintains the brightness and directionality of a laser beam. This makes it suitable for a wide variety of applications -- a fact recognized by the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded in part to scientists who used SC light to measure atomic transitions with extraordinary accuracy. Despite more than 40 years of research, SC light has proven to be difficult to control and prone to instability. Though rogue waves are not the cause of this instability, the UCLA researchers suspected that a better understanding of how noise in SC light triggers rogue waves could improve their control of this bright white light. Rogue waves occur randomly in SC light and are so short-lived that the team had to employ a new technique just to spot them. Although they are rare, they are more common than would be predicted by a bell curve distribution, governed instead by the same "L-shaped" statistics that describe other extreme events like volcanic eruptions and stock market crashes. By tinkering with the initial laser pulses used to create SC light, Solli and his team discovered how to reproduce the rogue waves, harness them, and put them to work. His results, to be presented at OFC/NFOEC 2009, demonstrate that a weak burst of light, broadcast at the perfect "tickle spot," produces a rogue wave on demand. Instead of disrupting things, it stabilizes SC light, reducing fluctuations by at least 90 percent. The seed wave also decreases the amount of energy needed to produce a supercontinuum by 25 percent. The process, says Solli, is similar to boiling water. "If you heat pure water, it can boil suddenly and explosively," he says. "But normal water has nucleation sites for bubble formation that -- like our seed waves stimulate the supercontinuum -- help the water boil smoothly with less heat." This new-and-improved white light, funded by DARPA, could help to push forward a range of technologies. Solli and Jalali are developing time-stretching devices that slow down electrical signals; such devices could be used in new optical analog-to-digital converters 1,000 times faster than current electronic versions. These converters could help to overcome the current conversion-rate bottleneck that holds back advanced radar and communication technologies. Stabilized SC light could also be used to create super-fast cameras for laboratory use or incorporated into optical clockworks. The talk, "Stimulated Supercontinuum Generation," presentation OWU7, will take place Wednesday, March 25 at 5 p.m. PDT. EurekAlert[2] [1] [2] Mon, 09 Mar 2009 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=690857 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=690857 *Core Lab Open House Thursday, March 19, 2009 WHAT:* The California NanoSystems Institute is holding an open house to introduce its shared resource core labs facilities. Come learn about the wide variety of cutting edge instrumentation available for research. Presentation overviews will be given by Lab Directors in the auditorium, followed by demonstrations in the labs. *WHO:* Faculty Directors and Scientific Directors of the following labs will be participating: *Advanced Light Microscopy / Spectroscopy (with Macro-Scale Imaging facility)* Laurent A. Bentolila, Scientific Director; Shimon Weiss, PI *Center for Quantum Research (CQuaRe)* Alexandros Shailos, Technical Director; Hong-Wen Jiang, PI *Electron Imaging Center for NanoMachines (EICN)* Sergey Ryazantsev, Associate Director and Ivo Atanasov, Associate Director; Z. Hong Zhou, PI *Integrated NanoMaterials Lab* Diana Huffaker, PI *Integrated Systems Nanofabrication Cleanroom (ISNC)* Steve Franz, Technical Director; Kang Wang, PI *Molecular Screening Shared Resource (MSSR)* Robert Damoiseaux, Scientific Director; Ken Bradley, PI *Nano and Pico Characterization* Adam Stieg, Technical Director; James Gimzewski, PI *WHEN:* Thursday, March 19th 9:00 9:30 a.m. Continental Breakfast 9:30 11:00 a.m. Core Overviews 10min talks by Tech Directors 11:00 a.m. 12:30 p.m. Facility Tour to View Equipment 12:30 1:30 p.m. Lunch and Poster Sessions 1:30 4:00 p.m. Facility Tour to View Equipment *WHERE:* The California NanoSystems Institute, UCLA 570 Westwood Plaza, Building 114 Los Angeles, CA 90095 310-267-4838 www.cnsi.ucla.edu[1] *R.S.V.P. & INFORMATION:* Please RSVP to cnsievents@cnsi.ucla.edu[2]. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. *MEDIA CONTACT:* Mike Rodewald at mrodewald@cnsi.ucla.edu[3] *ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND:* The equipment demonstrations will be on the B Level of the CNSI building. Sign-in sheets will be made available for each lab throughout the day. Due to ongoing construction, not all the Core Labs will be demonstrating equipment. A second open house will be held in the fall of 2009 with equipment demonstrations by all CNSI Core Labs. Visit the CNSI Equipment Reservation System http://clms.cnsi.ucla.edu/cnsi/clms/[4]. [1] [2] [3] [4] Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=684267 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=684267 A UCLA delegation recently took part in a historic international event the signing of the first bilateral science and engineering agreement between the United States and Cyprus as part of the Obama administration's initiative to encourage research cooperation with developing countries. The agreement between Cyprus and the U.S. was signed Feb. 5 by Cyprus Minister of Finance Charilaos Stravrakis and US Ambassador Frank C. Urbancic in Nicosia, Cyprus. It aims to strengthen scientific and technological capabilities, broaden and expand relations between scientific and technological communities in both countries, and promote scientific and technological cooperation for mutual benefit. Invited to present at seminars held in honor of the signing were three from UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI). Among the 12 invitees were faculty from MIT and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Representing UCLA were Kosmos Galatsis, executive director of the Center on Functional Engineered NanoArchitectonics and the Western Institute of Nanoelectronics in the Electrical Engineering Department; Ioanna Kakoulli, assistant professor of materials science and engineering and the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology; and Alexandros Shailos, technical director of the Quantum Research Core Facility at the CNSI. "This is a huge honor for the UCLA community," said Roberto Peccei, vice chancellor for research at UCLA. "Our presence at this historical event places UCLA at the cutting edge of government in science and technology and will help strengthen UCLA's reputation as a leader in nanotechnology and archaeological research and development." Potential collaborations with UCLA researchers can have a significant impact on the future development of science and technology in up-and-coming tech-based countries such as Cyprus. "The CNSI has a solid track record for developing associations and conducting collaborations with technology institutions around the globe, and we look forward to building productive associations in Cyprus which have the potential to result in important developments in scientific research." said Leonard H. Rome[1], interim director of the CNSI and associate dean for research for the David Geffen School of Medicine. Representing a wide range of backgrounds, the UCLA delegates highlighted research going on at the campus in three arenas nanotechnology, archaeology and oceanography. Galatsis, for example, described the campus's leadership in nanotechnology research and development in his talk on cooperation between academia and business. Kakoulli showcased the novel approaches and cutting-edge research in the fields of heritage preservation and geobioarchaeology while Shailos talked about research undertaken at CNSI in novel materials, device structures as well as various experimental techniques. During their stay, the visiting faculty toured research facilities and museums with a focus on discussing nanotechnology, archaeology and conservation. "We are committed to sharing ideas for establishing a blueprint for Cyprus' nanotechnology research and development initiatives and its continued growth in the area of archaeology research." Peccei said. The expansion of strategic government funding programs will be vital to the plan along with government-university collaboration models. UCLA Today[2] [1] [2] Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=684273 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=684273 The CITRIS Headquarters held its opening celebration and ribbon cutting for its new building, named Sutardja Dai Hali the new home of CITRIS and the Dado and Maria Banatao Institute@Citris Berkeley. CITRIS, the Center for Information Technology in the Interest of Society, serves faculty and students from UC campuses at Berkeley, David, Merced and Santa Cruz, as well as industry partners. "This date marks an exciting moment as the official opening of (CITRIS), a research hub where interdisciplinary teams seek out solutions to pressing societal challenges using information technology," said Leonard H. Rome[1], Interim Director of the California NanoSystems Institute and Senior Associate Dean for Research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "Under the strong leadership of Paul K. Wright, Director of CITRIS and the Dado & Maria Banatao Institute @CITRIS Berkeley, this institute is destined to become a vital resource for the State of California." Both CNSI and CITRIS are two of the four Governor Gray Davis Institutes for Science and Innovation along with the California Institute of Quantitative Biosciences (qb3) and the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2). The four institutes were established to drive innovation in response to the changing climate of global competitiveness in all areas of technology Built with private and public funds, the new building creates and environment conducive to collaboration at CITRIS on many fronts such as researching next-generation nanotechnology; designing broadband wireless networks and other technologies for low-cost, reliable communication and advancing health care and its delivery through innovation in telemedicine, clinical tools, and related technologies. Since 2001, CITRIS[2] has been creating solutions for environmental, social and health care challenges by promoting collaborative research and teaching in information technology. The CITRIS headquarters building was built through a partnership of state funding and philanthropy. The program featured remarks by UC president Mark Yudof, UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert Birgeneau, former California governor Gray Davis, and others, as well as guided tours and interactive exhibits. CITRIS Headquarters Opening Celebration[3] Berkeley Engineering News Center[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=677937 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=677937 Leading figures from a variety of disciplines will present scientific and technological research on sound and hearing and will discuss the potential applications and impact of such research in the areas of culture, politics, the environment, art and music during UCLA's "Sound + Science" symposium March 5 and 6. Organized by the UCLA Art|Sci Center, the two-day symposium will take place in the auditorium of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA (CNSI) and will include presentations, film screenings, discussions and social gatherings. The symposium emerges in response to the dominance of the visual in academia and in Western culture at large and draws from a growing body of research and critical study on the auditory dimension of experience. Commonalities among the various approaches to sonic investigation present unique opportunities for fostering new connections across disciplines, and the resulting convergence of minds, perspectives and research will help give rise to new modalities of thought and an enhanced understanding and appreciation of the aural world around us. *Thursday, March 5* The first day of the symposium will feature presentations related to technologically mediated forms of listening from the nanoscale of cells to the macroscale of solar winds and similarly mediated modes of musical expression. The field of acoustic ecology will also be highlighted, with keynotes on animal communication, alarm calling and predator detection, as they apply to conservation biology and national security. The day will conclude with a research presentation on auditory illusions, followed by a reception. *Friday, March 6* Day Two of the symposium will focus on critical studies of sound and science, as they relate to art, philosophy, music and experience. Topics will include aural epistemology, navigational soundscapes for the blind, artistic approaches to sonification, the aesthetics of natural radio, the exploration of music and technology through semiotics and ethnographic study, and the study of brain networks for tracking musical structure. Symposium presenters will include Peter Narins, Dolores Bozovic[1] and Daniel Blumstein, of UCLA; Ricardo Dominguez, Miller Puckette and Diana Deutsch, of UC San Diego; James Marston and Curtis Roads, of UC Santa Barbara; Petr Janata, James Crutchfield and Douglas Kahn, of UC Davis; Rene Lysloff and Paulo Chagas, of UC Riverside; Laura Peticolas, of UC Berkeley; Veit Erlmann, of the University of Texas; and Andrea Polli, of the University of New Mexico. For a full schedule of speakers and events, as well as directions, please visit http://artsci.ucla.edu/sound[2] or call 310-794-2118. Talks will be streamed live during the symposium on the Art|Sci website[3]. "Sound + Science" is organized by Tyler Adams of the UCLA Art|Sci Center and is made possible by the support of the University of California Digital Arts Research Network, the CNSI and UCLA's School of the Arts and Architecture. All symposium events are free and open to the public. Campus parking is available for $9 in Lot 9 (enter the campus from Westwood Boulevard). [1] [2] [3] Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=678501 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=678501 *Article from Chemical & Engineering News about 2009 ACS Award in the Chemistry of Materials winner and CNSI Member Omar Yaghi.* Geometry is at the heart of chemistry, and in the work of Omar M. Yaghi[1], this year's winner, the marriage of chemical form and function is blatant and welcome. In his metal organic framework (MOF) crystals and related networklike structures, which Yaghi, 43, collectively refers to as reticular chemistry, geometry becomes beautifully real. What's more, chances are good that it will become useful, technology-generating geometry, too. BASF, the largest chemical company in the world, has begun selling several of Yaghi's structures. Trademarked as Basolite, the new line of microporous crystals is touted by the company as having "the world record in surface area"-on the order of a football field per gram. Think of catalysis, carbon capture and sequestration to combat greenhouse gas emission, hydrogen storage for vehicles, and gas separation systems, and you get an idea of how Yaghi, a professor in the department of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of California, Los Angeles, envisions the future for this growing class of structures whose members already number in the thousands. By mixing and matching metal oxide nodes with a wide variety of organic struts, Yaghi and his colleagues have made an enormous variety of MOFs. Using these and other molecular building blocks, Yaghi also has been making MOPs, COFs, and even ZIFs-that is, metal-organic polyhedra, covalent organic frameworks, and zeolite imidazolate frameworks, respectively. "The synthetic space is unbelievable," Yaghi says. And over the years, Yaghi has developed synthetic principles and procedures that have inspired others to join the MOF movement. "The recent work of Omar Yaghi has vitalized and clearly dominates the field, indeed to a large extent has served to define it," collaborator Michael O'Keeffe of Arizona State University notes, referring to MOF R&D. "He has certainly opened up this area of metal organic frameworks by demonstrating you can use organic molecules as Tinkertoys," adds professor of chemistry Michael D. Ward, director of New York University's Molecular Design Institute. "This enables you to develop a versatile class of compounds with an incredible diversity of functions," notes Ward, whose own work centers on designing molecular building blocks that assemble into solids by way of hydrogen-bonding. Among MOFs' most tantalizing abilities is storing lots of carbon dioxide, methane, hydrogen, and other gas molecules without having to apply high pressures or cool down the gases. "I tell students it's like bees congregating on a honeycomb," Yaghi says. Yaghi, one of 13 brothers and sisters, moved to America from Jordan when he was 15 years old to pursue an education. When he was applying for graduate school, he was captivated by a spherical metal oxide structure made by Walter G. Klemperer of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, which he saw in UI's graduate school catalog. Under Klemperer's tutelage, Yaghi earned a Ph.D. in 1990. After a two-year postdoctoral stint at Harvard University in Richard Holm's inorganic chemistry laboratory, Yaghi was a chemistry faculty member at Arizona State and then the University of Michigan, each time for seven years, before landing in 2005 at his present venue at UCLA. Among his previous awards is ACS's Solid-State Chemistry Award (1988). Yaghi will present the award address before the Division of Inorganic Chemistry. Chemical & Engineering News[2] [1] [2] Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=675226 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=675226 *CNSI Members Paula Diaconescu and Yi Tang Among Awardees* Four exceptional young scientists at UCLA are among 118 scientists and scholars from 61 colleges and universities in the United States and Canada to receive 2009 Sloan Research Fellowships from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The fellowships are awarded to "exceptional young researchers" based on their "outstanding promise of making fundamental contributions to new knowledge," according to the New York-based foundation. UCLA is tied for fifth in the nation in the number of 2009 Sloan Research Fellowships awarded to its faculty members, along with Princeton University and the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Only the University of California, Berkeley; Harvard University; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and the University of Chicago have more 2009 fellows. The UCLA recipients are: *Paula Diaconescu* Assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry, CNSI Member and an expert on inorganic chemistry, whose research involves the design and synthesis of complexes with specific geometric and electronic properties. (http://copper.chem.ucla.edu/pldgroup/index.htm[1]) *Eleazar Eskin* Assistant professor of computer science and human genetics, who develops techniques for solving the computational problems that arise in attempting to understand the genetic basis of human disease. (http://zarlab.cs.ucla.edu[2]) *Patrik Guggenberger* Assistant professor of economics and an expert on econometrics, who develops statistical methods that are of use for estimation and testing of economic models. (www.econ.ucla.edu/people/faculty/Guggenberger.html[3]) *Yi Tang* Associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, CNSI Member and an expert on natural product biochemistry, engineered biosynthesis, biocatalysis and protein engineering, and biomaterials. (www.seas.ucla.edu/~yitang/index.htm[4]) Sloan Research Fellowships are intended to enhance the careers of exceptional young scientists and scholars in physics, chemistry, mathematics, neuroscience, economics, computer science and molecular biology. [1] [2] [3] [4] Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=662783 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=662783 CNSI researchers Heather Maynard[1] and Yong Chen[2] have demonstrated for the first time the ability to nanopattern multiple proteins on surfaces in three dimensions. The research also included two dimensional patterning of different proteins utilizing electron beam (e-beam) lithography, which until their work had been limited to producing patterns of one protein. The ability to create specific patterns of proteins on surfaces is expected to result in medical diagnostics and biosensors with lower thresholds to detect the early onset of various diseases. Being able to precisely control binding of more than one biomolecule at the nanoscale should provide substances for scientists and engineers interested in fundamental interactions and applications. E-beam lithography can not only generate different shapes, sizes, and curvatures with very high resolutions, but it can also control inter-feature spacings precisely. The capacity to generate patterns with different topographies should provide researchers with the ability to better mimic complex biological structures found in Nature. Their research appeared in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS) on December 15, 2008, click here[3] to view the paper, subscription required. Maynard is an Associate Professor in the Chemistry and Biochemistry department, Chen is a Professor in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department. The strategy utilizes e-beam-induced cross-linking of poly(ethylene glycol) star polymers functionalized at the ends with various reactive groups such that, when bound in patterns on the surface, the groups direct where the proteins will bind. The polymer patterns determine the placement of the proteins on the surface, and both side by side patterns and multilayer structures were realized. Their flexible fabrication strategy combines many important features desirable for nanobiotechnology: namely, multiple proteins are self sorted onto surfaces into designs that are limited only by one's imagination, with minimal nonspecific adsorption, and in specific orientations with precise topographies. [1] [2] [3] Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=674257 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=674257 Structures capable of selectively capturing and storing carbon dioxide created by UCLA's Christopher S. Foote Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Omar Yaghi[1] are featured as one of the top ten green breakthroughs of 2008 by Wired.com, the technology magazine's website. The structures, called zeolitic imidazolate frameworks, or ZIFs, were first reported in the Feb 15th, 2008 issue of the journal Science. Prof. Yaghi is also the Faculty Director for the Center for Reticular Chemistry at the California NanoSystems Institute. Wired.com's Top 10 Green-Tech Breakthroughs of 2008[2] More Information on Prof. Yaghi's ZIF Research[3] [1] [2] [3] Wed, 18 Feb 2009 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=671805 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=671805 *H.P.'s Hunk of Burning Light* It's clear that you're deep in the belly of a research and development lab when someone starts talking smack about his ability to manipulate light. In this case, R. Stanley Williams, the director[1] of quantum science research at Hewlett-Packard, thinks his company has an edge over its close partner, Intel, when it comes to using lasers instead of copper wires to push data around computing centers at amazing speeds. H.P., Intel, I.B.M. and a small group of other companies have their researchers charging after a holy grail of sorts in data centers. They want to create commercial photonics systems that will replace wires as the principal means of moving data between computing systems and between the components in computing systems. An even more daring pursuit revolves around using light to control data on computer chips. While the cost of such technology proves too great for mainstream use today, the researchers believe they can bring the price down and demonstrate incredible increases in networking performance through photonics. Such breakthroughs should prove crucial to keeping the overall performance of computers increasing at historical rates, since its the communications between things like memory, hard drives and processors that often limit hardware designers today. During a recent visit to H.P.'s labs, I saw the fruits of Mr. Williams' labor firsthand in the form of an optical mid-plane for blade servers. (I know, I know, it's the stuff that dreams are made of.) If you're a hardware sicko like me, then witnessing a working optical mid-plane is actually quite moving. (Someone pass me a tissue, please.) Hardware makers today connect tens of compact blade servers into a shared hunk of metal, the mid-plane, which helps the computers communicate. This hunk of metal is a true hunk. It's about as big as, say, a 24-inch flat-screen television and perhaps a bit heavier, depending on your brand of server and TV. H.P. has a working prototype optical mid-plane, produced in conjunction with a toy manufacturer, that's smaller than a standard rolling pin. The new H.P. mid-plane can shuffle data around 1,000 times faster than today's hardware. The speed and flexibility of H.P.'s mid-plane would let customers move software around blade servers at very high rates, meaning that businesses could funnel applications between servers with ease. Such techniques support another holy grail, which is data-center-wide software virtualization where applications can move at high speeds between physical systems. I've seen similar prototypes at Intel's labs, where the company also takes pride in its silicon photonics work. You might think Intel has an edge with such technology, since manipulating silicon is its core business and since much of this work revolves around chips. But that's not the case, according to Mr. Williams. "It's a friendly rivalry, but we think we are a lot better at optics than they are," Mr. Williams said. Hopefully, there will be plenty of security on hand at the next silicon photonics summit. H.P. looks to gain an edge over competitors like I.B.M., Dell and Sun Microsystems by popping its optical systems into products as soon as possible, although that may take a number of years. It will most likely start by selling the optical modules in server hardware aimed at laboratories and businesses willing to pay a higher price for top performance. "Those sales should help drive down the cost," Mr. Williams said. Eventually, H.P. wants to put optical components in a wide variety of hardware from switches right down to PCs. If all of the major systems in a computer used photonics as opposed to copper wires, the computer's performance would rise by a factor of 20, Mr. Williams said. "The future will be light," he said. NYTimes[2] [1] [2] Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=671793 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=671793 The paper, "Multifunctional Inorganic Nanoparticles for Imaging, Targeting, and Drug Delivery", by Andre Nel, Fuyu Tamanoi and Jeff Zink is among the three most access papers of 2008 for the journal ACS Nano. Multifunctional Inorganic Nanoparticles for Imaging, Targeting, and Drug Delivery[1] Monty Liong, Jie Lu, Michael Kovochich, Tian Xia, Stefan G. Ruehm, Andre E. Nel, Fuyuhiko Tamanoi and Jeffrey I. Zink pp 889896 _ACS Nano_, 2008, 2(5). DOI: 10.1021/nn800072t [1] Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=671512 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=671512 Mathematics Professor Russel Caflisch[1] has been appointed director of the Institute for Pure & Applied Mathematics (IPAM). Caflisch has focused his research in mathematical finance, monet carlo methods, kinetic theory, materials science, plasma dynamics, fluid dynamics, and partial differential equations. He served on IPAM's Board of Trustees for several years and as an organizer of two IPAM long programs. He is also a founding member of California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI). Caflisch is an Alfred P. Sloan research fellow and was an invited lecturer at the 2006 International Congress of Mathematicians in Madrid. His research interests include materials science, mathematical finance, Monte Carlo methods, kinetic theory, plasma dynamics, fluid dynamics and PDEs. UCLA Today[2] [1] [2] Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=670678 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=670678 Ultrafast phenomena have interesting scientific properties, but they exist for such a short time it is difficult to study them. This News and Views article from Nature Photonics by CNSI member Bahram Jalali [1] is a discussion of a new method of studying these phenomena developed by researchers at Cornell University. Please see the full article at Nature Photonics.com[2] (subscription required), or download a PDF of the article using the link to the left. [1] [2] Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=667613 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=667613 An interview with Aydogan Ozcan[1] aired on the Science Channel program Brink on Friday, February 6th. The interview, which occurred on campus, was about Prof. Ozcan's lens-free imaging technology. Ozcan is an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at UCLA and a member of CNSI. Ozcan Interview on Brink[2] For more information on the program Brink, see below. Please visit this CNSI news item[3] for more information about the lens-free imaging technology. *About Brink* Designed as the next-generation source of interactive science information on television and on the web, Brink is the premier series for immersing viewers on the frontlines of cutting-edge breakthroughs in technology, research, inventions, discoveries and the mysteries of the scientific world. The series explores people who are on the brink of changing our lives, and will also include content generated from scientists, organizations, universities and viewers from around the world. The series provides viewers with a clear understanding of the impact and relevance science has in our lives today, and offers significant insights into how science may profoundly change our lives tomorrow. Each half-hour episode combines short-form reports on the latest global science news with vital interviews with prominent scientists. Brink's innovative format will also include unusual segments covering a range of subjects from peculiar, avant-garde research to "backyard inventors" who are pushing the limits of science in their own way such as building their own space craft. [1] [2] [3] Mon, 09 Feb 2009 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=665510 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=665510 *Call for Posters!* Deadline: February 20th, 2009 SCSMM Meeting at CNSI UCLA March 4th, 2009 We cordially invite you to present a poster at the next meeting of the Southern California Society for Microscopy and Microanalysis (SCSMM). Please notify John Porter at jrporter@uci.edu[1] ahead of time so that easels can be made available. SCSMM Website[2] [1] [2] Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=664000 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=664000 *Invention turns cell phone into mobile medical lab* *(CNN)* -- When Debbie Gordon and her fellow health-care mission workers go to Belize, there's just so much they can do to treat people in the remote village of Gales Point. Her group, which includes two or three doctors, can only treat the town's 300 villagers based on the symptoms patients describe or what the doctors observe. "If we had the ability to take a device that could do field tests and get back the results in a few days, that would be very helpful," said Gordon, a health educator based in North Carolina, who teaches doctors and nurses about care for sick newborns. How about in a few seconds? Such a device may be available in the near future, and it could turn a cell phone into a mobile medical lab -- and change the way doctors treat patients in rural areas far from hospitals. Professor Aydogan Ozcan[1] of UCLA has taken a typical Sony Ericsson phone, and by adding a few off-the-shelf parts that cost less than $50, he can get it to produce a remarkable image that shows the thousands of cells in a small fluid sample such as human blood. "It is a new way of doing images of cells and bacteria," said Ozcan, an assistant professor in UCLA's electrical engineering department. While other small imaging systems use bulky optics, his group's invention offers "true miniaturization of a laboratory" because there are no lenses and the results are quick and accurate, he said. The device is called LUCAS, which stands for lensless ultra-wide-field cell monitoring array platform based on shadow imaging. It uses a short wavelength blue light to illuminate a sample of liquid -- blood, saliva or another fluid -- on a laboratory slide. LUCAS captures the image to a chip in the cell phone. If the phone is loaded with an algorithm program, it then counts the microparticles much faster than a human can. The image also can be transmitted wirelessly to a computer, which analyzes it and sends back a text message with the results. For instance, CD4 counts -- or the measure of T cells in a person's blood -- can determine if an HIV patient has AIDS. Or a red cell count can help determine if a patient is anemic or might have malaria. Ozcan compares the images to the shadows you see when you walk down the street on a sunny day. "These cells also have a shadow, but their shadows are not like our black shadows, they are much more rich," he said. The holograms produced by the camera are fuzzy and cannot be read by the human eye. Doctors still need microscopes to examine a sample from a patient. The cells are different in shape by type, so the LUCAS system counts the cells using an algorithm developed by the UCLA team. Ozcan said the report generated is 90 percent accurate. The test is not meant to replace sophisticated optics. But the device could offer a fast, preliminary diagnosis in hard-to-reach areas such as remote villages in sub-Saharan Africa, where HIV rates are the highest in the world. "What makes it quite valuable is that it is small and inexpensive," said Skip Garner, professor of Biochemistry and Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas. "It's also the scientific proof of a principle in its very early stages. Once the group puts more and more work into it there are going to be a huge number of applications that are going to come out." Ozcan said he came up with the initial concept about two years ago. Major improvements have come in the past 18 months, but the system is still considered a prototype, he said. In the future if the LUCAS is built into a smart phone or similar hand-held device, it would add only a few dollars to the cost, he said. Ozcan also wants to further develop LUCAS' imaging capability to record events at the molecular level. "We want to go now from microscale to nanoscale," he said. "We want to detect DNA fragments or protein." Garner wonders whether the device could differentiate between similar-looking bacteria. There is good E. coli and bad E. coli, for example, and they are almost identical in structure. Ozcan's team is also still trying to understand the density limits of LUCAS. When there are many cells in a sample, it becomes harder to count them all, Ozcan said. "But if you are looking for a diseased person, it's not usually the count [that is important] but the morphology of the cells," he said. Another potential pitfall is the lack of cell-phone coverage in remote areas. But many Third World countries are developing cellular networks, Ozcan said. Gordon, who has made several mission trips to Belize, says a device with the LUCAS system would be ideal for her team. There are no doctors in Gales Point, so her group's visit is one of the few times medical professionals come to the village. The nearest hospital is more than 90 minutes away. "To get results right away would be phenomenal," she said. "I'd want to test every villager on my next trip." CNN[2] [1] [2] Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=669752 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=669752 Joseph R. Baker, a patent attorney with Gavrilovich, Dodd, and Lindsey, LLP[1] will give a presentation on "Patents 101" covering topics such as record-keeping/notebooks and inventorship determination. *Incubator Seminar Series* Thursday, February 26, 2009 4:00 5:00 PM, CNSI Auditorium Joseph R. Baker's practice focuses on patent, trademark, trade secret and copyright matters, concentrating on patent and trademark prosecution. Mr. Baker has over ten years experience preparing and prosecuting patents in a variety of technical areas. He has prepared and prosecuted U.S. and foreign patents in many technical areas, including biotechnology such as stem cells, gene therapy, vector systems, genomics, proteomics, antibodies, nano-biotechnology, and bioinformatics; pharmaceuticals such as small molecules, formulations, liposomal delivery systems; medical devices; and material sciences such as nanotechnology materials. He has also prepared and negotiated significant patent and technology transfer licenses, and has written numerous legal opinions for clients on product clearance, patent infringement, invalidity and enforceability. Mr. Baker received a Bachelor's degree in General Biology from the University of California, a Master's of Science degree from San Diego State University in Cell & Molecular Biology and a J.D. from California Western School of Law. Mr. Baker is registered to practice in the State of California, in the state of Washington and before the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. Mr. Baker has held positions at large general practice and intellectual property firms as well as positions at a small biotechnology start-up company and a large multinational biotechnology company. In addition to his legal practice, Mr. Baker is an adjunct professor of law at California Western School of Law and a lecturer through the University of California, San Diego Extension program. [1] Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=664282 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=664282 *Stimulus package holds promise of funding for UCLA* (UCLA Today) -- The $885-billion economic stimulus bill that passed a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives on Jan. 28 and is now making its way through the Senate is likely to offer some tremendous funding opportunities for UCLA that could create jobs in the region, rev up the state economy and advance research, particularly in the field of alternative energy. In letters sent Feb. 3 to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.; and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.; Chancellor Gene Block expressed his support for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and for the critical role it will play in helping California and the country recover from the current economic crisis. He praised the bill's provisions that would widen access to higher education, increase federal investment in scientific research and facilities, help UCLA improve seismic safety and supply campus laboratories with state-of-the-art equipment. "The bill can provide much needed financial relief to help sustain and spur job creation, fund innovation and create new technological advances," Chancellor Block wrote in urging the senators to consider the bill's impact on UCLA and higher education in general. While the Senate continues to work on its version of the bill, UCLA leaders are already looking at potential ways the campus may benefit. Recently, they sent up to UC a short list of shovel-ready projects projects that can begin within 120 to 180 days after the bill is signed to compete for funding. A committee of campus leaders from the offices of Research; Administration; and Finance, Budget and Capital Programs are keeping abreast of the bill's progress and working with UC officials and Government and Community Relations to prepare to proceed with funding requests as soon as the bill is signed. "There's no doubt there are great opportunities here. That's very clear," said Vice Chancellor of Research Roberto Peccei. "But what's unclear is how the funds will be distributed and how we can access them. We think the money that is being allotted for infrastructure probably will be packaged as community block grants that will come through the states. "This represents an enormous influx of funding," Peccei said. "There may be $50 billion to $70 billion in the bill for science and technology. That amount of funding is exceptional when you consider the government spends roughly $50 billion on science and technology in a year." The possibilities for funding are wide-ranging, based on the bill that passed the House: - Under the Obama economic stimulus bill, California could receive $21.5 billion, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The largest chunk of funding, $8 billion, would come to the state through the Fiscal Stabilization Fund, 61% of which would be dedicated to K-16 to spend over two years. Higher education is being directed to use the money to mitigate the need to raise tuition and fees for California resident students. - A total of $6 billion for construction projects for colleges and universities would be funded under the Modernization, Renovation and Repair provision. UC officials have sent to the state a list of about $1 billion worth of campus projects, including three UCLA projects that have long been waiting for state funding. These include the Center for Health Sciences (CHS) South Tower seismic project, the School of Medicine's fire safety project and the CHS electrical distribution project. The total cost of all three projects is $234 million. Campus officials are working on identifying more projects for a longer list, said Vice Chancellor Steve Olsen of finance, budget and capital programs. - The bill includes money for an increase in Pell Grants. UC may receive as much as $22 million, enough to fund approximately 2,000 additional Pell grants, according to one report. The bill would also add $490 million to College Work-Study programs across the country to support an additional 200,000 undergraduate and graduate students who work. - "At UCLA, nearly 40% of our undergraduate students are eligible for Pell grants," the chancellor noted in his letter to the senators. "Combined with the education tax provisions, the recovery bill will assist a large number of UCLA's low and middle-income students and families in meeting the costs of education-related expenses." - Approximately $10 billion would be invested in research under the leadership of the National Science Foundation ($3 billion), the Department of Energy's Office of Science ($1.6 billion), the Advanced Research Project Agency Energy ($400 million), the National Institute of Standards and Technology ($500 million), the National Institutes of Health ($3.9 billion) and NASA ($600 million), among others. UCLA is well-positioned to benefit from the economic recovery package in the area of science, technology and innovation, campus administrators said. In the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, a number of faculty members, including Bruce Dunn[1], Yang Yang[2], James Liao[3] and Laurent Pilon, work on alternative energy projects. Currently, one out of four grant proposals to the National Science Foundation gets supported, Peccei said. The bill would bolster funding and increase those odds. The NSF's funding would include $2.5 billion that would pay for research and research-related activities. It's estimated that the money would support an additional 3,000 new NSF research awards and put to work 12,750 senior personnel, postdoctoral scholars, graduate students and undergraduates. About $1.5 billion is slated to go to the National Institutes of Health specifically to renovate university research facilities to help them compete for biomedical research grants. UCLA's faculty and students, as well as society in general, would benefit if UCLA's laboratories were renovated with the best equipment available, the chancellor noted. "Research in our High Throughput Flu lab, the California Nanosystems Institute and other biomedical facilities would greatly benefit from the acquisition of new, state-of-the-art equipment," the chancellor explained in his letter to the three senators. Meanwhile, the campus is staying alert and looking for other ways UCLA and through it, the L.A. region, may benefit from the stimulus package. UC officials have sent letters to key Congressional leaders in support of funding for research, student support, infrastructure, healthcare financing and tax provisions that would encourage more investment in universities that will speed the creation of new technologies. "We are keeping our eyes on what is happening in Washington, D.C., and what may develop," Peccei said. UCLA Today[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=662785 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=662785 Los Angeles City Council candidates running for the 5th District seat currently held by City Councilman Jack Weiss will be participating in a public forum on Feb. 11 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at UCLA. In the running to represent the district in which UCLA is located are Adeena Bleich, Ron Galperin, Paul Koretz, Robert Schwartz, Robyn Ritter Simon and David T. Vahedi. The forum will be moderated by Adrienne Alpert of KABC-TV, which will rebroadcast the forum at a later date. The event will be held at the California NanoSystems Institute Auditorium. A reception will precede the forum at 5:30 p.m. You can RSVP by calling (310) 794-6810 by Feb. 9. For more information, e-mail Vincent Wong[1], assistant director with UCLA Government and Community Relations. UCLA Today[2] [1] [2] Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=663202 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=663202 *UCLA research creates companies* Developed research and technology within the UC contributes to the foundation of many new companies. Concentric Medical and NanoH2O are two of the many companies that have sprung up as a result of the research done at UCLA. *Concentric Medical* Thanks to Concentric Medical and its product, Merci Retriever, stroke patients can now seek more successful, less risky treatment. Dr. Reza Jahan, an interventional neuroradiologist who was involved in the clinical trials for the Merci Retriever, said the device allows doctors to help patients suffering from ischemic stroke, which occurs when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel in the brain and impedes blood flow. The lack of blood flow to the brain damages the brain tissue near the blocked blood vessel. Doctors use the Merci Retriever to remove the clots from the clogged blood vessels in the brain, Jahan said. After using a catheter to thread the device through the blood vessels, the interventional neuroradiologist inserts the device, which looks somewhat like a corkscrew, into the clot and pulls it out. The company spun out of a license agreement made in 1999 relating to the retrieval technology developed by UCLA Doctors Pierre Gobin and J.P. Wensel, said Emily Loughran, UCLA director of licensing. Clinical trials for the company's clot-retrieving device, the Merci Retriever, began in 2000 at UCLA, said John Miller, vice president of research and development of Concentric Medical. The Food and Drug Administration approved the device in 2004, Miller added. Since its introduction into the market, 250 hospitals across the United States have adopted the product and 10,000 patients have been treated, Miller said. Before the invention of this removal device, doctors treated patients with ischemic stroke by infusing a drug into the clot to dissolve it, Jahan said. However, this treatment could cause bleeding into the damaged area of the brain and could only be administered within the first six hours after the onset of the stroke. "(The device) has helped tremendously in reducing the number of bleeds we see when treating ischemic stroke patients," Jahan added. "It also extended the window of treatment from six to eight hours." Miller said that though the first generation of the Merci Retrieval device only succeeded in extracting the blood clot and restoring blood flow in about 50 percent of cases, the third-generation Merci V-Series, which was released in summer of 2008, has a success of approximately 80 percent. Though the device proves successful and has been adopted by most medical facilities capable of doing so, not every hospital can support and use the technology. Concentric Medical still faces the challenge of developing the market so that more patients can be treated, Miller said. "(We are) now providing the treatment mechanism, but its up to hospitals and users to create infrastructure to facilitate increasing the amount of patients that can be treated," he said. *NanoH2O* Water scarcity and quality affect individuals in nations worldwide. NanoH2O, a UCLA start-up company working to develop desalination technology, hopes it will be able to lessen the burden of water scarcity issues. Current CEO Jeff Green said he and his colleague founded NanoH2O in 2005 after deciding to pursue reverse osmosis membrane technology to improve desalination techniques. Earl Weinstein, the assistant director for license and business development, said the company grew out of license rights for patents for a technology developed in the UCLA School of Engineering. Since the company's founding in 2005, it has been located in the UCLA California NanoSystems Institute Building. The company's desalination technology, which involves adding nanoparticles to polymer-based membranes, allows for the removal of salt and other pollutants from water and makes water more potable and drinkable, Green said. "Desalinization is one of the major opportunities the world has to combat water scarcity," Green said. He added that through its technique, NanoH2O will make the process less energy intensive, more efficient, and more cost effective. Though NanoH2O's technology has not yet broken into the commercial market, Green said the company expects to have its first commercial product by early 2010. Weinstein said he believes NanoH2O's technology will be important in upcoming years as water becomes an increasingly vital resource. "Water is going to be the next oil," Weinstein said. "It's a fixed resource that is increasingly scarce, and there is the issue of supply and quality, especially in developing parts of world. Any technology that can be used to reclaim (polluted water) is going to make a huge impact on quality of life in developing world." Weinstein added that the new technology is especially exciting because there have been few recent breakthroughs in the field. "The original desalinization technique was developed at UCLA," Weinstein said. "We are hopeful that this (new technology) really represents a major step forward." UCLA Daily Bruin[1] NanoH2O[2] [1] [2] Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=661478 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=661478 A feature story in the Winter issue of the alumni magazine, UCLA Magazine, explores nanotechnology in general and the work going on at CNSI specifically. Visit the UCLA Magazine website for the full story. Big Science, Small Miracles[1] [1] Fri, 30 Jan 2009 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=661519 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=661519 *Cheap High-Efficiency Solar Cells on the Horizon* UCLA researchers believe they have taken one step closer to creating high-efficiency solar cells using cheap plastic with a dash of silicon, it was reported Saturday. The research team says it wants easy-to-use plastic solar energy cells to be sold at local hardware stores, and then hung like posters on the wall. Researchers at UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science describe the design and synthesis of a new plastic, or polymer, for use in solar cells that has significantly greater sunlight absorption and conversion than previous polymers, according to the school's Web site. "We hope that solar cells will one day be as thin as paper and be attached to the surface of your choice," said co-author Hsiang-Yu Chen, a UCLA graduate student in engineering. "We'll also be able to create different colors to match different applications." The research team found that substituting a silicon atom for carbon atom in the backbone of the plastic markedly improved the material's photovoltaic properties. The new polymer solar cells use organic compounds to produce electricity from sunlight, are much easier to produce than traditional silicon-based solar cells and are also environmentally friendly. "Previously, the synthesizing process for the polymer was very complicated. We've been able to simplify the process and make it much easier to mass produce," said Jianhui Hou, UCLA postdoctoral researcher and co-author of the study. "Though this is a milestone achievement, we will continue to work on improving the materials ... Ideally, we'd like to push the performance of the solar cell to higher than 10 percent efficiency. We know the potential is there." The team unveiled its discovery in the Nov. 26 edition of the Journal of the American Chemical Study. The study was funded by Solarmer Energy Inc and a UC Discovery Grant. Solarmer Energy Inc.[1] has recently licensed the technology from UCLA for commercialization, the school said. NBC Los Angeles[2] For more information on the Polymer Solar Cell Research, see this CNSI news item[3]. [1] [2] [3] Fri, 30 Jan 2009 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=625902 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=625902 The International Center for Materials Research (ICMR) at UC Santa Barbara and the California NanoSystems Institute at UC Los Angeles announce a two day US-Argentina Workshop on Nanomaterials, which will take place at the Hotel Amancay in Bariloche, Argentina from March 15-17, 2009. Following the workshop, a one day school on the topic of nanobiotechnology will be held from March 17-18. The scope of the workshop is to provide an exciting forum for US and Argentina faculty, industrial and student researchers to come together to hear about and discuss cutting edge research in the general area of Nanomaterials. Please visit either ICMR website[1] or NANOMAT09[2] for more information. [1] [2] Wed, 26 Nov 2008 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=661377 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=661377 BBC Radio reporter Jon Stewart visited UCLA to interview Aydogan Ozcan [1] about lens-free imaging technology he developed. Ozcan is an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at UCLA and a member of CNSI. The interview appeared on two BBC Radio programs, Leading Edge and BBC Radio International. BBC Radio International Interview[2] RealPlayer is required to listen to the Leading Edge program, please visit this URL to download the free program; http://www.real.com/[3]. The interview with Prof. Ozcan comprises the time from 15:25 of the program to 19:40. Leading Edge[4] For more information about the lens-free imaging technology, please visit this CNSI news item[5]. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Fri, 30 Jan 2009 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=655735 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=655735 *WHAT:* "Guilt by Association: Searching for Suspects Through Familial Forensic DNA," a free half-day symposium, will explore the social, ethical and legal issues surrounding the use of DNA databanks and the mining of these databanks by law enforcement for familial DNA. Should police assume "near match" DNA belongs to relatives of suspects and use this information in their efforts to track down perpetrators of crimes? Is this an invasion of privacy? Whose DNA should be included in forensic databases? This seventh annual symposium on genetics, sponsored by the UCLA Center for Society and Genetics, will address these and other questions. *WHO:* Symposium speakers will include: - Dr. Edward R.B. McCabe[1], co-director of the UCLA Center for Society and Genetics and physician-in-chief of Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA - Dr. Wayne Grody, professor of pathology, pediatrics and human genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA - Jonathan Koehler, professor of business and law, Arizona State University - Jennifer Mnookin, professor and dean of faculty research at the UCLA School of Law - Mitch Morrissey, Denver district attorney - Tania Simoncelli, ACLU science adviser *WHEN:* 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 25 *WHERE:* Covel Commons in Sunset Village, on the UCLA campus (campus map: www.maps.ucla.edu/campus[2]) *BACKGROUND:* The UCLA Center for Society and Genetics is unique nationwide in the variety of disciplines it brings to bear on genetic research and medicine. For more information, visit www.socgen.ucla.edu[3]. *MEDIA CONTACT:* Claudia Luther, UCLA Office of Media Relations, 310-206-8258 (office), 310-489-8942 (cell) *PARKING:* Campus parking is available for $9; courtesy parking is available to journalists by reservation. *Ed McCabe Interviewed on 'Which Way, L.A.?'[4], a Radio Program from Southern California NPR, KCRW* Skip to minute 46 to hear the interview with Prof. McCabe. [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 21 Jan 2009 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=652598 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=652598 On January 8th, 2009, the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) sponsored a visit to CNSI by a delegation of five Japanese scientists. The group was lead by Mr. Ryojo Doi, Director of Research and Development at the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) visit CNSI. Other members included Ms. Niko Kato, also from METI, Mr. Yoshio Tanaka and Mr Toshihio Matsui, both from the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), and Mr. Kensuke Tomita, Director General of the Electronic & IT Development Department at the New Energy & Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO). The purpose of the visit was to learn about the administrative operations of CNSI and its methods of funding research. The Japanese government is considering establishing an institute similar to CNSI in Tsubuka, Japan. Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=648146 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=648146 Winter Quarter 2009: *The Future Impact of Nano in New Technologies* Instructor: James Gimzewski[1], Professor of Chemistry Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:00-10:50 AM, Bunche 3164 Course: The Future Impact of Nano in New Technologies Department: Honors Collegium 174 *Introduction:* Nanotechnology is typically discussed using a metric called the nanometer, which is a billionth of a meter. Certainly, one can classify many technologically and biologically important objects on the scale of the nanometer (nm). For instance, a virus has a diameter of around several tenths of a nanometer. DNA is around a nanometer in diameter but is over a half a meter long. Proteins have dimensions of a few nanometers. A cell is typically several thousand nanometers. In the technological world, the insulating gap in a transistor is nanometric. Molecules that we use every day, such as pharmaceuticals and gasoline, are a bit more or less than a nanometer, and polymers or plastics are made of long spaghetti-like molecules less than a nanometer in diameter but several thousand nanometers long. Terms such as nanoparticles and nanomedicine are used here to describe situations in which critical aspects of the whole or parts of the system are determined by nanometric dimensions in the range of 1-100 nm. The anticipated markets for nanotechnology, on the other hand, are measured in billions. Nanotechnology's economic impact in the coming 15-20 years is fragmented into many areas in units of $US billion per year and indicate a $1-trillion-per-year market. The science behind nanotechnology (nanoscience) is usually lumped under the rubric nanotechnology, and the evolutions of nanoscience and resultant technologies run hand in hand. The conception of the technology is frequently ahead of the science. In many cases, "nanotechnology" is merely used to describe the future in a fictional sense. It is a subject about which everyone, be they artists, scientists, politicians or housewives, doctors, scientists and engineers have their own "dreams and nightmares". Nanotechnology, is materialism's "endgame," meaning that it is at once about materiality, in the sense of "controlling matter at a molecular level," and also presents the potential to undermine that way of thinking altogether. Roy Ascott summarizes this way of thinking: "Materialists may see working in the nano field as the end game, but it is not necessary to embrace a radical transcendentalism to see that nano is located between the material density of our everyday world and the numinous spaces of subatomic immateriality". In this sense there is an important role for humanists and artists also to reflect upon and participate in the creation of what is also a philosophical transformation for humankind. This course is more than the science behind nanotechnology, its about the impacts and shifts in technology and how they will potentially influence medical care, the environment and energy issues as well as military, government and economics. Like technology today it is impossible to separate nano from cultural and societal issues that are likely to change in a negative way if we continue corporate-industrial manufacture and welfare. *Course Description:* The classes will typically involve PowerPoint lectures with adequate opportunity for interaction covering the background, state of the art and future perspectives of problems we face. In each case the science will be described in a way that requires no specialist knowledge of science and which is devoid of mathematics. It is closely connected to the societal role and current state of affairs. For instance in a unit on the environment, I will approach the key issues of global warming from various perspectives relating to global industry, basic chemistry of the process, as well as the political and social hurdles in making a green planet. The role of nanotechnologies in alternative energy, in alternate lighting technologies and in cleaning up pollution will be discussed. I will also supplement my lectures with some leading figures that will provide new insights into the state of nanotechnology. *Course Details:* _Topics that will be covered_ Introduction to the Nanoscale Nanoscale Tools and Materials Money, Economics and Investment Environment and Green Technologies Medicine, Old Age and Sustainability Aerospace and Architecture Communication and Computation Ethics, Safety and the Gray Goo Art and Science Topics are subject to change. A tour of the California NanoSystems Institute is tentatively scheduled. [1] Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=640800 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=640800 Technology from CNSI Member Aydogan Ozcan[1] has been featured in a gallery on Wired.com. There are nine photographs taken in Ozcan's lab in the photo gallery, and a description of his latest research. Please visit Wired.com[2] to view the gallery. [1] [2] Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=640802 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=640802 *New advances result in accurate ID of smaller particles using holograms* Cell phones have already revolutionized the way people around the world communicate and do business. Thanks to advances being made at UCLA, they are about to do the same thing for medicine. In the lab of UCLA electrical engineering professor Aydogan Ozcan[1], a prototype cell phone has been constructed that is capable of monitoring the condition of HIV and malaria patients, as well as testing water quality in undeveloped areas or disaster sites. The innovative imaging technology was invented by Ozcan, a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, and has been miniaturized by researchers in his lab to the point that it can fit in standard cell phones. The imaging platform, known as LUCAS (Lensless Ultra-wide-field Cell monitoring Array platform based on Shadow imaging), has now been successfully installed in both a cell phone and a webcam. Both devices acquire an image in the same way, using a short wavelength blue light to illuminate a blood, saliva or other fluid sample. LUCAS captures an image of the microparticles in the solution using a sensor array. Because red blood cells and other microparticles have a distinct diffraction pattern, or shadow image, they can be identified and counted virtually instantaneously by LUCAS using a custom-developed "decision algorithm" that compares the captured shadow images to a library of training images. Data collected by LUCAS can then be sent to a hospital for analysis and diagnosis using the cell phone, or transferred via USB to a computer for transmission to a hospital. LUCAS is not a substitute for a microscope but rather a complement. While microscopes can produce detailed images, images produced by LUCAS are grainy and pixelated. The LUCAS platform's advantage lies in its ability to nearly instantaneously identify and count microparticles, something that is time consuming and difficult to do with a microscope in resource-limited settings. Also, because LUCAS does not use a lens, the only constraint on size is the size of the chip it is built on. "This technology will not only have great impact in health care applications, it also has the potential to replace cytometers in research labs at a fraction of the cost," said Ozcan. "A conventional flow-cytometer identifies cells serially, one at a time, whereas tabletop versions of LUCAS can identify thousands of cells in a second, all in parallel, with the same accuracy." In research published online Dec. 5 in the journal Lab on a Chip, Ozcan described an improvement in the LUCAS system which he calls holographic LUCAS. This improvement allows for identification of smaller particles such as E. coli that were not previously possible. By controlling the spatial properties of the light source, a two-dimensional holographic shadow image of the microparticles can be captured that contains much more information than the classic shadow image. Now that Ozcan has successfully created prototypes with a cell phone and webcam, his next step is to build from scratch a handheld device incorporating the LUCAS imaging system. Using this device, people in remote areas of the world would be able to monitor the spread of disease, allowing doctors to focus limited resources in the areas of greatest need. The system also can be used to monitor water quality by detecting hazardous microparticles. In addition to undeveloped areas, LUCAS would be useful for water testing in the event of a disaster which compromises water quality. After making a presentation on LUCAS in Japan, Ozcan was approached by researchers from the University of Tokyo and Kyushu University interested in earthquake preparedness. For more on the work of Ozcan's lab, visit http://innovate.ee.ucla.edu/[2]. UCLA Newsroom[3] [1] [2] [3] Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=639280 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=639280 Works by University of California Digital Arts Network (UCDARnet) faculty UCDARnet Scalable Relations Website[1] [Beall Center for Art + Technology dates: January 9 March 14, 2009 Opening Reception: UC Irvine January 8, 6:30 9:00 pm] _Scalable Relations_ is a series of networked exhibitions that presents media artworks by faculty of the UC Digital Arts Research Network (DARnet) across UC campuses from January 9 March 14, 2009. The exhibition, curated by Christiane Paul (Adjunct Curator of New Media Arts at the Whitney Museum of American Art) will take place at the BEALL Center for Art + Technology at UC Irvine (January 9 to March 14, 09) as well as other venues at UCDARnet institutions, among them the CALIT2 building at UC Irvine, the CALIT2 gallery at UCSD, the Art Science Center at UCLA, and Media Arts and Technology (MAT) galleries at UCSB. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- *Exhibitions at CNSI* *Ricardo Dominguez: Particles of Interest* Opening Reception: Wed, January 14, 6-8 pm Exhibit Dates: January 14-February 4 CNSI Lobby _Particles of Interest_ is an interactive installation of poetic meditations from around the world that allows visitors to encounter a global chorus of nanotechnology, culture, and property. *Sharon Daniel: Public Secrets and Bloodsugar* Opening Reception: Thu, January 29, 5-7 pm Exhibit Dates: January 29-February 20 CNSI Art|Sci Lab, Suite 5419 _Public Secrets_ is an interactive audio archive of hundreds of statements made by current and former prisoners, unmasking the secret injustices within the war on drugs, the criminal justice system and the prison industrial complex. _Bloodsugar_ is a documentary that examines poverty, alienation, and addiction in American society through the eyes of those who live it. *Beatriz da Costa: Invisible Earthlings* Opening Reception: Fri, February 27, 5-7 pm Exhibit Dates: February 27-March 20 CNSI Art|Sci Lab, Suite 5419 _Invisible Earthlings_ is an investigation into the possibilities of relations between humans and microbes those members of the non-human world that we are least likely to recognize as social actors within urban environments. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- While many of the media artists working within the UC system are renowned within the international media arts world and have won multiple awards, they are still under-recognized within the field of art history and the art world at large. The exhibition is meant to increase the understanding, importance, and scope of new media practice; and to instigate or deepen the exchange and collaboration between UC campuses and other academic institutions by informing departments, faculty, students, and visitors about the work created across the various campuses. Some of the exhibition spaces exist within certain thematic contexts such as the nanotech building at UCSB and the galleries will present works from other UC campuses that address this context (e.g. nanotechnology). _Scalable Relations_ brings together a wide variety of works that explore the digital mediums capability of representing a growing amount of data in constantly evolving relations. These constantly evolving relations affect both a traditional understanding of aesthetics and the production of meaning. Addressing a range of issues-from the construction of visual worlds by means of algorithms and code to communication in the "infosphere" and socio-cultural and political issues-the projects in _Scalable Relations_ illustrate the complexities and shifting contexts of today's information society. The format of the exhibition itself, in its distribution across multiple venues, mirrors the relational theme of the exhibition and the inherent connectivity of the digital medium. The projects presented within _Scalable Relations_ will address four major themes, distributed across exhibition spaces. One group of works explores "generative algorithmic process"-the computational transformations that are set in motion by artist-written code and, with some degree of autonomy, produce an artwork. Some of the projects in this group reference organic visual structures and, through programming, create abstractions of systems that occur in the natural world; and another one (Sheldon Brown's _Scalable City_) applies patterns of algorithmic process to the visual creation of an urban/suburban/rural environment. A second group of projects uses the framework of "computer gaming" for exploring social and belief systems; while a third one explores the scalability of relations in today's "infosphere, online communication and exchange." Works in this group range from a futuristic scenario for the library of the future; and an interactive installation featuring a dynamically growing collection of cell phone images contributed by visitors and online that are visually sequenced according to text tags; to a dynamic visual diagram of large-scale online communication filtered according to various aspects, including participants and themes. A fourth grouping of works will examine issues surrounding "science, ethics, public health & social conditions." Taking forms as varied as a sound installation or a new media documentary, the projects in this category deal with the social and political implications of science or the impact of poverty, alienation, and addiction. Together, the works in the networked exhibition provide a sketch of the multiple forms and themes existing within the field of new media art and illustrate some of the key characteristics of the digital medium. [1] Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=638512 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=638512 Carbon dioxide capture research by Omar Yaghi, head of the Center for Reticular Chemistry at CNSI, has been highlighted by Chemistry World as one of the biggest chemical breakthroughs of 2008. The text below is excerpted from the Chemistry World article: Omar Yaghi and colleagues at the University of California at Los Angeles applied high throughput chemistry to make a series of highly porous crystalline materials called zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) (Molecular sponges mop up carbon dioxide[1])[20]. Yaghi subsequently showed how effectively these structures capture carbon dioxide the best trapping 30 litres of the greenhouse gas in a litre of space, at atmospheric pressure (CW June, p23)[21]. The ZIFs could be used to purify gas streams containing carbon dioxide, as they have excellent selectivity thanks to functional groups which act like 'revolving doors' allowing CO2 molecules to enter but keeping out other gases such as nitrogen, methane and carbon monoxide. To read the full article in Chemistry World please click here[2], for more information on Yaghi's ZIF research please click here[3]. [1] [2] [3] Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=637296 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=637296 Two UCLA scientists have been awarded more than $1.8 million in state grants to develop innovative tools and technologies that will help overcome technical hurdles in advancing basic, translational and clinical stem cell research. Michael Phelps[1], Norton Simon Professor and chair of the UCLA Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, will receive a two-year, $914,096 grant to develop ways to follow the fate and function of transplanted stem cells in patients using positron emission tomography (PET) a technology Phelps developed. Hsian-Rong Tseng, an assistant professor of molecular and medical pharmacology, will receive a two-year, $914,096 grant to develop and validate a robotic microfluidic platform that will aid research with human pluripotent stem cells, which hold great potential in treating disease and repairing injury. The grants were among 23 awarded Dec. 10 to researchers at 18 institutions by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), the voter-created state agency that administers funding for stem cell research. Part of the institute's Tools and Technologies Awards, the grants support the development and evaluation of innovative tools and technologies that will help researchers overcome roadblocks in stem cell research. The awards were given to scientists to either create new tools and technologies or expand on existing tools or technologies that have shown promise. One of the promises of stem cell science is that doctors will one day be able to isolate and modify a patient's stem cells and then inject them back into the patient to treat disease without risk of rejection by the body. A key challenge is how to monitor those cells once they are modified and returned to the body. Scientists need to be able to follow the transplanted cells to see if they survive, travel to areas of disease and reestablish activity to counteract disease. Phelps proposes to do this using PET scanning. Phelps hopes to develop three ways to follow these cells with PET. In one, distinctive changes in functions inside of cells will be probed using radioactive molecules. The second approach will use antibodies to detect transplanted cells based on distinctive markers on their surface. The third approach marks the transplanted cells themselves using genes that will cause the cells to emit a signal detectable by PET. "Tools for watching transplanted cells will provide highly valuable information that will refine research, accelerate development and, most importantly, allow physicians to directly monitor their activity and effects in patients," Phelps' grant proposal stated. Tseng hopes to use a novel microfluidic platform to improve research using human pluripotent stem cells. Microfluidics allows the manipulation of tiny amounts of fluids at volumes a thousand times smaller than a tear drop. Tseng hopes to develop a robotic microfluidic platform that can perform chemical screening in search of ideal culture conditions in which the stem cells will self-renew and then differentiate into various cell types. The platform also would be used to screen for small molecules that facilitate single-cell expansion of human pluripotent stem cells. To date, UCLA stem cell center scientists have successfully competed for 23 CIRM grants totaling nearly $53 million, 21 awarded for research projects and two awarded to fund the creation of new facilities for embryonic stem cell research. UCLA's stem cell center was launched in 2005 with a UCLA commitment of $20 million over five years. A $20 million gift from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation in 2007 resulted in the renaming of the center. *The Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA*, with more than 150 members, is committed to a multidisciplinary, integrated collaboration of scientific, academic and medical disciplines for the purpose of understanding adult and human embryonic stem cells. The institute supports innovation, excellence and the highest ethical standards focused on stem cell research with the intent of facilitating basic scientific inquiry directed towards future clinical applications to treat disease. The center is a collaboration of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the UCLA College of Letters and Science. UCLA Newsroom[2] [1] [2] Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=634731 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=634731 Modified _E. coli_ produce long-chain alcohol fuels that have advantages over ethanol and butanol. By engineering the metabolic process of the common _E. coli_ bacteria, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), have coaxed the microorganism into churning out useful long-chain alcohols that have potential as new biofuels. The bacteria-produced biofuels have between five and eight carbon atoms, compared with ethanol, which has two carbons. The higher number of carbon atoms gives the biofuels as much energy per gallon as gasoline; by comparison, ethanol has 30 percent less energy than gasoline. And unlike ethanol, the new biofuels are compatible with today's gasoline infrastructure, says James Liao[1], a UCLA chemical- and biomolecular-engineering professor, who headed the research. Since the long-chain alcohols do not absorb water as easily as ethanol, they could be transported around the country in existing petroleum pipelines. The longer-chain alcohols also have an advantage over butanol, another alcohol-based biofuel, Liao says. The long-chain alcohols separate from water much more readily than butanol does, so they would not need energy-intensive distillation. Many companies, including DuPont and BP, are trying to commercialize a process to make the four-carbon alcohol butanol using microbes. Liao's group has also engineered bugs that make butanol, and its technology has been licensed by Pasadena, CA, startup Gevo. Liao and his colleagues use synthetic-biology tools to tinker with the amino acid metabolism of _E. coli_. All organisms produce a large number of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. The researchers reengineer this metabolic pathway so that toward the end, the precursor compounds that would normally get converted into amino acids instead turn into long-chain alcohols. To do this, the researchers insert genes into the bacteria that make them produce unnaturally long amino acid precursor molecules that have more than six carbon atoms. They also engineer two genes--one from a type of yeast, one from a cheese-making bacterium--into the microbe. These modified genes produce two new proteins that can convert the precursors into five-to-eight-carbon alcohols. Startups LS9 and Amyris Biotechnologies are already reengineering microbes to produce hydrocarbon fuels. Both plan to begin commercial production of their fuels by 2010. As is the case with the new work, both LS9 and Amyris use synthetic biology, rewiring the metabolic systems of microbes by inserting genes from other organisms, redesigning known genes, and altering the expressions of proteins. But the approaches of Liao, LS9, and Amyris all target a different type of metabolic pathway. LS9 researchers have reengineered the fatty acid metabolism of _E. coli_, while Amyris is tinkering with the pathways that produce natural compounds known as isoprenoids. Liao says that the amino acid pathway could have a slight advantage. It is naturally more active in bacteria, so toying with it could be more productive. "We think this is intrinsically a more efficient way to make these compounds," he says. "So potentially, we'll have a higher yield." The new long-chain alcohol fuel has grabbed the interest of companies, according to Liao. But there is still a long road ahead. One big challenge to overcome might be the long-chain alcohols' toxicity to the bacteria, says Chris Somerville, director of the Energy Biosciences Institute at the University of California, Berkeley. Ethanol is deadly to microbes at a concentration of around 14 percent. Butanol is even more toxic, killing microbes at about 2 percent concentration. This toxicity is one of the major problems facing butanol processes. Making a product that is relatively nontoxic to the culture, says Somerville, "is really important in getting the yield up." Liao does not think that toxicity will be a show stopper. He says that the bacteria could be engineered to make them more alcohol tolerant. But, he says, increasing the yield will be in the hands of the company that licenses the new technology. MIT Technology Review[2] [1] [2] Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=634278 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=634278 A delegation from Armenia lead by Hranush Hakobyan, Minister of the Diaspora, recently visited CNSI to begin discussions on setting up a nanotechnology center. The proposed center will be located in Armenia and run by its government. The center, with assistance from CNSI, would focus on issues of particular importance to Armenia, such as clean water and alternative energy. Professor James Gimzewski[1] of the dept of chemistry and biochemistry and Faculty Director of the Nano & Pico Characterization Core Lab at CNSI hosted the delegation. Please visit this photo gallery[2] to see photos of Dr Hakobyan visiting CNSI. Website for the Ministry for Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia[3] [1] [2] [3] Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=633460 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=633460 *Collaboration will create international network to enhance research* As part of a new initiative to create partnerships with pediatric research institutions around the globe, Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA has signed a memorandum of understanding with the department of pediatrics at Tokyo's Jikei University School of Medicine. The memorandum is the first among Mattel Children's Hospital's many planned agreements with leading institutions throughout Asia and Latin America. Signed last month, the UCLA-Jikei University pact is a broad agreement in which both institutions express the intention of engaging in cooperative research and collaborating on a variety of other academic activities. The historic memorandum will help create a network through which physicians, scholars and administrators can exchange information on developments in pediatric education and research and help facilitate the translation of research into practice for pediatric diseases. "By expanding our network throughout the Americas, Pacific Rim, India and beyond, we have the opportunity to exchange ideas and collaborate on cutting-edge research that will benefit children both at home and abroad," said Dr. Edward McCabe[1], physician-in-chief of Mattel Children's Hospital. "As a result, children everywhere will benefit from an improved quality of life." In general terms, the memorandum of understading is an agreement to engage in the following types of activities: - Develop visits and informal exchanges of faculty, scholars and administrators in specific areas of education, research and outreach. - Explore ways to cooperate in postgraduate education and training. Organize joint conferences and scientific meetings on subjects of mutual interest. - Exchange academic information and materials. - Pursue avenues for student exchanges. *Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA*, one of the highest-rated children's hospitals in Southern California, is a vital component of UCLA Medical Center, ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the third best hospital in nation and best in the western United States for the past 19 years. Mattel Children's Hospital offers a full spectrum of primary and specialized medical care for infants, children and adolescents. The hospital's mission is to provide state of-the-art treatment for children in a compassionate atmosphere, as well as to improve the understanding and treatment of pediatric diseases. For more information, visit www.uclahealth.org/mattel[2]. UCLA Newsroom[3] [1] [2] [3] Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=633486 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=633486 CNSI member Jim Gimzewski[1] has received the honorary doctorate that he was awarded in April of 2008 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France from the Université de la Méditeranée, Aix-Marseille II. As part of the ceremony Prof. Gimzewski was presented with the Dr. Honoris Causa degree (honorary doctorate) by Professor Guy Lelay of CINaM-CNRS, Campus de Luminy, Université de la Méditeranée, Aix-Marseille II. CINam is the Centre Interdisciplinaire de Nanoscience de Marseille, and CNRS is the Centre national de la recherche scientifique. [1] Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=633493 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=633493 A program called the Science and Entertainment Exchange (SEE) that was recently started to give Hollywood directors and writers access to researchers from the California NanoSystems Institute for scientific and medical advice to improve accuracy in entertainment programming was recently profiled in a story in the Los Angeles Times. SEE is directed by Jennifer Ouellette and is located in the CNSI Building. It is a program of the National Academy of Sciences that provides entertainment industry professionals with access to top scientists and engineers to help bring the reality of cutting-edge science to creative and engaging storylines. Please click here[1] for the full story from the LA Times. For further information on SEE, please visit their website[2]. [1] [2] Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=633496 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=633496 *Research could shed light on life cycle of membrane-bound viruses like HIV* Cells are filled with membrane-bound organelles like the nucleus, mitochondria and endoplasmic reticula. Over the years, scientists have made much progress in understanding the biomolecular details of how these organelles function within cells, but understanding the actual physical forces that maintain the structures of these organelles' membranes continues to be a challenge. Now, UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science researcher William Klug[1] and colleagues from the California Institute of Technology and the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Massachusetts have devised a mathematical procedure for accurately predicting the three-dimensional forces involved in creating and maintaining certain organelle membranes. Their study, which appears Dec. 8 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and is currently available online, could potentially shed light on the life cycles of membrane-bound viruses such as HIV. "The study is exciting because it provides a roadmap for ways we can do predictive computational science," said Klug, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. "The mathematical model is able to provide us with a quantitative understanding of the physics of cells that is essentially impossible to obtain directly by experiment." To understand the researchers' mathematical description of how forces can lead to deformations in a membrane, one can consider the simple concept of a bathroom scale. "When you step on a scale, a small spring in the scale defines how heavy you are or what force is being applied to the scale," said study co-author Paul Wiggins, a fellow at the Whitehead Institute. "Similarly, with membranes, springs or forces cause them to bend. In a sense, we wanted to see if we could play the same game with the organelles of a cell to take the observed structure and see if we can predict what forces are applied to give rise to the structure and essentially hold the structure together." The team used an artificial biomembrane to investigate the dynamic forces that act on a cell's membrane and organelles. With optical tweezers a scientific instrument that uses a focused laser beam to provide an attractive or repulsive force they were able to trap and move parts of the cell. This enabled the researchers to exert known forces in different ways, giving them an opportunity to analyze both the response of the membranes when their structures were changed dramatically and to validate their mathematical procedure for predicting forces based on the deformed shapes of the membranes. "We have this geometry, so what are the forces?" said Klug. "It seems straightforward if you write it out mathematically but in practice, actually measuring the forces reliably where you can quantify the error is really tricky." The researchers believe that understanding the forces and mechanisms that are responsible for maintaining the geometries of the organelles will help them uncover the crucial factors that lead to changes or malfunctions in organelles. "When cells undergo oxygen damage, that usually leads to a change in the structure of the mitochondria the specialized organelles often referred to as the powerhouses of cells," Wiggins said. "There is a close link between the ability of the mitochondria to function and its structure. By relating structure to force, we can uncover the crucial factors that lead to the change in the structure of the mitochondria and other organelles as well." Membrane-bound viruses like HIV infect cells and then replicate and break from the cells by budding. This budding process eventually uses up the cell membrane and kills it. "The forces that lead to the process of budding are essentially unknown," Klug said. "Researchers have looked at the image data of HIV in different stages of budding to try to understand the forces that lead up to it. If we can eventually understand what those forces are, we might be able to come up with a way to disrupt the viral assembly process. And that's a different strategy than what is being done today to treat retroviruses and HIV in particular." UCLA Newsroom[2] [1] [2] Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=627758 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=627758 Currently, solar cells are difficult to handle, expensive to purchase and complicated to install. The hope is that consumers will one day be able to buy solar cells from their local hardware store and simply hang them like posters on a wall. A new study by researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has shown that the dream is one step closer to reality. Reporting in the Nov. 26 edition of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Yang Yang[1], a professor of materials science and engineering, and colleagues describe the design and synthesis of a new polymer, or plastic, for use in solar cells that has significantly greater sunlight absorption and conversion capabilities than previous polymers. The research team found that substituting a silicon atom for carbon atom in the backbone of the polymer markedly improved the material's photovoltaic properties. This silole-containing polymer can also be crystalline, giving it great potential as an ingredient for high-efficiency solar cells. "With the reality of today's energy crisis, a new-game changing technology is required to make solar cells more popular," Yang said. "We hope that our newly synthesized polymer can eventually be used on solar cells far beyond their current rooftop applications. Imagine a house or car covered and powered by flexible solar films. Our dream is to see solar cells used everywhere." Polymers are lightweight, low-cost plastics used in packaging materials and inexpensive products like insulators, pipes, household products and toys. Polymer solar cells utilize organic compounds to produce electricity from sunlight. They are much cheaper to produce than traditional silicon-based solar cells and are also environmentally friendly. But while polymer solar cells have been around for several years, their efficiency has, until recently, been low. The new polymer created by Yang's team reached 5.1 percent efficiency in the published study but has in a few months improved to 5.6 percent in the lab. Yang and his team have proven that the photovoltaic material they use on their solar cells is one of the most efficient based on a single-layer, low-band-gap polymer. At a lower band gap, the polymer solar cell can better utilize the solar spectrum, thereby absorbing more sunlight. At a higher band gap, light is not easily absorbed and can be wasted. "Previously, the synthesizing process for the polymer was very complicated. We've been able to simplify the process and make it much easier to mass produce," said Jianhui Hou, UCLA postdoctoral researcher and co-author of the study. "Though this is a milestone achievement, we will continue to work on improving the materials. Ideally we'd like to push the performance of the solar cell to higher than 10 percent efficiency. We know the potential is there." "We hope that solar cells will one day be as thin as paper and can be attached to the surface of your choice," added co-author Hsiang-Yu Chen, a UCLA graduate student in engineering. "We'll also be able to create different colors to match different applications." The study was funded by Solarmer Energy Inc. and a UC Discovery Grant. Solarmer Energy Inc. has recently licensed the technology from UCLA for commercialization. UCLA Newsroom[2] [1] [2] Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=624942 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=624942 Leonard H. Rome[1], Interim Director of CNSI and Prof. of Biological Chemistry at UCLA, and a small delegation from UCLA visited the National Core Research Center for Nanomedical Technology at the University of Yonsei in Seoul, South Korea on November 1st to sign a memorandum of understanding. The two institutes have agreed to develop joint research, workshops, an international conference and to do short-term exchanges of grad students and faculty members. The memorandum was signed by Prof. Rome and Kyung-Hwa Yoo, Professor and Director of the National Core Research Center for Nanomedical Technology at Yonsei. In one of the first acts of cooperation between the two institutes Jinwoo Cheon[2], a professor from the Department of Chemistry at Yonsei University, has already started a term as a visiting scientist at CNSI. He will be working at CNSI for the next year to two and will focus on collaborations CNSI members in the development of nanomaterials synthesis for cancer diagnosis and treatment. See the CNSI news release[3] for full information on Jinwoo Cheon's visit to CNSI. Please visit their website[4] for more information about the National Core Research Center for Nanomedical Technology. [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 24 Nov 2008 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=625908 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=625908 Assistant Professor Aydogan Ozcan[1] has been selected to receive the 2009 IEEE LEOS Young Investigator Award from the IEEE Society for Photonics. The LEOS Young Investigator Award was established to honor an individual who has made outstanding technical contributions to photonics (broadly defined) prior to his or her 35th birthday. The award consists of a certificate of recognition and an honorarium of $1000. Professor Ozcan is being recognized for his pioneering contributions to non-destructive nonlinear material characterization techniques, near-field and on-chip imaging and diagnostic systems. Professor Aydogan Ozcan joined the department in July 2007. He received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 2005. After a short post-doctoral fellowship at Stanford, he was appointed as a Faculty Member at the rank of Instructor at Harvard Medical School before joining UCLA in the summer of 2007, where he is currently an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering leading the Bio and Nano-Photonics Laboratory[2], and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute. Dr. Ozcan holds 10 licensed and 9 pending US patents for his inventions in nanoscopy, wide-field imaging, nonlinear optics, fiber optics, and optical coherence tomography. He is also the co-author of more than 60 peer reviewed research articles in major scientific journals and conferences. Professor Ozcan's research interests include photonics and its applications to nano and bio-technology, including but not limited to (a) imaging the nano-world, especially in bio-compatible settings; (b) providing powerful solutions to global health related problems such as measurement of the cell count of HIV patients in resource limited settings; (c) rapid and parallel detection of hundreds of thousands of molecular level binding events targeting microarray based proteomics and genomics; and (d) monitoring of the biological state of 3D engineered tissues. [1] [2] Wed, 26 Nov 2008 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=623160 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=623160 *WaTeR Center is Directed by CNSI Member Yoram Cohen* Advanced Water Systems Technology for Desalination, Reclamation, Reuse and Sustainability WaterStyle Holdings, Inc. ("WSH") and UCLA jointly announce the licensing of certain key intellectual property for use in the water sector. The intellectual property focuses on advanced water systems, services and solutions for desalination, reclamation, reuse and sustainability. Under the terms of the License, WSH will have exclusive worldwide rights to this technology. This serves as the foundation for WSH's technology platform and systems capability. Some of unique features to these water technologies include smart water systems deploying advanced remote monitoring and control, rapid process diagnostic systems and field testing, membrane process monitors, high performance nano-structured membranes for nanofiltration and Reverse Osmosis ("RO") desalination, advanced processes for high recovery water desalination, and new methods for process optimization. The technologies developed by the UCLA WaTeR Center are pioneering technologies that have emerged from extensive multidisciplinary research and knowledgebase of fundamental science and technology. "It is gratifying for us to have the opportunity to play a role in water technology transfer," said Yoram Cohen[1], PhD, Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Director of UCLA's WaTeR Center. Cohen added, "The collection of technologies developed by the WaTeR Center is unique in that it represents a multipronged approach to improve membrane-based water processing. For example, our approach to membrane process monitoring combines the use of direct optical imaging of the membrane surface with real-time image analysis and, for the first time, the quantitative use of such information for membrane plant control. Our novel surface nano-structuring process enables the creation of a high density and uniform polymer membrane surface "brush" layer that is tailored to reduce membrane mineral scaling propensity and provide added membrane fouling-resistance. This approach makes it possible to tailor-design membranes for challenging water treatment applications where mineral scaling and fouling can be devastating. Our research team also developed new process analysis and optimization approaches that make use of advanced artificial neural networks and model-based control and optimization to advance plant operation to reduce energy consumption and enable dynamic process optimization. Other important developments include accelerated chemical demineralization as an interstage in a two-stage membrane desalting process for high recovery (up to 98%) brackish water desalination." "We are pleased to see UCLA technology that addresses such a large scale, fundamental global problem---water scarcity---being moved towards the marketplace where it can ultimately benefit not only the State of California but almost every nation where water supply and quality are an issue," states Emily Waldron Loughran, Director of Licensing from UCLA's Office of Intellectual Property. "We are very pleased to have exclusively licensed these technologies from UCLA. Many of these applications are commercially-ready. This integrated High-Tech approach to water treatment and production technologies represents a paradigm shift that will enable the rapid development and deployment of advanced distributed water systems and retrofitting of existing systems to provide the growing demand for water in our Nation and around the world," stated Joseph A. Boystak, Chairman & Co-CEO of WaterStyle Holdings, Inc. Boystak further noted, "Water is the irreducible element in the equation of life. There is no substitute for this precious resource. We anticipate the world's fresh water supply will be severely taxed and unable to satisfy global demand over the coming decades. It is already at crisis levels in some areas. There is a clear nexus between water, health, energy and the economy." "We view UCLA to be one of the premier academic research centers in the world for water technology. UCLA has a long history and tradition of excellence in this sector having pioneered one of the first commercially viable reverse osmosis membranes and the world's first RO plant for the production of drinking water. The research is world class in its theory and application," said Michael B. Flesch, Vice Chairman & Co-CEO. About WaterStyle Holdings, Inc. -- WSH is a privately-held advanced water technology company based in Los Angeles, California focused on developing and deploying water systems, solutions and services to the global market place. WSH intends to use its robust platform technologies for desalination, reclamation, reuse and sustainability in the municipal, agricultural, industrial, commercial and residential water markets, worldwide. Its technology is highly adaptable to existing infrastructure and can scale from small residential applications to large municipal treatment and desalination plants. WSH's technology is creating a new paradigm for managing water quality, testing and measuring standards, systems optimization and remote monitoring. WSH intends to establish a series of commercial partnerships or joint ventures to develop and deploy these systems and technologies worldwide. For additional information, please visit our web site at www.waterstyle.us[2]. UCLA's Water Technology (WaTeR) Center -- The mission of the WaTeR Center is to advance technologies of water production in order to develop new and economical alternative sources of potable, irrigation, and consumptive water uses. This will be accomplished through science-based innovation, technology evaluation, advanced education, and rapid information dissemination. A comprehensive S.M.A.R.T. W.A.T.E.R. approach will focus upon the following principles: -- Sustainable water production technology in harmony with the environment -- Multidisciplinary research & development teams -- Advanced zero-discharge water production processes through integration with energy generation, membrane and thermal desalination and concentrate utilization -- Rapid information dissemination and public access to new scientific, technical, economic, and environmental knowledge -- Training the next generation of water technology experts for the State of California -- Water pretreatment processes for foulant removal and mineral salt scale inhibition -- Advanced fouling and scaling resistant membranes for water desalination -- Targeting zero liquid discharge water production via high recovery membrane processes -- Enhancing and integrating advanced disinfection technologies -- Recycling technologies integrated into new water production facilities. For additional information on UCLA's Water Technology Center, please visit the web site at www.watercenter.ucla.edu[3]. [1] [2] [3] Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=627731 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=627731 New computing research, led by Kang Wang[1], professor of Electrical Engineering at UCLA and an Associate Director of the CNSI, was recently featured in New Scientist. The article highlights a breakthrough involving using the spin of electrons to operate logic gates that are used to build processors for computers. Prof. Wang is also the Director of the Western Institute for Nanoelectronics (WIN), which was established in 2006 to study spintronics for semiconductor applications. Conventional electronics function by transmitting information using the electronic charges created from electrons moving from one place to the other. Spintronics proposes using the spin of electrons, which has largely been overlooked, to convey information. UCLA is the leading institution for WIN and part of the institute is housed in a lab in the CNSI building. The text below is from the November 21st issue of New Scientist. *Computer chips give new spin on saving energy* By: Jessica Griggs MICROCHIPS that process information without moving electrons could lead to a new generation of ultra-low-power computers. That is the promise behind a processor that uses waves rather than current to crunch digital data. In conventional computer chips, information is processed in the form of electric charges and transmitted by physically moving electrons from one place to another. This approach has been hugely successful, with engineers packing ever-increasing numbers of transistors onto a single chip. But Moore's law, as this trend is called, is set to come up against a barrier. As transistors become smaller, tiny variations in the structure of the materials they are made from can influence the electron flow. This makes it hard to guarantee that neighbouring transistors are identical. Physicists have been studying another way to process data that may overcome this problem. In addition to their charge, electrons have a property called spin, analogous to the spin of a basketball, that can also carry information. Electron spin can be made to represent a 0 or a 1 of digital code by aligning it with or against a magnetic field. Instead of physically moving the electrons, the information can be sent in the form of a "spin wave" that travels through the sea of electrons in a conductor like a ripple moving across a pond. The snag so far has been to find a suitable way of processing the data carried by the spin waves. Now a team led by Kang Wang at the University of California, Los Angeles, has built the first logic gate a few micrometres long that can process the data carried by spin waves. To generate the waves, electrons are zapped with a magnetic field. The waves then flow along transmission lines buried in the chip and are processed by making them interfere, says Wang. Wang's logic gates have the potential to work on a much smaller scale than conventional transistors because they do not rely on a flow of electrons. Also, as no electrons actually move in this device, less energy should be lost as heat, says Wang. This could help when it comes to packing large numbers of these devices onto a microchip, resulting in ultra-low-power computers. Wang's group faces numerous challenges in turning the logic gate into a commercially viable processor. One hurdle is to find a way to split the signals from one gate so that several gates can be connected together to form a transistor. "The spin wave logic device is very elegant from a physical point of view, but whether it will really make a device is very difficult to say," says Del Atkinson from Durham University in the UK. New Scientist[2] Western Institute of Nanoelectronics[3] [1] [2] [3] Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=623127 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=623127 Professor Tom Mason[1] was elected through the Division of Condensed Matter Physics. Each year the Division is only able to elect one half of one percent of its current membership as Fellows. The citation for Mason reads: "For pioneering the approach of microrheology of complex fluids based on the thermal diffusion of probe colloids." [1] Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=623120 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=623120 *Victoria Vesna In collaboration with nanoscientist James Gimzewski[1] Opening November 21, 7:00 pm, MedienKunstLabor (Media art laboratory), Graz, Austria* "I think I can safely say that nobody understands Quantum Mechanics" Richard Feynman quotes (American theoretical physicist, 1918-1988) The word quantum is increasingly used in many popular contexts, as is nano. But, how many really understand what this word that came out of a scientific context means in our daily life and our shifting perception of self and the collective consciousness? This installation is a result of a philosophical dialogue about these phenomena between media artist Victoria Vesna and nanoscientist James Gimzewski who have collaborated on a number of major art | sci works in the past seven years. The conceptual framework began when Gimzewski was explaining how the Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM), based on the concept of quantum tunneling, works. Tunneling is a process at an atomic level by which the particle wave tunnels through the potential barrier to the other side. These potential barriers or wells are regions of space where there is a sudden increase (barrier) or decrease in the potential or there is a presence of an electric field in the path of the object. Even though scientists understand how quantum tunneling happens, there is no way to intuit or predict what it means for matter to "tunnel" through other matter. Mental constructions and explanations quickly become illogical and are poor models for actual tunneling on the nano level that we recently gained access to. Typically the way the tunneling events are handled is in a probabilistic or wave-like representation where the particles make many attempts at penetrating the forbidden barrier. The concept of time doesn't exist mathematically in the barrier with the exception of some work by physicist David Bohm who explored the concept of trajectories through the barrier. Tunneling is a problem in modern electronics where the tiny dimensions permit electrical insulators to conduct, but it is also fundamental to the energy of the sun and the hydrogen bomb where nuclear tunneling is behind the whole reaction. This quantum tunneling principle generally does not work in our physical human scale where we tend to think of our reality as predictable. Indeed, most of the time we can predict the cause and effect of physical interactions of things and beings. But, when things break down, we have moments when a window opens to a space in our consciousness where these principles just may be applied as the probability of events that impacts our physical space shifts. Indeed, when we find ourselves in a non-rational, non-linear space of probabilities, our usual way of thinking and logic falls short and this may be the barrier to the next level in human creativity be it art or science. _Thanks to Winfried Ritsch, sound artist, Prof. Institut fr Elektronische Musik und Akustik (IEM) and academic advisor of MedienKunstLabor; Tyler Adams, UCLA Art | Science center researcher; Reinhold Schinwald, student in sound engineering and composition, IEM, Graz and Frank Gruber, student of art, Kunst-Uni Wien._ *Press Conference:* 21. November 2008, 11:00 *Opening:* 21. November 2008, 19:00 Uhr *Duration:* 22. November 2008 5. Jnner 2009 , Di. So. 10:00 18:00 Uhr *Further information:* *Media art laboratory* Trustee: Mirjana Peitler *Place of event:* MedienKunstLabor im Kunsthaus Graz (Media art laboratory in the art gallery Graz) [1] Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=624961 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=624961 Leonard H. Rome[1], Interim Director of CNSI and Prof. of Biological Chemistry at UCLA, and a small delegation from UCLA visited the Institute for the NanoCentury, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Seoul on November 1st to sign a memorandum of understanding. The two institutes have agreed to develop joint research, workshops, an international conference and to do short-term exchanges of grad students and faculty members. The memorandum was signed by Prof. Rome and Soon H. Hong, Professor and Director of KAIST Institute for the NanoCentury. This memorandum of understanding formalizes a partnership that began with a one day symposium held at CNSI on April 9, 2008. For this symposium five professors from KAIST Institute for the NanoCentury came to speak at CNSI and discussion topics included; Nanomaterials for Energy & Environment, Multi-functional Nanomaterials, Photonic Nanostructures, Trans-scale NanoManufacturing and Nano-Bio Convergence. Please visit their website[2] for more information about KAIST Institute for the NanoCentury. [1] [2] Mon, 24 Nov 2008 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=622583 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=622583 Prof. Susumu Kitagawa, Deputy Director of the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCEMS) at the University of Kyoto, visited CNSI on November 12th and 13th, along with five of his colleagues. iCEMS is one of five World Premier Institutes established by the Japanese government in 2007. These multidisciplinary centers of excellence, funded for ten years with an annual budget of $6 million, focus on new areas of science and engineering, including stem cells and nanotechnology. Prof. Kitagawa is a long-time collaborator with Prof. Omar Yaghi who is a CNSI member and director of the Center for Reticular Chemistry. During this visit Prof. Kitagawa discussed possible joint iCEMS/CNSI research projects in nanomachines and targeted drug delivery with Professors Tim Deming, Jeff Zink, Fuyu Tamanoi, and with CNSI interim director, Prof. Leonard H. Rome. Prof. Kitagawa was accompanied by iCEMS administrative staff who met with their counterparts at CNSI to exchange views on the financial and personal aspects of research institutes. In addition to this potential collaboration with iCEMS, CNSI currently houses a satellite facility of the International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), administered by the National Institute for Material Science in Tsukuba, Japan. MANA is another one of the five World Premier Institutes established by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. For more information on iCEMS please visit their website[1]. [1] Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=622175 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=622175 The MIT Technology Review published an article on November 18th expanding on research recently published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology by CNSI Members Ric Kaner and Yang Yang. The research involved a method that Kaner and Yang developed to mass produce the nanomaterial graphene. To read the article from MIT Technology Review click here[1]. [1] Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=619445 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=619445 *Process has already produced the largest graphene sample reported* Graphene is a perfect example of the wonders of nanotechnology, in which common substances are scaled down to an atomic level to uncover new and exciting possibilities. Graphene is created when graphite the mother form of all graphitic carbon, which is used to make the pigment that allows pencils to write on paper is reduced down to a one-atom-thick sheet. Graphene is among the strongest materials known and has an attractive array of benefits. These sheets single-layer graphene have potential as electrodes for solar cells, for use in sensors, as the anode electrode material in lithium batteries and as efficient zero-band-gap semiconductors. Research on graphene sheets has been restricted, though, due to the difficulty of creating single-layer samples for use in experiments. But in a study published online Nov. 9 in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, researchers from UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) propose a method which can produce graphene sheets in large quantities. Led by Yang Yang[1], a professor of materials science and engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering, and Richard Kaner[2], a UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry, the researchers developed a method of placing graphite oxide paper in a solution of pure hydrazine (a chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen), which reduces the graphite oxide paper into single-layer graphene. Such methods have been studied by others, but this is the first reported instance of using hydrazine as the solvent. The graphene produced from the hydrazine solution is also a more efficient electrical conductor. Field-effect devices display output currents three orders of magnitude higher than previously reported using chemically produced graphene. Kaner and Kang's co-authors on the research were doctoral students Vincent Tung, from Yang's lab, and Matthew Allen, from Kaner's lab. "We have discovered a route toward solution processing of large-scale graphene sheets," Tung said. "These breakthroughs represent the future of graphene nanoelectronic research." The coverage of the graphene sheets can be controlled by altering the concentration and composition of the hydrazine solution. This hydrazine method also preserves the integrity of the sheets, producing the largest-area graphene sheet yet reported, 20 micrometers by 40 micrometers. A micrometer is one-millionth of a meter, while a nanometer is one billionth of a meter. "These graphene sheets are by far the largest produced, and the method allows great control over deposition," Allen said. "Chemically converted graphene can now be studied in depth through a variety of electronic tests and microscopic techniques not previously possible." "Interdisciplinary research of this sort is a benefit of collaborative institutes like the CNSI," said Kaner, who is also an associate director of the CNSI. "Graphene is a cutting-edge nanomaterial and one which has great potential to revolutionize electronics and many other fields." There are two methods currently used for graphene production the drawing method and the reduction method, each with its own drawbacks. In the drawing method, layers are peeled off of graphite crystals until one is produced that is only one-atom thick. When likely graphene suspects are identified from the peeled layers, they must be extensively studied to conclusively prove their identity. In the reduction method, silicon carbide is heated to high temperatures (1100° C) to reduce it to graphene. This process produces a small sample size and is unlikely to be compatible with fabrication techniques for most electronic applications. "This technology (hydrazine reduction) utilizes a true solution process for graphene, which can dramatically simplify preparing electronic devices," said Yang, who is also faculty director of the Nano Renewable Energy Center at the CNSI. "It thus holds great promise for future large-area, flexible electronics." UCLA Newsroom[3] [1] [2] [3] Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=619475 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=619475 *Graphene synthesis: Chemical peel* Anne Pichon *Large graphene sheets can be prepared by reduction of graphite oxide in pure hydrazine* Graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms in a honeycomb lattice, is the building block of graphitic materials (fullerenes, carbon nanotubes and graphite). Despite a flurry of investigations prompted by the recent discovery of its unusual physical properties, however, graphene sheets are still difficult to prepare. The reduction of silicon carbide at high temperature is a laborious, low-yield procedure. Mechanical methods to separate graphite sheets with adhesive tape are hard to scale up, and chemical processes where graphite oxide sheets are separated before being reduced by hydrazine have been hindered by their re-aggregation in aqueous solution. Now, Yang Yang[1], Richard Kaner[2] and co-workers at the University of California, Los Angeles, have successfully avoided re-aggregation1 by using pure hydrazine as a solvent. Colloids were formed in which each two-dimensional sheet was surrounded by hydrazinium counter-ions. This enabled a good dispersion as well as a complete reduction, thereby producing single- or few-layer graphene on deposition onto a surface. Observation of the sheets by microscopy and computer-generated molecular models of the structure both suggest that the planar structure of graphene is re-established by the removal of alcohol and acid functional groups on reduction. The morphology and surface coverage can be controlled by the concentration and composition of the dispersion, and the large graphene sheets prepared are easily processed and characterized. They also display better electrical properties than those of other chemically converted graphene sheets, displaying performances close to peeled graphite when deposited on silica and incorporated as the semiconducting layer in field-effect transistors. Reference 1. Tung V. C., Allen M. J., Yang Y. & Kaner R. B. High-throughput solution processing of large-scale graphene. _Nature Nanotech_. doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.329 (2008). Nature Chemistry[3] (Subscription Required) CNSI Press Release[4] Nature Nanotechnology[5] (Subscription Required) [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=616713 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=616713 On Monday, November 3rd the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry held its annual Departmental Awards Ceremony. CNSI would like to highlight two members who were honored with 'The Greatest Discovery of the Year in Chemistry & Biochemistry', Professors Timothy Deming[1] and Thomas Mason[2]. The two were honored for their work on double-emulsions, for full information on the research please click here[3]. *_The Greatest Discovery of the Year in Chemistry & Biochemistry*_ Timothy Deming Thomas Mason Congratulations to all award recipients, a full listing is provided below. *Chemistry and Biochemistry Departmental Awards Ceremony November 3, 2008 _Undergraduate Awards_* *Stone Prize for Excellence in General Chemistry* Omar Bakr Phuc Ba Duong *_Graduate Awards*_ *Excellence in First Year Academics and Research* Tadashi Kawashima William Morris Kyle Quasdorf Lufeng Zou *Excellence in Teaching* Steevens Alconcel Erin Broderick Robyn Hodgkins Meghan Johnson Gert Kiss Yuen Lau Laura Schelhas Mitsuharu Suzuki Aimee Terauchi Courtney Thomas Joann Um Oscar Villalta *Christopher Foote Fellowships* Krastina Petrova Derek Ross *Excellence in Research* _Ralph & Charlene Bauer Award for research in Inorganic Chemistry_ Marisa Monreal _George Gregory Award for research in Physical Chemistry_ William Glover _Ernest F. Hare, Jr., Memorial Scholarship for Research_ Henry Tran _Majeti-Alapati Fellowship for research in Organic Chemistry_ Amy Hayden _John M. Jordan Memorial Award for research in Biochemistry_ Shakir Sayani _John Stauffer Fellowship for most outstanding research in the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry_ Sarah Angelos *_Faculty Awards_* *Hanson-Dow Award for Excellence in Teaching* Steven Kim *Herbert Newby McCoy Awards* _*The Greatest Overall Contribution to Scientific Discovery in Chemistry & Biochemistry*_ Saeed Khan *_The Greatest Discovery of the Year in Chemistry & Biochemistry*_ Timothy Deming Thomas Mason [1] [2] [3] Fri, 07 Nov 2008 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=613093 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=613093 Memristor, the 4th element of an electric circuit, which could allow memory chips that store more date while consuming less power were invented by a team headed by Stanley Williams, Director of the Information and Quantum Systems Lab at HP and the Chair of the CNSI Advisory and Oversight Board. The memristor is being featured as the 13th invention on a list of the 50 best inventions of 2008. "Scientists have known it was possible for 37 years, but it took them that long to actually make a memristor, a new kind of circuit that remembers its history even when turned off. One possible application: a computer that flicks on instantly, like a lightbulb, with no boot-up required." Memristor on TIME.com[1] Original memristor Story[2] [1] [2] Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=613113 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=613113 *NOVEMBER 6-8, 2008* Award-winning Architect Philip Beesley presents "Endothelium" an Installation workshop as the kick-off to a multidisciplinary symposium featuring workshops, presentations, installations, exhibitions, curated talks, films and discussions on the theme of Body Art Disease. "Body Art Disease" is a unique three-day multidisciplinary symposium featuring international scholars/artists whose work challenges traditional aesthetics exploring unique artistic perspectives on the theme of disease, body and temporality of the human condition. Organized by Stefanie Adcock of the UCLA Art|Sci Center + Lab in collaboration with the California NanoSystems Institute and the Department of Design | Media Arts, the event features workshops, presentations, exhibitions, installations, short film screening series, social gatherings and a special collections tour from the vaults of the Louise Darling BioMed Library. As an opening to the Symposium, The featured artist, *Philip Beesley* who practices digital media art and experimental architecture in Toronto will be premiering his latest work, *_ENDOTHELIUM_*, a hybrid lattice topography composed of a lightweight sculptural field housing arrays of organic batteries, acting as a primitive 'geotextile' that might reinforce new growth. This system will support a dense series of very thin whiskers and low-power miniature lights, pulsing and vibrating in slight increments. Weak electrical charges are generated by copper and aluminum electrodes immersed in vinegar within latex bladders, working in concert with miniature microprocessors. As part of the symposium, Beesley along with associate Hayley Isaacs will be offering two free participatory workshops open to the public, to assemble and install the work on site at the California NanoSystems Institute. The 'life' of the organic system will shift and erode during the symposium event, offering a poetic time marker to the beginning and end of this three-day event. Participatory workshop A: Prefabrication with Hayley Isaacs, will begin Wednesday, November 5, 12pm-10pm, Room 5324. The Final Participatory installation B with Philip Beesley begins Thursday, November 6, 9am-12pm, Room 5324. In addition to ENDOTHELIEUM, there are two exhibitions, *Rebeca Mendez * (UCLA, Design Media |Arts) will be exhibiting GESTATION, Installation photographs in the Bermant Gallery inside the EDA of the Broad Art Center. *Silvia Rigon* (UCLA, Design Media | Arts) will be exhibiting her latest work, NEOPLASTIC KNITTING, in the Art | Sci lab in CNSI, in addition to a few pieces presented in the Bermant Gallery. Nov. 6-Dec.8, CNSI and Bermant Gallery in the EDA at the Broad Art Center. *ENDOTHELIEUM* Opening + Reception will be held from 12:30-2:30, Thursday, Nov. 6, CNSI Presentation Space, Hosted and conjoined with the CNSI, Nanoparticle Group, a group of Scientists and researchers who gather together for a noon research seminar and lunch once a month for the past six years, and will be devoting this seminar session to Philip Beesley and discussions related to intersections between interactive materials Interdisciplinary artist *Phillip Warnell* (Warwick University, UK), will be presenting his film, "_The Girl with X-ray Eyes_" (23 min), followed by a presentation entitled "Intimate Distances: Mutuality, contestation and exchange between bodies," followed by International artist and scholar, *Lisa Cartwright*, (UCSD, Communication and Science Studies) presenting "Compulsive Animation: On Rotoscoping and the Neurologic Body," followed by a short discussion and reception with both Phillip Warnell and Lisa Cartwright, Thursday, Nov.6, 4-7pm, UCLA Broad Art Center, EDA. Included in the programming is a short film screening series, featuring "Electric Retina" (15 min) by Jill Scott (Institute of Cultural Studies, University of the Arts, Zurich) a documentary completed while a resident artist at The Neurobiology Lab at the Institute of Zoology, University of Zurich. Other works featured include "Evolution" by Rachel Mayeri (Media Studies, Havey Mudd College), "Movement" by Alex O'Flinn and Mikiko Sasaki (UCLA, MFA studnet), "Symphony" by Erick Oh (UCLA, MFA animation student) and "How To Become a Pretty Girl" by Kimberly Townes (UCLA, MFA film student), Thursday, Nov. 6, 7:30-9:30pm, UCLA Broad Art Center, EDA. Friday's events will begin with *Susan Kozel* (SMART Lab, University of East London) who works across dance and philosophy in the context of digital technologies. She collaborates with digital artists, software engineers, architects, and composers to create performances and installations. She will be presenting "_Effervescence and Fatigue -Reflections on Wearable computing and the Ethics of Difference"_, Friday Nov. 7, 12:00-1:45pm, UCLA Broad Art Center, EDA. Following will be a special film screening of "_Bread and Death_" a short film by *Barbara Drucker* (UCLA, Art) whose work explores the rites and rituals continually weaving through Greek village life, specifically focusing on rituals and processes dealing with food preparation and death. *Patrick Polk* (UCLA, Department of World Arts and Cultures) will be leading a post discussion with Barbara Drucker Friday, Nov. 7, 2:00-3:00pm, UCLA Broad Art Center, EDA. *Philip Beesley*, (University of Waterloo, Architecture) will be offering a presentation and discussion regarding his installation "ENDOTHELIUM" and artistic work and in the Auditorium of CNSI, 4:00-5:30pm. We will then walk over to the History and Special Collections For the Sciences on the fourth floor of the Louise M. Darling BioMed Library for a reception of wine and appetizers before * Cherry Dunham Williams*, leads a curator's talk and exhibition entitled "_Renderings of the Body Through Text and Time_." Finally we will exit the library on a short walk to the Nest, located in the Mathias Botanical Gardens to view *AJ Willcocks* "_Precocious Puberty_Guerilla Sidewalk Projections_Radio Transmissions_." 4:00-8:30. Friday, Nov. 7, CNSI Auditorium; BioMed Library; Mathias Botanical Gardens. The final day, Saturday, Nov. 8, will begin with a film lecture and discussion led by *Belinda Starkie* (UCLA, Film, Television and Digital Media) entitled "_Cinematic Explorations of Death, Decay and Transformation_." CNSI will be hosting a lunch for symposium participants in the CNSI lobby from 12-1. Afterwards Los Angles based artist, *Rose-Lynn Fisher* will present "Body of Work" 1:30-2:30, with a closing statement and symposium discussion "On a Life of Greater Conduct" culminating in a last tour of the ENDOTHELIUM Installation and open discussion with Silvia Rigon, Belinda Starkie, Rose-Lynn Fisher, Stefanie Adcock and other symposium participants. *WHEN: November 6 8, 2008* *DETAILS:* for schedule, directions and full list of events and speakers, please see the following link: http://artsci.ucla.edu/08sym/ [1] or call 310-794-2118. *COST:* All events are free and open to the public. *PARKING:* Campus parking is available for $9 on campus All events located in the EDA will be web-streamed live, please visit our website above for details. _This event was made possible by the generous support of the California NanoSystems Institute, and Department of Design | Media Arts._ The *UCLA Art | Sci center + lab* works to blur the dividing line of the "Two Cultures" and help usher in a new culture that is overdue a culture of creative thinkers from the arts and sciences who join together to combine their knowledge and skills to come up with innovations, collaborations and most of all, new ways to help heal this planet. We have two locations, the center at the 5th floor of the Broad Art building and the Lab on the 5th floor of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI). http://artsci.ucla.edu/[2] *The California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI)* is an integrated research center operating jointly at UCLA and UC Santa Barbara whose mission is to foster interdisciplinary collaborations for discoveries in nanosystems and nanotechnology; train the next generation of scientists, educators and technology leaders; and facilitate partnerships with industry, fueling the economic development and the social well-being of California, the United States and the world. At the institute, scientists in the areas of biology, chemistry, biochemistry, physics, mathematics, computational science and engineering are measuring, modifying and manipulating the building blocks of our world atoms and molecules. These scientists benefit from an integrated laboratory culture enabling them to conduct dynamic research at the nanoscale, leading to significant breakthroughs in the areas of health, energy, environment and information technology. The CNSI's new building on the campus of UCLA is home to eight core facilities which will serve both academic and industry collaborations. http://www.cnsi.ucla.edu/[3] *BIOGRAPHY:* http://www.philipbeesleyarchitect.com/[4] *Philip Beesley* practices digital media art and experimental architecture in Toronto. His work in the last two decades has focused on field-oriented distributed sculpture and landscape installations. In parallel with his sculpture practice he teaches architecture at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture in Cambridge, Ontario and is co-director of Waterloo's Integrated Centre for Manufacturing, Visualization and Design, a facility combining high-performance computing, advanced visualization and digital fabrication. 2008-9 installations are slated for Montreal's Champ Libre, Pratt/Brooklyn, Linz Austria, CITA/Royal Academy Denmark and Surrey Gallery of Art, BC. His publications include North House (CDRN 2008), Maison Solaire (CDRN 2008), Mobile Nation (OCAD, 2007), Hylozoic Soil (Riverside, 2007), Ourtopias: Cities and the Role of Design (Riverside, 2007), Future Wood (CDRN, 2006), Responsive Architectures (Riverside, 2005), a chapter of Extreme Textiles (Smithsonian/Cooper Hewitt, 2005) and the cover feature AD Magazine Design through Making. (Wiley Academy 2005). Sculpture in upcoming publications include Interactive Art (Silver ed., Princeton, 2008), Digital Practice Now (Spiller, Wiley, 2008), Installations by Architects (Bonnemaison, Princeton, 2008), Persistent Modeling (Ayres, Architectural Design, Wiley, 2009). Beesley co-chaired the conferences _Expanding Bodies: Art, Cities, Environment_ (ACADIA Halifax 2007), _Responsive Architectures: Subtle Technologies_ (Toronto, 2006); _Fabrication: Examining the Digital Practice of Architecture_ (Waterloo and Toronto, 2004), _On Growth and Form: The Engineering of Nature_ (Cambridge, 2002). Distinctions for his work include the Prix de Rome in Architecture (Canada). The Archinect School Blog Project[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=611962 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=611962 *Promising collaborations developing in areas of nano-medicine* The California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA announces the arrival of visiting scientist Jinwoo Cheon[1], professor of chemistry at Yonsei University in Korea. With a focus in inorganic chemistry, materials chemistry and nano-medical science, Dr. Cheon brings over twenty years of experience and the promise of numerous, robust research collaborations. Dr. Cheon is the Division Head of the Nano-Medical National Core Research Center at Yonsei and the Director of Convergence Nanomaterials System, National Research Laboratory, as well as a junior member of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology. "I am very excited to have this opportunity to work at CNSI and collaborate with leading researchers in a variety of fields," said Dr. Cheon. Professor Cheon received invitations from other prestigious universities but chose to join CNSI at UCLA as a visiting scientist because of existing programs and vast opportunities to perform collaborative research with stellar faculty here. "I chose CNSI-UCLA because of its world class research activities and opportunities for collaboration. I have met many UCLA faculty through CNSI whose research goals mesh with my own. I hope to cultivate good collaborative research projects during the next two years," explains Cheon. "Additionally, the support demonstrated by the state of California is truly encouraging and I feel confident that my research efforts at CNSI will have important impact." Dr. Cheon's work on nanomaterials synthesis, involving the study of characteristics and composition of nanoscale phenomena, has lead to the development of material for use in biomedicine. One of his most noteworthy contributions in this area is the development of magnetic nanoparticles for use as imaging and therapeutic contrast agents. Magnetic nanoparticles possess interesting nanoscale phenomena including superparamagnetism, tunable coercivity and magnetic moment. Cheon has developed a highly sensitive nanoparticle probe for use with MRIs for the early detection and diagnosis of cancer tumors. Cheon's probes are ten times more sensitive than conventional probes used today and will one day be used to detect specific tumor size and type. Upon conjugation with peptides or RNAs, these nanoparticles are versatile platform materials for a variety of applications including targeted imaging, drug screening, delivery, and therapeutics. Also, Cheon's research group is pioneering advances in PET-MRI dual mode imaging probe for more accurate in vivo diagnosis. "Dr. Cheon's main goal in coming to the CNSI is to develop his research on nanomaterials synthesis for cancer diagnosis and treatment. He is already exploring possible collaborations with several of our members," said Leonard H. Rome[2], CNSI Interim Director. "The CNSI is very fortunate to have Dr. Cheon positioned here as a visiting scientist because he is a one of the world's leading scientists in nanotechnology in the area of nanomedicine because of the exciting work he has accomplished nanoparticles for ultra-sensitive multi-modal imaging." "I am very hopeful that real progress will be made in the fight against cancer during my time at the CNSI," said Dr. Cheon. "I welcome the opportunity to meet UCLA researchers who are interested in collaborations and in exploring other potential uses of our nanomaterials". This is, in fact, a return trip to UCLA for Dr. Cheon, he was a Staff Research Associate for the Department of Chemistry here from 1995 to 1998. His postdoctoral research was done at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory & University of California, Berkeley, and in 1993 he was a visiting researcher at AT&T Bell Labs in Murray Hill, NJ. Dr. Cheon's position as a visiting scientist at UCLA grew from an agreement of academic exchange between Yonsei University and CNSI. CNSI actively exercises its commitment to fostering international partnerships for academic exchange with other world class nano institutes. David Lundberg, the Director International Partnerships at CNSI travels extensively to cultivate such partnerships across the world. "It is worth noting that both UCLA and Yonsei University share similarities in their respective physical campuses in regard to the science disciplines," said Lundberg. "The medical school, engineering school and school of physical sciences at both universities are in close proximity to one another which is conducive for strong inter-disciplinary collaborations." Yonsei University is the largest and most prestigious private university in Korea. The CNSI continues to develop relationships with important academic and research institutions throughout the Pacific Rim to foster international nano-scale research collaborations. A growing number of alliances have been cultivated through an exchange of presentations at universities, institutes, and corporations in Korea, Japan, and Singapore. These are nations where nano research continues to be of a particular high quality and has received strong support from government and corporate sources. This initiative has led to numerous agreements and continued growth in this area is anticipated. [1] [2] Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=611023 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=611023 By Wendy Soderburg Not that many years ago, the mention of Michael Phelps' name would likely have brought to mind UCLA's Michael Phelps[1], chair of the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, director of the Institute for Molecular Medicine, director of the Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging, and Norton Simon Professor. Oh and inventor of the positron emission tomography (PET) scanner, an imaging system that provides the means to watch and measure biochemical processes of the human body. But in 2004, Phelps' name recognition got a new twist when Michael Phelps, the champion swimmer, burst onto the scene and won six gold medals at the summer Olympic Games in Athens. By 2008, everyone had heard of at least one Michael Phelps. "Before the 2008 Olympics, if you went to the Web and did a Google search and typed in Michael Phelps, it was probably 50-50 between us," Phelps (the scientist) said, laughing. "And now its all about Michael." During the Olympics this past summer, Phelps said he received at least three or four e-mails a day that were meant for Phelps (the swimmer), although that's tailed off now. He recalled one poignant e-mail from an 8-year-old boy who pleaded for an autograph. "He told me that he swims every day and that he wants to be just like me when he grows up," Phelps said. "So I sent it to Michael and told him, 'This is for you, not for me!'" There have been other amusing incidents, Phelps said. Shortly after the 2004 Olympics, he was staying at a hotel in Baltimore, the swimmer's hometown. A maid called his room and asked, "Are you Michael Phelps, the Olympic gold medal swimmer?" Phelps replied, "Would that be important to you?" She told him it would be the greatest day of her life. So Phelps said, "Well, then, I am!" Excitedly, she said, "Man, Im going to tell everybody!" The joke was on Phelps a few years ago when his friends asked him to speak at a meeting for employees of CTI Molecular Imaging, Inc., the company Phelps and his partners co-owned. When Phelps walked up to the podium, his friends cried, "Oh my God, you're the wrong Michael Phelps!" And in walked the lanky swimmer. "They made both of us tell stories," Phelps said. "I apologized to him for that thing with the maid in Baltimore. But I also told him that maybe someday, someone would walk up to him and say, 'Are you Michael Phelps, who invented the PET scanner?' And he should say, 'Would that be important to you ...?'" *More famous namesakes* Not too surprisingly, Michael Phelps is not the only person on campus with a famous namesake. UCLA also has Andre Nel[2], chief of the division of nanomedicine, who shares his name with the South African cricket star. Michael Collins, a professor of public health and environmental health sciences, has the same name as the Irish revolutionary leader who died in 1922. David Reuben, chief of geriatrics in the Geffen School of Medicine, is not the same physician who wrote the 1969 best-seller, "Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask)." Ruby Keeler works as a collection manager in UCLA's Housing Services and is no relation to the actress/singer/dancer who was famous for her roles in such films as "42nd Street." Ironically, education professor Carlos Alberto Torres almost became a professional soccer player like his Brazilian namesake, Carlos Alberto Torres, who was one of the most highly regarded defenders of all time. "When I am in Brazil, the drivers sent to pick me up almost invariably get completely frustrated because they want to meet the 'other' Carlos Alberto Torres," he said. UCLA's Emeriti/Retirees Relations Center director Eddie Murphy is a woman, but she said that doesn't prevent her from getting upgrades when she travels. Rita Moreno is a principal administrative analyst in the Geffen School of Medicine who has never appeared in "West Side Story," and Connie Hawkins, director of advancement for the East Coast region in the Development Department, said people sometimes point out that she shares a name with the professional basketball star who once played for the Phoenix Suns, the Los Angeles Lakers and the Atlanta Hawks. Some UCLA employees spell their names a little bit differently from their famous counterparts, although the pronunciation is the same. There's Peter Sellars, a professor in World Arts and Cultures, versus Peter Sellers, the actor. Margaret (Meg) Sullivan, a senior media relations officer in University Communications, said she sometimes jokes that she has a star on Hollywood and Vine, although she spells her name differently from Margaret Sullavan, the actress. Then there's John Lennon, network operations manager for External Affairs' Finance & Information Management, who said he's heard every comment in the book. "My parents didn't think that anyone would remember the Beatles after the 1970s," he said. "Boy, were they wrong!" UCLA Today[3] [1] [2] [3] Tue, 28 Oct 2008 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=608618 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=608618 Seth Putterman[1] from the department of Physics and Astronomy has recently shown that sticky tape emits X-rays. The phenomenon is not dangerous though, it only exists in a vacuum. When peeled in a vacuum sticky tape sends out pulses of X-rays. Putterman acknowledges that the reason for the X-ray emission is poorly understood and is conducting further testing. The research has generated a great deal of interest, it is featured on the cover of the Oct 22nd issue of the journal _Nature_, in a Nature News article along with an accompanying video, an article posted posted on Wired.com, an article posted to MIT Technology Review, an article in the Los Angeles Times as well as the New York Times. A commentary on the research from Nature News[2] (Subscription Required) Video[3] of interview with Putterman and his students at their lab (Subscription Required) Nature Letter[4] (Subscription Required) Photo gallery and story from Wired.com[5] Video and Story from MIT Technology Review[6] Story from Los Angeles Times[7] Story from New York Times[8] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=620659 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=620659 *Speaker:* Weinan E[1], Mathematics, Princeton University *Location:* Math Sciences, Room 6627, 4:00pm *Title:* Some Representative Issues in Multiscale Modelling *Abstract:* Multiscale modeling is a very active area of research in many disciplines of science and engineering. While a lot of progress has been made, there are still many fundamental issues that remain unresolved. Better understanding of these issues is critical to further progress in this very active area. I will discuss some of these issues from the viewpoint of classical numerical analysis, focusing on the issues of boundary conditions, stability and consistency between continuum and macroscopic models. [1] Mon, 17 Nov 2008 00:11:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=607588 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=607588 *Probing Hazards Of Nanomaterials* *Two new centers will orchestrate studies of possible biological and environmental effects* Rachel Petkewich *NANOTECHNOLOGY* has been called a new industrial revolution. Nanomaterials, which contain tiny bits such as metal oxides and carbon nanotubes, could have promising applications ranging from stain-resistant clothing and faster electronics to cancer medicines and solutions to the energy crisis. Market analysts estimate that those materials could add up to a multi-trillion-dollar industry in less than a decade. Although little is known about how nanosized particles will fare in the human body or in the environment, researchers are well aware that damaging pollution emerged from previous industrial revolutions. Efforts to design safe materials now may prevent environmental or human health tragedy later. The National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency are taking the issue seriously and announced on Sept. 17 that they will grant $38 million over five years to establish two new research centers to study the environmental implications of nanotechnology. EPA's $5 million contribution is the largest award for nanotechnology research in the agency's history. Duke University and the University of California, Los Angeles, will lead the centers. The rationale behind the investment, the agencies say, is that once researchers understand how nanosized particles, which are defined as less than 100 nm in any one dimension, interact with the environment, they can translate that information into improved risk assessment, which in turn will better inform policy-making and commercial development of nanotechnology. Currently, nanomaterials are produced industrially, but no regulations specifically address these materials in relation to the environment. Scientists at the two new centers have outlined plans to conduct research on the possible environmental health impacts of nanomaterials. The plans include new approaches, such as creating a predictive toxicology model based on cell assays and building ecosystems to track nanoparticles. The University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (UC CEIN) will be based in the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. With $24 million in funding, the center will focus on developing a scientific model that can forecast how different types of nanomaterials could affect environmental health. Because there are so many nanomaterials to test, preliminary toxicity studies must largely shift from see-what-happens-in-an-animal to high-throughput cell assays, says André Nel[1], chief of UCLA's division of nanomedicine and UC CEIN's director. The center will still use animals for more in-depth studies, he adds. *MEANWHILE*, at Duke, the Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (CEINT, pronounced "saint") will focus on the fate and transport of natural and manufactured nanomaterials in ecosystems. Plans for the center include building a unique system of experimental ecosystems in a forest next to Duke's campus and studying nanosized mineral particles that contain metal, such as those found at former open-pit mines. Mark R. Wiesner, an environmental engineering professor at Duke who will direct the center with $14 million in funding, says that designing nanotechnology to be environmentally sustainable "is a real challenge." No one knows how much of a nanomaterial will be produced, its concentrations, or its form in nature, let alone how it will be used or disposed of. In total, five principal investigators and three additional research group leaders are involved in CEINT, and UC CEIN has five principal investigators and seven additional research group leaders. Experts in disciplines such as materials science, biology, geochemistry, and environmental science from more than 20 academic and government facilities around the world are named in research proposals for the two centers. Industrial collaboration is welcome, Wiesner says, noting that industry is on the front lines of large-scale production of nanomaterials, so knowing about their processes and problems is important. "We want to understand where industry is headed while informing them about the results of our research so that they can better manage any potential environmental or human health liabilities that might come down the line," he says. To maintain objectivity in the research, CEINT and UC CEIN will not depend on commercial funding, the center directors say. UC CEIN and CEINT are the latest additions to the research portfolio of the National Nanotechnology Initiative, the consortium of 25 U.S. federal agencies that study and regulate nanotechnology. "The new centers are aimed at strengthening our nation's commitment to research on the environmental, health, and safety implications of nanomaterials," Arden J. Bement Jr., NSF's director, said in a statement. George Gray, EPA assistant administrator for research and development, said in a statement, "This comprehensive research model promises to augment the knowledge we need to be good stewards of the environment." The new centers are not the first to address the effects of nanotechnology in the environment. In 2001, NSF funded the Center for Biological & Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN) at Rice University, a collaboration that Wiesner cofounded. CBEN was the first institution to look at the potential risks of nanomaterials to human health and the environment. Its mission, to discover and develop nanomaterials that enable new medical and environmental technologies, is broader than the fundamental work proposed by UC CEIN and CEINT. CBEN researchers are working on several products, including nanoshells that are in clinical trials for treating head and neck cancers and a "nanorust" material that will be field-tested soon for cleaning contaminated groundwater. CBEN is funded through 2011. Kristen Kulinowski, a chemist and CBEN's director of external affairs, is glad to see that studying the potential impacts of nanotechnology on the environment has garnered solid research support. Establishing UC CEIN and CEINT is "great news" because the huge data gaps can't be filled by just CBEN's researchers, she adds. Alan J. Tessier, project director for the new centers at NSF, says that in the end, the funding agencies decided that the data gaps couldn't even be filled by one additional center, which is why the two new centers were funded. "Looking at this emerging interdisciplinary field overall, it was really hard to cover the full breadth with funding only one of them." He adds that the centers were awarded independently, but they end up complementing each other. The funding announcement for the new centers came a week after the unveiling of a separate but related international effort to address the environmental, health, and safety (EHS) impacts of nanomaterials. Materials scientists and toxicologists from the U.S., Europe, and Japan put forth funding from their own labs to form the International Alliance for NanoEHS Harmonization (IANH) to develop standard protocols for laboratory tests. IANH researchers plan to do round-robin testing-the same experiments on the same materials in different labs-to see whether they get the same results. Then the researchers will try to reach consensus on protocols ranging from sample preparation to cell culturing. Both Nel and Wiesner belong to IANH. Wiesner says the centers will be developing protocols that go beyond toxicology and into ecosystem-level effects, but some protocols developed at the centers will be given to IANH researchers so they can do round-robin tests. Aside from testing related to IANH, researchers at the centers have some similar interests that they will explore in different ways. For example, each center plans to start by characterizing biological and physicochemical properties of nanomaterials that are likely to be produced in high volume and used in many different consumer products. Examples include metals such as silver, gold, and iron; metal oxides including TiO2, FexOy, SiO2, CeO2, and ZnO; and carbon materials such as nanotubes and fullerenes. EACH CENTER also plans to fabricate nanomaterials for study. The researchers are looking to strike a balance between studying materials of immediate concern, such as silver, and looking at ones that vary in size and functionality. The aim is to build a foundation for predictive science so they can begin to understand materials that have not yet been conceived. Nel explains that UC CEIN will, for example, take a single material with interesting biological effects or toxicity and make multiple derivatives with different shapes, sizes, and surface characteristics through a controlled, high-throughput synthesis developed at the Molecular Foundry at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. UC CEIN researchers will examine the effects of these derivatives on three levels of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine animals, ranging from protozoa to spiny lobsters. Nel adds that such biological testing will help demonstrate which materials are most dangerous. It will also establish qualitative structure-activity relationships that will help build a computer model to predict toxicity in organisms ranging from bacteria to mammals. At CEINT, researchers will also vary structure and surface characteristics and compare how synthetic and natural nanoscale particles with the same chemical composition may behave differently in the environment, Wiesner explains. Results from bioavailability and toxicity testing in the laboratory will be vital to building a database for calibrating and validating models that relate nanomaterial properties to their environmental effects, he adds. To see how lab results translate to responses by aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, CEINT researchers will conduct experiments on varying time scales in 32 new mesocosms-what Wiesner describes as "giant aquarium-terrariums"-to be built in the Duke Forest. Wiesner says the physical plans for the mesocosms are not yet complete, but the idea is to mimic aspects of real ecosystems to see whether, for example, plants take up nanoparticles or whether soil bacteria mineralize them. He notes that the mesocosms will allow his team to do mass balances while avoiding the release of synthetic nanoparticles into the environment at large. The mesocosms will contain organisms ranging from bacteria to plants and from invertebrates to fish. In terms of risk assessment, CEINT will build on traditional environmental risk analysis-for example, modeling interactions among nanoparticles, soil, water, vegetation, and simple organisms. The computer model of predictive toxicology that UC CEIN is developing, however, is based on previous work Nel did to forecast cell injury in animals from particles in air pollution. Nel explains that his previous model is based on characteristics such as particle source, size, and chemical composition. The model can determine whether the particles will cause oxidative stress or injury to cells and tissues via oxygen radicals in, for example, a mouse that is exposed to small pollutant particles near an urban freeway. "I propose the same type of predictive model should be possible for screening engineered nanomaterials in bacteria, plants, animals, and other organisms in the environment," he says. To advance predictive toxicology and the study of environmental implications of nanotechnology, each center hopes to attract scientists-in-training, from undergraduate interns through postdoctoral fellows, who will learn how to anticipate and mitigate potential environmental risk. Researchers at the centers plan to disseminate information about the work to the public through NSF partners such as the Center for Nanotechnology in Society at Arizona State University. *ALTHOUGH* the two centers were not created solely to address the public's misunderstanding of risk associated with nanomaterials, the public's comprehension is critical to acceptance of new technology, says Günter Oberdörster, a professor of environmental medicine at the University of Rochester who studies respiratory effects of nanoparticles in humans. "Most people mix up hazard and risk," he says. Hazard is a danger, such as a shark in the ocean, he explains. But risk requires both hazard and exposure. Sharks aren't a risk to people on land, but they are a risk to people swimming in the ocean. Following that line of reasoning, high doses of nanoparticles may cause oxidative stress in cells in a dish, but those particles will not harm humans who are not exposed to them, he says. As scientists in the new centers continue to learn about hazard and strive to predict risk, advances in nanotechnology surge onward. Getting a handle now on how simple particles could affect human and environmental health is important because more complex particles-from composite materials to "smart" particles with multiple functions-are already in development, says Andrew D. Maynard, chief science adviser for the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. [1] Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=605955 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=605955 *Program to explore use of nanotechnology in diagnostics, treatment* Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA today announced the launch of the Mattel UCLA NanoPediatrics Program, which will explore the future of personalized medicine for children, including the opportunities and risks involved. The program is one of the world's first dedicated solely to nanomedicine and pediatric patients. "Why develop a nanopediatrics program? Because children are not small adults," said Dr. Edward McCabe[1], physician-in-chief of Mattel Children's Hospital and founding director of the new program. "We know that drugs affect children they metabolize, excrete and may even utilize, developmentally, specific receptors differently than adults. "Unless children are included as a research priority for the application of nanotechnology, then we will simply be applying approaches developed for adults. This flawed strategy will place children at risk, as opposed to a program in which children will be the focus from the outset." Nanotechnology involves manipulating atoms and molecules to create tiny devices, smaller than one-thousandth the diameter of a human hair (a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter). It is anticipated that nanomedicine, fueled by nanotechnology, will enable more personalized medical care that will be both predictive and preventive. While considerable attention has been paid to nanomedicine, UCLA's nanopediatrics program, initially organized in May 2008, may be the first initiative to examine the promises and risks of nanodiagnostics and nanotherapeutics for children in a formal and organized manner. Created thanks to a generous $1.8 million gift from the Mattel Children's Foundation, the program will support a nanopediatrics research core and pilot funding for projects that will potentially enable investigators to obtain grants from the National Institutes of Health. "The Mattel Children's Foundation is excited to support this groundbreaking program in nanopediatrics, which can potentially revolutionize the research and treatment of illnesses that affect young patients," said Kevin Farr, chairman of the foundation and chief financial officer of Mattel Inc. "Our philanthropic vision is to make a meaningful difference, one child at a time, and we believe that the nanopediatrics program at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA will bring new technologies and treatments to better the lives of children battling for their health." Projects currently underway at UCLA include the development and application of nanodiagnostic tools such as DNA-based newborn screening tests for genetic abnormalities, the development of a new generation of nanodevices for the treatment of children with genetic diseases and cancer, and the investigation of the use of nanoparticles for diagnostic imaging both during pregnancy and after birth. The Mattel UCLA NanoPediatrics Program will partner with the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA, an integrated research center established in 2000 to encourage university collaboration with industry and enable the rapid commercialization of discoveries in nanosystems. For additional information, visit www.nanopediatrics.ucla.edu[2]. Article from EurekAlert![3] UCLA Press Release[4] UCLA Daily Bruin[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=597674 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=597674 The program involves four institutes outside of Japan; each will host a satellite facility of the 'International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics' (MANA). The branch at UCLA, located at CNSI, will be lead by James Gimzewski[1], from the department of Chemistry & Biochemistry. The Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Cambridge in the UK, and the CNRS Nanoscience, CEMES lab in Toulouse, France, will host the other three satellites. MANA is expected to create world-class research centers with global visibility, which will be implemented under the supervision of a number of top scientists from Japan's National Institute for Materials Science. The 10 year, $150M program is aimed at developing innovative materials that contribute to sustainable development realizing a major shift in materials research. [1] Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=605920 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=605920 The October issue of the IEEE LEOS newsletter features a cover article discussing work by CNSI member Aydogan Ozcan[1] and his Group from the Department of Electrical Engineering at UCLA with lens-free imaging units they have named LUCAS. These units are capable of counting and identifying a wide variety of microparticles within a sample solution almost instantaneously. Because they are lens-free, the only limit to size of the device is the chip they are built on. A few of the applications Ozcan envisions for LUCAS technology involve use in wireless handheld devices for global disease monitoring in remote locations, as a water purity testing device after natural disasters, and as being a potential replacement for current equipment used in research labs used to identify cell types, which is limited to analyzing a single cell at a time. The LEOS Newsletter is published bimonthly by the Lasers and Electro-Optics Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. Please download the attachment to the left to read the full article. [1] Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=605876 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=605876 *Nano Letters Hot Papers in September* As defined by Thomson ISI®'s Essential Science Indicators, _Hot Papers_ are articles published within the last 2 years receiving the most citations over the most recent 2-month period. For the 2 month period ending September 2008, _Nano Letters_ generated an impressive total of 7 _Hot Papers_, listed below. The following 2006 paper of Andre Nel's is listed as number 2 on that list. *Comparison of the Abilities of Ambient and Manufactured Nanoparticles To Induce Cellular Toxicity According to an Oxidative Stress Paradigm* Xia, T.; Kovochich, M.; Brant, J.; Hotze, M.; Sempf, J.; Oberley, T.; Sioutas, C.; Yeh, J. I.; Wiesner, M. R.; Nel, A. E. _Nano Lett._; *(Letter); 2006*; _6_(8); 1794-1807. DOI: 10.1021/nl061025k Fri, 17 Oct 2008 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=599934 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=599934 The journal _Nanotechnology_ features a paper describing the improved photoluminescence (light emitting) efficiency created when the research team surrounded quantum dots (i.e. semiconductors) with a material (InGaAs), designed to keep the quantum dots in one place, instead of growing the quantum dots directly on the InGaAs. The paper was recently published online and is scheduled to come out in print on October 29. It is a collaboration between researchers at three institutions; UCLA, the University of Arkansas and the University of New Mexico. Diana Huffaker[1], Faculty Director of the Integrated NanoMaterials Laboratory at the CNSI, is one of the lead authors of the paper. Click here[2] to see the paper online. For a PDF of the full paper download the attachment to the left. [1] [2] Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=599851 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=599851 Art | Sci Center + Lab presents 2008 Symposium: BODY ART DISEASE installation workshop with Philip Beesley and Hayley Isaacs. Registration Required. *ENDOTHELIUM* installation by Philip Beesley[1] and Hayley Isaacs A hybrid lattice topography will be assembled at the California NanoSystems Institute, during the UCLA Art | Sci Center 2008 Symposium: Body Art Disease. The work will be composed of a lightweight sculptural field housing arrays of organic batteries, acting as a primitive 'geotextile' that might reinforce new growth. This system will support a dense series of very thin whiskers and low-power miniature lights, pulsing and vibrating in slight increments. Weak electrical charges are generated by copper and aluminum electrodes immersed in vinegar within latex bladders, working in concert with miniature microprocessors. The 'life' of the organic system will shift and erode during the symposium event. In installation workshops participants will work together in preparing the Endothelium sculpture. The work will include assembly of lightweight wood, paper and metal elements combined with miniature microprocessor and mechatronic components transported from the studio in Toronto. No prior experience is required. *Participatory workshop A: Prefabrication with Hayley Isaacs* Wednesday, November 5, 12-6pm and 7-10 pm Location: California NanoSystems Institute, Room 5261 Installation preparatory workshop open to 12 individuals who will work with Hayley Isaacs, associate of Philip Beesley Architect Inc. Participants will engage with Haley in the basic assembly of these units and will be joined by Philip Beesley for work continuing that evening. To be considered please email a brief paragraph introducing yourself and confirming your interests to water@arts.ucla.edu[2]. *Final Participatory Installation B with Philip Beesley* Nov. 6, Thursday 9am-12pm Location: California NanoSystems Institute, Room 5261 The sculpture will be completed and installed in the Art | Sci Lab located in CNSI. Open to 20 participants To be considered please email a brief paragraph introducing yourself and confirming your interest to water@arts.ucla.edu[3]. **No experience required anyone can apply* Come join us and work side by side with internationally renowned, experimental architect Phillip Beesley in the final stages of his installation. Participants will gather in the fashion of a "quilting bee" to engage, share and create. *BIOGRAPHY* *Philip Beesley* practices digital media art and experimental architecture in Toronto. His work in the last two decades has focused on field-oriented distributed sculpture and landscape installations. In parallel with his sculpture practice he teaches architecture at the University of Waterloo School of Architecture in Cambridge, Ontario and is director of Waterloo's Integrated Centre for Manufacturing, Visualization and Design, a facility combining high-performance computing, advanced visualization and digital fabrication. His work has been distinguished by the Prix de Rome (Canada) and the Far Eastern Design Award for digital architecture. *Hayley Isaacs* is an associate of Philip Beesley Architect Inc. who has played key roles in conception and production of sculptures, books and buildings including Hylozoic Soil (Montreal, 2006), Ourtopias (Riverside, 2007), North House and Maison Solaire (CDRN, 2008). She holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Waterloo and her focus combines industrial design and exhibitry, graphic design and architecture. [1] [2] [3] Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=597651 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=597651 An article was recently published on the nanotechnology portal Nanowerk.com featuring work by several CNSI scientists, it focuses on vault research. Vaults are nanocapsules that can be found by the thousands in human cells. The role of these vaults and how they function is not currently understood, but they seem to be a perfect drug delivery vehicle due to their hollow nature and because they are naturally occurring. The article focuses on a recent research collaboration by CNSI members Sarah Tolbert[1] from Chemistry & Biochemistry, Harold Monbouquette[2] from Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and Leonard Rome[3] from Biological Chemistry, that was published in Nano Letters. The research demonstrates that vaults can be used for transport of foreign molecules. Leonard Rome discovered vaults some twenty years ago. To read the full article please visit the Nanowerk website[4]. [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=596194 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=596194 *Professor James Gimzewski[1] was one of the first scientists to image molecules with the scanning tunneling microscope and holds a Guinness World Record for creating the world's smallest calculator. Today his research interests span science and art. Institute of Nanotechnology CEO, Ottilia Saxl, speaks to professor Gimzewski about his mission to achieve the impossible. Q How did you become a 'nanoscientist'? A* I morphed into one...starting at IBM Zrich Research Laboratories in 1983. I was working with the Scanning Tunneling Microscope that was invented there. This led me to see the first molecules in real space and then manipulate them. Many experiments on the nanoscale followed and one day everyone was talking about nanotechnology. *Q What has made you so passionate about your subject? A* My passion comes from the fact that it's all about a new way of science and technology. One can let creativity, imagination and curiosity lead in the scientific experiments. There are no walls or divisions between the disciplines. It's a space where everything is connected. *Q What has been the influence of IBM on your work, in terms of providing inspiration, opening up new horizons? A* The influence of IBM is immense and has a lot to do with the people that helped and inspired new ways to think about science. People like Heini Röhrer, Christoph Gerber and Gerd Binning who disregarded established paths and that community of science that holds onto the past. IBM had at that time a very special energy field created by those people and also by Alex Muller and Georg Bednorz. *Q What drew you to UCLA? A* I was aggressively perused by UCLA over a period of years. I needed a change in environment. IBM, I could see, was also moving away from hardware to services and solutions. It was meant to be. The establishment of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) is the real attractor that got me into UCLA. *Q What has the States to offer nanoscientists compared with Europe? A* The States is a big place. To me, California has optimism, enthusiasm and is not trapped in history or institution. I guess I like that for I still find Europe a bit oppressive and depressive at times, although I love Europe. *Q What is your work focusing on now? A* My work is focused on several things. First nanomedicine, where we use nanotechnologies in a clinical setting and work with cells from patients, no cell lines. The other area is Art/Science the space between the two creates a metadisciplinary situation. I believe this hybrid will be the most powerful and influential force over the next 50 years that humankind has seen. *Q What would you still like to achieve? A* I would like to achieve the impossible essentially, to link peoples minds to be in a single space, not physically, but totally ephemeral. I believe I may guide that direction. *Q What do you think are the major challenges faced by nanoscientists? A* There is only one major challenge. What can we create that is revolutionary, that is not a smaller something we know, that is not an extension? Something totally revolutionary that changes people's everyday lives in a major and positive manner. NANO magazine[2] [1] [2] Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=594242 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=594242 Building on a series of recent breakthroughs in ultrafast analog-to-digital conversion, UCLA scientists have designed a bar code reader that is nearly a thousand times faster than any device currently in use. The new imaging technique, developed by researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, enables the detection of ultrafast, non-repetitive transient phenomena in real time and can produce one-dimensional bar codes with a frame rate on the order of 25 million frames per second. Their research appears in the Sept. 29 edition of the journal Applied Physics Letters. Bar codes which are currently used in the management of everything from retail inventory and mail distribution to blood banks are read by optically scanning the code's alternating light and dark bars and then using a computer program to convert the resulting image into digital form, essentially "decoding" the information stored within the code. Conventional bar code readers use one of two approaches to acquire an image of the bar code. In one, a laser beam is scanned over the code to measure the intensity of the light reflected back by the black-and-white pattern. In such devices, the activity of the mechanical scanner limits the image-acquisition speed to less than 1,000 frames per second. In the second type, a digital camera, such as a CCD- or CMOS- based device, takes a picture of the code, which is then recognized by the computer. The frame rate of these devices is limited to about 1,000 frames per second by the refresh rate of the CCD or CMOS image sensor. The new imaging technique reported by UCLA postdoctoral fellow Keisuke Goda, graduate researcher Kevin K. Tsia and electrical engineering professor Bahram Jalali[1] uses a phenomenon known as amplified dispersive Fourier transform to read bar codes at a frame rate of 25 MHz about a 1,000 times faster than current technology. The new technology, dubbed the CWEETS Scanner (chirped wavelength electronic encoded time domain sampling), first maps the one-dimensional bar code image onto the spectrum of an ultrashort laser pulse and then maps that into an amplitude-modulated waveform that is captured with a single optical-to-electrical converter. This is in stark contrast to typical camera-based bar code readers, which require many optical-to-electrical converters in other words, an array of pixels to capture the image. The new imager requires only a single pixel and is free of mechanically moving parts. Dispersive Fourier transformation was originally developed by the UCLA team for ultrafast spectroscopy and has been used to demonstrate real-time spectroscopy with nanosecond time resolution. The development of a bar code reader using this technology was motivated by the fact that the volume of information in bar codes is increasing and they are becoming integrated into real-time sensor networks. Similarly, there is a need for high-speed scanners for non-contact position and displacement sensing, as used in real-time inspection and monitoring in industrial applications. The new UCLA scanner also achieves high sensitivity by amplifying the laser beam that is reflected by the bar code while the signal is still in the optical domain. This technique prevents the inherent loss that the signal would otherwise experience during spectrum-to-time transformation. It also overcomes the thermal noise of the optical-to-electrical converters, a chronic problem that limits the sensitivity of virtually all scanners. "This is more than a fast scanner," Goda said. "It can detect ultrafast transient phenomena in real time that have not been observed by conventional techniques in the past. Therefore, it is not only useful for industrial applications, but also has much application to basic science." "Eliminating the CCD camera and the mechanically steered mirrors from bar code scanners can prove valuable in applications that demand high-throughput bar code reading, such as industrial monitoring and retail supply line management," said Jalali, the principal investigator on the research. "The next step is to see whether the new scanner can be produced in a cost-effective manner." To view an animated film illustrating the concept of amplified dispersive Fourier-transform imaging, see http://goda.bol.ucla.edu/barcode[2] (Windows Media). UCLA Press Release[3] 'The Great Beyond' blog from _Nature_[4] (subscription required) Contra Costa Times[5] (from City News Service) UCLA Daily Bruin[6] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=594027 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=594027 A lensless imaging system finds and recognizes the shadows of T cells and bacteria. September 27, 2008 Technology Review reports on the lensless imaging system developed by Aydogan Ozcan[1]. Clinical tests for identifying and counting normal and bacterial cells in blood and other samples can tell doctors the source of a bacterial infection or help them monitor the immune health of people with HIV. But conventional cell counting is costly and time-consuming. A simple, lensless imaging system being developed by Aydogan Ozcan at the University of California, Los Angeles, uses a chip like the one found in a digital camera to count and distinguish different types of cells in blood and drinking water, and simple algorithms to identify and count the cells. The imager could be carried in a device the size of a cell phone and used to monitor water quality and to provide cheap diagnostics in rural and underdeveloped areas. Read the complete article in Technology Review[2] [1] [2] Sun, 28 Sep 2008 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=588964 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=588964 *Center based at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute gets $24 million from EPA, NSF to focus on nanomaterials safety and risk assessment* UCLA and 12 collaborating institutions have been awarded $24 million in federal funding to establish the University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (UC CEIN), which will help researchers design safer and more environmentally benign nanomaterials. The center, to be housed at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) on the UCLA campus, will explore the impact of nanomaterials on life forms and the interactions of these materials with various biological systems and ecosystems. Funding was awarded by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency following a highly competitive application and review process. With the rapid development of nanotechnology and its applications, a wide variety of nanomaterials are now used in clothing, electronic devices, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals and other biomedical products. The potential interactions of nanomaterials with living systems and the environment have attracted increasing attention from the public, as well as from manufacturers of nanomaterial-based products, academic researchers and policymakers. Nanotechnology is expected to become a $1 trillion industry within the next decade. "UCLA and its partners are blazing the way to a brighter future through discoveries in nanotechnology that enhance our quality of life," UCLA Chancellor Gene Block said. "UCLA's selection as the headquarters of the University of California Center for Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology cements the campus's position as a leader in this critical emerging field and helps to ensure the introduction of often breathtaking nanotechnology in a manner consistent with our social and environmental values." "We are deeply committed to ensuring that nanotechnology is introduced and implemented in a responsible and environmentally compatible manner," said Dr. Andr E. Nel[1], chief of the division of nanomedicine at UCLA, who will serve as the new center's director. "We see the UC CEIN as providing an important service to our nation and beyond, specifically to the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency, and to industry at large." Arturo Keller, a professor at the Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara, will serve as the center's associate director. Co-principal investigators on the center's research executive committee include Hilary Godwin[2], of the UCLA Department of Environmental Health Sciences; Yoram Cohen[3], of the UCLA Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; and Roger Nisbet, of the UC Santa Barbara Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology. The UC CEIN will employ approaches that differ from traditional toxicity testing, which relies mainly on a complex set of whole-animal-based testing strategies. "This approach cannot handle the rapid pace at which nanotechnology-based enterprises are generating new materials and ideas," said Nel, who is also director of the UC Lead Campus Program for Nanotoxicology Research and Training, at UCLA. "The CEIN's development of a comprehensive computational risk ranking will allow powerful risk predictions to be made by and for the academic community, industry, the public and regulating agencies." Establishing a predictive science of nanomaterials toxicity is an important and timely approach for nanotechnology-based enterprises wishing to avoid the problems faced by the chemical industry, where only a few hundred of the approximately 40,000 industrial chemicals have undergone toxicity testing, making it very challenging to control the toxicological impact of chemicals in the environment. Building on this seminal concept, the UC CEIN brings together a highly integrated, multidisciplinary, synergistic team with the skills set to address the complexities of environmental science, ecotoxicity, materials science, nanotechnology, the biological mechanisms of injury, and the fate and transport of nanomaterials. The UC CEIN will serve a critical national need to further understanding of the environmental health and safety of nanomaterials. The CNSI at UCLA will serve as the major base of operations for the new center, with a second major hub at UC Santa Barbara. "The new centers will provide national and international leadership in the emerging field of environmental nanoscience," said Arden L. Bement Jr., director of the National Science Foundation. "This is an important addition to the National Nanotechnology Initiative and builds on earlier discoveries on the environmental implications of nanotechnology, made since 2001, when the NSF's Center for Biological and Environmental Technologies was established. The new centers are aimed at strengthening our nation's commitment to research on the environmental, health and safety implications of nanomaterials." "The collaborative approach that these centers will use is key to quickly building the scientific foundation for understanding the health and environmental implications of nanomaterials," said George Gray, the Environmental Protection Agency's assistant administrator for research and development. "This comprehensive research model promises to augment the knowledge we need to be good stewards of the environment." The UC CEIN will unite recognized experts in the fields of engineering, chemistry, physics, materials science, ecology, cell biology, marine biology, bacteriology, particle and chemical toxicology, computer modeling, high-throughput screening, and risk prediction to establish the foundation of a new scientific discipline: environmental nanotechnology and nanotoxicology. "A significant part of our mission is to use the insights gained from the research conducted at the UC CEIN to inform policy decisions about the safe implementation of nanotechnology," said UCLA's Godwin, who will head the center's education and outreach initiatives. "As a result, we are planning activities to engage a wide range of stakeholders including journalists, policymakers and the general public in UC CEIN activities." The center's seven integrated research groups will be led by UC Santa Barbara's Keller; UCLA's Cohen; Eric Hoek[4], of the UCLA Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Patricia Holden, of the UC Santa Barbara Department of Environmental Microbiology at the Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management; Hunter Stanton Lenihan, of the UC Santa Barbara Department of Applied Marine Ecology, Coastal Marine Resources Management at the Bren School; Kenneth Bradley[5], of the UCLA Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics; and Barbara Herr Harthorn, director of the Center for Nanotechnology in Society at UC Santa Barbara. "The nanomaterials industry continues to grow rapidly, both nationally and internationally, and it behooves us to learn from past experience in the area of chemical hazard management," Nel said. "The team has very strong and broad experience in collaborative nanomaterials and nanoscience research and has the potential to deliver an expert system to design new materials that are both safe and effective." In addition to those at UCLA and UC Santa Barbara, researchers from a broad range of other institutions and organizations are involved in the UC CEIN, including UC Davis, UC Riverside, Columbia University, the University of Texas-El Paso, Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, the Molecular Foundry at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory, Germany's University of Bremen, University College Dublin, and Spain's Universitat Rovira i Virgili. UCLA Newsroom[6] National Science Foundation[7] Environmental Protection Agency[8] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Fri, 19 Sep 2008 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=584772 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=584772 *Lens-free imaging advance by UCLA researchers could lead to improved wireless diagnostics for HIV, malaria and other global medical problems* In many Third World and developing countries, the distance between people in need of health care and the facilities capable of providing it constitutes a major obstacle to improving health. One solution involves creating medical diagnostic applications small enough to fit into objects already in common use, such as cell phones in effect, bringing the hospital to the patient. UCLA researchers have advanced a novel lens-free, high-throughput imaging technique for potential use in such medical diagnostics, which promise to improve global disease monitoring, especially in resource-limited settings such as in Africa. The research, which will be published in the quarterly journal Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering (CMBE) and is currently available online[1], outlines improvements to a technique known as LUCAS, or Lensless Ultra-wide-field Cell monitoring Array platform based on Shadow imaging. First published in the Royal Society of Chemistry's journal Lab Chip in 2007, the LUCAS technique, developed by UCLA researchers, demonstrated a lens-free method for quickly and accurately counting targeted cell types in a homogenous cell solution. Removing the lens from the imaging process allows LUCAS to be scaled down to the point that it can eventually be integrated into a regular wireless cell phone. Samples could be loaded into a specially equipped phone using a disposable microfluidic chip. The UCLA researchers have now improved the LUCAS technique to the point that it can classify a significantly larger sample volume than previously shown up to 5 milliliters, from an earlier volume of less than 0.1 ml representing a major step toward portable medical diagnostic applications. The research team, led by Aydogan Ozcan[2], assistant professor of electrical engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI), includes postdoctoral scholar Sungkyu Seo, doctoral student Ting-Wei Su, master's student Derek Tseng and undergraduate Anthony Erlinger. Ozcan envisions people one day being able to draw a blood sample into a chip the size of a quarter, which could then be inserted into a LUCAS-equipped cell phone that would quickly identify and count the cells within the sample. The read-out could be sent wirelessly to a hospital for further analysis. "This on-chip imaging platform may have a significant impact, especially for medical diagnostic applications related to global health problems such as HIV or malaria monitoring," Ozcan said. LUCAS functions as an imaging scheme in which the shadow of each cell in an entire sample volume is detected in less than a second. The acquired shadow image is then digitally processed using a custom-developed "decision algorithm" to enable both the identification of the cell/bacteria location in 3-D and the classification of each microparticle type within the sample volume. Various cell types such as red blood cells, fibroblasts and hepatocytes or other microparticles, such as bacteria, all exhibit uniquely different shadow patterns and therefore can be rapidly identified using the decision algorithm. The new study demonstrates that the use of narrowband, short-wavelength illumination significantly improves the detection of cell shadow images. Furthermore, by varying the wavelength, the two-dimensional pattern of the recorded cell signatures can be tuned to enable automated identification and counting of a target cell type within a mixed cell solution. "This is the first demonstration of automated, lens-free counting and characterization of a mixed, or heterogeneous, cell solution on a chip and holds significant promise for telemedicine applications," Ozcan said. Another improvement detailed in the UCLA research is the creation of a hybrid imaging scheme that combines two different wavelengths to further improve the digital quality of shadow images. This new cell classification scheme has been termed "multicolor LUCAS." As the team illustrated, further improvement in image quality can also be achieved through the use of adaptive digital filtering. As result of these upgrades, the volume of the sample solution that can be imaged has been increased, as mentioned, from less than 0.1 ml to 5 ml. "This is a significant advance in the quest to bring advanced medical care to all reaches of the planet," said Leonard H. Rome[3], interim director of the CNSI and senior associate dean for research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "The implications for medical diagnostic applications are in keeping with CNSI initiatives for new advances toward improving global health." Ozcan has already received accolades for this research, including the prestigious 2008 Okawa Foundation Research Award, which he will receive at a ceremony in San Francisco on Oct. 8. The award honors top young researchers working in the fields of information and telecommunications. The CMBE paper has also been selected for the Outstanding Paper award at the upcoming annual meeting of the Biomedical Engineering Society this fall. For more information on Ozcan's research group, visit http://innovate.ee.ucla.edu/[4]. The CMBE journal paper is available at www.springerlink.com/content/h526u7t0429q0121/[5]. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=584777 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=584777 Omar Yaghi[1] from the department of Chemistry & Biochemistry has been named the 2009 recipient of the ACS Award in the Chemistry of Materials. The purpose of this award is to recognize and encourage creative work in the chemistry of materials. Particular emphasis for the selection of recipients is placed on research relating to materials of actual or potential technological importance, where a fundamental understanding of the chemistry associated with materials preparation, processing, or use is critical. The award was established in 1988 by E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the commercialization of nylon and the discovery of Teflon. Yaghi is also the faculty director for the Center for Reticular Chemistry at the CNSI. Congratulations Omar! [1] Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=584342 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=584342 *Can High-Speed Tests Sort Out Which Nanomaterials Are Safe?* *A flood of strange new substances based on ultrasmall particles is forcing researchers to reinvent toxicology* If you've ever marveled at a painter mixing colors on a palette, you have a taste of what nanotechnologists feel when designing materials at the smallest scale. Nanoscientists today mix collections of different atoms to create a multitude of novel pint-sized particles with a vast array of new electronic, optical, catalytic, and chemical properties. Iron oxide particles, for example, are proving exceptional as contrast agents for medical imaging. Bits of titanium dioxide harvest sunlight in solar cells. And on and on. "These are materials with wonderful properties," says Fanqing Chen, a biomedical scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California. "Their contribution to science, technology, and the economy is going to be huge." But the remarkable diversity of nanomaterials is also one of the field's biggest headaches. With potentially thousands of novel materials under investigation, health and safety regulators are left scratching their heads over which are safe and which are potentially toxic to humans or other species. That uncertainty threatens to undermine public confidence in nanotechnology and stymie the development of what is expected to be a major global economic engine. What's worse, traditional toxicology studies that test one material at a time appear woefully inadequate to the task of sorting the dangerous from the benign. "If we continue with the classical toxicological assessment [for nanomaterials], we will never catch up with this work," says Andre Nel[1], a nanomaterials toxicologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. In hopes of picking up the pace, Nel and a handful of other toxicologists around the world are creating batteries of high-speed assays for testing the toxicity of hundreds and even thousands of different nanomaterials at the same time. The assays involve exposing different types of cells to nanoparticles and monitoring the cells for changes, such as DNA damage, alterations in gene expression, cell death, and impacts on cell growth and proliferation. It's still too early to say whether these hopes will pan out. But at a minimum, nanotoxicologists hope high-throughput studies will help them prioritize nanomaterials that should undergo conventional toxicology tests. Clearly, there is cause for concern about the toxicity of some nanomaterials. Early studies with soccer-ball-shaped carbon fullerenes revealed, for example, that the particles can damage brain cells in fish. Conventional toxicology studies also raised yellow flags about the straw-shaped cousins of fullerenes called carbon nanotubes. When the lung tissue of rats was flushed with high levels of nanotubes, researchers found that the tubes clumped together, making it difficult for the animals' immune systems to clear them from their bodies. Still other studies have raised concerns about particles mostly considered harmless at larger sizes, such as titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Unfortunately, such studies are slow and expensive. A single in vivo animal study can cost $50,000. In addition, it's often difficult to extrapolate how a material tested in one tissue will affect others. It's even harder to extend that one study to determine how other nanomaterials will behave. The study that showed fullerenes can damage the brain cells of fish, for example, says little about exposure to particles of iron oxide, silicon dioxide, or carbon nanotubes. To confound matters further, particles can also come with different coatings that alter their properties, and they can even acquire new coatings upon entering the environment or the human body. Chen notes that some of his team's early studies reveal that the toxicity of nanoparticles can change even when they change size or shape but not composition. "They show different effects, even if they are the same material," Chen says. "It looks like there is an additional dimension ... when you are dealing with nanomaterials." Faced with such complexity, researchers have begun looking to high-throughput testing techniques as a route to better, faster, and cheaper toxicology studies. Drug companies have long used similar methods to test compounds for curing and preventing disease. But because toxicologists must look for not just one positive outcome but potentially dozens of negative ones, they face a much tougher task: developing a battery of in vitro assays using a variety of cell types to assemble a fingerprint of ways a particular nanoparticle affects different tissues. One of the biggest such efforts to date is ToxCast, a 5-year initiative by researchers with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Launched in 2007 to speed up toxicity testing on chemicals in general, ToxCast is nearing the end of its pilot phase. Researchers are examining 320 different chemicals, such as pesticides, that all have previously undergone extensive conventional toxicological screens, says Keith Houck, an EPA toxicologist who is helping to develop the program. Houck says he and his colleagues are testing each chemical in a wide variety of cell-based assays, looking for 400 different "endpoints" that could signal danger to living organisms. "What we are trying to do is get a broad bioactivity profile for each compound and correlate those with toxicology studies we have," Houck says. In the program's second phase, set to begin in 2009, Houck says ToxCast researchers will evaluate probably about another 1000 compounds, which will likely include several varieties of nanomaterials. Houck notes that the number of different starting nanomaterials, coupled with possible coatings and other molecules that could interact with them, makes it impossible to test every combination. "But we can use computational approaches to hopefully test the right ones and make some predictions about which materials are of most concern." The compounds determined to be the riskiest will then be given top priority for conventional toxicity screening. Although the results from ToxCast won't be known for years, smaller scale efforts are already giving a sense of what the approach can offer. In a paper published in 2006 in _Nano Letters_, for example, Nel and his colleagues compared the effects of ambient ultrafine particles such as carbon black--produced in diesel exhaust--with the effects of manufactured nanoparticles such as chemically functionalized fullerenes and polystyrene. Using a series of assays that monitored levels of oxidative stress and cytotoxicity, they found clear differences in cellular responses to different particles. Functionalized polystyrene particles topped the list of materials causing the most oxidative damage to mouse macrophage cells. "In nature, there are only a dozen or so major pathways that lead to 90% of toxicological outcomes," Nel says. So Nel and his colleagues are currently working to set up a broader set of screens to systematically monitor these pathways, conducting up to about 1000 cell-based assays a day. The screens, he says, will look for changes in addition to oxidative stress and cytotoxicity, such as DNA damage and changes in cell growth and proliferation. As ToxCast is doing, he then intends to gauge which nanomaterials are the likeliest to be harmful and put them first in line for more rigorous tests. "Instead of going through the haystack handful by handful, we've come up with a procedure to get rid of the hay," Nel says. Chen has been developing a related approach. In another 2006 _Nano Letters_ paper, he and colleagues looked at the genetic response of human skin fibroblasts when exposed to different nanoparticle-based imaging compounds. For their tests, Chen's team used gene chips that tracked how gene expression changed in about 22,000 genes in response to different types and doses of nanoparticles. Only about 50 of the genes showed significant changes. From the pattern, the Berkeley team concluded that--unlike several of the naked nanoparticles--particles coated with a polymer called polyethylene glycol induced minimal impact on exposed cells. In a more recent study, Ralph Weissleder, a molecular imaging expert at Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues have also turned to high-throughput analysis to sort out which nanoparticles have the best shot at succeeding as medicines. Nanoparticles are currently being developed as imaging agents, drug carriers, and, in some cases, therapeutic drugs themselves. A multitude of such compounds are under development, many of them coated with different small molecules to help target them to different tissues in the body, Weissleder says. But drugmakers want to avoid sinking too much time and effort into nanoparticles that have no shot at being approved for in vivo use because of their toxicity. So Weissleder and his colleagues set out to flag potential troublemakers. They evaluated 50 different nanomaterials at four concentrations on four cell types with four different assays. In the 27 May issue of the _Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences_, they reported that they had found broad, consistent patterns of activity, although different cell types behaved very differently. "There is not a single test that will predict how nanomaterials will behave in vivo," Weissleder says. But the batteries of cell assays can help researchers decide which ones are likely to be safest for human studies, he says. Taken together, the early studies suggest that high-throughput assays could vastly speed up toxicological screening, Weissleder and others say. They can't do everything, Houck cautions: "In vitro assays won't ever replicate a whole body." Still, if they can begin to sort out which types of nanoparticles pose the biggest risk, they could encourage targeted testing of those compounds and thereby help shore up faith in nanotechnology's future. Source of article: Science Magazine[2] (subscription required) [1] [2] Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=583242 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=583242 Fuyu Tamanoi[1], Professor and Vice Chair of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics at UCLA gave a presentation at the Consolidated Research Institute for Advanced Science and Medical Care, at Waseda University (ASMeW) in Tokyo, Japan. The presentations was titled: "Designing nanoimpellers and nanovalves for controlled release of anticancer drugs" Tamanoi is also the Director of Research at the California NanoSystems Institute. Video of Presentation at Waseda University[2] Symposium Homepage[3] [1] [2] [3] Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=581567 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=581567 *Double-emulsions hold potential for targeted drug delivery* UCLA scientists have succeeded in making unique nanoscale droplets that are much smaller than a human cell and can potentially be used to deliver pharmaceuticals. "What we found that was unexpected was within each oil droplet there was also a water droplet a double emulsion," said Timothy Deming[1], professor and chair of the UCLA Department of Bioengineering and a member of both the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA and UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center. "We have a water droplet inside of an oil droplet, in water." "The big challenge," Deming added, "was to make these double-emulsion droplets in the sub-100-nanometer size range with these properties and have them be stable. We have demonstrated we can make these emulsions that are stable in this size range, which no one has ever been able to do before. These double nanoemulsions are generally hard to form and very unstable, but ours are very stable." Emulsions are droplets of one liquid in another liquid; the two liquids do not mix. "This gives us a new tool, a new material, for drug delivery and anticancer applications," said Thomas G. Mason[2], a UCLA associate professor of chemistry and physics who has been leading research on nanoemulsions since he joined UCLA five years ago. Mason, who holds UCLA's John McTague Career Development Chair, is also a member of the CNSI. Deming and Mason have made nanoemulsions containing billions of double nanodroplets. Their research, reporting on droplets smaller than 100 nanometers the world's smallest double emulsions appears in the Sept. 4 edition of the journal Nature and is currently online. "If we have water-soluble drugs, we can load them inside," Deming said. "If we have water-insoluble drugs, we can load them inside as well. We can deliver them simultaneously." "Here, you effectively combine both types of drug molecules in the same delivery package," Mason said. "This approach could be used for a combination therapy where you want to deliver two drugs simultaneously at a fixed ratio into the same location." It might be possible to insert a pharmaceutical inside a droplet and inject the droplet inside a cell, the scientists said. Could these droplets release their cargo inside a cell? "We're working on it," said Deming, who designs and engineers molecules. "There's a pretty clear path on how to do that. There are still challenges for drug delivery, but we have demonstrated the key first step, that we can make these double emulsions that are stable in this size range." The cargo could be a protein toxin that helps to kill the cell. For example, one approach might involve an anticancer drug in the oil and a toxin-protein in the water two molecules trying to kill the cell simultaneously. While a cell can develop resistance to a single drug, the combination approach can be more effective, the scientists said. Deming and Mason caution that while this approach holds promise for fighting cancer, there are still many steps, and likely many years of research, before patients could be treated in this way. Clinical trials using this research would probably be years off. "We'll have to do a lot of fine-tuning, but this approach has a lot of advantages," Deming said. "The size of these is a big advantage. We have discovered unique molecular features that can stabilize double emulsions. These are promising, but it's early on, and there are many ways these can fail. But we should at least learn how to make better drug-delivery vehicles." In future research, Deming and Mason want to make sure the droplets can harmlessly enter cells and release their cargo. The nanodroplets could potentially be used in cosmetics, soaps and shampoos as well. NanoPacific Holdings Inc. has licensed this nanodroplet technology from UCLA to develop and commercialize the technology in a variety of applications. Deming's laboratory is trying to take some of the key features that make proteins special and put them into synthetic materials. "Tim has these beautiful molecules that he can design and customize," Mason said. Deming saw Mason give a UCLA talk about simple nanoemulsions in which Mason was coating nanoscale oil droplets in water using natural proteins; the two agreed to try to combine the advantages of their materials, and their collaboration was born. Both scientists said working together has been "fantastic." Emulsions are a way of taking an oil, which doesn't mix with water, and putting it in a water-friendly environment, where, dispersed as droplets, it behaves like a fluid. Emulsions have complex properties and are found in many products, including foods, plastics, cosmetics, oil and paints. "In the emerging field of nanoemulsions, this research is a big step," Mason said. As a graduate student at Princeton University in the early 1990s, Mason founded a field called thermal microrheology that is now used by scientists worldwide. Microrheology is a method for examining the viscosity and elasticity of soft materials, including liquids and emulsions, on a microscopic scale. Co-authors on the Nature paper are lead author Jarrod A. Hanson, a UCLA graduate student in Deming's laboratory; Connie B. Chang and Sara M. Graves, both graduate students in Mason's laboratory; and Zhibo Li, a postdoctoral scholar in Deming's laboratory. Deming received a grant from the international Human Frontiers of Science program ( www.hfsp.org[3]) to support Hanson's research. UCLA Newsroom[4] Nature (Subscription Required)[5] Asian News International[6] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=581048 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=581048 *Brain researchers convene on campus* Movie star town that L.A. is, a visit to UCLA by actor Dustin Hoffman to accept an award usually wouldn't raise an eyebrow. But the award he picked up Aug. 26 came from an atypical part of the campus the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) and from an unusual sponsor the International Brain Mapping and Intraoperative Surgical Planning Society. Hoffman received the Beacon Award "for having contributed to our awareness of neurological disorders," noted society chair Babak Kateb, through the actor's performance in "Rain Man," the 1988 film which earned him an Academy Award for his stirring role as an autistic savant. "I have not played a lot of brain conferences," Hoffman deadpanned to an appreciative international audience of scientists, educators and technology leaders in the vanguard of new treatments for brain and spinal cord injuries and diseases. At the time of that film's production, Hoffman recalled, "a majority of people didnt know what the term 'autism' meant. ... Parents of children diagnosed with autism were chastised for not giving their child enough affection." Hoffman spent two years researching his subject, including meeting and watching film footage of autistic savants at UCLA. Two decades later, not only is autism understood as the complex neurological disorder that it is, but research and treatment of this and other brain disorders and diseases have grown exponentially sophisticated. Molecular imaging. Biophotonics. Real-time guidance of brain tumor surgery using MRI and bipolar cortical mapping. Laser irradiation of the brain for improving recovery from stroke. Nanotechnology therapeutics. And electronic medical records and advanced telemedicine in a move toward a global health grid. These and scores of other subjects were described, discussed and dissected by an interdisciplinary assemblage of scientists, physicians, engineers and industry partners during the four-day conference. U.S. military scientists were on hand to talk about state-of-the-art neuroscience for soldiers returning from war with traumatic brain and spinal cord injury and post-traumatic stress syndrome. CNSI Interim Director Leonard H. Rome[1], associate dean for research at the David Geffen School of Medicine, described nanotechnology devices being developed in his lab to deliver chemotherapy drugs to cancer cells. Warren Grundfest, UCLA professor of bioengineering, electrical engineering and surgery, talked about advanced brain mapping imaging techniques that help improve the diagnosis, characterization and therapy of devastating brain diseases. California State Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas, D-Los Angeles, chair of the Senate Select Committee on L.A. County Health Care Crisis, awarded a plaque to CNSI on behalf of the California State Senate. "World-class universities like UCLA continue to distinguish themselves because of their investment in medicine," the senator said. "This is groundbreaking, revolutionary research. There is incredible genius represented here." UCLA Today Online[2] [1] [2] Tue, 02 Sep 2008 00:09:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=578721 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=578721 This symposium between the CNSI and the Center for NanoBio Integration at the University of Tokyo is the second annual meeting between the two institutes. The meetings are planned to alternate between the University of Tokyo and UCLA. The themes of this year's symposium include nanomaterials, nanomedicine and nanomanipulation. A full description of the symposium can be found at the CNBI website [1]. Photo Gallery[2] [1] [2] Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=555047 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=555047 *5th Annual World Congress of IBMISPS* *August 26-29, 2008* Free Enrollment for all UCLA Faculty and Students RSVP to cnsievents@cnsi.ucla.edu[1] California NanoSystems Institute UCLA, 570 Westwood Plaza Los Angeles, CA 90095 Neurosurgeons, Radiologists, Neurologists, Biotechnologists, Neuroscientists, Engineers, Physicists, Oncologists, Molecular Biologists are invited to participate in the 5th annual World Congress of IBMISPS. The 5th Annual World Congress of IBMISPS will bring together world class authorities in neurology, neurosurgery, radiology, and biotechnologists to discuss their findings, new techniques and technologies, in brain mapping, brain monitoring and inter-operative surgical planning. This group of scientists, technologists and physicians represents the avant-garde of great advances in multi-disciplinary research and development. *Program*[2] *Agenda*[3] Tuesday, August 26 Program Pages 8-13 Wednesday, August 27 Program Pages 14-17 Thursday, August 28 Program Pages 18-22 Cocktail Award Dinner Pages 23-28 Friday, August 29 Program Pages 29-33 UCLA Newsroom[4] *Key Note Speakers:* *Leonard H. Rome* Director of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) and Senior Associate Dean for Research, David Geffen School of Medicine _Nanoparticles for Therapeutic Drug Delivery, and Introduction to the CNSI_ *Ron Kikinis* Founding Director of Surgical Planning Laboratory and Director of the National Center for Image Guided Therapy at the Harvard Medical School _The Role of Software in Image Guided Therapy_ *Patrick Soon-Shiong* Chairman and CEO of Abraxis BioScience, Inc. _The Need for Interdisciplinary Science to Effect Meaningful Clinical Change_ *Ron Von Jako* Chief Medical officer and Surgical Development Leader, GE Healthcare Surgery _Application of electromagnetic image guidance in spine surgery_ *Christian Macedonia* Chief of Research Operations, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, U.S. Army _Brain Mapping and Systems Biology_ *Lectures:* - Basic Science - Clinical Trials - Governmental Regulation - Patient Advocacy - Cutting Edge Research and Development in Brain Mapping and Intraoperative Surgical Planning *Practical Sessions:* Telemedicine, Endoscopy, Radiosurgery, and Functional Imaging. Visit the official website of the IBMISPS for information about the 5th Annual World Congress of IBMISPS http://www.ibmisps.org/[5] including conference schedule, speakers, registration, etc. IBMISPS is a non-profit association organization for the purpose of encouraging basic and clinical scientists who are interested or active in areas of Brain Mapping, BM, and Intra-operative Surgical Planning, ISP, to share their findings with other physicians and scientists across the disciplines (i.e. neurosurgeons, radiologists, neurologists, biotechnologists, anthropologists and neuroscientists). The association is also intended for the purpose of promoting the public welfare through the advancement of Intra-operative Surgical Planning and Brain Mapping, by a commitment to excellence in education, and by dedication to research and scientific discovery. The mission of the association will be achieved through a multi-disciplinary collaboration of government agencies, patient advocacy groups, educational institutions and the private sector brought together in order to address issues and problems related to Brain Mapping and Intra-operative Planning, and to implement new technologies to benefit patient care. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=577715 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=577715 *Innovation, Imagination and Creativity* Dr. Gimzewski pioneered research on mechanical and electrical contacts with single atoms and molecules using scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and was one of the first persons to image molecules with STM in 1985. He is involved in a wide range of projects, including X-ray sources, ions and nuclear fusion using pyroelectric crystals, direct deposition of carbon nanotubes, and single-molecule DNA profiling. Dr. Gimzewski is also involved in collaborative art-science works that have been shown throughout the world. Dr. James K. Gimzewski[1] is a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry at UCLA and is also the Director of the CNSI Nano & Pico Characterization Core Facility. He spoke to NIMS NOW, when he was visiting NIMS for ICYS Final Workshop/MANA Int'l Symposium in March, 2008. We first asked about a newly opening joint lab at UCLA as one of MANA Satellite Operation. View the complete interview in the July 2008 issue of NIMS NOW[2]. Learn more about the National Institute for Materials Science http://www.nims.go.jp/eng/[3] [1] [2] [3] Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=576111 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=576111 Congratulations to CNSI Member David Eisenberg[1] for having been awarded the 2008 Harvey Prize in Human Health. The Harvey Prize is awarded annually by the Technion Israel Institute of Technology in a variety of disciplines within the categories of Science & Technology and Human Health. The award will be presented to David at a ceremony during the week of March 22, 2009 at the Technion. [1] Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=547341 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=547341 The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) invites inquiries, nominations and applications for the position of Director of the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI). One of the four Institutes of Science and Innovation established on UC campuses by Governor Gray Davis in the year 2000, the CNSI involves a partnership between the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB). The recently completed CNSI buildings on the UCLA and UCSB campuses provide over 240,000 square feet of laboratory space for interdisciplinary research and state-of-the-art instrumentation and facilities. For more information, see www.cnsi.ucla.edu[1] and www.cnsi.ucsb.edu[2]. The mission of the CNSI is to broadly foster interdisciplinary collaborations in nanoscience and nanotechnology research. The Institute's focus on nanosystems was selected because of its scientific excitement, its challenge for broad interdisciplinary inquiry and educational innovation, and its anticipated economic benefits. A key component of the Institute's mission is to train the next generation of scientists, engineers, educators and technology leaders in these fields. In addition and characteristic of all four California Institutes of Science and Innovation the CNSI is charged to facilitate partnerships with private industry, fueling the economic need and social well being of California and the Nation. As the Chief Executive Officer for the CNSI, the Director provides research and administrative leadership to help foster a new model of collaborative research among the faculty at UCLA and UCSB and their research partners in industry, national laboratories and other universities. The Director actively participates in campus-wide deliberations regarding budget and policy, as appropriate. The CNSI Director jointly reports to the UCLA and UCSB Chancellor's Offices, with primary authority at the UCLA campus. Candidates should have demonstrated scientific leadership and experience in academic administration in a research university setting; a thorough understanding of federal and corporate funding opportunities; a distinguished scientific record; demonstrated experience in the development of collaborative research ventures; and sensitivity to the research needs of the wide variety of disciplines represented in the Institute. Candidates must have the academic credentials to qualify for a tenured appointment at the University of California. Salary will be commensurate with background and experience. To be ensured full consideration, nominations and applications should be sent by September 1, 2008. Electronic submission of application materials is preferred, and cover letter, curriculum vita and list of five references should be forwarded to CNSIsearch@cnsi.ucla.edu[3]. Inquiries may be directed to Ms. Heidi Winkenhower at 310-267-5248. _The University of California is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and seeks candidates who are committed to the highest standards of scholarship and professional activities and to a campus climate that supports equality and diversity._ [1] [2] [3] Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=574987 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=574987 *Renewable energy is the future of UCLA* When the U.S. was again considering drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to offset the impending energy crisis, Steve Brye, project manager at the L.A. County Metropolitan Transport Authority, did something he deems "in the spirit of a middle-aged man buying a sports car." He personally funded the installation of $11,000 worth of rooftop solar panels on a small Catholic school in East Los Angeles in an attempt to show that alternative forms of energy exist. "People don't do a cost-benefit analysis for a sports car. It's time for Americans to just buy some sustainability because they want it," he said. According to Brye and others connected to the effort to make UCLA more sustainable, green alternatives can be affected through the support of research collations, education and, perhaps most importantly, the will of the campus. Tony Pereira, a UCLA doctoral candidate in mechanical engineering, said an average solar-powered rooftop in California, at $4 per uninstalled solar cell or $8 to $10 per solar cell installed by a professional, would pay for itself in four to five years or less with a government rebate. Furthermore, he said UCLA engineering Professor Yang Yang[1] is currently developing plastic solar cells that will bring prices down. He said people who think the idea is too expensive are misinformed. "You have to look at the whole equation. ... Resources are not counted, waste is not counted," he said. Solar power is generated when utilities are in highest demand in the middle of the day, said Pereira. In terms of the energy to make these solar cells, he said that in about the same time it takes to pay them off four to five years the cells provide back the energy that was required to make them in the first place. This, in turn, provides alternative energy that is pollution-free for 25 to 50 years. Pereira noted that increasing the use of solar energy is a viable option for UCLA's campus. "There's no reason I can see that buildings need any energy except for lighting, and even lighting can be reduced," he said. About a year ago, Pereira founded the Institute of Sustainable Energy at UCLA, working closely with Professor Shahram Sharafat and with financial support from Brye to try to find alternative energy sources in the setting of a research institution. "Sustainability is a very urgent matter, and UCLA should have a center of excellence for it," said Pereira. He said UCLA could be a more sustainable campus if it brought in organic and local foods to Ackerman Union, heated the pool at Sunset Canyon Recreation Center with solar energy (something he said they are working on), or harnessed, albeit a negligible amount of energy, from people working out at the Wooden Center. "The resources we have are finite. Everything we do comes at a cost. ... We need to start looking at some of these engineering problems," he said. Some of these problems Pereira cited include finding a way to reduce the amount of energy that goes into cooling and lighting buildings on campus and to improve public transport. He noted that UCLA's campus is not particularly bike-friendly and lacks access to a subway station, saying the campus could look into electrical transportation. Brye said in the past few years he has noticed both the deepening of peoples' understanding of the role of public transport and a general increase in its use in a city that has been historically attached to car culture. "We are obligated to get people to start using the bus right now," Brye said. One of the hardest things about trying to implement changes to better the environment is the existing infrastructure, Pereira said. Rob Kadota, assistant director for the Office of Residential Life and committee chairman of the On-Campus Housing Sustainability Committee, added that it is easier to build green buildings than to retrofit existing ones. He said UCLA hopes to get certification from Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a private green building rating system, after its Rieber Hall renovation. Kadota said that as of last January, UCLA started using Athens Services, a waste management contractor through which UCLA is now able to compost the food waste from De Neve Plaza. As a partner in the L.A. Food Waste Program, Kadota said UCLA hopes to eventually compost waste from all campus dining facilities. The committee also focuses on educating students about saving energy and recycling waste properly. Kadota said in addition to its "Turn it Off" campaign that aims to get students to turn off their electricity during school breaks, the group will employ trash-sorting facilitators to challenge students to properly throw away their garbage. Bettering campus sustainability is not something that can be resolved through conferences, said Pereira, but rather by setting goals and sustaining effort to achieve results. The Daily Bruin[2] UCLA International Institute[3] [1] [2] [3] Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=547356 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=547356 *The call for proposals for Eni Award 2009 is now open* Three Prizes to be assigned: "New Frontiers in Hydrocarbon" 300.000 Euros ($478,140) "Renewable and Non Conventional Energy" 200.000 Euros ($318,760) "Protection of the Environment" 200.000 Euros ($318,760) Deadline 24th of October 2008 5 p.m. For further information www.eniaward.net[1] eniaward@feem.it[2] [1] [2] Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=569317 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=569317 The 2008 Nanosystems Chemistry and Engineering Research (NanoCER) program began on June 23rd. In the 2nd week, all of the students submitted research synopses summarizing the work they hope to accomplish during the summer program. These proposals were reviewed and used to help critique the students' oral presentations, which they gave on June 30th and July 10th. And the presentations were terrific! Throughout the 10-week program, the students attend weekly research seminars, lab safety instruction and ethics training for the responsible conduct of research. Additionally students engage in professional development workshops to help them build presentation skills and prepare applications for graduate school. Of course most of their time has been dedicated to their research projects! But we've also given participants a chance to learn about the campus, CNSI, area museums and the beach--all things we hope will attract them as graduate students to UCLA. The NanoCER students will create and present their research at the UCLA Summer Programs for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) poster event on Wednesday, August 27th, 2008. NanoCER Trainee Profiles [IMAGE: ] *Peter Beltramo* Research Project: Exquisite nanoscale shape control of conducting polymers Graduate Mentor: Henry Tran Faculty: Richard B. Kaner[1] UCLA Department: Chemistry & Biochemistry School/Major: University of Pennsylvania, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering I am a rising senior at the University of Pennsylvania and will be graduating with a major in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and minors in Mathematics and Nanotechnology. Through the NanoCER program, I am working with conducting polymers in the Kaner Group at UCLA this summer. When not in the lab I enjoy playing and following sports (baseball: Yankees and football: Giants), exploring, and long walks on the beach. [IMAGE: ] *Brion Bob* Research Project: Solution-processed copper indium selenide solar cell Graduate Mentor: William Hou Faculty: Yang Yang[2] UCLA Department: Materials Science & Engineering School/Major: Harvard, physics For several years now I have been interested in the energy problems that have begun to loom over most of the world's industrialized countries. If a solution is to be eventually reached, it will likely be a tremendous international effort that may require everyone in the world to change the way they live their lives. That said, a little help from advances in energy technology would be a welcome surprise. I have largely focused my attention on photovoltaic energy conversion devices as a field with room for scientific advancement and which would greatly benefit society if their cost-effectiveness could be improved from its current state. Beyond research, I am a fan of badminton, and have been involved in clubs or teams for a few years now. [IMAGE: ] *Danielle Casillas* Research Project: Protection of Magnesium Anodes for Secondary Batteries Graduate Mentor: Grant Umeda Faculty: Bruce Dunn[3] UCLA Department: Materials Science & Engineering School/Major: California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Chemical Engineering For the past year I have been conducting research at Cal Poly Pomona on the bactericidal effectiveness of the cutting edge materials, magnesium oxide aerogels. This project has been very fulfilling, and I am very excited that a new group of students will be carrying on the research into next year. I am currently studying chemical engineering as a major, and materials engineering as a minor, but prefer the materials engineering side of things. When I'm not at school (which is not very often), I love camping, fishing, seeing lots of movies, playing Mariokart Wii, and just hanging out with friends. In the winter, whenever I get a chance I go snowboarding locally at Mount Baldy or any other mountains with good snow coverage that southern California has to offer. [IMAGE: ] *Rebecca Flores* Research Project: Surface Modification of Parylene-Coated Microfluidic Devices Graduate Mentor: Steven Ma Faculty: Robin Garrell[4] UCLA Department: Chemistry & Biochemistry School/Major: Texas State University San Marcus, Chemistry I was born in McAllen, TX (VERY South Texas), but was brought up in Austin. I actually enjoy being taken out of my comfort zone as much as possible and being thrown into these completely berserk settings that I've never been confronted with before. I think it makes my life more interesting and helps me to appreciate the good times. As for my hobbies.... I love people. I love mint-chocolate chip ice cream. I was brought up playing the piano (of the classical persuasion), which somehow led me into Chemistry. I'm not exactly sure how those two are connected but I know there is some kind of connection because I'm here researching Microfluidics. I enjoy watching Alias. [IMAGE: ] *Alexander George* Research Project: The Computational Design of a Diels-Alderase Graduate Mentor: Jason De Chancie Faculty: Kendall Houk[5] UCLA Department: Chemistry and Biochemistry School/Major: Swarthmore College Biochemistry I grew up just outside of Boston, and am currently a rising senior at Swarthmore College, majoring in biochemistry. After graduation I plan on working for a year or two before graduate school, and I hope to study the chemistry of microbes. My hobbies include backpacking, folk dance, and board games. [IMAGE: ] *Frederick Gertz* Research Project: Nano Neuromorphic Circuits Graduate Mentor: Dr. Lei Zhang Faculty: Yong Chen[6] UCLA Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering School/Major: Alfred University, Electrical Engineering I'm an electrical engineering student in the Kazou Inamori School of Engineering at Alfred University in New York. I have been involved in research in several fields including material science, computer science, and nanotechnology. I enjoy playing soccer and performing in sketch comedy. I hold the prestige of being a library card holder in Richland County since the age of six. [IMAGE: ] *Derrick Hsu* Research Project: Engineered Vaults to Bind Heavy Metal Ions Graduate Mentor: Benny Ng Faculty: Sarah Tolbert[7] UCLA Department: Chemistry and Biochemistry School/Major: University of Pennsylvania, Biomedical Engineering I am a Materials Science and Engineering major at University of Pennsylvania, minoring in Chemistry, Math, and Economics. My scientific interests lie mostly in the biological sciences, particularly in microbiology and protein engineering. I hope to eventually pursue a Ph.D. in bioengineering. Outside of academics, my hobbies include playing basketball and tennis, hiking, and listening to music. My favorite television shows are Entourage and Flight of the Concords, and my favorite ice cream flavor is Haagen Daaz Dulce de Leche. [IMAGE: ] *Micol Marchetti-Bowick* Research Project: West Nile Virus DNA Detection via Rolling Circle Amplification on Nanoscale Electrodes Graduate Mentor: Eric Schopf Faculty: Yong Chen[8] UCLA Department: Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering School/Major: Stanford University, Materials Science & Engineering I come from Syracuse, NY and just finished my sophomore year at Stanford University. I haven't declared a major, but am interested in studying Materials Science & Engineering and Computer Science. After completing my undergraduate degree, I plan to attend graduate school and study Bioengineering. In my free time, I enjoy traveling, running, and spending time with friends. [IMAGE: ] *Joe Phan* Research Project: Synthesis of substituted alpha-amino acid monomer to prepare brush copolypeptides Graduate Mentor: Zhibo Li Faculty: Tim Deming[9] UCLA Department: Bioengineering School/Major: Northwestern University, Chemical Engineering I am a rising senior majoring in chemical engineering and biology at Northwestern University. My academic interests span many different fields. In biology, I am most interested in neurobiology and biochemistry. However, I am not only focused in engineering and biology, as I hold a great interest in organic chemistry. When I'm not studying or in lab, I like to spend my time going to the gym or karaoking the night away (sometimes both at the same time). I'm also interested in dance, but have never really learned. I plan on learning salsa, swing, and maybe some street dancing in the near future. [IMAGE: ] *Lily Robertson* Research Project: Synthesis of a photolabile macromer and its two-photon-photolysis Graduate Mentor: Don Griffin Faculty: Andrea Kasko[10] UCLA Department: Bioengineering School/Major: University of Oregon, Chemistry I am chemistry major at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. Right now, Eugene is a center of attention, as it is hosting the 2008 Olympic track trials. I went to high school in Eugene, but I grew up in Seattle, which makes me have a thing for big cities. I have been enjoying LA because of this reason. I play the cello, and I enjoy doing artwork. I enjoy painting and drawing and have also explored ceramics. I got hooked on chemistry in my first year of high school chemistry, which inspired me to take AP chemistry and go on to major in chemistry. I am also considering taking some college art classes. I am in the Honors College at the U of O, which has small, interesting classes that forgo the general university requirements. In my free time I like to go to yard sales, hang out at coffee shops, shop at Goodwill and St. Vincent de Paul's, read books, and watch Alias. Yes, I should become an Alias Anonymous member. I have seen all the seasons so many times that I lost track of the count. My Alias mania is so much that I started watching other shows with former Alias actors. I also go bowling a lot, and although I have not hit the 200 mark, my high score is 158. [IMAGE: ] *Geeta Vadehra* Research Project: Synthesis and Photodecarbonylation of Solid State Cyclopropenes Graduate Mentor: Greg Kuzmanich Faculty: Miguel Garcia-Garibay[11] UCLA Department: Chemistry & Biochemistry School/Major: John Hopkins University, Chemistry; Writing Seminars I'm a rising senior at Johns Hopkins University. I'm from New York City, but would like to move out to the west coast. After undergrad I would like to go to graduate school for chemistry. [IMAGE: ] *Yilei Wu* Research Project: Developing Aligned Conducting Polymer Nanofibers Graduate Mentor: Robert Kojima Faculty: Richard B. Kaner[12] UCLA Department: Chemistry & Biochemistry School/Major: University of Perugia, Chemistry I was born in east China, near Shanghai, but at the age of 8 I went to Italy where I have just finished my third year of university with GPA of 4.0. My major is chemistry and I want to continue my studies after I graduate in a Ph.D. program, also abroad if I become fluent enough in English (unfortunately it is only my fourth language). I am interested in almost all fields of chemistry and the science in general, from the theory to applications, due to my insatiable curiosity. At the moment I am spending my summer at UCLA as a international exchange student. My assigned project is on the developing of conducting polymer nanofibers and their application in catalysis and sensors, thanks to which I could have had the honor to meet professor Kaner and his group. My hobbies are: board games, ping pong, manga, anime, videogames, travel, painting, etc... NanoCER Homepage[13] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=569692 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=569692 *The world's newest and smallest chip* Researchers at HP Labs have made history by discovering a new kind of electronic circuit. It could soon change the way your computer operates, and store thousands of times more information than anything today. Imagine a camera that holds a whole year's worth of video and pictures. That's just one of the promises of this new chip, a holy grail of electronics. For more than 250 years, there was the capacitor, the resistor, and the inductor. But no one was able to build the fourth mystery element, the memristor. This year, at HP Labs in Palo Alto, a team of researchers led by Dr. Stan Williams succeeded. What is it good for? For starters, lots and lots of information storage "For example," offers Stan William, "the flash memory type of system, where you could effectively take days worth of video on a form factor that's the size of today's thumb drives. That would be an obvious application." Williams is a Senior Research Fellow at the lab. Because memristors are so tiny, he says, they could enable installation of microscopic sensors inside every cellphone, turning it into a chemical detector. Williams envisions just such a vast network monitoring the quality of food, air and water across the whole planet. "...by having people act as local nodes on a network as well, where their PDA or their cellphone has sensors in it. In that way, as they're walking around, they are essentially sampling the environment themselves." And about your computer... Today, your computer takes a while to start up, because all of the information you're using has to go from permanent storage on a hard drive, into working memory. And, if you don't save it back from here to the hard drive, you lose everything. If you could combine these two into something that never loses its memory, that never requires you to save or worry about turning your computer off, you would have a memristor. It was elusive for all these years, because it required the arrival of nanotechnology, a recent development. The team wasn't even looking for it. They stumbled across it during another experiment. But they were smart enough to recognize what it was they were seeing. That's huge. ABC News[1] [1] Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=569619 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=569619 *HP's plan to fix ailing planet* *Hewlett Packard is up to two years away from starting to build a "central nervous system for the Earth", known as CeNSE.* The man leading this ambitious project is Dr Stan Williams, who runs HP's Information and Quantum Systems Laboratory. "The motivation for this work is realising and understanding the planet is sick and the disease is us," he told BBC News. "As information technology people, we are not going to be the ones who prescribe and administer the cure but we should be the people who provide the information required to do proper diagnosis and treatment." *Unprecedented* And just as a doctor would use a barrage of tests to find out what ails a patient, so Dr Williams believes he and HP can do the same in finding out what is going wrong with our environment and offering solutions to problems before they turn into disasters. Dr Williams suggested that, instead of wielding a stethoscope, HP would use trillions of sensors to monitor the health of the Earth and use the information to head off natural calamities such as large scale flooding or wildfires. The ubiquitous sensors would mimic human senses such as touch, smell, hearing, sight and taste. "We are working with physics here so we can go beyond those normal human systems and we can sense them at an extraordinary level which is literally unprecedented," said Dr Williams, an HP senior fellow and a pioneer in nanotechnology. These sensors will be so sensitive they can detect and measure anything and everything from viruses to bacteria, from the chemical composition of molecules to sounds and moisture levels. *Stark terror* The promise of nanotechnology has long been overhyped with visions of tiny devices sailing through human bodies to find and wipe out bugs and disease. That scenario still lives in the realm of science fiction but a recent report by Lux Research found that the technology is starting to live up to its potential as a business. The company said $147bn worth of nano-enabled products were produced in 2007 with the figure set to grow to $3.1 trillion by 2015. "Nanotech isn't a new market or industry, it's an enabling technology that improves many types of products," said Jurron Bradley, a senior analyst at Lux Research. "You find it in coatings boosting the efficiency of auto engines, in protecting electronic devices and making cholesterol-reducing drugs more effective. "These innovations aren't always visible to consumers, but they improve products and boost margins. That's why nanomaterials' use is only going to keep growing." Dr Williams said that HP almost had a product ready to put in the hands of the customers. It came after 13 years of hard work, he said. "We have been working at HP labs since 1995. Nanotechnology has gone through the normal hype cycle of the early days of irrational exuberance to stark terror, neither of which were justified." The first to benefit from HP's work, won't however be the environment but businesses because they will be able to afford the technology. "We are at this stage now the business people call the valley of death," said Dr Williams. "We have a technology and now we have to figure out how to get it to the market place and who will pay." *Predict failures* The most obvious type of industry that this technology will appeal to, he said, was the chemical and energy sector. "These industries have huge assets and large plants," he said. "Today they do a lot of manual oversight, but all too often the first indication that something is wrong is some sort of catastrophic failure and there is no warning. "With the set of sensors we have available today, because they aren't very good and are very expensive, the most they can do is sense temperature and pressure and then look at what comes out the end pipe to see if it's the right stuff or not. "If it isn't, you have a huge economic problem and sometimes an ecological problem and a health problem." Dr Williams claimed HP's nanotech sensors would be able to avert this. "They can be deployed all over the chemical plant or oil refinery in the same way a human body has nerves to collect information... so you have a very high-value real-time situation of what is going on in the system," he said. "So if a bearing on a pump starts to have problems, you know about it long before it actually fails because the sensors tell you what is happening. Today you can predict failures before they occur and allow them to be fixed during routine maintenance." *Hard nosed* For HP's central nervous system to become a reality, Dr Williams said the world had to be covered with sensors. "We can and should be able to make these sensors by the billions and eventually even trillions using these highly integrated manufacturing processes that have been developed for the computer chip industry and the electronics industry," he said. "This should drive the cost of the units very low and eventually down to pennies meaning you can afford to deploy very large numbers in a system." Once that happens, the technology becomes affordable for everyone from farms to grocery stores and from government agencies to environmental groups. He said: "We can get into this whole stewardship process and many tools we develop for high end business customers could be used by groups to tell us what is the health of our environment. How are our lakes and streams doing? What about our forests?" [The technology] would help us manage those assets for the good of society," said Dr Williams. HP is already courting companies to persuade them to be the first to use the technology. Field tests are due to start in the next 12-18 months. BBC News[1] [1] Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=569741 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=569741 Beyond diagnosing broken bones, X-rays could soon help doctors develop antiviral drugs. By focusing powerful X-rays onto a herpes virus, scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles, have created the first image of a virus without the aid of stains or dyes. The technique, known as X-ray diffraction microscopy, could lead to new drugs for a variety of diseases. A similar version of the technology, known as X-ray crystallography, has been used for years to determine the structure of many important proteins, including the double helix of DNA. "This is an enormously important technique," said John Miao[1] of UCLA (and the CNSI), the lead researcher on the project. "Lots of Nobel Prizes have been awarded because of this." The problem with X-ray crystallography is that it only works on crystals, which have precise arrangements of identical (or nearly identical) units. DNA and some proteins are repetitive enough to be made into crystals. Other proteins, particularly those found on a cell's membrane, can't be crystallized because they are too flexible and variable. Whole cells can't be crystallized either. "Cells are just like humans, and no two humans are exactly alike," said Miao. Miao and his colleagues worked around this limitation by using what are currently the most powerful X-rays on Earth, located at the SPring-8 synchrotron in Japan. The researchers selected a herpes virus because of its relatively large size (100 to 200 nanometers) and its medical significance. They put the virus into the synchrotron and then aimed X-rays at the sample. A camera on the other side detected the slight variations in light exiting the other side, and a computer algorithm pieced the image back together. In doing so, Miao and his team created the first picture of a single, unstained virus, which was also three orders of magnitude smaller than images obtained with other techniques. Other pictures of cells and viruses can be obtained by drying them and slicing very thin sections, then piecing them back together, but the process can destroy important information. Right now the pictures are still fairly grainy at a resolution of 22 nanometers, but the scientists say more powerful X-rays, being developed at Stanford University and in Germany, will create more detailed images of the structure of even smaller proteins and cells. Those images would be a boon for drug researchers, said Miao. "From the structure of a protein one can understand the protein's function," he said. "Then we can develop drugs to deactivate that protein." Thomas Earnest from the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory thinks that while Miao's method will never reach the atomic resolution that X-ray crystallography achieves, it is nevertheless an important development. "This approach for looking at biological specimens or protein complexes is very valuable," he said. "I'm really excited about this work. John is doing a great service to the entire biological community." Discovery.com[2] [1] [2] Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=569717 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=569717 Tom Mason's[1] nanofabrication laboratory is explored in a recent photo gallery on Wired.com. The photos and story describe the process developed by Mason to mass produce billions of customizable micro particles, first demonstrated through the creation of letters of the alphabet. Mass producing customizable particles on the nano scale is a significant step towards being able to mass produce nano-sized machines. Please use the link below to see the full gallery on Wired.com. There are ten photos from Mason's lab, each with a caption. Wired.com Article[2] [1] [2] Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:08:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=563279 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=563279 Patrick Soon-Shiong recently appeared on the ABC News program 'Nightline' to discuss issues facing the American pharmaceutical industry. A contamination of the raw materials in China used to produce the drug heparin, a blood thinner, caused over half of the heparin supply in the United States to be recalled this past winter. Fortunately, a spin-off proprietary business from Abraxis Bioscience, American Pharmaceutical Partners (APP), had a safe, large supply of the drug in stock and was able to step in to fill the gap. Heparin is a vital drug, used daily across the country in hospital surgeries and for kidney dialysis patients. APP was able to provide a safe supply of heparin because its CEO, Patrick Soon-Shiong, has ensured oversight of the company's entire supply chain in China from raw materials to the final heparin that APP sells. Soon-Shiong has called for reform of other pharmaceutical companies' policies regarding the policing of products. The lack of current oversight at the point of origin of the drugs caused the heparin recall. The contamination was undetectable in the finished product, and could only have been discovered by closely tracking the entire supply chain. Patrick Soon-Shiong serves as the Chairman and CEO of both Abraxis and APP. Abraxis is one of the founding industrial partners of the CNSI. Soon-Shiong is also a member of the CNSI Advisory and Oversight Board. Please visit the ABC News website[1] to read the full story. [1] Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=561384 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=561384 Polymer-inorganic nanocrystal composites offer an attractive means to combine the merits of organic and inorganic materials into novel electronic and photonic systems. However, an effective method of distributing the nanocrystals into the composites has until now been lacking. Research outlining a method to address this need was published today in the journal _Nature Nanotechnology_ by two members of the CNSI and the Henry Samueli School of Engineering at UCLA; Yang Yang[1], from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Harold Monbouquette[2], from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. The novel device utilizes a polymer blend containing nanocrystals in a polymer-fullerene matrix. The ligand attaches to the nanoparticles to create an energy barrier, which confines electrons in the nanoparticles. These trapped electrons lower the injection barrier of holes, and subsequently enhance the hole-injection into the device, when the device is subjected to a small reversed bias. The gain of the photoconductivity, which is the ratio of the current collected from the device under illumination to the incident photon flux, can be as high as 8000 times. The immediate applications for this technology are in high performance photo detectors, such as those used in the charge-coupled device of digital cameras. In the long term Yang, Monbouquette and co-authors hope this technology can be useful in increasing the efficiency of organic solar cells. This research is sponsored by Solarmer Energy Inc. and by the matching fund from UC-Discovery grant. Please visit Nature.com[3] to read the full paper, subscription required. [1] [2] [3] Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=546555 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=546555 *Chinese students receive cross-disciplinary training in science, technology* A group of Chinese undergraduates is about to get a crash course in what it's like to be an American college student complete with dorm living, beach trips, blogging, nature hikes, nighttime concerts and, of course, some of the finest science and technology instruction in the world, here at UCLA. The 77 students, who come from China's most prestigious universities, are part of UCLA's newly inaugurated Cross-disciplinary Scholars in Science and Technology (CSST) program, which promotes international educational exchanges, strengthens research ties with other countries, and fosters a cross-disciplinary approach to the study of science and technology by bringing the best and brightest international students to UCLA. Beginning July 14, the Chinese students will spend their days working in cutting-edge laboratories and research facilities at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute and elsewhere on campus with renowned scientists and professors from a wide range of campus departments. The 10-week program will also give many of these students their first taste of American and Southern Californian culture, with lectures on California history, Hollywood and the entertainment industry, and the ethnic diversity of Los Angeles. And to make sure they don't miss a single opportunity to take advantage of the city's cultural and recreational offerings, they'll visit the Hollywood Bowl for an evening show, go hiking at Mt. Baldy and take trips to the beach on the weekends. "We here at UCLA are very excited about the growing trend towards a global scholarly community," said Ren Sun[1], the program's director and associate dean of graduate studies at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "Thanks to the inauguration of CSST this summer, UCLA's exchange with China has grown to include additional universities, inviting top research students to study and utilize the world's top facilities at UCLA. Truly, CSST brings hope for a bright future of research advancement through international collaborations." The CSST program, which encourages dialogue across the traditional boundaries dividing the sciences, is based at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute, a model for cross-disciplinary collaboration because of the very nature of nanotechnology, an emerging science that draws from a number of different fields. Sun and three other CSST faculty advisors computer science professor Jason Cong[2], bioengineering associate professor Ben Wu[3] and microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics professor Hong Zhou[4] are members of the California NanoSystems Institute. The Chinese undergraduates, who are currently between their junior and senior years, hail from a number of top-tier universities, including Fudan, Nankai, Nanjing, Peking, Zhejiang and the University of Science and Technology of China. After successfully completing the CSST summer research program, and with the support of their summer research mentor, the students may be eligible to return to UCLA to complete their bachelor's thesis and become candidates for UCLA doctoral programs. *The UCLA Cross-disciplinary Scholars in Science and Technology* program seeks to strengthen ties with other countries by inviting highly accomplished trainees to complete their studies at UCLA. The CSST utilizes UCLA's strength in interdisciplinary research to provide a unique training environment for future leaders with broad vision. The program offers recruitment, selection, admission and training for international students interested in Ph.D. programs in various departments and research units across campus, including the life sciences and physical sciences divisions, the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, as well as for postdoctoral fellows and visiting students. For more information about CSST programs for graduate study, postdoctoral scholars and faculty exchange, visit www.csst.ucla.edu[5] . UCLA News Room[6] CSST Blog[7] CSST Photo Gallery[8] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=545702 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=545702 The Sci | Art Nano Lab Summer Institute a joint venture between UCLA's Art | Sci Center and the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) welcomes more than 60 participating high school students for its inaugural summer session this week. The program was created to introduce high school students to the various intersections of art and science and to show the creative side of scientific innovation. From July 7 to July 18, participating high school students most from California, but some from as far away as Bogot and Hong Kong will be immersed in a university setting and will have access to a dozen cutting-edge laboratories in the CNSI. Groups of participating students will be led by a scientist-artist team and will be visited by scientists who are conducting groundbreaking research in nanoscience and nanotechnology. "We are excited to provide such an unusual and stimulating opportunity for high school students," said Victoria Vesna, professor of design and media arts and director of the UCLA Art | Sci Center. "These students will be entering a community of internationally recognized scientists and artists who are actively engaged in the collaborative process. We hope to show them how these traditionally disparate disciplines compliment and inform one another." Daily lectures and hands-on laboratory workshops will explore the creative aspects of scientific research and innovation. Students will gain a broad understanding of the impact of science on contemporary art and popular culture and will focus on new sciences biotechnology and nanotechnology. Emphasis will be on the development of proposals and ideas which could serve as prototypes for art projects or scientific research studies. Throughout the program, course work will be interspersed with screenings of classic and contemporary science fiction movies and stimulating field trips to the Getty Conservation Lab, where students will learn about the science behind art conservation, the quirky Museum of Jurassic Technologies, the Los Angeles Contemporary Museum of Art and Venice Beach. The CNSI has provided sponsorship for five students to enable their participation. These students come from a variety of Los Angeles area high schools, including Los Angeles Technology Center, Belmont High School, Gertz-Ressler Academy Charter School and Vaughn International Studies Academy. With a focus on the possibilities of nanotechnology, the Nano Lab program participants will have the opportunity to interact with graduate students from the Nanosystems Chemistry and Engineering Research (NanoCER) program at the CNSI. Nano Lab students will benefit from further exposure to and collaboration with top faculty and students participating in the NanoCER program's team-based interdisciplinary research. Nanotechnology applications currently being studied involve optics, materials and new devices. The Nano Lab is designed for high school juniors and seniors interested in collaborating with diverse and notable minds to challenge traditional polarization of the arts and sciences. The program is sponsored by UCLA's Art | Sci center, the UCLA Department of Design | Media Arts and the CNSI. The UCLA Art | Sci Center focuses on collaborative projects that address social, ethical and environmental issues in scientific innovation. For information about the program's syllabus, schedule, participating faculty, resources and registration, visit http://artsci.ucla.edu/si/[1]. UCLA Newsroom[2] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Links are provided below to photo galleries of some of the students activities at the CNSI. Galleries will be added throughout the program. Nano Lab Sensing Art Project[3] CNSI Lab Visits[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 09 Jul 2008 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=558385 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=558385 Please use the link below to view a video of CNSI Member Robin Garrell [1], director of the Materials Creation Training Program, an Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) project at UCLA, describing how IGERT has catalyzed institutional change at UCLA. _Credit: UCLA/National Science Foundation_ NSF Website[2] [1] [2] Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=551686 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=551686 There will be three lectures held as part of the Materials Creation Training Program (MCTP) Master Fellows Bridge Program. All three lectures will be held at the CNSI building in the auditorium. Details on speaker, topic, date and time are below. *Tuesday, July 22* Lecture I: 11:0am 1:00pm "Scanning Electron Microscopy" by *Sergey Prikhodko*, Spectrocopist from Materials Science & Engineering Lecture II: 2:00 4:00pm "Scanning Probe Microscopy" by *Adam Stieg*, Technical Director of the Nano and Pico Characterization Lab *Wednesday, July 23* Lecture III: 10:30am 1:00pm "Thermal Analysis" by *Ignacio Martini*, Associate Director of the Molecular Instrumentation Center Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=547329 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=547329 Using an engineered common cold virus, UCLA researchers delivered a genetic payload to prostate cancer cells that allowed them, using positron emission tomography (PET), to locate the diseased cells as they spread to the lymph nodes, the first place prostate cancer goes before invading other organs. The tiny cancer metastases in the pelvic lymph nodes are very difficult to find using conventional imaging tools such as CT scanning. This discovery could aid oncologists in finding the cancer's spread earlier, when it's more treatable and before it invades distant organs, said Lily Wu[1], a researcher at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center and the senior author of the study, which appears July 11 in the early, online edition of the peer-reviewed journal Nature Medicine[2]. The next step for Wu and her colleagues is linking the non-invasive imaging advance with a treatment component, activating a toxic agent in the genetic payload to kill the spreading cancer cells. Wu hopes one day to be able to find tiny prostate cancer metastases in patients and kill them at the same time, watching it all on a PET scanner. She currently is refining this image-guided therapy in her lab in mouse models. "I think this is very exciting for many reasons," said Wu, who also is an associate professor of pharmacology and urology. "We now know we can reach these prostate cancer metastases at an earlier stage than before, and we know we can deliver genes to those cancer cells that produce proteins that can be imaged by PET. Now we will find out how effective this genetic toxic payload is in preventing further spread of the cancer to other vital organs." The spread of prostate cancer to the pelvic lymph nodes is the most reliable indicator that the patient will have a poor prognosis, with disease recurrence and progression likely. Accurately assessing pelvic lymph node involvement in patients is critical in planning their treatment, Wu said. Currently, physicians don't know if a treatment is attacking cancer cells until, using traditional imaging, they see a decrease in tumor size, an insensitive approach that can take weeks and months. And if the treatment isn't working, the patient is exposed to a toxic therapy that isn't helping them. If Wu is successful, an oncologist would know within days if the cancer has spread and whether the treatment is killing the cancer. Using mouse models, Wu and her team engineered a virus to travel to the lymph nodes, using a prostate cancer-specific vector that dictates its protein payload be expressed only in prostate cells. The payload in this case is a protein that can be imaged by PET scanning. The virus was introduced into the tumor in the mouse and Wu and her team were able to detect PET signals only from the lymph nodes with cancer cell involvement, indicating the virus reached and infected the prostate cancer cells and produced the imaging protein. As part of this study, Wu co-developed TSTA, a two-step transcriptional amplification method, which increased the expression of the genetic payload inside the cancer cells in effect boosting the imaging signals and potential killing activity of the engineered virus. Wu believes this type of image-guided therapy has the potential to improve the way advanced prostate cancer is treated. "It would represent a treatment advance in patients for whom the outcome is not good," Wu said. "This would help improve the prognosis for these patients by letting us find and treat these metastases early. If we can catch the cancer before it invades other organs, we have a better chance to change the outcomes for these patients." This type of approach was pioneered in the field of breast cancer with testing of the sentinel lymph node, the first place breast cancer goes when it spreads. A biopsy can determine if the cancer is in the sentinel node, therefore spreading, and oncologists base their treatment decisions on that information. In prostate cancer, the lymph nodes are much more difficult to access for biopsy, so Wu's method provides a much needed, non-invasive alternative. Wu's work was initiated more than five years ago with the support of an interdisciplinary grant from the Jonsson Cancer Center. UCLA Newsroom[3] [1] [2] [3] Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=542371 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=542371 Robin L. Garrell[1], professor of chemistry, has been elected the new vice chair and chair-elect of the UCLA Academic Senate. One of her top goals will be to ensure that faculty members are fully engaged in campus decision-making. Among her leadership roles, Garrell served as chair of the Faculty of the College and co-chair of UCLA's reaccreditation steering committee. UCLA Today[2] [1] [2] Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:07:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=539663 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=539663 The California Nanosystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA welcomed 12 undergraduate students to the Nanosystems Chemistry and Engineering Research (NanoCER)[1] program this week. This 10-week summer program is supported by an NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) grant and the CNSI. The NanoCER program orientation included the visiting undergraduate students, their faculty, graduate student and postdoc mentors. Competition was keen for slots in the program with nearly 100 students applying to NanoCER. This year's students come from the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, University of Oregon, Texas State University San Marcos, Swarthmore College, Alfred University, Stanford, Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Perugia. The CNSI faculty members include Professors Yong Chen, Timothy Deming, Bruce Dunn, Robin Garrell, Kendall Houk, Richard Kaner, Andrea Kasko, Miguel Garcia-Garibay, Sarah Tolbert, and Yang Yang. The students will be working on a wide variety of research projects including - Exquisite nanoscale shape control of conducting polymers - Polymer photovoltaic cells - Protection of magnesium anodes for secondary batteries - Surface modification of parylene-coated microfluidic devices - The computational design of a Diels-Alderase - Nano neuromorphic circuits - Engineered vaults to bind heavy metal ions - West Nile virus DNA detection via rolling circle amplification on nanoscale electrodes - Synthesis of substituted alpha-amino acid monomer to prepare brush copolypeptides - Synthesis of a photolabile macromer and its two-photon-photolysis - Synthesis and photodecarbonylation of solid state cyclopropenes - Developing aligned conducting polymer nanofibers In addition to the 10 week laboratory research project the students will participate in research and professional development workshops, safety training, ethics training, and social events. The students will present their research at the UCLA Summer Programs for Undergraduate Research poster event on August 27, 2008. [1] Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=533792 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=533792 *BASF Podcast: Magical Colors Thanks to Nanotechnology* Normal color, like we know from everyday life, doesn't change its color impression when you look at it from different directions. With the help of nanotechnology, researchers at BASF have now managed to develop colors that change their color impression when viewed from different directions. Even more effects are possible; these so called "mechano optical colors" change their color when you stretch them and since the color comes from the structure of the material instead of a dye, it will not fade over time. BASF Corporate Communications started a regular bilingual Podcast service in April 2007 to report on BASF's innovations and research and development activities in an easy-to-understand, informative and entertaining way. Listen to the audio reportage with Dr. Reinhold Leyrer from BASF Polymer research. Podcast Chemistry of Innovations, English editions[1] Direct subscription via RSS-Feed or iTunes (search for "basf")[2] More information: BASF Polymer research[3] Growth Cluster Nanotechnology at BASF[4] Pictures about Nanotechnology at BASF available at the photo data base [5] More podcasts: Podcast The Chemical Reporter[6] In these entertaining weekly episodes the Chemical Reporter answers questions on Chemistry in everyday life. This week's edition: "How does fabric softener make your laundry soft?" RSS-subscription[7] BASF Press Release[8] Nanotechnology Now[9] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=530747 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=530747 *Engineering memristor:* Control over device could pave way for computers that learn HP Labs scientists who in April proved the existence of the memristor have made another significant advance toward developing a new type of computer memory that's many times faster than Flash and could lead to analog computers that process information in a manner similar to the human brain. The scientists have now successfully engineered control over how the device functions. This means it is now possible to design memristors into integrated circuits that remember information, consume far less power than existing devices and may someday learn from past behavior. "With engineering control, we can build a device that delivers a specific electrical performance," says Duncan Stewart, principal investigator. "Only then do you get to a point where you can build large integrated circuits." *World's smallest memristive switch* The researchers, members of the Information and Quantum Systems Lab led by HP Senior Fellow R. Stanley Williams, published their experimental findings in the advance online editon of the July issue of the journal _Nature Nanotechnology_. An earlier paper in the journal Nature (1 May 2008) described the theory of the memristor. The team conducted its experiments by building a nanoscale memristor switch at 50 nanometers by 50 nanometers, it is the world's smallest that contained a layer of titanium dioxide (a chemical commonly used in both sunscreen and white paint) between two nanowires. As its name implies, titanium dioxide typically comprises one titanium atom for every two oxygen atoms. Scientist Jianhua Yang found that by subtly manipulating the distribution of the oxygen atoms in this layer, he could control how the device functioned. Although other labs have demonstrated switching using similar materials, none have achieved this level of control over the switches. *Controlling the switch* The HP Labs scientists were able to determine both _when_ current flowed through the switch and also _how much_ current flowed through it, operating the switch more like a dial. They could set the switch to 'on' or 'off' '1' or '0' and they could dial up or down to anything in between. "A conventional device has just 0 and 1 two states this can be 0.2 or 0.5 or 0.9," says Yang. That in-between quality is what gives the memristor its potential for brain-like information processing. *Faster, cheaper nonvolatile RAM* A memristive device can operate in both digital and analog modes, each of which has different applications. In digital mode, it could replace today's solid-state memories (Flash) with much faster and less expensive nonvolatile random access memory (NVRAM). That would enable digital cameras without a delay between photos, for example, or computers that save power by turning off when not needed and then turning back on instantly when needed. Because it is built at nanoscale, the NVRAM chip would also be denser, giving chipmakers the ability to pack more information into a smaller space. *Computers that learn* Longer term, in its analog mode, the memristor could possibly enable computers that "learn" what you want. "Any learning a computer displays today is the result of software," says Yang. "What we're talking about is the computer itself the hardware being able to learn." That's not to say the computer would function like a human brain. But it could gain pattern-matching abilities would let it adapt its user interface based on how you use it. These same abilities make it ideal for such artificial intelligence applications as recognizing faces or understanding speech. "When John Von Neumann first proposed computing machines 60 years ago, he proposed they function the way the brain does," says Stewart. "That would have meant analog parallel computing, but it was impossible to build at that time. Instead, we got digital serial computers." Now it may be possible to build large-scale analog parallel computing machines, he says. "The advantage of those machines is that intrinsically they can do more learning." *Proving the memristor* In their first memristor paper published in May, the researchers solved a decades-old mystery by proving the existence of a fourth basic element in integrated circuits. Professor Leon Chua of the University of California Berkeley proposed in 1971 that the memristor should be included along with the resistor, capacitor and inductor as the fourth fundamental passive circuit element. Although researchers had observed instances of memristance for more than 50 years, proof of its existence remained elusive in part because memristance is much more noticeable in nanoscale devices. HP Press Release[1] _Nature Nanotechnology_[2] (Subscription Required) [1] [2] Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=529637 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=529637 An article in the Los Angeles Times Health section discusses the benefits and risks of taking over-the-counter chelation agents to reduce heavy metals in the body. Chelation agents such as DMSA (dimercaptosuccinic acid) and EDTA (ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid) are advertised to flush heavy metals like lead and mercury out of the body to treat the various illnesses caused by them. Hilary Godwin[1], CNSI Member and chair of environmental health sciences at UCLA is one of the two experts interviewed to provide medical opinions. The article concludes that lead levels have significantly decreased in people over the last couple decades and though mercury levels are slowly increasing, both are at low enough levels to not be a threat to health. While chelation is sometimes used to treat severe cases of metal poisoning, most doctors would not recommend using it without close doctor supervision. Chelation compounds are not selective and can remove beneficial metals such as iron, calcium and manganese from the body as well as the harmful metals. "It's not something you should be doing on your own." Because of its risks, doctors would never consider using chelation except in the most dire cases of metal poisoning, said Godwin. Please use the link below to read the full text of the article. http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-skeptic16-2008jun16,0,5905255.story [2] [1] [2] Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=527899 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=527899 The signing of an Academic Exchange Agreement between the CNSI and the Research Institute for Electronic Science (RIES) of Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan occurred on Tuesday June 10th, 2008 at the CNSI Building. The agreement was signed by Prof. Leonard H. Rome [1], Director of CNSI, and Prof. Keiji Sasaki, Director of RIES. The Academic Agreement will be the basis for collaborations and exchanges of students and faculty between RIES and CNSI in the area of nanoscale research into electronics and biological systems. A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between UCLA and Hokkaido University will be signed by UCLA Chancellor Gene Block when he visits Hokkaido University on June 30th to participate in the G8 educational summit on environment and sustainability. RIES is a multidisciplinary institute drawing members from physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics. It currently focuses on "Trans-disciplinary nanoscience," with research into photonics, and molecular and biological sciences. More can be learned about RIES at: http://www.es.hokudai.ac.jp/english/[2]. Hokkaido University, one of the leading national universities of Japan, is situated in downtown Sapporo, in Hokkaido, the northern most island of the four islands that make up Japan. Originally founded in 1876 as Sapporo Agricultural College, it became Hokkaido Imperial University. In 2004, the university gained increased financial independence by being incorporated as a National University Corporation under a new law which applies to all national Japanese universities. It is a comprehensive university offering undergraduate and graduate programs in law, education, medicine, science, engineering, dentistry and business. Hokkaido University presently has a student population of 20,000. Photo Gallery[3] [1] [2] [3] Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=527255 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=527255 ChemComm, a Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) publication highlighting breaking news in the chemical sciences, recently featured a write-up highlighting an article it published online on June 6, 2008 by CNSI Member Heather Maynard[1] titled, "Reversible siRNApolymer conjugates by RAFT polymerization." Please see below for the full text of the write-up and a link to Heather's research. *Hot article: RAFT polymer delivers RNA* Scientists in the US and Australia have used a polymer to deliver short interfering RNA (siRNA) into cells. The therapeutic affect of RNA interference by specific gene silencing could lead to treatments for and/or prevention of many diseases such as diabetes, hepatitis, AIDS and cancer. However siRNA must be delivered to target sites within the body in order for this treatment to be effective. Heather Maynard and co-workers at the University of California and Volga Bulmus and colleagues from the University of New South Wales have utilised reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerisation. This is a controlled polymerisation technique, which Maynard has used to create polymers which can form reversible covalent conjugates with siRNA. The polymer is stable in blood, but once inside a cell the bonds break, releasing the siRNA. Other living radical polymerisation techniques have previously been used to produce cationic polymers which form non-covalent complexes with siRNA, but this is the first example of a system where covalent bonds hold the polymer and siRNA together. The team used poly[poly(ethylene glycol) acrylate] due to its ability to protect the siRNA and and also due to its longer circulation lifetime. A novel chain transfer agent with an activated pyridyl disulphide end-group was designed by the team for its stability and is essential for conjugation to the thiol containing biomolecules. In the future, Maynard hopes to work towards improving _in vivo_ stability, distribution and biological activity by further developing these polymerisation and conjugation techniques. 'We believe that combining the advantages of controlled radical polymerisations and site specific polymer conjugation with siRNAs in a rational way will lead to improved _in vivo_ applicability of the revolutionary siRNA strategy' said Maynard. ChemComm Write-Up[2] Reversible siRNApolymer conjugates by RAFT polymerization[3] [1] [2] [3] Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=525946 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=525946 Researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center (JCCC) have developed an imaging probe to be used with positron emission tomography (PET) to track the body's immune system response as it fights cancer. The senior author of the study which was published June 8, 2008 in the early online edition of the journal Nature Medicine is Owen Witte[1], a member of the CNSI and the director of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA. This is the first tool developed to track the immune response as it travels through the body. Methods already exist to track specific cell types in the body, but this is the first method developed to track the entire immune system response. It involves tracking the specific type of DNA recycling that immune cells use to quickly generate new cells and fight an infection. It has the potential to cut the time needed to determine whether a therapy is working from a matter of months down to a week or two. The study is an example of the multidisciplinary research done at UCLA as it involved researchers from the JCCC, Broad stem cell center and the CRUMP institute, which is also affiliated with the CNSI. For a full description of the research please read the UCLA press release[2]. Nature Medicine[3] (Subscription Required) Technology Review, published by MIT[4] Science Daily[5] UPI.com[6] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=522143 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=522143 *Location:* Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), Savoy Place, London 'The Age of Nanotechnology', a lecture by Professor James Gimzewski[1] (UCLA) The Institute of Nanotechnology and the Institute of Engineering are delighted to announce the prestige launch lecture for their joint Micro and Nano Technology Network, to be given by Professor James Gimzewski at 6.30 pm, Tuesday 8th July, at The IET, Savoy Place, London. Hear Gimzewski, Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at UCLA and leading nanoscientist, talk about the strongest material ever made, the reality of a space elevator, how the electronics industry kick-started the nanomedicine revolution, and the potential for programming single molecules. If that's not enough diversity in one individual, he will also share with his audience some of his passion for the artistic interpretation of the nano world! Tea and coffee available from 5:30 pm To reserve your place and confirm your attendance at this special occasion, please fill out and submit the online form which can be found at http://www.emito.co.uk/kontakt/go.do?uid 5937804&link 3428[2] [1] [2] Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=523356 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=523356 Nanoimpeller research conducted by Fuyu Tamanoi[1] from the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics and Jeff Zink[2] from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is the topic of a feature article on Wired.com. Tamanoi and Zink are both members of the CNSI. The nanoimpeller research was published in the journal _Small_ on March, 31, 2008. Nanoimpellers are nanosized particles which can be programmed to release cancer therapies upon light activation to specifically targeted areas of the body. This treatment method would eliminate the need for today's scatter shot cancer treatments where both healthy cells and cancer cells are destroyed by cancer therapies. Please use the link below to view the article at Wired.com. The article includes a gallery of 11 images which illustrate the setting and equipment used for the nanoimpeller research. Wired.com[3] Nanoimpeller Press Release[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Sat, 07 Jun 2008 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=509836 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=509836 *Computational Chemistry: Orgo, Bio, Nano June 27-28, 2008* ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This symposium honors Professor K. N. Houk on the occasion of his 65th birthday. Over the last four decades, Houk's group has explored organic reactions, biological catalysis, and organic materials with computational methods, including quantum mechanics and molecular dynamics. The symposium features lectures by world leaders in computational chemistry and organic synthesis, areas of Houk's interests and collaborations over the years, and by distinguished "graduates" of the Houk group. *Organizers:* Frank Brown, Michael McAllister, David Spellmeyer, Thomas Strassner, Olaf Wiest, Yun-Dong Wu Please visit the website for information on attendees, a schedule of speakers, accommodation information and contact info. http://www.chem.ucla.edu/dept/Faculty/houk/houk65.htm[1] If you are interested in joining the Houk65 Symposium and/or the June 27th Reception and Banquet at the UCLA Faculty Center, please contact Laura Strom at strom@chem.ucla.edu[2]. [1] [2] Tue, 13 May 2008 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=523582 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=523582 *Environmental technology: Desalination turns salty water into fresh water. As concern over water's scarcity grows, can it offer a quick technological fix?* A feature of the latest Technology Quarterly from _The Economist_ is focused on water desalination as a potential fix for water shortages increasingly affecting dryer parts of the world. CNSI Member Eric Hoek's[1] research into using membranes for water treatment is included as a promising technology. NanoH20, a technology startup located at the CNSI, is also mentioned as the company commercializing Prof. Hoek's research. _The Economist_[2] (Subscription Required) [1] [2] Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=525264 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=525264 The California NanoSystems Institute held a semi-annual membership meeting on Friday, May 30th, 2008. Interim Director Leonard H. Rome[1] gave a state-of-the-institute address which was followed by the second meeting of the Executive Committee. The CNSI has a current membership of 86 comprised of UCLA faculty from the College of Letters and Science, the David Geffen School of Medicine, the School of Public Health and the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science including 14 new members as of March 2008. The Core Labs at CNSI are continuing to acquire new equipment and set up operations for use in the new building including the Electron Imaging Center for NanoMachines[2], the Advanced Light Microscopy/ Spectroscopy Core Lab[3], and the Nano and Pico Characterization Core lab[4]. The Molecular Screening Shared Resource[5] and Integrated NanoMaterials Lab[6] are moving into the building over the summer. The CNSI expects to open the Integrated Systems Nanofabrication Cleanroom [7] in October 2008. More information about the Core Facilities can be found here[8]. Dr. Rome gave an update on the work of the five CNSI Standing Committees established by the Executive Committee. All of these Committees have been charged and have set out to do the work of the Institute. He closed with an acknowledgement of the increasing visibility of the CNSI and the strength of its founding industry partners: Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Abraxis BioScience, Inc., and BASF. For more information about the CNSI contact Jennifer Marcus[9]. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=523394 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=523394 The Department of Defense announced today the selection of six distinguished university faculty scientists and engineers forming the first class of its new National Security Science and Engineering Faculty Fellows (NSSEFF) Program. NSSEFF provides grants to top-tier researchers from U.S. universities to conduct long-term, unclassified, basic research of strategic importance to DoD. These grants engage the next generation of outstanding scientists and engineers in the most challenging technical issues facing DoD. "Up to $3 million of direct research support will be granted to each NSSEFF Fellow for up to five years," said William Rees, deputy under secretary of defense for laboratories and basic sciences. The fellows conduct basic research in core science and engineering disciplines that underpin future DoD technology development. This basic research is crucial to applications such as sensors, surveillance, information security, cyber and force protection, and power projection. In addition to conducting this unclassified research, Rees noted another important benefit of the NSSEFF Program, "Opportunities for fellows to participate fully in the DoD research enterprise and share their knowledge and insight with DoD military and civilian leaders, researchers in DoD laboratories, and the national security science and engineering community." In response to the NSSEFF Broad Agency Announcement, nearly 150 academic institutions submitted more than 500 nomination letters. More than 350 technical white papers were received and, following a rigorous technical review, 20 semifinalists were invited to submit full proposals outlining their research plans. Each of the semifinalists participated in a scientific interview before a distinguished panel of experts. Diana Huffaker[1], Associate Professor of Electronic Engineering at UCLA and the CNSI was selected for her research on "Exploring Dissimilar and Nanomaterials Integration as a Platform for New Medium and Long Wave Infrared Device Functionality." Huffaker is also the Director of the Integrated NanoMaterials (INL) core lab facility at the CNSI whose mission is to address critical technological needs of the future through nano-material development and to integrate nano-material science with disciplines such as electronics, photonics, renewable energy, chemistry, biology, physics and medicine. A list of the fellows, their home institutions, and their research topics is attached. DoD may elect to announce additional winners of this year's NSSEFF awards at a later date. Upon successful completion of negotiations between their academic institutions and DoD research offices, grant awards will be made to the faculty members' home institutions for support of their research. View the Department of Defense Press Release[2]. [1] [2] Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=522555 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=522555 Hong Zhou[1], CNSI Member and Faculty Director for the Electron Imaging Center for NanoMachines (EICN)[2] Core Lab at the CNSI published a letter titled, "3.88 Å structure of cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus by cryo-electron microscopy" on May 15, 2008 in the journal _Nature_. Xuekui Yu and Lei Jin were also authors of the letter. All three authors are in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics at the CNSI & UCLA as well as the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. The text below is an editor's summary of the letter from Nature.com. There is a link at the bottom for the full text of Zhou's letter. *Editor's Summary Structure determination: Cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus* Cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (CPV) is a member of a large family of double-stranded RNA viruses, but it is unique in having a single shell capsid yet being fully capable of cell entry and mRNA transcription. The structure of this virus has now been determined by single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) to a resolution of 3.88 Å. The technique allows the polypeptide backbone to be traced without the need to make a crystal. The high-resolution structure shows how conformational switching is exploited to make railroad-like 'sliding' tracks for RNA packing and transcription and reveals an mRNA releasing hole coupled with distinctive capping machinery. With this and several other recent publications, cryo-electron microscopy underlines its credentials as a system capable of atomic-resolution in structural studies. Full Text[3] (Subscription Required) If you do not have a subscription to Nature, the full text of the letter is attached as a PDF. [1] [2] [3] Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=524221 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=524221 UCLA MCTP Graduate Summer Bridge Program July 22 24, 2008 *Apply Now! Application Deadline Monday, June 30th!* Lectures: - Hands-On Instrumentation Workshops - Scanning Electron Microscopy - Atomic Force Microscopy - Thermal Analysis Molecular Instrumentation - Tour of California NanoSystems Institute & Core Laboratories Agenda[1] Flyer[2] Application[3] [1] [2] [3] Fri, 06 Jun 2008 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=522102 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=522102 *Advances in synthesizing graphene offer opportunities for making novel materials for nanoelectronics and many other applications.* UCLA Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Ric Kaner[1] authored a Perspective titled "Graphene-Based Materials", which was published in _Science_ Magazine on May 30, 2008. Kaner, along with his co-author Dan Li, a professor at the University of Wollongong in Australia, wrote the perspective about new advances in the production and capabilities of graphenes, monolayers of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb network. Science Perspective[2] (Subscription Required) Please download the attached PDF to read the perspective. [1] [2] Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=522428 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=522428 *Memristor man says the computer age is yet to begin "SCIENCE AND* technology are still in their infancy, no matter how many times somebody comes along and says it's the end of science," says Stan Williams. "There is far more out there than we have yet found." Williams is talking after several weeks of sudden media attention and more than ten years of effort since founding the lab he directs at HP, the information and quantum systems lab. The reason for the attention: Williams and his team have found the missing fourth element of circuit design, the memristor, which was originally predicted in a paper written by Leon Chua in 1971. The story started, says Williams, with a year or more of thinking when they founded the lab: what would computing look like in 2010? Transistors would be getting smaller, to the point where the size of individual atoms would make a difference. "That got our attention, and we started thinking very carefully about what that means. What would be the impact of electronic devices so small that one atom more or less could make a difference in the properties of the device? That pushed us out of the box in terms of being open to very different things and thinking about very different issues." As they were investigating molecular electronics, they started seeing hints of an unexpected effect in their experiments. It was, says Williams, a staffer named Greg Snyder who rediscovered, read, and understood Chua's paper. Once Williams had understood it "Leon Chua is a very modest man, but it's quite heavy mathematically and a challenge to get through" he made the connection between Chua's work and what they were seeing in the lab. From there, it took them about a year to understand the physics. "Once we got it, we saw that in fact so much of what we were seeing and so much of what other people had reported in the literature for years and years was actually memristance, but without the physics model they didn't understand it. The main thing we did is we figured out where it's coming from, why it's important, and why it's becoming more important." The effect, he says, gets stronger as the devices get smaller. "Memristance is not a quantum effect, but it's another effect that becomes more important as things get smaller." At this year's etech conference, Williams talked about computer science as a series of roads not taken. The path we have followed for the last 50 years, he said, derives from Claude Shannon's observation that series and parallel switches could implement Boolean logic. Go back further and read Bertrand Russell's 1910 Principia Mathematica and you find other forms of logic that could be implemented. "Memristor essentially enables some of those other tracks," says Williams. "And to me it's the example that there's plenty more room at the bottom." Besides implementing other forms of logic, Williams believes that the key characteristics of memristors that they retain their memory even when powered off, like a hard drive or ROM, but can be rewritten dynamically, like RAM will enable far more energy-efficient designs and continue the functional progression of Moore's Law. He imagines a future of hybrid circuits, but also thinks that memristors will function not just as digital switches but as electronic synapses far more like their biological counterparts than those built with traditional semiconducts and far smaller and less power-hungry. A "thinking brain", he says, is "very, very far out". But the analogue computers to be built with these devices would actually learn from their environment and be more competent at human-style pattern recognition, so difficult for today's digital computers. "The age of computing has not yet begun," he says. "What we have now makes the computers that existed 50 years ago look like toys and not very good ones. My view is that what we'll have in 50 years will make what we have now look very quaint and toylike." But, he adds, "Even after 50 years we won't have anything that loooks remotely like a human brain." Exerpted from The Inquirer[1] [1] Tue, 03 Jun 2008 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=515721 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=515721 A feature article in this month's issue of Alaska Airlines in-flight magazine explores exciting nanotechnology innovations with applications in medicine coming out of important integrated research institutes. The California NanoSystems Institute is featured prominently including interviews with Interim Director Leonard H. Rome [1], Fuyu Tamanoi[2] (Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics), Jeff Zink[3] (Chemistry and Biochemistry) and Patrick Soon-Shiong, Chairman and CEO of AbraxisBioscience, Inc one of CNSI's founding industry partners. Interviews with Elias Zerhouni, director of the National Institutes of Health and David Mcllroy, director of BANtech at the University of Idaho are included as well. Alaska Airlines has an estimated 1.42 million passengers each month. Please download the attachment to read the article _"Big Challenges, Small Solutions: Nanotechnology opens new doors in medical research."_ [1] [2] [3] Thu, 22 May 2008 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=515822 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=515822 *Ex-Yahoo! Exec Greg Coleman's New Web Vision: Re-Mapping Search with NetSeer* Extracting concepts rather than keywords will change the face of online advertising, vastly improving monetization, believes former Yahoo! executive Greg Coleman, who recently joined start-up company NetSeer as CEO and president. This month *comScore* reported a first: *Google* had become the most popular Web site in the U.S. A slim margin of less than a half-million unique users separated the search giant from rival Yahoo! Between the two, a total of some 282 million users had visited during the month of April alone. *But what's most astonishing is that _fifty percent_ of these searches aren't monetized.* Los Angeles-based *NetSeer*, operating in stealth since 2006, aims to change that. In an exclusive interview with JackMyers Media Business Report, new NetSeer President and CEO Greg Coleman explained a new vision for monetizing online search and explained the strategies being implemented by NetSeer, which he believes could add a valuable new dimension to search technology. Last fall, Coleman announced his departure from *Yahoo!* as EVP for Global Sales. Coleman took Yahoo!'s ad sales from $500M to nearly $7B over a seven-year period. During his six-month transition from Yahoo! Coleman had the latitude to carefully assess what he wanted out of his next position. While there was no shortage of feelers from portals, established and start-up digital companies, and magazines "wanting to go digital," he realized he "wanted an adventure and something that is potentially going to be very, very big." He told suitors at the outset that "unless they gave me the top operating job I wasn't interested." This wasn't an ego trip. "A transformative agent," believes Coleman, "can never be subservient to the core business. Unless you are running it, you shouldn't do it. You have to lead the change." Executive search firm *Heidrick & Struggles* advised him to check out a Southern California start-up. NetSeer co-founders Behnam A. Rezai and Vwani Roychowdhury[1], two UCLA Ph.D.'s, had remapped the entire Internet in a way totally distinct from either Google or Yahoo! using concepts rather than keywords. At the outset of their research, the NetSeer founders had no intention of solving the ad monetization problem. Rather, they were studying how communities formed on the Web. In 2006 they had their _Eureka_ moment. In the process of parsing relationships and connections, they discovered that they had actually re-engineered how the Internet was formed. They had stumbled onto something of great magnitude; in indexing the whole Internet, their algorithm extracted concepts off the page, as opposed to keywords. Coleman's background as head of worldwide sales for Yahoo! made it transparent to him that there was a need to improve in every metric including relevancy, efficiency, ROI, and cost per click. Here was a tool that offered not merely an incremental improvement, like Google's AdSense, but could be a breakthrough. Coleman performed due diligence; experts reported test results that were "incredibly dramatic." The object of the testing was to put conceptual head-to-head against keyword mapping. They found, Coleman reports, "that in a significant percentage of those un-monetized queries we found relevant concepts." Therefore, those ads held monetary potential that NetSeer could tap. As an illustration, until recently "North Pole" had no ads associated with it. Using the black box that NetSeer refers to as its "Knowledge Bank" (in which it has indexed some 5B Webpages), concepts like "Santa Claus," "letters to Santa," and trips to Antarctica were revealed. These were "clear intentions," says Coleman, "that were not apparent with conventional search engines." This discovery spoke to potential for algorithmic search help with quality which is non-monetizable as well as content match. For Coleman there was still a leap of faith. Could NetSeer scale? Could he build a business around it? Here's how he decided to go forward. "We created a pact with the founders, the VCs, and the team itself (now 27 and counting) that we're building a business that would be self-standing," he recalled. "We are not creating something to dress up and sell. I've seen too many companies do that and crash and burn." Leveraging a Rolodex drawn from over twenty years in sales, Coleman introduced NetSeer to heads of agencies, search engine marketers, and other search advertisers. To his delight, "everyone was willing to test." While his small team is looking to hire a CFO and heads of business development and engineering, Coleman maintains that a first priority is to bring on board thirty to forty engineers since, "We believe that we will be testing and backfilling for some very large assignments with the Big Guys: players in portals, search engine marketers, publishers, as well as companies in the parking space domain (the niche that monetizes misspellings and folks entering search terms, not URLs, in their search box)." "We have to be ready for prime time, to reach a critical mass to operationalize, while on a parallel track we recognize that we have to invest in and upgrade our Knowledge Bank," he says. NetSeer had its first round of funding in 2006 via *ONSET Ventures* and *Mission Ventures*. Coleman reports that they will have a second round later this year, even though he is not fundraising at this time. Coleman embraces NetSeer as a technology solution. As such, Job #1 is executing proof of concept: delivering an incremental increase in revenues. Rather than staff up with hundreds of salespeople -- and this is counterintuitive for someone with a lifetime in sales -- he's willing to outsource sales, rather than hire hundreds of salespeople. This focus, suggests Coleman, "should create a path. A new technology that could do something that large, established brands are unable to do." At present NetSeer is testing with one of the portals and companies in the parking space domain area. Coleman believes that these results available in four months or so will act as a compass for NetSeer's way forward. "We will use our resources," he concludes, "to create products; in product management; and product marketing." For now, "we have to put points on the board." Conceptual mapping can add efficiency, relevancy, and better conversions to search. Even in an economic downturn, Coleman is unwavering; "all forms of performance-based advertising search will only grow." JackMyers.com[2] [1] [2] Thu, 22 May 2008 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=515832 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=515832 *Newborn-Blood Storage Law Stirs Fears of DNA Warehouse* An obscure bill that sailed through Congress and was signed into law last month is stoking fears of a nationwide DNA warehouse potentially open to abuse by law enforcement agencies or health insurance companies. But proponents say the law is a much-needed rationalization of the way the government stores and tests blood from newborns. The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007 (S.1858/H.R. 3825), signed into law on April 24, empowers a committee to provide guidelines to all states on how -- and for how long -- they should store blood. At present, all states store blood from all newborns, and some, like California, store it indefinitely. Eight of the committee's nine members are medical researchers, who almost universally favor longer storage times, so critics fear that the national guidelines will lead to more storage of samples, which contain recoverable DNA. "What we are doing is taking an individual genetic code and saying it's the government's," said Twila Brase, of the Minnesota activist group Citizens' Council on Health Care. "And once we do that, it's available for whatever a legislature wants to do in 20 years. The fact of the matter is that we don't know what they could or would do." States have been storing blood samples from newborns since blood screening for genetic defects and diseases began in the 1960s. The samples can help detect and treat a wide range of diseases, but in the age of the genome, the issue of storing samples has taken on unprecedented importance. Blood samples contain DNA that can be unambiguously linked to individuals, which may in the future present tempting data to governments, businesses and health providers. Currently, each state has its own policy about storing newborn blood samples. California has screened and stored more than 12 million newborn babies' blood spots since 1980, while Texas disposes of them within months. Brase's group wants to see all so-called biobanks destroyed. "You're building an entire DNA warehouse for the public without the public's consent," Brase said. "Who will own the DNA of the citizens and what is that going to mean? And what we're doing is pushing an entire genetic research program on the population without the consent of the population." Proponents, however, say the scientific and medical value of the blood samples far outweigh the privacy risks of storing biological material from every newborn. "They are extremely valuable when they are anonymized for research when looking at new technologies," said Edward Howell, chairman of the committee referred to in the bill, the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders and Genetic Diseases in Newborns and Children to the Health Resources and Services Administration. "Those conspiracy theories are very popular on the blogs, but the states have been very careful in dealing with [blood spots]." Howell says law enforcement agencies have asked states for blood samples and been turned down. "The bottom line is that many states have kept these for a very long time and I am unaware of anything that has been done with them that would concern even a very conservative person," Howell said. Edward McCabe[1], co-director of the UCLA Center for Society and Genetics and co-author of DNA: Promise and Peril, agreed that so far, states have been trustworthy guardians of their biobanks. McCabe said that even in the case of the identification of a missing child, California's health regulators still turned down a law enforcement request to use a blood spot. He applauded that decision and others like it that establish a clear policy for dealing with the samples and limiting their use. "We actually think there ought to be a firewall between forensic and medical uses," McCabe said. And he argued that -- from a health care perspective -- the samples are extremely and uniquely useful. "It's one of the most unbiased cross sections of the newborn population of a state," McCabe said. Donna Levin, who as general counsel for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health works in the trenches with the issue, said she believed her state's policy had the right ethical safeguards in place. "Parents are told prior to screening that the residual specimen is kept for at least 10 years," she wrote in an e-mail. She also noted that all research conducted on residual specimens has to be approved by an Institutional Review Board, which set ethical guidelines for human experiments. The state also requires that research on identified specimens only be conducted with the informed consent of the subject of the specimen, or a parent/guardian. Wired.com[2] [1] [2] Thu, 22 May 2008 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=514895 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=514895 The Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA[1] is one of 12 stem cell research institutions in California that will receive a total of $1.1 billion in funding from CIRM. The UCLA Stem Cell Institute will receive $42.8 million for a new building and $40 million for faculty recruitment and other costs. The total investment involved a donation of $271 million from CIRM, while the 12 institutions committed an additional $560 million from charitable donations and their internal reserves. This leverage of the state's stem cell funds was further increased by additional institutional commitments for faculty recruitment packages and other related capital costs. In total, the state funding will have leveraged $1.1 billion in new resources to accelerate the pace toward therapies for patients with chronic and debilitating disease and injury. CIRM is funded through the sale of 30-year stem cell research bonds, and therefore none of these costs will impact the state's budget this year. Please download the attachment to read the full press release. [1] Tue, 20 May 2008 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=509814 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=509814 The annual Technology Forum showcases groundbreaking advances in research made at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, UCLA EngineeringInnovation Everyday. http://www.seas.ucla.edu/techforum/index.htm[1] *Featuring CNSI Members:* Yoram Cohen, James Liao, Harold Monbouquette, Tatiana Segura, Eric Hoek, Jason Cong, Bahram Jalali, Eric Pei-Yu Chiou, Chih-Ming Ho, Christopher Lynch, Bruce Dunn, Yu Huang, Vidvuds Ozolins, Qibing Pei, Ya-Hong Xie and Yang Yang [1] Tue, 13 May 2008 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=510900 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=510900 *Supporters hail new genetics bill* A bill making its way to President Bush for his signature as of press time is set to guarantee what many are calling the new civil right of the 21st century: the right to get genetic testing without fear that the results or one's family history will be used to deny anyone insurance coverage, a job or a promotion. A ban on genetic discrimination has been cycling through Congress in various forms since 1995. But despite strong support, legislation has always been sidetracked from passage until this session. This time, the bill, titled the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, nicknamed GINA, passed unanimously in the Senate, 95 to 0, and in the House by a 414-1 vote. "This is the new civil right," said Edward R.B. McCabe[1], physician-in-chief at UCLA's Mattel Children's Hospital and an internationally recognized authority on genetics who has been pushing for the bill since 1999. That's when then-Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Donna Shalala appointed him to chair the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Genetics Testing. "If we do not fix it so that people are willing to have genetic testing and have the results become part of their medical record, then the fruit of the Genome Project will be lost because of genetic discrimination," said McCabe, who is co-director of the UCLA Center for Society and Genetics and president-elect of the American Society of Human Genetics. In California, which has already banned genetic discrimination, the new federal law will reassure people who come in for testing that they will be protected, even if they move to another state, said Wayne Grody, a professor in the departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Pediatrics and Human Genetics. "I can tell you that I have had patients who would have been good candidates for testing and would have benefited from it walk out of the clinic because they were so afraid of possible discrimination," said Grody, a national adviser on issues related to genetic testing. "Without this law, I couldn't assure patients completely that this would never happen," said the physician. "There are many people who are submitting samples under pseudonyms," said McCabe, who is also the Mattel Endowed Executive Chair of the Department of Pediatrics. "In fact, some physicians are advising their patients to use pseudonyms so that this information isn't going into their medical record." Initially, opponents to the bill, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce representing small business, maintained that genetic discrimination didn't exist. As head of the HHS committee, McCabe gathered 300 pages of testimony from individuals who related how genetic information was used against them. All of this, along with a DVD of moving, emotionally charged statements from the public, was made available to Congress. "It was probably one of the most powerful things we did," McCabe said. UCLA Today[2] [1] [2] Thu, 15 May 2008 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=509117 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=509117 *Super-sized molecular sponges boost carbon capture* Super-sized molecular sponges that trap and store carbon dioxide have been unveiled by chemists in the US. The zeolites are heat resistant, easy to make and can filter CO2 from a complex mixture of gases [1]. Developed by Omar Yaghi[1] and colleagues at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), the new compounds are made from zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) porous crystalline materials with a cage-like structure that resembles natural aluminosilicate zeolites. Earlier this year, Yaghi's team announced the development of a new method to make complex ZIFs, some of which could also mop up CO2 [2]. But the new ZIFs are better they stay intact at temperatures of up to 500°C and work well at room temperature. Named ZIF-95 and ZIF-100, these molecular cages are the largest ever made comprising more than 7500 atoms and boasting diameters of up to 7nm. As a result, a single litre of ZIF-100 can trap and store around 30 litres of CO2 at ambient pressure. 'The key to generating such large cages is an organic linker that determines how the cage structure builds itself,' says Bo Wang of the UCLA team. By adding a chlorine atom at a key point in the imidazolate linker, the team were able to force the cages to grow into bigger shapes. The ZIFs have excellent selectivity thanks to functional groups on the organic linker which act like 'revolving doors' allowing CO2 molecules to enter but keeping out other gases such as nitrogen, methane and carbon monoxide. To recycle the ZIF crystals, they are exposed to low pressures that suck carbon dioxide out of the lattice. The ZIFs are relatively easy to make from cheap starting materials so they should not be too expensive to use for industrial carbon capture. They could also be used to purify gases, Wang says. 'The unprecedented and very large cage structure types reported here are truly exquisite,' says Paul Wright, an expert in zeolite chemistry at the University of St Andrews, UK. 'There is a drive to prepare selective carbon dioxide sorbents to remove carbon dioxide from gas streams [and so] these novel materials are certainly of interest.' References 1 B Wang _et al, Nature_, 2008, DOI: 10.1038/nature06900[2] 2 R Banerjee _et al, Science_, 2008, DOI: 10.1126/science.1152516[3] Chemistry World[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 12 May 2008 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=509101 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=509101 *Glow-in-the-Dark Zebrafish Shed Light on Cell Development* In the first study of its kind, UC Berkeley researchers have found a way to observe how sugars participate in cell development by enlisting the help of an unlikely organism: glow-in-the-dark zebrafish. In the study, published this week in Science magazine, more than 100 zebrafish embryos were treated with sugars and a fluorescent dye to make sugar production on their cell surfaces visible. Researchers used marks left by the glowing sugars to map changes they underwent during the fish's growth. "The main objective of the study was to figure out how we could image sugar-associated proteins in a living animal, and we chose to do this in development," said Scott Laughlin, a co-author of the study and a chemistry graduate student. The fish embryos were first bathed in an artificial sugar that went through a series of cellular reactions before making its way to the cell surface, said Jeremy Baskin, another graduate student who helped author the study. Researchers then introduced a fluorescent dye to the embryos' environment, which reacted with the sugar to make the cells glow in the dark. Different dye colors, mostly greens and reds, marked the times and rates of sugar production. Researchers watched the pattern of colors change over a 48-to-96-hour window to determine which parts of the embryo were producing sugars and at which developmental stages. This is the first time researchers have used this technique to observe development in living organisms, said Sharon Amacher, a UC Berkeley molecular and cell biology associate professor. She, along with chemistry and molecular and cell biology professor Carolyn Bertozzi[1] , were the study's main researchers. Amacher said she chose to focus on zebrafish partially because they have transparent embryos, a useful quality for imaging. But they are also vertebrates, she said, which makes their biology relevant to humans as well. "A lot of the early development in fish is similar to early development in humans," she said. "They're a nice, accessible model for human development." According to Amacher, scientists have already been able to use imaging to study proteins for the past decade because fluorescent proteins are found in nature. But sugars are trickier, she said. There are no fluorescent sugars in nature, and unlike proteins, sugars are not directly coded by the genome. They are also complex and difficult to isolate, as they are often bonded to proteins or fats. Now that researchers have figured out a way to track these sugars, the method may be used to research tissue development in diseases such as cancer. Scientists may even use glow-in-the-dark mice, Laughlin said, to study tumor growth. "My hope is that, in the future, people using this technique will be able to learn new things about important biological problems-from development to cancer," he said. The Daily Californian[2] _Science_ Magazine[3] [1] [2] [3] Mon, 12 May 2008 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=509799 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=509799 *Concern looms large over small technology* Like other industrialized states, California has long had to deal with a plethora of toxic chemicals. Regulating their use is part of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's year-old Green Chemistry Initiative. Now scientists and policymakers are looking at the potential danger from chemicals generated by nanotechnology, a pioneering field that's pushing the boundaries of medicine, chemistry, engineering and other areas. An April 25 summit at the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) brought together scientists and representatives from government, industry and environmental groups to discuss how to manage the health and environmental risks from exposure to nano-engineered materials while continuing to promote nanotechnology's enormous progress. Titled "The Future of Nanotechnology: A Legislative Summit[1]," the event was presented by Assemblymember Mike Feuer, D-West Hollywood, in association with CNSI and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research. "We've allowed our society to use things about which we know not so much," said Feuer, who has drafted laws and created programs to improve the environment. "Now we have an opportunity to do right with nanotechnology what we have failed to do properly with regard to chemicals in pervasive use today." A typical Californian is already exposed to nanoparticles, which can be found in sunscreens and certain apparel. But so far, there are no known diseases linked to nanomaterials, said Andre Nel[2], director of the UC Lead Campus for Nanotoxicology Research and Training Program. Analyzing nanomaterials before they are introduced into manufacturing processes is a vital task, Nel said, given that by 2015 the worldwide nanotechnology industry is projected to be worth about $1 trillion. But who should cover the high cost of such tests is an open question. Nel suggested that 10% of the federal government's spending on nanotechnology development and research be devoted to safety assessment, as recommended by the National Nanotechnology Initiative as well as UCLA's Department of Environmental Health Sciences (EHS). An average chemical toxicology test costs $2 million to $3 million, Nel explained, and takes about three years to complete. Testing could yield other benefits. "What you're going to get back is a lot of new materials to treat diseases because a particle with some danger in one aspect, if carefully controlled, can lead to the treatment of cancer in another area," said Nel, who also runs the Cellular Immunology Activation Laboratory at the Jonsson Cancer Center. The first step is to decide who should bear the financial burden, Feuer said industries or the public that will ultimately benefit from improved standards? The state should establish the basic research infrastructure for testing because nanomaterials are largely produced by small companies incapable of conducting tests independently, said Nel. Later, industry should contribute its fair share, he added. Nel also proposed targeting the most important materials as a first step, based on short-term testing profiles and patterns. "We're at a very primitive stage in determining just what those tests are, so we have to start in stages," agreed Leonard H. Rome[3], interim director of CNSI. Government must develop the necessary R&D infrastructure for the simple reason that it's very difficult to tell private industry what to test for, he noted. "If we do things right in terms of funding the basic research, the advantages of adopting the methodologies and screening processes will be so abundantly obvious to industry that they will incorporate those into their testing protocols," said Hilary Godwin[4], chair of EHS. "But you can't tell industry that you need to create the methodologies," she said, "when there is no legislative mandate to do that and they don't know what those methodologies would be." UCLA Today[5] Photo Gallery[6] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Tue, 13 May 2008 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=507849 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=507849 *Grad students produce high-profile symposium as part of an innovative education initiative* Stephen K. Ritter *TAKE A HANDFUL* of motivated graduate students, give them a daunting challenge, then stand back and watch what happens. That's the concept of the Graduate Student Symposium Planning Committee (GSSPC)[1], an initiative launched by the ACS's Division of Chemical Education (CHED) in which graduate students organize and host a symposium at an ACS national meeting. In the latest edition of the program, a group of graduate students from the University of California, Los Angeles, produced "NanoPower: Creating Energy for the Future," a symposium held during last month's ACS national meeting in New Orleans. The symposium, which took more than a year for the students to put together, focused on the impact of nanoscience in developing cleaner and more efficient energy technologies. It was sponsored by the Division of Industrial & Engineering Chemistry. "We came into this project with only a vague idea of what planning a symposium entailed," noted Kirsten Griffiths, who served as GSSPC chair for the UCLA team. "But I think as a group we've all left with a better idea of how ACS works, how scientific meetings come to be, and how we can really make a difference using our individual talents." Griffiths is a graduate student in J. Fraser Stoddart's group working on the synthesis of molecular Borromean rings via hydrogen-bonding interactions. GSSPC had its genesis back in the fall of 2004, when incoming CHED Program Chair Catherine H. Middlecamp, director of the Chemistry Learning Center at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, teamed up with five Wisconsin graduate students to organize the first symposium. The graduate students have control of their event from its inception, Middlecamp explained to C&EN. They choose a theme, invite the speakers, set up the meeting program in ACS's online database, raise funds for travel and for food and drinks, advertise their symposium, and deal with on-site meeting logistics. Each GSSPC is also in charge of recruiting and mentoring a future GSSPC to ensure the program continues meeting after meeting, she said. Middlecamp gives a lot of credit to former University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, graduate student Dorothy J. Miller, who is now a graduate fellow at the National Academies, for chairing the 2006 GSSPC that developed the committee's current operating procedures. During her 2005-07 tenure, Middlecamp tried to strike a balance of staying out of the students' way, yet at the same time being there to help them navigate the terrain of national meeting programming, she said. "The graduate students are the future of ACS, and it's important to put the reins in their hands. We just need to watch gently to make sure they keep the cart on the road. More power to the grad students!" For the New Orleans meeting, the UCLA group set up what turned out to be a stellar all-day symposium, complete with lectures, a panel discussion, and an evening reception. The 10 invited speakers included notable researchers in the fields of solar cells, artificial photosynthesis, and materials science. For example, Nobel Laureate Alan J. Heeger of UC Santa Barbara spoke about self-assembled polymeric nanomaterials for fabricating low-cost solar cells. In fact, the importance of the symposium and the prestige of the speakers prompted ACS President Bruce E. Bursten to select it as a meeting Presidential Event. And if there's one way to gauge the success of an ACS symposium, it's by how many people attend. By that measure, the NanoPower symposium was a knockout, with a standing-room crowd of about 200 people packed into the meeting room. "We are all really proud of how our symposium went," committee member Sarah Angelos said. She is a UCLA graduate student in Jeffrey I. Zink's[2] group working on functional silicate materials prepared by sol-gel techniques. "Prior to the meeting, we were excited by the caliber of speakers who had agreed to participate," Angelos added. "And at the meeting it was rewarding to see how well attended the symposium was. The opportunity to organize and host a symposium at a national meeting helped each of us to feel like integrated, contributing members of ACS." The challenges of setting up the symposium came at the UCLA team from two sides: time management and keeping a handle on the enormity of the task, Griffiths said. "As graduate students, we are all under pressure from our advisers to produce results," Griffiths explained. "So at times we had to help each other with different parts of the symposium so that no one fell behind in their research. And as a graduate student group, there was no one there to chastise us if we would have fallen behind. It was up to us to decide what needed to be done, prioritize, and keep on task." "Students approach something new like organizing a symposium in an innocent way-it's a bit like making fresh footprints in new-fallen snow," commented Daniel G. Nocera, a chemistry professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology who was one of the symposium speakers. But as the GSSPC students in New Orleans showed, he noted, "their inexperience can make for a great bit of organization and help them do a good job." During his talk, Nocera discussed the challenge of generating enough energy for future needs. He provided some examples from his research that include the catalytic splitting of water into oxygen and hydrogen, which can be used to power fuel cells. The GSSPC program "is absolutely fantastic," added Debra R. Rolison, head of Advanced Electrochemical Materials at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., who was another of the symposium speakers. Rolison discussed the "architectural design" and "interior decoration" of three-dimensional nanomaterials that can be used in a host of energy applications. One thing the students understand is that the organizing process and selecting a topic tunes them in to what subjects might be missing in their curriculum, Rolison observed. "It also helps them to identify important new directions that they can pursue as they start their careers," she said. *GSSPC PROGRAMMING* is set to continue at the ACS national meeting in Philadelphia in August, when students from the University of Connecticut will host the symposium "Transitioning into Green Chemistry." Following that, a team of George Washington University graduate students will be in charge of a symposium at the national meeting in Salt Lake City next March. As part of the GSSPC program, some of the George Washington students were in New Orleans tagging along with the UCLA group to learn the ropes. "We really hope this program continues to grow into something that people come to look for at each ACS meeting," Griffiths said. "It is such a positive opportunity for both graduate students and ACS." Chemical & Engineering News[3] (Subscription required, please download the attached PDF if this link does not work. Photo Gallery[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Fri, 09 May 2008 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=506295 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=506295 *Circuitry discovery could lead to beefier memory* For nearly 40 years, scientists have speculated that basic electrical circuits have a natural ability to remember things even when the power is switched off. They just couldn't find it. Now researchers at Hewlett-Packard Co. have proven them right, with a discovery they hope will lead to memory chips that store more data but consume far less power than those found in today's personal computers and other digital devices. The newly discovered circuit element -- called a memristor -- could enable cell phones that can go weeks or longer without a charge, PCs that start up instantly, and laptops that retain your session information long after the battery dies. It also could challenge flash memory, which is now widely used in portable electronics because of its ability to retain information even when power is off. Chips incorporating the HP discovery would be faster, suck up less power and take up far less space than today's flash. "It certainly looks promising," said Wolfgang Porod, professor of electrical engineering at the University of Notre Dame and director of the university's Center for Nano Science and Technology. "However, if it's going to be 100 times better or 1,000 times better (than today's flash), it's very hard to say at this point." Scientists have suspected since the 1970s that along with the three well-known elements of a basic circuit -- the resistor, the capacitor and the inductor -- a fourth fundamental building block is possible. The memristor built by HP Labs researchers and reported Thursday in the scientific journal Nature (Subscription Required)[1] is made with a layer of titanium dioxide sandwiched between two metal electrodes. The researchers discovered that the amount of resistance it exerts depends on how much electric charge had previously passed through it. That characteristic gives the memristor an innate ability to remember the amount of charge that has flowed through it long after the power to it is turned off. That means the circuit itself can be built with a memory function baked in. Otherwise, data have to be stored in power-hungry transistors configured for storage. That also takes up valuable real estate on microprocessors or requires separate memory chips. Some outside researchers, however, said more study is required before the memristor upsets the memory business. The HP Labs team said commercial viability is at least "a few years" away. "These structures are going to be very small. It's obvious to me one could make very dense memory out of them, but how it could compete against other memory like flash remains to be seen," said Porod, who was not involved in the HP research. Leon Chua, a professor in the electrical engineering and computer sciences department at UC Berkeley, published a paper in 1971 theorizing that it should be possible to build such a structure. Over the years, researchers observed behavior that seemed to suggest circuits possessed this ability, but they either dismissed it as a fluke or didn't realize the significance of the observation. Stan Williams[2], a senior fellow at HP Labs and one of the four researchers on the Nature paper, said his team was able to identify the behavior and build a structure to harness its power because the effect is more apparent -- and gets stronger -- as the wiring in the circuits gets smaller and smaller. Chua, who wrote the first paper on the topic when he was a new professor at Berkeley, is now 71 years old and says he's nearing retirement from the university. "I never thought I'd live long enough to see this happen," Chua said with a laugh. "I'm thrilled because it's almost like vindication. Something I did is not just in my imagination, it's fundamental." Associated Press[3] Wall Street Journal (subscription required)[4] Electronics Weekly[5] BBC News[6] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Wed, 07 May 2008 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=506611 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=506611 *Panel discusses possible harms of nanomaterials* At a nanotechnology summit held at the CNSI on Friday a panel of scientists, lawyers and other professionals expressed concerns that exposure to various nanomaterials could be harmful, though they disagreed over whether or not the government should immediately step in to regulate products containing such microscopic particles. Nanomaterials are particles that have at least one dimension smaller than 100 nanometers, which is equivalent to one thousandth the diameter of a human hair. They are used for a variety of reasons in a range of products, such as sunscreen, tires and some electronic devices. Very small particles such as nanomaterials have relatively large surface areas and can react more frequently with tissues in the body, which can increase stress on the body or cause cell death, according to a recent study by UCLA researchers. Though nanomaterials have the potential to pose certain health risks, there is little evidence showing whether they are safe or harmful. "There are no known instances of a human disease or environmental disaster caused by engineered nanomaterials," said panelist Andre Nel [1], a UCLA & CNSI professor and practicing immunologist. However, that doesn't mean researchers shouldn't investigate potential health risks, he said. "If youre going to put materials with new properties at the nanoscale together with biological processes ... you need to make sure that there will be no harmful interactions," Nel said. Hilary Godwin[2], a UCLA & CNSI professor of public health who was also on the panel, said, "We need to be able to start testing this very diverse group of nanoparticles right away ... and determine whether or not they pose health risks." In fact, researching potential health risks might do more than assure the safety of consumers; it may actually help advance the practical applications of nanotechnology, Godwin said. "If we do this right, the type of science that will help us to create safer systems will also help us to drive the technology in new ways to make it more effective, like finding medical uses for nanoparticles," Godwin said. Though everyone in the panel agreed that the dangers of nanomaterials are not fully understood, panelists disagreed over whether the nanotechnology industry should immediately be regulated by safety guidelines. "If the field of nanotechnology is too regulated, it might cost too much to promote advancements, and if it's not regulated enough, it could be dangerous to the public," said Mike Feuer, a California state assemblyman who hosted the event. Terry O'Day, a panelist and executive director of Environment Now, an advocacy organization based in Santa Monica, said he supported the immediate setup of safety regulations for products with nanomaterials. "I think it is important that we follow a precautionary principle. The current industry is built on 'go ahead and try it,' but if it ends up hurting someone, it can cost you more in the long run," O'Day said. Some of the summit attendees echoed this viewpoint, citing the need for caution with new technologies. "Everyone realizes how important (nanotechnology) is, but we need to understand it. We need to incorporate it into society, but we also should make sure that it's safe when we do that," said Gordon Ng, a graduate student of law who attended the summit. In contrast, other panelists said they favored continued manufacturing of products with nanomaterials and the gradual introduction of government-based safety regulations. "I'd like to say that I'm all for checking to make sure products with nanoparticles are safe and to urge cautiousness ... but if we do that, we might jeopardize all of the potential benefits nanotechnology has to offer," Godwin said. Whether it happens sooner or later, the panel conceded that governmental regulation of the safety of nanomaterials in the marketplace is important and, at some point in the future, inevitable. "As a law student, I'm very interested in the future regulation in this field," said graduate student James Mize. "The promise of nanotechnology is exciting, yet the promise of regulating that technology to make sure it's safe is also exciting." Daily Bruin[3] Photo Gallery[4] Event Info[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Wed, 07 May 2008 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=504679 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=504679 Evelyn Hu, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and of materials, was among those elected to the National Academy of Sciences. In recent years, Hu has also been recognized with the Faculty Research Lecturer award at UCSB, the highest honor that the campus's faculty members bestow on one of their own. Her election, along with William Murdoch, a professor of biology, ecology, evolution, and marine biology, brings to 29 the number of active UCSB faculty members elected to the academy. The National Academy of Sciences is the country's most prestigious scientific organization, and election to membership in the academy is considered one of the highest honors that can be accorded a U.S. scientist or engineer. Those elected today bring the total number of active members to just over 2,000. The new members will be inducted into the academy next April at the group's annual meeting in Washington. Evelyn Hu joined the UCSB faculty in 1984 and today serves as scientific director of the California NanoSystems Institute, a joint effort between UCSB and UCLA. Her research focuses on the formation of nanophotonic devices that may provide more energy-efficient lighting sources and may also facilitate new, faster computation and communications. "Election to the NAS is a tremendous honor," she said. "I feel so fortunate to have had the support of all my colleagues, my students and the organizations I have worked with. My election is a tribute to their support." As scientific director of the California NanoSystems Institute, Evelyn Hu holds the Peter Clarke Chair. She received her B.A. in physics from Barnard College and her M.A. and Ph.D. in physics from Columbia University. From 1975-81, she worked at AT&T Bell Laboratories, developing microfabrication and nanofabrication techniques for high performance superconducting and semiconducting devices and circuits. Hu is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the Academica Sinica of Taiwan, and the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). In addition, she is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the American Physical Society, and the IEEE. She is a recipient of a National Science Foundation Distinguished Teaching Fellow Award and a Lifetime Mentor Award from the AAAS. In addition, she holds an honorary doctorate of engineering from the University of Glasgow. Read the UCSB press release[1] CNSI, UCSB website[2] [1] [2] Mon, 05 May 2008 00:05:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=501179 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=501179 NATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH, INC. *Emerging Industries: Nanotechnology and NanoIndicators* May 1 and 2, 2008 Hotel Marlowe 25 Edwin H. Land Boulevard Cambridge, Massachusetts Preliminary Program *Thursday, May 1st, 2008:* 2:00 p.m. 4:00 p.m. SESSION I: EMERGENCE OF NANOTECH CONCEPTS Stine Grodal and Grid Thoma _Cross-Pollination in Science and Technology: Concept Mobility in the Nanobiotechnology Field_[1] Stuart J. H. Graham and Maurizio Iacopetta _Nanotechnology:The Emergence of a General Purpose Technology?_ Kelly Laas and Vivian Weil _Taking a Proactive Approach Towards Responsibility: Indications of Nano Policy-Making around the World_[2] Alan L. Porter, Martin Meyer and Ismael Rafols _The Cognitive Geography of Nanotechnologies: Location and Knowledge Flows of Nano-Research in the Map of Science._ Discussant: 4:15 p.m. 6:00 p.m. SESSION II: WORKING IN NANOTECH Jinyoung Kim, Sangjoon Lee and Gerald Marschke _The Influence of University Scientists on Innovations in Nanotechnology_[3] Lynne G. Zucker and Michael R. Darby _NanoIndicator: Movements of Star Nanoscientists_ Richard Freeman and Kavita M. Shukla _Jobs in Nano-tech The Job Board Index_ Discussant: 6:30 p.m. DINNER: Skyline Room, Royal Sonesta Hotel Speaker: David Goldston *Friday, May 2nd, 2008:* 8:30 a.m. 10:00 a.m. SESSION III: NANOTECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA COVERAGE Thomas Heinze _Exploring the Evolution of Nanotechnologies: Mass Media Patterns and Corporate Capacity Building_ Sharon M. Friedman and Brenda P. Egolf _Mass Media Coverage of Nanotechnology: Indicators about Environmental and Health Risks and Regulatory Issues_ Discussant: 10:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m. COFFEE BREAK 10:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m. SESSION IV: SOCIETAL ISSUES Ali Emre Uyar, Christine Robichaud, Michael R. Darby, Mark Wiesner and Lynne G. Zucker _Nano-Titanium Dioxide Risk Assessment_ Steven C. Currall _Comparing Societal Risks and Benefits of Nanotechnology Versus Other Technologies_ Michael Lounsbury, Christopher Kelty, Cafer T. Yavuz and Vicki L. Colvin _Towards Open Source Nano: Arsenic Removal and Alternative Models of Technology Transfer_ Claire Auplat, Mark Wiesner and Lynne G. Zucker _Risk Management and Institutional Emergence in Nanotechnologies: Looking at Public Engagement Experiments_ Discussant: 12:45 p.m. 1:45 p.m. LUNCH 2:00 p.m. 3:45 p.m. SESSION V: GEOGRAPHY OF NANOINDICATORS Philip Shapira, Jan Youtie and Stephen Carley _What's New About Emerging Metropolitan Nanodistricts in the United States and Europe? Characteristics of Research and Commercialization_ Andrea Schiffauerova and Catherine Beaudry _Innovation Networks and Collaboration in Canadian Nanotechnology Clusters_[4] John Trumpbour _The Rise of Nanotechnology in India and China: Mapping and Measuring State Support and Private Investment_ Discussant: [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 30 Apr 2008 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=499839 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=499839 The Nanobank Research Conference will be held at the Le Méridien Cambridge, located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The conference will be held on May 3rd, starting at 8:30 AM and ending at 3:30 PM. There is no registration fee. Please contact Ali Emre Uyar (aeuyar@ucla.edu[1]) if you would like to attend. www.nanobank.org[2] *The Nanobank Research Conference May 3, 2008* Le Méridien Cambridge 20 Sidney Street, Cambridge, MA 02139 T 1-617-577-0200, Fax 1-617-494-8366 *Agenda* _Friday, May 2nd, 2008:_ 8:15 pm Conference Dinner Henrietta's Table, The Charles Hotel, One Bennett St, Cambridge, MA 02138 _Saturday, May 3st, 2008:_ 8:30-9:10am *Welcome and Technical Report* Chair: Lynne G. Zucker (UCLA, NBER and Nanobank) "Building Nanobank: Selection Criteria and Data Structure," Jason Fong (UCLA and Nanobank) and Ali Emre Uyar (UCLA and Nanobank) 9:15am-Noon *Social Organizations, Institutions and Collaborations* Chair: Lynne G. Zucker (UCLA, NBER and Nanobank) 9:15-9:40 "Social Organization and Societal Implications of Nanotechnology Research, Development and Manufacturing Collaborations," Douglas Anderton (UMASS), Emily Erikson (UMASS), Jennifer Geertsma (UMASS) and Fidan Ana Kurtulus (UMASS) 9:45-10:10: "The Role of Collaboration in Nanotechnology," Mariko Sakakibara (UCLA) 10:15-10:30 Refreshment Break 10:35-11:00: "Growing Categories: Cultural Brokerage and Innovation Generativity in Nanotechnology," Michael Lounsbury (University of Alberta and National Institute for Nanotechnology), P. Devereaux Jennings (University of Alberta) and Tyler Wry (University of Alberta) 11:05-11:30: "Geographical Aspects of Collaboration in Canadian Nanotechnology Innovation," Andrea Schiffauerova (École Polytechnique de Montréal) and Catherine Beaudry (École Polytechnique de Montréal) 11:35-Noon: Discussant: John Trumpbour (Harvard University) April 23, 2008 Noon-1:30pm *Lunch and Poster Session* "Work in Concert or Walk Alone? Frame Craft, Legitimacy Building and Resource Mobilization in Emerging Field," Jade Yu-Chieh Lo (University of Southern California) "Growth of Nanoscience: Structural Parameters of Coauthorship Networks," Stasa Milojevic (UCLA) "Institutional Sources of Technological Knowledge: A Community Perspective on Nanotechnology Emergence," Tyler Wry (University of Alberta), Royston Greenwood (University of Alberta), P. Devereaux Jennings (University of Alberta) and Michael Lounsbury (University of Alberta and National Institute for Nanotechnology) "Technological Diversity, Scientific Excellence and the Location of Inventive Activities Abroad: The Case of Nanotechnology," Andrea Fernández-Ribas (Georgia Institute of Technology) and Philip Shapira (University of Manchester) 1:30-3:30pm *Scientists as Agents of Change in Nanotechnology* Chair: Michael R. Darby (UCLA, NBER and Nanobank) 1:35-2:00pm: "Analyzing a Population of Highly Creative Scientists in Nano S&T," Gerrit Bauer (University of Mannheim) and Thomas Heinze (University of Bamberg) 2:05-2:30pm: "The Role of the Employment Mobility of Scientists in the Diffusion of Nanotechnology," Jinyoung Kim (Korea University), Sangjoon Lee (Alfred University) and Gerald Marschke (SUNY at Albany) 2:35-3:00pm: "Academia to Industry Knowledge Spillovers: Effects of Academic Stars and University Science in Nanotech IPOs," Ali Emre Uyar (UCLA and Nanobank) 3:05-3:30: Discussant: Ismael Rafols (University of Sussex) 3:30-3:45pm *Conclusions and Wrap-up* [1] [2] Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=499954 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=499954 *The site was at odds with the needs of the scientists -- until Viñoly got creative.* By Christopher Hawthorne, Times Architecture Critic UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute, or CNSI for short, is the first Los Angeles project by the New York-based architect Rafael Viñoly. It is something of a stealth building. Its broad, low facade, overlooking the Court of Sciences near the southern edge of the UCLA campus, has a modesty that borders on the bland. Sure, the cantilevered glass-and-metal box protruding from the third floor is enough to catch your eye. So is a ground-level auditorium, in the form of a squat drum, edging out toward the pedestrian walkway that runs along the front. But the overall composition is almost apologetically competent, with just enough brick detailing at the corners to guarantee it won't stand out from its neighbors. Around back, though, the design turns into something altogether different and more fascinating. The building, which covers 189,000 square feet and had construction costs of $103 million, sits on a tricky site. The land falls away steeply as you move from the Court of Sciences back toward the west, and right behind the site an existing six-level parking structure is built into the slope. The way Viñoly's building deals with these challenges -- and with the needs of the CNSI itself, which brings together a range of scientists and private companies working on nanotechnology research -- ultimately produces one of the most compelling architectural set pieces in all of Los Angeles. Of the nine full-service University of California campuses, UCLA has both the smallest land area (419 acres) and the most built square footage (24 million), making it by far the densest of the UCs. Even a quick conversation with Jeffrey Averill, the campus architect -- he's responsible for overseeing the design of all new construction at the university -- will convince you that planning at UCLA has become a microcosm of planning in Los Angeles, with elbow room and architectural freedom giving way to infill on complicated or compromised sites. The southern half of the campus, in particular, has seen a construction boom over the last decade requiring architects to squeeze massive new science and medical buildings into relative nooks and crannies. Among the biggest questions Averill faces is what to do with UCLA's many parking structures. Although parking remains at a premium at UCLA, the university's planners and architects have also grown increasingly covetous of the prominent pieces of real estate garages occupy. Of those 24 million square feet of built space, nearly a third -- 7.6 million -- is dedicated to parking structures. Viñoly's strategy in solving these various issues, both from a practical point of view and for the architectural opportunities it opens up, is highly inventive in a gymnastic sort of way. His client needed about 11 stories of space: four for underground mechanical systems and other facilities plus an additional seven for laboratories, interstitial support areas and a lobby and auditorium at grade. The architect could have proposed a slender tower with the labs stacked above the sunken floors. But his previous work on lab buildings -- his firm has become a leader in this increasingly vital corner of architectural practice, designing the Janelia Farm Research Campus in Virginia and a National Institutes of Health project in Maryland, among other big-ticket projects -- has convinced him that verticality tends to kill scientific collaboration. On top of that, Averill might have vetoed a tall building in this location as incompatible with the surrounding architectural context. What you want instead for this kind of project, Viñoly argues, is an open horizontal form where scientists have to walk along wide corridors and through courtyards during a typical day, running into colleagues by chance and exchanging ideas. It is hardly a new principle: Louis Kahn's stunning Salk Institute in La Jolla, finished in 1965, helped make that kind of lab architecture popular. At UCLA, though, a low-lying, earth-hugging building with a Salk-style courtyard was simply impossible: The site wouldn't allow it. So Viñoly did the next best thing: He took three floors of lab space and proposed building them as a stand-alone wing at the back of the site, where they are suspended over the top of the parking structure. Then he connected that three-story wing to the main building with a series of crisscrossing ramps, creating a dramatic, bottomless courtyard that provides the opportunity for the chance meetings that both Viñoly and his client were looking for. The result is a horizontal building by highly unusual, almost preposterous means -- a building that is roughly three times as wide in the air as where it meets the ground. The ramps also operate as a metaphor for connection in increasingly atomized Western culture. As we spend more time in our professional and personal niches, both online and in the so-called real world, we risk losing the serendipitous exchange of ideas that lies at the heart of any city or university campus. The whole institutional idea behind the NanoSystems Institute, one of four special institutes created by the state to foster innovation in scientific research, is to bring together researchers working on nanotechnology in a wide variety of disciplines -- and to pair academia with industry to bring promising developments at the molecular level more quickly to market. The hanging ramps in the building's courtyard take those abstract goals and make them architecturally legible. They also suggest that the rich interaction we used to take for granted in urban and university settings may now have to be, well, staged. When you stand on the top of the parking structure and look up at the ramps, the view suggests a mash-up of Piranesi, Dr. Seuss and a video game. When you stand on one of the ramps and look down, seeing the roofs of cars through a maze of crisscrossing beams, the effect is equally odd and remarkable. If I led architectural tours on the UCLA campus, I would end every one of them here. Viñoly's design also has intriguing things to say about the role of the parking garage. If CNSI needs to expand in years to come, it can do so simply by adding another three-story lab wing over the parking garage, with a second open-air courtyard and hanging ramps to go with it. There is actually room, Viñoly says, for three more of those wings along the garage's rooftop. Over time, then, the CNSI building could essentially entomb the parking structure -- and with it the notion that on this campus the car is king, visible everywhere, its authority unchallenged. That idea, when you stop to consider it, is far more thought-provoking than any architectural fireworks Viñoly might have devised for the front of the building. Los Angeles Times[1] The Chronicle of Higher Education (Subscription Required)[2] [1] [2] Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=456234 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=456234 Larry Smarr, Founding Director of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2), a UCSD/UCI partnership and currently the Harry E. Gruber Professor in the Jacobs School's Department of Computer Science and Engineering at UCSD (Field/Subfield: Computer Science/Cyberinfrastructure) will be presenting a Marschak Colloquium on the topic: "How Personal Lightwaves Enable Telepresence, Collapsing the 'Flat World' to a Point" In the UCLA Anderson Gold Hall, School of Management, Entrepreneurs Hall, 3rd. Floor, Room C-301 on Friday May 9 from 1 to 3 p.m. Professor Smarr's abstract and biography are below. All are welcome to attend. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- "How Personal Lightwaves Enable Telepresence, Collapsing the 'Flat World' to a Point" *Abstract* The idea of global Telepresence is over fifty years old, originally being a central feature of science fiction. During the last few years, a radical restructuring of global optical networks supporting e-Science projects has begun enabling Telepresence, as well as eliminating distance to remote global data repositories, scientific instruments, and computational resources, all from the researcher's campus laboratory. I will describe how this user configurable "OptIPuter" global platform opens new frontiers in collaborative work environments, digital cinema, interactive environmental observatories, brain imaging, and marine microbial metagenomics. The experiential effect is to collapse the Flat World, created by the shared Internet and Web, to a single point... ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Larry Smarr[1] Biography Contact Larry[2] Larry Smarr became Founding Director in 2000 of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2), a UCSD/UCI partnership. He is the Harry E. Gruber professor in the Jacobs School's Department of Computer Science and Engineering at UCSD. For the previous 15 years as director of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications and the National Computational Science Alliance, Smarr helped drive major developments in the planetary information infrastructure: the Internet, the Web, scientific visualization, virtual reality, and global telepresence. Smarr was a member of the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee for President Clinton and served until 2005 on the Advisory Committee to the Director of the National Institutes of Health and the NASA Advisory Council, which advises the NASA Administrator. He was a member of the California Governor's Task Force on Broadband in 2007. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2006 he was presented with the ESRI Lifetime Achievement Award and received the IEEE Computer Society Tsutomu Kanai Award for distributed computing systems achievements. *About Calit2* The California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (www.calit2.net[3]), a partnership between UC San Diego and UC Irvine, houses over 1,000 researchers organized around more than 50 projects on the future of telecommunications and information technology and how these technologies will transform a range of applications important to California's economy and its citizens' quality of life. [1] [2] [3] Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=495537 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=495537 *Professors, non-profit organizations partner up and win Rosenfield prizes for their L.A. service efforts* Five professors were awarded the Ann C. Rosenfield Distinguished Community Partnership Prize for their partnerships with community organizations on Tuesday night. The awards were presented to professors in a wide range of disciplines, from theater to community health services, said Christopher Waterman, dean of the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture. Each award included a $25,000 prize to be split between the non-profit organization and the professor. The award can be used for any purpose, according to the program for the event. Dr. Yoram Cohen[1] and Committee to Bridge the Gap were awarded the Rosenfield award for their project that involved tackling environmental issues having to do with a site previously used for the development of nuclear reactors. This led to the passing of a bill to ensure proper cleanup of the area, as well as designating it as a state park, according to a press release. Chancellor Gene Block spoke to the audience at the awards ceremony and emphasized UCLA's three-part mission of teaching, research and service, emphasizing the Rosenfield award's focus on service. Block also said civic engagement is a priority of his administration. This is the fifth year that the Rosenfield award has been in existence, during which over 100 partnerships have been awarded $3.35 million, he said. Please see the full article[2] in the Daily Bruin for further information on the ceremony. And please visit the UCLA in LA[3] website for full information on all the 2008 Rosenfield award winners projects. [1] [2] [3] Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=494455 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=494455 *Nanotechnology inspires L.A. youth Students from local high schools and community college participate in nanoscience workshops* Brett Noble Liz De La Torre plans to study medicine and become a doctor someday. A junior at John Marshall High School, De La Torre was one of more than 150 Los Angeles-area high school students who attended the California NanoSystems Institute's High School Day, held Friday, April 18th at UCLA. Organizers sought to inspire students to pursue studies in nanoscience, or "the science of small things," as well as the sciences in general, said Sarah Tolbert[1], director of the institute's outreach program. "Nanoscience is a growing field that brings together many scientific disciplines, such as chemistry, biology, physics and engineering. We want students to learn that nanotechnology is not just elite robots out to get you," Tolbert said. Workshops were led by volunteer graduate students and included hands-on activities for students, such as solar cell and thermoelectric workshops. "Each thing (the graduate students) explained gave me a different perspective on the field. They take these little things and help us see the bigger picture of why they're important," De La Torre said. Danny King, a graduate student in inorganic chemistry, led a presentation about thermoelectrics, explaining how nanotechnology can be used to heat seats in cars or power household appliances. "You'll each own approximately seven refrigerators in your lifetime," said King, soliciting laughter from a lab full of Reseda High School students. "If your refrigerator used thermoelectric cooling elements instead of a compressor, your refrigerator would last longer because thermoelectrics are solid state devices and have no moving parts that tend to wear down over time." In the basement of the institute, students saw advanced microscopes which could be used to view images of the hepatitis C virus, a zebra fish brain and the structure of DNA. Edwin Cordero, a senior from Camino Nuevo High School, marveled at the microscopes. "They're just really big, and it's really impressive to hear how they work and all the things they can examine, like an atom," Cordero said. Matthew Schibler, associate director of the advanced light microscopy/spectroscopy core lab at the NanoSystems Institute, said the lab will soon feature a stimulated emission depletion microscope, which uses lasers and colored dye to magnify. The first of their kind in the U.S., the lasers alone can cost between $200,000 and $400,000, with the total microscope costing over $1 million. Students do not have access to such equipment at their high schools, said Tolbert, who received requests from nine teachers, representing nearly 450 students, to participate in the event. Only three high schools and one community college could be accommodated because of limited resources. But, Tolbert plans to hold biannual outreach events for students in the future. "The demand is there to do this a lot," she said. The institute opened in a ceremony in December 2007. At that time, more than $500 million in research funding had been awarded to faculty members to perform research there, according to an annual report on UCLA research. Many of the research areas have not yet been occupied by researchers, leaving empty space for the day's events to take place. Jesus Ramires, a freshman at Reseda High School, said nanotechnology has sparked not only his interest, but also his hopes for the future. "We learned that humans could power the whole world on solar energy if we just had a way to harvest it. The technology to capture that energy already exists and is just so small," Ramires said. Kathy Flynn, chair of chemistry at the College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, brought a group of students, many of whom hope to attend UCLA and study science. "It's great to check out these new facilities and resources that we don't have. ... (The institute) has been incredibly generous to share everything with us," said Flynn, who is hoping to develop a nanotechnology program at her college. Armando de los Santos, a first-year student at the College of the Canyons, said, "Watching the demonstrations, we could make our own observations and really picture ourselves in the role of scientists." Daily Bruin[2] [1] [2] Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=490709 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=490709 *Nanoimpellers Zap Cancer Cells From Within* Eric Bland, Discovery News A new nanodevice loaded with powerful cancer-killing drugs can operate inside a living cell to zap cancer cells in response to light. The nanomachine, created by researchers in California, is called a nanoimpeller and is the first of its kind. "We have developed a machine to deliver the cancer drugs only in the cancer cells and not normal cells," said Fuyuhiko Tamanoi[1], a study author and scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles. "Our research is the first demonstration of controlled and on-demand release of anticancer drugs using mechanized nanopartilces in living cells," said Tamanoi. The nanoimpellers are actually tubes made of light-sensative silica. When light strikes the silica, tiny tails on the inside of the tubes wag back and forth, creating a current that propels the drugs out of their cyllindrical home. The more light is directed at the silica, the more drugs they deliver. For initial tests the researchers loaded their nanomachines with camptothecin, a chemotherapy drug commonly used to treat pancreatic and colon cancer. The nanoparticles were then injected into human cancer cells in vitro and taken up in the dark. When a light source was turned on for five minutes, the drugs, which trigger cell suicide or apoptosis, were released and shrank the tumors. Since the drug release is only activated in locations where the light is shining, scientists can direct the drug release within cancer cells. The researchers note that they could load other drugs into the nanoimpellers to treat other diseases that are specific to certain locations and not spread out across the entire body. The nanoimpeller drug delivery system will take several years before it is approved for human use, but Tamanoi says he expects a "clear path" toward approval. If it is approved, patients wouldn't need to worry about inadvertently activing the nanoimpellers by stepping outdoors. The devices only respond to a very specific wavelength of light. "This is a highly significant application of these light activated materials," said Darren Dunphy, a nanomaterials scientist at the University of New Mexico who was not involved in the research. "This is beyond proof of concept and at some point could be applied to people." Discovery News[2] To see a video of Fuyu Tamanoi and Jeff Zink[3], the lead authors of the study, being interviewed for the Los Angeles affiliate of CBS please click here[4]. [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=491123 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=491123 More than 180 Los Angeles high school students will visit UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) Friday April 18th for a day of workshops and scientific demonstrations designed to introduce them to the burgeoning fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology. CNSI High School Day, which will be held at the institute's newly opened integrated research facility, is part of the CNSI's ongoing science education and outreach program to communities and schools. "The CNSI is not only interested in innovative research and advancing new technologies, we are also interested in fostering enthusiasm for advanced science within our local school systems," said Leonard H. Rome[1], the institute's interim director and senior associate dean for research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "The next generation of graduate students who will study nanoscience and nanotechnology are in middle and high school today." The day's program will include tours of the CNSI building and graduate student-led workshops on nanoscale science and energy generation. High school students will participate in real, hands-on nanoscale imaging experiments with the aid of state-of-the-art microscopes and will have the opportunity to view images of the hepatitis C virus, a zebrafish brain in 3-D and the structure of DNA. Students will also have lunch with UCLA undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students and will receive an exclusive tour of the UCLA nanofabrication facility, where nanoscale devices are designed and manufactured. "CNSI High School Day is an opportunity to stimulate interest in nanotechnology among the young people in our communities," said Sarah Tolbert[2], director of the CNSI's outreach program. "These programs are designed to excite the natural curiosity in our L.A.-area high school students. This is how we can start to educate the next generation to solve challenging technological problems." The three high schools participating in the inaugural CNSI High School Day are Camino Nuevo High School (Westlake/MacArthur Park), Reseda High School (San Fernando Valley) and John Marshall High School (Los Feliz, Atwater Village, East Hollywood, northeast Koreatown, Elysian Valley and Silver Lake). A small group of students from the College of the Canyons in the Santa Clarita area will also be participating. "The response to the pilot CNSI High School Day was overwhelming," said Tolbert, who received requests to participate from nine teachers with a total of 450 students. "But we felt that for a pilot program, we could not take more than three schools, 180 students. We plan to host similar events throughout the year to give students from other Los Angeles-area high schools the opportunity to learn more about nanotechnology." Since its inception, the CNSI has counted community outreach as a fundamental part of its mission. With an eye toward enriching science education in Los Angeles schools, the institute has developed an outreach program to bring nanoscience and nanotechnology to high school students through hands-on experiments. In addition to direct outreach with students, the CNSI works with local high school teachers, instructing them in how to conduct experiments with their students; educating them on the scientific background needed to understand and explain the experiments to students; and showing how the experiments fit within the California state science standards. The outreach program provides all necessary supplies so that teachers can perform the experiments in their classrooms. UCLA Press Release[3] [1] [2] [3] Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=492427 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=492427 Greg Carman[1], professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at UCLA and the CNSI and postdoctoral student Chia-Ming (Gavin) Chang received the best paper award in materials for 2007 from the Adaptive Structures and Material Systems Committee of the Aerospace Division of ASME. This particular award selects the best paper published in either a journal or conference proceedings during a given year. Their paper, "Experimental evidence of end effects in magneto-electric laminate composites" was published in the Journal of Applied Physics[2]. Carman has won this award previously. Adaptive Structures & Material Systems Technical Committee of the Aerospace Division of ASME[3] [1] [2] [3] Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=490610 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=490610 The paper by Jeff Zink[1], chemistry and biochemistry at UCLA and the CNSI, has been receiving broad media coverage, including being featured in Nature. Please use the links below to see some of the coverage. Highlight in Nature: http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v452/n7185/full/452256a.html[2] Nature Press Release: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/26737/home/press/200810press.html [3] Highlight in Physorg.com: http://www.physorg.com/news124112348.html[4] The paper is available on the _Angew. Chem._ Website: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/117912437/ABSTRACT?CRETRY 1&SRETRY 0[5] To see the full press release please visit the original CNSI news item: http://www.cnsi.ucla.edu/news/item?item_id 459084[6] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=539722 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=539722 Assemblymember Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) in association with UCLA Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research[1] and the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI)[2] present "The Future of Nanotechnology: Legislative Summit"[3]. There are spaces in the world too small to be seen with even the most powerful optical microscopes. Nanotechnology, sometimes referred to as the science of the very small, has far-reaching economic and quality-of-life implications. How small is small? A nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. The human hair is approximately 80,000 nanometers wide, for example. A nanometer-sized particle also is smaller than a living cell and can be seen only with the most powerful microscopes available today. Numerous products featuring the unique properties of nanoscale materials including computer equipment, drug delivery systems and medical diagnostic tools, burn and wound dressings in hospitals, car parts, protective coatings on eyeglasses, cosmetics and clothing are available to consumers and industry today. And new uses in our homes, offices and on the road are being envisioned and developed. This summit is the first step for stakeholders from industry, government, research institutes and environmental groups to discuss responsible ways to regulate nanotechnology without stifling progress. Panel 1: *Environmental and Health Implications of Nanotechnology: Narrowing Our Knowledge Gap* The first panel will address the state of the science regarding the potential environmental and human health impacts of nanotechnology and nanomaterials. Nanomaterials are widely used in a variety of industrial applications and consumer goods such as clothing, sporting goods and cosmetics. Confirmed Panelists: Leonard H. Rome[4], Ph.D, Director, California NanoSystems Institute Andre Nel[5], Ph.D, MD, Director of the University of California Lead Campus for Nanotoxicology Research and Training Hilary Godwin[6], Ph.D, UCLA School of Public Health Patrick Soon-Shiong[7], M.D., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Abraxis BioScience, Inc Panel 2: *Regulating NanoTechnology: Managing Risks while Promoting Progress* This panel will build upon the first to explore the policy issues associated with nanotechnology and nanomaterials, including the need for information regarding the environmental and health risks. Panelists will examine the potential application of existing federal and state legal authorities, including EPA's voluntary Nanoscale Materials Stewardship Program, in defining and responding to such risks. Confirmed Panelists: John Froines[8], Ph.D, Director, UCLA Center of Occupational and Environmental Health Tim Malloy[9], JD, Professor of Law, UCLA and Co-Director, Frank G.Wells Environmental Law Clinic Jeffrey Wong[10] (DTSC), Chief Scientist, Department of Toxic Substances Control George Alexeeff[11], Ph.D, Deputy Director for Scientific Affairs of the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) Terry O'Day[12], Executive Director of Environment Now _(Continental breakfast will be served from 8:00am 9:00am in the CNSI lobby)_ Photo Gallery[13] UCLA Daily Bruin[14] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] Mon, 30 Jun 2008 00:06:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=490592 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=490592 *MARILLA PALMER _Debauchee of Dew in a Concrete Landscape_ ERIC LEISER _Aleph-Null_* Exhibition Dates: April 19 May 17, 2008 Opening Reception: Saturday, April 19 from 6-9 PM Gallery Hours: Thursday Saturday, 12 6 PM and by appointment _I taste a liquor never brewed - From Tankards scooped in Pearl - Not all the Frankfort Berries Yield such an Alcohol! Inebriate of air am I - And Debauchee of Dew - Reeling thro' endless summer days - From inns of molten Blue When "Landlords" turn the drunken Bee Out of the Foxglove's door - When Butterflies renounce their "drams" - I shall but drink the more! Till Seraphs swing their snowy Hats - And Saints to windows run - To see the Tippler Leaning against the Sun!_ *_Debauchee of Dew in a Concrete Landscape_* by *MARILLA PALMER* is inspired by the intoxicating prose written by Emily Dickinson. Using artificial and natural materials the artist fashions up hybrid sculptures and collages made with mushroom spores, pressed flowers, holographic paper, and Astroturf, aimed at creating a supernatural world. *Marilla Palmer* has exhibited her work at numerous galleries including Pierogi and PPOW in New York City, Robert V. Fullerton Art Museum at California State University San Bernardino, and Christopher Grimes Gallery, Los Angeles. She has been included in dozens of group exhibitions in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Europe. Her work is the featured Critics Pick in the April 2008 issue of ARTnews magazine. www.marillapalmer.com[1] For his first solo show *_Aleph-Null_*, *ERIC LEISER* presents holograms of sculpted objects optically captured by laser light onto sheets of glass based on set theory. His new work is a result of intense efforts to produce bas-relief sculptures, combined in some cases with other objects, as the subjects of his images. The results are through-the-window visual spaces saturated with forms, incidents and patterns, in blazing shards of color. They reward viewing from various angles, and their phantom forward projections layer on top of things hiding in the depths behind the window. _Irrational Numbers_ the artist's newest animation will also be on view as the featured media project. *Eric Leiser* is a filmmaker, animator, holographer, painter, puppeteer, illustrator, writer, teacher, sculptor, and former funeral director. His body of work includes several short subject and feature films. Featured in the May 2008 issue of Animation Magazine, his latest film "Imagination" has been critically acclaimed by over 60 international critics and is playing in festivals and theatres worldwide. His holograms have been shown in museums in the U.S., including the Holodome in Los Angeles, and the Ruben H. Fleet Science Center in San Diego. Special thanks to William R. Alschuler, Science Faculty, School of Critical Studies, California Institute of the Arts. For more information, contact Fringe Exhibitions at 213 613 0160. 504 chung king court los angeles california 90012 213 613 0160 info@fringexhibitions.com[2] fringexhibitions.com[3] [1] [2] [3] Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=490184 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=490184 We have just received news that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France has awarded CNSI Member Jim Gimzewski[1] an honorary doctorate, Dr. Honoris Causa, from the University of the Mediterranean, Aix-Marseille II, France. Jim will be honored at a ceremony in Marseille on November 27, 2008. Congratulations Jim! [1] Tue, 15 Apr 2008 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=489953 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=489953 Arts brought the cheese and crackers. Sciences brought the beer and wine. And with the sounds of smooth jazz drifting across the patio on a sunny afternoon outside the Broad Art Center, several dozen faculty, staff and students enjoyed one another's company at the third quarterly North South Mixer on March 13. Hosted by the Department of Design | Media Arts, the California Nanosystems Institute (CNSI) and the Office of Summer Sessions, the "no agenda" event invites scientists to meet artists to meet humanists and more. The idea: to get to know each other and, ultimately, perhaps, to find new ways to collaborate that bridge disciplines and campus geography. The mixers are the invention of Victoria Vesna, professor of Design | Media Arts, who hosts the events with CNSI managing director Susan Ruben and Susan Jain, director of Summer Sessions' academic program development. In her own work, Vesna is bridging the divide between disciplines as a longtime creative collaborator of nanoscientist James Gimzewski[1], professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the CNSI and UCLA. Their latest work, "Blue Morph," uses nanoscale images and sounds to illlustrate the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. Vesna is also founder and director of the UCLA Art|Science Center & Lab, which demonstrates the potential of media arts and science collaborations connections which, she said, are best begun not in a formal environment but in a casual atmosphere. "We're all so overwhelmed, so busy, that to go to another forum or discussion or meeting about how we can work together just sounds exhausting... and I've been to many," she said. "I saw [collaboration-building] really working when people were eating and drinking and talking and just being human with each other. Out of this, relationships and friendships and sometimes even research are encouraged." Summer Sessions' Jain said that because her office already works with faculty from all parts of campus to create innovative summer programs for high school and international students, she often finds herself advising faculty to link up with each other across disciplines. "How do we get that conversation going? How do you connect faculty and students? We decided we'd just have a party," Jain said. The ambiance at the mixer was festive and the conversation friendly, but many in attendance had serious reasons for getting to know colleagues in other fields. Postdoctoral student Adam Stieg is technical director of CNSI's Nano and Pico Characterization Lab, as well as a musician he plays piano and guitar. He worked on "Blue Morph" with Vesna and Gimzewski and is a strong advocate of academic cross-over. "The university system is very effective in producing well-trained academics but it tends to compartmentalize people," Stieg said. "If you're a scientist only surrounded by scientists, you tend to compartmentalize yourself in your way of thinking." Meeting people from other fields, he said, "stimulates different ways of thinking. ...I love my work, but I do happen to have other interests. And I've found that developing cross-disciplinary collaborations has helped me develop the capacity to be creative beyond the construct of my professional training." John Carpenter, a first-year graduate student in Design | Media Arts who is working in the area of biological data visualization, cited his own experience in seeking input from outside his field. For a class called "Media Archeology" that examined vision technology devices, he sought the aid of optics experts from the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Marty Simon, who runs that department's optics lab, even gave him a private tutorial. "It was really great," Carpenter said. "And now there's this whole relationship going. He's even going over to archeology to help with other projects." Information about the next North South Mixer will be posted at the Art|Science Center & Lab Web site, http://artsci.ucla.edu[2]. All campus members are invited. Also find examples of art-science collaborations at the site. UCLA Today Online[3] [1] [2] [3] Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=489921 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=489921 *UCLA's Center for Scalable and Integrated Nanomanufacturing (SINAM) Reaches out to Young Minds to Replenish the Engineering Workforce* The Center for Scalable and Integrated Nanomanufacturing (SINAM) was created in 2003, after the National Science Foundation awarded the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science a grant worth nearly $18 million over five years to establish a new Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC) that would focus on developing cost-effective nanomanufacturing technologies by working closely with industry. Besides wanting to bridge the gap between scientific research and economically feasible manufacturing solutions, SINAM knew it needed to also address critical high tech work force needs through an integrated research and education program. One aspect of the center's educational outreach program is geared towards middle and high school students, grades 7 12. Knowing that traditionally the science curriculum for those grades does not provide any exposure to engineering, SINAM, with the help of Sarah Tolbert[1], professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the CNSI and UCLA, put in place a program called, "Discover the Exciting World of Nanotechnology," where students are given the opportunity to learn about photolithography by creating their own circuit boards. This year, instead of spending three days at each of the participating school sites, the students are brought to UCLA for a more complete university experience. "Bringing the students to campus enables us to involve more faculty and graduate students in the program and to expose the kids to the excitement of a college campus," said Lavine. In a college lecture hall, students not only learn the fundamentals of electrical resistance and nanomanufacturing by creating circuit boards, but they are also treated to a special lunch discussion on nanoscience with a volunteer faculty member. The day ends with a tour of the campus. "As an eighth grade science teacher, with our curriculum, it is very hard for me to do much hands-on work," said Michelle Kim, of Camino Nuevo Middle School, who participated in this year's first Nanotechnology class at UCLA. "So I'm very happy that the students have this opportunity and am very impressed with what Professor Lavine and Mr. Wilson have done for us today. The kids have responded very well." Besides the "Discover Nanotechnology" program for middle and high school students, SINAM's other educational programs include The Nanomanufacturing Summer Academy (NMSA), an intensive eight-week research experience for high school and college students and the Graduate Young Investigator Program, where individual or groups of graduate students propose an innovative research topic that involves at least two faculty members in SINAM from different fields, to study a nanomanufacturing topic using a multidisciplinary approach. All three educational components under SINAM reach out to under-represented minority and female students. UCLA Engineering: News Center[2] [1] [2] Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=489824 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=489824 *Science&Health: Researchers shrink cancer treatment in pursuit of big results* The night Peter Saephanh was admitted to a hospital to begin treatment on what he later learned was foot cancer, his oncologist sat down in his hospital room and started crying. She wept for him because she knew the pain the high school junior, now a third-year political science student, was about to undergo an anguish that may soon become history, thanks to the technology of nanomachines and the efforts of two UCLA professors. Jeffrey Zink[1], a professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Fuyu Tamanoi[2], a professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics, used elements of nanotechnology to discover how to deliver medicine to specific cancer cells, thereby limiting the adverse effects of current treatment methods. This new process can target problem cells and increase control of treatment, making it a viable alternative to chemotherapy, Zink and Tamanoi said. The process, which utilizes the first-ever artificial nanomachine operating inside of a living human cell, centers on a particle 100 nanometers across that has a number of tubular pores lining its edges, said the researchers, both of whom work at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute. Inside each pore is a miniscule machine containing a cancer-fighting drug that, once activated, pushes the medicine out to its diseased surroundings. "It's like a honeycomb, and you can store drugs in it," Tamanoi said. In the experiment conducted by Tamanoi and Zink, the drug used was camptothecin, a compound from a tree in China that, like many cancer medications, is essentially insoluble in water. Because the drug does not dissolve in water or blood, transport through the bloodstream to reach the diseased cells in chemotherapy is more difficult. Storing the drug in a nanomachine, the researchers said, brings the camptothecin directly to damaged tissue, so that it can kill nearby cancer cells through the process of programmed cell death. This new method also allows for an on-demand activation of drug particles, which lets an outside source decide when to expel the drug and how much of it to release, Tamanoi said, comparing the controlled release to the use of a remote control. "The idea is to release the drug at specific times and specific locations," he said. "This is the holy grail of drug research. Everyone wants to do it." In their study, the activation source was a special light shined on the cancerous tissue being experimented on. Tamanoi said that chemotherapy treats the patient's entire body with the drug, which often leads to side effects such as hair falling out and blood problems. His new treatment avoids this problem by localizing the medicine to specific damaged cells. "This is totally different from current therapy," he said. "And something different needs to be done." Saephanh knows firsthand how painful the treatment process can be. In late 2003, he noticed a large growth on the bottom of his foot. When he found out that it was a malignant tumor, he was forced to undergo several agonizing bouts of chemotherapy. "They basically find how much of the chemical will kill you, and then they take it down one notch," said Saephanh, who now serves as the president of UCLA's chapter of Colleges Against Cancer. "It was a miserable process." Even after his treatment was completed, its side effects stayed with him. He remained fatigued and weak for weeks and felt a huge emotional toll after losing his hair. "When you lose your hair, you become kind of ashamed," Saephanh said. "I wore a baseball cap for a while." Though the researchers involved are excited about the prospect of eliminating such experiences, the process is still far from usable. "There's still a lot of work to be done to deliver these nanoparticles to the patients," said Leonard H. Rome[3], the interim director of the institute, professor of biological chemistry and senior associate dean for research at the David Geffen School of Medicine. "Although I'm very optimistic, it's just one step to doing this." The next measure to bringing this technology to the hospital is for it to undergo animal and then human clinical trials, which the researchers hope to start immediately. If those prove the method successful, it will then be incorporated into NanoPacific Holdings, a company founded by the institute to use the professors' inventions for biomedical applications, Zink said. "We want to expand on this type of machine and other machines and use that to help people," he added. Assisting patients is exactly what this technology would do, Saephanh said. "The reason why chemotherapy is so bad is because it goes throughout your entire body," he said. "(Without it), I wouldn't have suffered through all the pain that I had to. If nanoparticles can remove all those problems, then that's a great idea." The Daily Bruin[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=484292 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=484292 *Hilary Godwin* When it comes to environmental hazards, nothing makes us more anxious than the thought that we are being poisoned without our knowledge, except perhaps the realization that our children are being poisoned unnecessarily. Hence it is no surprise that parents across the country have been outraged over the past year by a series of recalls on toys containing lead. These recalls have affected more than 6 million toys nationwide and have included toys manufactured by well-known and reputable manufacturers. What's a parent to do when toys associated with wholesome upbringing, such as Thomas the Train, Cookie Monster and Diego, are secretly poisoning our kids? The first question is to ask who is responsible for the problem. We have known for decades that lead is particularly toxic to young children. In fact, this year marks the 30th anniversary of legislation banning the use of lead in paint, toys and furniture in the United States. Why, then, is the problem of lead contamination reemerging? Clearly, one reason is that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is woefully understaffed and underfunded. It is responsible for working with manufacturers to develop product safety standards, testing consumer products to ensure compliance with federal standards and making the data from those tests available to the public. The CPSC is responsible for working with more than 15,000 products evidently with just 400 full-time staff and 15 inspectors to monitor products coming into 300 ports. Although Congress recently approved a 27% increase in the CPSC's 2008 budget, the CPSC's dependence on voluntary testing by industry is unlikely to change without major policy changes. A second critical contributing factor to the toxic toy crisis is the increasingly global nature of our economy and the difficulty of monitoring manufacturing practices overseas, particularly in developing countries. More than 87% of toys sold in the United States are manufactured overseas, 74% of them in China. It's important to understand that tainted toys from China are only a small reflection of the widespread pollution and environmental degradation that has accompanied China's race to provide cheap manufactured goods to the developed world and improve the economic well-being of its people. Cancer, attributable to air pollution, is now one of the leading causes of death in China. A recent study revealed that more than 80% of children in the southern Chinese town of Guiyu, which recycles electronic waste (much of it generated in the United States) had elevated blood lead levels, compared with 37% in a nearby town, and just 2% to 3% in the United States. Such findings argue that the best solution to the problem of toxic toys is for the CPSC to work with the governments of developing countries to work out incentives for companies in those countries to comply with safe manufacturing standards. In addition, the findings suggest that a sea change is needed in U.S. consumerism. We need to be willing to buy less and pay more for goods of higher quality to ensure the safety not only of our own children, but also the health of children worldwide. _Godwin is professor and chair of the Department of Environmental Health Sciences in the School of Public Health._ UCLA Today[1] [1] Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=467982 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=467982 The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA ranks ninth among the nation's research-based medical schools, according to U.S. News & World Report's annual survey of the best graduate schools in the United States. The 2009 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools," slated for publication in the magazine's April 7-14 edition, will be available on newsstands March 31. The rankings can also be found online at www.usnews.com[1]. This honor is exciting news for the CNSI as well, approximately one third of its faculty membership hails from the School of Medicine. The CNSI was created as a venue for collaboration between faculty from the School of Medicine, Engineering and the College of Letters and Science. This ranking confirms the excellent talent at both UCLA and the CNSI! In addition to its overall ranking, the School of Medicine also received high marks in a number of specialty training programs, ranking fourth in geriatrics, eighth in women's health, and ninth in both AIDS and drug and alcohol abuse programs. The primary care program was ranked No. 12 in the nation. "We are thrilled to be recognized for the superb job that the David Geffen School of Medicine does in conducting leading-edge research programs and in training future generations of physicians," said Dr. Gerald S. Levey, vice chancellor of medical sciences and dean of the Geffen School of Medicine. "This is a wonderful tribute to our outstanding physicians, scientists, staff and students, as well as our affiliated hospitals and community partners who help train our stellar graduates." U.S. News & World Report ranked medical schools based on two types of data: peer experts' opinions about program quality and statistical indicators that measure the quality of a school's faculty, research and students. The statistical indicators included both the qualities that students and faculty bring to the educational experience and graduates' achievements linked to their degrees. Among the criteria were students' average undergraduate grade-point average and average medical college admission test score, as well as the school's acceptance rate, total enrollment, faculty-to-student ratio, total National Institutes of Health research funding and average funding per faculty member. The specialty training programs rankings were based solely on peer ratings by medical school deans and senior faculty. Founded in 1951, the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA is the youngest medical school to be ranked among the top 10 in the nation. The school has more than 2,000 full-time faculty members, including recipients of the Nobel Prize, the Pulitzer Prize and the National Medal of Science. Nearly 5,800 candidates apply each year for one of 121 available spaces in the first-year class. Total enrollment numbers some 750 students and approximately 400 Ph.D. candidates. More than 1,400 residents and fellows pursue advanced training at UCLA and its affiliated hospitals. [1] Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=467626 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=467626 When UCLA scientists Thomas G. Mason[1] and Carlos J. Hernandez designed and mass-produced billions of fluorescent microscale particles in the shapes of all 26 letters of the alphabet, they thought they had produced significant science. The Museum of Modern Art in New York says it's also art, and a sample of their work is on display through May 12 as part of MoMA's "Design and the Elastic Mind" (www.moma.org/elasticmind[2]). Mason, whose wife is an artist, said he is "delighted" to have his work displayed in the exhibition. "I love the idea of science and art mixing together," said Mason, an associate professor of chemistry and physics who holds UCLA's John McTague Career Development Chair. "When MoMA asked me to participate in the exhibition, I thought that was amazing. Carlos and I are honored." Their piece is titled "LithoParticle Dispersions: Colloidal Alphabet Soup" (colloidal refers to the letters' tiny size scale). Although the letters look large in the exhibition, they are really too small to be seen with the unaided eye. "Our letters are one one-hundredth of a point font," said Mason, who is also a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. "You may use a 12-point font on your computer you can fit many of these letters in a single period. In the exhibition, the letters that we have made so small are shown on a large scale for dramatic effect." Mason said the "creative aspects of art and science are tremendously similar. In both, a new way of looking at something opens your eyes." A premise of the exhibition is that designers, whether in science, art or engineering, are creating works that are causing us to stretch our minds and expand our thinking to grapple with issues introduced by new technologies and new materials, Mason said. Nanoscientists, engineers, computer scientists and designers have works on display in the exhibition. "Design and the Elastic Mind" focuses on designers' ability to grasp momentous changes in technology, science and social mores changes that will demand or reflect major adjustments in human behavior. In today's world, everyone needs to understand how science works, Mason believes. "Having a broad understanding of the scientific method is extremely important, even if you don't remember the complicated equations and formulas presented in a class," he said. "The ultimate test is nature itself, not a man-made consensus formed by a group of people without regard to objective natural reality." The letters are made of solid polymeric materials dispersed in a liquid solution. Mason and Hernandez, who earned his doctorate in chemistry last June, anticipate their "LithoParticle Dispersions" will have significant technological and scientific uses. Hernandez and Mason have the ability to choose the font style for the letters. Hernandez designed a customized font for the letters and produced them. "If we want Times New Roman, we can produce that," said Mason, whose research is at the intersection of chemistry, physics, engineering and biology. Hernandez and Mason have also produced particles with different geometric shapes, including triangles, crosses, doughnuts and three-dimensional "Janus particles" that have two differently shaped faces. "We can mass-produce complex parts having different controlled shapes at a scale much smaller than scientists have been able to produce previously," Mason said. "We have a high degree of control over the parts that we make and are on the verge of making functional devices in solution. We may later be able to configure the parts into more complex and useful assemblies." Because each letter is smaller than many kinds of cells, possible applications include marking individual cells with particular letters. It may be possible, Mason said, to use a molecule to attach a letter to a cell's surface, or perhaps even insert a letter inside a cell, and then read the letter to identify the cell. The research could also lead to the creation of tiny pumps, motors or containers that could have medical and even security applications. In addition to creating the letters, Mason's research group can pick up letters with "laser tweezers" and reposition and reorient them in a microscale version of the game Scrabble. James N. Wilking, a UCLA doctoral candidate, has spelled out the word 'MIND,' and MoMA has posted a video of entropic forces rescrambling those letters at http://moma.org/exhibitions/2008/elasticmind/#/134/[3]. Mason's research that led to the creation of the letters, which was published March 29, 2007, in the Journal of Physical Chemistry C, was federally funded in part by the National Science Foundation. He also receives research support from UCLA's John McTague Career Development Chair, which provides funding for five years. As a graduate student at Princeton in the early 1990s, Mason founded a field called thermal microrheology, which is now used by scientists worldwide. Microrheology is a method for examining the viscosity and elasticity of soft materials (including liquids, polymers and emulsions) on a microscopic scale. UCLA Press Release[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=467650 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=467650 *High-res technology shows significant differences in stem cell lines* UCLA stem cell researchers using a high-resolution technique to examine the genome of a pair of human embryonic stem cell lines have found that while both lines could form neurons, they differed in the numbers of certain genes that could control such things as individual traits and disease susceptibility. The study appears in the April issue of the peer-reviewed journal Stem Cells. The researchers used a technique known as array CGH (comparative genomic hybridization) to study the total DNA content of the lines, all the genes on 46 chromosomes. The use of higher-resolution techniques like array CGH and, soon, whole-genome sequencing will enhance the ability of researchers to examine stem cell lines to determine which are best or least likely to result in diseases and other problems for creating therapies for use in humans. Array CGH provided a much better look at the gene content on the chromosomes, with a resolution about 100 times better than standard clinical methods. Clinical specialists commonly generate a karyotype a technique involving the staining and photographing of a cell sample to examine the chromosomes of cancer cells or for amniocentesis in prenatal diagnosis; karyotyping has a much lower resolution than array CGH, said Michael Teitell[1], a researcher with the CNSI and the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA and the senior author of the study. Small defects that could result in big problems later on could be missed using karyotyping for stem cells. "Basically, this study shows that the genetic makeup of individual human embryonic stem cell lines is unique in the numbers of copies of certain genes that may control traits and things like disease susceptibility," said Teitell, who also is an associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine and a researcher at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. "So, in choosing stem cell lines to use for therapeutic applications, you want to know about these differences so you don't pick a line likely to cause problems for a patient receiving these cells." Differences between individual DNA sequences provide the basis for human genetic variability. Forms of variation include single DNA base-pair alterations, duplications or deletions of genes or sets of genes, and translocations chromosomal rearrangements in which a segment of genetic material from one chromosome becomes heritably linked to another chromosome. These changes can be benign, but they can also promote diseases, such as certain cancers, or confer increased risk to other diseases, such as HIV infection or certain types of kidney ailments. In this study, Teitell and his team sought to determine copy number variants (CNVs), or differences in the numbers of certain genes, in the two embryonic stem cell lines. The CNVs provide a unique genetic fingerprint for each line, which can also indicate relatedness between any two stem cell lines. Teitell used embryonic stem cell lines that made different types of neurons and studied them with array CGH for comparison. His team found CNV differences between the two lines in at least seven different chromosome locations differences that could not have been detected using standard karyotype studies. Such differences could impact the therapeutic utility of the lines and could have implications in disease development. More studies will be required to determine the effect of specific CNVs in controlling stem cell function and disease susceptibility, he said. "In studying embryonic stem cell lines in the future, if we find differences in regions of the genome that we know are associated with certain undesirable traits or diseases, we would choose against using such stem cells, provided safer alternative lines are available," Teitell said. Large genome-wide association studies are underway in a variety of diseases to determine what genetic abnormalities might be at play. When the genetic fingerprint, or predisposing genes, for a certain disease is discovered, it could be used as key information in screening embryonic stem cell lines. UCLA's stem cell center was launched in 2005 with a UCLA commitment of $20 million over five years. A $20 million gift from the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation in 2007 resulted in the renaming of the center. UCLA Press Release[2] EurekAlert[3] Genetic Engineering & biotechnology News[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=466217 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=466217 Fringe is pleased to present the metamorphosis of BLUE MORPH. In keeping with the spirit of transformation from caterpillar to butterfly, the show in the gallery will transform and emerge featuring new videos and digital photographic images from the BLUE MORPH equinox event at Integratron in Joshua Tree. Please join us to celebrate the arrival of the new moon with video projections outside by the pond and experience the magic of change. Saturday, April 5 from 7-9 PM 504 Chung King Court Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 613-0160 info@fringexhibitions.com[1] fringexhibitions.com[2] [1] [2] Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=467037 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=467037 CNSI member and assistant professor of physics and astronomy at UCLA Chris Regan[1] has been selected for a highly competitive and prestigious National Science Foundation's 2008 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award. The award, among the highest of honors for young faculty, recognizes the dual commitment of scholarship and education. Regan will receive $500,000 in funding for support of his research in condensed matter over a five-year period. Please check out his homepage[2] at the department of physics and astronomy for a description of his research. Congratulations Chris! [1] [2] Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=465303 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=465303 *UCLA Researchers Have Cancer Breakthrough* UCLA researchers have developed a new weapon in the fight against cancer. University officials Monday announced the development of the "nanomachine," which operates inside a living cell and can store anti-cancer drugs inside tiny pores and release them into cancer cells in response to light. Known as a "nanoimpeller," the device is the first light-powered nanomachine that operates inside a living cell, according to the researchers, who said the development has strong implications for cancer treatment. Designing such systems has been the subject of extensive research because of their ability to deliver precise amounts of drugs. "The achievement here is gaining precise control of the amount of drugs that are released by controlling the light exposure," said Fuyu Tamanoi, UCLA professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics and director of the signal transduction and therapeutics program at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. "Controlled release to a specific location is the key issue," Tamanoi said. "And the release is only activated by where the light is shining." The results of the research were published Monday in the nanoscience journal Small. "The nanomachines are positioned in molecular-sized pores inside of spherical particles and function in aqueous and biological environments," said Jeffrey Zink, UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry. According to Zink and Tamanoi, the system could become the next platform for treating cancers such as colon and stomach cancer, offering the ability to administer repeated small doses of medicine and better control of the drug's effect. Zink and Tamanoi are two of the co-directors of the Nano Machine Center for Targeted Delivery and On-Demand Release at the California NanoSystems Institute. KCAL 9 News Story[1] KCAL 9 Video[2] UCLA Press Release[3] [1] [2] [3] Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=465298 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=465298 *'Nanoimpeller' releases anticancer drugs inside of cancer cells* Researchers from the Nano Machine Center at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA have developed a novel type of nanomachine that can capture and store anticancer drugs inside tiny pores and release them into cancer cells in response to light. Known as a "nanoimpeller," the device is the first light-powered nanomachine that operates inside a living cell, a development that has strong implications for cancer treatment. UCLA researchers reported the synthesis and operation of nanoparticles containing nanoimpellers that can deliver anticancer drugs March 31 in the online edition of the nanoscience journal Small. The study was conducted jointly by Jeffrey Zink[1], UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Fuyu Tamanoi[2], UCLA professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics and director of the signal transduction and therapeutics program at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. Tamanoi and Zink are two of the co-directors for the Nano Machine Center for Targeted Delivery and On-Demand Release at the California NanoSystems Institute. Nanomechanical systems designed to trap and release molecules from pores in response to a stimulus have been the subject of intensive investigation, in large part for their potential applications in precise drug delivery. Nanomaterials suitable for this type of operation must consist of both an appropriate container and a photo-activated moving component. To achieve this, the UCLA researchers used mesoporous silica nanoparticles and coated the interiors of the pores with azobenzene, a chemical that can oscillate between two different conformations upon light exposure. Operation of the nanoimpeller was demonstrated using a variety of human cancer cells, including colon and pancreatic cancer cells. The nanoparticles were given to human cancer cells _in vitro_ and taken up in the dark. When light was directed at the particles, the nanoimpeller mechanism took effect and released the contents. The pores of the particles can be loaded with cargo molecules, such as dyes or anticancer drugs. In response to light exposure, a wagging motion occurs, causing the cargo molecules to escape from the pores and attack the cell. Confocal microscopic images showed that the impeller operation can be regulated precisely by the intensity of the light, the excitation time and the specific wavelength. "We developed a mechanism that releases small molecules in aqueous and biological environments during exposure to light," Zink said. "The nanomachines are positioned in molecular-sized pores inside of spherical particles and function in aqueous and biological environments." "The achievement here is gaining precise control of the amount of drugs that are released by controlling the light exposure," Tamanoi said. "Controlled release to a specific location is the key issue. And the release is only activated by where the light is shining." "We were extremely excited to discover that the machines were taken up by the cancer cells and that they responded to the light. We observed cell killing as a result of programmed cell death," Tamanoi and Zink said. This nanoimpeller system may open a new avenue for drug delivery under external control at specific times and locations for phototherapy. Remote-control manipulation of the machine is achieved by varying both the light intensity and the time that the particles are irradiated at the specific wavelengths at which the azobenzene impellers absorb. "This system has potential applications for precise drug delivery and might be the next generation for novel platform for the treatment of cancers such as colon and stomach cancer," Zink and Tamanoi said. "The fact that one can operate the mechanism by remote control means that one can administer repeated small-dosage releases to achieve greater control of the drug's effect." Tamanoi and Zink say the research represents an exciting first step in developing nanomachines for cancer therapy and that further steps are required to demonstrate actual inhibition of tumor growth. The research team also includes Eunshil Choi, a graduate student in Zink's lab, and Jie Lu, a postdoctoral researcher in Tamanoi's lab. For an abstract and the full-text of the Small paper, visit www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/117949998/ABSTRACT[3]. UCLA Press Release[4] Medical News Today[5] MediLexicon News[6] KNBC Los Angeles[7] Science Daily[8] WashingtonPost.com[9] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:04:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=462884 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=462884 Celebrate the arrival of spring at "SPRINGsprung" Fling with us on *Saturday, April 5 from 7-11pm*. S B LONDON 3740 W Sunset Blvd, 2nd fl (@Lucile/Edgecliffe) Silver Lake, CA 90026 We look forward to seeing you there! -Stacie Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=462579 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=462579 The CBS Television sitcom "The Big Bang Theory" about quantum physicists has used a CNSI nanosystems seminar series poster as set dressing for upcoming episodes of the show. Tune in on Mondays at 8:00 PM ET/PT beginning April 7th to see episodes which feature the poster from the seminars of the Winter 2007 Quarter. The poster was designed by Tami Relph who has recently graduated from UCLA. Congratulations Tami! For additional information about the Big Bang Theory visit the website http://www.cbs.com/primetime/big_bang_theory/[1]. [1] Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=462541 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=462541 Chemists from UCLA and the University of Washington have succeeded in creating "designer enzymes," a major milestone in computational chemistry and protein engineering. The research, by a UCLA chemistry group led by professor Kendall Houk [1] and a Washington group headed by biochemist David Baker, is reported March 19 in the advance online publication of the journal Nature. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) supported the study. Designer enzymes will have applications for defense against biological warfare, by deactivating pathogenic biological agents, and for creating more effective medications, according to Houk, who is also a member of the CNSI at UCLA. "The design of new enzymes for reactions not normally catalyzed in nature is finally feasible," Houk said. "The goal of our research is to use computational methods to design the arrangement of groups inside a protein to cause any desired reaction to occur." "Enzymes are such potent catalysts; we want to harness that catalytic ability," said research co-author Jason DeChancie, an advanced UCLA chemistry graduate student working with Houk's group. "We want to design enzymes for reactions that naturally occurring enzymes don't do. There are limits on the reactions that natural enzymes carry out, compared with what we can dream up that enzymes can potentially do." Combining chemistry, mathematics and physics, the scientists report in the Nature paper that they have successfully created designer enzymes for a chemical reaction known as the Kemp elimination, a non-natural chemical transformation in which hydrogen is pulled off a carbon atom. In a previous paper, published in the journal Science on March 7, the chemists reported another successful chemical reaction that uses designer enzymes to catalyze a retro-aldol reaction, which involves breaking a carbon-carbon bond. The aldol reaction is a key process in living organisms associated with the processing and synthesis of carbohydrates. This reaction is also widely used in the large-scale production of commodity chemicals and in the pharmaceutical industry, Houk said. "Previous reports of designed enzymes have not been very successful, and some have been withdrawn," said Houk, UCLA's lead author of both papers. "That is hardly surprising, considering the challenge of designing in days or weeks what nature has perfected over billions of years of evolution. The rate enhancements by our designer enzymes are modest and hardly competitive, so far, with those observed for their natural counterparts." "We hope with improvements in technology, that we can close the gap between designer enzymes and natural enzymes," DeChancie said. "Most scientists thought this would be impossible, and we felt the same way after many failures," said Fernando Clemente, a former UCLA postdoctoral scholar and co-author of the Science paper. "But improvements in design and sophistication eventually led to success." Clemente is now at Gaussian Inc., the company that created the software used in the Houk group's research. The implementation of the aldol reaction in the active site of an enzyme has been an important challenge. The reaction involves at least six chemical transformations, requiring UCLA scientists to compute all six chemical steps with their corresponding transition states. The structures were then combined in such a way to allow all six steps to occur. Both studies were funded by DARPA, the U.S. Defense Department's central research and development organization, with additional federal support from the National Science Foundation. Natural enzymes, which are relatively large protein molecules, are the powerful catalysts that control the reactions that sustain life. They play a central role in the chemical reactions involved in the transformation of food into the essential nutrients that provide energy, among many other critical functions. Houk's team of 30 computational chemists uses quantum mechanical calculations to explore chemical reactions with supercomputers. Quantum mechanics is the fundamental theory that can predict all chemistry. Houk and Baker's research groups have worked together for three years. Using algorithms and supercomputers, the UCLA chemists design the active site for the enzymes the area of the enzymes in which the chemical reactions take place and give a blueprint for the active site to their University of Washington colleagues. Baker and his group then use their computer programs to design a sequence of amino acids that fold to produce an active site like the one designed by Houk's group; Baker's group produces the enzymes. Houk's group uses modern computational methods based on the physical laws of quantum mechanics to study in detail the mechanisms of chemical reactions. They have been involved in the DARPA-funded Protein Design Processes program, whose goal is to develop the technology that would make possible the design and creation of man-made working enzymes. The role of UCLA chemists has been the design of the active sites of the enzymes. By exploring multiple combinations of chemical groups, they can determine those that are most suitable to facilitate any given chemical transformation. Then, they determine the precise three-dimensional arrangement of these chemical groups, which is critical for the specificity and activity of the enzyme, with an accuracy of less than a hundredth of a nanometer. Enzymes are the ultimate "green" catalysts by performing under ambient conditions in water, Houk said. This technology will find tremendous applications, Houk said. How far off are designer enzymes with important applications? "I think we're there," DeChancie said. "These papers are showing the technology is now in place." UCLA Press Release[2] Scientist Live[3] Chemistry Times[4] Los Angeles Chronicle[5] Red Orbit[6] Congoo Stay Connected[7] R&D technologies and strategies for research and development[8] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=461361 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=461361 Researchers in California have created an artificial muscle that heals itself and generates electricity. The research, parts of which are already being used in Japan to generate electricity from ocean waves, could be used to make walking robots, develop better prosthetics, or even charge your iPod. "We've made an artificial muscle that, when you apply electricity to it, it expands" more than 200 percent, said Qibing Pei[1], a scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles and study author. "The motion and energy is a lot like human muscles." Artificial muscles have been around for years but have essentially hamstrung themselves. Some artificial muscles get so big they tear, developing uneven film thickness and random particles that cause muscle failure. The researchers used flexible, ever-more ubiquitous carbon nanotubes as electrodes instead of other films, often metal-based, that fail after repeated use. If an area of the carbon nanotube fails, the region around it seals itself by becoming non-conductive and prevents the fault from spreading to other areas. "During long-term tests with the new device the actual material experiences a number of events but still worked," said Pei. By "events" Pei actually means they stabbed the artificial muscle with pins. Any other artificial muscle would have failed, but their model kept operating. The self-healing muscle is also energy efficient. "It conserves about 70 percent of the energy you put into it," said Pei. As the material contracts after an expansion the rearranging of the carbon nanotubes generates a small electric current that can be captured and used to power another expansion or stored in a battery. Scientists in Japan charge batteries from ocean waves using the same idea. Other scientists have speculated that the artificial muscle could be used to capture wind energy. "The way he's put these carbon nanotubes together is really quite innovative," said Kwang Kim, a material scientist at the University of Reno who was not involved in the research. "Some people want to use this to charge their batteries." The research appeared in the January issue of _Advanced Materials_. Discovery News[2] Slashdot[3] Misc. Gadgets Blog[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=461384 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=461384 Every year, the Academic Senate's Committee on Teaching selects six of its members to receive the Distinguished Teaching Award, which represents the highest attainment of academic and professional excellence at UCLA. This year's Senate winners will each receive a $6,000 cash award. They will be honored at Covel Commons June 1 by the UCLA Alumni Association and in the fall by the Senate committee and the Office of Instructional Development, which will present awards at the Andrea L. Rich Night to Honor Teaching. Distinguished Teaching Awards also go to three outstanding non-Senate faculty and five teaching assistants. The 2008 Senate winners are Robert Winter, professor of music (Eby Award for the Art of Teaching); Linda Garro, professor of anthropology (Distinction in Teaching at the Graduate Level Award); Teofilo Ruiz, professor of history; Benjamin Schwartz[1], professor of chemistry; Elizabeth Bjork, professor of psychology and Senate chair; and Peggy Fong, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology (Mentorship to Undergraduate Students Award. What do they love most about their jobs? Here are their thoughts: *Benjamin Schwartz:* "My favorite thing about teaching is getting to interact with bright students who get excited about the same geeky science things I do. I require students to ask a written question pertaining to the lecture material every week. I then answer each student's question, in writing, which helps their understanding, and allows me to readdress material that most of the class didn't understand the first time." UCLA Today Online[2] [1] [2] Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=461352 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=461352 *Physics, Engineering Professor Praised for Semiconductor Advances* David Awschalom has been named the UCSB Faculty Research Lecturer of 2008. Awschalom, a professor of physics as well as electrical and computer engineering, serves as director of the Center for Spintronics and Quantum Computation as well as the associate director of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCSB. He is the fifty-third recipient of this award. Awschalom's research and findings have created new opportunities in the world of semiconductor spintronics and quantum computation. For the full story please see the Press Release[1] from UCSB. Congratulations to David Awschalom! [1] Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=459125 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=459125 *Will microorganisms help lead us to a green future? Scientists, and venture capitalists, hope so.* The latest news about climate change is so alarming (the right wing would say alarmist) as to make many people want to plant their aching heads in the sand. Some scientists using advanced computer models now argue that if we want to stop the Earth from warming, the amount of carbon we should be emitting is ... none. None? As in, zero? As in, shutting down the global industrial economy? After all, global energy demand is expected to accelerate until at least 2020. Yet attempts even to slow the rate of increase of carbon emissions have paralyzed world politics for more than a decade. Faced with the choice between planetary disaster and the end of modern life as we know it, most of us feel powerless to do much more than change our lightbulbs and hope that some unseen genius somewhere figures this out before we sizzle. But many touted new energy technologies turn out to have fatal detractions, starting with the fact that ethanol production is gobbling up global food supplies. We can and must conserve vastly more. A McKinsey & Co. study calculates that investing $170 billion per year in energy-saving technologies would generate $900 billion in savings by 2020 -- a 17% return on investment. Still, Americans have a cultural predisposition to yearn for a scientific paradigm shift that will usher in a new era of cheap energy and save the planet too. So here is one scenario to root for: genetically engineered bacteria that eat carbon dioxide and excrete biofuels. Major bacteria news was announced this week at the University of Maryland, where scientists discovered that a bacterium found 20 years ago in Chesapeake Bay is able to decompose just about anything. That includes cellulose, which is indigestible to most bugs. Scientists, venture capitalists and the state's governor are betting these microorganisms can be deployed to turn trash -- not food -- into ethanol. Even more promising is the bacteria news from UCLA, where scientists have genetically engineered a strain of _E. coli_ that secretes high-octane alcohols. Why the bacteria are not poisoned by the alcohol is a mystery, but scientists believe they could be made to synthesize biofuels with properties more like those of gasoline. In the lab, the bacteria are fed glucose. But microbiologist James Liao[1] is working on splicing the genes from the alcohol-secreting bacteria into other strains (including marine bacteria) that absorb carbon dioxide and use sunlight to produce cell mass. In theory, these bacteria could be farmed to turn global warming gases into an efficient fuel. Venture capitalists have put their money where their hope is. So should we. LA Times[2] Global Warming[3] Jim Liao's research has also been featured on Forbes.com[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=460112 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=460112 *New scheme holds promise for treating cancer, other diseases* UCLA researchers have developed a feedback control scheme that can search for the most effective drug combinations to treat a variety of conditions, including cancers and infections. The discovery could play a significant role in facilitating new clinical drug-cocktail trials. The best known use of drug cocktails has been in the fight against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Drug cocktails also have been used to combat several types of cancer. Often, drugs that might not be effective in combating diseases individually do much better in combination. With the use of the new closed-loop feedback control scheme, an approach guided by a stochastic search algorithm, researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have devised an invaluable means of identifying potent drug combinations fast and efficiently. Their findings appear in the March 17 online version of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It has long been a difficult challenge for clinical researchers to determine the optimal dose of individual drugs used in combination. For example, a researcher testing 10 different concentrations of six drugs in every possible arrangement would be faced with 1 million potential combinations. "With the development of this optimization method, we've overcome a major roadblock," said study author Chih-Ming Ho[1], UCLA's Ben Rich-Lockheed Martin Professor and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. "There have always been too many choices and too many combinations to sort through. It was like finding a needle in a haystack." In one test case, the research team examined how to best prevent a viral infection of host cells. Using the closed-loop optimization scheme, they were able to identify, out of 100,000 possible combinations, the drug cocktails that completely inhibited viral infection after only about a dozen trials. In addition, they found that total inhibition of the virus occurred at much lower drug doses than would be necessary if the drugs were used alone; in fact, the concentrations of the drugs were only about 10 percent of that required when used individually. "Viruses grow very rapidly and change rapidly as well. Because of that, a virus can become resistant to a particular drug," said Genhong Cheng, a member of the research team at the UCLA Center for Cell Control and UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center. "This is why it's so important to be able to use a combination of more than one drug. If the virus mutates to become resistant to one drug, it is still sensitive to the other drugs." Drug combinations can also be used effectively to inhibit infectious diseases because resistance to a single drug is very common, according to Ren Sun[2], UCLA professor of molecular and medical pharmacology and a member of the research team. "If we can apply multiple drugs against one infectious agent, it probably will prevent the occurrence of drug resistance," said Sun, who is also a researcher at the Jonsson Cancer Center. "But, of course, when you use multiple drugs, side effects will be strong. With this model, there is a way to optimize the combination to reduce the side effects while maintaining efficacy that will be very beneficial." "What the search scheme does is it tries to detect trends for optimal output," said Pak Wong, a former UCLA graduate student who participated in the study and is now an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Arizona. "Basically, the algorithm sees a trend and a direction and drives the trend in that direction. It's like mountain climbing and finding a way to get to the peak. So you keep going, and soon you rapidly find the peak while being guided by a smart search scheme." In an example used to illustrate the prevention of viral infection of host cells, researchers started with arbitrarily chosen dosages of the drugs. The percentage of non-infected cells under this initial drug-cocktail treatment was fed into the stochastic search algorithm, which essentially helps guide a random search process. The algorithm then suggested the next drug concentrations for producing a higher percentage of non-infected cells. This closed-loop feedback control scheme is carried out continuously until the best combination is found. Randomness is built into the search decision, preventing the trap at local optimum levels and allowing the search process to continue until the optimal drug cocktail is identified. The model also provides an alternative approach to studying cellular functions. Molecular biologists can identify all the players of a particular regulatory pathway in order to decipher how to block or augment that pathway. Cells are complex systems with many redundant functions, and it is difficult to predict how a cell will respond to multiple stimulations at one time. The model overlooks these details and lets the system determine what works best for itself. If researchers are more interested in how the cellular network functions, this approach can provide an initial bird's-eye view, but it also allows them to home in on the important molecular activities controlled by the best drug combinations. This search scheme is an extremely effective and versatile tool that can be applied to combat numerous diseases, including cancer, the researchers say, and its multidimensional properties will likely make it useful in a wide variety of additional situations. The next steps are animal and clinical testing. The study was funded and supported by the Center for Cell Control, a nanomedicine development center funded by the National Institutes of Health through the Roadmap for Medical Research, and by the Institute for Cell Mimetic Space Exploration, a NASA-sponsored institute. UCLA Press Release[3] Science Daily[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=459299 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=459299 Presented for fellow scientists and interested non-scientists, these colloquia are intended to promote interdisciplinary interaction in the campus research community, as well as with colleagues from other institutions and with the public. Lecture begins at 4:00 pm, reception begins at 5:15 pm. Please visit the UCLA Division of Physical Sciences[1] website for a full schedule of speakers. *Wednesday, April 2, 2008* (Physics & Astronomy 1425) James C. Liao[2] Professor & Vice Chair of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering "Next Generation Biofuels" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- *Wednesday, April 23, 2008* (Physics & Astronomy 1425) Jeffery F. Miller[3] Professor & Chair of Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics "Vaccines and Mechanisms of Bacterial Pathogenesis: The Whooping Cough Story" UCLA Science Faculty Annual Research Colloquium Series 2007-2008[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=459111 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=459111 "Nanotechnology: The Power of Small" is the first major television series to look at the implications of advances in nanotechnology-the ability to measure, see, manipulate and manufacture materials that are usually between one and 100 nanometers in size. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter; a human hair is roughly 100,000 nanometers wide. More than $60 billion in products incorporating nanotechnology were sold globally in 2007. By 2014, Lux Research estimates this figure will grow to $2.6 trillion. The series' three programs explore critical questions about nanotechnology's potential impact on privacy, the environment and human health: Will nanotechnology make you safer, or will it be used to track your every move? Will nanotechnology keep you young, and what happens if you live to be 150? Will nanotechnology help clean up the earth, or will it be the next asbestos? The series begins airing on local public broadcasting stations in April 2008 (see http://powerofsmall.org[1]). It is funded by NSF and the presenting station and grantee for the series is Oregon Public Broadcasting. The series is a "Fred Friendly Seminars" presentation with award-winning National Public Radio correspondent John Hockenberry as host. The programs involve Hockenberry asking policymakers, scientists, journalists and community leaders to wrestle with difficult but essential issues about nanotechnology's potential to impact people's privacy and security, health and environment. Featured experts include Harvard University researcher George M. Whitesides, PEN chief scientist Andrew Maynard, and author Joel Garreau, among others. View a preview / trailer clip www.powerofsmall.org[2]. The three-part series is set to air on Public Broadcasting Station affiliates. Visit www.powerofsmall.org[3] for local listings and to view a preview video clip.: KLCS-TV / Los Angeles: Monday, April 7 @ 8:00 p.m. Monday, April 14 @ 8:00 p.m. Monday, April 21 @ 8:00 p.m. KCET-TV / Los Angeles Airing the series on its "Desert Cities" digital channel: 101 will air as follows: Sunday, May 25 @ 7:00 pm Wednesday May 28 @ 8:00 pm Friday May 30 @ 7:00 pm June dates for 102 and 103 forthcoming; the pattern will repeat over subsequent weeks in the same time slots. [1] [2] [3] Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=459141 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=459141 *UCLA Uses Nano-Device To Find Cancer Cells* A cancer detection development UCLA uses sight and touch refined down to the cellular level, which could mean a new era in cancer treatment. UCLA Dr. Jian Yu Rao[1] is an expert at finding cancerous cells amid healthy ones, but some are hard to distinguish. "By looking at the normal under just a regular microscope, you can't tell a lot of times. It's very hard to tell," Rao said. Cancerous cells are different, because their structure, or their cytoskeleton has collapsed. "That makes the cells very flexible, very soft. You know the tumor cells are very unique in that they are very easy to get through the spaces," Rao said. Nanoscientists at UCLA use an atomic force microscope to measure softness. The probe is the size of 30 atoms. "If I was a sphere, it would be like using a finger to probe mass softness," said James Gimzewski, Ph.D[2]. Gimzewski and his team use an atomic force microscope to make these delicate readings. A tiny cantilever is placed over the cells. "Then we just lower it down and push on the cell gently. That is what we do, and we pick up how the diving board bends and that's the measure of softness," Gimzewski said. Healthy cells are stiffer and can withstand more pressure, while cancerous cells give easily. "The more the diving board bends, the stiffer the surface. The less it bends, the softer the surface," Gimzewski said. "Punch it a little bit and retract it, and by that, you feel how soft the tumor cell is," Rao said. This research may also lead to treatments to repair the cells and treat cancers. KNBC Story[3] Full Description of Research[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=459084 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=459084 *A new kind of nanoscopic valve that responds to pH changes may allow for the targeted release of drugs.* A new nanovalve that opens in response to pH changes could serve as the basis of a targeted drug delivery system. By filling a tiny, porous silica sphere with a drug and then plugging the pores with the valves, researchers can use pH changes to control the drug's release. The pH of healthy and diseased tissues often differs, meaning the spheres could be designed to release the drug in diseased tissue only. Jeffrey Zink[1], UCLA and CNSI chemistry professor, along with J. Fraser Stoddart, professor of chemistry at Northwestern University, led the development of the new nanovalve; their findings were announced in the first March issue of the journal _Angewandte Chemie_ [2], and featured in a March 13th story in the MIT Technology Review [3]. Previous versions of the valve functioned only in organic solvents and were activated by elaborate oxidation reactions. By switching to a pH-activated mechanism, the researchers made the valve functional in water--a critical feature for any drug delivery system. "We're now putting a lot of emphasis on systems that are biocompatible," says Stoddart. Other pH-sensitive nanovalves have been proposed, but "a lot of things we've worked on in the past are theoretical and can't be made yet," says Santiago Solares, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland who was not involved with the work. The new valve, on the other hand, has already been prototyped and tested for use in water. The core of the system is a rigid silica nanosphere riddled with a honeycomb-like network of pores, which are filled with "guest molecules" that will be selectively released. In their test of the valves, the researchers used a dye called rhodamine as the guest molecule. If the system were used for drug delivery, the guest molecule would be the drug. In addition to the guest molecules, a skewerlike molecular stalk is inserted into each pore. The stalk protrudes from the sphere's surface, impaling a donut-shaped molecule called cucurbituril, which effectively plugs the pore and prevents the guest molecules from leaking out. At just 400 nanometers in diameter, says Stoddart, the tiny spheres would easily be taken up by cells. Once inside, they would respond to the cells' internal pH and either retain or release their contents. At neutral to acidic pH, the cucurbituril is bound to the stalk by electrostatic forces, and the plug remains in place. But when the pH turns basic, these forces are disrupted, and the "donut" falls completely off its "skewer." With the cucurbituril plug gone, the guest molecule--be it dye or drug--is free to leak out of the silica sphere's pores. The researchers are also experimenting with other, more specific mechanisms for triggering a drug's release. For example, diseased cells might express a particular enzyme not present in their healthy counterparts. "If we can play to the presence of an enzyme--specifically in a diseased cell--to break a particular chemical bond, then we can introduce that chemical bond into the machinery," says Stoddart. Stoddart hopes that the new nanovalve system will eventually be employed for cancer treatment, where it could deliver drugs directly to tumor cells. Existing chemotherapy drugs come with nasty side effects, such as nausea and hair loss, precisely because they can't distinguish different targets. "The drugs are as much bad news to healthy cells as they are to the diseased cells," says Stoddart. The nanovalve system might also be adapted to treat degenerative diseases where a particular cell type is affected, or for the controlled release of insulin to treat diabetes. Other, nonmedical applications--in food and cosmetics, or for environmental remediation--are also possible. All these applications will require substantial modification and refinement of the nanovalve machinery. Ideally, the cucurbituril molecules would fall off their stems at a very specific pH, which could be tailored to specific applications. At the moment, that level of control remains elusive. And while the valves have proven highly effective at controlling the release of dye in a test tube, their safety and efficacy in living systems have yet to be demonstrated. Tests on cells, animals, and eventually humans will be necessary before any potential medical applications can be realized. MIT Technology Review[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=456579 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=456579 Stan Williams is one of the four Senior Fellows at HP Labs the most distinguished technologists in the company. He runs the Information and Quantum Systems Lab[1] and his research focus is on what is called CeNSE the Central Nervous System for the Earth. Stan is looking over the horizon to developments in nanotechnology the control of matter on the atomic and molecular scale, where dimensions are measured in nanometers. One nanometer is one billionth of a meter way smaller than the proverbial width of an ants leg. In fact, the comparative size of a nanometer to a meter is the same as that of a marble to the size of the earth. Or another way of putting it: a nanometer is the amount a mans beard grows in the time it takes him to raise the razor to his face! I asked Stan to describe his research interests in the terms that my Mum could understand. Click on the podcast icon below to hear what Stan says about his research. It could revolutionize human interaction with the earth as profoundly as the Internet has revolutionized personal and business interactions. Hear him describe a possible future world where trillions of nanoscale sensors and actuators are embedded in the environment, monitoring every breath we take, every move we make. And how concerns for our privacy in this world are addressed. Williams Podcast[2] [1] [2] Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=452705 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=452705 *Study finds that broccoli may help boost the aging immune system* Eat your broccoli! That's the advice from UCLA researchers who have found that a chemical in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables may hold a key to restoring the body's immunity, which declines as we age. Published in this week's online edition of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the study findings show that sulforaphane, a chemical in broccoli, switches on a set of antioxidant genes and enzymes in specific immune cells, which then combat the injurious effects of molecules known as free radicals that can damage cells and lead to disease. Free radicals are byproducts of normal processes, such as the metabolic conversion of food into energy, and can also enter the body through small particles present in polluted air. A supercharged form of oxygen, these molecules can cause oxidative tissue damage, leading to disease for example, triggering the inflammation process that causes clogged arteries. Oxidative damage to body tissues and organs is thought to be one of the major causes of aging. "The mysteries of aging have always intrigued man," said Dr. Andre Nel [1], the study's principal investigator and chief of nanomedicine at the CNSI and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "While we have known for some time that free radicals are important in aging, most of the past attention has focused on the mechanisms that produce free radicals rather than addressing the pathways used by the body to suppress their production." A dynamic equilibrium exists in the body between the mechanisms that lead to increased free radical production and those antioxidant pathways that help combat free radicals. "Our study contributes to the growing understanding of the importance of these antioxidant defense pathways that the body uses to fight free radicals," said Nel, a practicing clinical allergist and immunologist at the Geffen School. "Insight into these processes points to ways in which we may be able to alleviate the effects of aging." The delicate balance between pro-oxidant and antioxidant forces in the body could determine the outcome of many disease processes that are associated with aging, including cardiovascular disease, degenerative joint diseases and diabetes, as well as the decline in efficiency of the immune system's ability to protect against infectious agents. "As we age, the ability of the immune system to fight disease and infections and protect against cancer wears down as a result of the impact of oxygen radicals on the immune system," Nel said. According to the UCLA study, the ability of aged tissues to reinvigorate their antioxidant defense can play an important role in reversing much of the negative impact of free radicals on the immune system. However, until this current study, the extent to which antioxidant defense can impact the aging process in the immune system was not properly understood. "Our defense against oxidative stress damage may determine at what rate we age, how it will manifest and how to interfere in those processes," Nel said. "In particular, our study shows that a chemical present in broccoli is capable of stimulating a wide range of antioxidant defense pathways and may be able to interfere with the age-related decline in immune function." The UCLA team not only found that the direct administration of sulforaphane in broccoli reversed the decline in cellular immune function in old mice, but they witnessed similar results when they took individual immune cells from old mice, treated those cells with the chemical outside the body and then placed the treated cells back into a recipient animal. In particular, the scientists discovered that dendritic cells, which introduce infectious agents and foreign substances to the immune system, were particularly effective in restoring immune function in aged animals when treated with sulforaphane. "We found that treating older mice with sulforaphane increased the immune response to the level of younger mice," said Hyon-Jeen Kim, first author and research scientist at the Geffen School. To investigate how the chemical in broccoli increased the immune system's response, the UCLA group confirmed that sulforaphane interacts with a protein called Nrf2, which serves as a master regulator of the body's overall antioxidant response and is capable of switching on hundreds of antioxidant and rejuvenating genes and enzymes. Nel said that the chemistry leading to activation of this gene-regulation pathway could be a platform for drug discovery and vaccine development to boost the decline of immune function in elderly people. "This is a radical new way of thinking in how to increase the immune function of elderly people to possibly protect against viral infections and cancer," Nel said. "We may have uncovered a new mechanism by which to boost vaccine responses by using a nutrient chemical to impact oxidant stress pathways in the immune system." Kim said that although there is a decline in Nrf2 activity with aging, this pathway remains accessible to chemicals like sulforaphane that are capable of restoring some of the ravages of aging by boosting antioxidant pathways. The next step is further study to see how these findings would translate to humans. "Dietary antioxidants have been shown to have important effects on immune function, and with further study, we may be adding broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables to that list," Nel said. For now, Nel suggests including these vegetables as part of a healthy diet. Nel said that these findings offer a window into how the immune system ages. "We may find that combating free radicals is only part of the answer. It may prove to be a more multifaceted process and interplay between pro- and antioxidant forces," he said. The study was funded by the National Institute on Aging, the UCLA Claude D. Pepper Older Adults Independence Center, and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Other study authors included Berenice Barajas and Dr. Meiying Wang. UCLA Press Release[2] EurekAlert[3] New York Daily News[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=445133 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=445133 *CNSI, UCLA ASMeW, Waseda University, Tokyo* Joint Symposium on Nano-scale Research into Biosensors, Biomaterials, and Nanotoxicology *Location:* The California NanoSystems Institute, UCLA March 5 6, 2008 For information about speakers, agenda, and to RSVP please visit the website, Joint Symposium[1]. On March 5 and 6, the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA will hold a joint symposium with the Consolidated Research Institute for Advanced Science and Medical Care (ASMeW) at Waseda University of Tokyo, Japan, on nano-scale research into biosenors, biomaterials, and nanotoxicology. Specific topics will include on-chip sensor devices for medical care and the risk assessment of engineered nanoparticles. The symposium will take place at UCLA in the CNSI building. Waseda University was founded in 1882 and has since become the top private university in Japan. ASMeW was established in 2004 by the Japanese government as a Super Center of Excellence to carry out cutting-edge research in the biomedical, life science, and health care fields. It incorporates the Institute for Biomedical Engineering and a Strategic Management Center for the governing of medical and science research. It will soon occupy a new research facility formally affiliated with the Tokyo Women's Medical University. Professor Leonard H. Rome[2], Interim Director of CNSI, will serve as UCLA faculty sponsor for the symposium. UCLA Press Release[3] Waseda Website[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=452586 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=452586 If the wrong gene is turned on at the wrong time, it can wreak havoc in the cell. To prevent this from happening, organisms rely on DNA methylation to keep unneeded genes turned off. Despite its importance, however, methylation has remained enigmatic largely because researchers have been forced to examine individual genes one at a time, a myopic and laborious process. Now, novel molecular biology techniques and software developed by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator Steven Jacobsen and colleagues will give scientists the tools they need to identify large-scale methylation patterns in complete genomes. The team published their findings February 17, 2008, in an advanced online publication of the journal Nature[1]. "There's lots of evidence that when genes' methylation patterns are not properly maintained, that is a major cause of cancer. So if we can learn enough about these methylation mechanisms, we may some day learn to manipulate them and treat cancer." Steven E. Jacobsen During DNA methylation, small molecules called methyl groups are added to specific sites on DNA. The methyl groups are attached only to specific cytosine (C) bases one of the four building blocks of DNA. The methyl group "serves as a beacon, saying that 'that stretch of DNA should be silenced,'" explained Jacobsen, whose lab is at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Jacobsen has been working to understand how gene silencing happens in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, a common model organism. His lab has created mutant strains of Arabidopsis that have been useful in observing just how cells attach the chemical signals in exactly the right places. Methylation is vital to most organisms even the small Arabidopsis genome contains 13 million methylated cytosines. But Jacobsen says that researchers have struggled to see its exact footprint on the genome. To find methylated genes, researchers usually turn to a technique called bisulphite sequencing, which chemically changes normal cytosine to thymidine (T; another DNA base), while leaving methylated cytosines unchanged. Once this step is complete, the modified DNA can be sequenced. "In the past we have had to use very labor-intensive, painstaking techniques and look at one gene at a time," Jacobsen said. This restricted researchers to looking at only a few genes in a genome-stifling their ability to uncover large-scale patterns of methylation. In the experiments reported in Nature, Jacobsen's group collaborated with computational biologists Matteo Pellegrini[2] and Shawn Cokus, as well as researchers from the biotechnology companies Illumina and New England BioLabs to create new molecular biology methods, algorithms, and software to analyze bisulphite sequences. The techniques allowed the team to correctly and rapidly identify more than 90 percent of the methylated cytosines across the entire genome of Arabidopsis. Their analysis confirmed methlyation patterns that other researchers' experiments had hinted at, and offered clues into how the enzymes that methylate DNA do their work. For example, they found that among pairs of cytosines, those that were 10 bases apart had the best chance of both being methylated. The reason? "Ten bases is exactly the length of the turn of the double helix of DNA," Jacobsen said. Their observation suggests that methylating enzymes may travel along one face of the DNA molecule, placing multiple methyl groups at once. The team also found that the chance of methylation increased at intervals of 167 bases. "This matches the spacing between the histone proteins that package DNA," Jacobsen noted. "We think it's because the enzymes are being pulled in by the histones, and methylating the DNA right nearby." According to Jacobsen, his team's findings improve understanding of how cells control gene expression, and might one day find use in medicine. "There's lots of evidence that when genes' methylation patterns are not properly maintained, that is a major cause of cancer," he said. "So if we can learn enough about these [methylation] mechanisms, we may some day learn to manipulate them" and treat cancer. Jacobsen said that the Arabidopsis study's success validates their new tools. "Now we're looking at other organisms to see how widely conserved these [patterns] are," he said. The team is looking for help to search as many genomes as possible; they've posted the source code and additional information about their experiments on their website, http://epigenomics.mcdb.ucla.edu/BS-Seq/[3]. They don't know quite what they'll find, Jacobsen said. "We don't have this kind of data for any other organism yet." Health News Digest[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=452592 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=452592 A team of researchers from UCLA, Argonne National Lab and the Australian Synchrotron, led by John Miao[1], have demonstrated, for the first time, that resonant X-ray diffraction microscopy can be used to image buried structures with nanoscale resolution. With this technique, they were able to image bismuth structures inside a micrometre-sized silicon sample with a pixel resolution of 15 nm. This work was published in Physical Review Letters (please download attachment) and highlighted in Nature Nanotechnology[2], Physorg.com [3], and Nanotechweb.org[4]. UCLA postdocs and students, Changyong Song, Huaidong Jiang, Raymond Bergstrom and Damien Ramunno-Johnson, have played an important role in the experiment. The samples were fabricated by Kang Wang's group at UCLA and the research was funded by the DOE BES and the NSF. [1] [2] [3] [4] Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=451865 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=451865 The UCLA Committee on Teaching has selected Ben Schwartz[1], chemistry and biochemistry at the CNSI and UCLA, as one of the campus-wide Senate faculty recipients of the 2008 Distinguished Teaching Award. Each year UCLA recognizes those outstanding instructors whose dynamic, innovative approach to their work inspires their students to a lifetime of learning and achievement. The Andrea L. Rich Night to Honor Teaching is an event sponsored annually by the UCLA Academic Senate Committee on Teaching and the Office of Instructional Development to honor and celebrate the accomplishments and dedication of the Faculty, Lecturers and Teaching Assistants who have received this year's awards for distinguished teaching. There are six Distinguished Teaching awards, three Distinguished Lecturer awards, and five Distinguished Teaching Assistant awards presented during the evening. The awards will be given at the annual Andrea L. Rich Night to Honor Teaching in the fall. [1] Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:03:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=449133 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=449133 * Post Doctoral Research Associate III-V Transistors on Si Electrical Engineering and Integrated NanoMaterials Core Facility @ California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA Position Available* *Job Title:* Post Doctoral Researcher *Job Description:* A research position is available in compound semiconductor transistors for high-speed, low power applications. Research skills involve design, fabrication and characterization of transistors working towards monolithic system integration on Si. Successful candidates will be able to lead experimental research in a wide-range of electronics areas. Interest in proposal writing and originating new lines of research is a necessity. *Desired skills:* - Expert knowledge of MOSFET, HEMT, or HBT. - Experience in the processing of compound transistors. - Hands-on experience in transistor DC and RF characterizations. - Solid knowledge of compound semiconductor materials and physics. - Effective written and oral communication for manuscripts and proposal preparation. Position is immediately available. Diana Huffaker, Associate Professor California NanoSystems Institute and Electrical Engineering University of California, Los Angeles cell: 505-710-2734 email: huffaker@ee.ucla.edu[1] [1] Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=448516 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=448516 *UCLA solution to chemical mystery could yield more efficient hydrogen cars* Environmentally friendly vehicles that use hydrogen gas can dramatically reduce greenhouse emissions and lessen the country's dependence on fossil fuels. While several hydrogen-fueled vehicles are currently on the market, there is still much room for improvement in the way they store and utilize hydrogen gas. Now researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, using molecular dynamics simulations, have solved a decade-old mystery, and their findings could eventually lead to commercially practical designs of storage materials for use in hydrogen vehicles. Their research, currently available on the Web site of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences[1], will be published in the journal's print edition March 4. With current technologies, hydrogen gas storage tanks have to be as large as or larger than the trunk of a car to carry enough fuel for a vehicle to travel only 100 to 200 miles. While liquid hydrogen is denser than gas and takes up less space, it is expensive, difficult to produce and reduces the environmental benefits of hydrogen vehicles. Widespread commercial acceptance of hydrogen vehicles has therefore hinged on finding materials that can store hydrogen gas at high volumetric and gravimetric densities in reasonably sized, lightweight fuel tanks. The search for solutions has generally involved the use of metal hydrides metal alloys that absorb and store hydrogen within their structure and release the hydrogen when subjected to heat. In 1997, scientists discovered that adding a small amount of titanium to sodium alanate, a well-known metal hydride used in onboard hydrogen gas storage, not only lowered the temperature of the hydrogen released, making the reaction more efficient, but it also allowed for easier refueling and storage of high-density hydrogen at reasonable pressures and temperatures. In fact, the weight-percent of stored hydrogen was instantly doubled in comparison with other inexpensive materials. "Nobody really understood what the titanium did," said the UCLA study's lead author, Vidvuds Ozolins[2], an associate professor of material science and engineering and a member of UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute. "The chemical processes and the mechanisms were really a mystery." Using computers and the power of basic physics, chemistry and quantum mechanics, Ozolins' group decided to take a step back and examine sodium alanate in its pure form, without added titanium. The group analyzed the atomic processes occurring in the material and what happens to the chemical bond between the hydrogen and the material at the temperatures of hydrogen release. The computation gave the researchers information that would have been very difficult to obtain experimentally. Their findings suggest that the reaction mechanism essential for the extraction of hydrogen from sodium alanate involves the diffusion of aluminum ions within the bulk of the hydride. By comparing the calculated activation energies to the experimentally determined values, Ozolins' group found that aluminum diffusion is the key rate-limiting process in materials catalyzed with titanium. Thus, titanium facilitates processes in the material that are essential for turning on this mechanism and extracting hydrogen at lower temperatures. "This method and this knowledge can now be used to analyze other materials that would make for better storage systems than sodium alanate," said Hakan Gunaydin, a UCLA graduate student in Ozolins' lab and one of the study's authors. "We are still on the fundamental end of the study. But if we can figure this out computationally, the people with the technology in engineering can figure out the rest." "Sodium alanate in itself is a prototypical complex hydride with a reasonable storage density and very good kinetics," Ozolins said. "Hydrogen goes in and comes out quickly, but it wouldn't be practical for a car, simply because it doesn't contain enough hydrogen. So that's why we are so interested in understanding how the hydrogen comes out, what happens exactly and how we can take this to other materials." What Ozolins' group along with UCLA chemistry and biochemistry professor Kendall Houk[3], also a member of the California NanoSystems Institute hopes to do now is to apply the methods and lessons learned to those materials that would make for a commercially practical hydrogen gas storage system. They hope their findings will one day facilitate the design and creation of an affordable and environmentally friendly hydrogen vehicle. The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation. UCLA Press Release[4] EurekAlert[5] Science Daily[6] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=448619 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=448619 The research recently published in _Science_ Magazine by Omar Yaghi[1] , Center for Reticular Chemistry at the CNSI, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA, has been featured in Wired. Yaghi's paper, "High-Throughput Synthesis of Zeolitic Imidazolate Frameworks and Application to CO2 Capture" details the creation of a new highly absorbent material, ZIF (Zeolitic Imidazolate Framework) crystals, in Yaghi's lab. ZIF crystals have great potential because of their ability to absorb CO2 and nothing else at a rate of 80 times the crystal volume. Please visit Wired.com[2] to read the story. It includes 11 photos of the Yaghi lab showing how these nanoscale crystals are formed, tested and scanned. The work in Yaghi's lab is also exciting because of their use of automation techniques frequently found in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry to rapidly test crystal samples on a scale not previously possible, which has led to an avalanche of new discoveries. Read the Press Release[3] about the recently published research in the journal _Science_. [1] [2] [3] Thu, 28 Feb 2008 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=445353 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=445353 *Biochemists reveal details of mysterious bacterial microcompartments* UCLA biochemists and colleagues have answered an important question about the structure of microcompartments the mysterious molecular machines that seem to be present in a wide variety of pathogens and other bacteria. In the Feb. 22 issue of the journal _Science_, the biochemists report how the microcompartment structure closes in three dimensions, forming a shell around the enzymes encased inside. If scientists could prevent or disrupt the formation of these microcompartments, they could probably render the bacteria harmless, said research co-author Todd O. Yeates[1], UCLA professor of chemistry and biochemistry and a member of the UCLADepartment of Energy Institute of Genomics and Proteomics. They do not yet know how to do this, but the current research may provide a framework for targeting microcompartments. Yeates and his colleagues have identified the proteins that play the critical role in how the structure folds in the carboxysome, a protein shell that is the best-known and most-studied microcompartment. The shell has a structure like a soccer ball or the large, iconic dome structure at the Walt Disney World's Epcot Center. "A soccer ball has hexagons and 12 pentagons at the corners; the pentagons are essential to close the structure," said Yeates, who is also a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA and UCLA's Molecular Biology Institute. "The Epcot Center at Walt Disney World has Spaceship Earth, a well-known dome structure composed of triangles that fit into hexagons, but on closer inspection you will find 12 locations where only five triangles come together; the same is true of the Buckminster Fuller-type domes in the desert and many viral structures. "This principle of closing a structure by combining a large number of hexagons with a small number of pentagons to create a piece of curvature has been understood by architects, molecular biologists studying viruses and soccer ball manufacturers." That principle is also understood by microcompartments, in which proteins form 12 pentagons to close the structure; fewer than 12 would not completely close it, said Yeates, who calls the proteins "pentameric carboxysome shell proteins." The structure of the carboxysome shows a repeating pattern of six protein molecules packed closely together. The carboxysome has more than 3,000 sub-units with six edges and six vertices in a single shell, Yeates said. In August 2005, Yeates and colleagues reported in the journal _Science _ an underlying principle that governs the assembly of microcompartments: The proteins that form the outer shell form hexagons, which fit together to form extended two-dimensional molecular sheets. The researchers hypothesized that the molecular sheets formed by these hexagons formed the outer shell of the microcompartment and the tiny holes allowed small molecules to move in and out. Yeates and his colleagues have now answered how the shell closes in three dimensions. Yeates is now studying other microcompartments that are of biomedical importance. Bacteria produce microcompartments when they infect a host, he said. "We're learning about the kinds of strategies that bacteria have evolved to optimize the efficiency with which they operate or to deal with challenges they face," Yeates said. "In some cases, microcompartments are believed to serve a protective function, protecting the cell." In the future, Yeates wants to learn how the shell comes to surround the enzymes, how microcompartments are formed and how microcompartments differ from one another. He is also interested in whether it is possible to create "designer microcompartments" that would encase other enzymes. A key distinction separating the cells of primitive organisms like bacteria, known as prokaryotes, from the cells of complex organisms like humans is that complex, or eukaryotic, cells have a much higher level of sub-cellular organization. Yeates' research blurs the distinction between eukaryotic cells and those of prokaryotes by showing that bacterial cells are more complex than scientists had imagined. If microcompartments can be engineered, biotechnology applications could potentially arise from this research, Yeates said. The research was federally funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Co-authors are Shiho Tanaka, a UCLA graduate student of biochemistry in Yeates' laboratory; Cheryl Kerfeld of the Joint Genome Institute; Michael Sawaya, a research scientist with UCLA and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute; and professors Gordon Cannon and Sabine Heinhorst and graduate student Fei Cai of the University of Southern Mississippi's department of chemistry and biochemistry. UCLA Press Release[2] EurekAlert[3] _Science _ Magazine[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=444773 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=444773 Three faculty members at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science who are all CNSI members have won the highly competitive and prestigious National Science Foundation's 2008 Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award. The award, among the highest of honors for young faculty, recognizes the dual commitment of scholarship and education. Tatiana Segura[1], assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, Eric Pei-Yu Chiou[2] and William Klug, both assistant professors of mechanical and aerospace engineering each received $400,000 in funding for support of their research over a five-year period. Segura will design "Hydrogels for Matrix-Tethered Gene Delivery." Chiou will develop a "Massively Parallel Light-Driven Droplet Manipulation Platform for Large Scale Multiplexed Single Cell Analysis," and Klug will look at "Membrane-Protein Interactions and the Mechanics of Cell Organelles." "We are extraordinarily pleased that Tatiana, Eric and Bill were honored this year by the National Science Foundation," said Vijay K. Dhir, dean of the school. "We take great pride in our young faculty and in knowing that the research these three are conducting could one day lead to the enhanced treatment of diseases for the medical community." Please visit the UCLA Engineering website for a full description of the research for the three award winners. www.engineer.ucla.edu[3] [1] [2] [3] Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=441391 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=441391 UCLA chemists report a major advance in reducing heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions in the Feb. 15 issue of the journal Science. The scientists have demonstrated that they can successfully isolate and capture carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming, rising sea levels and the increased acidity of oceans. Their findings could lead to power plants efficiently capturing carbon dioxide without using toxic materials. "The technical challenge of selectively removing carbon dioxide has been overcome," said co-author Omar M. Yaghi[1], UCLA's Christopher S. Foote Professor of Chemistry and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute. "Now we have structures that can be tailored precisely to capture carbon dioxide and store it like a reservoir, as we have demonstrated. No carbon dioxide escapes. Nothing escapes unless you want it to do so. We believe this to be a turning point in capturing carbon dioxide before it reaches the atmosphere." The carbon dioxide is captured using a new class of materials designed by Yaghi and his group called zeolitic imidazolate frameworks, or ZIFs. These are porous and chemically robust structures, with large surface areas, that can be heated to high temperatures without decomposition and boiled in water or organic solvents for a week and still remain stable. Rahul Banerjee, a UCLA postdoctoral research scholar in chemistry and Anh Phan, a UCLA graduate student in chemistry, both of whom work in Yaghi's laboratory, synthesized 25 ZIF crystal structures and demonstrated that three of them have high selectivity for capturing carbon dioxide (ZIF-68, ZIF-69, ZIF-70). "The selectivity of ZIFs to carbon dioxide is unparalleled by any other material," said Yaghi, who directs the Center for Reticular Chemistry at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. "Rahul and Anh were so successful at making new ZIFs that, for the purposes of reporting the results, I had to ask them to stop." The inside of a ZIF can store gas molecules. Flaps that behave like the chemical equivalent of a revolving door allow certain molecules in this case, carbon dioxide to pass through and enter the reservoir while blocking larger molecules or molecules of different shapes. "We can screen and select the one type of molecule we want to capture," Phan said. "The beauty of the chemistry is that we have the freedom to choose what kind of door we want and to control what goes through the door." "The capture of carbon dioxide creates cleaner energy," Yaghi said. "ZIFs in a smokestack would trap carbon dioxide in the pores prior to its delivery to its geologic storage space." In ZIFs 68, 69 and 70, Banerjee and Phan emptied the pores, creating an open framework. They then subjected the material to streams of gases -- carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, for example, and another stream of carbon dioxide and nitrogen and were able to capture only the carbon dioxide. They are testing other ZIFs for various applications. Carbon dioxide is killing corral reefs and marine life, damage that will be irreversible, at least for many centuries, Yaghi noted. Currently, the process of capturing carbon dioxide emissions from power plants involves the use of toxic materials and requires 20 to 30 percent of the plant's energy output, Yaghi said. By contrast, ZIFs can pluck carbon dioxide from other gases that are emitted and can store five times more carbon dioxide than the porous carbon materials that represent the current state-of-art. "For each liter of ZIF, you can hold 83 liters of carbon dioxide," Banerjee said. The word zif, Yaghi noted, is used in the Bible to describe a region of splendor. It also means comeliness and brightness. This name is fitting for this new class of materials, he said, because its members are many and of quite beautiful constructions. On a fundamental level, the invention of ZIFs has also addressed two major challenges in zeolite science. Zeolites are stable, porous minerals made of aluminum, silicon and oxygen that are employed in petroleum refining and are used in detergents and other products. Yaghi's group has succeeded in replacing what would have been aluminum or silicon with metal ions like zinc and cobalt, and the bridging oxygen with imidazolate to yield ZIF materials, whose structures can now be designed in functionality and metrics. Banerjee and Anh automated the process of synthesis. Instead of mixing the chemicals one reaction at a time and achieving perhaps several reactions per day, they were able to perform 200 reactions in less than an hour. The pair ran 9,600 microreactions and from those reactions uncovered 25 new structures. "We keep producing new crystals of ZIFs every day," Banerjee said. "These reactions produce crystals that look as beautiful as diamonds." Co-authors are Bo Wang, a UCLA graduate student in chemistry in Yaghi's laboratory; Carolyn Knobler and Hiroyasu Furukawa of the Center for Reticular Chemistry at the UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute; and Michael O'Keeffe of Arizona State University's department of chemistry and biochemistry. In the early 1990s, Yaghi invented another class of materials called metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), which have been described as crystal sponges and which also have implications for cleaner energy. Yaghi can change the components of MOFs nearly at will. Like ZIFs, MOFs have pores openings on the nanoscale in which Yaghi and his colleagues can store gases that are usually difficult to store and transport. Yaghi's laboratory has made several hundred MOFs, with a variety of properties and structures. Molecules can pass in and out of them unobstructed. BASF, a global chemical company based in Germany, funded the synthesis of the materials, and the U.S. Department of Energy funded the absorption and separation studies of carbon dioxide. UCLA Press Release[2] Science Magazine[3] New Scientist Story One[4] New Scientist Story Two[5] Science Daily[6] Los Angeles Times[7] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=446798 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=446798 FRINGE EXHIBITIONS presents BLUE MORPH VICTORIA VESNA JAMES GIMZEWSKI Exhibition Dates: March 1 April 12, 2008 Opening Reception: Saturday, March 1 from 6-8 PM Gallery Hours: Thursday Saturday, 12 6 PM and by appointment BLUE MORPH is a site-specific interactive installation using nanoscale images and sounds derived from the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. Fringe is pleased to present this art-science collaboration between media artist Victoria Vesna and nanoscientist James Gimzewski. In addition to the gallery presentation a special BLUE MORPH event will be held at the Integratron in Joshua Tree on March 22nd. The Integratron is an acoustically perfect tabernacle and energy machine-- sited on a powerful geomagnetic vortex located in the Mojave Desert. This is an evening event with optional overnight camping under the stars or guests can stay inside the Integratron. The cost is $20 for the event, plus $35/person for optional overnight camping. Reservations are required, for more information please visit www.integratron.com[1] or call 760-364-3126. For more information visit www.artsci.ucla.edu/BlueMorph/[2] To hear more about Blue Morph, please visit the following link featuring Claes Andersson's interview with V. Vesna and J. Gimzewski on NPR's Studio 360: www.amberpinestudios.com/audio/bluemorph.mp3[3] Blue Morph was made possible thanks to the generous support of the David Bermant Foundation: Color, Light, Motion. [1] [2] [3] Mon, 25 Feb 2008 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=438896 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=438896 *Method opens new direction for future low-cost plastic electronic devices* *FINDINGS:* Researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) have announced the invention of a new method for the fabrication of organic polymer solar cells. Completing a critical step towards the ultimate goal of low-cost polymer (plastic) solar cells, the team used an electronic-glue-based lamination process, combined with interface modification, to create a one-step method for semi-transparent polymer solar cell fabrication. The method eliminates the need for the expensive and time-consuming high-vacuum process used in fabrication, and the resulting device has the advantage of being low-cost and achieving high transparency for various applications. *IMPACT:* As interest in solar energy has heated up, the search for an efficient, cheaper alternative to traditional silicon-based solar cells has also intensified. Polymer solar cells have attracted broad research interest because of their advantageous processing capability and their use in the formation of low-cost, flexible and large-area electronic devices. In addition, semi-transparent solar cells offer a number of advantages, including the ability to stack two cells with different bandwidth in order to absorb more light and achieve higher efficiency. *AUTHORS:* The new method was developed by Yang Yang[1], UCLA professor of materials science and engineering and a member of the CNSI, along with former UCLA graduate student Jinsong Huang and Gang Li, a UCLA research associate who is now with Solarmer Energy Inc. *FUNDING:* This research is financially supported by Solarmer Energy Inc. and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and by matching funds from a Discovery Grant from the University of California. *JOURNAL:* The research appears in January issue of the peer-reviewed journal Advanced Materials and is available at www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/117881983/ABSTRACT?C[2]. UCLA Press Release[3] United Press International[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Mon, 11 Feb 2008 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=437831 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=437831 Michael E. Phelps[1], UCLA Pharmacology chair and Norton Simon Professor, received the 2007 Massry Prize for inventing the positron emission tomography (PET) scanner the first technology enabling scientists and physicians to image the biology of disease in patients. Given by the Meira and Shaul G. Massry Foundation, the Massry Prize recognizes outstanding contributions to the biomedical sciences and to the advancement of health. UCLA Today[2] [1] [2] Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=437834 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=437834 Ren Sun[1], professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at the David Geffen School of Medicine, has been appointed associate dean for graduate studies. Sun will help guide graduate education for the School of Medicine and for UCLA ACCESS, a special program for first-year graduate students in the molecular, cellular and integrative life sciences. He will also help raise endowment funds for graduate education. UCLA Today[2] [1] [2] Thu, 07 Feb 2008 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=434103 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=434103 Graphene, a carbon-based nanomaterial known for its unique electronic, thermal and mechanical properties, has been found to form stable dispersions in water without the need for additional chemical stabilizers. The research published online this week in Nature Nanotechnology, has practical implications for the development of coatings to reduce static build-up on materials. The research study is authored by Richard B. Kaner[1] and Scott Gilje of the departments of chemistry and biochemistry and materials science and engineering at UCLA and the California NanoSystems Institute along with colleagues Dan Li, Marc B. Muller and Gordon G. Wallace from the ARC Centre of excellence for Electromaterials Science, Intelligent Polymer Research Institute at the University of Wollongong, Australia. Graphene is the name given to the individual sheets of carbon, just one atom thick, that stack together to form graphite. Keeping graphene sheets separate from one another is a difficult task because they tend to stick together, forming larger structures that are not particularly useful. Now, however, using a sequence of chemical reactions, the Australian-American team has shown how aqueous dispersions of well-separated graphene sheets can be made from graphite, an abundant and inexpensive starting material. Rather than relying on either polymer or surfactant stabilizers, their approach maximizes the electrostatic charge on the graphene sheets, ensuring that they repel one another instead of clumping together. This low-cost approach offers the potential for large-scale production of stable graphene colloids that can be processed using well-established solution-based techniques (such as filtration or spraying) to make conductive films. In addition to antistatic coatings, these materials are expected to have applications in flexible transparent electronics, high-performance composites and nanomedicine. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- *Processable aqueous dispersions of graphene nanosheets* Dan Li1, Marc B. Mller1, Scott Gilje2, Richard B. Kaner2 & Gordon G. Wallace1 Nature Nanotechnology online publication January 27, 2008 http://www.nature.com/nnano/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nnano.2007.451.html [2] - ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science, Intelligent Polymer Research Institute, University of Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia - Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and California NanoSystems Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095-1569, USA [1] [2] Fri, 01 Feb 2008 00:02:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=433799 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=433799 The Graduate Student Symposium Planning Committee (GSSPC) will host _ "Nanopower: Creating Energy for the Future"_ at the 235th American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting April 6-10, 2008 in New Orleans, LA. GSSPC consists of students of Professors from the CNSI and the UCLA Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, including research groups from both the Organic and Inorganic Divisions. The lecture series will focus on current and future applications of nanoscience to the ever-growing demand for global energy. Committed speakers includes Daniel Nocera (MIT), Alan Heeger (UCSB), Omar Yaghi [1] (UCLA), Michael Grtzel (EPFL), Tom Moore (ASU), Frank DiSalvo (Cornell), Debra Rolison (ONR), John Turner (NREL), and Ulrich Mller (BASF). The members of the GSSPC are Sarah Angelos (Professor Jeff Zink), Khin Chin (Professor Miguel Garcia-Garibay), Kirsten Griffiths (Professor Fraser Stoddart), Robert Kojima (Professor Ric Kaner), Chris Kolodzieg (Professor Heather Maynard), Kaushik Patel (Professor Fraser Stoddart), and Bo Wang (Professor Omar Yaghi). The group feels that they "are entirely responsible for the details of this symposium and are very excited to have been given the chance, as graduate students, to sponsor an event on a topic in which we are all personally interested. As young scientists, we feel that this topic must be addressed by the chemical community as a whole and believe that there is no better venue than New Orleans to do so." With more than 160,000 members, ACS is the worlds largest scientific society and one of the worlds leading sources of authoritative scientific information. A nonprofit organization, chartered by Congress, ACS is at the forefront of the evolving worldwide chemical enterprise and the premier professional home for chemists, chemical engineers and related professions around the globe. Each year ACS national meeting attracts more than 11,500 chemists, chemical engineers, physicists, material scientists, graduate and postdoctoral students, and other related professionals. Please download the attachment to see the flyer. [1] Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=412070 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=412070 Industry leaders, along with state and local officials, joined UCLA Chancellor Gene Block today in a dedication ceremony for UCLA's newly opened California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) building. Dedication Ceremony Video *Streaming Video*[IMAGE: ] [IMAGE: ][1] [IMAGE: ][2] The ceremony was preceded by "CNSI the Driving Force for California Nanotechnology," a conference featuring industry leaders from the technology and biotechnology sectors who discussed how their companies collaborate with faculty at the CNSI to bring nanoscale technologies into the marketplace for the benefit of the people of California. Over 1,200 people attended the day's events. Conference speakers included Paolo Gargini, director of technology strategy for Intel Corp.; Patrick Soon-Shiong, chief executive officer of Abraxis BioScience Inc.; Ulrich Mller, research director for BASF Chemical Company; Don Kania, president and CEO of FEI Company; and Stan Williams, director of quantum science research for Hewlett-Packard. Former California Gov. Gray Davis, Anthony Portantino, Assemblymember, 44th Assembly District, CA and David Crane, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's special adviser for jobs and economic growth, joined Chancellor Block and CNSI interim director Leonard H. Rome as featured speakers at the dedication ceremony. Additional speakers included Hewlett-Packard's Williams, who chairs the CNSI Advisory and Oversight Board, and award-winning architect Rafael Vinoly, founder of Rafael Vinoly Architects and designer of the new CNSI building. The CNSI is one of four California Institutes of Science and Innovation established in 2000 for the purpose of cultivating stronger partnerships between academia and industry to help move early-stage research developments into the commercial research-and-development pipeline for more rapid delivery of public benefits to the marketplace. With locations at UCLA and the University of California, Santa Barbara, the CNSI is recognized throughout the world as a leading center for research in nanosystems and nanotechnology. The institute fosters interdisciplinary collaboration in nanoscience and nanotechnology; trains the next generation of scientists, educators and technology leaders; and facilitates partnerships with private industry, fueling economic development and contributing to social well-being in California, the U.S. and the world. UCLA is at the forefront of nanoscience, with outstanding researchers in the physical sciences, life sciences, engineering and medical sciences. At the CNSI, 75 UCLA faculty members and researchers, working with more than 300 graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, are leading the way in nanoscience, atom by atom and molecule by molecule. The sophisticated new CNSI building provides the critical lab space, state-of-the-art equipment, technical staff and scientific researchers required for high-level research and development. The institute is developing the biomedical, manufacturing and information technologies necessary to meet the scientific and economic demands of the 21st century, and its research is expected to generate major advances in health care and medical treatment, environmental remediation and protection, renewable energy, nanobiotechnology and biomaterials, nanoelectronics, information technology, and homeland security. Technologies being developed at the CNSI which have the potential to translate to billions of dollars for the California economy include: - Nanoscale biosensors to aid in early cancer detection. - Nanocomposite reverse-osmosis membranes to address critical water-sustainability needs. - Safety assessments of nanomaterials to address potential toxicity to humans and the environment. - Hydrogen and natural gas storage as alternative fuels for cars. - Carbon dioxide capture to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and combustion-engine vehicles. - Molecular computers that are much smaller and potentially more powerful than today's silicon-based computers. - New strategies for delivering therapeutics to treat a wide variety of diseases, including cancer, heart disease and diabetes. - Polymer technologies to replace silicon for capturing solar energy and for low-energy light-emission technologies. - Next-generation energy-storage batteries. Please click here [3]to see the UCLA press release. [1] [2] [3] Mon, 17 Dec 2007 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=418960 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=418960 *_California NanoSystems Institute and Kyushu University Global COE present the Joint Symposium on Molecular Nanosystems_* *January 29 30, 2008* _*At the Auditorium of the CNSI at UCLA RSVP[1]*_ __Symposium Themes:__ - Molecular Informatics - Molecular System Creation - Energy and Material Conversion - Biomolecular Systems *Agenda*[2] __Speakers:__ *Leonard H. Rome*, Interim Director, CNSI, and Senior Associate Dean for Research, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine *Hirotaka Oku*, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan *Keynote Speech: Wataru Koterayama*, Vice President, Kyushu University _"Research Activities and Strategy, University-Industry Collaboration at Kyushu University"_ *Keynote Speech: Seiji Shinkai*, Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Kyushu University _"Supramolecular Architectures Created Using 'Polymers' as Building Blocks"_ *Keynote Speech: Omar Yaghi*, Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Member, CNSI _"Pores without Walls for Clean Energy"_ *Keynote Speech: Jeff Zink*, Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Member, CNSI _"Meso-structured Nanoparticles and Molecular Machines for Drug Delivery and On-Command Release"_ *Tim Deming*, Professor and Chair, Bioengineering, Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Member, CNSI _"Self-Assembling Polypeptide Amphiphiles"_ *Hiroyuki Furuta*, Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Engineering, Kyushu University _"Confusion Approach to Near-Infrared Porphyrinoids"_ *Miguel Garcia-Garibay*, Vice Chair for Education, Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Member, CNSI _"Amphidynamic Materials and Molecular Machines A New Frontier in Molecular and Crystal Engineering"_ *Yoshio Hisaeda*, Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Engineering, Kyushu University _"Bioinspired Catalysts Learned from Vitamin B12 Enzyme"_ *Toshihiko Imato*, Professor, Chemical Systems and Engineering, Kyushu University _"Multiplex Flow Immunoassay Based on Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor and Magnetic Microbeads"_ *Yoshiki Katayama*, Professor, Applied Chemistry, Engineering, Kyushu University _"Co-development of Diagnosis and Therapy Using Intracellular Signal-responsive Molecular System"_ *Nobuo Kimizuka*, Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Engineering, Kyushu University _"Future Molecular Systems"_ *Hiroshi Kitagawa*, Professor Chemistry and Physics of Condensed Matter, Kyushu University _"Solid-State Nano Protonics"_ *Tom Mason*, Associate Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Physics and Astronomy, Member, CNSI _"Curvature dependence of viral protein structures on encapsidated nanoemulsion droplets"_ *Atsushi Takahara*, Professor, Applied Chemistry, Engineering, Kyushu University _"Preparation of Novel Polymer Hybrids from Imogolite Nanofiber"_ *Sarah Tolbert*, Professor, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Physical Chemistry, Member, CNSI _"Controlling assemblies through polymer templating from optical to magnetic materials"_ __Special Panel Discussion:__ "Building University/Industry Collaborations in the United States and Japan" Rapid progress in the field of "molecular assembly systems" and "supramolecular chemistry" has provided an opportunity to design and synthesize special "molecular assemblies" with ordered structures and functions. This symposium will focus on the current status of work in molecular materials and nano-systems and the prospects for future research. Participants will be researchers from the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA and from the Global COE at Kyushu University drawn from multiple disciplines including biology, medicine, chemistry and bioengineering. Poster sessions with oral descriptions will be given by PhD students from both institutions. The Symposium will conclude with a special panel discussion on the challenges of creating research collaborations between universities and corporations. [1] [2] Wed, 02 Jan 2008 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=430468 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=430468 CNSI Member and UCLA professor of epidemiology Scott Laynes[1] work has been featured in a UCLA Magazine article published in the January, 2008 issue. The article discusses efforts being undertaken at UCLA to establish a center which will be able to coordinate National and global efforts to track and respond to biological weapon attacks such as Anthrax as well as pandemics such as Bird Flu. Professor Layne is currently directing efforts to set up a unique, first-of-its-kind laboratory called the UCLA High Speed, High Volume Laboratory Network for Infectious Diseases, which is being created in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory. The lab is being designed to track bio-terrorism attacks and infectious disease outbreaks in near real time, and dramatically decrease the time needed for vaccine production. When it is completed next year, the fully automated laboratory, also known as the rapid throughput lab, will analyze bar-coded samples collected nearly anywhere in the world, and have the capacity to determine the full genetic sequence of some 50 viruses per day. One benefit of the new lab is that it will have the ability to quickly analyze huge numbers of samples of anthrax and other agents of bioterror, a capacity known as "surge" ability. Layne is also the principal investigator of Center for Rapid Influenza Surveillance and Research (CRISAR), which will direct a team of physicians, veterinarians, researchers and biologists assembled from across the United States to investigate and identify flu viruses with the potential to explode into pandemics. CRISAR is being created with the direction and backing of the National Institutes of Health. UCLA Magazine[2] [1] [2] Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=429425 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=429425 R. Stanley Williams, the Chair of the CNSI Advisory and Oversight Board and an HP Senior Fellow at Hewlett-Packard Laboratories and founding Director of the HP Quantum Science Research (QSR) group, will be speaking at the ETech 2008 Conference which runs from March 3-6. His talk is titled "Green Nano and The Holy Grail" and will be held at 2:15 p.m. on Tuesday March 4th. Williams will focus on four major streams of research that his team at HP is working on in the field of Green Nano: - Solar Cells: Solar cells create the opportunity for high efficiency harvesting of sunlight and produce "clean energy" at a cost of pennies per cell. - Nano-scale Devices: These create low power electronics that will enable zero power sleep in the world's largest data centers and applications like soil measurement of crops before watering or fertilizing. - Nano Sensors: For the first time, environmental hazards could be detected in the field in seconds with significant implications for national security and detection of and response to environment hazards. - Nanophotonic devices: NPD dramatically improve the performance/cost and performance/power ratios of computers and eliminate redundant data transport issues ETech 2008[1] [1] Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=412852 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=412852 APPLY NOW!!!! National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates 2008 Nanosystems Chemistry and Engineering Research (NanoCER) June 22 August 29, 2008 Application Deadline: February 15, 2008 The Nanosystems Chemistry and Engineering Research (NanoCER) program is a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) site sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Undergraduates interested in chemistry and engineering will learn how to be scientists and engineers by participating in teams that develop new materials, devices and applications of nanotechnology. For more details visit: http://www.cnsi.ucla.edu/reu-nanocer/app-requirements[1] 2008 Program Flyer[2] [1] [2] Wed, 19 Dec 2007 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=430485 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=430485 *UNDER_The Undergraduate Lecture Series Presents Robert Hodgin (Flight 404) Embracing your inner One-Trick Ponies* Robert Hodgin is a founding partner of the Barbarian Group. He lives in San Francisco where he heads up the Barbarian's west coast office. His personal site, flight404.com, is a showcase for the experiments he creates with Processing. His work is strongly influenced by his interest in physics and mathematics. Over the last two years, he has focused much of his attention on finding ways to explore the properties of magnetism and gravity through code. He makes a lot of mistakes. *Brian Roettinger (Hand Held Heart) Before we were Wizards* Brian Roettinger is an LA based Graphic Designer. During the day he is the institute designer at SCI-Arc, during the night he continues to move forward with his own practice Hand Held Heart. In 2006 he completed "The Black Pussy Cocktail Coffee Table Book" in collaboration with Jason Rhoades before his untimely death. Roettinger received a degree in Graphic Design from California Institute of the Arts (BFA, 04). He maintains a pale complexion; a cheery disposition; a diet that allows for the faintest similitude of a night's sleep; a passionate, vacuum-like sixth sense for understanding the ideas, sounds, and formal/conceptual languages of tomorrow. *Thursday, January 24, 2008 5:00pm 7:00pm* All lectures are free and take place in the EDA, room 1250, Broad Art Center. Light refreshments will be provided. If you cannot join us in person, connect via live video streaming: http://eda.ucla.edu/[1] Parking is $8 all day, and is available in structure 3, adjacent to the building. Enter the campus at Hilgard Avenue and Wyton Drive and drive north on Charles E. Young drive to enter the parking structure. For more information, call 310.825.9007. [1] Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=429333 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=429333 The News and Analysis section of the February issue of _Chemistry World_ features "UCLA scientists aim to market nanoparticle-based therapy / Nanomachines to treat cancer" -- an article which explores the mechanized nanoparticles under development by scientists at the NanoMachine Center (NMC) at CNSI. The article features interviews with Jeffrey Zink and Fraser Stoddart, two of the co-directors of the NMC, and highlights the recently announced partnership between the center and NanoPacific Holdings, Inc. The partnership between the NMC at CNSI and NanoPacific Holdings seeks to commercialize a mechanized nanoparticle-based technology that could mean prolonged lives of enhanced quality for millions of cancer sufferers. Under the terms of the partnership, NPH will receive an exclusive license to key intellectual property owned by UCLA and developed within the Nano Machine Center (NMC) at the CNSI. The newly formed company will provide funding for further research to be performed in the NMC to broaden the scope of the technology in order to encompass a diverse range of applications. The Nano Machine Center for Targeted Delivery and On-Demand Release of Active Substances is a recently established multidisciplinary research center at the CNSI. The Center is co-directed by four Professors; Jeffrey Zink[1], Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Fraser Stoddart[2], Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Fuyu Tamanoi[3], Professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, Director of Signal Transduction and Therapeutics program at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center; and Andre Nel[4], Professor of Medicine and the Chief of the Division of Nanomedicine. Chemistry World Article[5]. Please download the attachment for a PDF of this article. Press Release about NPH and CNSI Collaboration[6] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=428304 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=428304 *Exhibition Dates:* January 25 February 23, 2008 *Opening Reception:* Friday, January 25 from 6-9 PM *Gallery Hours:* Thursday Saturday, 12 6 PM and by appointment To kick off year three, Fringe will be launching its newest project the FRINGE FILES. A collection of works on paper, drawing, painting, collage, photography and digital art by west coast and pacific rim, emerging and established artists. Intended as a visual resource for curators and collectors, each month one artist will be selected as artist of the month from the files and have work featured in the rear main gallery. *Molten Sprouts* features kinetic sculptures and related drawings by Meridith Pingree. The artist physically tracks human behavior and traffic patterns utilizing quasi-scientific, homespun, reactive sculptures. Sensors pick up on people's energy and movement throughout the gallery; her work exists as amplifications of this subtle energy, creating unconventional, complex portraits of people and spaces. Sourcing dreams, magic, plant life, robotics, geometry, and textile design, she amalgamates these into amoebic creatures. The Yellow Star hanging central in the gallery feeds off ambient energy. The transparent ring mutates its shape, expanding, and contracting in slow jarring movements using motion sensors coupled with small motors. Within other works, kinetic links of a centipede-like creature respond individually to create a live mutating curve; toys, car parts, zipper tape, and plastic spider rings connect with their own rhythm into geometric textiles making up the bodies of the microbe-like critters. The two, three, and four-dimensional pieces exist together, not unlike a more typical ecosystem. The sculptures can see themselves. Something like an ice crystal or a virus, they move and grow falling into complex patterns of movement responding to each other, questioning social interaction, meanings of time, and what it is when we consider something to be alive. *Meridith Pingree* is a New York based artist known for her quirky reactive sculptures. She is a graduate of Skowhegan and an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her work has been shown at the Bronx Museum, Smack Mellon, Triple Candie, James Nicholson Gallery, The Soap Factory, and BravinLee Programs among others. She has an upcoming show at Museo Antropolgico y de Arte Contemporneo in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and a solo show at the gallery at Sarah Lawrence College and was recently nominated for a Rockefeller New Media Fellowship. *Fate Machine* is a video installation by Danial Nord. The artist escalates his critique of the impacts of techno-consumerism; the work emphasizes peripheral issues of disposability and accountability within the rapid cycles of electronic obsolescence. Giant mechanical shredders pulverize piles of discarded computer components, writhing as they tumble to their disintegration as e-debris, spit onto conveyor belts to be taken somewhere else. In processing the underlying anxiety of consumer culture, the artist creates an oddly beautiful albeit violent spectacle. Nord questions an epidemic of disengagement by presenting a challenging subject through the distancing lens of electronic media. *Danial Nord* lives and works in Los Angeles. He received his BFA in Interdisciplinary Studies from the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. Subsequently, he studied Technology and Media at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, the New York University's Center for Digital Multimedia, and at the Silicon Studio in Santa Monica. Nord an award winning media designer and environmental activist, has been in numerous exhibitions in California, New York, Oregon and New Mexico, and is currently developing an installation for the California Museum of Photography in Riverside. His unconventional location-specific interventions have also appeared in grocery stores, motel rooms, and public restrooms on both coasts. For more information, contact Fringe Exhibitions at 213 613 0160. Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=428061 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=428061 Patients prone to heart disease may one day be told by physicians to avoid not only fatty foods and smoking but air pollution too. A new academic study led by UCLA researchers has revealed that the smallest particles from vehicle emissions may be the most damaging components of air pollution in triggering plaque buildup in the arteries, which can lead to heart attack and stroke. The findings appear in the Jan. 17 online edition of the journal Circulation Research. The scientists identified a way in which pollutant particles may promote hardening of the arteries by inactivating the protective qualities of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, known as "good" cholesterol. A multicampus team from UCLA, the University of Southern California, the University of California, Irvine, and Michigan State University contributed to the research, which was led by Dr. Andre Nel[1], UCLA's chief of nanomedicine. The study was primarily funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). "It appears that the smallest air pollutant particles, which are the most abundant in an urban environment, are the most toxic," said first author Dr. Jesus Araujo, assistant professor of medicine and director of environmental cardiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "This is the first study that demonstrates the ability of nano-sized air pollutants to promote atherosclerosis in an animal model." Nanoparticles are the size of a virus or molecule roughly 0.18 micrometers, or about one-thousandth the size of a human hair. The EPA currently regulates fine particles, which are the next size up, at 2.5 micrometers, but doesn't monitor particles in the nano or ultrafine range. These particles are too small to capture in a filter, so new technology must be developed to track their contribution to adverse health effects. "We hope our findings offer insight into the impact of nano-sized air pollutant particles and help explore ways for stricter air quality regulatory guidelines," said Nel, principal investigator and a researcher at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute. Nel added that the consequences of air pollution on cardiovascular health may be similar to the hazards of secondhand smoke. Pollution particles emitted by vehicles and other combustion sources contain a high concentration of organic chemicals that could be released deep into the lungs or even spill over into the systemic circulation. The UCLA research team previously reported that diesel exhaust particles interact with artery-clogging fats in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol to activate genes that cause the blood-vessel inflammation that can lead to heart disease. In the current study, researchers exposed mice with high cholesterol to one of two sizes of air pollutant particles from downtown Los Angeles freeway emissions and compared them with mice that received filtered air that contained very few particles. The study, conducted over a five-week period, required a complex exposure design that was developed by teams led by Dr. Michael Kleinman, professor of community and environmental medicine at UC Irvine, and Dr. Constantinos Sioutas, professor of civil and environmental engineering at USC. Researchers found that mice exposed to ultrafine particles exhibited 55 percent greater atherosclerotic-plaque development than animals breathing filtered air and 25 percent greater plaque development than mice exposed to fine-sized particles. "This suggests that ultrafine particles are the more toxic air pollutants in promoting events leading to cardiovascular disease," Araujo said. Pollutant particles are coated in chemicals sensitive to free radicals, which cause the cell and tissue damage known as oxidation. Oxidation leads to the inflammation that causes clogged arteries. Samples from polluted air revealed that ultrafine particles have a larger concentration of these chemicals and a larger surface area where these chemicals thrive, compared with larger particles, Sioutas noted. "Ultrafine particles may deliver a much higher effective dose of injurious components, compared with larger pollutant particles," Nel said. Scientists also identified a key mechanism behind how these air pollutants are able to affect the atherosclerotic process. Using a test developed by Dr. Mohamad Navab, study co-author and a UCLA professor of medicine, researchers found that exposure to air pollutant particles reduced the anti-inflammatory protective properties of HDL cholesterol. "HDL normally helps reduce the vascular inflammation that is part of the atherosclerotic process," said Dr. Jake Lusis, study co-author and a UCLA professor of cardiology, human genetics and microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics. "Surprisingly, we found that exposure to air pollutant particles, and especially the ultrafine size, significantly decreased the positive effects of HDL." To explore if air particle exposure caused oxidative stress throughout the body which is an early process triggering the inflammation that causes clogged arteries researchers checked for an increase in genes that would have been activated to combat this inflammatory progression. "We found greater levels of gene activation in mice exposed to ultrafine particles, compared to the other groups," Lusis said. "Our next step will be to develop a biomarker that could enable physicians to assess the degree of cardiovascular damage caused by air pollutants or measure the level of risk encountered by an exposed person." Researchers added that previous studies assessing the cardiovascular impact of air pollution have taken place over longer periods of exposure time, such as five to six months. The current study demonstrated that ill effects can occur more quickly, in just five weeks. "Further study will pinpoint critical chemical and toxic properties of ultrafine particles that may affect humans," Nel said. The research team included investigators from the fields of nanomedicine, cardiology and genetics. Additional co-authors included Berenice Barajas, Xuping Wang, Brian J. Bennett and Ke Wei Gong of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and Jack Harkema from the department of pathobiology and diagnostic investigation at Michigan State University. Additional grant support was provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. UCLA Press Release[2] Circulation Research[3] [1] [2] [3] Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=427959 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=427959 *'Babies by Design: Redefining Humans?' symposium slated at UCLA* This free, half-day symposium explores the complex challenges and choices associated with new embryo-testing technologies, which provide parents with increasingly more genetic information and invite them to select only the best traits for their children. This sixth annual symposium in genetics is sponsored by UCLA's Center for Society and Genetics. *Speakers:* - Lisa Nash, who, after giving birth to a daughter with a devastating genetic disorder, proposed using genetic screening to have a second baby whose cord blood could be used to treat her daughter's disease - Paul Miller, director of the University of Washington's Disability Studies Program - Edward R.B. McCabe[1], co-director of the UCLA Center for Society and Genetics and physician-in-chief of Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA - Judith F. Daar, visiting professor at the UCLA School of Law - Wayne W. Grody, professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, pediatrics, and human genetics at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA *WHEN:* 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 27 *WHERE:* Covel Commons in Sunset Village, on the UCLA campus. *BACKGROUND:* The UCLA Center for Society and Genetics is unique nationwide in the variety of disciplines it brings to bear on genetic research and medicine. For more information, visit the center's Web site at www.socgen.ucla.edu[2]. *MEDIA CONTACT:* Claudia Luther, UCLA Office of Media Relations, (310) 206-8258 or (310) 489-8942, cluther@support.ucla.edu[3]. [1] [2] [3] Thu, 17 Jan 2008 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=427175 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=427175 *Founders of new organization hope to provide forum for discussion of alternative power sources* At its first meeting on Tuesday, members of the Forum for Energy Economics and Development (FEED) discussed the possibilities of using geothermal energy as an alternative fuel source. Founders of the new campus organization said they hope to research and discuss possible sources of renewable energy, in order to make informed decisions and encourage student participation. They plan to publish a journal of their research this spring. FEED will focus on a different alternative energy source each week and hopes to give students a chance to explore those sources as alternatives to a growing dependence on oil. Maurice Diesendruck, a second-year economics and international development studies student is one of the club's founders. "FEED is a student-run study group where we can pull together knowledge. It is research-based, where each student can come in and speak and present their information," he said. The organization's main goal is to get students interested and knowledgeable so they are able to carry on educated debates and discussions. "We are extremely passionate about this, and our goal is to make others as passionate," said Igor Bogorad, a second-year biochemistry student and co-founder of the club. "What we really want is to get students interested, because renewable energy is the future." The club plans to study a wide array of topics regarding energy resources, from wind, solar and nuclear power to biofuels. "We hope to learn more about the effects of our actions, such as diverse climate changes. Progress is vital to sustainable living," Diesendruck said. He added that it is important not to just think locally, since he believes sustainability is important for the global community. James Liao[1], a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering and CNSI Member, is the faculty advisor to the group. He said he decided to get involved because he believes the issue of renewable energy is very important for the next generation. "It is useful for students to learn the various concepts of truth (about alternate energy sources) because it is often wrongly represented in the media. Many issues need to be better developed," he said. Liao, who recently published an article[2] on producing more efficient biofuels using E. coli, said that the current technology for producing biochemical fuels is not efficient. However, if produced efficiently, said Liao, biofuel is a valuable resource because it can be directly substituted into existing gas tanks. Diesendruck said he thinks the club will focus on solar and biofuels, because they are the most pertinent environmental issues so far. "Biofuels are the nearest thing to substantiality we have; they can reduce our dependence on oil by harvesting agriculture like corn or grasses to create oil that can be used in regular diesel engines. In addition, they do not require system changes, no new engines," Diesendruck said. Besides finding cheaper methods for petroleum, Bogorad said there were other reasons for finding alternative energy sources, such as cutting down on pollution. "We want to find methods that pollute less so people are healthy, pollute less so the environment doesn't change too drastically, and find renewable energy because petroleum won't be around for too long," Bogorad said. He added that if the current trend continues, "we will have a huge problem soon, in our generation." Bogorad also said that less money would be spent on health care if there was less pollution, because there would be fewer health problems. "I strongly believe a lot of health issues are caused by poor environment, like pollution, and many factors that could be prevented," he said. FEED will also focus on solar energy, said Diesendruck. He added that today most solar energy is for commercial purposes, even though it is possible for homes to be powered completely by solar energy. Diesendruck said they hoped to attract students with a wide variety of interests and diverse academic backgrounds, such as engineering, business, economics and political science. The organization's goal is to publish an academic journal in spring for the UCLA community, and to eventually make their research available online. Diesendruck came up with the idea to start the journal as he read the biography of a Rhodes Scholar who started an academic journal at his school. He and Bogorad then decided to create their own project, centered on renewable energy. "As college students we feel like our position is optimal to learn about these issues so that when we engage in business or other careers we will be ready to receive it," he said. "So far it is only idea-based. Any suggestions or ideas are welcome," Diesendruck said. Daily Bruin[3] [1] [2] [3] Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=426373 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=426373 The CNSI conducts outreach to science students at middle schools and junior high schools in the greater Los Angeles area to strengthen their interest in science and technology. Stimulating natural curiosity and creativity are critical for envisioning possibilities and developing innovative solutions to challenging technology problems. Eighth and ninth grade students from Santa Clarita visited the CNSI on January, 11th, 2008 to learn about alternative energies as they prepare for the FIRST LEGO League Power Puzzle Challenge in which teams of students use robotics to find solutions for energy management and conservation. The visitors included John Arago, Eric Chen, Ben Mullich, Garret Smalley, Matthew Smalley, Brandon Robbins and Shawn Robbins and their coach Dennis Smalley and assistant coach Judy Chen. The boys, who all live in Santa Clarita, attend West Ranch High School, Early College High School, Hart High School, Bishop Alemany High School, Ranchho Pico Junior High School, and Placerita Junior High School. CNSI Outreach Program participants gave talks and demonstrations to the visiting students. Daniel King, an MCTP fellow and member of Ric Kaner's research group, gave a short talk about the nature and importance of nano. He also spoke about fuel cells. Kurt Star, a member of Bruce Dunn's research group, spoke about solar energy. William Hou, a member of Yang Yang's research group and a former MCTP fellow, helped the students and their coaches build their own solar cells. Sabah Bux, a MCTP fellow and member of Ric Kaner's research group, gave a talk and demonstration on thermoelectrics. The visiting students were well prepared and asked excellent questions following each of the talks. At the end of the talks the students went on a tour of the CNSI. We hope to see these students again at some point in their college careers. Photo Gallery[1] For more information about FIRST LEGO League visit http://www.firstlegoleague.org/[2]. [1] [2] Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=425032 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=425032 James Gimzewski[1], Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and a member of the California NanoSystems Institute, was recently interviewed on the BBC World Service program "Science in Action". Gimzewski was interviewed about a study dealing with cancer diagnosis on which he was a senior author. In the study, which was published in Nature Nanotechnology on Dec 2, 2007, Gimzewski and the other authors were able to differentiate metastatic cancer cells from normal cells in patient samples using leading-edge nanotechnology that measures the softness of the cells. The method may provide a new diagnostic tool for cancer. BBC Interview[2] Using Nanotechnology, UCLA Researchers Discover Cancer Cells[3] [1] [2] [3] Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=424944 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=424944 Intel Corporation has graciously donated desktop computers to the new CNSI Building. Several of these computers will be set up in the CNSI Lobby to provide internet access to guests. Intel is a founding industry partner of the CNSI. It supports Functional Engineered Nano Arthitectonics (FENA)[1] and is a funding member of the Western Institute of Nanoelectronics (WIN)[2], as well as a provider of equipment, sponsored research and on site technical support to the above activities. [1] [2] Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=423634 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=423634 Congratulations to CNSI Member Omar Yaghi[1] and his colleagues who have been awarded the AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize for their extraordinary paper published earlier this year in _Science_: Hani M. El-Kaderi, Joseph R. Hunt, Jos L. Mendoza-Corts, Adrien P. Ct, Robert E. Taylor, Michael O'Keeffe, and Omar M. Yaghi "Designed Synthesis of 3D Covalent Organic Frameworks," 13 April 2007, pp. 268-272. Omar has been invited to the upcoming AAAS meeting in Boston in February to receive the prize and a medal. The Association's oldest award, the AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize, supported by Affymetrix a company that produces microarrays to analyze complex genetic information was established in 1923 with funds donated by Newcomb Cleveland of New York City and was originally called the AAAS Thousand Dollar Prize. It is now known as the AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize, and its value has been raised to $25,000. The winner also receives a bronze medal, complimentary registration and reimbursement for reasonable travel and hotel expenses to attend the AAAS Annual Meeting. Science Magazine[2] [1] [2] Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=419222 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=419222 Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a new method for producing next-generation biofuels by genetically modifying Escherichia coli bacteria to be an efficient biofuel synthesizer. The method could lead to mass production of these biofuels. The strategy, developed by UCLA and CNSI professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering James Liao[1], postdoctoral fellow Shota Atsumi and visiting professor Taizo Hanai, appears in the Jan. 3 issue of the journal Nature. Concerns about long-term fossil fuel availability, coupled with environmental problems resulting from their production and use, have spurred increased efforts to synthesize biofuels from renewable resources. Biofuels, like commercially available ethanol, are produced from agricultural products such as corn, sugarcane or waste cellulose. Ethanol, however, has limitations it is not as efficient as gasoline and must be mixed with gas for use as a transportation fuel. It also tends to absorb water from its surroundings, making it corrosive and preventing it from being stored or distributed in existing infrastructure without modification. Higher-chain alcohols have energy densities close to gasoline, are not as volatile or corrosive as ethanol, and do not readily absorb water. Furthermore, branched-chain alcohols, such as isobutanol, have higher-octane numbers, resulting in less knocking in engines. Isobutanol or C5 alcohols have never been produced from a renewable source with yields high enough to make them viable as a gasoline substitute. "These alcohols are typically trace byproducts in fermentation," Liao said. "To modify an organism to produce these compounds usually results in toxicity in the cell. We bypassed this difficulty by leveraging the native metabolic networks in E. coli but altered its intracellular chemistry using genetic engineering to produce these alcohols." The research team modified key pathways in E. coli to produce several higher-chain alcohols from glucose, a renewable carbon source, including isobutanol, 1-butanol, 2-methyl-1-butanol, 3-methyl-1-butanol and 2-phenylethanol. This strategy leverages the E. coli host's highly active amino acid biosynthetic pathway by shifting part of it to alcohol production. In particular, the research team achieved high-yield, high-specificity production of isobutanol from glucose. This new strategy opens an unexplored frontier for biofuels production, both in coli and in other microorganisms. "The ability to make these branched-chain higher alcohols so efficiently is surprising," Liao said. "Unlike ethanol, organisms are not used to producing these unusual alcohols, and there is no advantage for them to do so. The fact that they can be made by E. coli is even more surprising, since E. coli is not a promising host to tolerate alcohols. These results mean that these unusual alcohols in fact can be manufactured as efficiently as what evolved in nature for ethanol. Therefore, we now can explore these unusual alcohols as biofuels and are not bound by what nature has given us." UCLA has licensed the technology through an exclusive royalty-bearing license to Gevo Inc., a Pasadena, Calif.-based company founded in 2005 and dedicated to producing biofuels. "Given that part of UCLA's mission is to transfer technologies to the commercial sector to benefit the public, we are excited at the prospect that this UCLA-developed technology may play a key role in addressing climate change and energy independence," said Earl Weinstein, assistant director of the UCLA Office of Intellectual Property. "It has been a pleasure to work with the team at Gevo on this deal, and we look forward to an ongoing relationship with them". "This discovery leads to new opportunities for advanced biofuel development," said Patrick Gruber, Gevo's chief executive officer. "As the exclusive licensee of this technology, we can further our national interests in developing advanced renewable resource-based fuels that will help address the issues of climate change and future energy needs while creating a significant competitive advantage." Liao has joined Gevo's scientific advisory board. In this role, he will continue to provide technical oversight and guidance during the commercial development of this technology. "Dr. Liao's input will be invaluable as we scale up the commercial applications made possible by this breakthrough in technology and bring advanced biofuels to market," said Matthew Peters, chief scientific officer of Gevo. The research was supported in part by the UCLADepartment of Energy Institute for Genomics and Proteomics and the UCLANASA Institute for Cell Mimetic Space Exploration. UCLA Press Release[2] Nature Article[3] Science Daily[4] [1] [2] [3] [4] Thu, 03 Jan 2008 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=421216 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=421216 UCLA professor and CNSI Member, Dr. Robin Garrell[1], has been selected by an independent panel of scientists to receive an international award and special recognition for her pioneering research work in nanotechnology. Prof. Garrell received the Gold Medal in the 2007 Pioneering Nanotechnology Competition sponsored by Masscal Scientific Instruments of Orlando, Florida, for technical innovation in microfluidic devices. Dr. Garrell's award is in support of her research group's work in the development of miniature "laboratory on a chip" devices that can quickly and inexpensively perform multiple laboratory tests on very small samples. The Pioneering Nanotechnology Competition was established to encourage and reward the highest level of research into understanding the behavior and characteristics of materials being used in nano-scale applications such as advanced electronics, fuel cells, medical implants and even environmental monitoring. The 2007 competition focused on specific technology that provides unique capabilities to make critical property measurements of thin and ultra-thin films beyond the size limitations of traditional measurement methods. Competition winners were determined by an international panel of expert judges who awarded prizes based on technical merit and positive impact upon society. The award winners were announced at the recent North American Thermal Analytical Society meetings in East Lansing, Michigan. Pioneering Nanotechnology Competition Award categories included: - Energy and the Environment; - Electronics and Communications; - Films, Coatings and Fibers; - Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences; and - Novel Applications. Prof. Garrell's research was recognized for innovation in the Novel Applications category. As part of the awards, Masscal Scientific Instruments is providing the top winners with access to Masscal's unique nanobalance/microcalorimeter technology, which provides scientists with new and powerful tools for accelerating and improving their valuable research efforts. The Grand Prize for the 2007 Pioneering Nanotechnology Competition was awarded to Prof. Vladimir Tsukruk of the Georgia Institute of Technology for his research on plasma polymer coated microcantilevers for explosives detection. Prof. Tsukruk received a $50,000 Masscal Nanobalance/Microcalorimeter during a special presentation and award ceremony held in Atlanta on Dec. 13th. Dr. Allan L. Smith, founder and President of Masscal Scientific Instruments, said the wide array of research proposals received from major universities and research labs demonstrates the broad need and potential for this new technology. "We were very excited to see that scientists working over a broad range of applications have so many ideas for using our system's micro- and nano-scale capabilities," Smith said. "Our technology is going to allow researchers to study materials in ways that have never been possible before." Dr. John W. Furry, Chief Executive Officer of Masscal Scientific Instruments, said Masscal is dedicated to being a leader and an enabler of cutting-edge nanotechnology research. "I'm proud that Masscal Scientific Instruments is going to help make possible these very important research projects and the impacts they will make on how people live in the 21st century," Furry said. "I will be following the progress with great interest." Nanowerk[2] [1] [2] Tue, 08 Jan 2008 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=423410 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=423410 Both Miguel Garcia-Garibay[1] and William Gelbert[2] were selected for the Academic Advancement Program (AAP) Faculty Recognition Award. They were commended for being exceptionally receptive to, and supportive of, AAP's tutors' efforts to help AAP students deepen their learning and attain academic excellence. The awards will be conferred at an AAP Faculty Recognition Reception on January 16, 2008. Academic Advancement Program (AAP)[3] [1] [2] [3] Wed, 09 Jan 2008 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=419202 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=419202 *Violy-designed nanotechnology laboratory opens at UCLA* The University of California, Los Angeles, officially opened its California NanoSystems Institute this month. Designed by Rafael Violy, the seven-story building houses state-of-the-art laboratories for nanotechnology research. The facility is constructed partially below grade, sited on a narrow, steep lot adjacent to a parking structure. This location, plus the diverse lab requirements of nanoscience, posed considerable architectural challenges. The parking structure, initially considered to be an obstacle, became a design impetus for the projectthree floors of the building were constructed over the parking structure. CNSI's entrance lobby connects to the parking structure and to research floors through a zigzag network of suspended bridges and stairs in the building's central courtyard. Key features of the building include: floor-to-ceiling poles that provide rapid air/data/gas/power disconnect for each lab bench; mobile interior furnishings that foster kinetic environment of collaboration; and an open-air entrance off the university's Court of Sciences to promote collegial interaction. Building Design + Construction[1] [1] Thu, 03 Jan 2008 00:01:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=413823 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=413823 *_Major advances expected to lead to improved chips in cell phones, computers_* Integrated circuits are the "brain" in computers, cell phones, DVD players, iPhones, personal digital assistants, automobiles' navigation systems and anti-lock brakes, and many other electronic devices. A team of UCLA scientists has now demonstrated substantial improvements in integrated circuits, achieved not by costly improvements in manufacturing but by improved computer-aided design software based on better mathematical algorithms. "We can get circuits designed with 30 percent less wire length using improved optimization than what we had demonstrated three years ago, based on circuits that were samples from industry," said Jason Cong[1] , UCLA professor and chair of computer science. "We believe that when you apply these methods to current industry circuits, you will see similar gains. Industry says even 5 percent is very significant. "We are showing there is another way to make major improvements, with better design and better architecture," added Cong, who has collaborated for nearly a decade with Tony Chan, UCLA professor of mathematics and the National Science Foundation's assistant director for mathematics and physical sciences. The traditional way to achieve smaller, faster integrated circuits also known as silicon chips is by building smaller and smaller transistors and thinner wires. While the computer industry has made smaller, improved devices, Cong, Chan and their colleagues are improving the design of the chip itself. A goal of the collaboration is the development of silicon chips that are faster and cheaper and consume less power than the current generation of chips, said Cong, who is also a member of the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. "We think optimizing chip design is an exciting direction," he said. Integrated circuits have a series of interconnected, nanosize nodes; the locations of the nodes on the chip's surface are very important because they can minimize the wire length on which the signal travels. Nodes include tiny "logic gates," as well as much larger memory blocks and other functional blocks. There are tens of millions of nodes on a chip. "We have found there is a huge amount of room for improvement in the physical design of the chip itself, including where nodes are placed," said UCLA mathematics graduate student Eric Radke, who works with Chan and Cong. "We want to minimize the wire length in each node." A challenge, Cong said, is "how do you place the nodes on a two-dimensional surface with big pieces and small pieces that are all connected to one another? It's like a jigsaw puzzle with millions of pieces. How do you place them to minimize the total interconnections (wires) among them?" "It's fairly easy to model this problem mathematically," Radke said. "You can think of the nodes as points on a giant graph, and you can think of the interconnects as hyper-edges that connect more than two nodes. We can use mathematics to determine how the placement problem should be solved. We use a mathematical technique called multiscale methods, in which we group nodes together until we get a mathematical problem that is small enough to solve." Chan and Radke design algorithms for computer software to improve the placement of the nodes and are using differential equations that they build into the algorithms. The scientists expect that the research will lead to improved software for enhanced chip design. Cong's laboratory has found strong evidence that existing computer-aided programs for integrated circuit design are far from optimal. Chan and Radke are now working to minimize the amount of time it takes a signal to get through a processor. Research by Chan, Cong and their graduate students won the 2005 award for best paper at the International Symposium of Physical Design (ISPD). Their placement software, developed together with their former students Kenton Sze and Min Xie, also produced the best wire-length results in the 2006 Circuit Placement Contest organized by ISPD. Chan and Cong are also working with Lieven Vandenberghe, UCLA professor and vice chair of electrical engineering, as well as computer science graduate student Guojie Luo and electrical engineering graduate student John Lee. "It's great to come to the meetings and hear everybody's ideas because everybody comes from a different background," Radke said. The research is funded by the National Science Foundation and the Semiconductor Research Corp., the world's leading university research consortium for semiconductors and related technology. UCLA Press Release[2] Science Daily[3] [1] [2] [3] Thu, 20 Dec 2007 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=412113 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=412113 *_Revolutionary technologies developed at UCLA's California NanoSystems Institute promise new hope for cancer sufferers_* On the day of its official inauguration, the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA and NanoPacific Holdings, Inc. (NPH) announce a partnership to commercialize a mechanized nanoparticle-based technology that could mean prolonged lives of enhanced quality for millions of cancer sufferers. Under the terms of the partnership, NPH will receive an exclusive license to key intellectual property owned by UCLA and developed within the Nano Machine Center (NMC) at the CNSI. The newly formed company will provide funding for further research to be performed in the NMC to broaden the scope of the technology in order to encompass a diverse range of applications. The first application which will be pursued under the partnership will be aimed at targeting the delivery of known, trusted and FDA approved chemotherapeutic agents in much reduced doses to cancer cells. Because of their unique properties, these mechanized nanoparticles can be pre-programmed to seek out cancer cells specifically while sparing other rapidly growing cells (e.g., hair follicles and stomach linings) in the body from highly undesirable side effects, such as hair loss and chronic diarrhea. In addition, these robotic-like nanoparticles will enable the triggered release of cancer drugs that are presently difficult to administer intravenously to patients because of their low solubilities in the blood stream. Significant applications of the new technology are also anticipated in other major commercial arenas, for example, scent and cosmetics, food products, environmental remediation, construction materials, and defense. The delivery mechanism consists of porous nanoparticles, capable of storing and selectively releasing small drug molecules via nanoscale gates that can be opened and closed at will on the surface of the nanoparticles. In this way drugs can be loaded and unloaded in a selective manner in different environments. By equipping the nanoparticle surfaces with specific tags to preferentially target cancer cells, diseased cells can be destroyed selectively without affecting healthy ones, thus reducing drug toxicity dramatically. The concept is a simple one that is open to infinite variation. "This partnership is a prime example of how the CNSI will fulfill its mission," said UCLA Chancellor Gene D. Block. "Working with industry to bring new developments in technology and biotechnology into the marketplace for the benefit of the people of California is exactly why the CNSI was established." The California NanoSystems Institute fosters interdisciplinary collaborations in nanoscience and nanotechnology research and facilitates partnerships with private industry, fueling economic development and the social well-being of California, the United States and the world. "This collaboration underscores many key objectives of the CNSI. The faculty members involved in the Nano Machine Center at CNSI are developing exciting technologies which have the potential to generate major advances in healthcare and medical treatment," said Leonard H. Rome[1], CNSI Interim Director and Senior Associate Dean of Research for the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. "We are looking forward to launching this collaboration and working in a seamless fashion with UCLA and the world-class scientific team at the CNSI to develop and commercialize nano technology," said Joseph A. Boystak, Chairman & Co-CEO of NanoPacific Holdings. "We intend to prioritize and aggressively pursue multiple applications in the medical, consumer, environmental and industrial sectors and in doing so we envision spawning a series of companies and partnerships with important commercial partners to accelerate the roll out of this technology". "I am delighted to be part of the team that provides a bridge from the cutting-edge research being done at the CNSI to industry. This step is a profound one for NanoPacific Holdings and UCLA as we move forward in the dynamic world of nano technology," said Michael B. Flesch, Vice Chairman and Co-CEO of NanoPacific Holdings. "This collaboration also underscores the value and importance of academic/commercial partnerships." "The breadth of commercial applications for technologies arising from university nanotechnology research is enormous and UCLA is excited to be working with the team of business and scientific talent at NanoPacific to bring nanotech-enabled products to market to benefit patients and society at large," said Earl Weinstein, PhD and Assistant Director of Technology Transfer at UCLA. "This startup is part of a growing number of high tech companies resulting from research at UCLA that have chosen to establish themselves locally, which also benefits the burgeoning Los Angeles tech cluster. We look forward to a long and productive relationship with them," Weinstein added. The Nano Machine Center for Targeted Delivery and On-Demand Release of Active Substances is a recently established multidisciplinary research center at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. The Center is co-directed by four Professors who have expertise in different chemical, biological and medical disciplines and who have collaborated in multiple combinations for the past decade. Dr. Jeffrey Zink[2], Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, studies mechanically, electrically and optically functional silica-based nanostructured materials; Dr. Fraser Stoddart[3], Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has pioneered the design and template-directed synthesis of supramolecular and molecular machines; Dr. Fuyu Tamanoi[4], Professor of Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, Director of Signal Transduction and Therapeutics program at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, studies signal transduction and the development of anticancer drugs; and Dr. Andre Nel[5], Professor of Medicine and the Chief of the Division of Nanomedicine, is an expert on nanoparticles and their interaction with biological substrates at the nano/bio interface. The team has already co-authored seven papers this year covering the topics of light activated release, pH-activated release, anticancer drug delivery and cellular uptake mechanisms of nanoparticles, which are all critical to the new partnership with NanoPacific Holdings. Please click here[6] to see the UCLA press release. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Mon, 17 Dec 2007 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=369698 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=369698 *CNSI: The Driving Force for California Nanotechnology Conference and Grand Opening[1]* Discover how Leading Technology Companies Collaborate with Academic Researchers at CNSI to bring Nano-Scale Technologies into the Marketplace. Abraxis BioScience Inc. Patrick Soon-Shiong BASF Ulrich Mller Hewlett-Packard Stan Williams Intel Paolo Gargini FEI Don Kania Opening Remarks by CNSI Interim Director, Leonard H. Rome. *Live Video Stream will be Available!* *Dedication Ceremony Speakers* Gene Block, Chancellor of UCLA Gray Davis, Former Governor of California Anthony Portantino, Assemblymember 44th District, CA David Crane, Special Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger for Jobs and Economic Growth Rafael Violy, Founder, Rafael Violy Architects Conference Sessions: 8:00am 4:00pm Grand Opening Ceremony and Reception: 4:00 7:00pm Please register to indicate which parts of the agenda you will be attending. [1] Mon, 22 Oct 2007 00:10:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=409721 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=409721 Maritime folklore tells tales of giant "rogue waves" that can appear and disappear without warning in the open ocean. Also known as "freak waves," these ominous monsters have been described by mariners for ages and have even appeared prominently in many legendary literary works, from Homer's "Odyssey" to "Robinson Crusoe." Once dismissed by scientists as fanciful sailors' stories akin to sea monsters and uncharted inlands, recent observations have shown that they are a real phenomenon, capable of destroying even large modern ships. However, this mysterious phenomenon has continued to elude researchers, as man-made rogue waves have not been reported in scientific literature in water or in any other medium. Now, researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science have succeeded in creating and capturing rogue waves. In their experiments, they have discovered optical rogue waves freak, brief pulses of intense light analogous to the infamous oceanic monsters propagating through optical fiber. Their findings appear in the Dec. 13 issue of the journal Nature. "Optical rogue waves bear a close connection to their oceanic cousins," said lead investigator Daniel Solli, a UCLA Engineering researcher. "Optical experiments may help to resolve the mystery of oceanic rogue waves, which are very difficult to study directly." It is thought that rogue waves are a nonlinear, perhaps chaotic, phenomenon, able to develop suddenly from seemingly innocuous normal waves. While the study of rogue waves has focused on oceanic systems and water-based models, light waves traveling in optical fibers obey very similar mathematics to water waves traveling in the open ocean, making it easier to study them in a laboratory environment. Still, detecting a rogue wave is like finding a needle in a haystack. The wave is a solitary event that occurs rarely, and, to make matters worse, the timing of its occurrence is entirely random. But using a novel detection method they developed, the UCLA research group was able to not only capture optical rogue waves but to measure their statistical properties as well. They found that, similar to freak waves in the ocean, optical rogue waves obey "L-shaped" statistics a type of distribution in which the heights of most waves are tightly clustered around a small value but where large outliers also occur. While these occurrences are rare, their probability is much larger than predicted by conventional (so-called normal or Gaussian) statistics. "This discovery is the first observation of man-made rogue waves reported in scientific literature, but its implications go beyond just physics," said Bahram Jalali[1], UCLA professor of electrical engineering, CNSI Member and the research group leader. "For example, rare but extreme events, popularly known as "black swans," also occur in financial markets with spectacular consequences. Our observations may help develop mathematical models that can identify the conditions that lead to such events." Co-authors on the Nature paper include UCLA Engineering researchers Claus Ropers and Prakash Koonath. The research was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the central research and development organization for the U.S. Department of Defense. Please visit the UCLA Newsroom[2] for the full story. NPR *"All Things Considered"*[3] interview with lead investigator Daniel Solli. Nanotechnology Now[4] Science Daily[5] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=409714 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=409714 In the decades since President Nixon's 1971 declaration of war on cancer, scientists have made great progress in their battle against many cancers, such as childhood leukemia, testicular cancer and Hodgkin's disease. But progress against most other types of cancer has been less dramatic, according to National Cancer Institute statistics. The percentage of women with late-stage breast cancer who die within five years of diagnosis is still about the same -- nearly 70%. And the story is similar with other deadly cancers, such as those of the lung, prostate and colon. Better screening and prevention have reduced the risk of dying from them, but once they take firm hold, the most aggressive therapy often fails. Researchers believe they now understand why this happens. In focusing their efforts on trying to shrink tumors, cancer treatments may be missing a vital target. Mounting evidence points to a handful of special cells within a tumor as the true culprits that trigger the disease and cause it to recur and spread. These so-called cancer stem cells seem to act like the more-familiar adult or embryonic stem cells in their ability to renew themselves while churning out cells of other types. What's worse, they may be more resistant than the bulk of the tumor cells to traditional cancer therapy. With that growing knowledge comes a new approach to fighting cancer. Scientists hope that if they redesign drugs to specifically kill or disable the cancer stem cells, they could stop the cancer for good. Shrinking the tumor could come later. This insight has triggered a race to develop a new generation of cancer drugs, some of which are already in human trials. "We are on the verge of a new era in cancer medicine where we target not the bulk of the tumor but its seeds," says Dr. Owen Witte[1], head of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA and CNSI Member. "We can then definitively treat the tumor instead of continuously suppressing its growth." The idea that cancer originates from malignant stem cells has been around since the 19th century, when scientists observed that tumor tissue resembled embryo tissue under a microscope. Concrete evidence had to wait for recent advances in biotechnology such as ways to rapidly scan the activity of thousands of genes and techniques for breeding rodents with specific gene mutations. Armed with these modern tools, in 1994 a research team led by John Dick, a senior scientist at the Toronto General Research Institute in Ontario, studied the effects of injecting human leukemia cells into mice lacking an immune system. "We found that only one cell in a million had the ability to initiate leukemia," Dick says. *Cancer stem cells rare* These rare, cancer-initiating cells displayed special molecules, or markers, on their surface that distinguished them from other leukemia cells. Furthermore, they were similar in certain ways to normal stem cells found in the body. "These leukemic stem cells are a caricature of normal development," Dick says. They resemble stem cells but give rise to tumor cells instead of healthy tissue. Researchers have now implicated stem-like cells in many other types of cancer. In 2003, a team of researchers at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor found that only about 1% to 10% of breast cancer cells had the ability to form new tumors. When injected into a mouse, as few as 200 of these distinctive cells were enough to form a tumor. Yet even 20,000 of the other tumor cells failed to form one when injected. "Only a small fraction of the cells in a tumor drive the cancer," says Dr. Max Wicha, professor of internal medicine and a member of the research team. "The rest are dead-end cells." A similar pattern has been found in brain, prostate and colon cancers, as well as other solid tumors. Wicha suspects that cancer stem cells in different tumor types may turn out to have common features. "A treatment that works against one type of cancer stem cell may work against other types as well," he says. If a single, universal malignant stem cell type exists, it would be an attractive target for cancer therapy. But some researchers say that care is needed in interpreting the findings, which are mostly based on injecting human tumor cells into mice and other animals. Dr. Richard Hill, professor of medical biophysics at the University of Toronto, says this method might not be identifying cancer stem cells, but be identifying human cells that are able, for some reason, to survive in the alien mouse environment. Hill also thinks it may be hard to pinpoint and eradicate the subpopulation of cells responsible for perpetuating cancer in humans. "There may be many such cell types," he says. "Targeting them is going to be more problematic than we think." Many other questions remain -- such as whether the "dead-end" tumor cells can turn into cancer stem cells and where, within the tumor, those cancer stem cells lurk. Scientists also don't know if drugs that kill cancer stem cells would also kill normal stem cells, possibly causing toxicity. "This is a very exciting development," Hill says. "But we don't want to be in a mode where hype exceeds reality." Several drugs based on the stem cell model of cancer are being developed. Some target specific markers on cancer stem cells and kill the cells using toxic molecules. Others aim to paralyze the cells by blocking the biochemical processes they use to renew themselves. A third category tries to force the cells to mature, or "differentiate," into less harmful tumor cells. *A hunt for new therapies* More than 50 research groups and nearly 20 small companies are on the hunt for such therapies, says John Bates, an analyst with the UK-based consultancy company BioPharm Reports who published a report on the topic last year. Bates says big pharmaceutical firms are also interested in the concept of cancer stem cells but may want to see more results before investing in it. "In the meantime, small companies appear to be picking up the baton and running with it," he says. One company to take this approach is New York-based Stemline Therapeutics. One of the company's drugs couples a cell-killing toxin with a molecule that homes in on a variety of blood cancer cells. When tested on mice, the drug proved effective in killing leukemia stem cells while sparing normal stem cells. It is now in early human trials to test for safety, says company Chief Executive Dr. Ivan Bergstein. Another leukemia remedy poised to enter human trials comes from the lab of Dr. Craig Jordan of the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York state. Based on a chemical from the feverfew plant, the drug causes leukemia stem cells to undergo a kind of programmed death, known as apoptosis. In studies on leukemia cells grown in the lab, the drug proved toxic to leukemia cells, including cancer stem cells, but nearly harmless to normal blood cells. The drug also showed anti-leukemia stem cell activity in dogs, Jordan says. Similar treatments developed by other researchers for blood, brain, breast and colon cancers may also soon enter clinical trials. Jordan cautions that most of the work so far on cancer stem cells has been in the laboratory and may have a long way to go before benefiting patients. "As yet, very little has happened that has clinical relevance," he says. "But we are right on the cusp of making the transition." Please visit LATimes.com[2] for the full story. [1] [2] Wed, 12 Dec 2007 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=407120 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=407120 *KCRW airs story on Blue Morph, on Studio 360. Sunday, December 9th, 6pm. BLUE MORPH by Victoria Vesna and James Gimzewski BLUE MORPH* is an interactive installation that uses nanoscale images and sounds derived from the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly. Nanotechnology is changing our perception of life and this is symbolic in the Blue Morpho butterfly with the optics involved -- that beautiful blue color is not pigment at all but patterns and structure which is what nano-photonics is centered on studying. The lamellate structure of their wing scales has been studied as a model in the development of fabrics, dye-free paints, and anti-counterfeit technology such as that used in monetary currency. Blue Morpho has intrigued scientists for generations because of its subtle optical engineering that manipulated photons. Today, its dazzling iridescent wings are giving rise to a market trying to mimic its wonder and create a counterfeit proof currency and credit cards. The optics are no doubt fascinating but the real surprise is in the discovery of the way cellular change takes place in a butterfly. Sounds of metamorphosis are not gradual or even that pleasant as we would imagine it. Rather the cellular transformation happens in sudden surges that are broken up with stillness and silence. Then there are the eight pumps or "hearts" that remain constant throughout the changes, pumping the rhythm in the background. During the transformation to emergence each flattened cell of the wing becomes a nanophotonic structure of black protein and space leading to iridescence. Nano is not only making the invisible visible but also changing our way of relating to "silence" or making the in-audible audible. With all the noise of chattering technologies and minds, we propose the interactivity to be stillness for in this empty space of nano we can get in touch with the magic of continuous change. But most of all we embrace the absurd and in a surge of laughter recognize our limited human viewpoints. The piece emerges in sound and pattern only when the viewer is STILL and SILENT. More info: http:///artsci.ucla.edu/BlueMorph[1] [1] Tue, 18 Dec 2007 00:12:00 PST http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=408448 http://portal.ctrl.ucla.edu/cnsi/news/item?item_id=408448 A new method of producing graphene sheets in large quantities for use in electronic devices involves simply removing the oxygen from graphite oxide. Graphene, single sheets of graphite-like carbon, has been haile