thescientist--2020-08-18--Opinion: The Politics of Science and Racism

The murders of George Floyd , Breonna Taylor , Riah Milton , and many other Black people have once again created an awareness of the systemic racism that is endemic in the United States of America and in many other parts of the world .
In the US , this virus has been receiving long-term treatment via the emancipation of slaves in the 1800s and the ongoing civil rights movement since the 1900s .
But it has not been cured .
For example , over the course of a lifetime , 1 in every 1,000 Black men are at risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in every 2,500 white men .
Most recently , George Floyd ’ s murder in Minneapolis has increased support for the Black Lives Matter movement across political party affiliations , age , education , and race .
This has spurred people around the world to march in protest , to display messages of racial solidarity on social media , and to send government leaders ’ emails and voicemails with calls for change .
This civil unrest has extended to nearly every facet of American life , including to university campuses in the form @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # Strike4BlackLives , and other awareness and action campaigns .
But stark shifts in public opinion often dissipate , curtailing momentum on well-intentioned policies to address the centuries of racism in our societies .
In short , civil unrest in the US tends to be episodic .
In his last opinion piece , the late Representative John Lewis , among the original 13 Freedom Riders and the youngest speaker in the first March on Washington in 1963 , urged us to continue to get in “ good trouble , necessary trouble , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process , studying and learning the lessons of history , and answering the highest calling of our hearts by standing up for what we believe .
In 2017 , we participated in the first March for Science , defending our belief in science , the need for science funding , and for the research enterprise as a trusted and essential institution .
Civil unrest and protests were urgent , given a legislative climate seemingly bent on undermining science .
But should scientists and science advocates also voice political views in matters of race @ @ @ @ @ @ @ higher learning take responsibility to right the history of white supremacy in academia ?
The answer for many is an obvious yes .
Then , how do we translate the evidence of these racial issues to effect tangible actions towards a future of antiracism in the Western scientific enterprise ?
Science and racism have been bedfellows since the inception of the Western scientific enterprise , where many in Western culture made the assumption that whites were superior , a position supported by spurious , pseudoscientific evidence or simply considered a self-evident truth .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Academy—founded in 1660 , making it one of the first scientific academies in Europe—was restricted to economically independent , upper-class white men , citing other races ’ lack of mental or moral capacity , which compromised their ability to conduct research without bias .
In 1775 , the first edition of a race-based classification of humans established a framework using the shape of the skull , skin color , and other physical attributes that was used for the next 100 years to establish and maintain social and economic inequality .
Some scientists claimed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ individual ’ s wealth , intelligence , or criminality—based on one ’ s genes .
Others even crafted hypotheses that positioned humans of different races as different species .
In neuroscience , our area of research , the term neocortex is in part based on some of this false evidence of racial differences .
Beginning more than 120 years ago with comparative neurobiology ’ s patriarchs such as Ludwig Edinger , some of the evidence used to justify calling it “ new cortex ” was that it was present only in mammals , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Europeans , followed by Asians , then Africans , and lastly in nonhuman primates .
These scientists reinterpreted Darwin ’ s view of evolution as linear instead of tree-like and wrongly imbued the process of evolution with a purpose—namely , the generation of European men—instead of being stochastic .
We now know that different vertebrate lineages ( e.g.
, birds and mammals ) have independently evolved different , relatively recent organizations of the cortex , whose size is more in line with differences in body size , and that there is no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among different populations of humans .
False measures of acumen and competence were based on an arbitrary social , political , and economic construct , namely , race , the definition of which has changed throughout the centuries in response to bureaucratic priorities ( e.g.
, economics , war , education , jobs , immigration , etc. )
.
But , there is no race chromosome , race gene , or other biological basis of race .
Genetic variation between different populations is more continuous , where the average genetic differences between individuals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 3–5 percent between unrelated individuals from a single population .
Genes for specific phenotypic traits , such as skin color , muscle mass , and predisposition to heart disease , do not necessarily cluster with each other or by racial groups .
Additionally , so-called ethnic groups have been continuously changing through admixture , such that a European of today does not contain the same genetic make-up , thus ethnicity , of a European 5,000 years ago .
Test differences in intelligence quotient ( IQ ) between Black and white people were first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Some contemporary scholars have made the same mistake , arguing that Black people are inherently intellectually inferior to white people .
Yet , IQ tests were initially standardized in white , middle-class samples and were never intended to measure native , practical , or emotional intelligence , or creativity .
This was bad science .
Nonetheless , this thinking sanctioned eugenics as a method to improve the human race , attempting to legitimize educational discrimination on the basis of not only race , color , and national origin , but also sex @ @ @ @ @ @ @ condoning racism in the Western scientific enterprise , any history of scientific excellence is marred , and without an intentional pivot towards antiracism , we will continue to deepen this erroneous hierarchy .
As is the case with any entrenched dogma , established ideas within science can be onerous to overturn , even in the presence of overwhelming evidence .
The present and future of antiracism in science So , what should modern scientists and institutions of science do about racism ?
Broadly , scientists often consider themselves to be neutral and separate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In its ideal state , science should minimize bias and maximize objectivity , regardless of political or personal agenda .
However , science and the evidence it generates can be political , partisan , and polarizing .
Empiricism , our sense-experiences and observations , dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries .
Even earlier , Aristotle saw politics as a scientific inquiry itself .
The Association for American Scientific Workers , founded in the 1930s , invited scientists to become directly involved in civic and social issues , such as opposing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matters of race and racism , we propose that scientists must consider and advocate for the intersectionality of evidence and politics .
The content of our character as individuals and as institutions will be judged by what we do at this historical juncture .
Generations to come will remember whether we , as a scientific collective , are willing to testify to and confront our biases , our troubling history , and our complacency in how systemic racism is deeply embedded in the ivory towers .
We regard continued silence and apathetic posturing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In one of his very first public speeches , Martin Luther King , Jr. said , “ We have no alternative but to protest.
” Those words still ring true today .
What we believe is needed is a complete , transparent , and radical transformation in all branches of science , including academia , industry , funding agencies , and among administration and operations staff .
We believe this antiracism revolution should not only create more inclusive and equitable campuses and companies for Black members and other minority groups but also serve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and other institutions .
This transformation should be grounded in the very ethics of science , which argues that hypotheses must be supported by empirical evidence .
Thus , as modern scientists , we must align our morals and behaviors with the evidence .
Current policies , even well-intentioned ones , are unfortunately maintaining the long-standing status quo of disparities in recruitment , retention , and promotion of Black students and faculty , particularly in STEM fields .
Professors and students of color have had to find ways to survive as underrepresented minorities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ micro- and macro-aggressions in everyday experiences as scientists .
We argue that these survival skills for a particular group should not be necessary for success .
To eliminate the need for these tactics , first we need to be made aware of them , and second we need to take urgent action to abolish the barriers that gave birth to them .
We believe that these actions should include : leadership and accountability within academic institutions , departments , and laboratories enacting specific antiracism policies ; diversity and inclusion forums to discuss evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and ongoing evaluation in all aspects of training , scholarship , service to the community , and promotion to eradicate implicit biases involving race .
For example , Boards of Trustees and administrators could use their platforms to lead by example in educating themselves ( TEDx Talks , podcasts , books , etc . )
, diversifying their demographics , and enforcing zero tolerance policies on discrimination , xenophobia , and racism .
By addressing racialized structures and practices in our conversations and campuses , leadership can actively create welcoming conditions and supportive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , outcomes , and funding .
Further , we should reconstruct an evidence-based pedagogy of the history of science , attributing accolades accurately .
Many contributions of Black people , other people of color , and women have been attributed to others , usually a lone , white male , or essentially erased altogether .
At the other end of the spectrum , it would also be a mistake to dampen or disparage fair credit for the discoveries and contributions of white men .
By consistently challenging and redefining the definition of white @ @ @ @ @ @ @ science , with people of color as deviations , our intentions will translate as tangible actions toward a complete , transparent , and radical transformation for racial justice .
When Frederick Douglass argued , “ Tried by all the usual , and all the unusual tests , whether mental , moral , physical , or psychological , the Negro is a MAN , ” this idea threatened the foundation of white supremacy and , by association , science .
To make important advancements , scientists routinely challenge conventional thinking and defy long-held concepts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to govern our planet , its inhabitants , and the universe .
It is this defiance that allowed humans to land on the moon , create a surrogate for northern white rhinos , eradicate smallpox , and construct a mobile phone with more computing power than a PC .
Why should we stop at curing ourselves and our institutions of racism ?
It is the one sickness that unequivocally impacts our present and future ability to live in a perfect union where all humans—all scientists—are created and treated as equal without fearing for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pursuit of happiness .
Sadye Paez is a biomechanist and physiotherapist who leads science communication , outreach , and fundraising efforts as a senior research associate in Erich Jarvis ’ s Neurogenetics of Language Laboratory at the Rockefeller University and as the program director for the Vertebrate Genomes Project ( VGP ) .
Follow her on Twitter @ sadyepaez and @ genomeark .
In addition to heading the Neurogenetics of Language Laboratory , Erich Jarvis is a professor , chair of the VGP , and investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s editorial advisory board .
Follow him on Twitter @ erichjarvis .

ABOVE: UNSPLASH, JOHN CAMERON
The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Riah Milton, and many other Black people have once again created an awareness of the systemic racism that is endemic in the United States of America and in many other parts of the world. In the US, this virus has been receiving long-term treatment via the emancipation of slaves in the 1800s and the ongoing civil rights movement since the 1900s. But it has not been cured. For example, over the course of a lifetime, 1 in every 1,000 Black men are at risk of fatal police violence compared with 1 in every 2,500 white men. Most recently, George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis has increased support for the Black Lives Matter movement across political party affiliations, age, education, and race. This has spurred people around the world to march in protest, to display messages of racial solidarity on social media, and to send government leaders’ emails and voicemails with calls for change. This civil unrest has extended to nearly every facet of American life, including to university campuses in the form of #ShutDownSTEM, #ShutDownAcademia, #Strike4BlackLives, and other awareness and action campaigns.
But stark shifts in public opinion often dissipate, curtailing momentum on well-intentioned policies to address the centuries of racism in our societies. In short, civil unrest in the US tends to be episodic. In his last opinion piece, the late Representative John Lewis, among the original 13 Freedom Riders and the youngest speaker in the first March on Washington in 1963, urged us to continue to get in “good trouble, necessary trouble,” through voting and participation in the democratic process, studying and learning the lessons of history, and answering the highest calling of our hearts by standing up for what we believe.
In 2017, we participated in the first March for Science, defending our belief in science, the need for science funding, and for the research enterprise as a trusted and essential institution. Civil unrest and protests were urgent, given a legislative climate seemingly bent on undermining science. But should scientists and science advocates also voice political views in matters of race and racism? Should our institutes of higher learning take responsibility to right the history of white supremacy in academia? The answer for many is an obvious yes. Then, how do we translate the evidence of these racial issues to effect tangible actions towards a future of antiracism in the Western scientific enterprise?
A history of racism in science
Science and racism have been bedfellows since the inception of the Western scientific enterprise, where many in Western culture made the assumption that whites were superior, a position supported by spurious, pseudoscientific evidence or simply considered a self-evident truth. Membership to the UK’s Royal Academy—founded in 1660, making it one of the first scientific academies in Europe—was restricted to economically independent, upper-class white men, citing other races’ lack of mental or moral capacity, which compromised their ability to conduct research without bias. In 1775, the first edition of a race-based classification of humans established a framework using the shape of the skull, skin color, and other physical attributes that was used for the next 100 years to establish and maintain social and economic inequality. Some scientists claimed so-called evidence of fitness—narrowly defined as an individual’s wealth, intelligence, or criminality—based on one’s genes. Others even crafted hypotheses that positioned humans of different races as different species.
In neuroscience, our area of research, the term neocortex is in part based on some of this false evidence of racial differences. Beginning more than 120 years ago with comparative neurobiology’s patriarchs such as Ludwig Edinger, some of the evidence used to justify calling it “new cortex” was that it was present only in mammals, and among mammals, it was largest in Europeans, followed by Asians, then Africans, and lastly in nonhuman primates. These scientists reinterpreted Darwin’s view of evolution as linear instead of tree-like and wrongly imbued the process of evolution with a purpose—namely, the generation of European men—instead of being stochastic. We now know that different vertebrate lineages (e.g., birds and mammals) have independently evolved different, relatively recent organizations of the cortex, whose size is more in line with differences in body size, and that there is no systematic difference in cortex size or intelligence among different populations of humans.
False measures of acumen and competence were based on an arbitrary social, political, and economic construct, namely, race, the definition of which has changed throughout the centuries in response to bureaucratic priorities (e.g., economics, war, education, jobs, immigration, etc.). But, there is no race chromosome, race gene, or other biological basis of race. Genetic variation between different populations is more continuous, where the average genetic differences between individuals from disparate human populations is only approximately 3–5 percent between unrelated individuals from a single population. Genes for specific phenotypic traits, such as skin color, muscle mass, and predisposition to heart disease, do not necessarily cluster with each other or by racial groups. Additionally, so-called ethnic groups have been continuously changing through admixture, such that a European of today does not contain the same genetic make-up, thus ethnicity, of a European 5,000 years ago.
Test differences in intelligence quotient (IQ) between Black and white people were first attributed to as yet unquantified genetic differences. Some contemporary scholars have made the same mistake, arguing that Black people are inherently intellectually inferior to white people. Yet, IQ tests were initially standardized in white, middle-class samples and were never intended to measure native, practical, or emotional intelligence, or creativity. This was bad science. Nonetheless, this thinking sanctioned eugenics as a method to improve the human race, attempting to legitimize educational discrimination on the basis of not only race, color, and national origin, but also sex, disability, and age. By condoning racism in the Western scientific enterprise, any history of scientific excellence is marred, and without an intentional pivot towards antiracism, we will continue to deepen this erroneous hierarchy. As is the case with any entrenched dogma, established ideas within science can be onerous to overturn, even in the presence of overwhelming evidence.
The present and future of antiracism in science
So, what should modern scientists and institutions of science do about racism?
Broadly, scientists often consider themselves to be neutral and separate from direct action in bureaucratic affairs. In its ideal state, science should minimize bias and maximize objectivity, regardless of political or personal agenda. However, science and the evidence it generates can be political, partisan, and polarizing. Empiricism, our sense-experiences and observations, dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries. Even earlier, Aristotle saw politics as a scientific inquiry itself. The Association for American Scientific Workers, founded in the 1930s, invited scientists to become directly involved in civic and social issues, such as opposing the Vietnam War.
In voicing views in matters of race and racism, we propose that scientists must consider and advocate for the intersectionality of evidence and politics. The content of our character as individuals and as institutions will be judged by what we do at this historical juncture. Generations to come will remember whether we, as a scientific collective, are willing to testify to and confront our biases, our troubling history, and our complacency in how systemic racism is deeply embedded in the ivory towers. We regard continued silence and apathetic posturing as complicity, regardless of intention. In one of his very first public speeches, Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “We have no alternative but to protest.” Those words still ring true today.
What we believe is needed is a complete, transparent, and radical transformation in all branches of science, including academia, industry, funding agencies, and among administration and operations staff. We believe this antiracism revolution should not only create more inclusive and equitable campuses and companies for Black members and other minority groups but also serve as a model for our nonscience communities and other institutions.
This transformation should be grounded in the very ethics of science, which argues that hypotheses must be supported by empirical evidence. Thus, as modern scientists, we must align our morals and behaviors with the evidence. Current policies, even well-intentioned ones, are unfortunately maintaining the long-standing status quo of disparities in recruitment, retention, and promotion of Black students and faculty, particularly in STEM fields. Professors and students of color have had to find ways to survive as underrepresented minorities in science, developing adaptive responses to micro- and macro-aggressions in everyday experiences as scientists.
We argue that these survival skills for a particular group should not be necessary for success. To eliminate the need for these tactics, first we need to be made aware of them, and second we need to take urgent action to abolish the barriers that gave birth to them. We believe that these actions should include: leadership and accountability within academic institutions, departments, and laboratories enacting specific antiracism policies; diversity and inclusion forums to discuss evidence to increase awareness and explore solutions; and ongoing evaluation in all aspects of training, scholarship, service to the community, and promotion to eradicate implicit biases involving race.
For example, Boards of Trustees and administrators could use their platforms to lead by example in educating themselves (TEDx Talks, podcasts, books, etc.), diversifying their demographics, and enforcing zero tolerance policies on discrimination, xenophobia, and racism. By addressing racialized structures and practices in our conversations and campuses, leadership can actively create welcoming conditions and supportive environments to address equity gaps in opportunities, outcomes, and funding.
Further, we should reconstruct an evidence-based pedagogy of the history of science, attributing accolades accurately. Many contributions of Black people, other people of color, and women have been attributed to others, usually a lone, white male, or essentially erased altogether. At the other end of the spectrum, it would also be a mistake to dampen or disparage fair credit for the discoveries and contributions of white men. By consistently challenging and redefining the definition of white as the norm for humanity and for science, with people of color as deviations, our intentions will translate as tangible actions toward a complete, transparent, and radical transformation for racial justice.
When Frederick Douglass argued, “Tried by all the usual, and all the unusual tests, whether mental, moral, physical, or psychological, the Negro is a MAN,” this idea threatened the foundation of white supremacy and, by association, science. To make important advancements, scientists routinely challenge conventional thinking and defy long-held concepts of the physical and moral laws believed to govern our planet, its inhabitants, and the universe. It is this defiance that allowed humans to land on the moon, create a surrogate for northern white rhinos, eradicate smallpox, and construct a mobile phone with more computing power than a PC. Why should we stop at curing ourselves and our institutions of racism? It is the one sickness that unequivocally impacts our present and future ability to live in a perfect union where all humans—all scientists—are created and treated as equal without fearing for their life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Sadye Paez is a biomechanist and physiotherapist who leads science communication, outreach, and fundraising efforts as a senior research associate in Erich Jarvis’s Neurogenetics of Language Laboratory at the Rockefeller University and as the program director for the Vertebrate Genomes Project (VGP). Follow her on Twitter @sadyepaez and @genomeark. In addition to heading the Neurogenetics of Language Laboratory, Erich Jarvis is a professor, chair of the VGP, and investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Jarvis also serves on The Scientist’s editorial advisory board. Follow him on Twitter @erichjarvis.


thescientist--2020-08-20--SmartSEC™ EV Isolation System

SmartSEC™ EV Isolation System

Extracellular vesicles ( EVs ) are double-membrane vesicles in the size range of 30 nm to a few microns that are released from myriad cell types and are present in a variety of biofluids .
These small entities are studied for biomarker development , cell communication , and targeted delivery .
Rapid advances in EV research have generated a great demand for fast , robust , and reproducible EV isolation methods .
Ultracentrifugation has been a commonly used isolation technique , but increasing revelations have shown the limitations and flaws of the approach , leading to the recent popularization of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ SEC ) is a classical technique used to separate molecules based on size , eluting the largest first and smallest last .
In classical SEC , porous beads are well-packed into a long column for the separation of molecules .
The sample is segregated into fractions , where EVs are separated from biomolecules of other sizes that elute in different fractions .
The fractions can be analyzed for the presence or activity of the EVs .
Classical SEC has drawbacks , including collection of EV samples in multiple fractions and at low concentration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ column packing and buffer-chase which adds to the processing time .
To circumvent these issues , a next-generation size exclusion chromatography with smarter design – the SmartSEC isolation system - offers an approach that enables high efficiency purification where contaminants are trapped in the resin and EVs are eluted in one fraction rather than diluted into several fractions .
SmartSEC is a new generation of mixed-mode chromatography which provides the dual functionality of size exclusion and affinity interaction modes .
Combining the two modes within a single resin media eliminates the time consuming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ With SmartSEC , the inside core of the porous bead is functionalized with affinity interacting modes , which enables the capture and retention of protein impurities up to 400 kDa ( 15-20 nm ) , such as IgG and albumin [ Fig 1 ] .
The outside shell of the bead is inert , which minimizes non-specific binding .
SmartSEC can function with superior binding capacity in an array of solutions , from tissue culture medium to serum or plasma .
The SmartSEC column has been optimized to elute EVs at high concentration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the collection of multiple low-concentration fractions in the classical SEC [ Fig 2 ] .
To maximize the usefulness of the SmartSEC system , the technology was adapted into three formats to address the researchers ’ needs for a wide range of sample types .
Different formats adapted for different samples SmartSEC is available in three formats to suit a range of samples [ Fig 3 ] ; it is user-friendly , time-saving , and generates higher yields of EVs than competitor SEC columns .
SmartSEC Single is designed for individual purification reaction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ human serum .
SmartSEC Mini is tailored for EV isolation from smallvolumes ( 10-100 µl ) of precious samples .
Many of the current methods of EV isolation pose a limitation for those with a large number of samples .
To address this need , SmartSEC HT is a plate format developed to process up to 96 samples simultaneously .
The SmartSEC product family can be easily adapted to most laboratories for accurate , reliable , and easy purification of EVs for downstream applications .
In all , the SmartSEC EV isolation technology @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in workflows that were once deemed difficult ; it has been proven to be user-friendly , time saving , and produces a high yield of pure/concentrated exosomes that is unattainable with traditional SEC methods .
The next generation of size exclusion chromatography ( SEC ) for the isolation of extracellular vesicles ( EV ) Extracellular vesicles ( EVs ) are double-membrane vesicles in the size range of 30 nm to a few microns that are released from myriad cell types and are present in a variety of biofluids .
These small entities are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and targeted delivery .
Rapid advances in EV research have generated a great demand for fast , robust , and reproducible EV isolation methods .
Ultracentrifugation has been a commonly used isolation technique , but increasing revelations have shown the limitations and flaws of the approach , leading to the recent popularization of chromatography-based methods .
Size exclusion chromatography ( SEC ) is a classical technique used to separate molecules based on size , eluting the largest first and smallest last .
In classical SEC , porous beads are well-packed into a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The sample is segregated into fractions , where EVs are separated from biomolecules of other sizes that elute in different fractions .
The fractions can be analyzed for the presence or activity of the EVs .
Classical SEC has drawbacks , including collection of EV samples in multiple fractions and at low concentration , as well as the need for column packing and buffer-chase which adds to the processing time .
To circumvent these issues , a next-generation size exclusion chromatography with smarter design – the SmartSEC isolation system - offers an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contaminants are trapped in the resin and EVs are eluted in one fraction rather than diluted into several fractions .
SmartSEC is a new generation of mixed-mode chromatography which provides the dual functionality of size exclusion and affinity interaction modes .
Combining the two modes within a single resin media eliminates the time consuming and labor-intensive processes of classical SEC .
With SmartSEC , the inside core of the porous bead is functionalized with affinity interacting modes , which enables the capture and retention of protein impurities up to 400 kDa ( 15-20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ albumin [ Fig 1 ] .
The outside shell of the bead is inert , which minimizes non-specific binding .
SmartSEC can function with superior binding capacity in an array of solutions , from tissue culture medium to serum or plasma .
The SmartSEC column has been optimized to elute EVs at high concentration in one flow-through fraction as opposed to the collection of multiple low-concentration fractions in the classical SEC [ Fig 2 ] .
To maximize the usefulness of the SmartSEC system , the technology was adapted into three formats to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wide range of sample types .
Different formats adapted for different samples SmartSEC is available in three formats to suit a range of samples [ Fig 3 ] ; it is user-friendly , time-saving , and generates higher yields of EVs than competitor SEC columns .
SmartSEC Single is designed for individual purification reaction of EVs from common samples such as human serum .
SmartSEC Mini is tailored for EV isolation from smallvolumes ( 10-100 µl ) of precious samples .
Many of the current methods of EV isolation pose a limitation for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
To address this need , SmartSEC HT is a plate format developed to process up to 96 samples simultaneously .
The SmartSEC product family can be easily adapted to most laboratories for accurate , reliable , and easy purification of EVs for downstream applications .
In all , the SmartSEC EV isolation technology offers an unprecedented way to isolate exosomes in workflows that were once deemed difficult ; it has been proven to be user-friendly , time saving , and produces a high yield of pure/concentrated exosomes that is unattainable with traditional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ representation of the SmartSEC bead technology and mechanism of EV isolation .
Small proteins that enter the bead core are captured and stay trapped , while the EVs are excluded and collected in the eluent .
Fig 2 .
The schematic workflow of SmartSEC EV isolation .
The biofluid , such as serum or plasma , is applied to the pre-washed SmartSEC beads with enough isolation buffer to allow thorough mixing and binding for 30 mins at room temperature with rotation .
After the incubation , the mixture is centrifuged for 1 min @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isolated EVs .
Eluted EVs are ready to use for any downstream application .
Fig 3 .
The SmartSEC product family along with example data .
A ) SmartSEC Single .
Western blot analysis of EVs shows higher yields and less contaminants with SmartSEC Single compared to competitor ’ s q SEC columns .
B ) SmartSEC Mini .
Western blot analysis of EVs from 10µl of mouse serum .
C ) SmartSEC HT .
Nanoparticle tracking analysis of different wells ( A1 , H1 , D6 ) in a 96 well plate @ @ @ @

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are double-membrane vesicles in the size range of 30 nm to a few microns that are released from myriad cell types and are present in a variety of biofluids. These small entities are studied for biomarker development, cell communication, and targeted delivery. Rapid advances in EV research have generated a great demand for fast, robust, and reproducible EV isolation methods. Ultracentrifugation has been a commonly used isolation technique, but increasing revelations have shown the limitations and flaws of the approach, leading to the recent popularization of chromatography-based methods.
Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) is a classical technique used to separate molecules based on size, eluting the largest first and smallest last. In classical SEC, porous beads are well-packed into a long column for the separation of molecules. The sample is segregated into fractions, where EVs are separated from biomolecules of other sizes that elute in different fractions. The fractions can be analyzed for the presence or activity of the EVs.
Classical SEC has drawbacks, including collection of EV samples in multiple fractions and at low concentration, as well as the need for column packing and buffer-chase which adds to the processing time. To circumvent these issues, a next-generation size exclusion chromatography with smarter design – the SmartSEC isolation system - offers an approach that enables high efficiency purification where contaminants are trapped in the resin and EVs are eluted in one fraction rather than diluted into several fractions.
Advantages of SmartSEC
SmartSEC is a new generation of mixed-mode chromatography which provides the dual functionality of size exclusion and affinity interaction modes. Combining the two modes within a single resin media eliminates the time consuming and labor-intensive processes of classical SEC.
With SmartSEC, the inside core of the porous bead is functionalized with affinity interacting modes, which enables the capture and retention of protein impurities up to 400 kDa (15-20 nm), such as IgG and albumin [Fig 1]. The outside shell of the bead is inert, which minimizes non-specific binding.
SmartSEC can function with superior binding capacity in an array of solutions, from tissue culture medium to serum or plasma.
The SmartSEC column has been optimized to elute EVs at high concentration in one flow-through fraction as opposed to the collection of multiple low-concentration fractions in the classical SEC [Fig 2]. To maximize the usefulness of the SmartSEC system, the technology was adapted into three formats to address the researchers’ needs for a wide range of sample types.
Different formats adapted for different samples
SmartSEC is available in three formats to suit a range of samples [Fig 3]; it is user-friendly, time-saving, and generates higher yields of EVs than competitor SEC columns.
SmartSEC Single is designed for individual purification reaction of EVs from common samples such as human serum.
SmartSEC Mini is tailored for EV isolation from smallvolumes (10-100 µl) of precious samples.
Many of the current methods of EV isolation pose a limitation for those with a large number of samples. To address this need, SmartSEC HT is a plate format developed to process up to 96 samples simultaneously. The SmartSEC product family can be easily adapted to most laboratories for accurate, reliable, and easy purification of EVs for downstream applications.
In all, the SmartSEC EV isolation technology offers an unprecedented way to isolate exosomes in workflows that were once deemed difficult; it has been proven to be user-friendly, time saving, and produces a high yield of pure/concentrated exosomes that is unattainable with traditional SEC methods.
Fig 1. Schematic representation of the SmartSEC bead technology and mechanism of EV isolation. Small proteins that enter the bead core are captured and stay trapped, while the EVs are excluded and collected in the eluent.
Fig 2. The schematic workflow of SmartSEC EV isolation. The biofluid, such as serum or plasma, is applied to the pre-washed SmartSEC beads with enough isolation buffer to allow thorough mixing and binding for 30 mins at room temperature with rotation. After the incubation, the mixture is centrifuged for 1 min at 500 x g to recover the isolated EVs. Eluted EVs are ready to use for any downstream application.
Fig 3. The SmartSEC product family along with example data. A) SmartSEC Single. Western blot analysis of EVs shows higher yields and less contaminants with SmartSEC Single compared to competitor’s q SEC columns. B) SmartSEC Mini. Western blot analysis of EVs from 10µl of mouse serum. C) SmartSEC HT. Nanoparticle tracking analysis of different wells (A1, H1, D6) in a 96 well plate shows well-to-well consistency.


thescientist--2020-08-12--August 2020 Interactive Crossword Puzzle

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thescientist--2020-08-20--Identifying Neuroinflammatory Biomarkers of COVID-19

Although it is primarily a respiratory illness , COVID-19 affects other organ systems such as the cardiovascular system and the @ @ @ @ @ ) .
The relationship between the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the CNS is unclear , but @ @ @ @ @ SARS-CoV-2 virus can lead to systemic inflammation , including in the brain .
Functional proteomics @ @ @ @ @ manifestations of COVID-19 .
Download this research summary to find out how Shelli Farhadian and @ @ @ @ @ School of Medicine used IsoPlexis ’ highly multiplexed functional proteomics to identify elevated neuroinflammatory markers @ @ @ @ @

Although it is primarily a respiratory illness, COVID-19 affects other organ systems such as the cardiovascular system and the central nervous system (CNS). The relationship between the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the CNS is unclear, but studies have shown that the SARS-CoV-2 virus can lead to systemic inflammation, including in the brain. Functional proteomics reveals the mechanisms driving neurological manifestations of COVID-19.
Download this research summary to find out how Shelli Farhadian and her team from the Yale School of Medicine used IsoPlexis’ highly multiplexed functional proteomics to identify elevated neuroinflammatory markers in a COVID-19 patient.


thescientist--2020-08-20--How the COVID-19 Pandemic Has Affected Field Research

ABOVE : A crew sets sail to Station ALOHA off the coast of Hawaii in August .
COURTESY OF ANGELICQUE WHITE Tears streaked the top of Angelicque White ’ s cheekbones and soaked her mask in the moments after she had a cotton-tipped stick inserted into her nose to test for the novel coronavirus .
“ When they shove that swab that far up your nostril , you immediately start crying , ” she tells The Scientist .
The test , along with a mandatory two-week quarantine leading up to it , was part of a strict protocol White and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ again set sail on their research ship and continue to collect data on a massive ocean current in the Pacific .
Called the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre , the swirl of seawater , which covers roughly 20 million square kilometers , is the largest ecosystem on Earth and the oldest ecosystem in the ocean , a prime habitat for billions of plants , animals , and microbes .
Scientists have studied the gyre for more than 30 years hoping to tease apart the complex physical , chemical , and biological interactions that allow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ creatures that live there .
But the ecosystem is also important for another reason : it ’ s starting to show evidence of human-caused climate change .
The ocean current is “ a canary in a coal mine in a lot of ways , ” says White , a microbial oceanographer at the University of Hawai ‘ i at Mānoa .
“ We ’ re starting to see changes in the ecosystem , which means we ’ ve affected one of the most remote and isolated ecosystems on the planet.
” To study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ every month since 1988 to Station ALOHA , a spot within the ocean current that is used as an open-water research base .
Maintenance work on the ship that takes scientists there put a stop to several of the monthly cruises starting in early 2020 .
Then , coronavirus hit , and the team wasn ’ t sure when they ’ d be able to go back out to sea .
Finally , in late spring , the researchers got word from the National Science Foundation and the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that they could start planning summer cruises , provided that crew members undergo stringent pre-cruise quarantine and testing .
By midsummer , the crew was Station ALOHA bound , following strict social distancing , hand washing , and mask wearing requirements .
“ It felt sooo good to science again , ” White tweeted on July 21 .
But White ’ s experience is the exception , not the rule .
Many researchers are stuck at home , analyzing data they ’ ve already collected or planning data collection for when they can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I know there ’ s so many of my colleagues that are desperate to go to their field sites , ” White says .
One researcher unable to travel to her field site is Barbara Piperata , an anthropologist at Ohio State University ( OSU ) .
Earlier this year , she was set to begin a three-year project tracking how cultural practices and exposure to infectious pathogens in drinking water shapes the gut microbiome of children in Belém , Brazil , in their first two years of life .
Her team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Brazil , planned to gather data on infants in poor and wealthy neighborhoods and look at how daily routines in those environments affected the bacterial composition of the children ’ s guts .
“ It is an enormously hands-on international project , ” Piperata says , and “ it ’ s been enormously affected by COVID.
” The project was slated to launch in January , so in the early weeks of 2020 , her team began arranging logistics , including finding Brazilian students to serve on the field team , finalizing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and strengthening contacts with local health clinics and hospitals where recruitment would take place .
Then COVID-19 began spreading beyond Asia , and by February “ it became apparent that things might change , ” she explains .
By March , “ everything really went haywire.
” Because of the pandemic , OSU would not allow Piperata to take a planned spring break trip to Brazil in March to conduct the initial stage of training for data collection .
“ Probably a good idea , ” Piperata says .
The university did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , so her team tried to prepare for a best-case scenario—travel in the summer—and a worst-case scenario of no travel until later in the year or even next year .
By May , Piperata knew she wouldn ’ t be headed to Brazil any time soon , so she and her colleagues and two students involved in the project began filming instructions for her Brazilian collaborators in English and Portuguese on the various protocols , including how to interview and survey the mothers and how to collect fecal samples from babies , mothers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ along with breast milk samples from mothers and saliva samples from babies .
The team also plans to measure mothers ’ and babies ’ height and weight , and the babies ’ head circumference , and to collect drinking water samples and surface swabs of the participants ’ houses to assess which pathogens the children are exposed to .
The pandemic has “ slowed down the work by about nine months , ” Piperata says .
And while her in-country collaborators will be able to collect the data , they have been delayed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on lockdown .
As the city is now loosening restrictions , the team expects to begin participant recruitment in the upcoming months .
However , until case numbers decline considerably in the area , the team will need to recruit at a slower pace and take precautions to avoid exposing themselves and study participants to SARS-CoV-2 .
“ We certainly don ’ t want to do that , ” Piperata says .
Delaying data collection until next year isn ’ t an option , as the study will track the babies from birth @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be completed within the National Science Foundation ’ s three-year funding window .
The team has decided that if the case numbers remain high , the researchers will alter the study design to reduce the data collection timeline .
Piperata also notes that there are some types of data she can ’ t rely on others to collect for her—data that will be lost if she can ’ t travel to Brazil .
Ethnography , the study of customs of individual peoples and cultures , is central to this research , and “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says .
Ordinarily , while others would collect samples and measurements , Piperata would be watching the mother and child and asking specific questions about their behaviors and interactions , often off the cuff , to learn more about each families ’ culture , values , and child-rearing practices .
“ Nobody can collect those kinds of data for you right now , ” she says .
Even to teach other team members to gather this kind of information , she says , she ’ d need to be there , showing her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it informs her line of questioning .
“ I have 20 years of experience doing field research , ” she says , “ and I imagined this project , so I have bigger ideas in my head about things I want to understand.
” Catch-22 : Research on infectious disease outbreaks stalls during the pandemic San Francisco State University ’ s Ravinder Sehgal , who studies infectious diseases in birds , also has to contend with the prospect that his team has lost data forever .
His field project focused on how deforestation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affects the species diversity of mosquitos , which can carry malaria and dengue .
He monitors how changes in mosquito populations can spread such diseases to birds and also to local human populations .
“ What we ’ re finding is .
.
.
that when you cut down the rainforests , you get these human-biting mosquitoes that can appear very quickly , ” he tells The Scientist .
As the mosquitos move in after deforestation , he says , they can cause increased prevalence of mosquito-borne human diseases , and also appear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ haven ’ t encountered before .
To track such changes , Sehgal and his colleagues analyze blood samples from birds and collect data on mosquito abundance and diversity at a rainforest site before it ’ s cleared .
They then take similar measurements after the forest is razed , and again when a palm oil plantation has been planted at the site .
The results , Sehgal says , have revealed how deforestation affects disease transmission and offered a clue about which diseases emerge from a deforested site—information that could be relevant to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ causes COVID-19 , jumped from animals to people .
Sehgal says his field research was already on hold before the pandemic started because of a conflict in the region , but he and his collaborators had hoped that peace talks would lead to an end to the fighting so they could return this summer .
There ’ ve been recent efforts to resolve the conflict , but because of COVID-19 , San Francisco State University has banned faculty and staff from making work-related international trips until next year .
“ We [ can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ summer at all , ” he says .
“ We had all the data from before the deforestation now .
We only had a limited amount of data from after the deforestation .
We wanted to go back and get much more data from the ‘ after ’ scenario.
” Funding for the work , which came from the United States Agency for International Development , has ended , and because of the ongoing conflict in southwest Cameroon and because he and his colleagues weren ’ t able to collect all the data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not likely to be funded again , Sehgal says .
“ It ’ s understandable obviously .
We don ’ t want to be spreading the coronavirus around , but it ’ s also kind of a catch-22 because now we ’ re not doing research on the very problem that caused us to get here.
” Correction ( August 20 , 2019 ) : This article originally stated that the Station ALOHA crew got word from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that they could set out .
The National Science @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ships ’ schedules .
The Scientist regrets the error .

ABOVE: A crew sets sail to Station ALOHA off the coast of Hawaii in August.
COURTESY OF ANGELICQUE WHITE
Tears streaked the top of Angelicque White’s cheekbones and soaked her mask in the moments after she had a cotton-tipped stick inserted into her nose to test for the novel coronavirus. “When they shove that swab that far up your nostril, you immediately start crying,” she tells The Scientist. The test, along with a mandatory two-week quarantine leading up to it, was part of a strict protocol White and others followed to be allowed to once again set sail on their research ship and continue to collect data on a massive ocean current in the Pacific.
Called the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, the swirl of seawater, which covers roughly 20 million square kilometers, is the largest ecosystem on Earth and the oldest ecosystem in the ocean, a prime habitat for billions of plants, animals, and microbes. Scientists have studied the gyre for more than 30 years hoping to tease apart the complex physical, chemical, and biological interactions that allow it to support the vast array of creatures that live there. But the ecosystem is also important for another reason: it’s starting to show evidence of human-caused climate change. The ocean current is “a canary in a coal mine in a lot of ways,” says White, a microbial oceanographer at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. “We’re starting to see changes in the ecosystem, which means we’ve affected one of the most remote and isolated ecosystems on the planet.”
Crewmembers prepare for a week at sea studying the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Courtesy of Angelicque White
To study the gyre, researchers have sailed nearly every month since 1988 to Station ALOHA, a spot within the ocean current that is used as an open-water research base. Maintenance work on the ship that takes scientists there put a stop to several of the monthly cruises starting in early 2020. Then, coronavirus hit, and the team wasn’t sure when they’d be able to go back out to sea. Finally, in late spring, the researchers got word from the National Science Foundation and the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System, which coordinates oceanographic ships’ schedules, that they could start planning summer cruises, provided that crew members undergo stringent pre-cruise quarantine and testing. By midsummer, the crew was Station ALOHA bound, following strict social distancing, hand washing, and mask wearing requirements. “It felt sooo good to science again,” White tweeted on July 21.
But White’s experience is the exception, not the rule. Many researchers are stuck at home, analyzing data they’ve already collected or planning data collection for when they can travel out into the field again. “I know there’s so many of my colleagues that are desperate to go to their field sites,” White says.
Travel bans delay an international project
One researcher unable to travel to her field site is Barbara Piperata, an anthropologist at Ohio State University (OSU). Earlier this year, she was set to begin a three-year project tracking how cultural practices and exposure to infectious pathogens in drinking water shapes the gut microbiome of children in Belém, Brazil, in their first two years of life. Her team, which includes collaborators and students based in Brazil, planned to gather data on infants in poor and wealthy neighborhoods and look at how daily routines in those environments affected the bacterial composition of the children’s guts.
“It is an enormously hands-on international project,” Piperata says, and “it’s been enormously affected by COVID.”
The project was slated to launch in January, so in the early weeks of 2020, her team began arranging logistics, including finding Brazilian students to serve on the field team, finalizing and validating the tools for the study, and strengthening contacts with local health clinics and hospitals where recruitment would take place. Then COVID-19 began spreading beyond Asia, and by February “it became apparent that things might change,” she explains. By March, “everything really went haywire.”
Because of the pandemic, OSU would not allow Piperata to take a planned spring break trip to Brazil in March to conduct the initial stage of training for data collection. “Probably a good idea,” Piperata says. The university did not specify when research trips could resume, so her team tried to prepare for a best-case scenario—travel in the summer—and a worst-case scenario of no travel until later in the year or even next year. By May, Piperata knew she wouldn’t be headed to Brazil any time soon, so she and her colleagues and two students involved in the project began filming instructions for her Brazilian collaborators in English and Portuguese on the various protocols, including how to interview and survey the mothers and how to collect fecal samples from babies, mothers, and children in participating households, along with breast milk samples from mothers and saliva samples from babies. The team also plans to measure mothers’ and babies’ height and weight, and the babies’ head circumference, and to collect drinking water samples and surface swabs of the participants’ houses to assess which pathogens the children are exposed to.
Ravinder Sehgal holds one of the birds he studied at a site in southwest Cameroon. Courtesy of Ravinder Sehgal
The pandemic has “slowed down the work by about nine months,” Piperata says. And while her in-country collaborators will be able to collect the data, they have been delayed as the city of Belem has been on lockdown. As the city is now loosening restrictions, the team expects to begin participant recruitment in the upcoming months.
However, until case numbers decline considerably in the area, the team will need to recruit at a slower pace and take precautions to avoid exposing themselves and study participants to SARS-CoV-2. “We certainly don’t want to do that,” Piperata says. Delaying data collection until next year isn’t an option, as the study will track the babies from birth to age two and the project must be completed within the National Science Foundation’s three-year funding window. The team has decided that if the case numbers remain high, the researchers will alter the study design to reduce the data collection timeline.
Piperata also notes that there are some types of data she can’t rely on others to collect for her—data that will be lost if she can’t travel to Brazil. Ethnography, the study of customs of individual peoples and cultures, is central to this research, and “we learn by seeing,” she says. Ordinarily, while others would collect samples and measurements, Piperata would be watching the mother and child and asking specific questions about their behaviors and interactions, often off the cuff, to learn more about each families’ culture, values, and child-rearing practices. “Nobody can collect those kinds of data for you right now,” she says. Even to teach other team members to gather this kind of information, she says, she’d need to be there, showing her fellow researchers what she sees and how it informs her line of questioning. “I have 20 years of experience doing field research,” she says, “and I imagined this project, so I have bigger ideas in my head about things I want to understand.”
Catch-22: Research on infectious disease outbreaks stalls during the pandemic
San Francisco State University’s Ravinder Sehgal, who studies infectious diseases in birds, also has to contend with the prospect that his team has lost data forever. His field project focused on how deforestation in the Central African country of Cameroon affects the species diversity of mosquitos, which can carry malaria and dengue. He monitors how changes in mosquito populations can spread such diseases to birds and also to local human populations. “What we’re finding is . . . that when you cut down the rainforests, you get these human-biting mosquitoes that can appear very quickly,” he tells The Scientist. As the mosquitos move in after deforestation, he says, they can cause increased prevalence of mosquito-borne human diseases, and also appear to infect birds with diseases the animals haven’t encountered before.
To track such changes, Sehgal and his colleagues analyze blood samples from birds and collect data on mosquito abundance and diversity at a rainforest site before it’s cleared. They then take similar measurements after the forest is razed, and again when a palm oil plantation has been planted at the site. The results, Sehgal says, have revealed how deforestation affects disease transmission and offered a clue about which diseases emerge from a deforested site—information that could be relevant to understanding how SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, jumped from animals to people.
Sehgal says his field research was already on hold before the pandemic started because of a conflict in the region, but he and his collaborators had hoped that peace talks would lead to an end to the fighting so they could return this summer. There’ve been recent efforts to resolve the conflict, but because of COVID-19, San Francisco State University has banned faculty and staff from making work-related international trips until next year. “We [can’t] do any work this summer at all,” he says. “We had all the data from before the deforestation now. We only had a limited amount of data from after the deforestation. We wanted to go back and get much more data from the ‘after’ scenario.”
Funding for the work, which came from the United States Agency for International Development, has ended, and because of the ongoing conflict in southwest Cameroon and because he and his colleagues weren’t able to collect all the data they’d planned to, it is not likely to be funded again, Sehgal says. “It’s understandable obviously. We don’t want to be spreading the coronavirus around, but it’s also kind of a catch-22 because now we’re not doing research on the very problem that caused us to get here.”
Correction (August 20, 2020): This article originally stated that the Station ALOHA crew got word from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that they could set out. The National Science Foundation, not NOAA, coordinates oceanographic ships’ schedules. The Scientist regrets the error.


thescientist--2020-08-21--750 Million GM Mosquitoes Will Be Released in the Florida Keys

With the aim of reducing rates of the mosquito-borne illnesses yellow fever and dengue , a pilot program will release 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes into the Florida Keys in 2021 , thanks to approval by the barrier islands ’ Mosquito Control District Board of Commissioners at a meeting on Tuesday ( August 18 ) .
The strain of GM mosquitoes , known as OX513A , is an altered form of Aedes aegypti created by UK-based biotech firm Oxitec .
Released mosquitoes will be all male , as male mosquitoes do not bite and generally only feed on nectar .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when OX513A mosquitoes mate with wild females , their offspring should die before they are old enough for females to begin biting .
Over the last 10 years , Oxitec deployed these GM mosquitoes in the Cayman Islands and Brazil .
This will be the first release of any GM mosquitoes in the US .
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) and scientists at the University of Florida will oversee program .
See : “ GM Mosquitoes Closer to Release in U.S. ” “ It ’ s gone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gorman tells the AP .
“ We have released over a billion of our mosquitoes over the years .
There is no potential for risk to the environment or humans.
” A September 2019 study published in Scientific Reports concluded that female progeny of Oxitec ’ s GM mosquitoes were not dying off as intended in Brazil .
Less than a week after it was published , an editor ’ s note about criticisms was appended .
In May 2020 , the paper received a formal Editorial Expression of Concern about the study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oxitec ’ s journey to releasing the mosquitoes in the Florida Keys has been several years in the making .
The company commissioned 25 studies to obtain approval from the CDC , the US Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) , and seven state and local agencies in Florida , Oxitec reports .
The pilot program will target the Florida Keys because A. aegypti mosquitoes are invasive there and are increasingly resistant to insecticides meant to control their numbers , according to reports .
“ The science is there .
This is something @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a supporter of the program , said at the Mosquito Control District ’ s meeting , according to the AP .
“ We ’ re trying everything in our power , and we ’ re running out of options.
” Oxitec has also received federal approval to release the mosquitoes in Texas , BBC News reports , but will face a similar battle to get the go-ahead from state and local agencies .

ABOVE: © ISTOCK.COM, 3DFOX
With the aim of reducing rates of the mosquito-borne illnesses yellow fever and dengue, a pilot program will release 750 million genetically modified mosquitoes into the Florida Keys in 2021, thanks to approval by the barrier islands’ Mosquito Control District Board of Commissioners at a meeting on Tuesday (August 18).
The strain of GM mosquitoes, known as OX513A, is an altered form of Aedes aegypti created by UK-based biotech firm Oxitec. Released mosquitoes will be all male, as male mosquitoes do not bite and generally only feed on nectar. Thanks to a conditionally lethal genetic variant, when OX513A mosquitoes mate with wild females, their offspring should die before they are old enough for females to begin biting.
Over the last 10 years, Oxitec deployed these GM mosquitoes in the Cayman Islands and Brazil. This will be the first release of any GM mosquitoes in the US. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and scientists at the University of Florida will oversee program.
“It’s gone extremely well,” Oxitec scientist Kevin Gorman tells the AP. “We have released over a billion of our mosquitoes over the years. There is no potential for risk to the environment or humans.”
A September 2019 study published in Scientific Reports concluded that female progeny of Oxitec’s GM mosquitoes were not dying off as intended in Brazil. Less than a week after it was published, an editor’s note about criticisms was appended. In May 2020, the paper received a formal Editorial Expression of Concern about the study design and erroneous or misleading claims.
Oxitec’s journey to releasing the mosquitoes in the Florida Keys has been several years in the making. The company commissioned 25 studies to obtain approval from the CDC, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and seven state and local agencies in Florida, Oxitec reports. The pilot program will target the Florida Keys because A. aegypti mosquitoes are invasive there and are increasingly resistant to insecticides meant to control their numbers, according to reports.
“The science is there. This is something Monroe County needs,” Jill Cranny-Gage, a supporter of the program, said at the Mosquito Control District’s meeting, according to the AP. “We’re trying everything in our power, and we’re running out of options.”
Oxitec has also received federal approval to release the mosquitoes in Texas, BBC News reports, but will face a similar battle to get the go-ahead from state and local agencies.


thescientist--2020-08-21--California Wildfires Threaten UC Campus, Telescopes

ABOVE : The view of Mt .
Hamilton on August 19 at 10:57 p.m. Pacific time UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA OBSERVATORIES / LICK OBSERVATORY As if fall classes , set to start October 1 , at the University of California , Santa Cruz would not be strained enough amid the COVID-19 pandemic , wildfires in the state forced faculty and students living in residential housing to evacuate yesterday evening ( August 20 ) .
The evacuation order came as wildfires ripped through thousands of acres of the Santa Cruz Mountains after being sparked by a dry lightning storm .
“ As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ measures are required immediately to avert , alleviate , or repair damage to University property or to maintain the orderly operation of the campus , ” UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Cynthia Larive writes in a statement .
When the mountain fires began , 1,200 people were living on campus , The New York Times reports .
Faculty and students were told to stop all non-essential on-campus research on Thursday and instructed to “ shut down all equipment as you would normally do for winter curtailment , secure chemicals in fire-safe storage , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if possible.
” Some research materials were slated to be moved off campus , according to an email sent to faculty and students by Scott Brandt , the school ’ s vice chancellor for research .
All residents were urged to leave on Thursday , as well , and the university issued a mandatory evacuation order hours later .
“ Everyone must immediately leave the UC Santa Cruz residential campus and be prepared to not return for at least two weeks , ” according to a statement issued by campus police chief Nader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , on Mt .
Hamilton , east of San Jose , flames began to encroach on the Lick Observatory , a famous site that holds a suite of telescopes owned and operated by the University of California system .
As of 1 p.m. Pacific time on August 20 , the observatory “ appeared have escaped serious damage , ” according to a media release issued by the UC Santa Cruz , which is home to the observatory headquarters .
Cal Fire and other organizations were critical to preventing damage to the telescope domes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been using the observatory as a command center to combat the fire .
“ Thanks to their tremendous efforts , the telescope domes did not burn , ” UC Observatories Director Claire Max says in the release .
An observatory residence building not in use did burn completely and other residences sustained fire and water damage .
And the danger to the observatory is not gone , as areas of the mountain remain unburned .
“ Firefighters are concerned that the fire may circle back , ” the release states .
Even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the UC Davis campus .
University officials announced yesterday that short-term emergency housing would be available on campus for faculty , staff , and registered students and their families who had to evacuate or lost their homes due to the fires .
Correction ( August 21 , 2020 ) : An earlier version of this article stated Mt .
Wilson was east of San Jose , when in fact , it is Mt .
Hamilton .
The Scientist regrets the error .

ABOVE: The view of Mt. Hamilton on August 19 at 10:57 p.m. Pacific time
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA OBSERVATORIES / LICK OBSERVATORY
As if fall classes, set to start October 1, at the University of California, Santa Cruz would not be strained enough amid the COVID-19 pandemic, wildfires in the state forced faculty and students living in residential housing to evacuate yesterday evening (August 20).
The evacuation order came as wildfires ripped through thousands of acres of the Santa Cruz Mountains after being sparked by a dry lightning storm. “As this tragic event continues to unfold extraordinary measures are required immediately to avert, alleviate, or repair damage to University property or to maintain the orderly operation of the campus,” UC Santa Cruz Chancellor Cynthia Larive writes in a statement.
When the mountain fires began, 1,200 people were living on campus, The New York Times reports. Faculty and students were told to stop all non-essential on-campus research on Thursday and instructed to “shut down all equipment as you would normally do for winter curtailment, secure chemicals in fire-safe storage, and secure lab notebooks and other irreplaceable items if possible.” Some research materials were slated to be moved off campus, according to an email sent to faculty and students by Scott Brandt, the school’s vice chancellor for research.
All residents were urged to leave on Thursday, as well, and the university issued a mandatory evacuation order hours later. “Everyone must immediately leave the UC Santa Cruz residential campus and be prepared to not return for at least two weeks,” according to a statement issued by campus police chief Nader Oweis.
Farther north in the state, on Mt. Hamilton, east of San Jose, flames began to encroach on the Lick Observatory, a famous site that holds a suite of telescopes owned and operated by the University of California system. As of 1 p.m. Pacific time on August 20, the observatory “appeared have escaped serious damage,” according to a media release issued by the UC Santa Cruz, which is home to the observatory headquarters. Cal Fire and other organizations were critical to preventing damage to the telescope domes and observatory visitor center. The crews have been using the observatory as a command center to combat the fire.
“Thanks to their tremendous efforts, the telescope domes did not burn,” UC Observatories Director Claire Max says in the release. An observatory residence building not in use did burn completely and other residences sustained fire and water damage. And the danger to the observatory is not gone, as areas of the mountain remain unburned. “Firefighters are concerned that the fire may circle back,” the release states.
Even farther north, fires are alight west of the UC Davis campus. University officials announced yesterday that short-term emergency housing would be available on campus for faculty, staff, and registered students and their families who had to evacuate or lost their homes due to the fires.
Correction (August 21, 2020): An earlier version of this article stated Mt. Wilson was east of San Jose, when in fact, it is Mt. Hamilton. The Scientist regrets the error.


thescientist--2020-08-21--Ibrahim Cissé’s Tools Provide a Lens to Watch RNA Production

Ibrahim Cissé spent hours as a child taking apart and trying to rebuild electronics .
Other times , he would reenact NASA space shuttle liftoffs , tipping a chair backward onto the floor and then climbing in , his knees and face pointed skyward .
He ’ d shake the chair to simulate shooting through Earth ’ s atmosphere as he watched Hollywood movies about space exploration .
Captivated by the US space program as well as the idea of the American dream he saw portrayed on the big screen , the Niger native begged his parents to allow him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They agreed , and with the help of a host family in North Carolina , he moved across the Atlantic at age 17 .
In 2002 , Cissé transferred from community college to North Carolina Central University ( NCCU ) , where he worked with physicist Kinney Kim—on a NASA-funded project , no less .
“ It was incredible , ” Cissé says .
But he didn ’ t realize that he could do research as a career until Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman and fellow physicist Sarah Gilbert , Wieman ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s junior year and told him as much , Cissé recalls .
“ That was the first time someone had suggested to me the idea of doing .
.
.
laboratory research for the rest of your life.
” To prepare for graduate school , Cissé spent the summer of 2003 at Princeton University in the lab of physicist Paul Chaikin , now at New York University .
Chaikin asked Cissé a seemingly simple question : If you poured ellipsoidal objects into a jar , how densely would they pack ?
The question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but Cissé had an idea .
He filled a jar of M & Ms with paint , waited for it to dry , then removed the M & Ms by hand and counted the spots on each piece of candy where there was a missing circle of paint .
Each spot indicated contact with another piece of candy , revealing that each candy has , on average , about 10 neighbors , he and his colleagues reported in Science ( 303:990–93 , 2004 ) .
That meant that ellipsoids packed more densely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ six neighbors—a finding with implications for construction of ceramics , glass , and other materials .
“ It absolutely blew me away that this actually worked , ” says Chaikin .
“ And it really was a discovery—it really was an influential paper that he was a coauthor on.
” Cissé wrapped up his bachelor ’ s degree in 2004 , then joined the lab of biophysicist Taekjip “ TJ ” Ha at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign .
Ha had recently developed a variation of fluorescence resonance energy transfer ( FRET ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ individual molecules .
Cissé put a twist on the technique , housing the molecules of interest inside lipid vesicles , which kept them in close proximity so that they continued to interact despite not having strong affinity for each other .
The method allowed Cissé to watch the assembly and disassembly dynamics of two mostly complementary strands of DNA with a single mismatch somewhere in the string of nine base pairs ( Nat Struct Mol Biol , 19:623–27 , 2012 ) .
After completing his PhD in 2009 , Cissé accepted a position @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where he developed a variation of a super-resolution microscopy technique called Photoactivated Localization Microscopy ( PALM ) to watch how molecules behaved over time in unfixed cells .
The technique revealed that molecules of RNA polymerase II , a critical enzyme for transcription , cluster around genes that are being transcribed in cultured human cells ( Science , 341:664–67 , 2013 ) .
In 2014 , Cissé started a lab at MIT , and following up on the PALM work , he and his team reported that the length of time clusters hung @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of mRNAs produced in mouse cells ( eLife , 5 : e13617 , 2016 ) .
A later study showed that other molecules that regulate transcription clustered with RNA polymerases in mouse stem cells , and that some of the clusters lasted on the order of “ tens of minutes , ” Cissé says ( Science , 361:412–15 , 2018 ) .
“ There ’ s a nice intellectual continuity to [ his work ] , ” says Ha , now at Johns Hopkins University , noting that Cissé has continued to focus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ I ’ m really , really impressed .
”

ABOVE: Ibrahim Cissé (center) and colleagues COURTESY OF DENIS PAISTE, MIT MATERIALS RESEARCH LABORATORY
Ibrahim Cissé spent hours as a child taking apart and trying to rebuild electronics. Other times, he would reenact NASA space shuttle liftoffs, tipping a chair backward onto the floor and then climbing in, his knees and face pointed skyward. He’d shake the chair to simulate shooting through Earth’s atmosphere as he watched Hollywood movies about space exploration. Captivated by the US space program as well as the idea of the American dream he saw portrayed on the big screen, the Niger native begged his parents to allow him to come to the US for college. They agreed, and with the help of a host family in North Carolina, he moved across the Atlantic at age 17.
In 2002, Cissé transferred from community college to North Carolina Central University (NCCU), where he worked with physicist Kinney Kim—on a NASA-funded project, no less. “It was incredible,” Cissé says. But he didn’t realize that he could do research as a career until Nobel Laureate Carl Wieman and fellow physicist Sarah Gilbert, Wieman’s wife, visited NCCU during Cissé’s junior year and told him as much, Cissé recalls. “That was the first time someone had suggested to me the idea of doing . . . laboratory research for the rest of your life.”
To prepare for graduate school, Cissé spent the summer of 2003 at Princeton University in the lab of physicist Paul Chaikin, now at New York University. Chaikin asked Cissé a seemingly simple question: If you poured ellipsoidal objects into a jar, how densely would they pack? The question had stumped previous students and many researchers, but Cissé had an idea. He filled a jar of M&Ms with paint, waited for it to dry, then removed the M&Ms by hand and counted the spots on each piece of candy where there was a missing circle of paint. Each spot indicated contact with another piece of candy, revealing that each candy has, on average, about 10 neighbors, he and his colleagues reported in Science. That meant that ellipsoids packed more densely than perfect spheres, which have approximately six neighbors—a finding with implications for construction of ceramics, glass, and other materials. “It absolutely blew me away that this actually worked,” says Chaikin. “And it really was a discovery—it really was an influential paper that he was a coauthor on.”
Cissé wrapped up his bachelor’s degree in 2004, then joined the lab of biophysicist Taekjip “TJ” Ha at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Ha had recently developed a variation of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) imaging that worked on the level of individual molecules. Cissé put a twist on the technique, housing the molecules of interest inside lipid vesicles, which kept them in close proximity so that they continued to interact despite not having strong affinity for each other. The method allowed Cissé to watch the assembly and disassembly dynamics of two mostly complementary strands of DNA with a single mismatch somewhere in the string of nine base pairs.
After completing his PhD in 2009, Cissé accepted a position at École Normale Supérieure in Paris, where he developed a variation of a super-resolution microscopy technique called Photoactivated Localization Microscopy (PALM) to watch how molecules behaved over time in unfixed cells. The technique revealed that molecules of RNA polymerase II, a critical enzyme for transcription, cluster around genes that are being transcribed in cultured human cells. In 2014, Cissé started a lab at MIT, and following up on the PALM work, he and his team reported that the length of time clusters hung around transcribed genes correlated with the number of mRNAs produced in mouse cells. A later study showed that other molecules that regulate transcription clustered with RNA polymerases in mouse stem cells, and that some of the clusters lasted on the order of “tens of minutes,” Cissé says.
“There’s a nice intellectual continuity to [his work],” says Ha, now at Johns Hopkins University, noting that Cissé has continued to focus on imaging the interactions of individual molecules. “I’m really, really impressed.”


thescientist--2020-08-20--Optimizing Lab Ultrafiltration Workflows: From Molecule Separation to Diagnostics

Ultrafiltration techniques are becoming increasingly critical in research and process applications .
With the wide range of lab-based research applications @ @ @ @ @ , environmental , clinical , and other industrial sectors , it is important to understand @ @ @ @ @ key principals and methods needed to optimize ultrafiltration procedures .
This webinar sponsored by Sartorius @ @ @ @ @ researchers to maximize user-specific results and reduce specimen-to-report timelines .
• The latest guidance on @ @ @ @ @ tools , and considerations needed to optimize lab ultrafiltration workflows • How cell culture molecule @ @ @ @

FREE Webinar
Monday, September 21, 2020
2:30 - 4:00 PM, Eastern Standard Time
Register Now
Ultrafiltration techniques are becoming increasingly critical in research and process applications. With the wide range of lab-based research applications and molecules in life science, environmental, clinical, and other industrial sectors, it is important to understand both the shared and specific key principles and methods needed to optimize ultrafiltration procedures. In this webinar sponsored by Sartorius, experts will explain how optimization allows researchers to maximize user-specific results and reduce specimen-to-report timelines.
Topics to be covered
The latest guidance on innovative methods, products, tools, and considerations needed to optimize lab ultrafiltration workflows
How cell culture molecule workflows can be improved
Register Now
Meet the speakers:
Adam Green
Manager, Lab Filtration Product Management
Sartorius
Klaus Schoene
Lead Application Scientist
Sartorius


thescientist--2020-08-20--Genetic and Spatial Heterogeneity in Human Papillomavirus-Associated Oropharyngeal Cancer

Head and neck cancers arising from the upper aerodigestive tract are the sixth leading cause of cancer-related mortality , with over 550,000 new cases per year .
Though it continues to be prevalent , the aetiology of oropharyngeal cancer ( OPC ; cancer of the tonsil and base of tongue ) has completely changed in the last 30 years .
Now , human papillomavirus ( HPV ) is the leading cause of OPC .
While patients with viral OPC tend to be younger , and have a superior response to treatment and better prognosis compared with non-viral-OPC patients , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ well understood due to the paucity of genomic data in the viral-OPC population .
The underlying genetic drivers of diverse cancer cell phenotypes , or `` tumoral heterogeneity , ” have been shown to affect clinical outcomes but have not been studied in detail .
In this webinar hosted by The Scientist and sponsored by 10x Genomics , Joseph Powell will discuss how heterogeneous subpopulations of HPV+ head and neck cancer cells drive unique disease states , cell–cell interactions , and microenvironment dynamics , and have implications for cancer behavior , metastasis , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tumoral heterogeneity in head and neck cancer affects clinical outcomes • How to study heterogeneous subpopulations of HPV+ cancer cells using single-cell and spatial techniques

FREE Webinar
Tuesday, September 8, 2020
5:00 - 6:00 PM, Eastern Standard Time
Register Now
Head and neck cancers arising from the upper aerodigestive tract are the sixth leading cause of cancer-related mortality, with over 550,000 new cases per year. Though it continues to be prevalent, the etiology of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC; cancer of the tonsil and base of tongue) has completely changed in the last 30 years. Now, human papillomavirus (HPV) is the leading cause of OPC. While patients with viral OPC tend to be younger and have a superior response to treatment and better prognosis compared with non-viral-OPC patients, the biological differences between these cancers are not well understood due to the paucity of genomic data in the viral-OPC population. The underlying genetic drivers of diverse cancer cell phenotypes, or "tumoral heterogeneity,” affect clinical outcomes but have not been studied in detail.
In this webinar hosted by The Scientist and sponsored by 10x Genomics, Joseph Powell will discuss how heterogeneous subpopulations of HPV+ head and neck cancer cells drive unique disease states, cell–cell interactions, and microenvironment dynamics, and have implications for cancer behavior, metastasis, and response to treatment.
Topics to be covered
How tumoral heterogeneity in head and neck cancer affects clinical outcomes
How to study heterogeneous subpopulations of HPV+ cancer cells using single-cell and spatial techniques
Register Now
Meet the speaker:
Joseph Powell, PhD
Associate Professor
Garvan Institute of Medical Research


thescientist--2020-08-24--Neurobiologist Dave Schubert Dies

Neurobiologist Dave Schubert Dies

Dave Schubert , a neurobiologist at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies , died August 6 , two days after being diagnosed with B cell lymphoma , according to The San Diego Union-Tribune .
He was 77 years old .
Schubert ’ s long career at Salk spanned the breadth of neurodegeneration research , from the basics of amyloid β toxicity to the screening and preclinical testing of compounds for possible treatments for Alzheimer ’ s disease .
“ We are deeply saddened by the news of Dave ’ s passing .
He was one of the earliest graduate students @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years of his scientific career here , ” Salk President Rusty Gage says in a statement .
“ Dave will be greatly missed and we are forever thankful for his contributions to our research community.
” According to the statement , Schubert was born in 1943 in Indianapolis and attended Indiana University for his bachelor ’ s degree in chemistry .
He performed his graduate studies on immunology in the lab of Melvin Cohn at Salk and did his postdoctoral work with François Jacob at the Pasteur Institute , a leader in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Schubert started the first neurobiology lab at Salk .
He established and described clonal cell lines important for neuroscience .
According to a biography from the Michael J .
Fox Foundation , Schubert studied growth factors before turning to the cellular pathology of Alzheimer ’ s disease .
In 1994 , he and his colleagues showed that amyloid β damages cells in culture through free radicals .
More recently , Schubert and his wife Pamela Maher , a senior staff scientist at Salk , collaborated on a screening initiative to identify and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death in Alzheimer ’ s and other neurodegenerative diseases .
One of these , a synthetic derivative of curcumin , found in turmeric , is now being tested in a Phase 1 trial of healthy individuals to examine its safety .
“ He will be disappointed that he doesn ’ t get to see what happens , but getting it that far was really quite a feather in his cap , ” Maher tells the Union-Tribune .
Schubert is survived by Maher , his son Bruno , and three grandchildren .

ABOVE: SALK INSTITUTE
Dave Schubert, a neurobiologist at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, died August 6, two days after being diagnosed with B cell lymphoma, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. He was 77 years old.
Schubert’s long career at Salk spanned the breadth of neurodegeneration research, from the basics of amyloid β toxicity to the screening and preclinical testing of compounds for possible treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.
“We are deeply saddened by the news of Dave’s passing. He was one of the earliest graduate students at Salk and spent close to 55 years of his scientific career here,” Salk President Rusty Gage says in a statement. “Dave will be greatly missed and we are forever thankful for his contributions to our research community.”
According to the statement, Schubert was born in 1943 in Indianapolis and attended Indiana University for his bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He performed his graduate studies on immunology in the lab of Melvin Cohn at Salk and did his postdoctoral work with François Jacob at the Pasteur Institute, a leader in the field of gene regulation.
In 1970, Schubert started the first neurobiology lab at Salk. He established and described clonal cell lines important for neuroscience. According to a biography from the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Schubert studied growth factors before turning to the cellular pathology of Alzheimer’s disease. In 1994, he and his colleagues showed that amyloid β damages cells in culture through free radicals.
More recently, Schubert and his wife Pamela Maher, a senior staff scientist at Salk, collaborated on a screening initiative to identify and improve upon compounds that might prevent cell death in Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. One of these, a synthetic derivative of curcumin, found in turmeric, is now being tested in a Phase 1 trial of healthy individuals to examine its safety.
“He will be disappointed that he doesn’t get to see what happens, but getting it that far was really quite a feather in his cap,” Maher tells the Union-Tribune.
Schubert is survived by Maher, his son Bruno, and three grandchildren.