SBE
January 2012
 
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arrow Biotech News
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  • A research group has found the activation steps of other immune system cells that are blocked by regulatory T cells (Tregs.) Since Tregs can also suppress the body's immune defense against cancer, these findings may help develop more efficient cancer treatments.
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  • Optical coherence tomography, a new imaging method currently being studied by bioengineers, is a technology able to provide images of hard-to-reach areas such as blood vessels in the retina and hair cells inside the cochlea. It is expected to help understand better the hearing process and maybe also sudden sensorineual hearing loss.
    Link

  • Besides its common uses, scientists have identified for the first time a specific function of Vitamin E. It appears to aid the repair of torn plasma membranes in muscle cells by acting as an antioxidant and inserting itself into the plasma membrane to prevent free radicals from attacking. There are hopes to use these properties to help ameliorate membrane repair failure in diabetes.
    Link

  • Researchers have created living "neon signs" composed of millions of synchronized illuminating bacteria to be used as a sensor that will continuously monitor a given sample over long periods of time. These living sensors are capable of detecting an array of heavy metal pollutants and disease-causing organisms.
    Link

  • A new DNA detection method could bring real-world applications that are more rapid, practical and cost effective than current methods. The new method involves a technique called laser transmission spectroscopy, capable of rapidly determining the size, shape and number of nanoparticles in suspension.
    Link
 
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arrow SBE News
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Happy New Year! SBE would like to thank you for all your support. If you have any suggestions or feedback on how to make 2012 even better, email us at bio@aiche.org.
 
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SBE will host a new webinar by Dr. J Christopher Love of MIT on "Engineering Single-Cell Bioanalytics for Discovery and Bioprocess Characterization" on January 24 at 2 PM EST. Join your peers for this exciting webinar by registering here!
 
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Read SBE's BioSupplement on Vaccine Production! Log in as an SBE member to view for free!
 
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The Call for Nominations for SBE's Managing Board will be open until February 1st. Email your nomination to bio@aiche.org.
 
SBE's 3rd International Conference on Stem Cell Engineering
 
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arrow Meetings Update
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The Call for Papers is now open for SBE's Third International Conference on Stem Cell Engineering to be held April 29 – May 2, 2012 in Downtown Seattle, WA and chaired by Chuck Murry (Washington) and Sean Palecek (Wisconsin - Madison). This conference is co-organized by the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR).
 
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Save the Date for the Sixth International Conference on Bioengineering and Nanotechnology to be held June 24th-27th 2012 at the Claremont Hotel on The University of California's Berkeley Campus. The conference will be chaired by Luke Lee (UC Berkeley) and Matthew Tirrell (University of Chicago). The call for papers is now open.
 
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Register now for the Sustainability in (Bio)Pharmaceuticals conference to be held November 11-14, 2012 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. This meeting is chaired by Conchita Jimenez-Gonzalez (GlaxoSmithKline) and Gene Schaefer (Johnson & Johnson) and is co-organized by SBE and the Institute for Sustainability (IfS).
 
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Keep Your Calendars Open! Announcing SBE's Fourth International Conference on Biomolecular Engineering to be held January 27-30, 2013 in Florida. The conference will be co-chaired by Ali Khademhosseini (Harvard) and Kristala Prather (MIT).
 
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Join the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) for the 2012 National Biotechnology Conference May 21-23, 2012 in San Diego, CA! Click the ad below for more info!
 
SBE's 3rd International Conference on Stem Cell Engineering
 
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arrow Student Corner
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Thinking about starting an SBE Student Chapter? Email Derek Lapiska at derel@aiche.org for more information. As a reminder, SBE student membership is FREE! Become a member here.
 
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No one has guessed January's protein at SBE's What Protein Am I Quiz! Visit http://www.aiche.org/sbe/education/wpai.aspx to make a guess! The first correct guess is featured in February's Newsletter.
 
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arrow Comments?
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SBE's e-Connections is edited by Adrian Fay, Web Science Editor, with input from SBE staff. Contact us at bio@aiche.org.
 
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arrow Join Now
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Not a current SBE member? It's never too late to join or renew. Costs are $75 for regular members, $25 for graduate students, $15 for AIChE, ACS and IBE members, or free for undergraduates. Join now at http://www.aiche.org/apps/ecommerce/bio/index.asp.

Member benefits include:
Subscription to SBE's semi-annual BioSupplement to Chemical Engineering Progress.
Discounts on leading biological engineering conferences including SBE and SBE cosponsored meetings and courses.
Access to online membership directory.
A voice in education, employment and technology advancement topics.
 
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The Society for Biological Engineering (SBE) is a new technological community of AIChE
Its mission is to promote the integration of biology with engineering and realize its benefits
through bioprocessing, biomedical, and biomolecular applications.
For comments and contributions to SBE Connections, email bio@aiche.org
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AIChE © 2012 American Institute of Chemical Engineers