SBE

October 2011

Biotech News

Jeanne Loring and other researchers have made progress in strengthening the genetic diversity of endangered species populations through stem cell engineering. The group aims to engineer sperm and egg cells from frozen skin cells, similar to the techniques involved in induced pluripotent stem cell reprogramming.
http://www.scripps.edu/newsandviews/e_20110912/loring.html
Researchers have developed techniques to incorporate DNA into nanomaterials for use in applications from electronics to tissue engineering. The process involves strategically placing "DNA linkers" on colloidal nanoparticles at specific angles relative to each other for achieving greater control over the final shape of nanostructures.
http://newswire.uark.edu/article.aspx?id=16797
A recent discovery has shown the ability to prevent immune system damage from HIV by stripping the virus' membrane of cholesterol. The virus then can no longer trigger first responder cells and elicits a stronger adaptive immune response, a development that might facilitate development of vaccines.
http://www3.imperial.ac.uk/newsandeventspggrp/imperialcollege/newssummary/news_20-9-2011-11-28-38
A new bio-inspired material has demonstrated excellent water repelling properties. The material is modeled after the pitcher plant and outperforms all nature and synthetic counterparts. This new discovery is expected to have applications in biomedical fluid handling, fuel transport, as well as anti-fouling and anti-icing technologies.
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/09/plant-offers-slick-strategy/
A collaboration of scientists and engineers may have solved the issue of using silicone and carbon electrodes to lengthen battery life and reduce costs with the assistance of alginate, extracted from common, fast-growing brown algae. The new compound has shown anode reversible capacity eight times greater than current graphite electrodes and anode coulombic efficiency approaching 100 percent.
http://www.gatech.edu/newsroom/release.html?nid=69898

SBE's Conference on Electrofuels Research; November 6-9, 2011 - Providence, RI; Call for Papers - July 15 to September 15, 2011

Society News

Register Today! SBE will host a webinar by Doug Clark entitled "Biomass for Biofuels: Breaking the cellulose Barrier" on October 5th! Be sure to check out this webinar by one of the field's leading expert.

The AIChE Annual Meeting is right around the corner! Register now and be sure to check out SBE's events:

•	2011 Bio Symposium: 20 years of Metabolic Engineering: Foundations of a Bio-based Economy on October 17th at 3:15 pm
•	SBE Short Courses: SBE is offering eight lectures in two parallel series on the theme of systems and synthetic biology on October 18th from 12:30 to 5:30 pm
	James E. Bailey Lecture by Chaitan Khosla on October 18th at 6:00 pm
•	Hospitality Suite — sponsored by Pfizer on October 18th at 9:00 pm
•	Biological Engineering Poster Reception — Co-sponsored by Division 15 on October 19th at 6:00 pm

The Call for Nominations for AIMBE's Pierre Galleti award are now being accepted. To submit a nomination, or read more about past winners, please visit http://www.aimbe.org/awards/the-pierre-galletti-award/.

Sustainability in (Bio)Pharmaceuticals February 19-22, 2012 - San Juan, Puerto Rico - The Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel Submit a Paper Today - CfP runs from June 1 to October 31, 2011

SBE Member Spotlight

SBE would like to congratulate Managing Board Leader Dr. Pankaj Mohan on his company Oncobiologics' grand opening! A ceremony will take place at their new facilities in Cranbury, NJ.

Congratulations to SBE Advisory Board Member Shu Chien as one of President Obama's seven named researchers as recipients of the National Medal of Science and five inventors as recipients of the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. Among the list are a number of chemical engineers including Jacqueline K. Barton and Rakesh Agrawal. Read the full press release here.

The Innovation Awards Ceremony and Summit will be held October 20-21st, 2011 in London, England. The winner of this year's bioscience award is Robert Langer!

SBE is pleased to announce that the American Thoracic Society and the Child Foundation will award Dr. Laertis Ikonomou $40,000 per year for two years to support his research in children's interstitial lung disease.

Conference News

The Register Today for SBE's Conference on Electrofuels Research is now open. The conference will be held this November 6-9, 2011 at the Biltmore in Providence, RI. The objective of the conference is to develop an entirely new paradigm for the production of liquid fuels that could overcome the challenges associated with current technologies.

The Call for Papers for SBE's Sustainability in (Bio)Pharmaceuticals conference to be held February 19-22, 2012 in San Juan is now open. The meeting will cover Material Selection and Material Efficiency, Making Multi-Use vs Single-Use Process Decisions, Greening Manufacturing Processes, and Sustainable Approaches to Product Delivery from Lab to Patient. This conference is co-organized by the Institute for Sustainability (IFS).

Save the Date for SBE's Third International Conference on Stem Cell Engineering to be held April 29 – May 2, 2012 in Downtown Seattle, WA. The conference will bring together engineers, biologists, and clinicians who are working on cellular therapies in order to accelerate progress towards designing the stem cell and its environment. This conference is co-organized by the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR).

AIMBE's Leadership Institute Conference – Effective Mentoring Strategies to Accelerate Retention and Career Advancement of Underrepresented Minorities and Women in Biological, Biomedical, and Bioengineering will be held November 17-18, 2011 at the Crystal City Marriott at Reagan National Airport.

SBE's 3rd International Conference on Stem Cell Engineering April 29 – May 2, 2012 - Seattle, WA - The Sheraton Hotel in Downtown Seattle - Call for Papers Now Open from July 1 to December 31, 2011

Student News

SBE would like to congratulate its new Student Chapters! A warm welcome goes out to Harvard University, Rutgers University, and Universitas Indonesia. We are proud to have these new schools as members of the biological community.

Thinking about starting an SBE Student Chapter this fall? Email Derek Lapiska at derel@aiche.org for more information.

Attending the AIChE Annual Meeting? Don't forget to stop by SBE's events including:

•	Graduate Student Fair
•	Student Career Workshop
•	Best Biological Reaction Award at the Chem-E-Car Competition

Looking for a job? Be sure to check out SBE's Job Boards if you're looking for great jobs in the biological engineering industry.

Visit http://www.aiche.org/sbe/education/wpai.aspx for this month's mystery protein. Be the first to answer it correctly and your name and organization will be featured in our November newsletter.

Comments?

SBE's e-Connections is edited by Adrian Andrew Fay, Web Science Editor, with input from SBE staff. Contact us at bio@aiche.org.

Join Now

Not a current SBE member? It's never too late to join or renew. Costs are $75 for regular members, $25 for graduate students, $10 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.