Physical chemist Carol Mertz mixes a polyethylene glycol (PEG) coating for synthesized polymer nanospheres as polymer chemist Martha Finck examines a different PEG formulation. The coated nanospheres can be injected into humans following exposure to chemical, biological or radiological toxins. The nanospheres selectively pick up these toxins and then are drawn out through a magnetic filtration system outside the body. Photo by George Joch.

Nov. 13, 2006 -- Some of this week's stories:

Biodegradable nanospheres offer novel approach for treatment of toxin exposure and drug delivery

by Dave Baurac

A new technology to clean the blood of victims of radiological, chemical and biological terrorist attacks is being developed jointly by Argonne, the Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute and The University of Chicago Hospitals.

In addition to cleaning biological and radiological toxins from blood, the technology shows promise for delivering therapeutic drugs to targeted cells and organs. The technology uses components approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a novel approach to magnetic filtration.

“The best that doctors can do for most biohazard exposure is supportive treatment,” said Michael Kaminski of Argonne's Chemical Engineering Division. “This new system will be designed to directly remove the toxic agents from the bloodstream -- quickly and efficiently.”

“Although the immediate focus of the research centers on likely biological, chemical and radiological warfare toxins, the technology could be extended to other medical conditions,” said Axel J. Rosengart of The University of Chicago Hospitals. “The system may lend itself to drug and medication overdose emergencies, for example, or treatment of various chronic or acute illnesses.”

“The key to the technology,” Kaminski said, “is biodegradable nanospheres 100 to 5,000 nanometers in diameter small enough to pass through tiny blood vessels, yet large enough to avoid being filtered from the bloodstream by the kidneys.” One nanometer is one billionth of a meter, about 70,000 times smaller than the diameter of an average human hair.

The particles contain a magnetic iron compound and are coated with a type of polyethylene glycol that prevents white blood cells from attacking them. Attached to the particles' surfaces are proteins that bind to specific toxic agents. Intravenously injected into the patient, the nanospheres circulate through the bloodstream, where their surface proteins bind to the targeted toxins.

“Once the nanospheres have done their work,” Rosengart said, “they are removed from the bloodstream by a small dual-channel shunt, similar to exchange transfusion tubing, inserted into an arm or leg artery.”

The shunt circulates the blood through an external magnetic separator, where strong magnets immobilize the iron-based particles. Clean blood flows out of the separator and back into the bloodstream.

Advantages over current methods

This system offers a number of advantages over existing methods to clean human blood of radioactive and other hazardous materials. Current medical procedures to detoxify human blood are restricted to a few types of toxins and are mainly limited to dialysis and filtration.

In addition, currently available treatments can take several hours to complete, require the turnover and filtration of large volumes of blood, are rather inefficient at removing toxins and can be risky for the patient. For these reasons, current methods are mostly restricted to patients with kidney failure and certain types of drug overdoses.

Alternative treatments exist, such as antibodies and chelators — substances that combine with and neutralize toxins. These treatments can be used for specific kinds of toxins, but they are inefficient and can cause serious side effects, such as allergic reactions and organ failure.

Drug delivery

Nanosphere technology is also being developed to deliver drugs, genes and otherwise un-deliverable therapies — such as acutely toxic small molecules, peptides and pharmaceutics — to targeted cells and organs. The particle surfaces can be designed to provide receptor-mediated targeting of cells, sustained drug delivery, or magnetic targeting of organs. The nanospheres can deliver water-based or oil-based drugs.

The project has developed a prototype magnetic filter, has tested many nanospheres formulations for specific toxins and is conducting ongoing trials in vitro and in vivo.

Online open enrollment ends Nov. 22

Employees have less than two weeks to change medical plans, verify student status, or enroll in health care/dependent care flexible spending accounts for 2007. Open enrollment ends Wednesday, Nov. 22. Late enrollees and late changes will not be accepted. The open enrollment Web site can be reached at www.inside.anl.gov. An Argonne login ID and password must be used to access the site.

Employees who do not have access to a computer can use those available at Human Resources-Employee Benefits, Conference Room 1A-26 in Building 201. Representatives will be available for assistance.

Tour of duty in D.C. benefits Argonne, careers

Throughout the laboratory's history, Argonne has maintained a close, productive relationship with its sponsor and primary customer, the U.S. Department of Energy, and its predecessors. This is important to sustaining the laboratory's core programs and keeping a clear view of its main missions. With the new contractual arrangement with DOE, changes in the Office of Science, and an expansion of Argonne's mission, it is more important than ever to develop a clear and ongoing understanding of the needs and direction of our funding agencies.

An extremely effective way to do this is to have Argonne scientists and engineers work directly with sponsors in Washington for extended periods. Such an arrangement allows Argonne employees to get first-hand knowledge of the sponsors' needs and pressures, and it allows the sponsors to get to know Argonne employees better, developing the trust that results in more productive long-term relationships.

The change in contract has also allowed a change in Argonne policies regarding our staff taking “change of station” and “intergovernmental personnel agreement” (IPA) assignments. Issues related to compensation, travel expenses and opportunities for promotion have been addressed in the new policy.

Several Argonne staff have taken advantage of the opportunity to serve in Washington. Their views and experiences are reported below.

Mary Anne Yates (NS) has been detailed to Washington, D.C., three times. She spent three years with the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) providing support for their work on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and agreements with Russia to shut down plutonium-based reactors and ban the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. In addition to being stationed in Washington, this posting included spending eight months in Geneva, Switzerland, and regular travel to Russia.

“I had shown an interest in nonproliferation work, so when they needed someone, I was ‘drafted,'” Yates said. “I'm glad they sent me — all my other assignments grew out of that work. I met many people and learned how things work.”

In 2001, Yates spent four months in the NNSA policy office, again providing technical support for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty; but in the aftermath of the terror attacks, her work shifted to counterterrorism. Yates assisted DOE as it provided input for the development of the new Department of Homeland Security. Last fall, Yates spent four months in Washington working in DOE's Office of Counterterrorism.

Her temporary assignments helped her understand how things work in the nation's capital.

“We think of DOE headquarters, for example, as a monolith,” Yates said. “But after working in D.C. for a while, you get to understand how the organizations work and the pressures they're under. I think it made me more sympathetic and helpful.”

Yates would strongly recommend Argonne employees seek out opportunities for a change of station or IPA assignment. The contacts made in Washington can bring projects to the laboratory. “It pays off,” she said. “They need to call on people they can rely on, and working side-by-side builds up that trust.”

“The biggest benefit is that you actually come to understand your customer,” Yates said. “That's why we need a lot more people back there.”

Aside from the opportunities for professional growth, Washington “is a great place to live. There's lots to do and see.”

Argonne employees considering a temporary assignment can call Yates at ext. 2-8083 for advice on places to live in the Washington, D.C., area, getting around and other topics.

Mark Peters (AST) spent two years working at DOE headquarters in Washington, D.C., as a scientific advisor to Margaret Chu, then director of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management. Peters worked on issues related to the scientific program for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. Once he heard about the posting, he “had to be fairly persistent” to land the position.

“My motivation was mainly a desire for D.C. experience, and the change of station was invaluable,” Peters said. “You gain an appreciation of what the federal workforce does and how hard their jobs are. Remember that the senior management — the secretary and two or three tiers down — changes every few years. The career staff has to be extremely resilient and adaptable.”

The experience made him better at evaluating requests and making decisions.

“It was a great professional experience, and we turned it into a great family experience as well,” Peters said. The family, including Peters' wife and three young children, rented a house in the Washington, D.C., area.

“I'd highly recommend taking advantage of the opportunity,” Peters said. “Make the best of it; you may have to create a role for yourself.”

Also, employees on a change of station or IPA assignment should stay in close contact with the laboratory.

“One of the most difficult challenges is re-entry. You need to think about how you're going to use the experience when you get back,” Peters said. “You've actually grown professionally and have the ability to contribute in different ways. You almost have to plan for your return before you leave.”

Adam Cohen, Argonne's deputy associate laboratory director for Physical Sciences, has just begun a one-year change of station at U.S. Department of Energy Headquarters. Cohen was identified by top management as a viable candidate for the position.

He is an advisor to Ray Orbach, DOE's undersecretary of science, to provide guidance on the nuclear energy mission of the department. He will work with the program managers and Office of Science staff that fund basic research in the physical, mathematical and computational sciences, as well as program managers in the Office of Nuclear Energy and other DOE offices that support the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP). Cohen will be looking at ways to increase the office's technical expertise in nuclear energy and developing programs between Offices of Science and NE and academia.

“As I have done at Argonne when I started new jobs, I have jumped right in and become involved in as many of the obvious areas as I could,” Cohen said. “I have already met the majority of the key players in the Office of Science and Nuclear Energy program offices and continue to become involved in trips and standing meetings. There are a great bunch of folks who work in DOE at both Forrestal and Germantown, and I am enjoying meeting and greeting new people.”

Cohen's goal is to do whatever he can to help the U.S. nuclear energy program. “This opportunity allows me a great opportunity to really understand how the government in general and DOE specifically work, who the players are, and how I might help connect those dots in the future to help build and/or expand basic and applied research programs,” he said.

“I miss my family, who are still in Chicago, but we are making the best of it,” Cohen said. “On the positive side, I am learning a new area, and in the future when I come for meetings in D.C. or when we travel here as a family, I'll know where to stay, where to eat and how to navigate the Metro.”

Simulated ‘social engineering' attack shows need for awareness

Argonne employees need to be much more suspicious about the e-mail they receive, as a recent “social engineering” assessment conducted by the laboratory's Cyber Security Program Office revealed that many employees were duped by a simulated scam e-mail message.

Social engineering is the broad term for any cyber attack that relies on fooling the user into taking action or divulging information. It doesn't always take the form of an e-mail or Web page; social engineering attacks may take the form of a phone call or even a casual conversation requesting passwords or other confidential information.

With the approval of laboratory management, the Cyber Security Program crafted an e-mail message from “openhouse@anl.gov” inviting the recipient to click on a link to see photos from the Oct. 7 open house. Those who clicked on the link were asked to enter their user names and passwords.

Of the 400 messages sent, 149 recipients clicked on the link. One hundred and four employees supplied a user name and password.

At that point, users were directed to a social engineering awareness page that called upon the specifics of the exercise and provided tips to aid in detection of actual social engineering attacks. Had the e-mail been from a malicious source, intent on disruption or espionage, the laboratory would have been vulnerable to attack from 104 directions.

“The results show that a real attack could have had grave results,” said Michael Skwarek, Cyber Security Program Manager. “This exercise is a level of proof that there is still a long road ahead of us on the education front.”

The assessment was not designed to single out any division or employee, Skwarek said. Results of the analysis will be used to help the Cyber Security Program Office focus on where attention is needed most.

Awareness is the best defense against social engineering attacks:

• Don't use your @anl.gov e-mail address for personal banking or shopping. Use different passwords for your work and personal accounts.

• Stay alert about possible attempts to steal your information — be suspicious of things that don't feel right.

• Know the signs of a scam: While not foolproof, being aware of the signs of a scam may help you to spot one. Examples can be found on the Cyber Security Web site.

• Report suspicious activity quickly to a division cyber security representative. Don't just delete or ignore the message — it's possible other employees will be attacked in the same way.

Detailed information is available on the Cyber Security Web site.

University of Chicago partnership wins Fermilab contract

Fermi Research Alliance, LLC (FRA), a partnership between the University of Chicago and Universities Research Association, Inc. (URA), has been selected to manage Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory for a five-year period beginning Jan. 1, 2007. The contract can continue based on performance for up to 20 years without competition.

Fermilab is the nation's preeminent center for high-energy physics and an international center for scientific research in elementary particle physics and astrophysics. It is also the home of the Tevatron, the world's most powerful particle accelerator. The laboratory has a budget of $320 million and a staff of 1,900 employees on a 6,800-acre site near Batavia. Some 3,000 scientists from 260 universities and laboratories in 37 states and 31 countries collaborate in Fermilab's experiments to explore the fundamental nature of matter, energy, space and time, as well as the origin, evolution and destiny of the universe.

A top priority for FRA is to bring the proposed multi-billion-dollar International Linear Collider (ILC) project to Illinois to ensure that the U.S. and Fermilab play a central role in the future of particle physics. An important step in that direction occurred last April, when Argonne and Fermilab signed an agreement that will enhance cooperation between the two labs on R&D projects.

The Fermilab contract award comes just three months after the University of Chicago won the contract to continue to manage Argonne through UChicago Argonne, LLC, of which the university is the sole member. This presents the opportunity to strengthen the university's commitment to Argonne by initiating new connections and synergies between Argonne, Fermilab, the university and partner institutions in astrophysics, particle physics, computing and accelerator science. Also, a new Laboratory Collaboration Council, led by the directors of Argonne and Fermilab, will explore common interests in accelerator science, management and technology transfer.

Child center art auction will benefit charity

The third annual Young Artists Expo sponsored by the Argonne Child Development Center will take place Thursday, Nov. 16, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the rotunda of the Center for Nanoscale Materials, Building 440.

The expo will feature original pieces of art created by children who attend the center as well as their teachers. The artwork will be up for bid via silent auction. The event will also feature a raffle, an art activity for children, appetizers and a violin performance by young musicians Michelle and Isabelle Chin.

All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Bright Horizons Foundation for Children to support the creation of “Bright Spaces,” which are safe, educational, stimulating playrooms for homeless children or other children in need.

Gayle Burgher, assistant director of the Argonne center, said previous art expos and other fundraisers conducted by center staff have raised $4,000 for the charity. The center recently applied for and received a matching grant from the Bright Horizons Foundation. The $8,000 — in materials and equipment — was donated to SOS Children's Village in Lockport for the creation of a Bright Space.

The SOS Children's Village is a non-profit child welfare agency that builds villages for children who are removed from their biological families due to neglect, abuse, abandonment or inability to care for them. Unlike traditional foster care, SOS reunites children with their siblings to live together with a trained SOS foster parent who provides care, stability and structure. The new bright space at SOS Children's Village opened on Oct. 21.

All Argonne, Department of Energy and University of Chicago employees are encouraged and welcome to attend the expo to learn more about the child development center and to see the type of art young children are capable of creating. For more information, call the center at 2-9601.

Lee Teng to receive Robert R. Wilson Prize

Argonne physicist Lee Teng has been named the winner of the 2007 American Physical Society's Robert R. Wilson Prize, which recognizes outstanding achievement in the physics of particle accelerators.

Teng, senior physicist at the Advanced Photon Source, was honored for his role in the invention of resonant extraction and transition crossing techniques, critical to hadron synchrotrons and storage rings, and advances in third-generation synchrotron radiation storage rings, such as the Advanced Photon Source. He was also honored for early and continued development of linear matrix theory of particle beams and for leadership in the realization of a facility for radiation therapy with protons.

The prize includes a $5,000 award and will be presented at the annual American Physical Society meeting in April. The award is named for Robert R. Wilson, founding director of Fermilab and one of the world's leading experimental physicists.

The American Physical Society is the world's largest professional body of physicists, representing more than 45,000 physicists in academia and industry in the United States and internationally.

Retirement vendors to visit for one-on-one meetings

The laboratory's retirement vendors will send representatives to Argonne during November.

To schedule an appointment, call the number listed.

• Fidelity — Tuesday, Nov. 7, and Tuesday, Nov. 21. Call the appointment desk at (800) 642-7131.

• TIAA-CREF — Wednesday, Nov. 1, Thursday, Nov. 2, and Friday, Nov. 3. Call the appointment desk at (800) 842-2005 or www.tiaa-cref.org/moc.

• Prudential — Wednesday, Nov. 1, and Wednesday, Nov. 15. Call Cheryl at the appointment desk at (630) 285-8876.

Retirement interest rates

Staff and non-staff retirement plan interest rates effective July 1, 2006 are:

• TIAA Traditional contributes 5.25% during 11/1/06 – 11/30/06 that will be earned through 02/28/07.

• TIAA Supplemental contributes 4.50% during 11/1/06 – 11/30/06 that will be earned through 02/28/07.

• Prudential Guaranteed (Plans 5017 & 4245) contributes 4.42% during 07/01/06 – 06/30/07 that will be earned through 06/30/07.

• Prudential Guaranteed (Plan 7680) contributes 4.05% during 07/01/06 – 06/30/07 that will be earned through 12/31/07.

• Prudential Guaranteed (Plan 4643) contributes 4.05% during 07/01/06 – 06/30/07 that will be earned through 12/31/07.

• Lincoln National (Old Account)* contributes 3.60%.

• Lincoln National (No Load)* contributes 4.00%.

(* No longer accepting contributions)

Performance appraisal process: next steps

The laboratory is halfway through this year's performance appraisal cycle. All performance appraisals are due electronically to Human Resources by Dec. 18.

At this point in the process, performance appraisals have been approved and are ready to be released to employees

Next steps for employees

• After performance appraisals are approved, employees will receive an e-mail letting them know they may now view or print their performance appraisals via the Web application.

• Next, each employees will have a conversation with his or her supervisor to discuss the performance appraisal and goals for FY07.

• After the meeting, another e-mail will let the employee know he or she can sign the performance appraisal electronically.

Next steps for supervisors

• After division approval and associate laboratory director release, supervisors may release completed performance appraisals electronically to employees to view or print.

• After meeting with employees to discuss their performance appraisals, supervisors must electronically document the date of the meeting. At this time, comments can be added and section 3 goals can be edited.

• If an employee signs the performance appraisal with no comments, the performance appraisal is completed and will be forwarded to Human Resources. If the employee adds comments, both the supervisor and the second-level supervisor must review the comments and re-sign the performance appraisal electronically before the performance appraisal is completed and forwarded to HR.

Additional information is online.