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By Catherine Foster
The particularly powerful — and very scarce — flexible forms of stem cells needed for medical research and treatment may now be both plentiful and simple to produce, with a new technology developed at Argonne.
These flexible stem cells, able to morph into a variety of cell types, are called “pluripotent,” and before this Argonne research, they have been found only in fetal tissue, which is limited, and in bone marrow, which is difficult to collect.
Pluripotent stem cells are important because they can generate all types of tissues found in the body. The Argonne-developed technology can produce them from adult blood cells.
The finding may eventually offer researchers a practical alternative to the use of embryonic stem cells for research, drug discovery and transplantation.
Argonne scientist Eliezer Huberman (ES) and his colleagues, Yong Zhao (EST-PA) and David Glesne (EST-PA), examined adult monocytes, a type of white blood cells. The researchers found that when monocytes were exposed to a growth factor, they created a set of pluripotent stem cells. After cultivating the stem cells, the scientists were able to make the cells “differentiate” into nerve, liver and immune system tissue by delivering more growth factors.
“Because of its great promise in medicine, I’m prouder of this work than of anything else I’ve done,” Huberman said.
The research is being published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Storing the precursor cells in liquid nitrogen had no effect on their differentiation later. Because monocytes can be easily gathered from a patient’s own blood supply, the researchers suggest that treating disease with a genetic match to prevent rejection may be possible in the future.
This means that the material should produce valuable candidates for transplantation therapy, useful to replenish immune cells that have been eradicated by cancer therapy or to replace neuronal tissue damaged during spinal cord injuries, stroke, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease.
Funding for the research is from the National Institutes of Health. The researchers have applied for a patent on the new technology.
by Amy M. Kile
Argonne's Ian Foster and Steven Tuecke (both MCS) and their associate Carl Kesselman have received a 2003 Federal Laboratory Consortium Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer for their work on the Globus ProjectTM.
The Federal Laboratory Consortium (FLC) awards annually recognize federal employees who have taken technology from the laboratory and applied it in the outside world. The consortium is a nationwide network of federal laboratories that helps develop strategies and opportunities for linking the laboratory mission technologies and expertise with the marketplace.
The Globus Project, which began in 1996, develops the open-source Globus Toolkit software that is central to virtually every major deployment of the Grid, a computing environment that is transforming the nature of science and engineering research. Grid technology lets users share computing power, databases and other tools securely online across corporate, institutional and geographic boundaries without sacrificing local autonomy. In addition to its broad adoption for research, the Globus Toolkit is a de facto standard adopted by major information technology companies.
"I am obviously very happy about this continued recognition of the tremendous work done by the Globus Project team," said Tuecke. "It further emphasizes how the Grid concept in general, and our Globus Toolkit in particular, have expanded in the past year beyond their roots in scientific computing to also become generally applicable to the commercial sector."
Foster is associate director of Argonne's Mathematics and Computer Science Division and professor of computer science at The University of Chicago. Tuecke is lead software architect of the Argonne Distributed Systems Laboratory. Kesselman is a researcher at the Information Sciences Institute of the University of Southern California.
The sound of classical music will fill Argonne-East’s Building 402 Conference Center Saturday, March 15, when Arts at Argonne presents the critically acclaimed Trio Fontenay as part of its annual chamber music series.
The concert, scheduled for 8 p.m., is open to the public. Visitors who are U.S. citizens need photo identification to enter the site, and should call to register before the concert. Non-U.S. citizens must register before the event. Call (630) 252-3751 during business hours.
Admission is $20. To order tickets, call ext. 2-3751 or mail a request using the online ticket request form. Remaining tickets will be available the week of March 10 in the Building 213 Cafeteria between noon and 1 p.m. The Auditorium Box Office will open at 7:30 p.m. the day of the performance.
A pre-concert dinner will be served at the Argonne Guest House. Dinner will cost $24.50 per person and be served from 5-7:30 p.m.
The Trio Fontenay was formed in 1980 and has since recorded complete piano trios by Brahms, Medelsshon, Mozart, Schubert and Dvorák. They have also recorded works by Ives and Schumann and put together a disc featuring the works of Ravel Debussy and Fauré.
The audience is invited to join the musicians at a reception following the performance.
Camerata Sweden, Sweden’s leading chamber orchestra, will perform at the next concert in Arts at Argonne’s Chamber Music Series taking place April 5.
Women with backgrounds in science and technology are needed to have lunch with women scientists of the future Thursday, March 13, at Argonne-East.
As part of the 16th annual Science Careers in Search of Women conference, volunteers will spend about 90 minutes talking about what they do and advising young women on how to get involved and pursue careers in science and technology. About 400 students are expected.
Science Careers in Search of Women is an all-day event sponsored by the Division of Educational Programs to encourage women to consider careers in the science and technology fields. It will include an introduction by Laboratory Director Hermann Grunder, a keynote speech by Deputy Laboratory Director Beverly Hartline and three panel discussions that will split the students into smaller groups based on their interests.
Lunch is scheduled to take place in the Building 213 Cafeteria between 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m., but volunteers are encouraged to arrive by 1:15 p.m. to allow them more time to talk with the young women.
A complimentary lunch of sub sandwiches, apples, cookies and soft drinks will be served. If possible, table assignments will be made according to the interests students indicated on their applications for the event.
After lunch the young women will have an opportunity to take part in selected tours of Argonne and visit career booths set up for the day.
To volunteer or request more information, contact Jean Sloboda (PBC-HP) at ext. 2-1282 or e-mail to jsloboda@anl.gov.
New fencing at Argonne-East electrical substations will prevent power outages, save the laboratory hundreds of thousands of dollars and save the lives of the site’s animals.
Seven times in 2002, animals managed to get through, or over, standard chain-link fences around the site’s electrical substations. Looking for food or a new home, animals may contact high-voltage conductors and cause a short circuit. A power outage from these “animal nuisance” events can cost the laboratory more than $250,000 in lost time and equipment replacement.
To reduce future occurrences, Plant Facilities and Services-Utility Systems, with the assistance of PFS-Grounds, installed protective electrical fencing around critical electrical substations.
The manufacturer designed the electric pulse to feel like a static shock -- the unpleasant snap one gets from touching a metal doorknob after walking on carpet. The shock will not injure animals.
Since installing the electrical fences last fall, protected substations have yet to experience an animal-related electrical outage. The $100,000 investment has been easily repaid through the avoidance of just one animal nuisance event.
For more information on this project, call Matt Schebler (PFS-US) at ext. 2-5008.
Q: There is plenty of documentation on how a good policy that allows telecommuting can benefit both the employer and employees. A prime example is increased productivity for the employer and increased free time for the employee. Telecommuting also benefits the local community by helping reduce local traffic congestion as well as maintaining the environment. Does Argonne have a telecommuting policy?
A: There are certainly cases, when a mutually beneficial situation exists, in which Argonne employees work at alternative work locations, including their homes. These are set up on a case-by-case basis.
If you believe working from home may be of mutual benefit to you and the laboratory, please follow these steps:
1. Discuss the situation with your supervisor. If your supervisor supports a telecommuting arrangement, proceed to Step 2.
2. Obtain an “ANL Work-At-Home/Alternative Work Location Agreement” from Human Resources - Employment and Placement. You and your supervisor should then complete this form together.
3. Obtain division director and associate laboratory director approval signatures on the agreement.
4. Submit the agreement to Human Resources for final approval.
More directions on how to submit an ‘Ask the Directorate’ question are online.
Joliet Junior College will conduct on-site registration for summer 2003 classes in Building 201 Human Resources office from noon-3:30 p.m. Friday, March 7.
Employees must bring a completed and approved educational assistance form to registration.
For more information, call Betty Iwan (HR) at ext. 2-3410.
Argonne Reactor Golf League is recruiting active golfers for the 2003 season. For more information, contact Judy Gross (TD) at ext. 2-6347 or jagross@td.anl.gov.
“Understanding the Demographic of the Evolving Workforce” a seminar on age diversity in the workplace, will take place Tuesday, March 11, at 3 p.m. in the Advanced Photon Source Auditorium at Argonne-East.
Presenter Marilyn Moats Kennedy will discuss the characteristics of the five age groups in the modern workplace. Although these groups share many work values, Kennedy says, they differ on others, such as the role of managers, employer and employee loyalty, technical competence and what constitutes a good day’s work. Lifestyle preferences and social values may also differ greatly. All employees are welcome to attend.
Kennedy publishes Kennedy’s Career Strategist, a monthly newsletter about career planning, job hunting and office politics.
Contact a Training Management System representative to receive credit for attending a diversity discussion. The registration number is HR273.
Classes offered by Electronics and Computing Technologies are held in Argonne-East’s Building 201, Room 167. Unless otherwise specified, classes are limited to eight and cost $215. March classes include:
Advanced Excel 2000 (ECT379) —
Tuesday, March 4, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Advanced Access 2000 (ECT380) —
Wednesday, March 5, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Intermediate PowerPoint 2000 (ECT373)
— Thursday, March 6, 8:30 a.m. to noon. Cost: $140.
Advanced PowerPoint 2000 (ECT382)
— Thursday, March 6, 1-4:30 p.m. Cost: $140.
Complete class descriptions, schedules and enrollment forms are available online. For information about enrollment, contact Diane Cavazos (ECT) at ext. 2-7153 or dkcavazos@anl.gov.
Service Awards for February include:
35 Years
Ronald E. Frass (PFS), Loren J. Habegger (EA), Robert C. Haglund (TD), Gerald M. McAffee (ENT).
30 Years
Pascal J. Colaianni (PFS), Richard Simms (RAE), William M. Swift (CMT), David C. Wade (ERA).
25 Years
Kenneth M. Bertram (DIS), Catherine M. Dial (AIP), Robert A. Peralta (RPS), Danel R. Thomas (FAC).
20 Years
John T. Davis (EQO), David A. Dillard (PFS), Hussein S. Khalil (RAE), Julie Maeser (FAC).
15 Years
Louis B. Adams (PFS), Shabbir Ahmed (CMT), Brian Mac Anderson (ENT), Cary N. Bloyd (DIS), Mark T. Boehlen (PFS), Matthew R. Bourne (RPS), Anthony N. Costa (OCF), Jana Paige Crow (RPS), Denice DiGiacoma (ECT), Victoria S. Jennings (PFS), Margaret M. Vaught (HR), Dale R. Wahlquist (ENT), Brian P. Wulf (RPS).
10 Years
Timothy Jonasson (ASD), Kevin Knoerzer (XFD), Martin Langsam (OCF), Robert Mahoney (PFS), Richard M. Maurisak (PFS), Kristine Mietsner (ASD), Susan G. Schwartz (FAC).
Human Resources will offer two classes for supervisors during March at Argonne-East.
“Employee Development for Maximum
Performance” (HR265) — Thursday, March 6, 1-5 p.m., in Building 201, Room 190.
“The Supervisory Role in Managing
Employee Issues” (HR643) — Thursday, March 20, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Building 402,
Conference Room E1100.
To enroll, contact a Training Management System Representative. For more information, call Betty Iwan (HR) at ext. 2-3410. Complete course descriptions are available online.
“Dare to Dream” will be the topic when the Argonne Chapter of the International Association of Administrative Professionals meets in Argonne-East’s Building 900 Wednesday, March 19, at 5:30 p.m.
Speaker Carolyn Arthur (HR) will discuss ways to make dreams a reality. All employees are invited to attend, and refreshments will be available.
For information, contact Michelle Lawlor (DIS) at ext. 2-0270.