NANO-MEDICINE -- Axel Rosengart of the University of Chicago (left) and Michael D. Kaminski (CMT) use a laser to study magnetic nanoparticles. The two are developing a technique to remove biotoxins from the blood stream using nanoparticles and an external magnetic separator. The laser is used to determine the particles’ size, shape, surface charge and stability against coagulation. Photo by George Joch.

Nanoparticles eyed as biohazard treatment

Nanoparticles may someday come to the rescue of people exposed to chemical, biological or radiological hazards. Argonne researchers are in the early testing stages of a system that would cleanse the blood of contaminants using tiny magnetic particles and a portable, external magnetic separator.

Current methods of cleaning the blood of radioactive and other hazardous materials are mainly limited to dialysis and filtration techniques, said Michael D. Kaminski (CMT), who is developing the new system with Axel J. Rosengart of the University of Chicago.

Unfortunately, current medical procedures to detoxify human blood are restricted to only a few types of toxins, drastically limiting treatment options for exposed victims. Also, several important shortcomings exist with the currently available technology: 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.

There are alternative treatments, such as antibodies and chelators -- substances that combine with and neutralize toxins. These treatments can be used for specific kinds of toxins but are not efficient. They can cause serious side effects, such as allergic reactions and organ failure.

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

The biohazard detoxification system envisioned by Kaminski and Rosengart will use biodegradable nanoparticles between 100 and 5,000 nanometers (one nanometer is one ten-millionth of a centimeter) in size -- small enough to pass through tiny blood vessels and yet large enough to avoid being filtered from the bloodstream by the kidneys. The particles will contain a magnetic iron compound and will be coated with a type of polyethylene glycol, which prevents them from being attacked by white blood cells. The particles will contain a specific protein that binds to a specific toxic agent.

The particles would be intravenously injected into the patient and circulate throughout the bloodstream, where the toxins would bind to the nanoparticle-antitoxin surfaces.

To subsequently remove the nanoparticles and their attached toxins, a small dual-channel shunt (similar to exchange transfusion tubing) inserted into an arm or leg artery would circulate blood to and from an external magnetic separator. Within the separator, blood would flow through a branching array of tiny tubes, where strong magnets would immobilize the iron-based particles. Cleansed blood would continue through the tubes and back into the body.

Recent tests on rats showed the system’s promise. The scientists used horseradish peroxidase, an enzyme used in biology experiments, to simulate a toxin. The nanoparticles were made of magnetite, a highly magnetic mineral, encapsulated in polystyrene spheres. Various nanoparticle sizes and compositions were tested; the level of “toxin” in the rats’ bloodstreams fell by 50 percent in a half-hour or less.

“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 Rosengart. The system may lend itself to drug and medication overdose emergencies, for example, or treatment of various chronic or acute illnesses.

The foundation for this work was laid last year when Kaminski, Rosengart, and their colleagues completed a small exploratory research project that led directly to this larger research program, funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Future research will center on determining the optimum nanoparticle composition, finding types of receptors to bind to various toxins and developing a compact external separator that can be used by emergency responders.

Rise in lab’s health costs reflect U.S. trends

The recent hike in employee health care contributions at Argonne is a symptom of a national trend.

Employees across the country are paying more for their health insurance as employers struggle with premiums that jumped 12.7 percent over the last year. It was the second straight year of double-digit growth and the biggest hike in 12 years.

The Chicago area recorded one of the bigger increases in health care costs among major cities in 2003, up 15.6 percent.

At Argonne, the cost of the laboratory’s health care plans increased from $35 million to $42.7 million in a span of two years -- and is expected to be almost $46 million in 2004. Costs for prescription drugs rose by $3.8 million in just two years. The cost of providing health care for employees and their families, and also retirees, is more than double the next largest overhead expense.

“Simply put, just as for other companies, Argonne unfortunately can no longer continue to absorb the majority of healthcare cost increases,” said Argonne Director Hermann Grunder.

A few of the reasons for health care cost increases, outside of the surging cost for malpractice insurance, include:

Medicare: Medicare is the largest consumer and provider of health care reimbursements in the country, and the government has reduced its reimbursement rates. Citizens, employers and insurance companies have to absorb these costs.

Prescription drugs: In the last year alone, prescription costs have increased at triple the rate of inflation, due to pharmaceutical advances, direct-to-consumer advertising (over $3 billion annually), and regulatory and liability costs.

Aging population: About 11,000 people turn age 50 every day. Older people are greater consumers of health care which results in higher costs.

Life expectancy: In the past, only two percent of the population was over age 65; today it’s 15 percent. Longer life expectancy creates more medical costs for a longer period of time.

Technology: Advances in technology have revolutionized medical diagnosis and treatment -- but they’re also expensive.

Lifestyle: Approximately 70 percent of all health-care claims are related to lifestyle. Obesity, alcohol and substance abuse, tobacco use and lack of exercise contribute to lifestyle claims.

Other factors include increasing government mandates and regulations, litigation, and fraud and abuse.

Argonne has worked hard to contain these costs and isolate its health-plan participants from their impact via several methods:

Participation in the Health Purchasing Initiative of the Midwest Business Group on Health

Changing pharmacy benefit managers for prescription drugs

Consolidating HMO carriers,

Increasing wellness programs

Adding disease management programs to the laboratory’s health care plans.

When confronted with a $3.2 million increase in costs, Argonne management assessed its situation. This assessment consisted of reviewing historical data, comparing Argonne to other scientific laboratories, investigating factors affecting the costs and speaking with professionals in the health-care field.

It was determined that the laboratory could not absorb the entire $3.2 million into its overhead and stay competitive with other national laboratories. It became apparent that it was necessary to allocate this cost increase between the laboratory, employees and retirees.

A number of allocation methods were investigated, including reducing plan coverage by increasing deductibles; increasing annual out-of-pocket maximums; decreasing out-of-network co-insurance; reducing plan coverage for outpatient surgery, pre-admission testing, home health care and skilled nursing facility; and increasing the HMO office visit co-pay.

Laboratory management decided to increase participant contributions rather than reduce plan coverages. Once again a number of different methods to increase contributions were investigated, such as basing them on salary, either as a percentage or by different salary brackets, and developing more contribution levels, such as adding “single plus one” to the current “single” and “family” levels. For the most equitable treatment of all plan participants, it was decided to maintain the current method of contributions, but to spread out the cost increase between those who use the plan and all participants.

Since the largest reason for the cost increase is prescription drugs, it was logical to increase this user cost.

To accomplish this, the annual out-of-pocket maximums for the Walgreens Health Initiative prescription drug plan and the co-pays for the HMO plan were increased. The remaining balance of the participant’s share of the increased costs was allocated to them through higher contributions.

Disease prevention programs can

lower costs in the long run

Argonne will continue to identify ways to better manage its health care costs, but the best way to reduce these costs is for the plan participants to become healthier. Just four percent of health care plan participants who make claims account for 55 percent of the costs

Argonne’s low employee turnover rate creates a good environment for implementing disease management programs. These voluntary participation programs target high-risk individuals and focus on coronary heart disease and diabetes.

These programs improve participants’ health status, prevent recurrence of medical problems, enhance quality of life, increase productivity, and reduce absences -- in addition to reducing medical costs for both the participant and the laboratory.

“Even though some disease-management programs have been established, it is necessary that each employee become involved and responsible for his or her own health care,” said HR Director Carol Quinn. “There needs to be more of a consumerism atmosphere in health care to help reduce the costs, while providing appropriate medical service. The laboratory’s ultimate goal is to provide a cost-effective healthcare plan, to enhance the quality of life for all employees and retirees, thus allowing for longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives.”

One less password needed for dial-up

On Monday, Nov. 17, dial-up access to Argonne-East via Focal and 1-800 dial-up numbers will stop using LDAP passwords and instead begin using Argonne domain accounts.

Currently authorized dial-up users will remain authorized after the cutover via their existing Argonne domain accounts.

This change reduces the number of passwords users need to remember. Employees already have been issued Argonne accounts required for laboratory applications such as Web-based training and performance appraisals.

On that same day, the laboratory Virtual Private Network (VPN) service will accept only Argonne domain passwords and will no longer recognize LDAP passwords.

Employees can verify their Argonne domain passwords online.

Lab’s open enrollment is under way

Open enrollment for Argonne’s medical plans and flexible spending accounts will be held through Friday, Nov. 21. Read the open enrollment cover letter carefully; it provides information on changes in the rates, plan and HMO medical groups.

Employees who have an e-mail account were sent an e-mail message regarding open enrollment materials on the Web. Employees without e-mail accounts were sent an open enrollment package to their lab addresses. Contact Human Resources at ext. 2-2985 or 2-2992 for more information.

Travel rules affect lab’s foreign nationals

Argonne has imposed stricter requirements for international travel and re-entry. Before finalizing plans to travel outside the United States, foreign national employees are encouraged to contact the Human Resources Visa Office about passport and visa requirements to re-enter the United States.

Contact Nancy Griparis at ngriparis@anl.gov or Karen Liptak at kliptak@anl.gov or ext. 2-7652.

Concert tickets go on sale

Tickets go on sale Monday, Nov. 10, for a performance by pianist Dejan Lazic at Argonne-East. Tickets are $25 and will be sold in the Building 213 Cafeteria between noon and 1 p.m.

The Arts at Argonne concert will begin at 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 15, in the Building 402 Conference Center. Lazic will perform music by classic composers such as Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven.

The Auditorium Box Office will open at 7:30 p.m. the day of the performance.

One-on-one retirement sessions available

The laboratory’s retirement vendors will send representatives to Argonne-East during November.

They will meet individually with employees to answer questions about retirement plans or retirement plan assets.

Appointments last a half-hour. To schedule an appointment, call the number listed.

Fidelity -- Tuesday, Nov. 11, and Tuesday, Nov. 25. Call the appointment desk at (800) 642-7131.

TIAA-CREF -- Monday, Nov. 17, and Tuesday, Nov. 18. Call the appointment desk at (800) 842-2005. 

Prudential -- Wednesday, Nov. 19. Call Cheryl at (847) 619-3519.

MetLife representative to visit Argonne-East

A representative from MetLife Auto & Home will visit Argonne-East Tuesday, Nov. 11.

The representatives will meet with individual employees for insurance comparisons and quotes for the “METPAY” group automobile and homeowner insurance program.

To schedule an appointment, call Craig Riddick at (630) 810-0346, ext. 143.

Employees can also receive a quote over the phone by calling 1-800-438-6388.

Questions about Social Security can be answered

A representative of the Social Security Administration’s Joliet office will be available in Argonne-East’s Human Resources office Wednesday, Nov. 19, from 8 a.m. to noon.

To schedule a meeting with the Social Security representative, call ext. 2-2991.

Area college offers on-site registration

Registration for Joliet Junior College spring 2004 classes will be offered at Argonne-East Friday, Nov. 14.

College representatives will be available in the Human Resources offices in Building 201 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to register students for spring classes. Employees must bring completed and approved educational assistance forms (ANL-89) to the registration.

Call Betty Iwan at ext. 2-3410 for more information.

Craft Club plans sale

Handcrafted items, “cat mats,” science humor T-shirts and more will be offered for sale at the Argonne Arts and Craft Club’s annual holiday craft bazaar Thursday, Nov. 13.

The bazaar will be held in Argonne-East’s Building 212, Room A157, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

For more information, call Valerie Gaines (IPD) at ext. 2-5610 or Carolyn Arthur (HR) at ext. 2-9023.