Science Market Update

The University of Cincinnati is making great progress in the field of cancer immunotherapy, developing both an oral vaccine for breast cancer and a vaccine for lung cancer in quick succession. Using unique approaches in both solutions, research teams have overcome some previous obstacles in the field to move forward and fight cancer on multiple fronts.

Green chemistry refers to a number of processes and practices that minimize the toxic or hazardous effects of chemicals in the environment, the lab, or the manufacturing plant. One way to go green is to cut down on the use of dangerous solvents in reactive processes, thereby reducing waste and improving lab safety. Though sometimes a less toxic catalyst or reagent can be employed from the outset, reused, or made inert eventually, another way to get a chemical reaction is to apply physical force instead. Called mechanochemistry, it involves the application of mechanical engineering to chemistry. Instead of adding a solvent, agitation is used to achieve chemical synthesis.

Biotechnology vendors and lab suppliers in Cincinnati will find a well-funded and vibrant research marketplace at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio, as recent NIH and NSF research funding statistics show. In 2012, the NIH awarded the university $73.9 million in research funding. The funding was distributed among a number of different projects in various science disciplines. Of the different departments awarded research funding at the University of Cincinnati, the money was given out as listed below:

A goal that many are working toward in the biotechnology field is to gather the maximum biological information about people using the least invasive practices. Ultimately, we would like to be able to simply scan ourselves with a little machine and instantly get a full report on our health for personal and doctor use. Moving forward on those lines is the University of Cincinnati, where a research team has announced a unique and unlikely candidate for the job: a portable, adhesive sweat analyzer.

A technique that is becoming more and more widespread and useful in both modern medicine and biological research is that of cell manipulation. Instead of working purely on visible structures like organs and tissues, doctors and scientists have begun to focus in on how to sort, move, and alter the smallest building blocks of life: cells. While many techniques have been developed and accepted for these purposes, research at the University of Cincinnati has yielded a new method that may be both more efficient and inexpensive than anything seen thus far.

Despite all the leaps and bounds we’ve seen in recent years in cancer research, there’s always more to improve on when it comes to detection and treatment of cancer. Take for example the case of Wayne Wentzel, who underwent eight biopsies over fourteen years, which all tested negative for cancer. It wasn’t until he reached The University of Cincinnati that he got the answers and treatment he was seeking.

University of Cincinnati College of Medicine molecular geneticist Daniel Hassett (right) has made a name for himself as a determined researcher in the fight against cystic fibrosis (CF). He is also on the front line of bioscience research into creating "superbugs" that eat waste and generate energy, improving dramatically on the efficiency of traditional waste water treatment systems. In a radio interview on WVXU Cincinnati's Focus on Technology, commentator Ann Thompson describes the problem: the largest user of energy is wastewater treatment; the second largest user of water is energy production. If you can find a way to both clean water and generate electricity, you're in business.