SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY
w ACS DIVISION OF CARBOHYDRATE CHEMISTRY is sponsoring two important programs in carbohydrate analysis during the Spring '93 National Meeting in Denver
I. NMR Spectroscopy of Carbohydrates Sunday March 28,1993, 2:00-5:00 p.m. Location: Convention Center, room A101 Presented by Dr. Herman van Halbeek Complex Carbohydrate Research Center The University of Georgia The tutorial will focus on fundamentals and advanced aspects of i H and ^ 3 C, one- and multidimensional NMR spectroscopy as applied to carbohydrates. The discussion will include sequencing of oligosaccharides as well as determining carbohydrate solution conformations and dynamics by NMR. Participants will receive an instruction manual and are invited to join in an informal discussion after the presentation.
II. Carbohydrate Analysis Workshop A half-day workshop on carbohydrate analysis using High Performance Anion Exchange chromatography with Pulsed Amperometric Detection (HPAE-PAD). Friday, April 2,1993, 9:00 AM-12:00 Noon Location: Radisson, Vail room Organized by Jack Korpi Dionex Corporation Topics will include: a) Optimizing Carbohydrate Chromatograph Using HPAE • Monosaccharide analysis from glycoproteins • Sugar alcohols in foods and biological fluids • Plant polysaccharides wood sugars;
b) Optimizing Carbohydrate Detection Using PAD • Maximizing sensitivity and specificity; and c) Analysis of Electroblotted Glycoproteins • Use of electro-phoretic transfer from SDS gels onto PVDF membranes prior to HPAE-PAD analysis. All ACS meeting attendees are welcome, and there is no admission fee.
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MARCH 1,1993 C&EN
covery process. We do not yet have the tools to solve this problem/' The battle against AIDS, Haseltine predicts, is one that will occupy researchers for many years. "Basic science has come through in a major way to provide a wide range of potential treatments/7 he says. But AIDS is different from other diseases. Even if treatment is begun the day after an individual is infected with HIV, the clinical end point at which a doctor can evaluate the success or failure of the treatment does not occur until eight to 10 years have passed. "We're in this for the rest of our lives, the rest of our childrens' lives," Haseltine says. Rudy Baum
creating sites throughout the polymer network that have an affinity and selectivity for the target drug rivaling those of a natural antibody. Mosbach and coworkers use this "molecularly imprinted sorbent assay" (MIA) to measure levels of theophylline and diazepam in human serum. Results are linear over ranges encountered in therapeutic monitoring and standard immunoassays. The theophylline assay
Molecular imprinting leaves recognition sites in polymer
N
/
or
N' I CH3
N
HOOC^ ^ ^
Theophylline MAA Polymerization
Antitheophylline polymer
Functional methacrylic acid (MAA) monomers polymerize around template molecule theophylline, which is subsequently extracted leaving selective recognition sites throughout the antitheophylline polymer network Adapted from K. Mosbach et al v Nature, 361, 645 (1993)
is highly specific, showing little cross-reactivity with other ligands. The diazepam-imprinted polymer exhibits the same pattern and degree of crossreactivity to other benzodiazepines as does its biological counterpart. Although the MIA technique involves an extra step—extraction—compared with antibody-based methods, researchers say the synthetic approach offers several advantages. Not only are imprinted polymers easier and faster to prepare, they apparently are stable enough to be stored in the dry state at ambient temperature for years without loss of recognition capability. Shea confirms that "these polymers are stable under solvent and high-temperature conditions that proteins, by contrast, couldn't withstand/' Beyond the practical benefits, imprinted polymers may lead to fundamental insights into the nature of molecular recognition phenomena. They might do so by permitting the study of a wide range of molecules, including metabolites, hormones, toxins, proteins, and other macromolecules.
"It's an exciting area," says Andrew D. Hamilton, professor of chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh and leading researcher in the field of molecular recognition. "Molecular imprinting offers the potential to create highly functionalized, specific, and possibly even catalytic structures." Deborah Illman
Proposals sought for water treatment studies Research proposals are being sought by the American Water Works Association Research Foundation for research it expects to fund this year. Total funding will amount to about $4.5 million. Research projects address a number of general areas, some of which are dependent on chemistry. Included are water treatment, monitoring and analysis, distribution systems, management and administration, and health effects. About $3.8 million of the funding
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will address projects responding to topics specified by the water works foundation. About $700,000 will be used for additional projects selected through the foundation's unsolicited project program, proposals dealing with research ideas other than those addressing the specified topics. The foundation requires that 25% of the total project budget be in-kind contributions—labor, laboratory services, cash, and the like, coming from sources such as consulting firms, universities, or utilities. The foundation encourages the same policy for unsolicited projects. Requests-for-proposals will be available early in March. Researchers may submit proposals for projects with budgets up to $250,000 in foundation funds through May 3, whereas July 15 is the deadline for proposals for projects requesting funds of $250,000 and greater. Additional information is available from: AWWARF RFP Desk, 6666 West Quincy Ave., Denver, Colo. 80235; telephone (303) 347-6117. James Krieger
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MARCH 1,1993 C&EN
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