In this article, Chicago-based Institute of Food Technologists (“IFT”) tells us about research and development work underway to produce protein-rich products from plants and animal cells that will taste as good as a burger but will be healthier and more environmentally sustainable. See what you may be feasting on in the future here.” IFT is a professional membership association that promotes the development of healthy, safe, and sustainable food products by providing a forum for science of food professionals to share how science and innovation makes food better. In the organization’s own words: “As a scientific community grounded in purpose, IFT feeds the minds that feed the world.”
Rong Wang, Professor of Chemistry at Illinois Tech, is working on an ingenious method to extract, electrically stimulate and replace human cells that provide physical support for many parts of the human body, such as the pelvic floor in women, skin and cartilage in knees and hips. The cells are called fibroblasts. They produce collagen, a protein that in one form provides flexibility and in another form provides structural support. When we’re young, the fibroblasts produce sufficient collagen to keep our internal organs in place, our skin unwrinkled and our knees and hips moving smoothly and painlessly. As we age, these cells produce less collagen, which can cause a pelvic floor to collapse, skin to wrinkle and joints to become stiff and painful. Wang has discovered that electrical stimulation of fibroblasts turns back the clock. The stimulation causes fibroblasts to produce collagen at levels and proportions found in much younger people. This discovery opens the door to the development of a biocompatible, cellular fountain of youth using the patient’s own cells. For more information concerning this potentially game-changing research, click here.
As a part of our ongoing initiative to introduce students to STEM professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds, Horizon Therapeutics and The Chicago Council on Science and Technology visited Perspectives Math and Science Academy to talk to students about college and entering STEM fields. Watch the interview here and check for a new video each month.
People all over the world are becoming more aware and concerned about the health risks posed by plastics pollution. Reducing the amount of plastic we use, when the products are not essential, makes sense. For example, we don’t need plastic straws for all our drinks. Paper straws are coming back in improved form. But plastic is necessary in many other products. The problem is that plastic is not naturally biodegradable and current methods of breaking it down are expensive, require a lot of energy and generate additional pollution.
Enter Northwestern and Argonne scientists. They recently have developed a chemical that when mixed with plastic debris converts the plastic into hydrocarbon liquids. The liquids can be used to make high-quality lubricants, waxes, detergents, cosmetics and other useful products. The chemical reactions require less energy from external sources and produce far less pollution and waste than current plastic recycling methods.
The holiday season is a time to get together with family and friends. It’s a time to look back at a year of accomplishments, learning moments, and joyous occasions. It’s also a time to give back to the community.
Here at C2ST, we’re big on community. It’s why we do what we do. And in order to continue our mission of bringing science and technology awareness to the greater Chicago area, we need the support of that community.
Research chemists at Northwestern University’s Institute for Sustainability and Energy have engineered cup-shaped molecules from corn that can grab and neutralize carcinogens in our water supply. Very low concentrations of the carcinogens can significantly increase the risk of cancer. For example, just a few drops of the carcinogens, containing millions of potentially cancer-causing molecules, in a volume of water found in an Olympic-sized swimming pool can cause trouble. The molecular catcher’s mitts are equally small: Millions of them can fit into a space the size of a sugar-cube. Filters equipped with the breakthrough material remove the carcinogens from water more effectively than commonly used activated carbon filters, and the filters can be reused after a simple washing step that takes place at room temperature. The researchers have started a company, CycloPure, to commercialize this material for home and institutional use. Now that’s a use of corn that nobody saw coming. This innovation is another example of the extraordinary ingenuity of Chicago-area scientists who are developing technologies that matter. Click here to learn more about this exciting research and startup.
Northwestern Chemists Develop New Methods to Remove Toxins from Drinking Water
