By Cheryl Pellerin American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, June 30, 2011 - In its latest effort to make the impossible probable, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is looking for companies that can harness biology to speed up and lower the cost of producing new materials and devices.
"This is going to give us a completely new manufacturing capability for the U.S. to harness," Jackson told American Forces Press Service. DARPA expects to award multiple contracts -- up to a total of $30 million -- for the first Living Foundries broad agency announcement. Jackson called the program "the largest public investment in this field, at least in the United States." Many companies already use biological organisms -- mainly cells from yeast and Escherichia coli -- to produce biofuels such as ethanol and pharmaceuticals like the antimalarial drug artemisinin. The discipline often is called synthetic biology but DARPA wants to go beyond that, to what Jackson calls engineering biology, speeding up the production timeline and lowering the cost of products made by biology. To achieve the goals and vision of the Living Foundries program, she added, several tools from different fields will be needed, including synthetic biology and metabolic engineering. "It's how can we apply engineering principles to biology so we can get it to make the things we want to make in a rapid, predictable fashion," she said. Today, Jackson said, "if you want to make something that we don't know how to make using biology, it's going to take you a minimum of seven years and [cost] tens to hundreds of millions of dollars for each product you want to make." A recent example involves the drug artemisinin, used to treat malaria, the disease caused by parasites that infected mosquitoes transmit to people. In 2008, according to the World Health Organization, malaria caused nearly 1 million deaths. The drug typically comes from a plant called Artemisia annua, or sweet wormwood, which takes about a year to cultivate. "People only plant it when the price of artemisinin is high," Jackson said, "and then when everyone plants it you automatically crash the price and so then no one plants it." For people in developing countries who are most likely to need antimalarial drugs, she said, "this is not a sustainable scenario." In 2003, researchers led by Jay Keasling from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California-Berkeley used biology to produce a precursor to artemisinin. In 2004, with $43 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the team over two years built a chemical factory by adding genes from bacteria, yeast and sweet wormwood to yeast, whose cells churned out artemisinic acid. This method of producing the drug greatly lowers its production timeline and cost, Jackson said, and ensures the product's purity. The product went from Keasling's lab to a partnership among the Institute for OneWorld Health, Amyris Biotechnologies and Sanofi-Aventis, which plans to put the drug on the commercial market in 2012, she added. "And it took 11 years," Jackson said. "You can talk to a bunch of biotech companies and they will tell you that this is the state of biotech today." What if, Jackson said, we could do it in a year? "Given all the great things biology can make, whether we're looking at chemicals or fuels or therapeutics, I don't think we want to wait 10 years each time and spend tens or hundreds of millions of dollars." If Living Foundries works as planned, within a year or two several companies may have created biological prototypes that investors would be willing to back with commercial-scale production facilities. "The next step is for us to release a broad agency announcement, Jackson said. "That's essentially our call for proposals." Companies that respond to the announcement won't compete against each other, they'll be chosen based on their ideas. "What we're talking about here is not necessarily making one specific thing. We're not in that one-off world we're in today where you make one thing, but you're no better at making the next thing," Jackson said. "We're all about creating the capability," she added, "so we can make a huge array of things that we can't even produce today." | ||
| Biographies: Dr. Alicia Jackson Related Sites: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency |
Friday, July 01, 2011
DARPA Seeks to Employ Biology in Manufacturing
National Guard Helps Make Water Safe in Minot
By Army Sgt. Darron Salzer
National Guard Bureau
MINOT, N.D., June 27, 2011 - When floodwaters back up city water and sanitation systems and make the water unsafe to drink, residents can quickly find themselves in short supply of a much-needed resource.
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"We're purifying water for the hospital ... in case the water plant has a problem," said Halgren, a water purification specialist with the North Dakota National Guard's 136th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion.
Civilian officials sent out a boil order for residents of the flooded city. "Right now, in the city of Minot, you're not supposed to drink the tap water" since it has been deemed unsafe, explained Atkinson, a water purification noncommissioned officer with the 132nd Quartermaster Company.
Atkinson said the water purification unit his team set up is helping people to avoid "a bunch of steps" to get clean water.
Like many other soldiers, Atkinson has seen a lot of calls-to-action in the last month in many parts of the state.
"We've been in Minot on this [mission] for about a week-and-a-half. We spent a week in Bismarck, and we'll be here for another week," he said. "We've been running all sorts of missions, staying busy and doing a little bit of everything."
Atkinson -- like many other North Dakota Guard members -- is no stranger to the recent flooding in his state.
"I live in an evacuated area down in Velva," he said. "As of right now, there is no water at my house, but I have everything taken out of it."
Atkinson said he enjoys helping flood victims as part of his job as a water purification sergeant.
"It's hard to be away from family and your home," he said, "especially when you're in an evacuated area ... but I'm glad to be here and helping out Minot because there is really nothing I can do at my house."
Sunday, June 26, 2011
In this struggle, who will stand with us ?
Public Convention
on
SAVE DEMOCARCY
Desh Bachao – Desh Banao
June 27th, Monday / Constitution Club, Rafi Marg, New Delhi / 2 – 7 pm
Forbesganj, Bihar, Six dead; Bhatta Parsaul, Uttar Pradesh Four dead; Dhanbad, Jharkhand, Four dead; Jaitapur, Maharashtra, One dead; Kakkarapalli, Andhra Pradesh, Two dead; Sompeta, Andhra Pradesh, Two dead; Narayanpatna, Orissa, Two dead; Mudigonda, Andhra Pradesh, Eight dead; Nandigram, West Bengal, Eleven dead; Kalinganagar, Orissa, Twelve dead and the list goes on. These farmers, adivasis, dalits and working class of Bharat have sacrificed their life on the altar of development, while trying to defend the piece of mother earth to which they belong and eek their livelihood.
Even as we invite you to join us in this endeavour, communities across the country are struggling in Jagatsinghpur, Orissa against POSCO; Golibar, Mumbai against Shivalik; Raigarh, Chattisgarh against Jindals; Mundra, Gujarat and Chausra, MP against Adani; Kalinganagar Orissa against Tata and thousand other places. The struggle against Reliance, Jindal, Tata, Adani, Jaypee, Mittals, etc. and the collaborating State power is not only to protect their livelihood but central to this is defending the basic tenets of our democracy. The overall struggle is for deepening of democracy in the country – to establish the rule of law, to ensure right to life and livelihood with dignity, to ensure democratic control over natural resources – jal, jangal, jameen and Khaniz (land, water, forest and minerals).
Every year on June 25-26th we remember this period as the darkest period in Indian history for democracy but at the same time we also remember the dream of 'total revolution' – Sampoorn Kranti. The dream remains unfulfilled and our struggles continue to challenge the systemic corruption, oppression and exploitation. We emerge victorius at times and at times feel defeated but never at any time the dream for a just society with dignity, freedom, justice seems unreachable and we continue to struggle. The social and political churning witnessed at this moment in the country is encouraging. In a political context where the questions of working class and poorest of the poor assumes prime importance we would like to invite you to this convention to ponder over some of these questions.
- Where is our collective struggle heading ? The million mutinies blooming in the country today, what is the significance of it ? Are we winning again ?
- In the wake of seemingly increasingly oppressive power of State and Corporations, are collective struggles of dalits, adivasis, women, the displaced, workers, farmers etc. in a condition for a long sustained struggle ahead which will shake the inner walls of the capitalism and the establishment ?
- In this struggle, who will stand with us ? Is the middle class, the intelligentsia willing to participate and stand by the side of the struggle against exploitation, oppression and inequality ? Are they willing to be a part of this process towards developing a planetary vision and secure justice and dignity for everyone ?
- Can the exploited and the distressed become the spearheads (leaders) of an independent, strong, sharp and people-oriented politics when the elected representatives of today's political set up turn out to be insensitive and devoid of all moral and ethical values ? Can such a leadership create a space for itself in the present set up, can it be a respectable entity in the current set up?
- Can a national and international structure based on the principles of non-violence, sister-brotherhood, equality, sustainability and justice be born from such a leadership, which will reject imperialism in toto? Depending upon the sovereignty of its people, space and resources can we create a nation which includes plural and diverse nationalities within itself ?
This Public Convention is an attempt to once again allow all of us to join the dots that link our struggles against deeply entrenched structures of oppression and corruption in our society with a view towards total revolution. We are trying to collectively seek answers to these questions. We met on May 8 in Delhi and will meet again in Wardha, Maharashtra on July 3rd to keep the conversations going. We do hope you will be able to join us !
Medha Patkar - NAPM; Swami Agnivesh – Bandhua Mukti Morcha; Ram Dheeraj, Sarv Seva Sangh; Ashok Chaudhary – NFFPFW; Ajit Jha – Lok Rajniti Manch; Gautam Bandopadhyay – Sangharsh; Rakesh Rafiq – Yuva Bharat
For details contact : Madhuresh Kumar, NAPM 9818905316
--
National Alliance of People’s MovementsNational Office: Room No. 29-30, 1st floor, ‘A’ Wing, Haji Habib Bldg, Naigaon Cross Road, Dadar (E), Mumbai - 400 014;
Ph: 022-24150529
6/6, Jangpura B, Mathura Road, New Delhi 110014
Phone : 011 26241167 / 24354737 Mobile : 09818905316
E-mail: napmindia@gmail.com | napm@napm-india.org
Web : www.napm-india.org
Obama Visits Fort Drum, Thanks 10th Mountain Troops
 American Forces Press Service FORT DRUM, N.Y. , June 23, 2011 - The day after announcing a drawdown of troops from Afghanistan, President Barack Obama visited Fort Drum to thank members of an Army division that was among the first to deploy units following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
The soldiers of 1st Brigade Combat Team, which returned earlier this year from its deployment to northern Afghanistan, sat in complete silence as they awaited the commander in chief's arrival at the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade dining facility. It was soldiers from the brigade's 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, who provided a quick reaction force in Afghanistan immediately following 9/11, ultimately helping to overthrow the Taliban-run regime that harbored al-Qaida terrorists. Once the president was announced, he was introduced to the 150 soldiers by the brigade's commander, Col. Willard "Bill" Burleson. "Sir, it's a great privilege to share these great soldiers here with you today," Burleson said. "They represent about 4,000 of the first elements of (last year's surge) in Afghanistan." The president thanked Burleson for his hard work and leadership and then spoke about his decision last year to deploy an additional 30,000 troops into Afghanistan, calling it one of the toughest decisions he has made as president. "The only reason I was able to make that decision was because I knew that we had the finest fighting force in the world, and that if I gave a command to our troops, they would be able to accomplish that mission," the president said. "The 10th Mountain Division ... (were) the first folks to go in after that order was given. "And that's not surprising," he added, "because you guys were also some of the first folks to go in right after 9/11." During his televised address to the nation Wednesday night, Obama announced that 10,000 troops will redeploy to the U.S. this year and that a total of 33,000 -- roughly the number of troops sent to Afghanistan last year -- will return by next summer. As Afghan security forces move into the lead, the president said, American troops will continue steadily coming home until 2014, when the U.S. mission completes its transition from combat to support. He also stated that it was time for America to rethink some of its national security policies, cautioning that the U.S. is in need of some "nation building" of its own. "Already, this decade of war has caused many to question the nature of America's engagement around the world," he said during his primetime speech. "Some would have America retreat from our responsibility as an anchor of global security and embrace an isolation that ignores the very real threats that we face. Others would have America over-extended, confronting every evil that can be found abroad. "We must chart a more centered course," the president noted. Currently, the 10th Mountain Division's headquarters leads coalition forces in Regional Command - South in Kandahar, Afghanistan. In addition, three of the division's six brigades are deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom -- 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Brigade Combat Team and 10th Combat Aviation Brigade. It brings the total number of 10th Mountain Division soldiers serving in Afghanistan to more than 10,000. Meanwhile, the 10th Sustainment Brigade is readying to deploy to Afghanistan this fall. Obama said his respect for the 10th Mountain Division's storied past goes back to his days at the U.S. Senate. "I've always run into you guys -- and for some reason, it's always in some rough spots," he said. "You guys have always been there in the toughest fights. The fact that you are continuing, even as we speak, and that many of your comrades are there right now under some very tough circumstances, (demonstrates) your dedication and your patriotism." In order to sustain their accomplishments so far in the war-torn country, the president assured soldiers that his plan to decrease the number of troops in Afghanistan would not be done "precipitously." "Because of what you have done, areas like Kandahar are more secure than they have been in years," Obama said. "Because of you, we are now taking the fight to the Taliban, instead of the Taliban bringing the fight to us. Because of you, there are signs that the Taliban may be interested in figuring out political settlements. "It's also because of you that we have a platform to be able to go after bin Laden and al-Qaida, and we have decimated their ranks," he said. Obama said even with his planned drawdown, tough work lies ahead. "The American people understand the sacrifices you are making; they understand the sacrifices that your Families are making," he said. "But there's still some fighting to be done. And frankly, the 10th Mountain Division is still going to be represented there until we have fully transferred to the Afghan military and security forces. "You guys are the tip of the spear," Obama continued. "You guys are the ones that keep us safe each and every day. For all of the sacrifices you have made, I want to say thank you. For all of the sacrifices your Families have made, I want to say thank you. "I have no greater job -- nothing gives me more honor -- than serving as your commander in chief. To all of you who are potentially going to be (deployed again), just know that your commander in chief has your back." Before boarding Air Force One at Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield, Obama met privately inside the Rapid Deployment Facility with family members of fallen soldiers. |
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