“Biologists want to win Nobel Prizes while chemical engineers want to build factories. They have different standards of achievement.�
Jonathan King, molecular biologist Massachusetts Inst. of Technology
Prior to 1990 - “Toxic was, well just toxic”
But in 21st C. toxic only became toxic plus - modified therapeutics
More recently toxic-only substances acquired “fresh” applications, harnessing previously toxic-only characteristics Poorly-explained chemical asphyxiant - Hydrogen sulfide; Deep lung irritant – Nitric oxide; Chemical asphyxiant - Carbon monoxide; Teratogenic responsible for limb absence - Thalidomide; Food poisoning - Botulinum toxin. (Botox) Peptides. 2015 Oct;72:80-7.
Willie Sutton Principle?
Large $-amounts represent sub-projects carried within larger funded projects
Industrial hygienists already familiar with toxic gas properties : CO, NO & H2S Annual NIH research funding – only subproject funding shown Nitric oxide (NO) $15.0M Carbon monoxide (CO) $2.6M Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) $1.5M Occupational health community shares <1%
Major funding being applied to studies Exploring characteristics of two classic air pollutants Hydrogen sulfide ~$36M/annum NIH - 2018; Air monitoring-relevant studies ~$0.3M
Nitric oxide ~$380M/annum NIH - 2018; Air monitoring-relevant... ~$2.3M;
Hydrogen sulfide
Pollutant-only era H2S era pre-1996, funding & papers constant Gastrotransmitter + pollutant era exploded funds & papers
H2S $35M/annum research funding?
Circulating H2S & NO are both key to CV health status (not a misprint!) This slide is biology (gastro-transmitter) only
Cartoon courtesy of Exhalix, LLC. “Paired-blue� R-directed arrows (btn. sm./ lgr. blood vessels correspond to production of H2S under control of Cysta thianine y-lyase & production of NO under control of NO-synthase. H2S & NO key to small vessel health. Upper L cartoon depicts chronic kidney disease while top R ~atherosclerosis. Role for 2 classic air pollutants in vein health.
Revolutionary!
Day-to-day of air monitoring - Preventing acute & chronic health effects This slide is engineering/IH only
The way we see H2S & NO studies Sensitivity & accuracy – Concentrations of concern (biology ~ conc. is the conc.; Interferents – Often monitoring harsh industrial environments (biology ~ much different); Reliability - Durability & installation. Response time & alarm characteristics. Photo courtesy - RC Detectors
How can we connect different pictures
Can we “talk� to others with strikingly different backgrounds?
versus Clearly engineering-only
Modern systems biology
More than 25 yrs. ago the Chem-E’s figured it out... "An engineer is taught over & over again to think quantitatively & in terms of dynamics & kinetics, while a biologist is taught how to think descriptively. It's incredibly complementary.”
Help (us) fill in blanks... “An industrial hygienist (or an air pollution scientist) is taught over & over again to think ________ & in terms of __________ & ___________... Professor D.A. Lauffenburger (MIT Chem. Engr., Feb. 1993). The best work in biomolecular engineering going to be done at an interface and by two people, not one.
Medical storytelling describes features of professional life that sometimes make us uncomfortable, maybe even vulnerable. How dedicated are we to the inter-feature of inter-disciplinary? As Dr. Woz organizes his, he meets some of his own limits.
A dense passage but one that speaks volumes about the Inter-feature Enjoy! Tom. The last time he had engaged in a serious science exercise occurred when he lettered W-O-Z-N-I-A-K on an exam paper. Since then he had adapted himself to medicine’s narrow corridor in which the inter- of -disciplinary could be as subtle as an internist consulting with a surgeon. The dimensions of this requirement leap-frogged from medicine over nursing and allied health all the way to basic science and beyond. Its requirement for consultant resumes was particularly troubling. Less the resume requirement, Woz reasoned he might turn a pleasant faculty club lunch into permissions to forward two subject matter experts’ phone numbers. So on a Saturday that would have otherwise been a day off, Woz applied a popular decision-making approach, one of stewing, embracing indecision until late afternoon sun produced lengthened shadows.