From: Robert J. Bradbury (bradbury@ilr.genebee.msu.su)
Date: Tue Nov 16 1999 - 12:33:00 MST
I got subscribed to this FAST newsletter after attending a conference
in France. It is one of the few pieces of "UnsolicitiMail" I find
useful. There are a number of topics of general interest in this
issue, so I thought I would pass it along.
Robert
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** FRENCH ADVANCES IN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY **
FAST is a free review of mainstream French press on issues of science and
technology. It appears twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Fridays.
FAST is published by the Science and Technology Office of the Embassy of
France to the United States, and by its CNRS Washington office.
_____________________________________
Paris, November 9, 11, 1999, Issue #124
> GENETIC FUTURE WILL BE CONSENSUAL, OR WON'T BE AT ALL
> MOBILE CELLS
> BIOMASS AND BIODIVERSITY: A POSITIVE SLOPE
> DON'T COUNT YOUR COMPLEX PROTEINS BEFORE THEY'RE HATCHED
> WHEN YOUR BANDAID BECOMES YOU
> BRIEFLY
** GENETIC FUTURE WILL BE CONSENSUAL, OR WON'T BE AT ALL
A recent report by the science and technology watchdog committee of the
French Parliament on the state of biotechnology in France and future
prospects focuses its advice to M.P.'s (deputies and senators) on how to
get France into the race and the French into the loop. The Serusclat report
begins with a catalog of the new technologies associated with genetic
study, therapy, and engineering, enthusiastically presenting what biology
will bring to the 21st century. The bulk of the text then goes on to
outline the initiatives that will need to be undertaken if the vision is
not to go awry. The number one concern for France manifested in the report
is not lack of gray cells but rather overly constrained brains; France does
not havether nearly enough of what will likely drive this brave new field:
innovative new bio-tech firms. Citing a potential $7 billion market in 10
years, the report urges taking steps to encourage
researcher-entrepreneurship in new firms and establish "biopoles" to boost
idea-flow. More basic even than innovation and transfer, in the view of the
report's authors, is the need for public information and debate on the
scientific, ethical and philosophical issues looming around biotechnology.
Some researchers fear a backlash when spectacular advances make headlines
prior to any discussion of the stakes. Others point to public fears
released by genetic modification of edible plants as a harbinger of
potential reactions against medical applications of genetic engineering
skills, up till now widely accepted in France. The report urges a series of
initiatives from science theme parks or "Genoscopes" to "DNA graduate
schools" for lawyers, police, politicians, and other decision-makers. The
thrust of the recommendations assumes that if French society is to get
fully behind a large-scale biotechnology program it will be because the
great questions posed by this new frontier-what will a human being be? To
what extent is human life inviolable, untouchable? What are the risks, and
gains, associated with various advances? -Have been confronted openly. The
report's authors also raise the potential danger of genetic discrimination
and other abuses associated with genetic testing as well as individual and
parental "rights not to know," and they express concern over the tendency
to perceive the human genome as a patent field. All in all, there will be
no bliss in ignorance here. (Le Figaro, November 4, p20, Catherine
Petitnicolas)
** MOBILE CELLS
French researchers have succeeded in reconstructing in vitro the mechanism
by which cells move about. The principal dynamic element is the protein
actin whose filaments extends in the direction of the movement and retract
behind the cell as it gets rolling. Learning how to trigger cell movement
artificially is giving biologists a better idea of how cells do it
naturally, which will presumably pay off in therapeutic advances. For
example it is well known that the listeriose bacteria infect human cells by
borrowing their actin wheels; the better they move the more virulent the
infection. As a result of cell mobility research the cell-wall molecules
implicated in bacterial movement and entry into cells can be recognized.
The team is also gaining insight into possible molecular strategies to be
taken against unchecked proliferation of malignant cells. (Le Figaro,
November 3, p14, Virginia Tournay)
** BIOMASS AND BIODIVERSITY: A POSITIVE SLOPE
In what has been billed as the largest experimental field study in the
history of the discipline of ecology, an EU funded program, Biodepth,
employed dozens of researchers from 1996-1998 to carry out a continent-wide
research project on the effects of plant diversity on total biomass
production. 480 plots of land, each 4 square meters, located in 8 sites
across Europe representing all of the European climates were sterilized of
all preceding growth and sown with one of 5 different seed mixes, ranging
from monoculture to a maximum of 32 plant varieties. Beginning with the
harvest of 1997, results were unambiguous; by weighing total biomass from
every plot, researchers found that cutting the number of varieties in half
led to a drop of 80 grams of biomass per square meter. Moreover, leaving
out one of 3 main families, legumes, grains, or grasses, led to a drop of
100 g/m2. Guesses as to why include complementary niches and/or
mutually-positive interactions among varieties. The team now wants funds to
explore another topic: whether and to what extent biodiversity can soften
the blows from the vagaries of climate change such as drought, freezes,
too much water, extra nitrogen and other shocks to an ecosystem. In any
case, the conventional wisdom about the efficiency of monoculture in
farming has been shaken by the study's findings. It may well be that the
plant kingdom finds strength in numbers when absorbing the ravages of human
activity. One, of which, it turns out, is monoculture. (Le Monde, November
6, p26, Pierre Barthelemy)
** DON'T COUNT YOUR COMPLEX PROTEINS BEFORE THEY'RE HATCHED
About 11% of all pharmaceutical products sold worldwide contain complex
protein molecules, or a market of $11 billion. A startup in Nantes is the
only firm in Europe and one of the firsts in the world to be working on a
novel way of producing these molecules, by getting hens to do the work. The
technique, which is in a pre-production phase, consists of breeding hens to
lay eggs in which the desired proteins are present. It is based on
discoveries made by the joint CNRS/INRA/Ecole Normale Superieure-Lyons
Laboratory for Cellular Differentiation on how to extract totipotent bird
embryonic cells that can be cultivated for long periods of time. The lab
and its longtime industrial partner Grimaud spawned Vivalis to develop a
profit-making way of producing complex proteins for the pharmaceutical
industry, with a scientist from the lab taking over scientific control of
the new outfit. $5 million will be invested in Vivalis over 6 years,
refining technical and commercial aspects of the business, at which point
they expect to be breaking even. Cellular culture is the most common way to
grow simple proteins, but when it comes to recombined ones eggs have
several advantages; they are perfectly hygienic, and the method will cost a
fraction of what cellular culture costs. (L'Usine Nouvelle, November 4,
p59, Emmanuel Guimard)
** WHEN YOUR BANDAID BECOMES YOU
The birthplace of the bio-reabsorbable surgical screw, in case you are
asked, is the Artificial Biopolymer Research Center at Montpellier
University's School of Pharmacology. Developed as a better way to fasten
grafted ligaments together, the 7mm $250 screw is one of a number of
medical uses being dreamed up for synthesized biopolymers by the Center's
hybrid staff of chemists, biologists, pharmacologists and others.
Bioreabsorbable materials are better than the older more well known
biodegradable objects since the latter require an enzymatic digestion and
therefore run the risk of triggering an immune system attack. Artificial
polymers, on the other hand, are biomaterials synthesized from human
protein and become the substance they are attached to: bone, ligament,
skin, gums or artery. A biopolymer plate instead of a metal one for healing
bone fractures promotes stronger reknitting since the bone cannot fall into
the bad habit of demineralizing while it lets the steel do the work. Other
biopolymer applications heal skin grafts or keep cleared arteries from
clogging again. The Center's director is not stopping at that, however, as
he depicts pharmaceutical uses for biopolymers as vehicles whose slow but
steady absorption by the body would allow for much more efficient (95% of
an aspirin is not absorbed, he points out)-and possibly more effective-drug
treatment programs. Even techier, he envisions biopolymers constructed to
penetrate certain types of cells while carrying a pharmaceutical payload.
And why limit reabsorbable materials to medical uses? Garbage bags, yogurt
containers and diapers could all be made to be assimilated by harmless
bacteria or fungi, the Centers' scientists-clearly absorbed in their
subject--point out. (Midi-Libre, October 22, p2)
** BRIEFLY
EUROPE... 60 eminent European biologists and geneticists have registered
their strong disapproval of the decision by certain member nations to cut
their contribution to Union sponsored collaborative research infrastructure
in biology and genetics. If the European Commission allows this to happen,
the European Bioinformatics Institute in Cambridge will see its operating
budget cut in half. Directors of the Max Planck Institute, the European
Molecular Biology Lab (Heidelberg) and other leading researchers are
raising their voices to point out that European genetic research is in
danger of falling badly behind and that Europe needs a more coherent common
research policy. (Le Figaro, November 4, p20)
START UP HERE... The research ministry's fervent desire to get research
results onto shop floors has apparently outstripped its means. The first
annual innovative firm prizes sponsored by the Ministry were handed out
with much ado last month, but ministerial glee was matched by
disappointment from many of the recipients as they read the fine print. The
impressive prize sums will be handed out in monthly checks for 18-24 months
to help defray the "research costs" of new firms Second surprise: the funds
are awarded on a matching basis since they are meant to cover no more than
50% of the firm's research budget. Meanwhile the CNRS has announced the
inauguration of 3 enterprise incubators, to be located in Grenoble,
Toulouse, and Gif-sur-Yvette (near Orsay, outside of Paris), where the CNRS
hopes to midwive 50 new researcher-parented firms per year.
LA HAGUE... Recognizing that in France the nuclear industry could use as
much good press as it can get, the new PDG of the leading nuclear energy
firm Cogema-she herself the subject of a lot of press-moved quickly to
launch a bold full-page ad campaign pushing the message "we have nothing to
hide from you." The ads publicize Cogema's new web site devoted to public
information on nuclear plant functioning, including webcams placed within
their La Hague plant and detailed data on all aspects of plant operation.
Transparency becomes virtual invisibility, however, when search engines
cannot find the Cogema site, and when its home page forgets to provide a
link or an address for the plant info page. Don't misplace this address:
www.cogemalahague.fr. (Le Figaro, November 4, p20)
RHONE-ALPES... Possessing the densest research population of any region
other than Ile-de-France (Paris), Rhone-Alpes has taken further steps to
capitalize on the presence of 600 publicly funded labs and 12,000
scientists within its borders, mostly clustered around rival research twins
Grenoble and Lyons. The new multi-year spending strategy is to promote not
competition but cooperation as the two cities taken on specialized roles.
Grenoble will head a regional network focusing on microphysics,
digitalization, and multimedia while Lyons will do the same for
biotechnology. Labs in each city will of course contribute to both
initiatives. Lyons hopes to acquire an international position quickly in
"after genome" research. (Les Echos, October 14, p1, Marie-Annick=
Depagneux)
BUDGET... Funding for public non-military research and development will
increase for 2000 by 1.3%, according to a report prepared by the
administration for the Parliament. Within that figure, university labs will
get 3.1% more than in 1999, while operating budgets for public (including
university) labs will grow by 3.5%. The recently created (1999) National
Science Fund, whose vocation is to sponsor high priority research, will
have $200 million to spend in 2000. High priority areas include
biotechnology especially labs and firms working on "after genome" projects.
National strategies in this area can now be facilitated by the existence of
a network of bio-incubators (the FFBI). (Le Quotidien du M=E9decin, November
4, p23-24, S.H.)
FAST is produced and written by Timothy Carlson.
---- FAST - Copyright (C) 1999 Homepage (subscription, archives): http://www.france-science.org/english Email: fast@amb-wash.fr Fax: (202) 944 62 44
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