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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Crop genetics expert Harry Klee, an eminent scholar and professor in the University of Florida horticultural sciences department, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences Tuesday for his research achievements.

He was one of 84 new members announced at the organization’s 149th annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Election to NAS is one of the highest honors given to a scientist or engineer in the U.S., and members are elected by current members for outstanding achievements in their fields. Klee will be formally inducted next April.

Klee, a faculty member with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, is part of the interdisciplinary, plant molecular and cellular biology program at UF and has recently been studying flavor quality in fruits and vegetables to understand the chemical and genetic makeup of flavor. He is the Lyle C. Dickman Eminent Scholar Chair in Plant Improvement and has a research emphasis on tomatoes; however, Klee has also studied melons, strawberries and lettuce.

“This is one of the top honors any scientist can receive,” said Jack Payne, UF senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources. “It is also terrific recognition for the University of Florida and highlights the importance of Florida agriculture and the world-class research we are doing at IFAS.”

A member of the UF faculty since 1995, Klee previously worked for Monsanto. He earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1974 and a doctoral degree in biochemistry in 1980, both from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Klee said he is proud to become a member of NAS.

“I feel honored and humbled to be elected by my peers to an organization that has such a history of brilliant minds,” Klee said.

NAS now has 2,152 active members, including 14 from UF.

The academy is a private, nonprofit honorific society of distinguished scholars who are engaged in scientific and engineering research and are dedicated to furthering the use of science and technology for the benefit of society.

Established in 1863, the academy serves to “investigate, examine, experiment, and report upon any subject of science or art” when asked to do so by any department of the government.

Renowned members are Albert Einstein, Robert Oppenheimer, Thomas Edison, Orville Wright and Alexander Graham Bell. Nearly 200 living academy members have won Nobel Prizes.

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Contacts:

Writer: Robert H. Wells, rhwells@ufl.edu , 352-273-3569

Sources: Jack Payne, jackpayne@ufl.edu, 352-392-1971

Harry Klee, hjklee@ufl.edu, 352-392-8249

Caption:

Harry Klee. Eminent Scholar, PhD. Molecular Biology. Horticultural Sciences. UF/IFAS Photo by Tyler Jones.

Click here to view image. Caption at bottom.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – With a statewide mission to ensure healthy food, families and natural resources across Florida, a great way to keep up with the vast resources of the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is through social media.

Social media tools, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, offer ways residents can join the IFAS conversation by sharing experiences and educating themselves on ways to make a difference on important issues ranging from food production, to water conservation, money management and conservation.

For example, when a call for volunteers to help clean up a UF campus nature preserve known as the Natural Area Teaching Lab went out through both the lab and UF’s Twitter account, new faces came to the site’s aid, said the lab’s director, Jennifer Gillett-Kaufman.

“We had volunteers that we might not have reached before,” she said. “Not only did we get more followers on our Twitter account, but a lot of people who had never heard of the Natural Area came down and volunteered.”

Social media also allows IFAS research and extension personnel to connect and improve their collaborative efforts, said Gillett-Kaufman, an extension scientist in UF/IFAS’ entomology and nematology department. She manages Facebook and Twitter accounts for her department and the Natural Area Teaching Lab.

“One of the best things with social media is the links it provides to all the different groups in IFAS and what they are doing,” she said. “I feel like I have a better understanding of what my colleagues are doing, and it didn’t cost me a lot of time to learn.”

Social media also is a low-cost way for IFAS messages to reach many people, said Cathy Carr, director of alumni and career services for UF/IFAS’ College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and manager of CALS’ Facebook and Twitter accounts.

“Because of budget limitations we have had to stop printing some of the things we used to print in the past,” Carr said. “Social media doesn’t necessarily make up for that, but we can use it as an additional tool for spreading the word about programs and the great things our students, faculty and staff are doing.”

The CALS social media sites allow students in the college to connect and form a community while staying informed with CALS news, and its Facebook page has more than 2,000 followers.

IFAS is also using social media to help elementary, middle and high school students learn about protecting nature.

Students in Osceola County created 25 videos in a competition to see who could produce the best short video story on the dangers and prevention of invasive plants in Florida.

Invasive aquatic plants are a major problem in Florida as they out-compete native plants and make waterways unnavigable for wildlife and boaters.

The contest was sponsored by the UF/IFAS Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants and the Osceola County Extension Office as part of its education and outreach efforts, and many of the videos were shared on YouTube, said Amy Richard, the center’s education initiative coordinator.

“Plants are not something students necessarily embrace,” Richard said. “So how do you get students excited about plants? One way is to use something they are excited about, like video and YouTube.”

The students’ video plots ranged from plant invasions on an airplane to superheroes fighting against invasive plant villains and the mishaps that can stem from emptying invasive plants from aquariums. The video project has received hundreds of views, thus opening up the center’s message to a wider audience that includes the student’s parents, friends, relatives and more.

Ruth Hohl Borger, assistant vice president for IFAS information and communication services, said social media has provided new ways for IFAS to communicate as more people join social networks.

“IFAS has established itself on social media to engage people and provide them the timeliest information,” she said. “It is rapidly becoming the first medium we use.”

For information aimed at households and consumers, check out extension’s Solutions for Your Life page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SolutionsForYourLife and @SFYL on Twitter.

For the latest news on IFAS research, teaching and extension efforts, join the conversation with UF/IFAS News on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UFIFASNews and @UFfoodandagnews on Twitter.

Many county extension offices in Florida can be found on social networks by searching the Internet or by looking at who UF/IFAS News likes on Facebook or follows on Twitter.

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Contacts:

Writer: Robert H. Wells, 352-273-3569; rhwells@ufl.edu

Sources: Ruth Hohl Borger, 352-392-2411; rborger@ufl.edu

Jennifer Gillett-Kaufman, 352-273-3950; gillett@ufl.edu

Caption: This QR Code for UF/IFAS News on Facebook can be scanned with a smartphone to access the site.

Cutline at bottom. Click here for high resolution image.

A University of Florida-led research team has been selected to participate in a five-year, $125 million energy project involving the United States and India, U.S. Department of Energy officials have announced.

Known as the Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Center, or JCERDC, the project is aimed at reducing energy consumption, cutting dependence on petroleum products and increasing use of renewable fuels.

The UF-led team will develop biofuels derived from inedible plant material. Two other research teams, led by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, will focus on solar energy and energy efficiency of buildings, respectively.

Total funding for the biofuels project is about $21 million, including about $2.7 million in federal funding destined for UF.

“This award highlights many of the attributes that make the University of Florida a world-class research institution,” said David Norton, UF vice president for research. “It illustrates our commitment to building interdisciplinary partnerships, both domestically and internationally, to achieve important scientific goals such as developing renewable clean-energy solutions.”

Also on the UF-led team are the University of Missouri, Virginia Tech, Montclair State University, Texas A&M University, Show Me Energy Cooperative, and Green Technologies. They will work with a counterpart team based in India and led by the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology-Hyderabad.

The researchers’ primary goal will be to develop and optimize several crops as biofuel feedstocks, said Pratap Pullammanappallil, an associate professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. The crops include high-yield biomass sorghum, sweet sorghum, pearl millet, bamboo and switch grass.

Sorghum and switch grass will likely be the group’s initial focus, he said. The UF researchers will concentrate on improving technology for converting biomass to fuel. Much of the work will take place in the Biofuels Pilot Plant on the UF campus and the Stan Mayfield Biorefinery Pilot Plant in Perry, a joint venture between UF and Buckeye Technologies Inc.

“Another goal is to expand our capacity to utilize waste streams in the cellulosic ethanol conversion process,” he said. The researchers will investigate ways of using spent feedstocks, wastewater and other materials to produce additional bioenergy and products such as fertilizers and bioplastics.

Pullammanappallil, based at the agricultural and biological department, is the team’s principal investigator. Other UF faculty members on the team are: Zhaohui Tong of agricultural and biological engineering; Lonnie Ingram and Keelnatham Shanmugam of microbiology and cell science; Ramesh Reddy, George O’Connor and Ann Wilkie of soil and water science; and Wilfred Vermerris of agronomy.

Work on the project is expected to begin this fall, Pullammanappallil said.

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Contacts

 Writer: Tom Nordlie, 352-273-3567, tnordlie@ufl.edu

Source: Pratap Pullammanappallil, 352-392-1864, ext. 203, pcpratap@ufl.edu

Photo cutline: Pratap Pullammanappallil, seen here in the Biofuels Pilot Plant on the UF campus in Gainesville, is the principal investigator for a UF-led research team selected to participate in a five-year, $125 million energy project involving the United States and India. Known as the Joint Clean Energy Research and Development Center, the project involves three research teams, each with a different focus. The UF-led team will develop fuels derived from inedible plant material. Photo by Thomas Wright

It was the fifth year for the event, which recognized dozens of faculty members and graduate students from around the state for their scientific achievements.

IFAS scientists’ work included research that — among other things — increased cotton yields for Florida farmers, led to improved water quality in the Everglades and may help reduce incidences of the dengue and chikungunya viruses, mosquito-transmitted illnesses that cause human suffering around the world, said Jack Payne, UF senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources.

“It is no exaggeration to suggest that IFAS research is among the world’s best,” Payne said. “The work you do is critical to people in this state; it’s critical to people around the world. I am so proud of each and every one of you.”

John P. Hayes, IFAS interim’ dean for research, said he believes a strong commitment to interdisciplinary research in recent years has made IFAS researchers better able to tackle serious scientific problems.

“Today’s research challenges are so complex that we must be integrated across disciplines, bringing many perspectives to the table,” he said.

Some highlights from the event:

Of more than 40 scientific-journal publications noted as “high impact” research, eight were singled out as exceptional:

*Alexa Lamm, Tracy Irani, Grady Roberts and Joel Brendemuhl, “Utilizing natural cognitive tendencies to enhance agricultural education programs,” Journal of Agricultural Education.

*Pratibha Srivistava, Daniel Mailhot, B. Leite, James Marois and David Wright, “Fusarium verticilloides (Saccardo) Nirenberg associated with hardlock of cotton,” Current Microbiology.

*Madan Oli, “Coupled dynamics of body mass and population growth in response to environmental change,” Nature.

*Tim Martin and Eric Jokela, “Long-term effects of weed control and fertilization on the carbon and nitrogen pools of a slash and loblolly pine forest in north-central Florida,” Canadian Journal of Forest Research.

* Christopher Brown, Austin Davis-Richardson, Adriana Giongo, Kelsey Gano, David Crabb, Nabanita Mukherjee, George Casella and Eric Triplett, “Gut microbiome metagenomics analysis suggests a functional model for the development of autoimmunity for type 1 diabetes,” PLoS One.

*Phillip Lounibos, Manya Nishimura and Eric Blosser, “Competitive reduction by satyrization: evidence for interspecific mating in nature and asymmetric reproductive competition between invasive mosquito vectors,” Journal of the American Society of Tropical Hygiene and Medicine.

*Samira Daroub and Timothy Lang, “Best management practices and long-term water quality trends in the Everglades agricultural area,” Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology.

*Randy Ploetz, Jason Smith, Mare Hughes, Tyler Dreaden, Sharma Inch and Yuqing Fu, “Responses of avocado to laurel wilt caused by Raffaelea lauricola,” Plant Pathology.

Research Professor Emeritus Award

Robert E. Stall retired in 1998, but maintains an active plant breeding program and continues to make discoveries that help increase disease resistance in pepper, tomato and citrus.

Graduate Research Awards

Ryan Graunke, interdisciplinary ecology, best master’s thesis, for “Effect of Mechanical Pretreatment on Solubilization and Biomethanation of Food Waste.”  Ann C. Wilkie of Soil and Water Science chaired the supervisory committee.

Josiah H. Townsend, best doctoral dissertation, for “Integrative Taxonomy Reveals the Chortis Block of Central America as an Underestimated Hotspot of Amphibian Diversity.”  James D. Austin of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation chaired the supervisory committee.

Richard L. Jones New Faculty Research Awards

Joseph Larkin III, for his work in immunology, and Liwei Gu, for his research in bioactive food components.

Plant patents

Ann Blount and Ronald Barnett, for a new oat variety; Craig Chandler, for strawberry varieties Winter Dawn and Florida Elyana; Philip Busey, for an improved St. Augustinegrass variety; David Clark and Phuong Nguyen, for two new coleus plants; Paul Lyrene, for seven new blueberry varieties; Richard Henny and Jianjun Chen, for epipremnum Pearls and Jade®, Zhanao Deng and Brent Harbaugh, for a new caladium; Jose Chaparro and Wayne Sherman for peach trees UF One and UFGlo; Fred Gmitter, Jude Grosser and William Castle, for two new sweet orange trees and mandarin hybrid Sugar Belle®; and Donald Rockwood, for four new eucalyptus tree varieties.

Contacts

Writer: Mickie Anderson, 352-273-3566, mickiea@ufl.edu

Source: John P. Hayes, 352-392-1784, hayesj@ufl.edu

Click here for high-res image

Caption below

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s poison-control centers recently noted an uptick in calls about stinging caterpillars, and now a University of Florida entomologist warns that some people may suffer skin irritation from cocoons that are unusually abundant this year.

The culprit is a tussock moth, known scientifically as Orgyia detrita. Its caterpillars are usually active in March and April, often in the vicinity of oak trees. Touching the furry, black-and-white critters can cause localized swelling, itching, burning and redness. The caterpillar doesn’t produce stinging venom, but its hairs trigger an allergic reaction in some people.

Some of those hairs wind up in the cocoons the caterpillars spin when it’s time to mature into moths, says Eileen Buss, an associate professor and extension specialist with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. So the cocoons are allergenic, too.

“I’ve heard reports that there are a lot of these caterpillars right now in Tampa, as far north as Jacksonville, and I’m seeing a lot in Gainesville,” Buss said. “Outbreaks seem to be cyclical. I haven’t seen it this bad since 2001.”

And while the caterpillars are eye-catching, the cocoons are nondescript.

The cocoons are fuzzy, tan, football-shaped masses about an inch long. They’re found on everything from tree branches to walls to park benches to recycling bins — which is where Buss encountered one this week, much to her chagrin.

“The itchy, burning sensation started really quickly,” she said.

It’s unclear what percentage of the population is allergic, she said. But the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued a bulletin that indicated between 12.6 and 21.7 percent of children showed symptoms when their Florida day-care facilities had caterpillar infestations.

Over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream may not be sufficient to treat the skin irritation, Buss said, so those affected may need to see a doctor.

Another treatment option is to place strips of adhesive tape over the affected area and then peel them off to remove any remaining caterpillar hairs. Ice can reduce the pain and itching as well.

Residents who find cocoons should not spray them with insecticide, Buss said. There’s little chance it will kill the developing moths, and it’s unlikely to have any effect on their allergenic properties.

Instead, she suggests removing the cocoons — but only after donning protective clothing, such as long pants, long-sleeved shirts, closed-toe shoes, gloves and a hat.

“You want to minimize the amount of exposed skin,” Buss said. It may be best to use a stick or a tool to scrape the cocoons loose, she said.

After removal, cocoons should be put in a plastic trash bag and put out for waste collection, Buss said.

Another potential benefit of removing the cocoons: It could help reduce local populations of the tussock moth. Buss explains that with this species, adult female moths are wingless, and they lay eggs on their own empty cocoons. By removing cocoons promptly, homeowners can also remove new, unhatched eggs — and this year, that could be helpful.

“This species usually produces one or two generations per year,” she said. “I think maybe the warm winter got them started early, so maybe we’re going to have a second generation in a couple more weeks.”

Contacts:

Writer

Tom Nordlie, tnordlie@ufl.edu, 352-273-3567

Source

Eileen Buss, eabuss@ufl.edu, 352-514-0844

Caption: This caterpillar, which will later become the tussock moth, has caused an uptick in reports of incidents where Floridians have suffered stinging and rashes after coming in contact with the caterpillar or its oft-encountered cocoon. University of  Florida expert Eileen Buss advises residents to remove the caterpillars and cocoons, but carefully and only after putting on protective clothing.

Under the agreement, UF will accept 20 of those undergraduates per year, as well as doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers, to do their academic work at UF.

The agreement also promotes faculty exchanges, collaborative research projects, and workshops and seminars between UF and Brazilian researchers.

Philip Williams, director of UF’s Center for Latin American Studies, and David Sammons, dean of UF’s International Center, represented the university at an April 9 ceremony in Washington, D.C., to sign the cooperative agreement.

“UF is a natural destination for Brazil’s top STEM students,” said Emilio Bruna, director of UF’s Florida-Brazil Institute. “We have had decades of productive research and education exchanges with Brazil, as well as internationally recognized programs in many of the disciplines that are priority areas for the Science without Borders program. This agreement builds on our historic partnerships to expand the opportunities to work with Brazil available to the UF community.”

The research partnership will be administered by UF’s Florida-Brazil Institute, which was created by the Florida Legislature to help strengthen the state’s foreign relations and to promote business, educational, cultural and scientific exchange between Florida and its largest international trading partner.

The Institute is part of the UF Center for Latin American Studies, whose mission is to advance knowledge about Latin America and the Caribbean. With more than 170 faculty from across UF, the center is one of the largest institutions for interdisciplinary research, teaching and outreach on Latin America, Caribbean and Latino Studies.

Sources: Emilio Bruna, 352-846-0634, embruna@ufl.edu

Philip Williams, 352-273-4702, pjw@latam.ufl.edu

Gregory C. Gottlieb, senior deputy assistant administrator in USAID’s bureau for food security, will present a speech titled “Global Food Security: Where we are and where we’re going.”

Gottlieb will highlight President Obama’s Feed the Future global hunger and food security initiative, a $3.5 billion investment meant to address the root causes of hunger and malnutrition that limits the potential of hundreds of millions of people.

“Under President Obama’s Feed the Future initiative, we are more focused than ever on ‘doing development differently’ and ensuring that our agricultural development efforts have a real impact for those who need it most,” Gottlieb said.

The talk is free, open to the public and is especially pertinent for students, faculty and staff interested in agriculture, food security, international development and global health and nutrition. It begins at 6:45 p.m. in room 0100 of Carleton Auditorium.

Created through the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, USAID is the nation’s principal international development agency, devoted to easing suffering, spreading prosperity and increasing security in the developing world.

“Almost one billion people in the world currently face chronic food insecurity. Greg Gottlieb is one of the U.S. government’s leaders in the effort to confront this problem and I hope that anyone interested or involved in international agriculture, development or global conflict reduction will attend,” said Rose Koenig, a UF faculty member and event coordinator.

The Facets of Food Speaker Series addresses contemporary issues of food and agriculture. Its purpose is to expose students to speakers working in different capacities within the food system. The Facets of Food course is designed to engage students in critical thinking about their food system and introduce them to career opportunities in the private and public sectors.

For more information about USAID: www.usaid.gov. For more information about Feed the Future: www.feedthefuture.gov.

Contact: Rose Koenig, 352-273-3422, rlkoenig@ufl.edu

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — When nature lovers book vacations in the great outdoors, they want their dollars to help preserve the places they visit, and a University of Florida study suggests that often happens.

Research in Costa Rica, one of the world’s top destinations for nature-based tourism, showed that successful tour businesses usually invested in environmental protection and maintenance, and tour businesses of all sizes circulated money throughout local economies.

The findings could help Florida’s fledgling nature-based tourism industry increase its appeal to potential customers, said author Taylor Stein, an associate professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

The study appears in the current issue of the journal Environmental Conservation.

“Letting customers know is the key,” said Stein, of UF’s School of Forest Resources and Conservation. “If you think part of your market will appreciate your efforts to preserve the environment, tell them what you’re doing.”

Though Florida is best known for tourist destinations that aren’t off the beaten path — think theme parks, golf courses and beaches — Stein says the Sunshine State is becoming more conservation-oriented nonetheless.

“It used to be that you didn’t see hotels bragging about the fact that they don’t wash the bath towels every day of your stay,” he said. “But now, it’s rare not to see these signs in most hotels. If that makes customers happier, the hotels will do it.”

Helping customers feel “greener” about their vacations was a key goal for larger businesses involved in the UF study, which surveyed tour operators and travel agencies in six parts of Costa Rica.

The larger, more commercially successful operators indicated that they provided environmental education to visitors, supported conservation initiatives, recycled waste and used environmentally friendly equipment.

Regardless of size, most of the businesses reported employing local residents, purchasing supplies locally and using local lodging.

In Florida, nature-based tourism was the fastest-growing sector of the state’s tourism industry in the 1990s, and may still be — Stein said there hasn’t been much definitive research on the subject lately.

But most Florida counties hope to market their natural attractions, he said. And at least one is working to position itself as a top destination for nature-based tourism. That’s Brevard County, located on the Atlantic coast and home to the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Sebastian Inlet State Park and several other notable attractions.

“That’s a pretty big deal for Florida,” Stein said. “We’re not used to saying ‘come to our forests, come to our springs.’”

Stein authored the study with graduate student Lisa Seales. His latest project focuses on ways to market the Florida National Scenic Trail, which covers 1,400 miles from the westernmost part of the Panhandle to the southern tip of peninsular Florida.

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Contacts:

Writer: Tom Nordlie, 352-273-3567, tnordlie@ufl.edu

Source: Taylor Stein, 352-846-0860, tstein@ufl.edu

Photo cutline:

Taylor Stein examines who hikes the Florida trail and why. From UF/IFAS Photo Archive.

Cutline at bottom.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida’s entomology department is once again showcasing its academic programs for undergraduates and inviting residents to explore the insect world, at its second annual BugFest Open House.

The event happens 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 4 at the UF entomology building, Steinmetz Hall, which is located off Hull Road behind the UF lacrosse stadium. It’s hosted by the Undergraduate Entomology Club, part of UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

“BugFest is open to the public and is family friendly, however, our main goal is to bring in new students to our department, as either entomology majors or minors,” said club President Alyssa Porter, who coordinated the event.

This year’s theme is Hollywood movies, so the event will feature decorations and souvenirs inspired by the film industry, and even a red carpet to welcome visitors, said Porter, an entomology senior from Winter Haven.

For undergraduates, high school students and community college students, the event includes tours of the department, information about its six bachelor’s degree tracks, educational displays and opportunities to speak with faculty members and current entomology majors about scholarships, internship opportunities and career paths.

These facets of BugFest are important because many first- and second-year UF students are unaware of the options an entomology degree can provide, said Undergraduate Coordinator Rebecca Baldwin, an entomology assistant professor.

“If you’re pre-med, pre-vet, pre-dent or are interested in a degree in a biological science, we have a place for you,” Baldwin said. “You can also focus on biosecurity, urban pest management, plant protection, basic science or ecotourism.”

For families, BugFest features insect-themed games, such as cockroach races, as well as collections of preserved specimens and an arthropod petting zoo.

All visitors are invited to enjoy live music and dancing, free food and prizes. The first 400 students to arrive will receive a ticket to the Butterfly Rainforest at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

“When you see all the implications of insect life in our world, it’s amazing,” Porter said. “Everyone should take the opportunity to learn a little bit about that, and BugFest is a fun way to educate yourself.”

A map to Steinmetz Hall can be found at http://entomology.ifas.ufl.edu/map.jpg

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Contacts

Writer: Tom Nordlie, 352-273-3567, tnordlie@ufl.edu

Source: Rebecca Baldwin, 352-273-3974, baldwinr@ufl.edu

Photo cutline

A young visitor peers at a collection of preserved insect specimens at the 2011 BugFest, held at the University of Florida’s entomology and nematology department. The annual event showcases undergraduate entomology programs for UF students and offers local residents a look at the world of insects. Photo by Katrina Lane

Image of synthesized lignin nanotubes

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — For the first time, University of Florida researchers have developed plant-based technology that could reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil and may also help treat cancer.

Known as lignin nanotubes, these cylindrical containers are smaller than viruses and tiny enough to travel through the body, carrying cancer patients’ medicine. They can be created in biorefineries from lignin, a plant substance that is a byproduct of bioethanol production.

Bioethanol is a renewable alternative to fossil fuel created by fermenting sugar — such as that from sugarcane and sweet sorghum juices, stalks and stems.

“We’re looking at biomedical applications whereby these nanotubes are injected in the body,” said Wilfred Vermerris, an associate professor in UF’s agronomy department and Genetics Institute who was part of the team that developed the nanotubes. The team’s work is described in a March issue of the journal Nanotechnology.

Carbon-based nanotubes, which are the kind used today, cost around $500 a gram, and nanotechnology drug delivery has been projected to be a $220 billion market by 2015.

Nanotubes offer an advantage over radiation or traditional chemotherapy because they have a protective shell that keeps the drugs they contain from affecting healthy parts of the body, such as hair or intestinal lining, said Vermerris, a member of UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

As with current carbon nanotubes, cancer-fighting drugs can be enclosed in the plant-based nanotubes and sent to target specific tumors, he said.

But, the researcher said, unlike currently used carbon nanotubes, lignin nanotubes are flexible and lack sharp edges. That means they’re expected to have fewer, if any, of the toxicity issues associated with current varieties.

“It is also much easier to chemically modify the lignin nanotubes so that they can locate their intended targets like homing devices,” he said.

Vermerris envisions nanotubes as a way to reduce the cost of biofuel production.

“By selling the nanotubes for biomedical applications, an additional revenue stream is generated for the biorefinery that can offset some of the processing costs,” he said. “That essentially reduces the price of the fuels and makes them more competitive with petroleum-based fuel.”

Luisa Amelia Dempere, an associate engineer and director of the Major Analytical Instrumentation Center in UF’s College of Engineering, guided the analysis and characterization of the lignin nanotubes as part of the research team.

She called the development of the lignin nanotubes “quite significant” and noted their ability to break down in the environment as another advantage over current nanotubes.

“They are taking something from the waste stream, like lignin is for a lot of industries, and making it into something that can be useful and then can degrade back into the environment,” Dempere said. “This is probably a material that can be called green and sustainable because it comes from nature and goes back to nature.”

UF has applied for a patent on the technology.

Vermerris said his research is now testing the technology in living cells in the lab as a first step toward tests in humans in the near future.

The research was funded by IFAS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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Contacts

Writer: Robert H. Wells, 352-273-3569; rhwells@ufl.edu

Sources: Wilfred Vermerris, 352-273-8162; wev@ufl.edu
Luisa A. Dempere, 352-392-6985; ldemp@mse.ufl.edu