GOVERNMENT CONCENTRATES

NHGRI funds functional study of human genome

The National Human Genome Research Institute at NIH awarded the first set of grants to identify all the parts of the human genome that are crucial to biological function. The three-year, $36 million project called the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) will involve an international consortium of scientists in academia, industry, and government. It has two components. One group of awards--expected to total approximately $28 million in funding over the three-year period--will support studies on the large-scale application of existing technologies for determining functional elements of the human genome. Eight grants were awarded in this area. The second group of concurrently funded research projects will develop new or improved technologies for finding functional elements in genomic DNA. Six grants were awarded in this area and are expected to total approximately $7.8 million in funding over three years. The ultimate goal, according to Elise A. Feingold, program director for ENCODE, "is to create a reference work that will help researchers fully utilize the human sequence to gain deeper understanding of human biology, as well as to develop new strategies for preventing and treating disease."

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Runaway process led to accident, Safety Board says

Inadequate management practices and deteriorating equipment were to blame for a runaway accident on Oct. 13, 2002, at First Chemical Corp., Pascagoula, Miss., says the Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board in a report released last week. The board, an independent agency that investigates chemical accidents, says the out-of-control process involved mononitrotoluene (MNT), which is explosive at high temperatures. Operators thought the process had been shut down weeks before the accident, but valves used to shut off steam to a distillation tower had deteriorated, heating 1,200 gal of MNT and blowing the top off the 145-foot-tall distillation tower. Although the explosion sent projectiles into the air and resulted in a fire that burned for three hours, only three workers were injured because the accident took place before dawn on Sunday. The board notes that MNT is a reactive chemical not covered by federal process safety rules. The board also notes that, at the time, the company was a member of the Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association and had asserted that it was performing hazard analyses to comply with SOCMA's voluntary codes. However, the company had not done so. Consequently, the board urges SOCMA and the American Chemistry Council to toughen oversight of their Responsible Care safety codes.

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Report assesses academic research impact

More collaborations are needed between universities and industry to maximize the benefit of academic research on industrial performance, says the National Academies report "The Impact of Academic Research on Industrial Performance." The study evaluated the relationship between academic research and industrial performance in the areas of network systems and communications; medical devices and equipment; financial services; aerospace; and transportation, distribution, and logistics services. The study found that the first three areas experience a significant impact from academic research, whereas the last two see only a modest influence. These five sectors were chosen for their significance to the economy with regard to sales and employment, their extensive use of technology, and their expected growth rates. The full report is available online at http://www.nap.edu/books/0309089735/html.

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China sends man into space

Last week, China joined the U.S. and Russia as the only countries that have successfully sent a human into space. The mission lasted less than 24 hours and allowed Chinese taikonaut Lt. Col. Yang Liwei--a 38-year-old former fighter pilot--to circle Earth a reported 14 times, eventually landing safely in Inner Mongolia. "This launch is an important achievement in the history of human exploration," said NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe in a press release. "The Chinese people have a long and distinguished history of exploration. NASA wishes China a continued safe human space flight program."

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FDA panel okays silicone implants

An FDA advisory panel has recommended, in a split 9–6 vote, that the agency approve the use of silicone breast implants, with certain conditions. Inamed Corp. had applied to FDA to sell the devices, which have been essentially banned since 1992. The panel said FDA should make sure that women are completely informed of possible risks from the implants and that Inamed should do a 10-year follow-up study on women receiving them. Although FDA is not required to follow the recommendations of its advisory panels, it usually does. A final decision on approving silicone implants may take several months.

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GOVERNMENT & POLICY ROUNDUP

• On a vote of 16–2, the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee last week approved the nomination of Utah Gov. Michael O. Leavitt (R) to become EPA administrator. The nomination now moves to the full Senate for a final vote.

• Lead and lead compounds should be listed as reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens in the National Toxicology Program's next report on carcinogens, a panel of NTP's Board of Scientific Counselors recommended last week. The classification will be decided after final reviews at NTP and by the secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services.

• Margaret O'K. Glavin has been appointed FDA assistant commissioner for counterterrorism. Glavin is an expert in food safety who has held a number of positions in USDA and was most recently a visiting scholar at the Washington, D.C., think tank Resources for the Future.

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