thebattalion ● tuesday,
Institute of Genomic Medicine receives $3.2 million
september 8, 2009
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SWINESCARE
■ Grant allows testing of toxicity in organisms Madiha Rizvi The Battalion The Texas A&M Institute of Genomic Medicine has received a grant of $3.2 million from the Environmental Protection Agency, shared with University of Houston and Indiana University, to establish a coalition for testing of toxicity in organisms. Texas Institue of Genomic Medicine will stream for toxin activity in in-vitro models, where reactions to different chemicals will be observed in mice embryonic stem cells, said Institute researcher Robert Cabrera. The University of Houston will be using zebrafish as models to research the effects of chemicals on embryonic development. The University of Indiana will use this data to create computer models for toxicity, some of which are relevant to human embryonic development. “The idea is to establish the infrastructure to prove concepts, which is to build models of suspected chemicals,” Cabrera said. “We want to demonstrate capacity to test.” Cabrera’s research involves reproductive teratology, where compounds causing birth defects are studied. Hundreds of new chemicals are introduced in the environment everyday, he said, but the effects have not been studied. “Think about it, a polymer for paint could have toxicity that we are not aware of. We breathe it in. We can have exposure unknowingly to a multitude of toxins,” Cabrera said. In the long run, Cabrera said, they wish to develop in-vitro models to screen for chemicals that may be hazardous for humans.
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The idea is to establish the infrastructure to prove concepts, which is to build models of suspected chemicals.”
OPINION H1N1 virus prevention efforts around the world can help ensure the population is prepared for the worst. voices | 11
Photo illustration by Stephen Fogg — THE BATTALION
H1N1 spreads on US campuses Travis Lawson The Battalion The H1N1 virus is making its way back onto college campuses, and Texas A&M University is making sure students are safe during the coming year. A&M’s Associate Vice President for University Risk and Compliance Charley Clark sent an e-mail to students Wednesday discussing safety tips and encouraging students
to get flu shots. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, flu cases in the U.S. are expected to rise in the coming winter months. “We still don’t know how serious it is going to be,” Clark said. Influenza thrives in cold weather, infecting others via droplets of mucus that leave the body through sneezing and coughing. “If you are sick, go home and stay home,
and don’t return to school until you have been free of fever for at least 24 hours without the help of medicines,” Clark said. Recently, cases of seasonal flu and the H1N1 virus have been on the increase at college campuses. Washington State University reported nearly 2,000 students experiencing flu-like symptoms since the semester began 10 See Swine flu on page 6
— Robert Cabrera TGIM researcher
Bleeding maroon
Hurricane Ike damages Galveston oyster reefs $700,000 restoration of the natural water filters to begin in November Laura Sanchez The Battalion
Jeremy Northum — THE BATTALION
Phlebotomist Chelsea Waller with Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center prepares to draw blood from English graduate student Shawn Moore Monday in Blocker. The blood drive, sponsored by Alpha Phi Omega, includes a donation center inside Blocker and a mobile center in front of Sbisa. Both locations will be open every day this week. The Blocker location is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and the Sbisa location from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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The damage from Hurricane Ike reached much more than houses and roads in Galveston Bay September 2008. Dozens of acres of oyster reefs were destroyed because of the debris left behind, and much of the oyster population was eliminated. “About half of the oyster reefs that exist in Galveston Bay were lost due to hurricane-induced sedimentation. The sediment that was generated by the storm surge smothered about 8,000 acres of oyster reef in Galveston Bay,” said Lance Robinson, upper coast regional director for Texas Parks and Wildlife. Oyster larvae need these reefs when they settle out of the water column and rise to the surface to mature as oysters. Reef restoration involves putting a new hard substrate down
with crushed concrete or limestone to allow for spawning of the oyster larvae, Robinson said. The department received a Fisheries Disaster Relief grant for $7 million to begin restoration efforts. Funds from this will be appropriated toward different projects. “In order to put that hard material down, our estimates put that cost in a neighborhood of $350 million, but our agency doesn’t have that kind of money. From the money we received, we are using about $2 million that will go directly toward oyster restoration,” Robinson said. The hard substrate will be placed in areas that have received more than six inches of sediment due to the hurricane. Commercial oyster fishermen will pull their bagless fishing gear over reefs with less than six inches of sediment. See Galveston on page 6
9/7/09 11:48 PM