American Chemical Society Fall 2019 National Meeting & Exposition Press Conference Schedule

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019, 5 a.m. Eastern Time

Newswise — SAN DIEGO – Attend press conferences live – online at http://bit.ly/acs2019sandiego or in person - at the American Chemical Society Fall 2019 National Meeting & Exposition. Press conferences will be held Monday, Aug. 26 and Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019. Below is the schedule, which will be updated as needed. 

The Press Center on-site location:
San Diego Convention Center 
Room 14A, Mezzanine Level
Phone: 619-525-6219

Anyone can view the press conferences, but to chat online, you must sign in first with a Google Account.

ALL TOPICS ARE STRICTLY EMBARGOED FOR THE DAYS AND TIMES INDICATED.

Note to journalists: Please report that this research is being presented at a meeting of the American Chemical Society.

Monday, Aug. 26

9 a.m. Pacific Time

Cleaning pollutants from water with pollen and spores — without the ‘achoo!’ (video)
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, 5 a.m. Eastern Time

In addition to their role in plant fertilization and reproduction, pollens and spores have another, hidden talent: With a simple treatment, these cheap, abundant and renewable grains can be converted into tiny sponge-like particles that can grab on to pollutants and remove them from water, scientists report. Even better, these treated particles don’t trigger allergies. A brand-new video on the research is available at www.acs.org/HLS_Pollen_Sponge. 

Aimilia Meichanetzoglou
University of Hull

9:30 a.m. Pacific Time   

Flame retardants — from plants
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, 5 a.m. Eastern Time 

Flame retardants are present in thousands of everyday items, from clothing to furniture to electronics. Although these substances can help prevent fire-related injuries and deaths, they could have harmful effects on human health and the environment. Of particular concern are those known as organohalogens, which are derived from petroleum. Today, scientists report potentially less toxic, biodegradable flame retardants from an unlikely source: plants.

Bob Howell, Ph.D.
Central Michigan University 

10:30 a.m. Pacific Time    

Producing protein batteries for safer, environmentally friendly power storage
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, 5 a.m. Eastern Time

Proteins are good for building muscle, but their building blocks also might be helpful for building sustainable organic batteries that could someday be a viable substitute for conventional lithium-ion batteries, without their safety and environmental concerns. By using synthetic polypeptides — which make up proteins —- and other polymers, researchers have taken the first steps toward constructing electrodes for such power sources. The work could also provide a new understanding of electron-transfer mechanisms.

Karen Wooley, Ph.D.
Texas A&M University

Jodie Lutkenhaus, Ph.D.
Texas A&M University

Tan Nguyen 
Texas A&M University

11 a.m. Pacific Time    

New way to bump off ticks: Dry up their saliva (video)
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, 5 a.m. Eastern Time 

Saliva from a tick’s bite can transmit pathogens that cause serious illnesses, such as Lyme disease, and significant agricultural losses. Current insecticides have drawbacks, so scientists have been seeking new ways to prevent these pesky arachnids from spreading pathogens. Now, researchers report that compounds they previously identified can dry up ticks’ saliva by upsetting the balance of ions in the salivary gland, reducing feeding and potentially limiting pathogen transmission. A brand-new video on the research is available at www.acs.org/HLS_Dry_Ticks. 

Daniel Swale, Ph.D.
Louisiana State University Agricultural Center

11:30 a.m. Pacific Time    

Disappearing act: Device vanishes on command after military missions (video)
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, 5 a.m. Eastern Time

A polymer that self-destructs? While once a fictional idea, new polymers now exist that are rugged enough to ferry packages or sensors into hostile territory and vaporize immediately upon a military mission’s completion. The material has been made into a rigid-winged glider and a nylon-like parachute fabric for airborne delivery across distances of a hundred miles or more. It could also be used someday in building materials or environmental sensors. A brand-new video on the research is available at www.acs.org/HLS_Disappearing_Glider. 

Paul A. Kohl, Ph.D.  
Georgia Institute of Technology

1 p.m. Pacific Time    

Making polyurethane degradable gives its components a second life
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, 5 a.m. Eastern Time

Polyurethane waste is piling up in landfills, but scientists have a possible solution: They have developed a method to make polyurethane degradable. Once the original product’s useful life is over, the polymer can easily be dissolved into ingredients to make new products such as superglue. These polyurethanes could also be used in microscopic capsules that break open to release cargo such as biocides.

Steven Zimmerman, Ph.D.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Ephraim Morado
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

1:30 p.m. Pacific Time    

Remodeling unhealthful gut microbiomes to fight disease
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, 5 a.m. Eastern Time

You are what you eat — right down to the microbiome living in your gut. Diet can affect which microbes are in the intestinal tract, and research has shown that harmful gut microbiome changes can lead to illnesses such as heart disease, obesity and cancer. Today, scientists will report the development of molecules that can change, or remodel, unhealthful gut microbiomes in mice into more healthful ones. The research could also someday be applied to other conditions related to diet.

Reza Ghadiri, Ph.D.
The Scripps Research Institute

2:30 p.m. Pacific Time    

Skin patch could painlessly deliver vaccines, cancer medications in one minute
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019, 5 a.m. Eastern Time

Melanoma is a deadly form of skin cancer that has been increasing in the U.S. for the past 30 years. Nearly 100,000 new cases of melanoma are diagnosed every year, and 20 Americans die every day from it, according to the American Academy of Dermatology. Now, researchers have developed a fast-acting skin patch that efficiently delivers medication to attack melanoma cells. The device, tested in mice and human skin samples, is an advance toward developing a vaccine to treat melanoma and has widespread applications for other vaccines.

Paula T. Hammond, Ph.D.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Yanpu He 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

3 p.m. Pacific Time    

How diabetes can increase cancer risk
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019, 5 a.m. Eastern Time

For years, scientists have been trying to solve a medical mystery: Why do people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of developing some forms of cancer?  Today, researchers report a possible explanation for this double whammy. They found that DNA sustains more damage and gets fixed less often when blood sugar levels are high compared to when blood sugar is at a normal, healthy level, thereby increasing one’s cancer risk.

John Termini, Ph.D.
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center

Tuesday, Aug. 27

9 a.m. Pacific Time    

‘MasSpec Pen’ for accurate cancer detection during surgery
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019, 5 a.m. Eastern Time

A major challenge for cancer surgeons is to determine exactly where a tumor starts and where it ends. Removing too much tissue can impair normal functions, but not taking enough can mean the disease could recur. The “MasSpec Pen,” a handheld device in development, could someday enable surgeons to distinguish between cancerous and healthy tissue with greater certainty in seconds, while in the operating room. Today, researchers report first results of its use in human surgeries.   

Livia Schiavinato Eberlin, Ph.D. 
The University of Texas at Austin
Baylor College of Medicine

9:30 a.m. Pacific Time    

Nanoparticles could someday give humans built-in night vision
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019, 5 a.m. Eastern Time

Movies featuring heroes with superpowers, such as flight, X-ray vision or extraordinary strength, are all the rage. But while these popular characters are mere flights of fancy, scientists have used nanoparticles to confer a real superpower on ordinary mice: the ability to see near-infrared light. Today, scientists report progress in making versions of these nanoparticles that could someday give built-in night vision to humans.

Gang Han, Ph.D.
University of Massachusetts Medical School

10:30 a.m. Pacific Time    

Skin creams aren’t what we thought they were
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019, 5 a.m. Eastern Time

Anyone who has gone through the stress and discomfort of raw, irritated skin knows the relief that comes with slathering on a creamy lotion. Topical creams generally contain a few standard ingredients, but manufacturers know little about how these components interact to influence the performance of the product. Now, researchers report the first direct glimpse of how a cream or lotion is structured on the molecular scale, and it’s not quite what they expected.

Delaram Ahmadi
King’s College London 

11 a.m. Pacific Time    

Chocolate muddles cannabis potency testing
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019, 5 a.m. Eastern Time

In 2012, Washington and Colorado became the first states to legalize recreational marijuana. Since then, several other states have joined them, and cannabis-infused edibles, including gummy bears, cookies and chocolates, have flooded the market. But these sweet treats have created major headaches for the scientists trying to analyze them for potency and contaminants. Researchers now report that components in chocolate might be interfering with cannabis potency testing, leading to inaccurate results.

David Dawson, Ph.D.
CW Analytical Laboratories

1 p.m. Pacific Time    

Chipping away at how ice forms could keep windshields, power lines ice-free
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019, 5 a.m. Eastern Time

How does ice form? Surprisingly, science hasn’t fully answered that question. Differences in ice formation on various surfaces still aren’t well understood, but researchers today will explain their finding that the arrangements that surface atoms impose on water molecules are the key. The work has implications for preventing ice formation where it isn’t wanted (windshields, power lines) and for promoting ice formation where it is (food or organ preservation). The results could also help improve weather prediction.

Sapna Sarupria, Ph.D.
Clemson University

1:30 p.m. Pacific Time    

Peptide hydrogels could help heal traumatic brain injuries
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019, 5 a.m. Eastern Time

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) –– defined as a bump, blow or jolt to the head that disrupts normal brain function –– sent 2.5 million people in the U.S. to the emergency room in 2014, according to statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Today, researchers report a self-assembling peptide hydrogel that, when injected into the brains of rats with TBI, increased blood vessel regrowth and neuronal survival.

Vivek Kumar, Ph.D.
New Jersey Institute of Technology

Biplab Sarkar, Ph.D.
New Jersey Institute of Technology

2:30 p.m. Pacific Time    

Smartphone-based device for detecting norovirus, the ‘cruise ship’ microbe (video)
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019, 5 a.m. Eastern Time

Made infamous by outbreaks on cruise ships, norovirus can really ruin a vacation, causing severe vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain. But the highly infectious virus can also strike closer to home, with water- and foodborne outbreaks occurring in municipal water systems, schools and restaurants. Today, researchers report a sensitive, portable device that can detect as few as a handful of norovirus particles in water. A brand-new video on the research is available at www.acs.org/HLS_Norovirus_Detector. 

Jeong-Yeol Yoon, Ph.D.
University of Arizona

3 p.m. Pacific Time    

Unraveling the history and science behind ancient decorative metal threads
EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019, 5 a.m. Eastern Time

When it comes to historical fashion, nothing stands out more than an item woven with shiny metal threads. These threads have been woven into textiles since ancient times and have been used by cultures around the world. However, the historical record has limited insight into how these materials were made, and conservation efforts limit scientists’ ability to obtain samples because many methods are destructive. Today, researchers report their progress toward a new, less damaging methodology for analyzing metal threads.

Aleksandra Popowich, Ph.D.
Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute

The American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, is a not-for-profit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. ACS does not conduct research, but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

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