Comments on: Time to Sweat the Small Stuff http://scienceprogress.org/2008/07/time-to-sweat-the-small-stuff/ Tue, 13 Sep 2011 13:59:48 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Darin Y. Furgeson, Ph.D. http://scienceprogress.org/2008/07/time-to-sweat-the-small-stuff/comment-page-1/#comment-2714 Darin Y. Furgeson, Ph.D. Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:26:51 +0000 http://www.scienceprogress.org/2008/07/time-to-sweat-the-small-stuff/#comment-2714 Rick, I would like to address one point in a small section in the article you wrote entitled "Time to Sweat the Small Stuff" published online on Friday July 25, 2008. As a presenter quoted in the article, I seek to clarify the section where I am quoted as: " 'Even the number of vertebrae changes,' changing the curvature of the spine." Now, it is entirely plausible that I misspoke during my presentation, but the curvature of the spine is not necessarily due to the number of vertebrae changing. In fact, we do not know why the tail of the fish curls up or down, as we have not yet delved that deep into the system to identify what is indeed causing this physical abnormality. My initial guess is that this observation results from altered skeletal muscle contraction, or even major visceral organ changes, but again we cannot confirm this. If I spoke erroneously, I apologize. An increase or decrease in the number of vertebrae would result in longer or shorter fish, respectively. These assays were designed to screen of a wide range of particles and polymers for gross morphological and/or developmental abnormalities as metrics to assess nanotoxicity. I hope this clarifies this point and feel free to contact me if you have any questions. In the future would it be at all possible to be provided with a pre-press release for my review before going to print? I'm relatively new at this game, so to speak, but it could be a way to prevent minor errors from propagating in the future. Thank you. Darin Y. Furgeson, PhD Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering Biomedical Engineering Center for Translational Research University of Wisconsin-Madison 777 Highland Ave / School of Pharmacy Madison, WI 53705-2222 Office: (608) 890-0699 Fax: (608) 262-5345 dfurgeson@pharmacy.wisc.edu Rick,

I would like to address one point in a small section in the article you wrote entitled “Time to Sweat the Small Stuff” published online on Friday July 25, 2008. As a presenter quoted in the article, I seek to clarify the section where I am quoted as: ” ‘Even the number of vertebrae changes,’ changing the curvature of the spine.” Now, it is entirely plausible that I misspoke during my presentation, but the curvature of the spine is not necessarily due to the number of vertebrae changing. In fact, we do not know why the tail of the fish curls up or down, as we have not yet delved that deep into the system to identify what is indeed causing this physical abnormality. My initial guess is that this observation results from altered skeletal muscle contraction, or even major visceral organ changes, but again we cannot confirm this. If I spoke erroneously, I apologize. An increase or decrease in the number of vertebrae would result in longer or shorter fish, respectively.

These assays were designed to screen of a wide range of particles and polymers for gross morphological and/or developmental abnormalities as metrics to assess nanotoxicity.

I hope this clarifies this point and feel free to contact me if you have any questions. In the future would it be at all possible to be provided with a pre-press release for my review before going to print? I’m relatively new at this game, so to speak, but it could be a way to prevent minor errors from propagating in the future.

Thank you.

Darin Y. Furgeson, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical Engineering Center for Translational Research
University of Wisconsin-Madison
777 Highland Ave / School of Pharmacy
Madison, WI 53705-2222
Office: (608) 890-0699
Fax: (608) 262-5345
dfurgeson@pharmacy.wisc.edu

]]> By: Jane Macoubrie http://scienceprogress.org/2008/07/time-to-sweat-the-small-stuff/comment-page-1/#comment-2421 Jane Macoubrie Fri, 25 Jul 2008 16:35:28 +0000 http://www.scienceprogress.org/2008/07/time-to-sweat-the-small-stuff/#comment-2421 Rick, this is a great piece, but I beg to differ on one point: that conventional FDA safety tests should be counted on to catch nanotech-related drug problems. The current tests let slip through that Viagra causes blindness, and that hormone replacement therapy (in the dominant form) causes heart attack and stroke, to use only two examples. The warnings and discoveries issued weekly on the FDA's own web site attest that the current tests do not catch some very serious problems. This concern is especially relevant because the public knows the current drug situation is not good, and their attitudes towards nanotech are colored by this. Evidence of the public's perception of and reasoning about the problem is in my 2006 study for the Wilson Center and earlier similar study for NNI. We should all be concerned about the nano downstream footprint, as you say, but please let's not let FDA off the hook. Based on current evidence, tests are failing already. This is not just a regulation issue, either. It is a marketing issue. We are now a global economy. Our standards affect the ability of companies to sell around the world, and affects perceptions of whether we truly are a democracy, where the concerns of the people count. Jane Macoubrie, Ph.D. 303-475-6220 Rick, this is a great piece, but I beg to differ on one point: that conventional FDA safety tests should be counted on to catch nanotech-related drug problems. The current tests let slip through that Viagra causes blindness, and that hormone replacement therapy (in the dominant form) causes heart attack and stroke, to use only two examples. The warnings and discoveries issued weekly on the FDA’s own web site attest that the current tests do not catch some very serious problems.

This concern is especially relevant because the public knows the current drug situation is not good, and their attitudes towards nanotech are colored by this. Evidence of the public’s perception of and reasoning about the problem is in my 2006 study for the Wilson Center and earlier similar study for NNI.

We should all be concerned about the nano downstream footprint, as you say, but please let’s not let FDA off the hook. Based on current evidence, tests are failing already.

This is not just a regulation issue, either. It is a marketing issue. We are now a global economy. Our standards affect the ability of companies to sell around the world, and affects perceptions of whether we truly are a democracy, where the concerns of the people count.

Jane Macoubrie, Ph.D.
303-475-6220

]]>