FAA takes 'comprehensive review' of the Dreamliner
WASHINGTON -- The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it's undertaking a comprehensive review of the design and manufacture of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner after a series of problems this week with the celebrated new plane.
Despite the review, FAA chief Michael Huerta said the jetliner is safe for passengers to fly. "We believe this is a safe aircraft," he said.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood went further, saying, "I believe this plane is safe and I would have absolutely no reservations about boarding one of these planes and taking a flight."
The announcement -- from Huerta and LaHood -- was made shortly after two Dreamliners flown by All Nippon Airways reported a small oil leak and a cracked cockpit window on separate flights in Japan earlier in the day.
Those incidents follow a fire on a plane on Monday and a fuel leak on another on Tuesday in Boston. On Wednesday, All Nippon canceled a Dreamliner flight because some brake parts needed to be replaced.
"We are concerned about recent events involving Boeing 787," LaHood said. "We will look for root causes of recent events and do everything possible to make sure they don't happen again. We are going to work very hard to get to the bottom of this."
Huerta said 50 planes have been delivered worldwide, with six in the United States. He said the review would focus on electronics. He said the review would be "expeditious," but couldn't say how long it would take.
Boeing -- which began rolling out the new, lightweight plane that's made largely of carbon composites rather than metal in late 2011 -- said it is working with the administration on the review.
Ray Conner, president of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said the Dreamliner completed the most rigorous certification process in history before it was first delivered to the airlines to start flying.
"We have complete confidence in the 787, and so do our customers," Conner says. "Every near airplane has issues as it enters service."
The jetliner is innovative not only because it's made from composites, but because it is the first Boeing plane to use rechargeable lithium ion batteries.
Because lithium batteries aren't commonly used, the FAA had set special safety conditions in 2007 for the plane to prevent overheating.
The fire on Monday involved a lithium-ion battery powering an empty Japan Airlines Dreamliner at Boston's Logan Airport.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the fire, which started in an auxiliary power unit that was running with cleaning and maintenance crews on the plane. The damage to the plane was confined to the area within about 20 inches around the battery in an electronics bay, according to an initial NTSB report.
The latest mishaps appear minor on the surface, but have raised questions about the revolutionary new jet because they've come one after another.
The small fuel leak Tuesday involved a Japan Airlines flight preparing for takeoff at Logan. Japan's All Nippon Airways reported two new problems today on separate flights. The small oil leak in the left engine of one flight didn't prevent the plane from flying from Miyazaki airport to Tokyo. Another plane was grounded for repairs when the airline discovered a cracked cockpit window.
Boeing insists that the Dreamliner's problems are no worse than what it experienced when its 777 was new in the mid-1990s. That plane is now one of its top-sellers and is well-liked by airlines.
"We are absolutely confident in the reliability and performance of the 787," Boeing spokesman Marc Birtel said. "We are working with the FAA and our customers to ensure we thoroughly understand any introductory issues that arise. While we take each issue seriously, nothing we've seen in service causes us to doubt the capabilities of the airplane."
At present, Boeing has orders from airlines for nearly 800 more of the planes. To fill them, the company has ramped up production to build 10 planes a month in Washington state and South Carolina by the end of the year. By way of comparison, the company builds more than one 737, the most popular passenger jet, every day.
The company said in November that it had begun making five 787s a month. But if any major manufacturing changes are needed to fix the problems as a result of the FAA review, it could fall further behind in deliveries.
Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard and The Associated Press.
_____________________________________________
Dreamliner safety review: What it means for fliers
CNN) -- Some travelers wondered Friday whether they should be concerned about Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner after a string of recent mechanical and other problems prompted a wave of negative publicity and an unusual federal safety review.
Troubles dating back just four months include reports of an oil leak, a fuel leak, engine cracks and a damaged cockpit window. This all follows a very difficult development history that included a series of production setbacks and other delays before the plane entered service in 2011.
The Federal Aviation Administration, which is responsible for air safety, launched a comprehensive examination on Friday of the Dreamliner's design as well as its manufacture and assembly.
The electrical system is of particular interest to authorities following a fire this week aboard an empty 787 in Boston.
Atlanta-based businessman Bobby Burns said he'll choose not to fly on the aircraft anytime soon.
"I am wary of a plane model that has fire problems and leaks fuel," said Burns, a project manager who takes more than 50 trips a year. "I think of it the same as a new car model: wait a year or two to get all the 'recalls' sorted out."
On the other hand, travel industry leaders report passengers seem to be taking things in stride.
Jay Johnson, president of Coastline Travel Advisors in Garden Grove, California, said not one client has called with concerns about 787 safety issues.
David Holyoke, president of Travel Leaders Corporate, echoed a similar conclusion.
"No one is steering clear of it at this point. No clients have called and asked to be rebooked."
Jim Osborne, who helps run a network of high-end travel agencies, says he has "zero trepidation about flying on this plane."
In fact, he said many clients have shifted their travel plans specifically so they can experience flying on the Dreamliner wide body.
More than 150 Dreamliner flights occur daily, according to Boeing. United Airlines -- which has six 787s -- debuted the nation's first domestic Dreamliner routes last November with much fanfare.
"We continue to have complete confidence in the 787 and the ability of Boeing," United said Friday in a statement. The airline described the problems as "early operational issues."
United's Dreamliner fleet travels routes primarily linking Houston and Chicago and between Newark and Los Angeles. Last week, the airline kicked off its first international 787 service between Los Angeles and Tokyo.
Other U.S. carriers are in line to buy Dreamliners, including Delta. American Airlines has announced an order, but it's not yet "firm."
Worldwide, Boeing has delivered 50 Dreamliners. Several hundred are under order, making its success crucial for Boeing, which had not designed a new commercial jetliner in years before unveiling the Dreamliner.
The FAA review is "very unusual" because the agency signed off on the aircraft's safety before it could fly commercially, said John Goglia, a former member of the National Transportation Safety Board.
The safety board is the leading authority in the United States on aircraft safety investigations and is looking into the Boston fire, which preliminarily has been linked to a auxiliary battery system.
The FAA "just certified the airplane, so they're going to go back and redo it." Does the FAA "not trust" their "own people?" asked Goglia, who's also a former airline mechanic.
Kevin Hiatt, president and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation, says the situation speaks to what's going on inside the FAA itself. "We hope they take a look at their own processes internally to make sure that they're up to date and on par with this new technologically advanced aircraft."
The twin-engine jetliner is heralded for its mostly carbon fiber construction, which reduces weight. Its fuel saving possibilities, cutting edge technology, operational versatility and cabin appointments generated enormous interest from airlines, initially overseas.
Top Boeing, Transportation Department and FAA officials said at a news conference on Friday announcing the federal safety review that it was important to maintain public confidence in the Dreamliner.
"There is a continued process that we always go through. So this is not unprecedented," said FAA chief Michael Huerta.
But at Reagan National Airport on Friday, some passengers expressed skepticism in general about the nation's airline regulatory safety net.
"As a regulatory attorney, I know that regulatory agencies in this country don't always do their job all that efficiently," said Jonathan Weinrieb of Chevy Chase, Maryland. "So do I trust them to make sure the Dreamliner is safe? No. But will that stop me from flying if that's the plane I've got to get on to get where I'm going? No."
Another traveler said his confidence in the system was high. "They'll figure it out and get it all squared away," said Ridgely Albaugh of Lower Marlboro, Maryland.
Goglia said every new airplane is going have "teething problems." The manufacturers usually "get a handle on it quickly and fix it," he said.
A week Boeing would like to forget
The most recent Dreamliner setbacks occurred Friday. Oil was discovered leaking from a generator on an engine at a Japanese airport, and a crack appeared in a cockpit window of a plane en route from Tokyo to western Japan, a spokeswoman for All Nippon Airways said.
ANA was the Dreamliner's launch, or first customer.
On Tuesday, a Japan Airlines flight bound for Tokyo aborted takeoff from Boston's Logan International Airport after a pilot on another airplane spotted the 787 leaking fuel. On Monday, a maintenance worker discovered the electrical fire aboard an empty plane being prepared at a gate at Logan for a return trip to Japan.
In December, a United Airlines 787 traveling from Houston to Newark, New Jersey, was diverted to New Orleans because of mechanical problems. A general inspection of all 787s in September turned up cracked engines on two planes.
The cracked window and the leaky generator were not unusual issues, ANA said, and occur with other aircraft as well. This was the third time that a window cracked on an ANA Dreamliner, but the cockpit window has five layers, and Friday's crack, in a spider web pattern, appeared in the outer layer, ANA said. It did not endanger the flight.
Dreamliner's growing pains not unusual for new airplanes, experts say
Newer airplanes are safer than ever, Goglia said. "We are flying more airplanes that have been engineered to be safer," he said. "We almost (never) have material failures in airplanes anymore."
The Airbus A380 also had problems when it started flying in 2007, but aviation expert Janet Bednarek loves to fly on it.
"It had cracks in the wing, which would be much more concerning to me" than the 787 reports, said Bednarek, a University of Dayton aviation history professor. "They figured it out. Pilots want to get to their destination alive as much as anybody, so they don't mess around."
Like the 787, the Boeing 747 had a lot of issues when it started flying in 1970, aviation consultant Michael Boyd said.
And as with the former model, Boeing will work through the current aircraft's issues and move on, the company has said.
Two problems, two planes, two days
"Just like with anything that's new, they kind of have to get the kinks out of it," said airline passenger Ronald Hobby, of Fort Washington, Maryland. "So I would probably wait for a while until they get everything straight before I would fly."
CNN's Mike Ahlers, Junko Ogura, Ben Brumfield, Katia Hetter, Marnie Hunter, Jim Barnett and Todd Sperry contributed to this report.
Nebu:When you write about Boeing's 787, you write about the company Boeing and the craft 787, and not the engineers. But if your friend works for Boeing, you mention his name. The engineers are rewarded with higher compensation. So, if your friend does not work for Boeing but you sneaked his name in your write up, he gets nothing.And I amEzeana AchusimOdi-IsaaNwa Dim OriohaSent from my iPhone
- The write up dealt with company and the drug, but not about the scientists. Mazi Achusim
Even though you were not categorical in allaying my perplexity over this matter, you have nevertheless heightened it with your words above. Indeed, if the write up dealt only with company and drug (not scientists), how did Iwuh's name get smuggled into it?Character is more valuable to me than capital gains. This quickness by some Nigerians to celebrate money and carry on life as if everything begins and ends with money nauseates me. How did you know that Iwuh owns shares of SLXP?Anyway, thank you for your effort.Nebukadineze Adiele
Religion is DeceptionIn a message dated 1/13/2013 12:53:47 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, igirigiachusim@aol.com writes:Neb:I can help you some how. The ticker symbol for the company is SLXP, which Bolaji provided. I checked the stock, and FDA did approve their drug for treatment of gastro problems of aids patients. The stock jumped from $37 to $45 per share. The write up dealt with company and the drug, but not about the scientists. And Prof. Iwu probably does not care about what we think. With the FDA approval, his capital gains would be humongous. Probably from $.50 per share to $45 per share and rising.Check SLXP ticker symbol.
And I amEzeana AchusimOdi-IsaaNwa Dim OriohaSent from my iPhone=Nebu,
Actually, diarrhea is rarely treated with antibiotics as most infection diarrhea(outside amoebic dysentery, shigella diarrhea) are due to bacteria toxins which may be better managed by allowing the toxins out of the body by the diarrhea while replenishing lost fluid and electrolytes.
Actually taking antibiotics may cause diarrhea.
On Dr. Iwu's antibiotics, I found some US patents in his name for anti-parasitic and antifungal compounds but no record of any of it in the pharmaceutical mainline.
Segun
From: Nebukadineze@aol.comDate: Sat, 12 Jan 2013 22:24:48 -0500 (EST)To: <jbi8@cdc.gov>; <naijaintellects@googlegroups.com>; <stdawodu@gmail.com>; <alukome@gmail.com>; <tvade3@gmail.com>Cc: <USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com>; <NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com>; <nigerianID@yahoogroups.com>; <OmoOdua@yahoogroups.com>; <Raayiriga@yahoogroups.com>; <NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com>; <nigerianbiomedicalandlifescientists@yahoogroups.co.uk>; <NaijaObserver@yahoogroups.com>Subject: Re: [Naijaintellects] RE: 'How we developed new cancer drug' - Professor Wol...
- Prof Iwu's diarrhea treatment is most realistic because there are existing antibiotics [narrow/broad-spectrum] for managing several diarrhea caused by bacterial or parasitic agents; viral diarrheas may be more difficult to treat; the physicians here will confirm that managing AIDS-related diarrhea is not curing HIV/AIDS; its like managing ulcers associated with diabetes.JUI
Apart from Nigeriacentric/Africacentric media, has any other media outlets or scientific journals associated Maurice Iwuh with this so called AIDS related diarrhea curing discovery? I asked that question because I have checked, up to the FDA, and nothing pointed me to Iwuh with this discovery. Can anyone help me with this answer?Nebukadineze Adiele
Religion is DeceptionIn a message dated 1/12/2013 9:59:17 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, jbi8@cdc.gov writes:--Daalu VC Bolaji et STD for the educating AUST's founding information!!! From the information given, it appears there is regional specialty focus by the campuses that is anchored on regional resources or material strengths. Talking about nanoparticle research, one of my Lab Associates has been working on vaccine and drug delivery using nanoparticles; hopefully there will be an outlet or space for such research at AUST Abuja sometime!
For now, the following comments need to be highlighted:
"""." There are times when too many Nigerian scientists OVER-CLAIM (which is NOT the case here, reading through the interview) and/or when Nigerian newspaper headlines, in a burst of African pride, PROMOTE those over-claims and/or INJECT their own (which is the case here). Abalaka (HIV/Aids), Oyibo (GaGUT), Emeagwali (Computer Science) and more recently Ibeh (HIV/AIDs), are recent examples of what I would call scientists "over-claims", while the recent announcement of Maurice Iwu over a HIV/Aids-related diarhhea treatment drug is a suspected "over-claim" on his behalf by some Nigerian newspapers, with some in-built deniability on behalf of Prof. Iwu. There is an international and ethical framework of conduct of scientific work and acceptance of scientific claims that must be observed, lest all kinds of charlatans enter and human (and even animal) lives are endangered."""Unquote VC Bolaji!
My comment here is that Prof Iwu's diarrhea treatment is most realistic because there are existing antibiotics [narrow/broad-spectrum] for managing several diarrhea caused by bacterial or parasitic agents; viral diarrheas may be more difficult to treat; the physicians here will confirm that managing AIDS-related diarrhea is not curing HIV/AIDS; its like managing ulcers associated with diabetes.
""…. the institution in its formative period headed by my wife had to go through an accreditation process with NUC with Prof. Okojie as its head. …….The contribution of El-Rufai and Pres. OBJ in ensuring the process and also getting land is highly commendable.""Unquote Dr STD!
The roles of the 4 Nigerians listed should be regarded as a recognizable and applaud-able phase of the history of the Nigerian campus of AUST! From this, is it Ok to assume every campus has its VC?, Right? Riiiiight!!! Hehe!!!
Take care. JUI
From: Segun T. Dawodu [mailto:stdawodu@gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2013 6:48 AM
To: Mobolaji Aluko; naijaintellects@googlegroups.com; Igietseme, Joseph (CDC/OID/NCEZID); OLUWATOYIN ADEPOJU
Cc: USAAfrica Dialogue; NaijaPolitics e-Group; nigerianid@yahoogroups.com; OmoOdua; Ra'ayi
Subject: Re: [Naijaintellects] RE: 'How we developed new cancer drug' - Professor Wole Soboyejo (President, AUST)
Bolaji,
I was, as it was a sacrifice my family made that the institution in its formative period headed by my wife had to go through an accreditation process with NUC with Prof. Okojie as its head.
The contribution of El-Rufai and Pres. OBJ in ensuring the process and also getting land is highly commendable.
At the end of that formative period, my wife returned to her employer the World Bank and an interim head as Ag. President was appointed. So Wole is actually the 3rd President of the institution outside that formative period when it was headed by my wife.
On the cancer drug, I agree that the error was more from the journalist choice of words.
Segun
From: Mobolaji Aluko <alukome@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 12 Jan 2013 08:47:26 +0100
To: <naijaintellects@googlegroups.com>; Igietseme, Joseph (CDC/CCID/NCPDCID)<jbi8@cdc.gov>; Segun Dawodu<stdawodu@gmail.com>; OLUWATOYIN ADEPOJU<tvade3@gmail.com>
Cc: USAAfrica Dialogue<USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com>; NaijaPolitics e-Group<NaijaPolitics@yahoogroups.com>; nigerianid@yahoogroups.com<nigerianID@yahoogroups.com>; OmoOdua<OmoOdua@yahoogroups.com>; Ra'ayi<Raayiriga@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Re: [Naijaintellects] RE: 'How we developed new cancer drug' - Professor Wole Soboyejo (President, AUST)
My People:
I have concatenated below, for response efficiency, the questions and comments of Joe Igietseme, Segun Dawodu and Toyin Adepoju, and will now make my comments addressing some of the issues.
1. AUST (http://aust.edu.ng) is a private, post-graduate-only (http://aust-abuja.org/admissions), pan-African(ist) university (http://aust-abuja.org/about-aust) located in Abuja and established in 2008. It is officially RECOGNIZED by the National Universities Commission NUC (see http://www.nuc.edu.ng/pages/universities.asp?ty=3&order=inst_name) as a private university on Nigerian soil, but does not require accreditation since it does not offer undergraduate degrees for now, even though it does offer undergraduate courses for its students.
2. The current (and second) President/Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Wole Soboyejo, formerly of Princeton University's Materials Science Department was one of the prime African Diaspora movers of the initial broad multi-campus Nelson Mandela Institute NMI/AIST concept, supported SIGNIFICANTLY by the World Bank Institute (see http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTDGF/DGFPrograms/21870031/NelsonMandelaAfricanInstiOfScienceAndTech.pdf ) and other development and private partners while Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was at the World Bank. Yours truly (Bolaji Aluko) and Mrs. Toyin-Dawodu were privileged to attend the first Summit on the AIST concept in Arusha in 2004, Tanzania, and I served on its Scientific Board. [I must confess that the PRIVATE AUST concept modified to a PUBLIC Nigerian university @ Otuoke is in my head as current VC of FUO. Prof. Soboyejo was on Otuoke's preliminary academic planning Advisory Board.]
3. Abuja clinched the first site of AUST over Arusha because of significant financial injection by President Olusegun Obasanjo as well as both material and additional financial support by then FCT Administrator Nasir El-Rufai. There are currently other centers underway in Burkina Faso (http://sig.ias.edu/files/pdfs/Maiga.pdf) , Tanzania (see http://www.nm-aist.ac.tz/about_us.html, http://www.nm-aist.ac.tz/CONCEPT%20PAPER%20ON%20NM-AIST-ARUSHA.pdf, http://allafrica.com/stories/201210270295.html), Mali (African School of Mines) and South Africa (see http://www.aims.ac.za/). The original concept to have one per African region (East (eg Tanzania), West (eg Nigeria), North, South (eg South Africa), Central)) is on its way, with a slight bow to West Africa (Mali, Burkina Faso, Nigeria) for now.
4. Coming to the present announcement of scientific breakthrough, the header should have read "How we are DEVELOPING a cancer drug" rather than "How we DEVELOPED a cancer drug." There are times when too many Nigerian scientists OVER-CLAIM (which is NOT the case here, reading through the interview) and/or when Nigerian newspaper headlines, in a burst of African pride, PROMOTE those over-claims and/or INJECT their own (which is the case here). Abalaka (HIV/Aids), Oyibo (GaGUT), Emeagwali (Computer Science) and more recently Ibeh (HIV/AIDs), are recent examples of what I would call scientists "over-claims", while the recent announcement of Maurice Iwu over a HIV/Aids-related diarhhea treatment drug is a suspected "over-claim" on his behalf by some Nigerian newspapers, with some in-built deniability on behalf of Prof. Iwu. There is an international and ethical framework of conduct of scientific work and acceptance of scientific claims that must be observed, lest all kinds of charlatans enter and human (and even animal) lives are endangered.
5. Nevertheless, AUST/Wole Soboyejo's scholarly nano-particle based research is an example to be encouraged of such cutting-edge basic and applied research to attack AFRICAN problems in which there is no strategic international advantage. That is, it is a wide-open field in which with sufficient dedication and funding, significant contributions lurk around the corner. Science and Engineering in Africa must use gap analysis to identify such fields that will have meaningful impact on Africa (and hence the world) in the areas of housing and clothing material, food (and generally agricultural) science, health (eg malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS) and energy (particularly solar and biomass).
And there you have it.
Bolaji Aluko
On Sat, Jan 12, 2013 at 2:23 AM, Igietseme, Joseph (CDC/OID/NCEZID) <jbi8@cdc.gov> wrote:
VC Bolaji,
Is the African University of Science and Technology (AUST) listed as one of Nigeria's universities and is it under the NUC's regulation/oversight? Just wondering under whose national authority it falls. Take care. JUI
___________________________________________________________
From what he said, they have developed something yet to be tested as a cancer drug. They have not even tested it on animals and yet calling it new cancer drug when it may not be better than "pure water" until it is shown otherwise.
I will take it that Wole was wrongly quoted.
Segun [Dawodu]__________________________________________
While we take note of sceptical response like those of Segun Dawodu, it is very, very, important we applaud these research efforts from scholars in struggling countries like Nigeria.
The very fact of conducting research, and ambitious research of global ramifications as that on AIDS at the University of Benin and this on cancer at the African University of Science and Technology , indicates a culture of marked and possibly great creativity which will have various mutiplier effects whether or not the end goals are reached.
If they are reached,Nigerian enters the world map of scientific achievement.
These efforts demonstrate that we are on the world map of scientific endeavour even if it is not so reported by media outside Nigeria.
thanks
toyin
_________________________________
From: naijaintellects@googlegroups.com [mailto:naijaintellects@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Mobolaji Aluko
Sent: Friday, January 11, 2013 8:18 PM
To: USAAfrica Dialogue; NaijaPolitics e-Group; nigerianid@yahoogroups.com; OmoOdua; naijaintellects
Subject: [Naijaintellects] 'How we developed new cancer drug' - Professor Wole Soboyejo (President, AUST)
GUARDIAN
User Rating:
/ 0
Poor( )( )( )( )(X)Best [Rate]
The African University of Science and Technology (AUST) is the first of the Nelson Mandela Institutions (NMIs), established in Abuja, in 2007 as a centre of excellence in science and technology with a focus on African development. The university is making history with some of its research results. Top on the list is its Bio-electro-mechanical systems (BioMEMS) for the localized treatment of breast and prostate cancer. In this interview with The Guardian, the President of the University, Professor Wole Soboyejo, a Professor of Materials Science from Princeton University in the United States of America explains how the new localised cancer treatment works, while also listing other feats the university has accomplished. He spoke with the duo of MOHAMMED ABUBABAR and EMEKA ANUFORO in Abuja. Excerpts.
THE idea of setting up the University was to advance research for development on the continent. How far have you gone with accomplishing some of those mandates; what milestones do you have to celebrate so far?
In terms of advancing research, we have two key thrusts. One is to do research that can impact African development, research that addresses our needs in terms of health, in terms of water, energy and infrastructure. And within that structure, we have targeted a number of our projects where we have groups of people that are working on funded programmes, mostly funded by the World Bank STEP-B programme, and also by the African Development Bank and some of our industry stakeholders. In the area of technology for human health, our focus has been on developing nanotechnology platforms for detecting and treating cancer. Cancer is the second biggest killer of people in our society. At the moment it kills 22 per cent of all people and by the year 2030, it will kill 33 per cent of all people. This is the silent killer. It is much bigger than TB, Malaria and HIV all put together.
The issues there are early detection. We don't have good methods for detecting cancer early in our society. The second issue is reducing the severity of the treatment that people get in the form of chemotherapy. What we did was that we took some researches that have started when I was at Princeton University with the support of various funding agencies and domiciled the research here in Africa.
We have identified a new drug that you can synthesize; actually we use bacteria synthesis to make the drug. We have tested that drug and compared its efficacy against that of the standard drug that is known as Taxol, which is used typically in the treatment of cancer. Taxol was a drug that was developed a number of years ago. It is the most commonly used drug for chemotherapy. Now, there are two unique aspects. Beyond having a new drug, the other aspect is using nano-particles to deliver the drug. So, we have actually synthesized those nano-particles here in Abuja. These nano-particles have sizes and shapes that are small enough so that when you inject them into the body, they go through the blood vessels, through the capillaries and attach specifically to the tumour site. We have also done a work to look at the effects of concentration on the killing of cancer cells and we have shown that those drugs are effective.
So, the next step that we are now preparing to do is to do the experiment on smaller animals in a bioethical way. We have basically appointed a bioethics committee and we are now getting the necessary approvals such that we can show that the drugs shrink the cancer cells and compare that shrinkage to that of the standard cancer drug Taxol. Essentially, we are excited because we have something concrete that we can show in that area.
A complimentary part of this is that we have also designed and made the second generation of the device such that when the cancer is discovered and cut out, it can finish up any remaining cancer cells. You know you are never sure if you have taken out all the cancer cells, like breast cancer. What we have done is that we have developed this device that is almost like a sponge that you soak in the drug and then when you leave it at body temperature, that drug such sips out, it diffuses out and then kills any remaining cells that are cancerous in that domain in a way that minimizes the risks of missing some tumour cells.
What makes the device a landmark?
What is exciting about it is that that second generation device has been made here. Even more exciting is that we have some works where we have embedded sensors that would allow us to monitor the release of the drug, and control the release without the candidate having to go through a challenging sort of operations to achieve this. So, in that area, we have been very focused, and thanks to the STEP-B programme, we are now at the point where we are beginning to sort of do the animal testing. Within another year or two, that puts us in the domain where we can do human trials, so that we can deliver on real devices. This is the key thing.
At the lower level, we have started some work with some people in computer imaging, computer vision, and one of the big issues, especially for women, is this idea of cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is increasingly becoming a leading cause of death in women. It is often caused by infection by the human papilomavirus.
If men are promiscuous, they kill women because, essentially, if you come into contact with women with the human papilomavirus, when you interact with your wife or your spouse, you transmit it, and eventually that becomes cervical cancer. One of the big challenges we have in our society is that we don't have check-ups. In societies where they have checkups, the incidences have gone down. When I first came into contact with this problem, it turned out that there is something called colposcope. It costs about 30, 000 US Dollars, but it is actually a digital camera with image analysis software. We have shrunk something that costs $30, 000 to something that would cost at the most, $200-$300. When you just take that image, and you process that image using digital image processing, you can highlight the contours of the cervical cancer lesions and in that way, essentially, for the cost of a digital camera; you can detect cervical cancer at a stage where you can treat it.
In what way are you going to reduce the cost of such an expensive device?
We are working with one of our professors here in computer science, who is an expert in computer vision to create the algorithms. When those algorithms are created in Germany, they sell the programmes to us for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Our idea is to create the algorithms here and make these accessible for people doing detection and screening. The second issue for our women is screening. For the project that we are doing in that area, we are working with a doctor, a computer scientist and a designer to do that as our next step. Now, when you look at just those two areas, the nano-particle technology and that simple technology, if we, as a continent can implement that, we can reverse the cost of cervical cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. Those are clear deliverables. But the earlier version that I developed in Princeton is now being tested in India and it is actually successful. What we are doing now is that we are doing comparative testing with the existing system, and with the new system. Essentially, here, we are trying to develop the algorithms. Those are deliverables in health.
What are the other research products that the university has come up with?
In the areas of water, we have been working on these ceramic water filters for filtering water. Those filters can take out all the microbes in water. That can be contaminated water from a well, a borehole, or a stream, or a river. You may ask what the big deal is. It turns out that this water is a big deal for our people. There was a time when we could drink the water from our tap. When I was a boy, we used to drink the water from out taps. No problem! Today, if you drink the water from our taps, you will certainly get sick. The question is what is the technology to use? We have developed the technology where you can use clay and sawdust. By burning them and mixing them at certain proportions you can make a porous filter that can take out all the microbes in the water. We have now tasted it at a level where you can introduce this to individual homes.
Most recently, we have also integrated the filters into a small community based filter where you can provide enough water for a small community. In fact, our next step is to introduce it to our AUST community. So, we have a small treatment plant that we have developed in the lab, we have tasted the behaviour of that plant; we can basically produce up to a few hundred litres a day, which is more than enough drinking water, and it can purify surface borne or underground water to a level where you can feel safe drinking it. That is a second thing that we have been working on that we are now getting ready to transmission.
A third area that we have worked on is in the area of solar technology. In the area of solar technology, we have a two-prong strategy. One looks at existing solar technology and how you can adopt it to work for our own people. The other one looks at how we can develop the solar technology that our people can use in the future. In the area of the solar technology and how you can adapt it to our own needs, we have worked on some solar lantern strategy that is affordable for anybody in our society that essentially uses a small solar panel and can provide 12 hours of light and the students have demonstrated it at a cost that you will say is not more than a 20 -30 dollars per unit.
It is surprisingly simple, but it is something that is scalable and applicable to most people in a rural setting, and even in a rural-urban setting. And looking to the future, we have also, with the support of the STEP-B programme, been working on developing the light and solar panel of tomorrow. So, you know, for example, today that the light that we use are based on LED, the Low Energy system, that gives you basically for a third of the power, the same light as an incandescent. What we are working on is an organic LED. And one of our students, a guy by the name of Vitalis, has developed a method that makes an organic –inorganic LED that requires less power to turn it on.
Can you list other achievements of the university?
In the area of computer science, we have in this institution, students that are becoming experts at developing IT based solutions for telecommunications and also IT based solutions for facilitating learning. We also have one of our students who have also won an international price for mathematics at an international conference, which shows you that the system is beginning to work in terms of the quality of the research.
I must not forget the Petroleum Engineering people. The petroleum engineering within the last few years has become the key to showing that our local content in terms of educating people at high enough level, that the industry people want them can work. We now have a programme, because we have a programme that is accepted all over the world, to work in major oil companies. So all the major oil companies are hiring our students and paying them as experts. Given the right environment, our young people are productive.
What is the level of support that you get for your work?
We do need help. We have been talking to people in the World Bank who have helped us tremendously. But it would be helpful if our government could come in. In fact, we are in discussions with the Minister of Science and Technology in an initiative that would bring some government money in. We are also in discussion with a number of companies. But this is an area where we need commitment.
How do you rate the level of funding for the science sector from African countries, especially Nigeria where so much talk has been on about using science for development?
There is really no allocation to science and technology that can fund innovation in Nigeria. The Science, Technology and Innovation Policy is really a good one that could help in defining some goals, but I think that we need to collect all these funds that we have created in different ways and bring them together into an effective science fund. We also need to fund a few centres of excellence, not just with infrastructure, but with the ability to do science and have clear deliverables. I think that one role that AUST can play is to create an environment of what I call "can do science."
In a lot of places, we buy equipment to do science. We give excuses for not doing science. But at least, in this small environment, if you come here, you can eat, drink, eat science and sleep science and we need to create that across Africa, across our continent. The science fund is a must. I think that rather than having 10 different funds collecting tax money in different ways, let's assimilate all of these into one fund, where if you have a good idea, you go there and you get it done.
Author of this article: MOHAMMED ABUBABAR and EMEKA ANUFORO
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "naijaintellects" group.
To post to this group, send email to naijaintellects@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to naijaintellects+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/naijaintellects?hl=en.--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "naijaintellects" group.
To post to this group, send email to naijaintellects@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to naijaintellects+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/naijaintellects?hl=en.
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "naijaintellects" group.
To post to this group, send email to naijaintellects@googlegroups.com.
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to naijaintellects+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/naijaintellects?hl=en.
__._,_.___
Reply via web post Reply to sender Reply to group Start a New Topic Messages in this topic (1) 
.
__,_._,___
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the "USA-Africa Dialogue Series" moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin.
For current archives, visit http://groups.google.com/group/USAAfricaDialogue
For previous archives, visit http://www.utexas.edu/conferences/africa/ads/index.html
To post to this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue@googlegroups.com
To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to USAAfricaDialogue-
unsubscribe@googlegroups.com
No comments:
Post a Comment