University of Bath study warns of rise of ‘new chauvinism’ fueled by right-wing populism

Research shows ‘new chauvinism’ characterized by softer, more subtle language

UNIVERSITY OF BATH

New research from the University of Bath has identified a ‘new chauvinism’, fuelled by a resurgence in right-wing populism, and distinguished by the use of softer, more subtle language than traditional chauvinism.  

The study focused on language and attitudes in software development, a profession known for perpetuating chauvinistic language. It warns organizations that what it called ‘new chauvinism’ may open doors to neo-conservatism and foment discriminatory practices at odds with companies’ stated values.

“‘New chauvinism’ is practised in subtly different ways from old chauvinism. On-line misogynists, such as Andrew Tate, may use overtly misogynistic, hate-filled language that was familiar to our grandmothers and great-grandmothers, but our research suggests that new chauvinists generally use much softer, more subtle, less direct language,” said Professor Nancy Harding of the University of Bath School of Management.

Professor Harding led a team of researchers who interviewed men and women in the software development industry, where globally almost 92% of the workforce are male, with numerous studies identifying the profession’s misogynistic culture for the low female participation rates.  Harding’s team focused on the language and attitudes used by male developers and the experiences of female developers.

“Old chauvinism lobbed verbal bombs at women, telling them where women belonged – women and many men came to recognise these statements for what they were and could fight against them. However, new chauvinism fires fusillades of little chauvinistic arrows, from a quiver full of insults that are sometimes so subtle they are barely consciously registered as misogynistic,” she said.

Amongst a host of examples, researchers found a ‘curious resistance’ from many men to even contemplating the notion of a female software engineer, while some women reported hearing ‘I didn’t know that a woman could do this job’, and talked of a persistent ‘them and us’ culture, painting women as permanent outsiders. One man said, ‘It’s really hard for a woman to be feminine and a good developer at the same time. Some people just don’t get it’.

Professor Harding said the software development profession was not necessarily more receptive to right-wing politics than other professions but its misogynistic practices, like those hidden behind closed doors in other organizations, could offer a sympathetic point of entry into organizations by political actors.

She said neoconservatism, flourishing in an era of global insecurity, anxiety and gross inequalities, was a particular concern, resurrecting language and attitudes that became taboo over the decades-long fight for women’s rights.

“Neoconservatism breaks those taboos by reintroducing into circulation and normalising language, if not practices, whose elimination had been hard fought for. Their language may not contain explicit chauvinistic statements but its chauvinism is identifiable by indirect, elusive inferences.

For example, the study notes that UK National Conservatism’s 2023 conference saw UK Member of Parliament Miriam Cates urge women to have more children to tackle an ‘existential threat’ from falling population levels. Echoing policies espoused by Hungarian and Italian populist heads of state, Cates argued that spending money on women’s education militated against their role as child-bearers. This, implies but does not openly state that women ‘belong in the kitchen”.

Professor Harding said her team’s study showed women often struggled to find immediate ripostes to this less overt sexism, that there was a need to build awareness of the dangers of this more subtle form of chauvinism and to equip women with the language and phrases to disarm it quickly.

“For example, one aspect of chauvinising is the absorption of insults into our self-understanding. If women are told often enough that they have a natural predilection for care rather than action, they may come to feel guilty if they do not prioritise care over action. To which the response might be, isn’t it amazing how we can do care work as part of all the other things we do?” she said

Professor Harding said the research showed humour may be a useful weapon in the fight against ‘new chauvinism’.   

“Famously, see the response on Twitter/X to Andrew Tate’s announcement that he would not sleep with any women who had had the Covid-19 vaccination: ‘Hooray’, someone responded, ‘the vaccine works’.

The study – ‘Organizations, Neoconservatism and New Chauvinism: Organizational receptivity to ring-wing political strategies – can be read in full here.

ENDS/

Notes to editors

• For more information contact the University of Bath Press office at press@bath.ac.uk

The University of Bath

The University of Bath is one of the UK's leading universities for high-impact research with a reputation for excellence in education, student experience and graduate prospects.

We are named ‘University of the Year’ in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023, and ranked among the world’s top 10% of universities, placing 148th in the QS World University Rankings 2024. We are ranked 5th in the UK in the Complete University Guide 2024, 6th in the Guardian University Guide 2024 and 8th in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024.

Bath is rated in the world’s top 10 universities for sport in the QS World University Ranking by Subject 2023. We produce some of the world’s most job-ready graduates and were named University of the Year for Graduate Jobs by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024, as well as ranking as one of the world’s top 90 universities for employer reputation according to the QS World University Rankings 2024.

Research from Bath is helping to change the world for the better. Across the University’s three Faculties and School of Management, our research is making an impact in society, leading to low-carbon living, positive digital futures, and improved health and wellbeing. Find out all about our Research with Impact: www.bath.ac.uk/campaigns/research-with-impact/

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JOURNAL

Organization Studies

DOI

10.1177/01708406241261459 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Organizations, Neoconservativism and New Chauvinism: Organizational receptivity to right-wing political populism

 POSTMODERN SUBLIMINAL ADVERTISING

What’s really behind the ad label? The dark arts influencers are using to get your likes

New research has found social media influencers are using bogus claims, deceptive editing and reinforcing gender stereotypes in a bid to gain popularity

UNIVERSITY OF ESSEX

Rogue social media influencers are relying on gender stereotypes, bogus claims and deceptive editing to monetise their content and increase their following, a new study has found.  

Influencers using these questionable tactics, which would otherwise be impermissible under UK marketing rules, are seemingly able to hide in plain sight thanks to the existing focus on ad labelling within the influencer industry.  

In the absence of a legal definition and comprehensive guidelines on influencers, some are able to operate in regulatory blind-spots, with the only real requirement that sinks its teeth is for them to be transparent on what type of content they are producing (eg. advertising) rather than the substance of their messaging. 

New research by the University of Essex’s media law expert, Dr Alexandros Antoniou, has unearthed some of the dark arts being used by rogue influencers.  

He has identified four questionable strategies which were recurring themes during his analysis of more than 140 rulings from ASA between 2017 and 2024. 

The rulings related to advertising and promotional content, which had been referred to the watchdog amid concerns it broke marketing regulations. 

Dr Antoniou, of Essex Law School, said: “Even though influencers are seen as trustworthy figures in online brand communities, my findings expose long-standing issues of non-compliance with established marketing rules. 

“The current heavy emphasis on ad labelling is misguided as site users are already aware of potential paid endorsements by influencers.” 

The four recurring themes and breaches identified by Dr Antoniou were: 

• Promo-masquerade - exaggerating products through visual enhancements, mishandled give-away campaigns and prize mismanagement that leaves deserving participants empty handed or confused about terms of engagement. 

Example: The ASA found an influencer failed to deliver a £250 voucher from a fast-fashion retailer without justification and lacked evidence to show they had distributed three out of four prizes as part of a competition they were running.  

• Risk-fluence - making impermissible and baseless health and nutrition claims, showcasing prohibited products, and the irresponsible promotion of age-restricted goods. 

Example: An influencer was found in breach of marketing rules by ASA after they promoted an alcoholic product which used playful words to suggest the drink was low in calories. 

• Mone-trapment – encouraging followers to part with money through questionable ‘get rich quick’ schemes and high-risk investments. 

Example: The ASA ruled an influencer broke marketing rules when they promoted betting and gambling as a good way to achieve financial security 

• Stereo-scripting – using stereotypical images of masculinity and femininity as basis for promotions, reinforcing harmful gender norms. 

Example – The ASA found an influencer used cheerful visuals and energetic soundbites to recount her experience of breast augmentation surgery, which merely reinforced societal norms tying a woman’s worth to physical appearance, thereby perpetuating superficial ideals and unrealistic beauty standards. 

Dr Antoniou is calling for a new regulatory framework to be established to ensure there are clear expectations and boundaries in which influencers can operate in. 

He has also suggested a new certification scheme, backed by the ASA, could be used in the influencer sphere to give the industry a more professional outlook.  

Dr Antoniou hopes these measures will make influencers more responsible for their content and help the influencer sector evolve into a mature industry.   

“The existing approach to regulating social media influencers is not working as it’s reactive, and seeks to apportion blame after bad ads have already had their impact on followers,” he said. 

“Instead, the aim should be to establish a clear baseline of expectations; a ‘floor’ through which influencers cannot fall.” 

Dr Antoniou added: “There is currently no evidence that influencers’ malpractice stems from wilful disregard as opposed to mere ignorance and it is the lack of specific guidance that impedes their ability to learn from mistakes.” 

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JOURNAL

Journal of Media Law

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

When likes go rogue: advertising standards and the malpractice of unruly social media influencers

ARTICLE PUBLICAT

 

Important region of marine ecosystem in Southwest Atlantic is shallower than expected, study finds

Researchers determined for the first time the vertical limits of the subtropical ocean region off the South American coast. They found that the upper limit of the mesotrophic zone was was in fact in much shallower waters than previously assumed

FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO

 

IMAGE: 

A SPOTTED MORAY (GYMNOTHORAX MORINGA), AT THE BOTTOM OF THE FRAME, SURROUNDED BY A SHOAL OF TOMTATE GRUNTS (HAEMULON AUROLINEATUM), SEA CHUBS (KYPHOSUS SPP.), AND HORSE-EYE JACKS (CARANX LATUS), WITH ONE SQUIRRELFISH (HOLOCENTRUS ADSCENSIONIS), AT SACO DA BANANA NEAR “SNAKE ISLAND”, PROPERLY CALLED ILHA DA QUEIMADA GRANDE 

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CREDIT: LABECMAR-UNIFESP

Researchers at the Federal University of São Paulo (UNIFESP) and the University of São Paulo (USP) supported by FAPESP have determined, for the first time with precision, the vertical limits of the marine environments in the Southwest Atlantic, the region comprising the offshore and coastal zones of the Atlantic side of South America.

The study is reported in an article published in the journal Marine Environmental Research.

The main finding is the upper boundary of the mesophotic zone, the “middle light” region between the brightly lit ocean surface and the darkest depths. The lower limit of the mesophotic zone is the furthest that sunlight can penetrate the ocean.

Previous studies put the upper limit of this zone at a depth of 30 m, but the authors’ measurements of light penetration and fish inventories showed it to lie at a depth of between 15 m and 18 m in the subtropical coastal region.

“Besides the amount of light, which at this depth is only 10% of surface light incidence, we detected a different fish fauna, as well as species that circulate between the shallow and mesophotic zones,” said Maisha Gragnolati, first author of the article. The study was conducted while she was researching for a master’s degree in biodiversity and marine and coastal ecology at the Institute of Marine Sciences (IMAR-UNIFESP) in Santos (São Paulo state, Brazil).

According to the researchers, the gap between the classical definition widely found in the scientific literature (30 m) and their finding (18 m) is due to the fact that most previously published studies were conducted in tropical regions above the Tropic of Capricorn, whereas the Southwest Atlantic is mostly subtropical (below this line).

“Another key point is that studies normally focus on coral reefs, but rocky reefs are far more common in subtropical regions and involve quite different interactions with light and the organisms that live there,” said Fábio Motta, last author of the article and a professor at UNIFESP affiliated with its Marine Ecology and Conservation Laboratory (LabecMar).

The study was part of the project “Science applied to public use management and knowledge boundaries of Marine Protected Areas: from visitors’ experience to biodiversity of subtropical mesophotic reefs”, supported by FAPESP via its Research Program on Biodiversity Characterization, Conservation, Restoration and Sustainable Use (BIOTA), with Motta as principal investigator.

Coast of São Paulo

In the study, the researchers measured temperature, depth and light penetration, as well as inventorying landforms and fish species around islands in three of São Paulo state’s marine conservation units: Laje de Santos State Park, the Central Coast Marine Environmental Protection Area, and Tupiniquins Ecological Station. They analyzed a total of 12 rocky reefs.

At the sampling points, the researchers used BRUVs (baited remote underwater video stations, with waterproof cameras on tripods, a light, and a long arm holding a piece of sardine as bait) to explore fish assemblages in shallow and mesophotic habitats at depths of between 6 m and 43 m. They filmed for an hour and recorded water temperature, depth and nearby landforms. Light penetration was estimated using an international ocean database. This data and the fish species identified helped determine the upper limit of the mesophotic zone, which is reached by only 10% of the incident light at the sea surface.

“Light penetration directly affects primary production, so there are fewer organisms that need light for photosynthesis [i.e. plants]. As expected, no herbivorous fish were found in this region,” Gragnolati said.

They analyzed the videos with software that identified the fish species and also used the images to count and measure the fish, estimate their relative abundance, and quantify the biomass in the area.

Species were classified according to diet (carnivore, herbivore or omnivore) and whether they were fishing targets in the region. The difference in diversity between the mesophotic zone and shallow zone was 73%. A group of eight species accounted for half the difference between the two zones.

The Red porgy or Common seabream (Pagrus pagrus) and the Sand perch (Diplectrum formosum) were the species most frequently observed in the mesophotic zone, while the Tomtate grunt (Haemulon aurolineatum) was the species most often recorded in the shallow zone.

“The study also evidenced the ecological effects of full protection marine conservation units, where no fishing is allowed. Laje de Santos State Park, for example, had 2.5 times the species richness and eight times the target species biomass of areas where fishing is allowed,” Motta said.

The São Paulo coast has the most marine protection in Brazil – 53.7% of the region has some degree of protection – yet the number of marine species threatened with extinction is also the highest in the country. Fishing is banned in only 5.7% of the region.

The study won a prize for the best oral presentation in early May at the Brazilian Reef Meeting (EReBra) held in Niterói (Rio de Janeiro state).

About São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)

The São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) is a public institution with the mission of supporting scientific research in all fields of knowledge by awarding scholarships, fellowships and grants to investigators linked with higher education and research institutions in the State of São Paulo, Brazil. FAPESP is aware that the very best research can only be done by working with the best researchers internationally. Therefore, it has established partnerships with funding agencies, higher education, private companies, and research organizations in other countries known for the quality of their research and has been encouraging scientists funded by its grants to further develop their international collaboration. You can learn more about FAPESP at www.fapesp.br/en and visit FAPESP news agency at www.agencia.fapesp.br/en to keep updated with the latest scientific breakthroughs FAPESP helps achieve through its many programs, awards and research centers. You may also subscribe to FAPESP news agency at http://agencia.fapesp.br/subscribe.

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JOURNAL

Marine Environmental Research

DOI

10.1016/j.marenvres.2024.106527 

ARTICLE TITLE

Vertical structure of reef fish assemblages and light penetration reveal new boundaries of mesophotic ecosystems in the subtropical Southwestern Atlantic

 

World Hepatitis Day 2024: Madrid study shows decrease in active hepatitis C infection among risk groups, indicating effectiveness of public health measures

The study was conducted in a mobile screening unit from 2017-2023 and found that HCV infection decreased from 23% to 6% in that period among PWUDs who visited the unit

EUROPEAN CENTRE FOR DISEASE PREVENTION AND CONTROL (ECDC)

 

IMAGE: 

HCV: HEPATITIS C VIRUS; IDU: INJECTING DRUG USE; PWID: PEOPLE WHO INJECT DRUGS; PWUD: PEOPLE WHO USE DRUGS.

TEMPORAL TRENDS OF ACTIVE HCV INFECTION RATES BY CALENDAR YEARS WERE PERFORMED USING LOGISTIC REGRESSION. STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES ARE SHOWN IN BOLD.

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CREDIT: EUROSURVEILLANCE

A study conducted through a mobile screening unit in Madrid, Spain from 2017 to 2023 and published in Eurosurveillance found that active hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection decreased from 23% to 6% in that period among people who use drugs (PWUD) that visited the unit. The study found that the use of intravenous drugs was the most significant risk factor for infection among PWUD. It confirmed that HCV screening and treatment programmes targeting this at-risk population are effective and can help achieve the World Health Organization goal of HCV elimination as public health threat by 2030.

Study participants and methods

Participants were recruited in ‘hotspots’ in Madrid where high-risk individuals gathered for dealing and drug consumption. The study included individuals over 18 and with active drug use in the year before being screened.

A mobile screening unit approached these ‘hotspots’’. A nurse collected blood samples from participants for HCV testing, and investigators gathered data on demographic, epidemiology, substance use and sexual risk behaviour.

Results and public health implications

2 349 participants of the initial cohort of 5 270 were actively using drugs. Of these, 2 264 (43%) underwent an HCV antibody test, with 195 (8.6%) participating more than once. Among the group who were tested, 685 (13%) tested positive for anti-HCV antibodies. Of those, 605 participants agreed to undergo HCV-RNA testing, with an active HCV infection detected in 314 (51.9%) individuals.

Participants who reported using drugs and with an active HCV infection were significantly older and were more likely to be of European (Western Europe and Eastern Europe) origin, homeless, consuming cocaine and heroin, injecting drugs, and undergoing opioid substitution treatment than participants who used drugs without an active HCV infection. Significantly, the use of a mobile screening unit led almost 70% of participants who tested positive to start treatment.

The study observed a strong decrease in active HCV infection across the entire population from 23.4% in 2017 to 6% in 2023. However, the prevalence remains 30 and 70 times higher among people who use drugs and people who inject drugs, respectively, than in the general population.

The decrease could be attributed to measures that have helped users of intravenous drugs overcome barriers to testing and treatment, such as better access to testing and care through decentralised approaches, simplified one-step diagnosis, and fewer treatment restrictions. Public health campaigns have also helped raise awareness of the risks related to intravenous drug use.

Additional outputs on hepatitis

Ahead of World Hepatitis Day, Eurosurveillance has also published a study conducted in Australia demonstrating the feasibility and effectiveness of using surveillance systems to improve access to treatment and care of hepatitis C. Additionally, it has published research on the prevalence of chronic hepatitis C infections in Estonia and Romania, with levels shown to be low in both countries, as well as an accompanying editorial highlighting steps needed to achieve the goal of eliminating hepatitis C as public health threat by 2030.

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JOURNAL

Eurosurveillance

DOI

10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2024.29.29.2300712 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

People

ARTICLE TITLE

Decrease in active hepatitis C infection among people who use drugs in Madrid, Spain, 2017 to 2023: a retrospective study

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

18-Jul-2024

HE WHO PAYS THE PIPER...

Purdue researchers receive $175 thousand from Purdue Innovates to strengthen market readiness of their work

...CALLS THE TUNE

In latest round, Trask Innovation Fund supports innovations in cancer therapeutics, cellular manipulation and superabsorbent materials

PURDUE UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: 

ANDREA KASINSKI, A PURDUE UNIVERSITY RESEARCHER, IS DEVELOPING EFFECTIVE, NONTOXIC THERAPIES TO TREAT NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER. KASINSKI IS ONE OF FOUR PURDUE RESEARCHERS WHO RECEIVED A TOTAL OF $175,000 FROM THE PURDUE INNOVATES INCUBATOR’S TRASK INNOVATION FUND TO MAKE THEIR INNOVATIONS MORE ATTRACTIVE FOR COMMERCIAL USE.

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CREDIT: PURDUE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF SCIENCE PHOTO/ALISHA REFERDA

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University researchers in the College of Agriculture, College of Pharmacy and College of Science have received $175,000 from the Trask Innovation Fund to develop Purdue-owned intellectual property for commercial use. The innovations are in the areas of cancer therapeutics, cellular targeting and manipulation, and superabsorbent materials.

The fund is managed by the Purdue Innovates Incubator, which provides programming for the Purdue University community to ideate, refine and support their solutions. Funding recipients can receive up to $50,000 for their initial project; they may reapply a maximum of three times to receive up to an aggregate cap of $100,000 to support the same technology.

Between the 2013 and 2023 fiscal years, around $3 million in Trask funding has been awarded to 81 projects. Forty percent of the technologies that have received Trask funding have been licensed or optioned to industry.

The application deadline for the next round of funding is Sept. 27. The Trask Proposal Template can be downloaded and edited. Questions about applications can be submitted to trask@prf.org. 

The spring 2024 Trask Innovation Fund recipients, their projects and award amounts are: 

Andrea Kasinski; College of Science, Purdue Institute for Cancer Research, and Purdue Institute for Drug Discovery; “A First-in-Class Fully Modified MicroRNA for Targeted Cancer Treatment”; $45,920

Kasinski is deputy director of the Purdue Institute for Cancer Research and an associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. She and her research team are developing effective, nontoxic therapies to treat non-small cell lung cancer. The World Cancer Research Fund International reported almost 2.5 million new cases were diagnosed in 2022. Kasinski said most patients are diagnosed after the tumor has metastasized, or spread from the lungs to other parts of the body.

“Patients with metastatic disease have a dismal five-year survival of around 8%,” she said. “Our agents can help these patients.” 

Most cancers are not caused by a single change, which means they require therapies that target a variety of cancer-causing genes. This has led to traditional combinatorial therapy, or treatment with multiple agents. 

Kasinski’s research targets multiple cancer drivers with a single agent, acting as a multidrug cocktail.

“The ability to simultaneously target multiple genes that cancer cells are addicted to results in increased efficacy and reduces the chance that the tumor will recur,” she said.

Research to develop the Purdue agents will focus on achieving specific delivery and improving stability. The agents are small RNA, or ribonucleic acids, single-strand nucleic acids found in all living cells. Kasinski and her team have developed a chemically modified version that is 400-fold more stable and has achieved specific delivery to cancer cells.

“The Trask funding will allow us to complete studies to highlight our agents’ improved efficacy and reduced toxicity compared to previously tested formulations,” she said. “We will also conduct stability and pharmacology experiments, which will significantly de-risk our therapy, leading to increased interest by investors.”

Senay Simsek; College of Agriculture; “New Technologies for Developing Bio-Based Superabsorbent for Industrial Applications”; $50,000

Simsek leads a team of researchers using cellulose extracted from hemp and refined through a sequence of treatments to create the patent-pending superabsorbent materials. Simsek is a professor in and the head of the Department of Food Science, and holds the Dean’s Chair in Food Science.

“We are passionate about the potential of our product to make a significant environmental impact,” Simsek said. “By introducing a commercial product that helps save our planet, we aim to lead the way in sustainable innovation — helping to heal the planet one application at a time.”

Simsek and her team tested the hemp-based superabsorbent materials using standardized absorbency tests, comparing them against traditional superabsorbent materials. She said hemp hurd showed significantly higher absorption capacity than traditional materials.

“This validation underscores not only the effectiveness of our technology but also its potential to replace less sustainable options in the market, offering a biodegradable and renewable alternative,” she said.

Simsek will use the funding to acquire larger-scale bioreactors and scale up the technology to produce superabsorbent material in greater quantities.

“Until now, our results have been based on lab-scale experiments,” she said. “Scaling up is a critical step for testing in various industrial applications and a crucial move toward turning our ideas into reality.”

Yoon Yeo; College of Pharmacy, Purdue Institute for Cancer Research, and Purdue Institute for Drug Discovery; “Immunoactive Complex for Cancer Immunotherapy”; $50,000

Yeo leads a team of researchers developing a nanoparticle formulation called IMAX, or immunoactive complexes, to explore how the body’s innate immune system can be harnessed to cure cancer. Yeo is the Lillian Barboul Thomas Professor in and the associate head of the Department of Industrial and Molecular Pharmaceutics with a courtesy appointment in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering.

The current immunotherapy approaches largely focus on the adaptive immune system, including checkpoint inhibitors and engineering T cells. Yeo said the innate immune system, which is crucial for initiating adaptive responses, remains underexplored.

“Innate immune cells, such as dendritic cells and natural killer cells, often remain inactive or even promote tumor growth due to immunosuppressive factors in the tumor microenvironment,” she said. “Effective strategies are needed to overcome this suppression and coordinate a robust antitumor response, supporting both innate and adaptive immune functions.”

IMAX stimulates the innate immune system and induces immunogenic cell death to trigger robust antitumor responses. When administered intratumorally, IMAX eliminates primary tumors and protects against metastasis and tumor relapse.

“IMAX has been validated in preclinical mouse models of various cancers, including breast cancer, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, head and neck cancer, and melanoma,” Yeo said. “In these studies, IMAX consistently demonstrated robust antitumor activity, increased survival rates and conferred resistance to tumor recurrence. The methodology and results were published in the peer-reviewed Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.” 

Yeo said the funding will be used in performing preclinical studies to support the translation of IMAX technology.

“We will evaluate the pharmacokinetics, biodistribution and safety of IMAX to de-risk the technology and gain confidence of commercialization partners and investors,” she said. “This study will also help us to get NIH (National Institutes of Health) Small Business Innovation Research funding that supports small business.”

Jesse Chi Zhang; College of Science, Purdue Institute for Cancer Research, and Purdue Institute of Inflammation, Immunology and Infectious Disease; “Precision Opto-Control System To Manipulate Chemical Processes in Cells”; $30,000

Zhang leads a team of researchers working on real-time precision opto-control, or RPOC, which uses a laser-based approach to provide users with site-specific and chemical-specific control of chemical processes within live cells. Zhang is an assistant professor in Purdue’s James Tarpo Jr. and Margaret Tarpo Department of Chemistry. 

A five-minute video about the technology is available on the Purdue Chemistry YouTube channel.

“The imaging capability of our system has been compared to that of a commercial confocal fluorescence microscope, showing very similar results in resolution and imaging speed,” he said. “What sets it apart is its opto-control capability, a feature not offered by traditional confocal microscopes.”

RPOC’s initial applications are within the life sciences, namely fundamental biological research. Zhang said RPOC also exhibits considerable potential for pharmaceutical research because it can facilitate the elucidation of site-specific drug functions within cells or animals.

“We are actively exploring using RPOC to regulate cell division, embryo development and cancer cell migration by precisely uncaging or activating compounds at desired subcellular sites,” he said. “This pursuit holds promise for the development of novel methodologies to manipulate cellular behaviors and cell fate.”

Zhang said the Trask funding will be used to purchase two more lasers and a faster galvanometer scanning system to complete construction of the RPOC prototype.

These innovations and others created by Purdue researchers are available for further development and licensing. Contact the Purdue Innovates Office of Technology Commercialization at otcip@prf.org for more information.

Why the Trask Innovation Fund matters 

Awards from the Trask Innovation Fund support Purdue researchers through the “valley of death,” which is the time between the creation of a new innovation and its adoption in the marketplace.

Sometimes it takes years for an innovation to garner industry attention. Matt Dressler, Purdue Innovates Incubator’s funds manager, said researchers may face several obstacles during that time.

“These challenges include a technology becoming obsolete or an inventor feeling dispirited because of a lack of progress,” he said. “Trask funding can address those challenges as Purdue faculty develop a discovery into a viable marketplace product. The fund complements several other Purdue Innovates resources provided to university inventors and entrepreneurs.” 

About Purdue Innovates Incubator

Purdue Innovates Incubator is the front door to the rich ecosystem of programs and services designed to help early-stage startups take their next step. Programs provide settings for cohort work and one-on-one consultations. Content includes clarifying problems from the customer’s perspective, developing a business model, conducting customer discovery interviews, team building, determining regulatory pathways and legal structures, and more. Purdue alumni and community members interested in becoming mentors are invited to contact the Incubator team.

About Purdue University 

Purdue University is a public research institution demonstrating excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities and with two colleges in the top four in the United States, Purdue discovers and disseminates knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 105,000 students study at Purdue across modalities and locations, including nearly 50,000 in person on the West Lafayette campus. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its first comprehensive urban campus in Indianapolis, the Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.

Writer/Media contact: Steve Martin, sgmartin@prf.org

Source: Matt Dressler, mrdressler@prf.org

Gov.bc.canews.gov.bc.ca/releases/2022AG0044-001031

Settlement reached with Purdue Pharma (Canada) for opioid damages

In addition to the Purdue Canada settlement, B.C.'s application to certify its class-action lawsuit in the B.C. Supreme Court has been scheduled for fall 2023.

Americanbar.orgwww.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2019/09/opioid-lawsuits-generate-payouts-controversy/

Opioid lawsuits generate payouts, controversy

In the biggest opioid case to date, Purdue Pharma, manufacturer of OxyContin, reached a tentative settlement last week with 23 states and attorneys ...

Justice.govwww.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-announces-global-resolution-criminal-and-civil-investigations-opioid

Justice Department Announces Global Resolution of Criminal and ...

Oct 21, 2020 ... Justice Department Announces Global Resolution of Criminal and Civil Investigations with Opioid Manufacturer Purdue Pharma and Civil Settlement ...

 FOREVER CHEMICALS

New $12 million research project aims to provide ‘practical solutions to critical environmental challenges’

Rice and Army Research Center tackle PFAS pollution with innovative techniques

Grant and Award Announcement

RICE UNIVERSITY

 

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NEW $12M RESEARCH PROJECT AIMS TO PROVIDE "PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS TO CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES." PICTURED: RICE CHEMIST JAMES TOUR,

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CREDIT: PHOTO BY JEFF FITLOW/RICE UNIVERSITY

Scientists at Rice University, in collaboration with the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), part of the Army Corp of Engineers, are making headway in addressing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination. These persistent pollutants, which pose a serious threat to the environment and human health, have proven difficult to eliminate using conventional methods.

The research effort, led by Rice chemist James Tour, has been bolstered by a new four-year, $12 million cooperative agreement with the ERDC which will support the development and scaling of innovative techniques for PFAS remediation and resource recovery.

The research team has introduced a rapid electrothermal mineralization (REM) process. This method uses electrical input plus biochar, an environmentally friendly conductive additive, to heat PFAS-contaminated soil to over 1,000°C in seconds through direct current pulse input. The process transforms PFAS into nontoxic calcium fluoride with removal efficiencies over 99.9% and mineralization ratios exceeding 90%, making it an effective solution.

The REM process not only preserves essential soil properties but also demonstrates scalability, capable of treating large volumes of soil once scaled and deployed.

“This is a substantial improvement over previous methods, which often suffer from high energy and water consumption, limited efficiency and often require the soil to be removed,” Tour said.

The research team is exploring urban mining of electronic and industrial waste to recover rare earth and critical elements. Moreover, they are developing a new generation of flash heating technology known as flash-within-flash, which allows for the bulk synthesis of key materials. These efforts are supported by theoretical frameworks and optimized through machine learning.

“The significance of this advancement extends beyond environmental remediation,” Tour said.

The new methods build on the team’s prior success with the cooperative agreement “Flash Joule Heating to Destroy Hazardous Waste and Repurpose it For Energy or Urban Mining of Valuable Metals.”

By offering a scalable, efficient and environmentally friendly solution for PFAS remediation, this work addresses a pressing environmental issue with significant societal impact. Further, the potential for urban mining of e-waste opens new avenues for sustainable resource recovery, reducing reliance on traditional mining practices and mitigating environmental damage.

Looking ahead, the team plans to field test the REM process and further explore the potential of their urban mining technologies.

“This research advances scientific understanding but also provides practical solutions to critical environmental challenges, promising a cleaner, safer world,” said Christopher Griggs, a senior research physical scientist at the ERDC.