Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory want to determine how a biological sample was made. To do this, researchers are seeking clues, or markers, such as changes in the sample's metal and proteins.
As markers are identified and boundaries of each piece of information are defined, the researchers will integrate the data into a computational tool to help analyze the sample's possible origins. This extraction of analytical data is needed in the bioforensic field.
The research is being done for the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate.
Session: "Bioforensics," The Seaport Hotel and World Trade Center, Boston
Contact: Andrea Turner, (509) 375-3893; andrea.turner@pnl.gov
Photo location: http://picturethis.pnl.gov/picturet.nsf/f/uv?open&AMER-5LLQ2A
PNNL ( www.pnl.gov ) is a federal laboratory that solves complex problems in energy, national security, the environment and life sciences by advancing the understanding of physics, chemistry, biology and computation. PNNL employs more than 4,000, has a $650 million annual budget, and has been managed by Ohio-based Battelle since the lab's inception in 1965.