William Haseltine, chairman and CEO of Human Genome Science in Rockville, Md., believes research into genomics offers "more hope than cause for concern." He says "our ability to defend ourselves against such attacks will outstrip anyone's ability to create new, more deadly organisms."

Chemistry Key to Treating Neurological Diseases

Another section of the magazine explores chemistry's increasingly vital role in understanding and treating neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, paralysis and stroke - the third leading cause of death in the United States.

The 1990s, the "Decade of the Brain," were marked by major research strides in revealing how the brain and nervous system work. Future progress in neurological research will rely on chemistry for a better understanding of molecular pathways, interconnections among nerve cells and, ultimately, turning these discoveries into cures, says senior editor Mairin Brennan.

"The spate of information that gushed through the 1990s laid the foundation for extraordinary contributions to the treatment of brain disease in the 21st century," Brennan writes. "But it also underscored the complexity of the brain and the challenges that lie ahead in mapping its underlying biology."

Chemical Companies Embrace Sustainable Development

Sustainable development, the pursuit of economic development while benefiting the environment and improving the quality of life, is becoming a major goal of chemical companies, reports senior editor Marc Reisch.

"Sustainable development is a concept just now coming into its own after nearly three decades of fitful progress toward such a notion," writes Reisch. "It is in part a response to envir
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Contact: Beverly Hassell
b_hassell@acs.org
202-872-4065
American Chemical Society
6-Dec-1999