MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Mrs. Karen B. Piper Secretary Esselen Committee Northeastern Section American Chemical Society (978) 456-8622

NATIONAL AWARD FOR CHEMISTRY IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST HONORS UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON SCIENTISTS THE WORK OF DR. MICHAEL H. GELB AND DR. FRANTIEK TUREEK IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY HAS RESULTED IN PRACTICAL, RELIABLE METHODOLOGIES FOR THE EARLY DETECTION OF GENETIC DISEASES IN NEWBORNS. Cambridge, MA -- March 15, 2013 Professors Michael Gelb and Frantiek Tureek in the Chemistry Department at the University of Washington are being presented with the Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest for their work in developing a sensitive, specific, and inexpensive technique for detecting genetic diseases in newborns. Using the fact that certain errors in metabolism can be detected by enzymatic assays, their multiplex assay technique uses tandem mass spectrometry to identify several rare, genetic diseases such as lysosomal storage diseases using blood samples that are already routinely collected. The Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest honors outstanding scientific achievement in scientific and technical work which contributes to the public well-being and has thereby communicated positive values of the chemical profession. The award is presented annually by the Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society and has honored such publicly renowned chemists as F. Sherwood Rowland and Mario J. Molina (effect of chlorofluorocarbons on the ozone layer), Carl Djerassi (birth-control drugs), and Kary Mullis (polymerase chain reaction). The Esselen Award is given to honor the memory of G. J. Esselen, past chair of the Northeastern Section and founder of Esselen Research Corporation. In recognition of their contributions, Drs. Gelb and Tureek will receive the Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest on Thursday, April 4, 2013, in a ceremony at Harvard University's Mallinckrodt Chemistry Laboratories at 8pm. Free and open to the public, the award lecture, to follow the presentation, is entitled The Chemistry of Next Generation Newborn Screening. Further information concerning the award can be found at the Northeastern Sections website, www.nesacs.org.

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Mrs. Karen B. Piper Secretary Esselen Committee Northeastern Section American Chemical Society (978) 456-8622

NATIONAL AWARD FOR CHEMISTRY IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST HONORS UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON SCIENTISTS THE WORK OF DR. MICHAEL H. GELB AND DR. FRANTIEK TUREEK IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY HAS RESULTED IN PRACTICAL, RELIABLE METHODOLOGIES FOR THE EARLY DETECTION OF GENETIC DISEASES IN NEWBORNS. Cambridge, MA -- February 15, 2013 -- A group of rare genetic diseases that affect about 1 in every 5000 persons are now able to be detected in newborn children. The new procedures, developed by chemists Michael Gelb and Frantisek Turecek at the University of Washington, are so reliable and inexpensive that several states are now mandating that every newborn be tested. The diseases include Tay-Sachs, Gaucher, Krabbe, Pompe, Nieman-Pick, Fabry and Hurler syndromes. These diseases cause serious abnormalities in children, and often result in premature death. Oftentimes they are evident in the first few years of life but sometimes not apparent until later. Early detection is important for the best chances of effective treatment. The Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest honors outstanding scientific achievement in scientific and technical work which contributes to the public well-being and has thereby communicated positive values of the chemical profession. The award is presented annually by the Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society and has honored such publicly renowned chemists as F. Sherwood Rowland and Mario J. Molina (effect of chlorofluorocarbons on the ozone layer), Carl Djerassi (birth-control drugs), and Kary Mullis (polymerase chain reaction). The Esselen Award is given to honor the memory of G. J. Esselen, past chair of the Northeastern Section and founder of Esselen Research Corporation. In recognition of their contributions, Professors Gelb and Turecek will receive the Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest on Thursday, April 4, 2013, in a ceremony at Harvard University's Mallinckrodt Chemistry Laboratories at 8pm. Free and open to the public, their award lecture, to follow the presentation, is entitled "The Chemistry of Next Generation Newborn Screening." Further information concerning the award can be found at the Northeastern Section's website, www.nesacs.org.