College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa State University

Repeat winner

A four-time winner, it would appear that Edward Yeung has a stranglehold on the R&D 100 Awards.
The Chicago Tribune has described the R&D 100 Awards as the "Oscars of applied science."

If that's the case, then Ed Yeung, Distinguished Professor of chemistry, ranks up there with such acting luminaries as Katharine Hepburn. Hepburn is the only actor or actress to have four Oscars on her mantle.

This fall, Yeung, who is also director of Ames Laboratory's Chemical and Biological Sciences Program, added a fourth R&D 100 Award.

"The awards are just a part of what we do," Yeung says of his research team. "It just happens that we're in an area of research that we develop practical and commercial instruments."

Yeung's latest award, an accomplishment he shares with graduate student Xiaoyi Gong, is a new chemical analysis method that could have a dramatic effect on several fields ranging from drug discovery to clinical diagnosis.

A commercial instrument (MCE 2000) based on YeungÕs technique (called multiplexed capillary electrophoresis using absorption detection) is the MCE 2000. The instrument can rapidly detect and quantify chemical compounds in low concentrations or in small amounts.

The commercial aspect of product is what attracted the attention of the R&D 100 Awards, which are the only honors for applied science and scientists. Sponsored by R&D Magazine, the awards recognize the top 100 products of technological significance that were marketed or licensed during the previous calendar year. Yeung and the rest of the 100 winners will be honored at a banquet in Chicago in October.

Past winners of R&D 100 Awards include the Polaroid film process, the ATM machine, digital watches, anti-lock brakes, the anti-smoking patch and the FAX machine.

In addition to this year, Yeung has also received R&D 100 Awards in 1989, 1991 and 1997.

* In 1989, Yeung and the Ames Laboratory won for the micropol LC (liquid chromatography) detector.

* In 1991, Yeung received an R&D 100 Award for the microfluor detector, which can detect, monitor and quantify the chemical composition of a single human cell or other objects that are available in minute quantities. It also can detect chemicals that were previously undetectable.

* Yeung's third R&D 100 Award came in 1997. His multiplexed capillary electrophoresis DNA sequencer can simultaneously analyze samples, whereas conventional sequencers offer sequential analysis.

* The latest award for the MCE 2000 simultaneously separates, detects, monitors and quantifies chemical or biochemical compounds in 96 independent mixtures. It does this through a novel combination of established chemical separation, detection and computer analysis techniques. "Every product we develop is different," Yeung said. "We never expect to develop items that will win awards, but occasionally we run into a device that is of some commercial value."

CombiSep, a start-up company located in Ames, produces the MCE 2000. Yeung, Shelley Coldiron and Marc Porter, all scientists at Iowa State and Ames Laboratory; and Steve Ringlee, a local businessman founded the company.

And if things go as well for this device as they have for his previous R&D 100 Awards, Yeung feels that the award has benefits beyond the initial publicity.

"The (R&D 100) awards are a stamp of approval for our products," Yeung said. "People feel more comfortable with the products if we receive an award and we can reach a different market than we could without the award.

"It's good publicity for the University and our company."