A new chemical analysis technique developed at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory has been honored as one of the 100 best new products of the year by R&D Magazine.

Ryszard Jankowiak, Ames Lab researcher, and Gerald Small, distinguished professor of chemistry, collaborated with Peter Shields of Janis Research Co. Inc. of Wilmington, Mass. on this product.

Shields’ award-winning technique, called capillary electrophoresis (CE), was combined with fluorescence line-narrowing spectroscopy (FLNS) to greatly enhance chemical structural characterization.

CE-FLNS has been used to identify the byproducts present in solutions such as urine when there is a reaction between cancer-producing pollutants, such as those found in cigarette smoke. The identification of these byproducts, called DNA adducts, is instrumental in understanding the first step of a cancer.

“We are delighted to have another R&D 100 award. These awards show that Iowa State and the Ames Laboratory not only do excellent basic science, but also excel in making science practicable in today’s world,” President Martin Jischke said in a press release.

Jankowiak was modest about receiving the award.

“There may be several future applications for the technology, such as in the area of forensic science … but these uses have yet to be tested,” Jankowiak said.

The R&D 100 Awards program honors the top 100 technologically significant products that were marketed or licensed during the previous calendar year. The winners will be honored in Chicago on Sept. 24.

ISU has now received a total of 19 of these awards since 1984.