Aqua Resources has a Microbiology lab!

The Laboratory is directed by Dr. John Cairney and he will focus on Research and Development, characterizing the effects of nanoplatelets on bacteria, fungi, viruses, and all manner of pathogens. The laboratory had been a physician’s office, divided into multiple small examination rooms but by an irresistible mixture of craft, ingenuity and brute force, Jerome….. and Mark…..  converted it into an open workspace, Lesa Cairney chose colors and décor and a laboratory was born.  The Aqua Resources Laboratory is maintained at Biological Safety Level  (BSL-2), and Dr. Cairney will work with microbes common to our surroundings. These ‘model’ organisms do not contain the ‘poison’ genes found in their more
dangerous cousins but in all other respects are identical. For example, the bacterium Bacillus cereus produces spores and has the same life cycle as Bacillus anthracis, the anthrax bacterium, but B. cereus lacks two key ‘killer’ genes. John will work out protocols that kill B. cereus and its spores then will hand this knowledge on to collaborators at BSL-3 or BSL-4 laboratories who will conduct work, according to his protocols, with the real thing.

Atlanta is home to the CDC, has a large VA Hospital, has three major Universities and many smaller colleges, and boasts several very large hospitals which have active research programs.  All these factors make Atlanta the ideal location of the laboratory – and of course, John lives
there, and the lab is less than a mile from his house!

The work of the laboratory will be of four types of Protocol development -working out the ‘whats’ and the ‘hows’; what form of nanoplatelet is most effective?  how much is needed?  how long does it take to be effective,? how long does it remain active? do you need different amounts for different bacteria? does the effectiveness change with temperature? or humidity? etc etc? Quality Control – when we sell Nanoplatelets or have them tested by other scientists, we must first be certain that they do what they are supposed to do. So running new batches of nanoplatelets through their paces before releasing them to customers and collaborators will be an important function of the laboratory.

Coordinating Biological Research on Nanoplatelets – To ensure that nanoplatelets are safe and to expand their uses we need to collaborate with
researchers who have facilities or expertise that we lack. Dr. Cairney will identify needs and development potentials and establish links with people
and organizations that can help. John has already set up collaborations with faculty at Medical College of Georgia in Augusta to research the effects of nanoplatelets on human cells. Both normal and cancerous cell lines are being examined and the cellular effects of nanoplatelets are being studies in detail by world class researchers using world class facilities. Basic Research – what else can nanoplatelets do? How else could they be
employed in medicine or agriculture or any other life science? Here Dr. Cairney will be giving full rein to his imagination.