Young Scientist award winner Aaron Atkinson (photo) knows a thing or two about coming of age. Atkinson, 30, spends his days (and many of his nights) in a lab at Dartmouth College working on cutting-edge research designed to enrich crops, improve global health and bring the promise of biotechnology one step closer to reality.

Meanwhile, Atkinson and his wife recently achieved a more personal coming-of-age milestone with the birth of their first child — a daughter — in May.

His research into the genetic workings of iron absorption in plants recently earned Atkinson, a fourth-year Ph.D. student at Dartmouth, a Young Scientist award from the Council for Biotechnology Information (CBI). The award is presented to master's or Ph.D. students who are conducting biotech research that will provide quality improvements, such as better taste, nutrition, healthfulness or cooking performance. The three winners were chosen from a nationwide pool of 25 nominees.

It's an exciting time for Atkinson, who hopes his research will benefit the next generation and beyond by helping create transgenic crops that contain elevated levels of iron — a nutrient that up to 80 percent of the world's population is deficient in — as well as reduced levels of the toxic metal cadmium.

"I really enjoy the whole idea of using science to improve lives," Atkinson said. "I find my research to be rewarding not only because I enjoy science, but because the ethics of it are appealing in that there are applications for my research that can benefit humanity and improve food quality."

Atkinson's research centers on the study of Iron Regulated Transporter 1 (IRT1), the key iron transporter in Arabidopsis thaliana or thale cress, which is closely related to cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts. IRT1 plays a vital role in the growth of plants by facilitating the uptake of iron, as well as the essential nutrients zinc and manganese. Unlike other transporters, IRT1 has proven necessary for the very survival of the plant. But, in addition to transporting these essential metals, IRT1 also transports the toxic and cancer-causing metal cadmium.

"My end goal is to tailor which metals IRT1 transports into the plant at the point of uptake," Atkinson said. "In broad terms, I want to allow the iron to be transported, but not the cadmium."

Pinpointing how Arabidopsis thaliana transports iron provides an important framework within which scientists can work to boost crop yield and combat iron deficiency. Evidence to date demonstrates the possibility of using these methods to increase the iron content of such crops as rice, soybean, corn, peas and tomatoes.

"I really enjoy the whole idea of using science to improve lives."

According to the World Health Organization, iron deficiency is the most common nutritional disorder in the world, affecting 66 to 80 percent of the world's population. Additionally, 2 billion people — nearly a third of the world's population — are anemic.

Iron deficiency and anemia can cause health problems for both children and adults, including premature birth, decreased cognitive development and premature death. For pregnant women, anemia contributes to 20 percent of all maternal deaths.1

Meanwhile, cadmium, a known carcinogen with no health benefits to either plants or animals, is becoming more prevalent in agricultural soil and crops, according to a 2003 European Commission study. While experts are still researching the problem and attempting to agree upon what constitutes safe levels of cadmium, Atkinson has discovered a way to "reduce, or eliminate, the cadmium transport facilitated by IRT1 while maintaining, or possibly enhancing, iron transport."

Atkinson explained they can examine how IRT1 functions by expressing the gene in specialized strains of baker's yeast. "By using yeast, we can sift through millions of copies of IRT1 and select those that transport less cadmium but maintain critical iron transport." So far, Atkinson said, he has isolated versions of IRT1 that allow yeast to survive on cadmium concentrations five times that which is toxic to yeast cells expressing normal IRT1. The next step, Atkinson said, is to test whether these versions of IRT1 result in cadmium-resistant plants, as early evidence would suggest. With additional work, these versions of IRT1 can be used to simultaneously fortify plants with iron while reducing the entry of cadmium into the food chain.

As part of the Young Scientist award, Atkinson will receive a $5,000 scholarship and be invited to discuss his research at a national forum for biotechnology. He said he is delighted by the award and welcomes the chance to present his research to others.

"I like to discuss my research and put it in familiar terms and ground people in potential applications," he said.

Originally from Salt Lake City, Utah, Atkinson said he knew early on that he wanted to pursue a career in biology. "I've always loved how things develop biologically from seed to plant, or embryo to animal," he said. "I am thrilled that my research was chosen as an example of promising biotechnology applications and that I can play some part in educating people about biological technology."

Atkinson earned a B.S. in biology from the University of Utah in 1992 — around the same time that Arabidopsis thaliana was "coming online as a model plant genetic organism." His future plans include raising his new daughter, pursuing his hobbies of skiing and whitewater kayaking, and continuing to research a multitude of biotechnology applications.

In her letter recommending Atkinson for the Young Scientist award, Mary Lou Guerinot, vice provost and biological sciences professor at Dartmouth, commented on how much Atkinson has grown since entering Dartmouth.

Atkinson "thinks deeply about what he is doing and why he is doing it," she said. "It has been personally very rewarding for me to watch Aaron's metamorphosis into a working scientist."

¹ Battling Iron Deficiency Anaemia, World Trade Organization, <http://www.who.int/nut/ida.htm>.  

Copyright © 2004 Council for Biotechnology Information.