Richland lab vying for research work

YAKIMA — Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will aggressively work to be picked as the site of a new research facility that was named a priority yesterday by the Energy Department, a laboratory official said.

Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham announced a list of 28 major, new scientific facilities the department needs in the next 20 years to support its basic science and research missions. The list identifies 12 facilities as near-term priorities, and eight facilities each as midterm and far-term priorities.

The Whole Proteome Analysis Facility, No. 14 on the list, is one of four where scientists will further study how cells work.

The federal lab in Richland already has been actively studying the human genome, making it an ideal site for additional research, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory officials said yesterday.

"The facility is a good fit for PNNL, with our widely recognized capabilities in proteomics and microbiology, and our advanced technologies and tools," Director Len Peters said in a news release.

All of the proteins a microscopic organism makes under different environmental conditions are called its proteome. Proteins are not all made at the same time, but rather, as needed for such things as reproduction or surviving a contaminated environment.

Scientists say exploring the makeup of organisms and how they adapt to survive in different environments could help to resolve challenges posed by energy production, global climate changes and environmental cleanup.

Peters said the laboratory would work closely with the region's research universities and other scientific institutions to prepare a bid for the project.

The new research facility would attract some of the nation's leading scientists to the area, PNNL spokesman Greg Koller said:

"We're not talking thousands of jobs. But it will continue to put us on the international science map as a key contributor in an important emerging area of science."