Protein aggregates save cells during aging

Max Planck Scientists identify new role of protein aggregates in neurodegeneration

As an organism ages, a gradual loss of cellular protein quality control occurs. This results in the increased production of toxic protein clumps, so-called aggregates. Using a comprehensive approach, researchers in the teams of F.-Ulrich Hartl and Matthias Mann at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich now analysed the changes in protein composition during aging. The results published in the journal Cell show that the quantities of proteins undergo a severe shift. This also sheds new light on the origin and function of protein aggregates. The study also involves the groups of Michele Vendruscolo and Chris Dobson in Cambridge and of Richard Morimoto in Chicago.

Aging is a complex biological process which is accompanied by an increasing number of toxic protein aggregates in the cells. Scientists consider them the cause of various neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s disease. However, their exact role remains poorly understood. A collaborative team headed by F.-Ulrich Hartl at the MPIB now used the tiny nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans (short: C. elegans) as a model organism to analyse the changes that occur in the proteome (the entirety of all proteins) during a lifespan. “The study is the most extensive of its kind in a whole organism quantifying more than 5,000 different proteins at multiple time points during aging”, explains Prasad Kasturi, equally contributing first author together with Dirk Walther.

The researchers were able to show that the proteome undergoes extensive changes as the worms age. About one third of the quantified proteins significantly change in abundance. The normal relation between different proteins, which is critical for proper cell function, is lost. This shift overwhelms the machinery of protein quality control and impairs the functionality of the proteins. This is reflected in the widespread aggregation of surplus proteins ultimately contributing to the death of the animals.

Based on these findings, the researchers also analysed how genetically changed worms with a substantially longer or shorter lifespan manage these changes. ”We found that proteome imbalance sets in earlier and is increased in short-lived worms. In contrast, long-lived worms coped much better and their proteome composition deviated less dramatically from that of young animals”, as Kasturi says. Surprisingly, the long-lived worms increasingly deposited surplus and harmful proteins in insoluble aggregates, thus relieving pressure on the soluble, functional proteome. However, in contrast to the aggregates found in short-lived animals, these deposits were enriched with helper proteins – the so-called molecular chaperones – which apparently prevented the toxic effects normally exerted by aggregates.

“These findings demonstrate that the cells specifically accumulate chaperone-rich protein aggregates as a safety mechanism. Therefore, the aggregates seem to be an important part of healthy aging”, Kasturi explains. Indeed, it is known that insoluble protein aggregates also accumulate in the brains of healthy elderly people. So far, researchers assumed that neurodegeneration and dementia appear to be mainly caused by aberrant protein species accumulating in aggregates. This assumption may now be tested again: “Clearly, aggregates are not always harmful. Finding ways to concentrate harmful proteins in insoluble deposits might be a useful strategy to avoid or postpone neurodegenerative diseases as we age”, Hartl classifies the results.

Max Planck Institute

Epilepsy drug could help treat Alzheimer’s disease

University of British Columbia researchers say a new epilepsy drug holds promise as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

The findings, published in Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy, reinforce the theory that brain hyperexcitability plays an important role in Alzheimer’s disease, and that anticonvulsant drugs — drugs that prevent or reduce the severity of seizures — represent a promising treatment that deserve further human studies.

In previous studies, several groups have tested the effects of the widely used anticonvulsant drug levetiracetam in both rodent models as well as two clinical trials in patients with early signs of Alzheimer’s disease. The findings suggest it may slow some of the symptoms of the disease, including memory loss.

In this newest research, Dr. Haakon Nygaard, the Fipke Professor in Alzheimer’s Research in UBC’s Faculty of Medicine, tested the effects of brivaracetam, an anticonvulsant drug still in clinical development for epilepsy, and closely related to levetiracetam. Since it is 10 times more potent than levetiracetam, it can be used at lower dosages. Nygaard and his colleagues found that it completely reversed memory loss in a rodent model of Alzheimer’s disease.

While the drug appears effective, the researchers are unclear how it works to reverse memory loss. Nygaard also points out that the current study represents very preliminary data with respect to treating patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

“Now we have many different research groups using antiepileptic drugs that engage the same target, and all point to a therapeutic effect in both Alzheimer’s disease models, and patients with the disease,” said Nygaard, a researcher with the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health. “Both of these drugs are likely to be tested in larger clinical trials in Alzheimer’s disease over the next five to 10 years.”

“Larger clinical studies in human subjects will be needed before we can determine whether anticonvulsant therapy will be part of our future therapeutic arsenal against Alzheimer’s.”

BACKGROUND

Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia among older people. It slowly destroys memory and cognitive skills, and eventually the ability to carry out simple, daily tasks. In 2011, 747,000 Canadians were living with dementia, a number expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2031.

It’s been known for a few decades that patients with Alzheimer’s have an increased risk of seizures, especially in people with a family history of the disease. There is now a growing body of evidence that certain mechanisms related to how the brain is wired are shared between Alzheimer’s and epilepsy. This led researchers to test anticonvulsant drugs as potential treatments for Alzheimer’s. While some drugs like levetiracetam and brivaracetam appear to work, others do not. In this study, Nygaard and his colleagues also tested the anticonvulsant ethosuximide but found that it was not effective in reversing symptoms in an Alzheimer’s model.

The study was co-authored by UBC’s Linda Huh and Yale University researchers: Adam Kaufman, Tomoko Sekine-Konno, Hilary Going, Samantha Feldman, Mikhail Kostylev, and Stephen Strittmatter.

University of British Columbia

Novel catalyst used to make styrene in one step

Styrene is an important industrial chemical. It is the precursor to polystyrene which is used in various every day plastic products, like disposable cups, packaging, and insulation. Over 18.5m tons of styrene is produced industrially around the world. Typically, styrene synthesis begins with benzene and ethylene, and involves a multi-step process under harsh reaction conditions and often leads to unwanted by-products.

In research that aims to streamline and optimize styrene synthesis Benjamin A. Vaughan, Michael S. Webster-Gardiner, Thomas R. Cundari, and T. Brent Gunnoe from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Virginia and the Center for Advanced Modeling in the Department of Chemistry at the University of North Texas have devised a single-step synthesis of styrene using a novel rhodium catalyst. Their work appears in Science.

The production of styrene, or vinyl arenes in general, involves benzene alkylation. This is typically done under harsh conditions involving high temperatures and either a Friedel-Crafts or zeolite catalyst. This process typically involves poly-alkylated bi-products. Additionally, the alkyl substituent will then need to be oxidized to form the vinyl group, which is usually accomplished with a metal oxide at high temperatures. The products are the target vinyl arene and hydrogen gas, as well as any bi-products from poly-alkylation. Products from poly-alkylation are converted to ethylbenzene in a trans-alkylation step, which follows the alkylation reaction.

Prior research from this group, found that this synthetic process can be streamlined using a platinum catalyst for the alkylation of benzene, and the alkyl group will subsequently undergo beta-hydride elimination, forming free styrene. However, this process degrades the platinum catalyst, likely because the platinum ion further reduces to platinum metal during the beta-elimination phase of the reaction.

To make this one-step process industrially feasible, they need to find an optimal catalyst. Ideally, this catalyst would directly vinylate the benzene ring rather than initial alkylation followed by oxidation of the alkyl group. Additionally this catalyst would not lead to multiple side reactions and have a high turnover number even in harsh oxidative conditions and in the presence of highly reactive metal hydrides. Furthermore, industrially favorable mechanisms would involve recovering and recycling the oxidant using air or oxygen.

For this paper, Vaughan et al. designed a catalyst with rhodium rather than platinum in hopes that the less favorable reduction of Rh(I) to elemental rhodium compared to the reduction of Pt(II) would maintain the integrity of the catalyst.

Prior work in designing a rhodium-based catalyst for a reaction that has a similar carbon-hydrogen activation step was adapted with an ethylene coordinated to the rhodium complex. The ligand framework likely serves to protect rhodium from oxidative damage and may serve other important functions in the mechanism. With this ligand serving to protect the metal, they decided to use a Cu(II) salt as an oxidant because there is precedent for the recovery of Cu(I) and re-oxidizing it to obtain Cu(II), thus enabling the possibility of recycling the oxidant.

Testing of their catalyst with Cu(OAc)2 at 150oC in benzene lead to 58 to 62 turnovers in twenty-four hours. Characterization showed high selectivity for styrene, and the copper salt as the limiting reagent. The reaction was optimized by testing various copper salts, temperatures, and concentration of ethylene gas. Cu(OAc)2, while it causes a slower reaction rate than other copper salts, provided a more stable reaction process. Additionally, while the reaction rate did increase with increasing temperature, the catalyst degraded when the temperature was above 180oC. Finally, the reaction rate increased as ethylene pressure was increased.

The optimized reaction conditions provided a near-quantitative yield of styrene with a large turnover number for the catalyst, and the catalyst maintained its integrity for up to 96 hours. The best turnover number observed was at least 800. Kinetic studies showed that this reaction appears to be first-order with respect to ethylene concentration, which is unique to this particular catalyst. Additional kinetic studies revealed that there is a kinetic isotope effect with kH/kD ~ 3.1, which is consistent with other transition metal-mediated C-H activation reactions.

While further studies need to be done to analyze the reaction mechanism, this paper provides a framework by which a novel rhodium complex allows for a one-step reaction to form styrene from benzene and ethylene.

Reference

"A rhodium catalyst for single-step styrene production from benzene and ethylene" Science DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa2260

Diagnostics of quality of graphene and spatial imaging of reactivity centers on carbon surface

A convenient procedure to visualize defects on graphene layers by mapping the surface of carbon materials with an appropriate contrast agent was introduced by a team of researchers from Zelinsky Institute of Organic Chemistry of Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow) involved in international collaborative project. Developed imaging (tomography) procedure has revealed organized patterns of defects on large areas of carbon surfaces. Several types of defects on the carbon surface can be "caught" and captured on the microscopic image within a few minutes. The article describing the research was published in Chemical Science journal of Royal Society of Chemistry (DOI: 10.1039/c5sc00802f).

Graphene and related 2D materials are anticipated to become the compounds of the century. It is not surprising -- graphene is extremely thin and strong, as well as possesses outstanding electrical and thermal characteristics. The impact of material with such unique properties may be really impressive. Scientists foresight the imminent appearance of novel biomedical applications, new generation of smart materials, highly efficient light conversion and photocatalysis reinforced by graphene. However, the stumbling block is that many unique properties and capabilities are related to only perfect graphene with controlled number of defects. However, in reality ideal defect-free graphene surface is difficult to prepare and defects may have various sizes and shapes. In addition, dynamic behaviour and fluctuations make the defects difficult to locate. The process of scanning of large areas of graphene sheets in order to find out defect locations and to estimate the quality of the material is a time-consuming task. Let alone a lack of simple direct methods to capture and visualize defects on the carbon surface.

Joint research project carried out by Ananikov and co-workers revealed specific contrast agent -- soluble palladium complex -- that selectively attaches to defect areas on the surface of carbon materials. Pd attachment leads to formation of nanoparticles, which can be easily detected using a routine electron microscope. The more reactive the carbon center is, the stronger is the binding of contrast agent in the imaging procedure. Thus, reactivity centers and defect sites on a carbon surface were mapped in three-dimensional space with high resolution and excellent contrast using a handy nanoscale imaging procedure. The developed procedure distinguished carbon defects not only due to difference in their morphology, but also due to varying chemical reactivity. Therefore, this imaging approach enables the chemical reactivity to be visualized with spatial resolution.

Mapping carbon reactivity centers with "Pd markers" gave unique insight into the reactivity of the graphene layers. As revealed in the study, more than 2000 reactive centers can be located per 1 μm2 of the surface area of regular carbon material. The study pointed out the spatial complexity of the carbon material at the nanoscale. Mapping of surface defect density showed substantial gradients and variations across the surface area, which can possess a kind of organized structures of defects.

Medical application of imaging (tomography) for diagnostics, including the usage of contrast agents for more accuracy and easier observation, has proven its utility for many years. The present study highlights a new possibility in tomography applications to run diagnostics of materials at atomic scale.

References

The article «Spatial imaging of carbon reactivity centers in Pd/C catalytic systems» by E. O. Pentsak, A. S. Kashin, M. V. Polynski, K. O. Kvashnina, P. Glatzel and V. P. Ananikov was published in Chemical Science journal of Royal Society of Chemistry.

IMPROVING SUB-AMBIENT REACTION REPRODUCIBILITY

The DrySyn Snowstorm MULTI from Asynt provides a simple and highly effective way to perform multiple reactions in parallel across a large temperature range including sub-ambient chemistries such as organometallic syntheses and controlled rate crystallisation studies down to -60°C. Sub-ambient reactions have traditionally been difficult to undertake reproducibly on a small to medium scale. The DrySyn Snowstorm MULTI is able to accommodate up to 12 vials or three 100ml round bottom flasks offering sub ambient reactions in parallel without the need for jacketed reaction vessels, or ice baths. Operating with a suitable chiller / circulator, a DrySyn SnowStorm MULTI provides accurate, stable temperature control down to -60°C and up to +150°C. Being able to maintain a sub-ambient temperature, sometimes for significant periods, is important for reaction reproducibility. The DrySyn SnowStorm MULTI connects to an external chiller unit and holds temperatures at a set-point for as long as is required. Setting temperature ramping profiles is also possible on the DrySyn Snowstorm MULTI which is important in crystallisation studies. For further information please visit www.asynt.com/product/drysynsnowstormreactor/ or contact Asynt on +44-1638-781709 / sales@asynt.com

2015 INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON GPC/SEC AND RELATED TECHNIQUES

October 20-22, 2015

Hilton Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia, PA

The International Symposium on GPC/SEC and Related Techniques is a unique event on the scientific calendar, which focuses on bringing together the three key elements of Instrumentation Innovation, Industrial Research and Academia. Through a series of scientific presentations and open forum discussions, led by some of the most renowned experts in this field, attendees are immediately immersed into open debate surrounding the most important and current analytical challenges facing the polymer characterization industry.

EXPERT DAY

The symposium will begin with an Expert Day on October 20 with presentations by some of the world’s leading polymer scientists:

GPC/SEC SYMPOSIUM 2015

SESSION TOPICS

• GPC/SEC Potential and Limitations
• GPC/SEC Applications using Viscometry and Light Scattering Technique
• GPC/SEC Applications using Mass Spectrometry, NMR, and FTIR
• Fractionation Techniques (GPC/SEC, SFC, LAC, FFF, CE)
• Hyphenated Fractionation and Multi-Dimensional Technique
• A Vendor’s Perspective on Current Analytical Challenges
• Interaction Polymer Chromatography, IPC
• Wisdom of the Crowd

REGISTRATION AND CALL FOR PAPERS IS NOW OPEN

gpcevent.com

HIGH PERFORMANCE AIR CONDENSER

The Asynt CondenSyn is a new high performance air condenser for synthetic chemistry experiments that requires no cooling water for operation. Organisations are growing increasingly concerned about both the environmental impact and indeed the cost of running a research facility. A condenser is often required for synthetic experiments and therefore an essential tool for the research chemist. Whilst condensers cooled by a circulating fluid such as water are effective, their constant need for running tap water creates an environmental and cost issue. Consequently such condensers should ideally be attached to a recirculating chiller unit which will not just reduce the environmental impact but also the long term running costs. Drawing upon over 30 years of scientific glass manufacturing knowledge, Asynt has created an affordable high-surface-area air condenser, which is both safe and operationally effective. The robust design uses a new borosilicate glass manufacturing technique and this, together with a proprietary multiple hyperbolic profile, ensures optimum heat removal as vapours pass along its length. CondenSyn additionally incorporates a non-roll feature to help prevent accidents if left on a lab bench. Offering clear visibility of ongoing experimental reflux, the Asynt CondenSyn is easy to clean and maintain. An extended period testing the performance of the CondenSyn air condenser has been shown to be equivalent to a Liebig type condenser being used with tap water. By not using water as the condensing coolant the CondenSyn eliminates the environmental and running costs associated with the need for constant running tap water as well as potential issues associated with water leakage. For further information please visit http://www.asynt.com/product/asynt-condensyn-air-condenser/ or contact Asynt on +44-1638-781709 / sales@asynt.com

Characterizing Extractables from Packaging Materials

Characterizing extractables from packaging involves testing the extracts for known compounds.  However, final packaging may have impurities present from the starting materials and additional degradants. The first step in ensuring that these compounds do not pose any toxicological risks to the consumer is to identify the extractables, or at least their structural class. Structural elucidation of unknowns is typically a complex and time-consuming process. Waters UNIFI Scientific Information System utilizes accurate mass and fragment information to simplify data review and facilitate decision-making. Analysts can evaluate complex data more efficiently and quickly make decisions about the possible identity of an unknown compound. The described LC-MS and Informatics workflow, which employs high-resolution mass spectrometry can be adopted for cosmetics, food, and pharmaceutical packaging extractable applications.

To learn more download the complete Application Note:

http://www.waters.com/waters/library.htm?cid=511436&lid=134836651

HIGH PERFORMANCE AIR CONDENSER

The Asynt CondenSyn is a new high performance air condenser for synthetic chemistry experiments that requires no cooling water for operation. Organisations are growing increasingly concerned about both the environmental impact and indeed the cost of running a research facility. A condenser is often required for synthetic experiments and therefore an essential tool for the research chemist. Whilst condensers cooled by a circulating fluid such as water are effective, their constant need for running tap water creates an environmental and cost issue. Consequently such condensers should ideally be attached to a recirculating chiller unit which will not just reduce the environmental impact but also the long term running costs. Drawing upon over 30 years of scientific glass manufacturing knowledge, Asynt has created an affordable high-surface-area air condenser, which is both safe and operationally effective. The robust design uses a new borosilicate glass manufacturing technique and this, together with a proprietary multiple hyperbolic profile, ensures optimum heat removal as vapours pass along its length. CondenSyn additionally incorporates a non-roll feature to help prevent accidents if left on a lab bench. Offering clear visibility of ongoing experimental reflux, the Asynt CondenSyn is easy to clean and maintain. An extended period testing the performance of the CondenSyn air condenser has been shown to be equivalent to a Liebig type condenser being used with tap water. By not using water as the condensing coolant the CondenSyn eliminates the environmental and running costs associated with the need for constant running tap water as well as potential issues associated with water leakage. For further information please visit http://www.asynt.com/product/asynt-condensyn-air-condenser/ or contact Asynt on +44-1638-781709 / sales@asynt.com

MULTIPLE BUSINESSES ARE DRIVING THE COMPANY’S GROWTH

Speaking at the company’s annual meeting of shareholders, Wendell P. Weeks, Corning Incorporated’s chairman, chief executive officer, and president, said: “Corning is financially healthy, our businesses are growing, and we are capturing exciting new opportunities to apply our unique expertise to solve tough technology challenges”. Looking ahead, he conveyed his confidence in Corning’s future and noted that “multiple businesses are driving the company’s growth”.

2014 Results and 2015 Quarter Performance

Weeks described 2014 as an “outstanding year,” including the highest sales in Corning’s history. He attributed profitability increases to a combination of top-line growth and cost reductions across the organization. He also noted that Corning had exceeded its expectations for synergies from the integration of Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd.

www.corning.com

SUMITOMO CORPORATION INVESTS IN RENEWABLE ENERGY INFRASTUCTURE TO HELP BALANCE ELECTRICITY GRID SERVING NORTHEASTERN U.S.

Sumitomo Corporation together with Sumitomo Corporation of Americas (collectively “Sumitomo Corporation Group”) have announced their investment in an innovative battery power storage system which will provide a reliable and stable supply-demand balancing service for the frequency regulation market operated by PJM, the largest independent service operator of wholesale electricity in the U.S. Sumitomo acquired an interest in Willey Battery Utility, LLC (WBU) from Renewable Energy Systems Americas (“RES”), a part of the RES Group, the U.S. renewable energy developer and constructor, through Perennial Power Holdings, a U.S.-based subsidiary of the Sumitomo Corporation Group. WBU will own this battery power storage system (maximum output: 6 MW, capacity: 2 MWh) manufactured by Toshiba Corporation. This is the Company’s first investment in a large-scale stand-alone battery storage facility in the United States. With the increase in the percentage of electricity generated from renewable resources with high output fluctuation, such as wind and solar energy, it is becoming increasingly important to balance and manage any difference between actual and forecast electricity demand and stabilize the output of electricity to consumers. Storage batteries like the one WBU will have at its facility in Ohio will provide the frequency regulation market an automated mechanism to supply regulated power. Such power has conventionally been supplied by thermal and hydraulic power generation. In the United States, however, it is believed that the introduction of battery storage systems along with other new technologies will provide promising alternatives, as they can respond quickly to demand variations and enable fine-tuned adjustment.

www.sumitomocorp.co.jp

SIEGFRIED AWARDED WITH “LIFE SCIENCE LEADER CMO AWARD”

On March 18, Siegfried received a “Life Science Leader CMO Award” at the Award Ceremony held at the annual DCAT event in New York. Siegfried was recognized by industry executives in the four categories Innovation, Productivity, Quality & Regulatory Record. Once again, Siegfried was nominated as a top CMO receiving a “Life Science Leader CMO Award” having been ranked by industry executives worldwide in 4 out of 5 categories (Innovation, Productivity, Quality, and Regulatory Record). Companies achieving top 10 percentile perception scores are recognized for their achievement and are presented with a CMO Leadership Award. Marianne Späne, Executive Vice President and Head of Business Development, Marketing & Sales: “Our company is again recognized as a CMO in the top 10% of pharmaceutical service partners for the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry. This good result proves the high quality awareness and exceptional commitment of the whole Siegfried team".

www.siegfried.ch

VERTELLUS SHOWCASES NON-TOXIC PLASTICS ADDITIVES AT NPE 2015 AS SAFE, SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS TO MEET INDUSTRY NEEDS

Growing interest among consumers and legislators in the safety and environmental impact of traditional plasticizers is prompting the plastics industry to seek new solutions. Entellus, a leading global supplier of additives to the plastics and polymer industries, is addressing this issue with its bio-based, non-toxic Citroflex^® plasticizers and Topanol^® antioxidants that have a long history of safe use. Both high-performance additive product lines also deliver low volatility and low leaching, making them suitable for a wide range of polymers used in food packaging, medical applications and children’s toys. “Increasing regulation and greater consumer awareness clearly point to the need for safer and more sustainable solutions” said Mike Szabo, business director, Plastics at Vertellus. “Our biobased Citroflex plasticizers are derived from citric acid, which has been used safely in food for many years, and our Topanol antioxidants have earned broad approval in food contact applications. By replacing traditional compounds with these technologies, the plastics industry can reassure consumers and get ahead of the curve on upcoming regulatory restrictions”. Due in part to the ongoing industry debate over the safety and environmental impact of traditional compounds, some retailers and manufacturers of infant and children’s items have voluntarily stopped carrying or using products made with these additives in response to pressure from consumers.

Non-Toxic Alternatives

Vertellus’ Citroflex plasticizers for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and other polymers are citric acid esters, which have a long history as plasticizers and lubricants in food contact applications, such as rigid food containers and packaging films. These bio-based, non-toxic additives have also demonstrated safety in children’s toys and medical applications. As an added benefit, Citroflex products deliver superior tensile strength and ultimate elongation performance compared to di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and di-(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA). The company’s Topanol CA and CA-SF additives can replace traditional materials as an antioxidant in a wide range of polymer systems. They provide excellent protection against thermal and oxidative degradation at low loadings and are compatible with many secondary additives.

www.vertellus.com

AMRI HAS ANNOUNCED THAT IT HAS DECIDED TO CLOSE ITS HOLYWELL, U.K. FACILITY

AMRI has announced that it has decided to close its Holywell, U.K. facility following a consultation process with employee representatives. The Holywell site provides chemical development services and small- and large scale-manufacturing services of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) and intermediates. "This was a difficult decision as it impacts team members who have made valuable contributions to AMRI" said William S. Marth, AMRI President and Chief Executive Officer. "We will work diligently to ensure the closing of the Holywell facility goes as smoothly as possible for our customers and employees". AMRI will transition activities at the Holywell site to other facilities within the AMRI network and plans to cease operations at the site by the end of 2015. Closure of the site is expected to affect approximately 62 positions.

http://ir.amriglobal.com

JOHNSON MATTHEY COMPLETES SALE OF GOLD AND SILVER REFINING BUSINESS TO ASAHI

Johnson Matthey has announces that it has completed the sale of its Gold and Silver Refining business to Asahi Holdings, Inc. (Asahi). This completes the transaction, which was first announced on 15th December 2014. Commenting on the transaction, Robert MacLeod, Chief Executive of Johnson Matthey said: "The divestment of the Gold and Silver Refining business is in line with our long term strategy to focus on areas where we can use our expertise in chemistry and its applications to deliver high technology solutions or that provide a strategic service to the wider Johnson Matthey group".

www.matthey.com