Another one bites the dust.

I met Gil when I lived in Charlottesville and he was a DC area titan (actually, his firm was in Rockville- right before moving to Beltsville, MD after 15 years).  Dr. Gilbert Levin was one of the first civil engineers I ever met that actually understood water microbiology and waste treatment.  (He did earn a PhD in environmental engineering from Johns Hopkins back in 1963.)   He was the founder (and head) of Biospherics (eventually this metamorphosized into Spherix, Inc., during Gil’s tenure).

I only found out much later that he was also involved in the Mariner  mission- you know our NASA mission to Mars back in 1971 (before I met him)- as well as Viking 2 (the mission that landed on Mars).  His contribution? Obtain a sample of the Mars soil (which sample container laden with radiation-laced nutrients).  Martian life should metabolize the components and release radioactive gases.

The samples did- proof of life on Mars, according to Gil. (NASA disagreed- claiming the release of radioactive gases from carbon injected with Martian soil was strictly an inorganic reaction.  And, Levin was then barred from further interaction with the Mars missions.  [I know what it’s like when your theories- and actual data- are discounted by others, claiming to be more expert than you.]  Folks are now beginning to accept Gil’s premise.   A bit late.)

Gil’s company grew to a reasonable size- some 750 folks- about the same time our company was manifesting similar growth.   His process development, PhoStrip- the ability to remove phosphorus from wastewater- was a key consideration in the late 1970s and 1980s, when “tertiary” water treatment was the goal.  (Along with our particular interest- water reuse and recycle.)

But, Gil’s real claim to fame was the development of an artificial sweetener.   Called Lev-O-Cal, this l-glucose still rendered products sweet, but because it was the wrong-hand, our body didn’t metabolize it the same way as D-glucose- and the product  also didn’t promote tooth decay.

(A little chemistry is now in order.  The molecules in our body- and the ones we ingest for food- are what are called right-handed (or dextero).  If one were able to make a mirror image of this compound (left-handed or levero), it could be as sweet as regular sugar- but relatively calorie free.   Gil was right.  Oh- except for the cost to make this product, which limited its use dramatically.  Which is why he eventually developed tagatose, derived from whey, which had commercial success.)

Later on, Spherix, added all sorts of projects to its bailiwick.  One of which was a clinical study of an Alzheimer’s drug.  My ex-wife worked on that project for about two years, before she completed her graduate degrees and became an officer of Fresenius Medical (the largest dialysis company in the world).

The firm- no longer headed by Gil (but by Anthony Hayes)- renamed itself yet again as Alkido Pharma Inc. and is now devoted to use machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) to produce new pharmaceuticals.

During his lifetime, Gil was awarded a NASA Public Service Medal (despite their disagreements) and the Newcomb-Cleveland Prize (AAAS- American Academy of the Arts and Sciences).   He also served on the Johns Hopkins Board of Trustees.

Gotta love someone who sticks to his guns- despite what others may think.

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