along with collaborators at two major Singapore institutions, have developed a lab in a needle device that could provide instant results to routine lab tests, accelerating treatment and diagnosis by days.
This single, self-contained medical device will be effective, for example, in quickly detecting liver toxicity which is a common side effect of chemotherapy.
This device will test toxicity in 30 minutes while current liver toxicity tests take several days due to multiple steps required before a physician interprets the test results
and communicates them to the patient. Developed jointly by Houston Methodist Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) and the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTECH), a research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR),
the invention was explained in the recent issue of the Royal Society of Chemistry's Lab on a Chip.
The investigators demonstrated that two important steps of the lab in a needle approach accurately detected liver toxicity in preclinical models by measuring two genetic indicators of toxicity in AST and ALT.
The proteins represented by these indicators are among the most sensitive and widely used liver enzymes in all liver function tests today."
"We used the concept of lab on a chip, which compresses the entire function of a laboratory diagnostic test onto a tiny microfluidics chip,
to create lab in a needle, "explained Stephen T. C. Wong, Ph d.,P. E.,Chair of the Department of Systems Medicine and Bioengineering at Houston Methodist Research Institute."
"Our goal is to integrate sample acquisition and preparation into one device, a significant challenge that has slowed the development of point-of-care testing."
evaluate toxicity, and display results in one easy-to-use process, allowing doctors and patients to immediately discuss treatment options.
A compact device would also make possible diagnostic testing outside of a clinical setting, such as at home or in the field."
when the doctor takes a blood or liver sample, the sample can be prepared and analyzed using lab on a chip methods
which eliminates the need for wet laboratory work and experts,"said Joseph Chang, Ph d, . a professor of circuits and systems and biomedical engineering expert who is the Director of Virtus, the Centre of Excellence in IC Design, at NTU's School of Electrical and Electronic engineering."
"Our method significantly reduces time, manpower and costs and yet has the same accurate results."
"Sample preparation was accomplished on one chip that incorporated a miniature motor and microfluidics, while amplification was performed on a second connected chip,
said Wong, who is also a professor of radiology, neuroscience, pathology and laboratory medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.
Elevations in the two examined gene markers of liver toxicity were detected then accurately and consistent with previously known changes, indicating that lab in a needle is an appropriate diagnostic option."
"Our next steps are to integrate the sample preparation and analysis chips into a miniaturized device.
A*STAR SIMTECH will tap on its manufacturing process capabilities to develop a cost effective lab in needle device that can be scaled up for mass production.
This will enable the mobile technology to be expanded to test for a number of health conditions in outpatient settings
or outside hospitals,"said Zhiping Wang, Ph d.,a principal scientist in microfluidics and Director of research Programmes at A*STAR SIMTECH.
The study outcome represents the first time that all processes involved in the lab in a needle were integrated together successfully
and represents an important step in bringing a new real-time, easy-to-use diagnostic to the clinic and the field with immediate potential to improve patient outcomes and quality of life e
#Quantity, Dimensions of Carbon black Nanoparticles Crucial for Lithium-Ion Battery Function A Stanford undergraduate has contributed to a discovery that confounds the conventional wisdom in lithium-ion battery design,
pointing the way toward storage devices with more power, greater capacity, and faster charge and discharge capabilities.
The undergraduate was part of a 10-person research team led by William Chueh, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering.
In an article published in the journal Advanced Materials, the team explained how a material previously considered secondary in importance was actually critical to overall battery performance,
and also devised new design rules for better batteries. Graduate student Yiyang Li and undergraduate Sophie Meyer led the collaborative effort to design experiments that disproved an assumption shared by battery designers for more than 20 years:
While lithium-ion batteries needed a substance called carbon black in order to function, the precise amount of that material had not been considered crucial to overall performance."
"Our research demonstrated that isn't true, "said Meyer, who started the experiments when she was a sophomore with no prior experience in materials science.
Chueh praised Li, a Phd student who plans to become a professor, for supervising Meyer over two years of experiments that included the construction of scores of batteries from scratch
and advanced observations using X-rays.""It was painstaking research that involved thousands of hours of hands-on work,
and that is very unusual for an undergraduate to do,"Chueh said, noting that the experiments epitomized Stanford's dual emphasis on cutting-edge science and training the next generation of scientists and engineers.
Li reflected on the two-year-long process of experimentation with characteristic engineering aplomb and understatement."
"Our work addressed a longstanding debate in our field, "he said. Lithium-ion batteries have been used commonly in laptop and tablet computers, electric vehicles and renewable energy systems for more than two decades.
These batteries typically contain cathode particles through which the electrons flow, an action that enables the battery to charge.
These cathode particles are composed typically of lithium iron phosphate or lithium cobalt oxide, mixed together with carbon black,
an inert material obtained by the incomplete combustion of certain petroleum products. Prior to the team's research, the quantity and dimensions of the carbon black nanoparticles weren't considered particularly crucial to a battery's function."
"The industry standard for lithium-ion batteries is a low carbon model say, 5 percent of the total material by weight,
"Meyer said.""But we found that isn't enough to guarantee rapid and efficient charging
and discharging. Ultimately, the rate at which a cathode particle charges depends on how well it is connected to carbon black particles,
something that varies a great deal within a battery.""Li said that by upping the percentage of carbon black as high as 20 percent in some experiments they found that the cathode particles charged more quickly
because they had more uniform carbon connectivity. But there was a tradeoff. Increasing the percentage of carbon black decreased the amount of cathode particles available to hold a charge.
So although a battery with a higher carbon black content might charge faster, it would also have less energy
because it has fewer cathode particles to hold the charge.""It's about finding the optimum balance and the best material,
"Li said. These results point toward possible future experiments to further optimize battery design. But such research would not be emphasized possible,
Chueh, without the painstaking work that the team has accomplished to date. Over the past two years, Chueh said,
Li and Meyer worked with their teammates to fabricate hundreds of batteries with different concentrations of carbon black.
Each battery had to be analyzed for composition and performance. Among other things, that required the evaluation of nanometer scale images of the battery materials obtained through Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's synchrotron
the Advanced Light source.""I had a lot of questions, and I read a ton of papers in the field,
"Meyer said.""Then we had to figure out how to make the batteries: what ratio of carbon black to lithium iron phosphate to polymer binder to use;
what order to add them in; whether to combine the mixture by hand or on a stir plate or in a mill;
what temperature to mix at; and how long to mix the slurry, among a lot of other variables."
"Meyer, who is pursuing her co-terminal master's degree in materials science and engineering, said it was the hardest work she ever loved."
"You end up with this sloppy black goop that you have to spread out very thinly as a film 20 to 60 microns thick on aluminum foil,
and then dry it so it doesn't crack, "she said.""It was a mess.
But we kept at it, and it turned out to be one of the most rewarding things
I've ever done. We were able to resolve a fundamental question of science. That's something you don't often get to do as an undergrad."
"Other Stanford team members included postdoctoral scholars Jongwoo Lim and Sang Chul Lee and chemistry graduate student William Gent.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory scientists Stefano Marchesini, Harinarayan Krishnan, Tolek Tyliszczak, David Shapiro and David Kilcoyne also contributed to this work o
#Nanostructure Changes Colour When Finger Comes Near Touchscreens suffer from mechanical wear over time and are a transmission path for bacteria
and viruses. To avoid these problems, scientists at Stuttgart Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research and LMU Munich have developed now nanostructures that change their electrical and even their optical properties as soon as a finger comes anywhere near them.
A touchless display may be able to capitalize on a human trait which is of vital importance, although sometimes unwanted:
This is the fact that our body sweats and is constantly emitting water molecules through tiny pores in the skin.
Scientists of the Nanochemistry group led by Bettina Lotsch at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart
and the LMU Munich have now been able to visualize the transpiration of a finger with a special moisture sensor
which reacts as soon as an object-like an index finger approaches its surface, without touching it. The increasing humidity is converted into an electrical signal
This acid is a crystalline solid at room temperature with a structure made up of antimony phosphorous, oxygen and hydrogen atoms. t long been known to scientists that this material is able to take up water
and swells considerably in the process, explained Pirmin Ganter, doctoral student at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research and the Chemistry department at LMU Munich.
For instance, its electrical conductivity increases as the number of stored water molecules rises. This is what enables it to serve as a measure of ambient moisture.
A sandwich nanomaterial structure exposed to moisture also changes its colour However the scientists aren interested
so in developing a new moisture sensor. What they really want is to use it in touchless displays. ecause these sensors react in a very local manner to any increase in moisture,
it is quite conceivable that this sort of material with moisture-dependent properties could also be used for touchless displays
and monitors, said Ganter. Touchless screens of this kind would require nothing more than a finger to get near the display to change their electrical or optical properties and with them the input signal at a specific point on the display.
Taking phosphatoantimonate nanosheets as their basis the Stuttgart scientists then developed a photonic nanostructure which reacts to the moisture by changing colour. f this was built into a monitor,
the users would then receive visible feedback to their finger motionexplained Katalin Szendrei, also a doctoral student in Bettina Lotsch group.
To this end, the scientists created a multilayer sandwich material with alternating layers of ultrathin phosphatoantimonate nanosheets and silicon dioxide (Sio2) or titanium dioxide nanoparticles (Tio2.
Comprising more than ten layers, the stack ultimately reached a height of little more than one millionth of a metre.
For one thing, the colour of the sandwich material can be set via the thickness of the layers.
And for another, the colour of the sandwich changes if the scientists increase the relative humidity in the immediate surroundings of the material,
for instance by moving a finger towards the screen. he reason for this lies in the storage of water molecules between the phosphatoantimonate layers,
which makes the layers swell considerably, explained Katalin Szendrei. change in the thickness of the layers in this process is accompanied by a change in the colour of the sensor produced in a similar way to
what gives colour to a butterfly wing or in mother-of-pearl. The material reacts to the humidity change within a few milliseconds This is a property that is fundamentally well known and characteristic of so-called photonic crystals.
But scientists had observed never before such a large colour change as they now have in the lab in Stuttgart. he colour of the nanostructure turns from blue to red
The sandwich structure consisting of phosphatoantimonate nanosheets and oxide nanoparticles is highly stable from a chemical perspective
and responds selectively to water vapour. A layer protecting against chemical influences has to let moisture through The scientists can imagine their materials being used in much more than just future generations of smartphones, tablets or notebooks. ltimately,
we could see touchless displays also being deployed in many places where people currently have to touch monitors to navigate,
said Bettina Lotsch. For instance in cash dispensers or ticket machines, or even at the weighing scales in the supermarket vegetable aisle.
Displays in public placesthat are used by many different people would have distinct hygiene benefits if they were touchless.
It important, for example, that the nanostructures can be produced economically. To minimize wear, the structures still need to be coated with a protective layer
if theye going to be used in anything like a display. And that, again, has to meet not one but two different requirements:
researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have created a new flame retardant to replace commercial additives that are often toxic
and can accumulate over time in the environment and living animals, including humans. Flame retardants are added to foams found in mattresses, sofas, car upholstery and many other consumer products.
Once incorporated into foam, these chemicals can migrate out of the products over time, releasing toxic substances into the air and environment.
Throughout the United states there is pressure on state legislatures to ban flame retardants, especially those containing brominated compounds (BRFS),
a mix of human-made chemicals thought to pose a risk to public health. A team led by Cockrell School of engineering associate professor Christopher Ellison found that a synthetic coating of polydopamine--derived from the natural compound dopamine--can be used as a highly effective, water-applied flame retardant for polyurethane foam.
Dopamine is a chemical compound found in humans and animals that helps in the transmission of signals in the brain and other vital areas.
this question of toxicity immediately goes away, "Ellison said.""We believe polydopamine could cheaply and easily replace the flame retardants found in many of the products that we use every day,
including cancer drug delivery and implantable biomedical devices. However the UT Austin team is thought to be one of the first to pursue the use of polydopamine as a flame retardant.
Free radicals are produced during the fire cycle as a polymer degrades, and their removal is critical to stopping the fire from continuing to spread.
which blocks fire's access to its fuel source--the polymer. The synergistic combination of both these processes makes polydopamine an attractive and powerful flame retardant.
#Nanoscale DNA Machine Could Detect HIV Diagnostic Antibodies New research may revolutionize the slow, cumbersome and expensive process of detecting the antibodies that can help with the diagnosis of infectious and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and HIV.
An international team of researchers have designed and synthetized a nanometer scale DNA"machine "whose customized modifications enable it to recognize a specific target antibody.
Their new approach, which they described this month in Angewandte Chemie, promises to support the development of rapid,
low-cost antibody detection at the point-of-care, eliminating the treatment initiation delays and increasing healthcare costs associated with current techniques.
The binding of the antibody to the DNA machine causes a structural change (or switch
which generates a light signal. The sensor does need not to be activated chemically and is rapid-acting within five minutes-enabling the targeted antibodies to be detected easily, even in complex clinical samples such as blood serum."
"One of the advantages of our approach is that it is said highly versatile Prof. Francesco Ricci, of the University of Rome, Tor Vergata, senior co-author of the study."
"This DNA nanomachine can be modified in fact custom so that it can detect a huge range of antibodies,
this makes our platform adaptable for many different diseases"."""Our modular platform provides significant advantages over existing methods for the detection of antibodies,"added Prof.
Vallée-Bélisle of the University of Montreal, the other senior co-author of the paper.""It is rapid,
does not require reagent chemicals, and may prove to be useful in a range of different applications such as point-of-care diagnostics and bioimaging"."
""Another nice feature of our this platform is said its low-cost Prof. Kevin Plaxco of the University of California, Santa barbara."
"The materials needed for one assay cost about 15 cents, making our approach very competitive in comparison with other quantitative approaches.""
""We are excited by these preliminary results, but we are looking forward to improve our sensing platform even more"said Simona Ranallo, a Phd student in the group of Prof.
Ricci at the University of Rome and first-author of the paper.""For example, we could adapt our platform
so that the signal of the nanoswitch may be read using a mobile phone. This will make our approach really available to anyone!
We are working on this idea and we would like to start involving diagnostic companies. e
#Freiburg Researchers Measure Sensitive, Nanoscale Structures Using Photonic Force Microscope Freiburg researchers have developed a method for measuring soft,
structured surfaces using optical forces. Surfaces separate outside from inside, control chemical reactions, and regulate the exchange of light, heat, and moisture.
They thus play a special role in nature and technology. In the journal Nature Nanotechnology, the Freiburg physicist Prof.
Dr. Alexander Rohrbach and his former Phd candidate Dr..Lars Friedrich have presented an ultra-soft surface scanning method based on an optical trap and optical forces.
and has the purpose of generating height profiles of soft surfaces like biofilms or cell membranes.
which is established well in nanotechnology. An AFM uses a small spring arm-a needle with an ultra-thin tip-to scan a surface.
In a PFM, the spring arm is replaced by a small plastic sphere that sits at the center of a so-called optical trap and runs along the surface.
The sphere is less than 200 nanometers in diameter, making it 500 times thinner than a human hair.
Alexander Rohrbach conducts research at the Department of Microsystems Engineering (IMTEK) and is an associate member of the Cluster of Excellence BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies of the University of Freiburg g
#Unique, Optics-Based Tracking Sensor Created for Harmonica-Like Device Demonstrating the life changing technologies being developed as a result of Governor Andrew Cuomo leadership in fostering public-private partnership opportunities,
SUNY Polytechnic institute Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (SUNY Poly CNSE) today announced a team of SUNY Poly CNSE researchers,
including two graduate students, has developed a unique, optics-based tracking sensor for the amboxx, a harmonica-like device created by My Music Machines,
Inc.,based in Scotia, New york. The Jamboxx was designed originally for people with disabilities and enables individual creative expression by allowing users to control a number of music
and art-based software programs with their breath. e are delighted to further Governor Andrew M. Cuomo vision for a vibrant high-tech sector in New york state as
it strengthens local companies, such as the maker of the Jamboxx, by providing a valuable high-tech solution that will make the device more reliable for their customers,
said Dr. Alain Kaloyeros, President and CEO of SUNY Poly. UNY Poly CNSE is proud to play a role in the development of this sensor
which will not only make the Jamboxx more resilient, but will also undoubtedly empower those with disabilities to move beyond current artistic limitations
and take advantage of this unique technology which was created by New york state entrepreneurs My Music Machines, Inc. and enhanced by SUNY Poly CNSE researchers enabled by Governor Andrew Cuomo public-private model for innovative 21st Century growth.
a USB-powered breath-controlled device that resembles a harmonica and comes with special software to allow musicians to play digital music or control a computer with varying levels of breath.
The device consists of a tilt sensor for octave selection a pressure sensor to produce sound,
and a position sensor to track the movement of the mouthpiece. As designed, the position slider had to make physical contact with a sensor,
however, and over time the slider wore out and failed. After hearing about SUNY Poly CNSE Professor and Head of the Nanobioscience Constellation Dr. Jim Castracane research related to novel sensors, the Jamboxx creators connected with Dr. Castracane who found that a Self
-Balancing Position Sensitive Detector (SBPSD) would make the Jamboxx more resistant to normal wear by avoiding a contact-method to track an input.
The Silicon-based linear detector was fabricated in SUNY Poly cleanrooms and is designed to track an LED,
which was added to the mouthpiece of the Jamboxx. After obtaining research grants from the New york state Trade Adjustment Assistance Center (NYSTAAC) and funds from My Music Machine, Inc. and support from SUNY Poly CNSE,
the SBPSD was developed without the need for any external electronics. It is extremely low cost, and provides excellent time response. aving heard that SUNY Poly CNSE leading-edge researchers are deeply involved with photonics-based sensors,
we were eager to see if they might be able to offer a solution that would make our unique musical device, the Jamboxx,
able to withstand the amount of use it was seeing from our many inspired customers,
aid My Music Machines, Inc. Co-Owner Mike Dicesare. artnering with SUNY Poly CNSE, we saw firsthand how it is unmatched an resource for businesses like ours,
and with an improved product, we now look forward to branching out to share similar devices with music teachers
many of whom have disabilities, are able to feel empowered and can enjoy countless hours creating music with their Jamboxx,
but a powerful learning opportunity for two SUNY Poly CNSE graduate students who were able to put their skills to the test
while giving back to those who may have physical disabilities, but with the right tools, are
Additionally, discussions are underway to manufacture the sensors at a high-volume fabrication facility such as CNSE Smart System Technology
#Researchers Enhance Efficiency of Ultrathin CIGSE Solar cells Using Nanoparticles Now, scientists at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin have produced high quality ultrathin CIGSE layers
and increased their efficiency by an array of tiny nanoparticles between the back contact and the active layer.
Nanoparticles with sizes the order of a wavelength interact with light in specific ways. A young investigator group at Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, led by Professor Martina Schmid,
is inquiring how to use arrangements of such nanoparticles to improve solar cells and other optoelectronic devices.
Now the scientists report in the Journal of the American Chemical Society ACS Nano a considerable success with ultrathin CIGSE solar cells.
Problems add up below 1 micrometercigse solar cells have proven high efficiencies and are established thin film devices with active layers of a few micrometers thickness.
But since Indium is a rare element, the active layer should be as thin as possible.
me more than one year to be able to produce ultrathin layers of only 0. 46 micrometer or 460 nanometers
He then started to enquire how to implement nanoparticles between different layers of the solar cell.
His supervisor Martina Schmid discussed this with Prof. Albert Polman, one of the pioneers in the field of nanophotonics, at the Center for Nanooptics
They proposed to produce arrays of dielectric nanoparticles by nanoimprinting technologies. No big effect by nanoparticles on topin a first step, the colleagues in Amsterdam implemented a pattern of dielectric Tio2-nanoparticles on top of Yin ultrathin solar cells;
the idea was that they would act as light traps and increase absorption in the CIGSE layer.
But this did not increase the efficiency as much as proved in Si-based solar cells. Yin then continued testing and ultimately found out what worked best:
a nanoparticle array not on top but at the back contact of the cell! Nanoparticles at the back contact:
effiency increases to 12.3%The colleagues from Amsterdam produced an array of Sio2 nanoparticles, directly on the Molybdenum substrate
which corresponds to the back contact of the solar cell. On top of this structured substrate the ultrathin CIGSE layer was grown by Yin,
and subsequently all the other layers and contacts needed for the solar cell. With this configuration, the efficiency increased from 11.1%to 12.3,
%and the short circuit current density of the ultrathin CIGSE cells increased by more than 2 ma/cm2.
With additional anti-reflective nanoparticles at the front efficiencies raised even to 13.1%.%Light trapping and prevention of charge carrier losshis leads to efficient light trapping
Further studies indicate that the nanoarray of dielectric Sio2 nanoparticles at the back side could also increase efficiency by reducing chances for charge carrier recombination. his work is just a start,
thus increasing efficiencies by making use of optical and electrical benefits of the nanoparticles, Martina Schmid says M
#Archaeal Gas Vesicle Nanoparticles Hold Potential to Develop Powerful Malaria Vaccine In a recent breakthrough to combat malaria,
a collaboration of Indian and American scientists have identified a malarial parasite protein that can be used to develop antibodies
when displayed on novel nanoparticles. This approach has the potential to prevent the parasite from multiplying in the human host
The finding points towards developing a powerful malaria vaccine in the hope of eradicating this debilitating and often fatal disease.
Malaria takes a heavy toll on human lives. About half a million people die every year and several hundred million suffer from this disease across the globe.
To add to the disease burden the malaria parasite is increasingly becoming resistant to commonly used antimalarial drugs.
Development of an antimalarial vaccine is an integral part of an effort to counter the socioeconomic burden of malaria.
Researchers in the malaria labs at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), Mumbai, India, have identified now a five amino acid segment of a Plasmodium parasite protein that is normally involved in producing energy from glucose.
Work from Prof. Gotam Jarori's lab has shown earlier that this protein, enolase, is a protective antigen
and has several other functions that are essential for parasite growth and multiplication. Taking this a step further
in a recently published paper in the Malaria Journal, they have shown that a small part of this protein,
that is unique to parasite enolase and is absent in human enolases, has protective antigenic properties."
antibodies against this small fragment can potentially have a dual benefit by blocking the multiplication cycle of the parasite in humans,
The work was carried out in collaboration with Prof. Shiladitya Dassarma's laboratory at the University of Maryland School of medicine, Baltimore, USA, who has developed Archaeal gas vesicle nanoparticles (GVNPS.
The small unique segment of enolase was fused genetically to a nanoparticle protein and this conjugated system was used to vaccinate mice.
Interestingly, a subsequent challenge with a lethal strain of mouse malaria parasite in these vaccinated animals showed considerable protection against malaria.
Says Prof. Dassarma, Phd, a professor of microbiology and immunology at the school,"GVNPS offer a designer platform for vaccines
and this work is a significant step forward towards a new malaria vaccine.""This study is a significant advance in the field,
since most other vaccine candidate molecules tested so far confer protection against only a single species of parasite, due to the species and strain specific nature of these molecules."
"The small segment of five amino acids that forms a protective epitope is present in all human malaria causing species of Plasmodium and hence,
antibodies directed against it are likely to protect against all species of the parasite, "says Sneha Dutta,
a graduate student at TIFR who conducted these experiments. Efforts are focused now at developing this into an effective vaccine against malaria a
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