They can sense toxic chemicals and particles in the air and enzymes molecules and antibodies in the body that could indicate diabetes cancer and other diseases.
An optical biosensor works by absorbing a specific bandwidth of light and shifting the spectrum
Aydin said this design can also be used in applications for photothermal therapy thermophotovoltaics heat-assisted magnetic recording thermal emission and solar-steam generation.
#'Stealth'nanoparticles could improve cancer vaccines Cancer vaccines have emerged recently as a promising approach for killing tumor cells before they spread.
Now scientists have developed a new way to deliver vaccines that successfully stifled tumor growth when tested in laboratory mice.
And the key they report in the journal ACS Nano is in the vaccine's unique stealthy nanoparticles.
Hiroshi Shiku Naozumi Harada and colleagues explain that most cancer vaccine candidates are designed to flag down immune cells called macrophages and dendritic cells that signal killer T cells to attack tumors.
But recent research has suggested that a subset of macrophages only found deep inside lymph nodes could play a major role in slowing cancer.
But how could one get a vaccine to these special immune cells without first being gobbled up by the macrophages
When molecules for signaling killer T cells were put inside the nanoparticles they hindered tumor growth far better than existing vaccines.
Hitchhiking vaccines boost immunity More information: Nanogel-Based Immunologically Stealth Vaccine Targets Macrophages in the Medulla of Lymph node
and Induces Potent Antitumor Immunity ACS Nano 2014 8 (9) pp 9209#9218. DOI: 10.1021/nn502975r Because existing therapeutic cancer vaccines provide only a limited clinical benefit a different vaccination strategy is necessary to improve vaccine efficacy.
We developed a nanoparticulate cancer vaccine by encapsulating a synthetic long peptide antigen within an immunologically inert nanoparticulate hydrogel (nanogel) of cholesteryl pullulan (CHP.
After subcutaneous injection to mice the nanogel-based vaccine was transported efficiently to the draining lymph node and was engulfed preferentially by medullary macrophages
but was sensed not by other macrophages and dendritic cells (so-called immunologically stealth mode). Although the function of medullary macrophages in T cell immunity has been unexplored so far these macrophages effectively cross-primed the vaccine-specific CD8+T cells in the presence of a Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonist as an adjuvant.
The nanogel-based vaccine significantly inhibited in vivo tumor growth in the prophylactic and therapeutic settings compared to another vaccine formulation using a conventional delivery system incomplete Freund's adjuvant.
We also revealed that lymph node macrophages were highly responsive to TLR stimulation which may underlie the potency of the macrophage-oriented nanogel-based vaccine.
These results indicate that targeting medullary macrophages using the immunologically stealth nanoparticulate delivery system is an effective vaccine strategy e
#Nanoparticles accumulate quickly in wetland sediment (Phys. org) A Duke university team has found that nanoparticles called single-walled carbon nanotubes accumulate quickly in the bottom sediments of an experimental wetland setting an action they say could indirectly damage the aquatic food chain.
The results indicate little risk to humans ingesting the particles through drinking water say scientists at Duke's Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (CEINT.
Carbon nanotubes are rapidly becoming more common because of their usefulness in nanoelectric devices composite materials and biomedicine.
Hybrid'patch'could replace transplants Because heart cells cannot multiply and cardiac muscles contain few stem cells,
heart tissue is unable to repair itself after a heart attack. Now Tel aviv University researchers are literally setting a new gold standard in cardiac tissue engineering.
However, due to residual remnants of antigens such as sugar or other molecules, the human patients'immune cells are likely to attack the animal matrix.
"We now have to prove that these autologous hybrid cardiac patches improve heart function after heart attacks with minimal immune response,
and medicines then you could transport the vesicle by creating a small opening and only allow the fuel to get out.
which can be used to develop precisely targeted drug therapies are a current focus in the emerging field of pharmacogenomics.
and are validating assay kits for several other applications in pathogen detection pharmacogenomics and genetic disease screening.
#Nanotubes help healing hearts keep the beat (Phys. org) Carbon nanotubes serve as bridges that allow electrical signals to pass unhindered through new pediatric heart-defect patches invented at Rice university and Texas Children's Hospital.
The researchers said their invention could serve as a full-thickness patch to repair defects due to Tetralogy of fallot atrial and ventricular septal defects and other defects without the risk of inducing abnormal cardiac rhythms.
That temporary loss of signal transduction results in arrhythmias. Nanotubes can fix that and Jacot who has a joint appointment at Rice
This stemmed from talking with Dr. Pasquali's lab as well as interventional cardiologists in the Texas Medical center Jacot said.
Because the toxicity of carbon nanotubes in biological applications remains an open question Pasquali said the fewer one uses the better.
If there's a hole in the heart a patch has to take the full mechanical stress he said.
Pasquali noted that Rice's nanotechnology expertise and Texas Medical center membership offers great synergy. This is a good example of how it's much better for an application person like Dr. Jacot to work with experts who know how to handle nanotubes rather than trying to go solo as many do said he.
and working with leaders in the biomedical field can really accelerate the path to adoption for these new materials.
fingernail-size mini-labs in mobile analytical devices could test a drop of blood for multiple diseases simultaneously
#Graphene sensor tracks down cancer biomarkers An ultrasensitive biosensor made from the wonder material graphene has been used to detect molecules that indicate an increased risk of developing cancer.
and in elevated levels has been linked to an increased risk of developing several cancers. However 8-OHDG is typically present at very low concentrations in urine so is very difficult to detect using conventional detection assays known as enzyme-linked immunobsorbant assays (ELISAS.
and monitor a whole range of diseases as it is quite simple to substitute the specific receptor molecules on the graphene surface.
Now that we've created the first proof-of-concept biosensor using epitaxial graphene we will look to investigate a range of different biomarkers associated with different diseases and conditions as well as detecting a number of different biomarkers on the same chip.
Generic epitaxial graphene biosensors of ultrasensitive detection of cancer risk biomarker Z Tehrani et al 2014 2d Mater. 1 025004. iopscience. iop. org/2053
Patient noncompliance with doctor-recommended glucose testing frequency can be a problem. By making lancets more affordable and potentially noninvasive we are addressing a critical global need he said.
More frequent tests could lead to better control of the disease which could lead to an associated reduction in health risks.
Supercapacitors are Bluevine Graphene Industries'second application under development for its Folium graphene. Johnson said the company's graphene supercapacitors are reaching the energy density of lithium-ion batteries without a similar energy fade over time.
the method could be particularly useful for applications in optics, energy efficiency, and biomedicine. For example, it could be used to reproduce complex structures such as bone,
and that could significantly enhance clinical breast exams for early detection of cancer. In a newly published article in the journal ACS Advanced Materials & Interfaces, researchers Ravi Saraf and Chieu Van Nguyen describe a thin-film sensor that can detect tumors too small and deep
to be felt with the fingers. In research funded with a grant from the National institutes of health, Saraf and Nguyen perfected a thin film made of nanoparticles and polymers
Using a silicone breast model identical to those used to train doctors in manual breast exams,
the researchers ued the film to successfully detect tumors as small as 5 millimeters, hidden up to 20 millimeters deep.
said he envisions a stethoscope-like device that a doctor would press across a patient's chest to image the buried palpable structure.
or CBE, doctors manually examine the breast for abnormalities and use their hands to palpate the tissue in search of lumps.
CBE is an important cancer-screening tool. Mammograms, which identify lumps by their density compared to breast tissue,
Yet the challenge with CBE is the lack of a visual record to compare with previous examinations to aid in diagnosis. Also,
while the American Cancer Society reports a 94 percent survival rate if breast cancer is diagnosed when tumors are diagnosed at less than 10 millimeters.
Saraf said the thin-film tool would have at least three advantages to a manual breast exam performed by a physician:
An atomically thin two-dimensional ultrasensitive semiconductor material for biosensing developed by researchers at UC Santa barbara promises to push the boundaries of biosensing technology in many fields from health care to environmental protection to forensic industries.
This transformative technology enables highly specific low-power high-throughput physiological sensing that can be multiplexed to detect a number of significant disease-specific factors in real time commented Scott Hammond executive director of UCSB's Translational Medicine
In essence continued Hammond the promise of true evidence-based personalized medicine is finally becoming reality. This demonstration is said quite remarkable Andras Kis professor at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland and a leading scientist in the field of 2d materials and devices.
#Researcher's nanoparticle key to new malaria vaccine A self-assembling nanoparticle designed by a UCONN professor is the key component of a potent new malaria vaccine that is showing promise in early tests.
For years, scientists trying to develop a malaria vaccine have been stymied by the malaria parasite's ability to transform itself
an infectious disease specialist with the Walter reed Army Institute of Research, has shown to be effective at getting the immune system to attack the most lethal species of malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum,
The key to the vaccine's success lies in the nanoparticle's perfect icosahedral symmetry (think of the pattern on a soccer ball)
prompting it to release large amounts of antibodies that can attack and kill the parasite.
In tests with mice, the vaccine was 90-100 percent effective in eradicating the Plasmodium falciparum parasite
and maintaining long-term immunity over 15 months. That success rate is considerably higher than the reported success rate for RTS, S,
the world's most advanced malaria vaccine candidate currently undergoing phase 3 clinical trials, which is the last stage of testing before licensing."
"Both vaccines are similar, it's just that the density of the RTS, S protein displays is much lower than ours,
"The homogeneity of our vaccine is much higher, which produces a stronger immune system response. That is why we are confident that ours will be an improvement."
"Every single protein chain that forms our particle displays one of the pathogen's protein molecules that are recognized by the immune system,
"With RTS, S, only about 14 percent of the vaccine's protein is from the malaria parasite.
"The research was published in Malaria Journal in 2013. The search for a malaria vaccine is one of the most important research projects in global public health.
The disease is transported commonly through the bites of nighttime mosquitoes. Those infected suffer from severe fevers, chills,
and a flu-like illness. In severe cases, malaria causes seizures, severe anemia, respiratory distress, and kidney failure.
Each year, more than 200 million cases of malaria are reported worldwide. The World health organization estimated that 627,000 people died from malaria in 2012, many of them children living in Sub-saharan africa.
It took the researchers more than 10 years to finalize the precise assembly of the nanoparticle as the critical carrier of the vaccine
and find the right parts of the malaria protein to trigger an effective immune response. The research was complicated further by the fact that the malaria parasite that impacts mice used in lab tests is structurally different from the one infecting humans.
The scientists used a creative approach to get around the problem.""Testing the vaccine's efficacy was difficult
because the parasite that causes malaria in humans only grows in humans, "Lanar says.""But we developed a little trick.
We took a mouse malaria parasite and put in its DNA a piece of DNA from the human malaria parasite that we wanted our vaccine to attack.
That allowed us to conduct inexpensive mouse studies to test the vaccine before going to expensive human trials."
"The pair's research has been supported by a $2 million grant from the National institutes of health and $2 million from the U s. Military Infectious disease Research Program.
A request for an additional $7 million in funding from the U s army to conduct the next phase of vaccine development, including manufacturing
and human trials, is pending.""We are on schedule to manufacture the vaccine for human use early next year,
"says Lanar.""It will take about six months to finish quality control and toxicology studies on the final product
and get permission from the FDA to do human trials.""Lanar says the team hopes to begin early testing in humans in 2016 and,
if the results are promising, field trials in malaria endemic areas will follow in 2017. The required field trial testing could last five years
or more before the vaccine is available for licensure and public use, Lanar says. Martin Edlund, CEO of Malaria No more, a New york-based nonprofit focused on fighting deaths from malaria,
says,"This research presents a promising new approach to developing a malaria vaccine. Innovative work such as what's being done at the University of Connecticut puts us closer than we've ever been to ending one of the world's oldest
costliest, and deadliest diseases.""A Switzerland-based company, Alpha-O-Peptides, founded by Burkhard, holds the patent on the self-assembling nanoparticle used in the malaria vaccine.
Burkhard is also exploring other potential uses for the nanoparticle, including a vaccine that will fight animal flu
and one that will help people with nicotine addiction. Professor Mazhar Khan from UCONN's Department of Pathobiology is collaborating with Burkhard on the animal flu vaccine e
#Scientists shed light on organic photovoltaic characteristics However, at this time organic photovoltaic devices are hindered by low efficiency relative to commercial solar cells in part
because quantifying their electrical properties has proven challenging. Therefore, predictive models and quantitative metrics for device performance are needed critically.
Scientists from NIST's Physical Measurement Laboratory, led by the Semiconductor and Dimensional Metrology Division's David Gundlach and Curt Richter,
along with James Basham, a guest researcher from Penn State university, have developed a method that allows the prediction of the current density-voltage curve of a photovoltaic device. 1 This new method uses a common measurement technique
(impedance spectroscopy) that is affordable, widely available to manufacturers, and relatively easy to perform. The technique is repeatable, non-destructive,
Along with colleagues at the University of Manchester researchers captured the world's first real-time images and simultaneous chemical analysis of nanostructures while underwater or in solution.
but getting chemical analysis at the same time remained inaccessible. Imagine how helpful it would be for trainers to be able to watch a baseball player pitch with simultaneous X-ray
#Handheld scanner could make brain tumor removal more complete reducing recurrence Cancerous brain tumors are notorious for growing back
despite surgical attempts to remove them and for leading to a dire prognosis for patients.
But scientists are developing a new way to try to root out malignant cells during surgery so fewer
or none get left behind to form new tumors. The method reported in the journal ACS Nano could someday vastly improve the outlook for patients.
Moritz F. Kircher and colleagues at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center point out that malignant brain tumors particularly the kind known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) are among the toughest to beat.
Surgical removal is one of the main weapons doctors have to treat brain tumors. The problem is that currently there's no way to know
The techniques surgeons have at their disposal today are not accurate enough to identify all the cells that need to be excised.
and go specifically to tumor cells and not to normal brain cells. Using a handheld Raman scanner in a mouse model that mimics human GBM the researchers successfully identified
Surgeons might be able to use the device in the future to treat other types of brain cancer they say.
Neuroscientists use lightwaves to improve brain tumor surgery More information: Guiding Brain tumor Resection Using Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Nanoparticles and a Hand-held Raman Scanner ACS Nano Article ASAPDOI:
10.1021/nn503948abstractthe current difficulty in visualizing the true extent of malignant brain tumors during surgical resection represents one of the major reasons for the poor prognosis of brain tumor patients.
Here we evaluated the ability of a hand-held Raman scanner guided by surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) nanoparticles to identify the microscopic tumor extent in a genetically engineered RCAS/tv-a glioblastoma mouse model.
In a simulated intraoperative scenario we tested both a static Raman imaging device and a mobile hand-held Raman scanner.
and correlation with histology showed that SERS nanoparticles accurately outlined the extent of the tumors.
but also detected additional microscopic foci of cancer in the resection bed that were seen not on static SERS images
because it uses inert gold#silica SERS nanoparticles and a hand-held Raman scanner that can guide brain tumor resection in the operating room o
and chemists itching with excitement mesmerised by the possibilities starting to take shape from flexible electronics embedded into clothing to biomedicine (imagine synthetic nerve cells) vastly superior forms of energy storage (tiny
from prosthetic skin to electronic paper, for implantable medical devices, and for flexible displays and touch screens. They can be used in rubberlike electronic devices that,
Now researchers from the University of Surrey and Trinity college Dublin have treated for the first time common elastic bands with graphene to create a flexible sensor that is sensitive enough for medical use
or movement alerting doctors to any irregularities. Until now no such sensor has been produced that meets needs
and joint movement and could be used to create lightweight sensor suits for vulnerable patients such as premature babies making it possible to remotely monitor their subtle movements and alert a doctor to any worrying behaviours.
controlling molecular assembly and avoiding toxic solvents like chlorobenzene. Now we have a rational way of controlling this assembly in a water-based system he says.
#Magnetic nanoparticles break the capacity barrier for antibody purification Monoclonal antibodies represent the largest and fastest-growing segment of international biopharma.
While these therapeutic agents are a boon for global healthcare productivity constraints pose a serious challenge for manufacturers seeking to make sufficient amounts for therapeutic applications.
At present therapeutic antibodies are purified generally by a technique known as protein A affinity chromatography. The process yields a high purification factorypically 99 per centut it is slow thereby creating a severe productivity bottleneck.
The overall purification process requires unpurified antibodies to pass through columns packed with the media in multiple cycles that can take up to a week.
which causes the antibodies to be deposited on the surface of starch-coated magnetic nanoparticles (see image).
and the purified antibodies recovered by removing the polyethylene glycol. The high capacity of our nanoparticle method makes it much faster than column chromatography explains Gagnon.
Polyethylene glycol has been used for decades to process antibodies but it has achieved never the level of purity needed for clinical therapeutics.
The team discovered that by elevating the salt concentration they could reduce contaminant levels from about 250000 parts per million to 500:
the same level achieved by protein A a single follow-on polishing step using a multimodal chromatography column further purified the antibodies to clinical quality standards.
In addition to solving the longstanding problem of productivity for monoclonal antibodies the nanoparticle approach can be applied to many other therapeutic proteins and also to viral vaccines.
Beyond catalysis, Ying predicts these new materials could be useful in electronics, chemical sensing and even biomedicine.
and flexing may aid in our understanding of how changes within a cell can lead to diseases such as cancer.
and how small changes to these processes can lead to diseases such as cancer or Alzheimer's. Researchers from the University of Cambridge have demonstrated how to use light to view individual molecules bending
Many degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's Parkinson's cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy are believed to originate from damage to the cell membrane.
and other diseases behave at their earliest stages but also many of the fundamental biological processes which are key to all life.
and understand how small changes to these processes can cause disease. Explore further: Synthetic molecule makes cancer self-destruc c
#Mobile phones come alive with the sound of music thanks to nanogenerators Charging mobile phones with sound, like chants from at football ground, could become a reality, according to a new collaboration between scientists from Queen Mary University of London and Nokia.
It was made by inkjet printing of an organic field-effect transistor (OFET) and subsequent functionalization of the insulator with specific antibodies.
The authors are confident that once this technology has matured it will be amenable to miniaturization for integration into a fully functional device for point-of-care diagnosis. Explore further:
and brain signaling with the potential to transform our understanding of how the brain worksnd how to treat its most devastating diseases.
This could get around a lot of serious health problems in neurodegenerative diseases in the future.""These disorders, such as Parkinson's, that involve malfunctioning nerve cells can lead to difficulty with the most mundane and essential movements that most of us take for granted:
This inability to see what's happening in the body's command center hinders the development of effective treatments for diseases that stem from it.
which are affected in some neurodegenerative diseases. And it's at this level where the promise of Lieber's most recent work enters the picture.
Numerous countries are developing strict regulations to avoid the trillions of toxic and non-biodegradable used-cigarette filters that are disposed of into the environment each yearur method is just one way of achieving this.
Patients must take medicine frequently and can suffer side effects since the contents of pills spread through the bloodstream to the whole body.
whose lab is in the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT. The research project tackles a difficult problem in localized drug delivery:
In this specific case the researchers used diclofenac a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug that is often prescribed for osteoarthritis and other pain or inflammatory conditions.
The film can be applied onto degradable nanoparticles for injection into local sites or used to coat permanent devices such as orthopedic implants.
In tests the research team found that the diclofenac was released steadily over 14 months. Because the effectiveness of pain medication is evaluated subjective they the efficacy of the method by seeing how well the diclofenac blocked the activity of cyclooxygenase (COX) an enzyme central to inflammation in the body.
an illness such as tuberculosis for instance requires at least six months of drug therapy. It's not only viable for diclofenac Hsu says.
energy storage and energy generation takes it a step closer to being used in medicine and human health.
With graphene droplets now easy to produce, researchers say this opens up possibilities for its use in drug delivery and disease detection.
because these particles can be toxic in certain physiological conditions, "Dr Majumder said.""In contrast, graphene doesn't contain any magnetic properties.
potentially paving the way for new methods of disease detection as well.""Commonly used by jewelers,
#World's smallest propeller could be used for microscopic medicine If you thought that the most impressive news in shrinking technology these days was smart watches,
The impact of these miraculous microscopic machines on medicine can only be imagined, but there is no doubt that it will be significant.
the real significance is how they might affect medicine.""One can now think about targeted applications,
and telecommunications medical devices and security he says. If these could be made flexible they could be integrated in clothes rolled up
which is used now in the medical field to detect biomarkers in the early stages of disease.
#Supercomputers reveal strange stress-induced transformations in world's thinnest materials (Phys. org) Interested in an ultra-fast unbreakable and flexible smart phone that recharges in a matter of seconds?
and break under stress. Fortunately researchers have pinpointed now the breaking mechanism of several monolayer materials hundreds of times stronger than steel with exotic properties that could revolutionize everything from armor to electronics.
In this study DFT calculations revealed the materials'atomic structures stress values vibrational properties and whether they acted as metals semiconductors or insulators under strain.
#Self-assembling nanoparticle could improve MRI scanning for cancer diagnosis Scientists have designed a new self-assembling nanoparticle that targets tumours,
to help doctors diagnose cancer earlier. The new nanoparticle, developed by researchers at Imperial College London,
and will ultimately improve doctor's ability to detect cancerous cells at much earlier stages of development.
Professor Nicholas Long from the Department of chemistry at Imperial College London said the results show real promise for improving cancer diagnosis."By improving the sensitivity of an MRI examination
our aim is to help doctors spot something that might be cancerous much more quickly.
which would hopefully improve survival rates from cancer.""""MRI SCANNERS are found in nearly every hospital up and down the country
and they are used vital machines every day to scan patients'bodies and get to the bottom of
But we are aware that some doctors feel that even though MRI SCANNERS are effective at spotting large tumours,
"We would like to improve the design to make it even easier for doctors to spot a tumour
and for surgeons to then operate on it. We're now trying to add an extra optical signal
Dr Juan Gallo from the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London said:"
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