#Nanoporous Gold Sponge Detects Pathogens Faster A team of researchers from University of California, Davis has proved that nucleic acids can be detected using nanoporous gold,
According to UC Davis researchers, these sponge-like nanoporous gold hold the potential for enabling new devices to detect agents responsible for causing disease in both plants
Early identification of disease biomarkers and pathogenic microbes is possible with the swift and sensitive detection of nucleic acids.
Going forward, the team anticipates that their research will be useful in the progress of mini point-of-care diagnostic systems for clinical and agricultural applications. he applications of the sensor are quite broad ranging from detection of plant pathogens to disease biomarkers
For instance, in human sepsis cases, the illness can be detected early on, thereby preventing any needless treatments as doctors can now establish bacterial contamination much more rapidly than ever before.
Similarly, in agriculture, without the occurrence of any symptoms researchers can still detect if pathogens are present.
Pallavi Daggumati, Zimple Matharu, and Ling Wang in the Department of Electrical and Computer engineering at UC Davis were the other authors of the papers.
#Microfluidics Technology-Based Lab-on-a-chip Device Could Reduce Cost of Sophisticated Tests for Diseases Rutgers engineers have developed a breakthrough device that can significantly reduce the cost of sophisticated lab tests for medical disorders
and diseases, such as HIV, Lyme disease and syphilis. The new device uses miniaturized channels and valves to replace"benchtop"assays-tests that require large samples of blood
or other fluids and expensive chemicals that lab technicians manually mix in trays of tubes or plastic plates with cup-like depressions."
and clinics everywhere,"said Mehdi Ghodbane, who earned his doctorate in biomedical engineering at Rutgers and now works in biopharmaceutical research and development at Glaxosmithkline.
Until now, animal research on central nervous system disorders, such as spinal cord injury and Parkinson's disease, has been limited because researchers could not extract sufficient cerebrospinal fluid to perform conventional assays."
The discovery could also lead to more comprehensive research on autoimmune joint diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis through animal studies.
#Translational Grant for Interaction Study of Laser radiation with Circulating Tumor Cells and Melanin Nanoparticles University of Arkansas for Medical sciences (UAMS) researcher Vladimir Zharov, Ph d.,D. Sc.
was awarded a $1. 7 million grant by the National Cancer Institute for clinical testing of a new technology called Theranostics,
which is an integration of early diagnosis and treatment of melanoma. Zharov is director of the Arkansas Nanomedicine Center at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and a professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Otolarynology-Head and Neck Surgery.
Zharov has pioneered the development of identifying tumor cellscirculation in the blood stream of melanoma patients by looking directly through the patient veins using a technology called photoacoustic flow cytometry.
This technology uses a special laser that penetrates through the skin and superficial veins and can heat the natural melanin nanoparticles in melanoma circulating tumor cells (CTCS).
The thermal expansion of these nanoparticles generates sound that can be detected with an ultrasound transducer attached to the skin.
This can improve the detection of CTCS by 1000-fold. he goal of this translational research grant is for patients to benefit from the knowledge obtained during our study of the interaction of laser radiation with circulating tumor cells and nanoparticles
After a comprehensive study of all these phenomena in animal models and recently in pilot trails in humans, Zharov and his team are ready to develop a second generation of his technology to detect CTCS in vivo at the earliest stages of cancer. sing Theranostics
we will focus on the most aggressive form of melanoma, which metastasizes at an early disease stage making treatment extremely difficult,
Zharov said. His team will use new high-pulse-rate lasers, which are focused small tiny ultrasound transducers that convert physical qualities into an electrical signal.
Natural melanin nanoparticles will be used as biomarkers to diagnose and as targets for therapy. Because not all melanoma cells highly express melanin
especially in early disease stages, the researchers proposed genetic, laser and nanotechnological methods to increase diagnostic and therapeutic efficiency.
The researchers also discovered that many standard medical procedures especially vigorous manipulation of the tumor, certain types of biopsies and surgery can trigger the release of cancer cells from a primary tumor into circulation, increasing CTC counts.
So while some treatments can provide temporary positive effects, in the long term CTCS released during a medical procedure may cause the cancer to metastasize.
To prevent this side effect of treatment, the researchers will use a portable photoacoustic flow cytometer,
which analyzes particles for the real-time control of CTC release, and then eradicate the CTCS by well-timed therapy including nanobubble-based treatment.
A similar approach can be used to monitor the effectiveness of the different types of treatment for cancer by counting the CTCS before, during and after therapy.
The best individualized therapy will lead to a faster and more significant decrease of CTC count,
and hence, decrease deadly metastasis development. Zharov team has demonstrated already that laser-induced nanobubbles significantly decrease the level of CTCS,
leading to a decrease in the chances of cancer spreading to other organs. urther study could determine
whether these new cancer treatments are effective enough to be used alone or if they should be used in conjunction with conventional cancer therapy,
Zharov said. The clinical team will first test a large group of healthy volunteers to make sure the treatment does no harm. urprisingly,
we have limited knowledge of some blood properties during normal physiological processes, and monitoring of healthy volunteers will provide insight on the level of photoacoustic signal needed,
Zharov said. t will help to better distinguish melanoma-associated small changes in photoacoustic signals at early disease stages.
A metastatic tumor or hypothetically even a single tumor cell, while undetectable with existing diagnostic techniques, can release specific markers in blood that can be detected with this technique. his is a completely new concept of early cancer diagnosis,
and melanoma could be the first cancer with metastatic spread that could be treatable by well-timed therapy,
Zharov said. As a result of this project, a commercial portable cost-effective photoacoustic flow cytometer will be developed for broad application with cancers as well as infection and cardiovascular diseases by detection of bacteria, viruses,
infected cells and clots with enhanced diagnostic sensitivity and treatment efficiency. n R01 grant from the National institute of health is very difficult to obtain,
and Neck Surgery in the UAMS College of Medicine UAMS is the state only comprehensive academic health center, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health professions and Public health;
a hospital; a northwest Arkansas regional campus; a statewide network of regional centers; and seven institutes:
the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, the Myeloma Institute, the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, the Psychiatric Research
UAMS has 2, 890 students and 782 medical residents. It is the state largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees,
000 physicians and other professionals who provide care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children Hospital, the VA Medical center and UAMS regional centers throughout the state.
Now, a team of researchers from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and the University of Colorado Boulder has devised a novel optical technique--a combination of structured illumination microscopy (SIM
2015, a team of researchers from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and the University of Colorado Boulder combined two optical systems in a new way to get around the natural limits of optical microscopes.
#Scientists Genetically Modify White blood cells to Treat Degenerative Neurological disorders As a potential treatment for Parkinson's disease, scientists at the University of North carolina at Chapel hill have created smarter immune cells that produce
or reverse the course of Parkinson's disease. There are only therapies to address quality of life, such as dopamine replacement,
"Batrakova said.""However, studies have shown that delivering neurotrophic factor to the brain not only promotes the survival of neurons
but also reverses the progression of Parkinson's disease.""In addition to delivering GDNF, the engineered macrophages can"teach"neurons to make the protein for themselves by delivering both the tools and the instructions needed:
Successfully delivering the treatment to the brain is the key to the success of GDNF therapy,
something most medicines cannot do. The reprogrammed cells travel to the brain and produce tiny bubbles called exosomes that contain GDNF.
we harness the natural systems of the body to combat degenerative conditions like Parkinson's disease, "Batrakova said.
#Platelet-Mimicking Nanoparticles Could Effectively Deliver Drugs to Targeted Sites Nanoparticles disguised as human platelets could greatly enhance the healing power of drug treatments for cardiovascular disease and systemic bacterial infections.
these platelet copycats greatly increased the therapeutic effects of drugs that were administered to diseased rats and mice.
and technology to achieve"precision medicine, "said Shu Chien, a professor of bioengineering and medicine, director of the Institute of Engineering in Medicine at UC San diego,
and a corresponding author on the study.""While this proof of principle study demonstrates specific delivery of therapeutic agents to treat cardiovascular disease and bacterial infections,
it also has broad implications for targeted therapy for other diseases such as cancer and neurological disorders,"said Chien.
The ins and outs of the platelet copycats On the outside, platelet-mimicking nanoparticles are cloaked with human platelet membranes,
and certain pathogens such as MRSA bacteria, allowing the nanoparticles to deliver and release their drug payloads specifically to these sites in the body.
antigens and proteins naturally present on platelet membranes. This is unlike other efforts, which synthesize platelet mimics that replicate one or two surface proteins of the platelet membrane."
platelet-mimicking nanoparticles can also greatly minimize bacterial infections that have entered the bloodstream and spread to various organs in the body.
"Our platelet-mimicking nanoparticles can increase the therapeutic efficacy of antibiotics because they can focus treatment on the bacteria locally without spreading drugs to healthy tissues
"We hope to develop platelet-mimicking nanoparticles into new treatments for systemic bacterial infections and cardiovascular disease
The tiny particles can be bound to compounds ranging from calcium tooth building materials to antimicrobials that prevent infection.
while protecting it against further infection that could penetrate the pulp and cause irreversible damage."
a make-or-break figure for those who are struggling with stunted production and less or no profit due to the disease. uring the past 15 years,
The disease starves the tree of nutrients, damages its roots and the tree produces fruits that are green and misshapen,
and the disease has affected already millions of citrus trees in North america. It has recently been found twice in California.
One of the most critical biological and medical tools available today, it lies at the core of genome analysis. Reading the exact make-up of genes,
sequencing technology will definitely shift from research to clinics, "says Aleksandra Radenovic.""For that, we need rapid and affordable DNA sequencing
This is a crucial step in creating a new generation of foldable electronics-think a flat-screen television that can be rolled up for easy portability-and implantable medical devices.
indicating it is a good material for implantable medical devices. Fatigue is a common problem for researchers trying to develop a flexible, transparent conductor,
That means the materials aren't durable enough for consumer electronics or biomedical devices.""Metallic materials often exhibit high cycle fatigue,
and fatigue has been a deadly disease for metals, "the researchers wrote.""We weaken the constraint of the substrate by making the interface between the Au (gold) nanomesh and PDMS slippery,
may aid efforts to build point-of-care devices for quick medical diagnosis of various diseases ranging from cancer, allergies, autoimmune diseases, sexually transmitted diseases (STDS),
when atoms are brought too close together-to detect a wide array of protein markers that are linked to various diseases.
and the results sent back to the doctor's office. If we can move testing to the point of care,
which would enhance the effectiveness of medical interventions. The key breakthrough underlying this new technology came by chance."
explains that this novel signaling mechanism produces sufficient change in current to be measured using inexpensive electronics similar to those in the home glucose test meter used by diabetics to check their blood sugar.
allowing us to build inexpensive devices that could detect dozens of disease markers in less than five minutes in the doctor's office
including pathogen detection in food or water and therapeutic drug monitoring at home, a feature which could drastically improve the efficient of various class of drugs and treatments a
#New Nanosheet-Based Photonic crystal Changes Color in Response to Moisture LMU chemists have developed a photonic crystal from ultrathin nanosheets
and further, how these structures can find uses in therapeutics and bionanotechnological applications. In the review article, the researchers outline the superior properties of DNA NANOSTRUCTURES,
Moreover, these DNA NANOSTRUCTURES provide new applications in molecular medicine, such as novel approaches in tackling cancer.
Tailored DNA structures could find targeted cells and release their molecular payload (drugs or antibodies) selectively into these cells."
"Nowadays, software and techniques to design and simulate DNA NANOSTRUCTURES are extremely powerful and user friendly, and thus, researchers can easily construct their own DNA-objects for various uses.
For molecular medicine, tiny DNA-based devices could be utilized not only in detecting single molecules but also in modulating cell signaling.
and immediately start the battle against disease. Groundbreaking approach to create nanomaterials The research group lead by Professor Mauri Kostiainen works extensively with DNA NANOSTRUCTURES,
and the group has published just recently two research articles regarding DNA-based applications in biotechnology and molecular medicine.
#Novel Microfluidic Hybrid Device Reliably Detects Ebola virus A team led by researchers at UC Santa cruz has developed chip-based technology for reliable detection of Ebola virus and other viral pathogens.
accurate detection of Ebola infections is needed to control outbreaks. Laboratory tests using preparations of Ebola virus
Virologists at Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San antonio prepared the viral samples for testing. The system combines two small chips, a microfluidic chip for sample preparation and an optofluidic chip for optical detection.
"We are also working to use the same system for detecting less dangerous pathogens and do the complete analysis here at UC Santa cruz
According to the lead researcher, Professor Trevor Lithgow, from the newly launched Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia,
opening the way to direct applications for medical research"he said. Professor Lithgow and his team used a novel technology that enables the systematic expansion of the genetic codes of living organisms to include unnatural amino acids beyond the common twenty.
and repair to regulation events in metabolic disorders and cancer.""This new technology has revealed what has been a major unknown in biology,
from the newly launched Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) at Monash University. He started working on the process of how proteins
"We bring scientists from across all the biomedical disciplines together with mathematicians, chemists and others to make important discoveries that provide critical new information about how our bodies function.
The international effort needed to unlock this problem is a great example of the global nature of modern biomedical research.
The new method has a wide range of potential therapeutic applications. Selective intermolecular recognition is at the heart of all biological processes.
Targeted modification of such proteins therefore plays a significant role in medical diagnostics and therapies.
Many of the methods routinely used in the biosciences are based on the specific modification of proteins, in particular antibodies,
For example, chemotherapeutic agents used in the treatment of cancer are linked often chemically to antibodies that recognize antigens found only on the surface of the target tumor.
and stable derivatives of antibodies that we have used using with great success in our laboratory for many years,
One obvious and highly promising application is in the production of so-called antibody-drug conjugates (ADCS) for use in tumor therapy.
As mentioned above, ADCS enable cytotoxic agents to be transported directly to the tumor tissue thus minimizing deleterious side-effects."
"But the relative lack of efficient ways to attach chemotherapeutic drugs to antibodies currently represents a major technological bottleneck,
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 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.
"explained Stephen T. C. Wong, Ph d.,P. E.,Chair of the Department of Systems Medicine and Bioengineering at Houston Methodist Research Institute."
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
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."
or outside hospitals,"said Zhiping Wang, Ph d.,a principal scientist in microfluidics and Director of research Programmes at A*STAR SIMTECH.
easy-to-use diagnostic to the clinic and the field with immediate potential to improve patient outcomes and quality of life e
researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have created a new flame retardant to replace commercial additives that are often toxic
these chemicals can migrate out of the products over time, releasing toxic substances into the air and environment.
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.
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.
#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
and is rapid-acting within five minutes-enabling the targeted antibodies to be detected easily, even in complex clinical samples such as blood serum."
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,
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
but will also undoubtedly empower those with disabilities to move beyond current artistic limitations and take advantage of this unique technology
many of whom have disabilities, are able to feel empowered and can enjoy countless hours creating music with their Jamboxx,
while giving back to those who may have physical disabilities, but with the right tools, are
#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
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,
antibodies against this small fragment can potentially have a dual benefit by blocking the multiplication cycle of the parasite in humans,
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
#Miniature Plastic Digital Fluorescence Microscope for use in Rural areas For a project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Grand Challenges in Global Health Initiative,
Doctors can learn a lot about the state of a patient immune system just by examining their blood under the microscope.
An abnormally high or low white blood count, for instance, might indicate a bone marrow pathology or AIDS.
The rupturing of white blood cells might be the sign of an underlying microbial or viral infection.
Strangely shaped cells often indicate cancer. While this old simple technique may seem a quaint throwback in the age of high-tech health care tools like genetic sequencing,
flow cytometry and fluorescent tagging, the high cost and infrastructure requirements of these techniques largely limit them to laboratory settings something point-of-care diagnostics aims to fix.
#Nanofiber Hydrogel Infused with Snake Venom May Quickly Stop Bleeding A nanofiber hydrogel infused with snake venom may be the best material to stop bleeding quickly, according to Rice university scientists.
and quickly turns into a gel that conforms to the site of a wound, keeping it closed,
The hydrogel may be most useful for surgeries particularly for patients who take anticoagulant drugs to thin their blood."
It has been used in various therapies as a way to remove excess fibrin proteins from the blood to treat thrombosis and as a topical hemostat.
This is important because surgical bleeding in patients taking heparin can be a serious problem. The use of batroxobin allows us to get around this problem
The substance used for medicine is produced by genetically modified bacteria and then purified, avoiding the risk of other contaminant toxins.
and injected at the site of a wound, where they reassemble themselves into a gel.
Tests showed the new material stopped a wound from bleeding in as little as six seconds, and further prodding of the wound minutes later did not reopen it.
The new work builds upon the Rice lab's extensive development of injectable hydrogel scaffolds that help wounds heal
"We think SB50 has great potential to stop surgical bleeding, particularly in difficult cases in
of physical therapy and of neurological surgery at the School of medicine, has received a three-year, nearly $1. 9 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to test a novel device his lab developed that would stimulate the nerves in the upper arm and forearm.
Wilson (Zach) Ray, MD, assistant professor of neurological surgery, both at the School of medicine; and Matthew Macewen, who will graduate with an MD/Phd in May 2015
particularly as applied to medicine and health, energy and environment, entrepreneurship and security. With 91 tenured/tenure-track and 40 additional full-time faculty, 1, 300 undergraduate students, more than 900 graduate students and more than 23
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