Call for Papers and Participation: Joint International Conference on ‘Cutting-edge Nanotechnologies for Good Health and Well-being’

The Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University, cordially invites all those who are interested to attend the joint international conference on “CUTTING-EDGE NANOTECHNOLOGIES FOR GOOD HEALTH AND WELL-BEING” from July 9-12, 2024 between 8:00 and 18:00 hrs. at Chulalongkorn University and Mandarin Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand.

RNA Scientist Receives Federal Funding to Commercialize Molecular Tool Against Alzheimer’s Disease

University at Albany scientist Scott Tenenbaum, founder of UAlbany spinoff company sxRNA Technologies, Inc. (sxRNA Tech), has received $500,000 from the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, to study how aging brain cells shape the progression of Alzheimer’s disease, and advance RNA technology that could inform new therapeutics to prevent and treat Alzheimer’s and related dementias.

‘Plug and play’ nanoparticles could make it easier to tackle various biological targets

UC San Diego engineers have developed modular nanoparticles that can be easily customized to target different biological entities such as tumors, viruses or toxins. The surface of the nanoparticles is engineered to host any biological molecules of choice, making it possible to tailor the nanoparticles for a wide array of applications, ranging from targeted drug delivery to neutralizing biological agents.

Nanoparticle vaccine could curb cancer metastasis to lungs by targeting a protein

UC San Diego engineers have developed an experimental vaccine that could prevent the spread of metastatic cancers to the lungs. Its success lies in targeting a protein known to play a central role in cancer growth and spread, rather than targeting the primary tumor itself.

FAU Receives $11.5 Million Gift to Combat Life-threating Illness, Amyloidosis

Because amyloidosis doesn’t affect a specific organ and can be present throughout the body including the heart, kidneys, liver and brain, unraveling the underlying cause of amyloid fibril creation – a hallmark of this disease – is complex and challenging. A monumental $11.5 million gift from philanthropists Ann and John Wood will enable FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine to create a game-changing infrastructure using a whole-body approach and multi-disciplinary team.

Transforming plants into allies in the fight against climate change

Nature-based solutions are an effective tool to combat climate change triggered by rising carbon emissions, whether it’s by clearing the skies with bio-based aviation fuels or boosting natural carbon sinks. At the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, scientists are leading research to transform plants into key drivers of decarbonization, from creating biomass crops for new fuels to enhancing the ability of plants to absorb and store carbon.

UC Irvine researchers create E. coli-based water monitoring technology

Irvine, Calif., Feb. 23, 2023 – People often associate Escherichia coli with contaminated food, but E. coli has long been a workhorse in biotechnology. Scientists at the University of California, Irvine have demonstrated that the bacterium has further value as part of a system to detect heavy metal contamination in water. E.

How a Record-Breaking Copper Catalyst Converts CO2 Into Liquid Fuels

Since the 1970s, scientists have known that copper has a special ability to transform carbon dioxide into valuable chemicals and fuels. But for many years, scientists have struggled to understand how this common metal works as an electrocatalyst, a mechanism that uses energy from electrons to chemically transform molecules into different products.

The nano-magnets that will restore damaged nerve cells

When neurons are damaged by degenerative disease or injury, they have little, if any, ability to heal on their own. Restoring neural networks and their normal function is therefore a significant challenge in the field of tissue engineering. Prof. Orit Shefi and doctoral student Reut Plen from the Kofkin Faculty of Engineering at Bar-Ilan University have developed a novel technique to overcome this challenge using nanotechnology and magnetic manipulations, one of the most innovative approaches to creating neural networks.

Advancing new technologies to halt bleeding

The research arm of the U. S. Army has awarded Case Western Reserve University blood surrogate pioneer Anirban Sen Gupta a four-year, $2.5 million grant to advance and optimize his latest nanotechnology to stop bleeding from battlefield injuries.

The new technology devised by Sen Gupta and his team is called “SanguiStop.” It allows a clot-promoting enzyme called thrombin to be intravenously delivered in a targeted manner to a bleeding area—especially to the site of internal injuries.

‘iTEARS’ could help diagnose diseases by isolating biomarkers in tears

In ACS Nano, researchers report a nanomembrane system that harvests and purifies tiny blobs called exosomes from tears, allowing researchers to quickly analyze them for disease biomarkers. Dubbed iTEARS, the platform could enable more efficient and less invasive diagnoses for many diseases.

UCI researchers invent a health monitoring wearable that operates without a battery

Irvine, Calif., July 12, 2022 – A new self-powered, wristwatch-style health monitor invented by researchers at the University of California, Irvine can keep track of a wearer’s pulse and wirelessly communicate with a nearby smartphone or tablet – without needing an external power source or a battery. In a paper published recently in the journal Nano Energy, team members in UCI’s Henry Samueli School of Engineering describe their invention, built via 3D printing of nanomaterials on flexible substrates for real-time and wireless monitoring of vital signs.

These energy-packed batteries work well in extreme cold and heat

Researchers developed lithium-ion batteries that perform well at freezing cold and scorching hot temperatures, while packing a lot of energy. This could help electric cars travel farther on a single charge in the cold and reduce the need for cooling systems for the cars’ batteries in hot climates.

‘Nanojars’ capture dissolved carbon dioxide, toxic ions from water

Carbon dioxide dissolves in oceans, lakes and ponds, forming bicarbonate ions that can reenter the atmosphere as carbon dioxide later. Now, researchers have developed tiny “nanojars” that split bicarbonate into carbonate and capture it. They will present their results at ACS Fall 2021.

Detecting an unprecedented range of potentially harmful airborne compounds (video)

Many products release molecules that drift through the air. Some can potentially cause health problems. Researchers now report a personal air-sampling system that can detect an unprecedented range of these compounds from a special badge or pen. They will present their results at ACS Fall 2021.

Story tips: Sensing oil leaks, 3D prints in space, more fuel from ethanol, Arctic modeling boost, making isotopes faster and nano-enabled microscopy

Story tips: Sensing oil leaks, 3D prints in space, more fuel from ethanol, Arctic modeling boost, making isotopes faster and nano-enabled microscopy

Shih-Ting (Christine) Wang: Designing Materials for Biomedicine

Using DNA-based assembly, the Center for Functional Nanomaterials postdoc has assembled functional proteins into ordered lattices and coated nanostructures for drug delivery.

New grant, National Fellowship for UA Little Rock Nanotechnology Researcher

Dr. K. Bao Vang-Dings, a nanotechnology researcher at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has been named one of nine 2021-22 Public Policy Fellows by the American Association of Immunologists. Additionally, the Arkansas IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) has awarded her a 2021 Summer Research Grant to support Vang-Dings’ cancer vaccine research.

Main Attraction: Scientists Create World’s Thinnest Magnet

Scientists at Berkeley Lab and UC Berkeley have created an ultrathin magnet that operates at room temperature. The ultrathin magnet could lead to new applications in computing and electronics – such as spintronic memory devices – and new tools for the study of quantum physics.

What if We Could Give Viruses a One-Two Punch?

Researchers at Stanford and Berkeley Lab’s Molecular Foundry have developed virus-killing molecules called peptoids. The technology could make possible an emerging category of antiviral drugs that could treat everything from herpes and COVID-19 to the common cold.