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Until now, the early phase of drug discovery for the development of new therapeutics has been both cost- and time-intensive. Researchers at KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) have now developed a platform on which extremely miniaturized nanodroplets with a volume of only 200 nanoliters per droplet—comparable to a grain of sand—and containing only 300 cells per test can be arranged.
Wearable and implantable biosensors that can accurately detect biological molecules in a non- or minimally invasive manner have vast potential for monitoring patients' physiology and response to therapies. For example, wearable glucose monitors that measure blood glucose levels and convert these measurements into readily readable and continuously recorded electrical signals have become indispensable in the management of diabetes patients. Similar biosensors have been developed for the monitoring of electrolytes in sweat, biomarkers in interstitial fluid near the skin surface, and to report on the function of internal tissues.
Nanozymes are synthetic materials that have enzyme-like catalytic properties, and they are broadly used for biomedical purposes, such as disease diagnostics. However, inorganic nanozymes are generally toxic, expensive, and complicated to produce, making them unsuitable for the agricultural and food industries.
Recent technological advances are fueling the development of cutting-edge technologies that can monitor and control physiological processes with high precision. These include devices that could control the expression of genes within living organisms, without requiring invasive surgeries or procedures.
Dogs aren't just our best friends, they're also key allies in the fight against terrorism. Thousands of teams of explosive detection dogs and their handlers work 24/7 at airports, transit systems, cargo facilities, and public events around the globe to keep us safe. But canine detection is an art as well as a science: success depends not only on the skill of both dog and human, but also on their bond, and may vary with their physiological state and environmental conditions.
A new study led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and research partners highlights that improving livestock productivity is key to achieving substantial reductions in global antibiotic use.
The 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy, including STED (Stimulated Emission Depletion) microscopy. This method can be used to observe processes, e.g., in cells, at particularly high resolution.
A project led by University of Queensland Ph.D. student Javeria Bashir has produced specially crafted gold nanoparticles that can highlight cancer markers in samples like urine, saliva, or blood. Bashir said she hoped to use her gold nanoparticles to help improve survival rates for a cancer that is considered particularly deadly.
Researchers from the J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) have developed a reverse genetics system for African swine fever virus (ASFV). This new system will aid researchers in developing vaccines and in studying the pathogenesis and biology of ASFV, a highly contagious, deadly viral disease affecting domesticated and wild pigs, especially prevalent in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean.
From his lab at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy Drug Discovery Institute, Mingfu Wu, associate professor, is offering new hope for treating heart disease by sharing his insights into the fundamental process of how the heart is formed in utero. His findings, published in Science, focus on long, thin, channels of membranes—called tunneling nanotube-like structures—that connect cells together. Wu reports the structures may be a fundamental way for cells to communicate, offering new insights into heart disease development and potential treatments.