Vaccines developed early in the COVID-19 pandemic still provide strong protection against severe disease, hospitalization, and death. But SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, continues to mutate. Many of these mutations alter the spike protein, which the virus uses to enter and infect cells. These mutations help the virus to dodge the immune system’s [...]
Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Genome Center researchers, in collaboration with Oxford Nanopore Technologies, have developed a new method to assess on a large scale the three-dimensional structure of the human genome, or how the genome folds. The genome is the complete set of genetic instructions, DNA or RNA, enabling an organism to [...]
Clay-based 2D nanofluidics are potential candidates for boosting the practical implementation of osmotic energy harvesting because they are inexpensive and easy to prepare on a large scale. However, they typically suffer from inadequate ion selectivity and low mechanical strength. In research published in the journal Nano Energy, a nanofiber strengthening technique is suggested to overcome [...]
AZoNano speaks with Dr. Laurene Tetard from the University of Central Florida about her upcoming research into the development of nanotechnology that can detect animal-borne diseases. The hope is that such technology can be used to help rapidly control infected mosquito populations to protect public health. What inspired your new project that will be using nanotechnology to detect animal-borne [...]
At Cambridge University’s MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit, Michal Minczuk is one of a growing number of scientists around the world aiming to find new ways of improving mitochondrial health. This line of research could help provide much-needed treatments for people with long Covid, as well as revolutionising our understanding of everything from neurodegenerative illnesses such [...]
As they grow, solid tumors surround themselves with a thick, hard-to-penetrate wall of molecular defenses. Getting drugs past that barricade is notoriously difficult. Now, scientists at UT Southwestern have developed nanoparticles that can break down the physical barriers around tumors to reach cancer cells. Once inside, the nanoparticles release their payload: a gene editing [...]
In an article recently published in the journal Talanta, researchers demonstrated a new approach to enable the specific detection of biomarkers in human tear by employing an aptamer-based graphene affinity nanosensor. The ability to detect and measure the biomarkers in undiluted physiological fluids allows the application of nanosensors in measuring the biological fluid samples whose [...]
Selenium (Se) is an essential element found in aquatic feeds that promotes the proper development, wellbeing, and fitness of marine animals. Selenium can be transformed into nanomaterials that are more easily accessible, absorbed, and consumed by aquatic species using nanotechnology. A paper published recently in the journal Reviews in Aquaculture provides a complete assessment of the effects of [...]
In an article recently published in the journal Nanotechnology, researchers employed a single particle imaging method for fluorescence excitation with moderate intensity to achieve spatial resolution. Here, the semiconductor nanocrystals were accessed, whose emission lifetimes depended on excitation intensity. Nanocrystals The excited fluorophore's de-excitation rate with optical modulation is an important tool to achieve super-resolution [...]
A new COVID-19 vaccine developed in South Australia and administered with a needle-free device is to begin human trials. Designed by University of Adelaide researchers the DNA vaccine also targets the Omicron variant of the virus and can be adapted for future variants. DNA vaccines require simple engineering design modifications that can be made [...]
