Notwithstanding the progress neuroscientists have made in understanding the microscale function of single neurons and the macroscale activity of the human brain – a comprehensive understanding of the brain still remains an elusive goal. The BRAIN Initiative, launched in 2013, seeks to deepen understanding of the inner workings of the human mind and to improve [...]
From a feature written by Shelley Farrar Stoakes, MSc, BSc: Nanomedicine is the application of nanotechnology to the field of medicine by the use of a material at the nanometer scale. The most common application of nanomedicine involves employing nanoparticles to enhance the action of drugs in treatment. Research in the field has created targeted [...]
Nanopore technology is generally used for DNA sequencing. It provides a portable, low-cost solution and works both in the jungle and in space. Now, this technology could potentially be used to identify proteins or peptides. Scientists from the University of Groningen have used a patented nanopore technology to detect the fingerprints of peptides and proteins. [...]
The creation, or emergence, of a technological singularity is the subject of a wide array of speculations. Due to their lack of tangible criteria, the prospect of an upcoming singularity is still unclear, if not completely mysterious. This paper proposes to unfold a precise and exhaustive profile that may be applicable to any class of [...]
Envision is a nano-sized anti-cancer drug capable of destroying a breast tumor without damaging the surrounding tissue. Or imagine a self-healing skin graft developed from nanomaterials that treat the wounds of those with diabetes. These two biomedical technologies alone could be capable of greatly improving the quality of life for patients and saving millions in [...]
Light-activated nanoparticles, also known as quantum dots, can provide a crucial boost in effectiveness for antibiotic treatments used to combat drug-resistant superbugs such as E. coli and Salmonella, new University of Colorado Boulder research shows. Multi-drug resistant pathogens, which evolve their defenses faster than new antibiotic treatments can be developed to treat them, cost the [...]
Hydrogen bond base pairing forces are essential for the mechanisms associated with DNA stability. Despite attracting great research attention, this fundamental interaction has eluded a precise physical description so far since its electrical origin has not been quantified yet. Researchers now have proposed characterization by means of electrical forces, providing a framework for universal characterization [...]
Nanobots that patrol our bodies, killer immune cells hunting and destroying cancer cells, biological scissors that cut out defective genes: these are just some of technologies that Cambridge researchers are developing which are set to revolutionise medicine in the future. In a new film to coincide with the recent launch of the [...]
DNA evolved to store genetic information, but in principle this special, chain-like molecule can also be adapted to make new materials. Chemists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have now published an important demonstration of this repurposing of DNA to create new substances with possible medical applications. TSRI's Floyd Romesberg and Tingjian Chen, in a [...]
Scientists have designed gold nanoparticles, no bigger than 100 nanometres, which can be coated and used to track blood flow in the smallest blood vessels in the body. By improving our understanding of blood flow in vivo the nanoprobes represent an opportunity to help in the early diagnosis of disease. Light microscopy is a rapidly [...]
