A small rectangle of pink glass, about the size of a postage stamp, sits on Professor Amy Shen's desk. Despite its outwardly modest appearance, this little glass slide has the potential to revolutionize a wide range of processes, from monitoring food quality to diagnosing diseases. The slide is made of a 'nanoplasmonic' material -- its [...]
For the very first time in Russia, researchers from NUST MISIS have developed a novel therapeutic material based on nanofibers. The nanofibers are composed of polycaprolactone altered with plasma components of human blood and a thin-film antibacterial composition. The living biodegradable bandages developed from these nanofibers will speed up the growth of tissue cells by [...]
The human brain largely remains a black box: How the network of fast-moving electrical signals turns into thought, movement and disease remains poorly understood. But it is electrical, so it can be hacked—the question is finding a precise, easy way to manipulate electrical signaling between neurons. A new University of Chicago study shows how tiny, [...]
Using resources at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT), a team built tiny wires that can record the electrical activity of neurons in fine detail (Nano Letters, "High density individually addressable nanowire arrays record intracellular activity from primary rodent and human stem cell derived neurons"). The small-diameter wires penetrated the neuron cells. Once inside, the [...]
Currently, more than 80 nanotechnologies have been approved for a variety of medical applications, from treating cancer to bioimaging to tissue remodeling. Now in a new study, researchers have shown that enzyme-containing nanoparticles can perform minor dental surgery and improve the outcome of dental braces for reorienting severely misaligned teeth into their proper position. Tests [...]
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology researchers have successfully treated a cancerous tumor using a "nano-factory" – a synthetic cell that produces anti-cancer proteins within the tumor tissue. The research, which was published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, combines synthetic biology, to artificially produce proteins, and targeted drug delivery, to direct the synthetic cell to abnormal tissues. The [...]
A good deal of the field of nanomedicine is focused on delivering drugs to specific sites within the body, such as specific organs or cancer tumors. While many nanomedicines have well developed targeting mechanisms, they often are best delivered a small amount at a time. Yet, continuous slow-release of nanomedicines has typically required the use [...]
UNSW researchers are revolutionising medical research by creating virtual reality technology that allows scientists to walk around the landscape of human cells. Ground-breaking virtual reality technology is allowing multiple scientists to see inside a human cell at the same time, giving researchers a three-dimensional tool to improve doctor interaction and help analyse how cancer drugs [...]
Medical devices, such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, are vulnerable to cyberattacks if they are not given regular security updates. Researchers from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, released a paper proving the relative ease of exploiting medical technology which uses out-of-date security software. This research highlights a potential [...]
A new type of all-terrain microbot that moves by tumbling could help usher in tiny machines for various applications. The “microscale magnetic tumbling robot,” or µTUM (microTUM), is about 400 by 800 microns, or millionths of a meter, smaller than the head of a pin. A continuously rotating magnetic field propels the [...]
