Shigella bacteria, which causes Shigellosis, is the primary cause of bacterial diarrhea and diarrheal death among juveniles under five years of age. Because of the antibiotic resistance of Shigella strains, no commercial vaccines are available to date. An article published in Molecular Pharmaceutics presented an extension of a previous work that demonstrated the stabilization of “invasion plasmid antigen C” [...]

Scientists have built microscopic robots equipped with electronic “brains” that are capable of walking autonomously. A team from Cornell University in the US developed the solar-powered bots as part of research into a new generation of tiny devices that can perform roles ranging from performing microsurgery, to cleaning the inside of arteries. The microrobots measure just [...]

Blood samples from patients with long COVID who are still suffering from fatigue and shortness of breath after a year show signs of autoimmune disease, according to a study published today (Thursday) in the European Respiratory Journal [1]. Autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy parts of the body, instead of [...]

High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is among the deadliest human cancers and its prognosis remains extremely poor. An article published in Advanced Science explored the self-therapeutic properties of gold nanoparticles to identify a molecular axis that fosters the growth of HGSOC. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The gold nanoparticles injected intravenously or intraperitoneally in single or multiple doses over two weeks [...]

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have a broad spectrum of antimicrobial activity and lyse microbial cells by interaction with biomembranes, offering great potential in designing new therapeutics. The antimicrobial resistance (AMR) caused due to overuse of antibiotics can be circumvented by using AMPs as alternatives to antibiotics. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​The rod-shaped chitosan nanocrystals are polysaccharide-based nanomaterials obtained by [...]

Tumor cells are notoriously good at evading the human immune system; they put up physical walls, wear disguises and handcuff the immune system with molecular tricks. Now, UC San Francisco researchers have developed a drug that overcomes some of these barriers, marking cancer cells for destruction by the immune system. The new therapy, described [...]

Hyperspectral microscopy is an advanced visualization technique that combines hyperspectral imaging with state-of-the-art optics and computer software to enable rapid identification of nanomaterials. Since hyperspectral datacubes are large, their acquisition is complicated and time-consuming. Despite the efficiency of spectral scanning in acquiring hyperspectral datacubes, this technique cannot be extended to large numbers of spectral [...]

Malignant brain tumors are cancerous growth in the brain with the possibility of spreading to other parts of the central nervous system (CNS). Brain tumors are highly invasive and have devastating consequences, poor prognosis, and low survival rates. Recently, the noninvasive near-infrared fluorescence and photoacoustic imaging techniques have demonstrated a bright scope in brain [...]

An ultrathin invention could make future computing, sensing and encryption technologies remarkably smaller and more powerful by helping scientists control a strange but useful phenomenon of quantum mechanics, according to new research recently published in the journal Science ("Resonant metasurfaces for generating complex quantum states"). Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories and the Max Planck Institute for [...]

Methacrylate-based materials are often used in bone cement and dental resins. However, they have high failure rates as they undergo damage within ten years, impacting the quality of patient’s life and increasing healthcare costs. Although replacing methacrylate-based materials with self-healing resins and bone cement could increase lifespan, reduce costs, and enhance patient outcomes, the [...]