Using real-time deformability cytometry, researchers at the Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin in Erlangen were able to show for the first time: COVID-19 significantly changes the size and stiffness of red and white blood cells—sometimes over months. These results may help to explain why some affected people continue to complain of symptoms long after an infection (long COVID).
To investigate this aspect, a team of scientists led by Markéta Kubánková, Jochen Guck, and Martin Kräter from the Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL), the Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg and the German Center for Immunotherapy measured the mechanical states of red and white blood cells. “We were able to detect clear and long-lasting changes in the cells—both during an acute infection and even afterwards,” reports Professor Guck, currently managing director of MPL. The research group has now published their results in the renowned journal Biophysical Journal.
To analyze the blood cells, they used a self-developed method called real-time deformability cytometry (RT-DC), which has recently been recognized with the prestigious Medical Valley Award. In this method, the researchers send the blood cells through a narrow channel at high speed. In the process, the leukocytes and erythrocytes are stretched. A high-speed camera records each of them through a microscope, and custom software determines which cell types are present, and how big and deformed they are. Up to 1000 blood cells can be analyzed per second. The advantage of the method: It is fast and the cells do not have to be labeled in a laborious procedure.
The method could help as an early warning system to detect future pandemics by unknown viruses…
News
Are Nano Cameras the Future of Chemical Research?
A team of researchers from the University of Cambridge has developed a chemical ‘camera’ using a molecular glue that allows chemical reactions to be observed in real-time. The device is made up of semiconductor [...]
Fact Check-No evidence spike proteins from COVID-19 vaccines are toxic
There is no proof that spike proteins created in response to mRNA vaccines are harmful to the body, scientists have told Reuters. The claim was made by immunologist Byram Bridle (here) in an interview [...]
How to program DNA nanorobots to poke and prod cell membranes
Scientists have worked out how to best get DNA to communicate with membranes in our body, paving the way for the creation of ‘mini biological computers’ in droplets that have potential uses in biosensing [...]
Targeting cancer at the nanoscale
Scientists from the Department of Nuclear Medicine and Tracer Kinetics at Osaka University developed a novel system for targeted cancer radiation therapy that uses gold nanoparticles labeled with astatine-211. Owing to the limited range [...]
Introduction of Nanobomb into Tumor Could Inhibit Growth of Primary Tumors
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) exhibit the potential to act as signal carriers during the development of malignant tumors. At a suitable concentration, ROS tends to mediate cell growth and signal transduction. But ROS are [...]
How Nanotechnology Will Help Us Probe the Brain in Unimaginable Detail
One of the biggest challenges when it comes to probing and manipulating the brain are the blunt tools we have at our disposal. But breakthroughs in nanotechnology could soon change that, say researchers. Neuroscience has [...]
First controllable nanoscale gas-liquid interface fabricated
When liquid meets gas, a unique zone forms. Variable by nature, molecules can cross from one state to another, combining in unique ways to either desirable or unwanted ends. From heat escaping a mug [...]
Offshoot of Covid Delta variant on the rise in England
A newly detected coronavirus variant is on the rise in England, with the virus believed to be an offshoot of Delta. According to a briefing from the UK Health Security Agency, released on Friday, [...]
New testing strategy rapidly quantifies transmissibility of COVID-19 variants
A team of researchers has developed a new nanomechanical technique for fast, one-step, immune-affinity tests, which can quantify the immune response induced by different COVID-19 variants in serum. Their technique provides a new tool [...]
New Method Developed for 3D Printing Living Microbes To Enhance Biomaterials
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists have developed a new method for 3D printing living microbes in controlled patterns, expanding the potential for using engineered bacteria to recover rare-earth metals, clean wastewater, detect uranium, [...]
Researchers use AI to Develop Tool for Predicting Cancer Nanomedicine Outcomes
Nanomedicines may offer clinicians a way to deliver precise, targeted therapy directly to tumors without damaging surrounding tissue. Yet, progress in the development of new drugs that treat cancer at the nanoparticle level has [...]
Mito warriors: Scientists discover how T cell assassins reload their weapons to kill and kill again
Cambridge researchers have discovered how T cells—an important component of our immune system—are able keep on killing as they hunt down and kill cancer cells, repeatedly reloading their toxic weapons. Cytotoxic T [...]
Russians ‘have a hard time trusting their own vaccine,’ expert says
Sunday, October 3, set records for the most COVID-19 deaths in Russia on a single day. Only 29% of people in Russia are vaccinated, despite the country being the first to approve a vaccine. [...]
Nanosilver is not a ‘silver bullet’ in long-term treatment of infections
New research from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has found that pathogens that form biofilms can evolve to survive nanosilver treatment. The study is the first to demonstrate that long-term nanosilver treatment can [...]
Delta variant has 235% higher risk of ICU admission than original virus
New variants of SARS-CoV-2 are more virulent and transmissible than the original variant of the virus. Health experts associate these variants of concern (VOCs) with increased risk of hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, [...]
Pathogen-Sensing Mask Could Detect COVID Infection
Freeze-dried genetic circuits could reveal the presence of SARS-CoV-2, Ebola, MRSA, and more. Masks and testing have been key to the COVID-19 pandemic response—and now devices that combine the two may be on the [...]
