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Category: nanotechnology

The ‘Great Unified Microscope’ can see both micro and nanoscale structures

Researchers at the University of Tokyo have built a microscope that can detect a signal over an intensity range 14 times wider than conventional microscopes. Moreover, the observations are made label-free, that is, without the use of additional dyes.

This means the method is gentle on cells and adequate for long-term observations, holding potential for testing and quality control applications in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. The findings are published in the journal Nature Communications.

Microscopes have played a pivotal role in the development of science since the 16th century. However, progress has required not only more sensitive and accurate equipment and analysis, but also more specialized ones. Therefore, modern, cutting-edge techniques have had to straddle trade-offs.

Green-synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles from desert plants show broad antimicrobial activity

As drug-resistant infections continue to rise, researchers are looking for new antimicrobial strategies that are both effective and sustainable. One emerging approach combines nanotechnology with “green” chemistry, using plant extracts instead of harsh chemicals to produce metal oxide nanoparticles.

A new study published in Biomolecules and Biomedicine now reports that oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) biosynthesized from four desert plants with medicinal properties can inhibit a wide spectrum of bacteria, yeasts and filamentous fungi in laboratory tests. The work also links the plants’ rich phytochemical profiles to nanoparticle stability and potency, and uses computer modeling to explore how key compounds might interact with microbial targets.

The study is the first to produce ZnONPs from species that thrive in harsh, arid environments and are often under-used or even considered invasive. “By turning resilient desert plants into tiny zinc oxide particles, we were able to generate materials that are both eco-friendly to produce and surprisingly active against a range of microbes,” the authors write. “These green nanoparticles could form the basis for future antimicrobial formulations, pending further safety and efficacy testing.”

Advancing Drug Discovery with Artificial Intelligence

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have emerged as popular vehicles for delivering various types of drugs such as mRNA and gene therapy. While these nanoparticles are effective in transporting therapeutic payloads, their components can interact with the human body, potentially causing genotoxicity — damage to the recipient’s genetic material that may lead to inheritable mutations or cancer. In this webinar brought to you by Inotiv, Shambhu Roy will discuss how to test the genotoxicity of LNP-based therapeutics to ensure the safety of these innovative drug delivery systems.

We’ll chat about these topics.

• Understanding the key components of LNP delivery systems • Genotoxicity testing for LNP-based drugs during preclinical safety assessment • Selecting the appropriate assays to meet regulatory requirements.

Nanoparticle–stem cell hybrids open a new horizon in bone regeneration

A research team in South Korea has successfully developed a novel technology that combines nanoparticles with stem cells to significantly improve 3D bone tissue regeneration. This advancement marks a step forward in the treatment of bone fractures and injuries, as well as in next-generation regenerative medicine.

The research is published in the journal ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering.

Dr. Ki Young Kim and her team at the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT), in collaboration with Professor Laura Ha at Sunmoon University, have engineered a nanoparticle-stem cell hybrid, termed a nanobiohybrid by integrating mesoporous silica nanoparticles (mSiO₂ NPs) with human adipose-derived mesenchymal (hADMSCs). The resulting hybrid cells demonstrated markedly enhanced osteogenic (bone-forming) capability.

Magnetic nanoparticles that successfully navigate complex blood vessels may be ready for clinical trials

Every year, 12 million people worldwide suffer a stroke; many die or are permanently impaired. Currently, drugs are administered to dissolve the thrombus that blocks the blood vessel. These drugs spread throughout the entire body, meaning a high dose must be administered to ensure that the necessary amount reaches the thrombus. This can cause serious side effects, such as internal bleeding.

Since medicines are often only needed in specific areas of the body, has long been searching for a way to use microrobots to deliver pharmaceuticals to where they need to be: in the case of a stroke, directly to the stroke-related thrombus.

Now, a team of researchers at ETH Zurich has made major breakthroughs on several levels. They have published their findings in Science.

A Radical New Kind of Particle Accelerator Could Transform Science

A particle accelerator that produces intense X-rays could be squeezed into a device that fits on a table, my colleagues and I have found in a new research project.

The way that intense X-rays are currently produced is through a facility called a synchrotron light source. These are used to study materials, drug molecules, and biological tissues. Even the smallest existing synchrotrons, however, are about the size of a football stadium.

Our research, which has been accepted for publication in the journal Physical Review Letters, shows how tiny structures called carbon nanotubes and laser light could generate brilliant X-rays on a microchip. Although the device is still at the concept stage, the development has the potential to transform medicine, materials science, and other disciplines.

Water-based plasma forges novel alloy to turn CO₂ into useful chemicals

A new water-based plasma technique is opening fresh possibilities for carbon conversion.

Chinese researchers have created stable high-entropy alloy nanoparticles—containing five metals in nearly equal ratios—directly in solution, thereby overcoming long-standing challenges in nanoscale alloy synthesis.

These particles form a self-protecting, oxidized shell, delivering strong photothermal performance that utilizes visible and infrared light to drive carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide more efficiently than single-metal catalysts.

Particles that enhance mRNA delivery could reduce vaccine dosage and costs

New nanoparticles that enhance mRNA delivery could reduce vaccine dosage, costs, and possibly even side effects. “Our goal has been to try to make nanoparticles that can give you a safe and effective vaccine response but at a much lower dose,” Daniel Anderson says.

A new lipid nanoparticle could make mRNA vaccines more effective and potentially lower the cost per dose. New research suggests an mRNA influenza vaccine delivered with the new particle could generate the same immune response as mRNA delivered by standard nanoparticles, but at around 1/100 the dose.

Atomic Structure of Mn-Doped CoFe2O4 Nanoparticles for Metal–Air Battery Applications

We discuss the atomic structure of cobalt ferrite nanoparticles doped with Mn via an analysis based on combining atomic pair distribution functions with high energy X-ray diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy measurements. Cobalt ferrite nanoparticles are promising materials for metal–air battery applications. Cobalt ferrites, however, generally show poor electronic conductivity at ambient temperatures, which limits their bifunctional catalytic performance in oxygen electrocatalysis. Our study reveals how the introduction of Mn ions promotes the conductivity of the cobalt ferrite electrode.

Algorithms reveal how propane becomes propylene for everyday products

Countless everyday products, from plastic squeeze bottles to outdoor furniture, are derived by first turning propane into propylene.

A 2021 study in Science demonstrated that chemists could use tandem nanoscale catalysts to integrate multiple steps of the process into a single reaction—a way for companies to increase yield and save money. But it was unclear what was happening at the , making it difficult to apply the technique to other key industrial processes.

Researchers at the University of Rochester have developed algorithms that show the key atomic features driving the complex chemistry when the nanoscale catalysts turn propane into propylene.

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