https://phys.org/nanotech-news/bio-medicine en-us The latest science news on nanobiology, nano medicine, nanotechnology, nanoscience, and nanotech. Many vaccines, including vaccines for hepatitis B and whooping cough, consist of fragments of viral or bacterial proteins. These vaccines often include other molecules called adjuvants, which help to boost the immune system's response to the protein. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-scientists-nanoparticle-vaccines-adjuvant.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 06 Mar 2024 14:00:01 EST news628942369 Entropy is often associated with disorder and chaos, but in biology it is related to energy efficiency and is closely linked to metabolism, the set of chemical reactions that sustain life. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-individual-red-blood-cells.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 06 Mar 2024 12:28:59 EST news628950536 Aptamers, the nucleic acid-based biosensors with the ability to bind specific proteins or small molecules, offer a way to identify target molecules without the complexity of analytical apparatuses. While being increasingly used in diagnostic applications for various diseases, their potential as effective sensors for cancer is particularly noteworthy, because early detection of cancer can lead to an over 90% cure rate. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-team-protein-based-microcapsule-diagnostics.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 04 Mar 2024 17:30:03 EST news628795802 Researchers who work with tiny drug carriers known as lipid nanoparticles have developed a new type of material capable of reaching the lungs and the eyes, an important step toward genetic therapy for hereditary conditions like cystic fibrosis and inherited vision loss. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-lipid-nanoparticles-genetic-treatments-hereditary.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 04 Mar 2024 17:18:03 EST news628795081 Aortic aneurysms are bulges in the aorta, the largest blood vessel that carries oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the rest of the body. Smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, or injury can all increase the risk of aneurysms, which tend to occur more often in Caucasian male smokers over the age of 65. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-nanomedicine-aims-treatment-aortic-aneurysms.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 04 Mar 2024 11:34:04 EST news628774441 In a study recently published in the journal Small, researchers from Nano Life Science Institute (WPI NanoLSI), Kanazawa University, Japan, collaborating with Professor Sarikaya, Seattle, U.S., used frequency modulated atomic force microscopy to reveal the molecular architecture of genetically designed and point mutated peptides and their self-organizations each forming single-molecule thick, distinct biological crystals on atomically flat graphite and MoS2 surfaces, offering a potential platform for hybrid technologies such as bioelectronics, biosensors, and protein arrays. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-molecular-recognition-technological-solids-mutant.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Mon, 04 Mar 2024 09:36:12 EST news628767368 The human brain has billions of neurons. Working together, they enable higher-order brain functions such as cognition and complex behaviors. To study these higher-order brain functions, it is important to understand how neural activity is coordinated across various brain regions. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-nanosheet-method-revolutionizes-brain-imaging.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Mon, 04 Mar 2024 05:00:02 EST news628519230 Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a common pathogen that can be transmitted from person to person. Long-term H. pylori infection has been recognized as a Class I human carcinogen. Currently, the standard clinical treatments for H. pylori infection (i.e., triple and quadruple therapy) rely on oral antibiotics to clear H. pylori from the stomach. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-team-nanoparticle-based-sonodynamic-therapy.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 01 Mar 2024 11:11:03 EST news628513861 Penn Engineers have developed a new means of targeting the lungs with lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), the minuscule capsules used by the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines to deliver mRNA, opening the door to novel treatments for pulmonary diseases like cystic fibrosis. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-precision-pulmonary-medicine-lung-disease.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Fri, 01 Mar 2024 10:54:30 EST news628512869 Metal nanomaterials have become an indispensable part of industrial and medical fields due to their unique and versatile properties. Their size, which imparts them with the desired physiochemical properties, is also the reason for environmental and health concerns. The nano-sized particles in nanomaterials have shown high reactivity towards biomolecules and often even toxicity towards biological cells. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-cell-killers-advanced-size-cytotoxicity.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Thu, 29 Feb 2024 17:00:04 EST news628448401 In a significant leap forward in the realm of regenerative medicine, a team at the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation has introduced a pioneering approach to mRNA therapy using microspheres made of gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA)—a gelatin-based polymer that can form strong hydrogels when exposed to UV light—to form microporous structure. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-hydrogel-spheres-microporous-localized-mrna.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Thu, 29 Feb 2024 16:52:03 EST news628447921 Scientists from Australia and the United States have found a new way to alter the DNA of bacterial cells—a process used to make many vital medicines including insulin—much more efficiently than standard industry techniques. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-radio-tune-bacteria-life-medicines.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 29 Feb 2024 09:57:47 EST news628423064 Protein-based drugs must be transported into cells in a way that prevents their immediate degradation. A new approach is intended to ensure that they remain intact only in certain cells, such as cancer cells. In a study published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition, a Japanese research team has introduced a nanocarrier that can "escape" from endosomes before its cargo is destroyed there. This ability to escape is only triggered within the endosomes of certain tumor cells. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-nanocarrier-tumor-specific-drug-endosomal.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 28 Feb 2024 10:17:30 EST news628337847 Scientists at EPFL have developed a game-changing technique that uses light to manipulate and identify individual bacteriophages without the need for chemical labels or bioreceptors, potentially accelerating and revolutionizing phage-based therapies that can treat antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-nanotweezers-bacteriophages-minimal-optical-power.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 27 Feb 2024 09:12:22 EST news628247539 Inspired by the design of space shuttles, Penn Engineering researchers have invented a new way to synthesize a key component of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs), the revolutionary delivery vehicle for mRNA treatments including the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, simplifying the manufacture of LNPs while boosting their efficacy at delivering mRNA to cells for medicinal purposes. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-molecules-space-shuttles-advance-lipid.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 26 Feb 2024 17:30:03 EST news628191002 The speed of innovation in bioelectronics and critical sensors gets a new boost with the unveiling of a simple, time-saving technique for the fast prototyping of devices. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-hack-3d-printer-fabrication-bioelectronics.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Mon, 26 Feb 2024 17:09:02 EST news628189741 From the fuzzy feeling on your teeth to the unfortunate condition of halitosis, bacteria shape mouth health. When dental illnesses take hold, diagnosis and treatment are necessary, but identifying the microorganisms behind an infection can be a lengthy and expensive process. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-artificial-tongue-inactivates-common-mouth.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Mon, 26 Feb 2024 13:23:51 EST news628176229 Vanderbilt researchers have developed a new nanoparticle that can more get drugs inside cells to boost the immune system and fight diseases such as cancer. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-nanoparticle-drugs-immune-cells.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 26 Feb 2024 10:42:18 EST news628166535 A new technique for electrospinning sponges has allowed scientists from the University of Surrey to directly produce 3D scaffolds—on which skin grafts could be grown from the patient's own skin. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-lab-spun-sponges-scaffolds-skin.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Fri, 23 Feb 2024 10:41:02 EST news627907261 In recent news, there has been a case where a patient experienced pain due to a surgical procedure involving sutures, resulting in the unintended presence of gauze within the patient's body. Gauze is typically employed to control bleeding during medical interventions, aiding in hemostasis. However, when inadvertently left in the body, it can lead to inflammation and infection. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-hemostatic-agent-mussels-silkworm-cocoons.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 23 Feb 2024 10:20:03 EST news627906001 Generally speaking, the higher the degree of information restoration of a vaccine to a virus, the greater its potential efficacy. The virus itself is the most authentic vaccine, such as the varicella-zoster virus, which provides lifelong immunity after a single infection. However, viruses also evolve mechanisms to evade immune surveillance during their long evolutionary history, such as evading the immune system's pursuit by frequently changing disguises through high mutability. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-vpnvax-crafting-viral-vaccines-polymer.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 21 Feb 2024 17:53:03 EST news627760381 Longstanding challenges in biomedical research such as monitoring brain chemistry and tracking the spread of drugs through the body require much smaller and more precise sensors. A new nanoscale sensor that can monitor areas 1,000 times smaller than current technology and can track subtle changes in the chemical content of biological tissue with sub-second resolution, greatly outperforming standard technologies. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-team-nanoscale-device-brain-chemistry.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 21 Feb 2024 16:43:04 EST news627756181 Researchers at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and the Department of Chemistry at the University of Chicago have engineered tiny, spinning micro-robots that bind to immune cells to probe their function. The robot, or "hexapod," gives scientists a new, highly adaptable way to study immune cells and to aid in the design of immunotherapies against cancer, infection, or autoimmune diseases. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-magnetic-micro-robots-probe-immune.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 21 Feb 2024 09:23:03 EST news627729781 A novel therapeutic strategy developed by researchers at São Paulo State University (UNESP) could revolutionize the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease (NTD) transmitted by sandflies. Some 12 million people suffer from the disease worldwide, and 700,000 to 1 million new cases of occur annually, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). https://phys.org/news/2024-02-nanoparticles-natural-substance-visceral-leishmaniasis.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 20 Feb 2024 13:12:03 EST news627657121 Researchers led by Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison have introduced a pioneering approach aimed at combating neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). https://phys.org/news/2024-02-undruggable-proteins-approach-neurodegenerative-diseases.html Bio & Medicine Sun, 18 Feb 2024 10:34:39 EST news627474860 Vaccines and therapies based on messenger RNA could be more readily delivered due to a non-toxic polymer that protects RNA and controls its release inside cells. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-stabilizing-mrna-vaccines-delivery-cells.html Bio & Medicine Nanomaterials Fri, 16 Feb 2024 11:25:24 EST news627305121 Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers and has one of the lowest survival rates in the world. Cytokines, which are small signaling proteins, such as interleukin-12 (IL-12), have demonstrated considerable potential as robust tumor suppressors. However, their applications are limited due to a multitude of severe side effects. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-inhalable-therapy-big-lung-cancer.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 15 Feb 2024 15:53:03 EST news627234781 In a study published in Nature Nanotechnology, scientists from Delft University of Technology present a new technique to identify proteins. Proteins carry out essential functions in our cells, while playing a crucial role in diseases like cancer and COVID-19 infection. The researchers identify proteins by reading out the fingerprint, and comparing the fingerprint to patterns from a database. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-scientists-technology-individual-full-length.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 15 Feb 2024 12:22:36 EST news627222152 The delivery of experimental materials to individual cells with exactness and exclusivity has long been an elusive and much sought-after ability in biology. With it comes the promise of deciphering many longstanding secrets of the cell. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-method-precision-delivery-nanoparticles-small.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 15 Feb 2024 09:52:03 EST news627213121 Canadian researchers led by Montreal radiologist Gilles Soulez have developed a novel approach to treat liver tumors using magnet-guided microrobots in an MRI device. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-liver-cancer-microrobots-magnetic-field.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 14 Feb 2024 14:00:01 EST news627129118