Scientists at Duke University have developed a ‘nanorattle’ system that allows for the detection of mRNA biomarkers of cancer. The tiny structures consist of gold nanospheres with a surrounding silver nanocage, forming the so-called rattle. The nanorattles are also loaded with light scattering dyes called Raman reporters. When illuminat (Read more...)
Tag: Genetics
Microfluidic Device Mimics Embryonic Heartbeat to Stimulate Stem Cell Development
Scientists at the University of New South Wales in Australia have developed a method to produce human blood stem cell precursors from human pluripotent stem cells. The method may have use in treating cancer patients who require high doses of such blood stem cells to help replenish endogenous populations that have been destroyed by chemotherapy. [&h (Read more...)
DNA-Based Nanorobot Interacts with Live Cells
Researchers at INSERM (Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale) in France, and collaborators, have developed a DNA-based nanorobot called the Nano-winch. The tiny creation is made using DNA molecules and a “DNA Origami” approach. The tiny robot is so small that it can land on a cell surface and interact w (Read more...)
Point of Care Rapid PCR Test
Columbia University scientists and collaborators at Rover Diagnostics have created a rapid PCR test that can be used at the point of care. Weighing in at two pounds, the portable device can rival the sensitivity and accuracy of traditional lab-based PCR testing equipment, but providing results in as little as 23 minutes. The new device […]
Dissociating Tissue into Single Cells Using Electric Fields
A team of scientists at Brown University has developed a technique that allows them to rapidly dissociate a tissue sample into individual cells. The approach involves placing a tissue sample, such as a tumor biopsy, between two electrodes. Electric field fluctuations then help to pull the cells in alternating directions, eventually culminating in t (Read more...)
Imaging Technique Shows Gene Expression in Real Time
A team at the University of Minnesota developed a new technique that lets them view gene expression in the brains of live mice in real time. The approach relies on two-photon excitation microscopy, specialized imaging processing techniques, and genetically modified mice that express mRNA that naturally includes a fluorescent protein. Using the meth (Read more...)
Advanced Multi-Organ Chip for Personalized Medicine
Researchers at Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Science developed an advanced organ-on-a-chip system that incorporates heart, bone, liver, and skin tissue in independent niches that are linked with simulated vascular flows. The system even includes immune cells that circulate within the simulated vasculature. The technology rep (Read more...)
Heart Chamber on a Chip
Researchers at Boston University engineered a heart chamber on a chip that can beat by itself. The technology relies on cardiomyocytes generated from induced pluripotent stem cells and small acrylic valves that allow the fluid pumped by the chamber to come and go. The chamber is supported by a thin acrylic scaffold that aims to […]
Printing Bone Constructs During Surgery
Scientists at Penn State developed a method to print a ‘bone’ construct during a surgical procedure. The technique is intended to allow surgeons to rapidly fill bony defects that would not easily heal by themselves, and the researchers have turbo-charged the technique by including genes that promote bone formation. Consequently, they de (Read more...)
Implantable Biomaterial for CAR-T Cell Creation and Release
Researchers at North Carolina State University developed an implantable biomaterial scaffold that enables the creation and release of CAR-T cells, which are immune cells that have been engineered and primed to seek and destroy cancer within the body. The technique could prove to be much less expensive than conventional CAR-T cell therapy, and it ma (Read more...)
Capsule Delivers and Injects mRNA into Stomach
Researchers at MIT have created an oral mRNA delivery system that could provide an alternative to injectable mRNA vaccines. It could also enable RNA or DNA therapies that are intended to treat gastrointestinal diseases. mRNA has shown its therapeutic potential in spectacular fashion, providing the powerhouse behind some of the world’s most su (Read more...)
Wearable Air Sampler to Assess SARS-CoV-2 Exposure
Researchers at Yale University created a wearable air sampler clip that can be worn on clothing and which can bind aerosols present in the environment. The clip can later be analyzed to determine the level of SARS-CoV-2 exposure while it was worn. The low-cost, battery-free technology could allow people to identify unsafe indoor environments that [ (Read more...)
Magnetic-Plasmonic Hybrid Nanoparticles Isolate Lysosomes from Cells
Researchers at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have developed a method to isolate intact lysosomes from cells. The technique is rapid and produces samples of high purity. Lysosomes are the garbage-disposal organelles within a cell, and they are involved in numerous diseases, from lysosomal storage diseases to autoimmune disor (Read more...)
Quantum Sensor to Detect SARS-CoV-2 More Accurately
Researchers at MIT have designed a quantum sensor to detect SARS-CoV-2. While the device is still theoretical, the researchers have used mathematical simulations to show its potential, and the data and design indicate that it may be faster, more accurate, and less expensive than the current gold-standard technique, PCR. The system is based on nanod (Read more...)
Light-Activated PCR Assay
Researchers at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München in Germany have developed a light-activated form of the enzymes that power the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. The assay has gained recent fame among the general public because of its use as a COVID-19 diagnostic tool. The technique could lead to alternatives to current heat-act (Read more...)
Test Detects SARS-CoV-2 in Breath, May Work as COVID Alarm in Enclosed Spaces
Researchers at Brown University have developed a breath test for COVID-19. The breathalyzer, which they have termed the Bubbler, consists of a tube that someone blows into for fifteen seconds. The tube contains a mix of enzymes that reverse transcribe the RNA in viral particles into DNA, which allows for a subsequent benchtop PCR test. […]
Nanotransfection Device for Tissue Reprogramming In Situ
Genetic modification offers huge potential in treating a wide variety of conditions, but the devil is in the details. Previously explored methods to deliver genes into cells, such as using viral vectors, have been connected with safety issues. As such, the potential of gene therapy has not yet been fully realized. Technological advances may offer [ (Read more...)
Flu Virus-Inspired Nanoparticles for mRNA Delivery
Researchers at the University of California San Diego developed a new delivery technique for mRNA. The method involves flu virus-inspired nanoparticles that can escape endosomes, the acidic vesicles that engulf and destroy materials that attempt to enter cells. The nanoparticles contain a protein receptor that allows them to unlock the endosomes an (Read more...)
3D Blood Vessel Map Reveals Location of Stem Cells
Scientists at Johns Hopkins used a combination of molecular labeling and imaging techniques to create a three-dimensional map of the blood vessels in the mouse skull. Their approach also reveals niches where stem cell populations lurk, which could help researchers to understand how blood vessels and cells behave in various states of disease or inju (Read more...)
DNA Aptamers for Rapid COVID-19 Testing: Interview with Steven Goh, CEO of Achiko and Dr. Michael Edel, Inventor of AptameX
Achiko, a company based in Switzerland, has developed AptameX, a saliva-based rapid COVID-19 test. The technology is based on DNA aptamers that are bound to gold nanoparticles. On binding with a viral protein the gold nanoparticles are released, causing a measurable color change. The test takes approximately 15 minutes in total, with the user spend (Read more...)