National Nanotechnology Initiative

Researchers from Harvard University, Harvard Medical School, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Iowa, and the The University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom have developed a platform to streamline the discovery and cost-effective manufacturing of #nanosensors that can detect proteins, peptides, and small molecules by increasing their #fluorescence up to 100-fold in less than a second. A key component of the platform is #fluorogenic amino acids that can be encoded into target-binding small protein sequences. “Essentially, we retrofitted the protein synthesis process for the construction of binding-activated fluorescent nanosensors,” said Jonathan Rittichier, one of the researchers involved in this study. https://lnkd.in/eH6TDRhc (Work funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)) George Church Erkin Kuru  Donald Ingber, M.D., Ph.D.

Researchers from the University of California, Riverside and the University of Minnesota have developed #magnetic #nanoparticles that ensure safe rewarming of frozen tissues for #transplant and address the issue of uneven heating due to inhomogeneous nanoparticle distribution. The researchers immersed animal tissues in a solution containing magnetic nanoparticles and a #cryoprotective substance, and the solution was subsequently frozen with liquid nitrogen. The researchers then applied an alternating magnetic field, which initiated the rapid rewarming of the tissues, followed by a horizontal static magnetic field, which realigned the nanoparticles, effectively tapping the brakes on heat production. https://lnkd.in/gT35MwC4 (Work funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF))

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have found that small #ExtracellularVesicles are secreted by #tumor cells and act as a "forcefield," blocking #nanoparticle-based therapies aimed at targeting #cancers. "A lot like the #DeathStar with its surrounding fleet of fighter ships and protective shields, solid tumors can use features like #immune cells and vasculature to exert force, acting as a physical barrier to rebel forces (#nanoparticles) coming in to deliver the payload that destroys it," said Michael J Mitchell, one of the researchers involved in this study. https://lnkd.in/gc7jcsBf (Work funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and The National Institutes of Health)

In the 1970s, scientists began exploring ways to extend #electronic frequency mixing into the #terahertz range using #diodes. While these early efforts showed promise, progress stalled for decades. Recently, however, advances in #nanotechnology have reignited this area of research. Now, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed an electronic #FrequencyMixer for signal detection that operates beyond 0.350 #petahertz using tiny #nanoantennae. These nanoantennae can mix different frequencies of light, enabling analysis of signals oscillating orders of magnitude faster than the fastest signal accessible to conventional electronics. https://lnkd.in/dgMbmvjQ  (Work funded by the United States Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE))

Researchers from Caltech, the University of Washington, the University of Pennsylvania, the University at Albany, The Rockefeller University, The University of Edinburgh, Creative BioSolutions, LLC (Miami, FL), HDT Bio (Seattle, WA), Acuitas Therapeutics, Inc. (Vancouver, Canada), and Ingenza Ltd (RoslIn, United Kingdom) have developed and tested a new #COVID19 #vaccine candidate called mosaic-8 that has shown potential to protect against different types of #sarbecoviruses, including #SARSCoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) and its variants. The mosaic-8 vaccine is made up of #nanoparticles that elicit antibodies against conserved features of sarbecoviruses. Each nanoparticle contains pieces of eight different sarbecoviruses. These pieces are regions of the viruses' #SpikeProtein, called receptor-binding domains (RBDs), that are crucial for the virus to infect a cell. Mosaic-8 is now being prepared for initial human clinical trials.  https://lnkd.in/gR9BtCW8 (Work funded by The National Institutes of Health) Jennifer Keeffe

Researchers at the University of Notre Dame have developed an automated device that can diagnose #glioblastoma, an incurable #BrainCancer, in less than an hour. The device features a #biochip that uses a sensor that detects #biomarkers, called active Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors (#EGFRs), that are overexpressed in glioblastoma. EGFRs are found on #ExtracellularVesicles – structures that carry cargo between cells. The device also features #silica #nanoparticles that report the presence of active EGFRs on the captured extracellular vesicles, while bringing a high negative charge. https://lnkd.in/g4Uzp2nn (Work funded by The National Institutes of Health) Hsueh-Chia Chang Satyajyoti Senapati

Researchers at Stanford University have developed a new way to see organs within a body by rendering overlying tissues transparent to visible #light. The counterintuitive process – a topical application of a common #FoodDye – was reversible in tests with animal subjects and may ultimately apply to a wide range of medical diagnostics, from locating injuries to monitoring digestive disorders to identifying cancers. To conduct their research, the scientists used a tool called an #ellipsometer at the Stanford Nano Shared Facilities – open access facilities that are part of the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI). “Open access to such instrumentation is foundational for making groundbreaking discoveries, as those instruments can be deployed in new ways to generate fundamental insights about scientific phenomena,” said NSF Program Officer Richard Nash, Ph.D., who oversees the NSF NNCI. https://lnkd.in/et3kBXQ9 (Work funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), The National Institutes of Health, and the United States Department of Defense) Guosong Hong Mark Brongersma

The #NanoInFocus image contest invites anyone who is U.S.-based, especially U.S.-based students and researchers, to submit images representing structures or materials at the #nanoscale that they have created during their research activities. Submit your image today! https://lnkd.in/e5zJXbux #nanoscience #nanotechnology

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and UMass Chan Medical School have demonstrated in mice a new method to combat #PancreaticCancer that relies on a #nanoparticle #DrugDelivery system to activate an #immune pathway, which usually recognizes viral infections in the body, in combination with #tumor-targeting agents. "If we can trick the immune system into thinking that there is a viral-type infection, then we harness a very robust anti-tumor immune response to bring in for tumor #immunotherapy," said Prabhani Atukorale, one of the scientists involved in this study. https://lnkd.in/esXnHfpc (Work funded by The National Institutes of Health) Prabhani Atukorale Marcus Ruscetti, Ph.D.

Researchers from Rice University, Vanderbilt University, and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a system for culturing #cancer cell clusters that can shed light on hard-to-study #tumor properties. The new #ZincOxide-based culturing surface mimics the #nanoscale roughness of the #lotus leaf surface structure, providing a highly tunable platform for the high-throughput generation of three-dimensional #nanoscale tumor models. The #superhydrophobic array device can be used to create models for studying the progression of cancer, including #metastasis – the stage in the disease when cancerous cells travel through the bloodstream from a primary tumor site to other parts of the body. https://lnkd.in/gVXeV_wK (Work funded by The National Institutes of Health) Michael King