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Category: bioengineering – Page 13
Novel magnetic nanodiscs could provide a much less invasive way of stimulating parts of the brain, paving the way for stimulation therapies without implants or genetic modification, MIT researchers report.
The scientists envision that the tiny discs, which are about 250 nanometers across (about 1/500 the width of a human hair), would be injected directly into the desired location in the brain. From there, they could be activated at any time simply by applying a magnetic field outside the body. The new particles could quickly find applications in biomedical research, and eventually, after sufficient testing, might be applied to clinical uses.
The development of these nanoparticles is described in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, in a paper by Polina Anikeeva, a professor in MIT’s departments of Materials Science and Engineering and Brain and Cognitive Sciences, graduate student Ye Ji Kim, and 17 others at MIT and in Germany.
As NASA’s Europa Clipper embarks on its historic journey to Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa, Dr. Matt Powell-Palm, a faculty member at Texas A&M University’s J. Mike Walker ’66 Department of Mechanical Engineering, has unveiled groundbreaking research that could transform our understanding of icy ocean worlds across the solar system. The study published in Nature Communications, co-authored with planetary scientist Dr. Baptiste Journaux of the University of Washington, introduces a novel thermodynamic concept called the “centotectic” and investigates the stability of liquids in extreme conditions — critical information for determining the habitability of icy moons like Europa.
Revolutionizing the Search for Habitability.
The exploration of icy ocean worlds represents a new frontier in planetary science, focusing on understanding the potential for these environments to support life. Powell-Palm’s research addresses a fundamental question in this field: under what conditions can liquid water remain stable on these distant, frozen bodies? By defining and measuring the cenotectic, the absolute lowest temperature at which a liquid remains stable under varying pressures and concentrations, the team provides a critical framework for interpreting data from planetary exploration efforts.
+ Decoding the secrets of DNA, CRISPR gene editing allows scientists to target specific genes linked to aging. By modifying these genes, researchers aim to prevent conditions that come with aging. Envision a future where genetic risks for age-related diseases are minimized through precise DNA editing.
It is possible to regenerate cells using stem cells, which can turn into a variety of types. In recent trials, stem cells showed promise in regenerating aged tissues like cartilage. Scientists hope to develop therapies that might slow down physical decline and maintain vitality longer by using this potential.
Nanobots could someday be the future of healthcare by targeting damaged cells directly as they move through your bloodstream. Researchers are currently exploring how nanobots might repair cellular damage and improve overall health, potentially reversing some age-related effects at the cellular level.
As the protective ends of chromosomes, telomeres shorten over time. When they become too short, cells stop functioning. In laboratory studies, researchers have extended the lifespan of animals by using telomere extension techniques. Though still experimental, this research could pave the way for human applications in slowing aging.
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Advances in human longevity are no longer science fiction. Groundbreaking discoveries in fields like genetics, nanotechnology, and regenerative medicine are unlocking the secrets of aging. These 20 developments highlight how science is changing our understanding of what it means to grow older.
Patients suffering from diseased and injured organs are often treated with transplanted organs, and this treatment has been in use for over 50 years. In 1955, the kidney became the first entire organ to be replaced in a human, when Murray transplanted this organ between identical twins. Several years later, Murray performed an allogeneic kidney transplant from a non-genetically identical patient into another. This transplant, which overcame the immunologic barrier, marked a new era in medicine and opened the door for use of transplantation as a means of therapy for different organ systems.
As modern medicine increases the human lifespan, the aging population grows, and the need for donor organs grows with it, because aging organs are generally more prone to failure. However, there is now a critical shortage of donor organs, and many patients in need of organs will die while waiting for transplants. In addition, even if an organ becomes available, rejection of organs is still a major problem in transplant patients despite improvements in the methods used for immunosuppression following the transplant procedure. Even if rejection does not occur, the need for lifelong use of immunosuppressive medications leads to a number of complications in these patients.
These problems have led physicians and scientists to look to new fields for alternatives to organ transplantation. In the 1960s, a natural evolution occurred in which researchers began to combine new devices and materials sciences with cell biology, and a new field that is now termed tissue engineering was born. As more scientists from different fields came together with the common goal of tissue replacement, the field of tissue engineering became more formally established. Tissue engineering is now defined as an interdisciplinary field which applies the principles of engineering and life sciences towards the development of biological substitutes that aim to maintain, restore or improve tissue function.
Neural tissue engineering is premised on the integration of engineered living tissue with the host nervous system to directly restore lost function or to augment regenerative capacity following nervous system injury or neurodegenerative disease. Disconnection of axon pathways – the long-distance fibers connecting specialized regions of the central nervous system or relaying peripheral signals – is a common feature of many neurological disorders and injury. However, functional axonal regeneration rarely occurs due to extreme distances to targets, absence of directed guidance, and the presence of inhibitory factors in the central nervous system, resulting in devastating effects on cognitive and sensorimotor function.
Bioengineers apply engineering and design principles to develop innovative solutions for biological and medical problems. Our researchers are creating tools and technologies to eliminate bottlenecks and reduce the time it takes for discoveries in stem cell research to reach the clinic as life-saving therapies. This includes everything from creating biodegradable scaffolds that can help stem cells Cells that have the ability to differentiate into multiple types of cells and make an unlimited number of copies of themselves. stem cells Cells that have the ability to differentiate into multiple types of cells and make an unlimited number of copies of themselves. regenerate damaged tissue to engineering materials that can make the immune-boosting effects of vaccines last longer.
Nanotechnology is the field of science focused on creating and manipulating structures and materials at the nanometer scale (one billionth of a meter). The application of nanotechnology in medicine recreates the natural scale of biological phenomena, enabling more precise and less invasive approaches for preventing, diagnosing and treating disease. Together with scientists from the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, our researchers are creating nanomaterials that enable targeted drug and gene delivery, more efficient production of cells for use as therapies and better models of human disease. Because nanotechnology-based methods enhance efficiency, require less material and use up less space, they can offer low cost, high-accuracy solutions for the study, diagnosis and treatment of disease.
By leveraging the combined strengths of nanotechnology and bioengineering, our researchers are accelerating the development of more effective and affordable stem cell-based therapies for a host of intractable medical conditions.
Scientists develop DNADNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is a molecule composed of two long strands of nucleotides that coil around each other to form a double helix. It is the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms that carries genetic instructions for development, functioning, growth, and reproduction. Nearly every cell in a person’s body has the same DNA. Most DNA is located in the cell nucleus (where it is called nuclear DNA), but a small amount of DNA can also be found in the mitochondria (where it is called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA). tabindex=0 DNA nanorobots capable of modifying artificial cells.
In today’s AI news, Macquarie will invest up to $5 billion in data centers being built by artificial-intelligence infrastructure company Applied Digital, adding to the Australian bank’s substantial AI-related investments.
And, President Joe Biden will issue an executive order on Tuesday to provide federal support to address massive energy needs for fast-growing advanced artificial intelligence data centers, the White House said.
The order calls for leasing federal sites owned by Defense and Energy departments to host gigawatt-scale AI data centers and new clean power facilities — to address enormous power needs on a short time frame.
Then, Microsoft is creating a new engineering group that’s focused on artificial intelligence. Led by former Meta engineering chief Jay Parikh, the new CoreAI – Platform and Tools division will combine Microsoft’s Dev Div and AI platform teams together to focus on building an AI platform and tools.
S strategy to enhance its AI capabilities across hybrid cloud environments.” + In videos, Snowflake CEO Sridhar Ramaswamy announces a new “upskill” initiative on AI as they work to address a global skills shortage. He joins Caroline Hyde on “Bloomberg Technology” to discuss the companies investment in educating people on AI skills.
Then Eleven Labs’ Louis Jordan demonstrates a conversational AI voice agent that can be integrated with Stripe to promote purchases, issue refunds, apply coupons and credits as well as many other payment related transactions with customers. Louis remarks that this is the future of in-app customer service.
And, did you know the U.S. nurse labor market is over $600 billion annually, but the dedicated software market for nurses is almost zero? In this episode, a16z General Partners Alex Rampell, David Haber, and Angela Strange discuss how AI is revolutionizing labor by automating tasks traditionally done by humans.
The shape and morphology of a cell play a key role in the biological function. This corresponds to the principle of “form follows function,” which is common in modern fields of design and architecture. The transfer of this principle to artificial cells is a challenge in synthetic biology. Advances in DNA nanotechnology now offer promising solutions. They allow the creation of novel transport channels that are large enough to facilitate the passage of therapeutic proteins across cell membranes.
In this emerging field, Prof. Laura Na Liu, Director of the 2nd Physics Institute at the University of Stuttgart and Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research (MPI-FKF), has developed an innovative tool for controlling the shape and permeability of lipid membranes in synthetic cells. These membranes are made up of lipid bilayers that enclose an aqueous compartment and serve as simplified models of biological membranes. They are useful for studying membrane dynamics, protein interactions, and lipid behavior.
The work is published in Nature Materials.