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Category: innovation
“Unlimited range” stealth ebike never needs plugging in
:3year 2019
If e-bikes tend to look a little ungainly for your tastes, check out this thing from Barcelona’s Nua Bikes. With the motor, sensors and battery built into a discreet hub unit, the Nua Electrica is barely distinguishable from a regular fixie, and its innovative “self-charging” mode means you can get away without ever charging it.
Weighing in at just 13 kg thanks to a full titanium frame, the Nua Electrica is the stealthiest single-speed e-bike we’ve seen to date. It uses a very cool motor/battery combo unit that we suspect we’ll be seeing a lot more of in the coming months and years.
The Zehus Bike+ is an all-in-one hub unit that weighs just 3 kg (6.6 lb) and fits into any frame with a rear wheel dropout 120 mm (4.7 in) or wider. It contains a 250-watt motor, a 160-watt-hour battery, several sensors, a Bluetooth communications system and all the electronics required to run an e-bike.
This MIT spinout’s electric bricks store heat hotter than lava
MIT spinout Electrified Thermal Solutions has inked a deal with HWI, a member of Calderys and one of the biggest refractory suppliers in the US, to make electrically conductive firebricks – electric bricks, or E-bricks – that store and deliver extreme heat using renewable electricity.
The innovative partnership is all about scaling up Electrified Thermal’s Joule Hive Thermal Battery, which conducts clean power and stores it as heat up to a scorching 1,800C (3,275F). That’s hot enough to drive even the most energy-hungry industrial processes like steelmaking, glass, or cement production.
The E-bricks enable factories to ditch fossil fuels and run on renewables without sacrificing performance or reliability, and at a lower cost.
Neutron beam platform unites simulation and biology for advanced therapy research
One of ANSTO’s advanced imaging instruments Dingo now delivers a rare fusion of simulation and radiobiology, becoming a launchpad for an innovative neutron therapy innovation.
This unique scientific capability comprises a single research platform for high-fidelity simulation, real-time dosimetry, and biological response data—all from a neutron beam instrument.
Two new papers published in Scientific Reports report how ANSTO researchers have adapted neutron tomography into a fully integrated testbed for neutron capture therapy research. The platform allows scientists to model conditions, plan experiments, and irradiate live cells, all within a validated, operational system.
Cost Effective way of Converting Hemp Waste into Ethanol Fuel
Breaking the cellulose and hemicellulose chain has for a long time been a very expensive process. Now with research and this new system it can be done in a rather simple and cost effective manner.
For long, the most expensive part of making cellulosic ethanol has been to be able to break this molecule chain, making it non-competitive with corn ethanol. With this new technology, cellulosic ethanol can compete with corn ethanol as cellulosic ethanol is more environmentally friendly alternative.
To learn more about the basics of cellulosic ethanol and starch ethanol, see the article linked below.
This is the latest and greatest innovation in the world of cellulosic ethanol production. It shows potential for significant cost savings and proving to be even more profitable than corn ethanol.
Stowaways in the cargo: Contaminating nucleic acids in rAAV preparations for gene therapy
A useful review on the nucleic acid contaminants found in AAVs, how to detect such contaminants, their biological implications, and how we can minimize nucleic acid contaminants in the future through new manufacturing innovations! #biotech #genetherapy
Brimble and colleagues review nucleic acid heterogeneity of rAAV for gene therapy. Alongside the intended expression cassette, non-therapeutic DNA is present within rAAV preparations. These contaminants can be transferred and can even expressed after delivery. They discuss sources of DNA contamination in rAAV and highlight existing strategies to improve vector purity.
Beyond kidney dialysis and transplantation: what’s on the horizon?
There are currently over 750,000 patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United States. Globally, 2.6 million patients receive renal replacement therapy with either dialysis or a kidney transplant, which is estimated to double in number by 2030. Kidney care was revolutionized by the invention of the dialysis machine in 1943 by Willem Kolff and the subsequent development of the arteriovenous fistula in 1960 by Belding Scribner. The first successful human kidney transplantation was performed in 1954 by Joseph Murray, teaming with John Merrill, and has since become the treatment of choice for patients with ESRD. Although there have been only incremental innovations since that time, recent exciting developments in kidney research have the potential to transform treatment beyond dialysis and transplantation. Here, we highlight five emerging approaches for ESRD.
(Circa 2022)
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Patients’ own autoantibodies may hold key to boosting cancer immunotherapy response
A new study has revealed that autoantibodies—immune proteins traditionally associated with autoimmune disease—may profoundly influence how cancer patients respond to immunotherapy.
The study, published in Nature, offers a potential breakthrough in solving one of modern-day oncology’s most frustrating mysteries: why checkpoint inhibitors work for some patients but not others—and how we can extend their benefits to more people.
“Our analysis shows that certain naturally occurring autoantibodies can tilt the odds dramatically toward shrinking tumors,” said senior author Aaron Ring, MD, Ph.D., an associate professor at Fred Hutch Cancer Center. “We saw some cases where autoantibodies boosted a patient’s likelihood of responding to checkpoint blockade by as much as five-to ten-fold.”
