Lifeboat Foundation

Nagoya University researchers have pioneered a surfactant-based method to create amorphous nanosheets, enabling production from previously inaccessible materials like aluminum and rhodium oxides.

Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have addressed a significant challenge in nanosheet technology. Their innovative approach employs surfactants to produce amorphous nanosheets from various materials, including difficult-to-synthesize ultra-thin amorphous metal oxides such as aluminum and rhodium. This breakthrough, published in Nature Communications, sets the stage for future advances in the application of these nanosheets such as those used within fuel cells.

The upcoming generation of nanotechnology requires components that are just a few nanometers thick (one billionth of a meter). These ultrathin layers, which are essential for improving functionality, are known as nanosheets.

Advancements in deep-tech solutions addressing global healthcare challenges.

The landscape of healthcare is undergoing a radical transformation fueled by deep-tech innovations that tackle some of the most pressing global health challenges. Deep-tech, a term that encompasses technologies grounded in scientific research and engineering advancements, is reshaping diagnostics, treatment modalities, and healthcare delivery systems on a global scale. With increasing demands for accessible, efficient, and equitable healthcare, deep-tech solutions—such as artificial intelligence (AI), advanced robotics, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and quantum computing—are playing pivotal roles in reshaping modern medicine.

This article explores the advancements in deep-tech solutions that are addressing global healthcare challenges and provides insight into how these technologies are likely to shape the future of medicine, impacting medical professionals, patients, and healthcare systems worldwide.

Nanotechnology is poised to transform neurological disorder treatments by overcoming the blood-brain barrier, enabling effective medication delivery for conditions like dementia and Alzheimer’s. This innovative approach also shows promise in dermatology and cancer treatment, enhancing drug absorption and targeting, while minimizing side effects. Experts at AIIMS highlighted ongoing research and potential breakthroughs expected in the next few years.

It’s no secret: when we savour a delicious piece of fish or a platter of seafood, we’re not just consuming valuable omega-3s and vitamin D. Alongside these benefits come less appetising elements – countless micro– and nano-plastics.

These plastic particles, measuring less than 5 millimetres, enter our oceans through human waste and penetrate the food chain. According to an Ifremer study, around 24,400 billion microplastics are floating on the ocean’s surface.

These particles are found in all marine organisms – from microalgae to fish, which occupy higher levels of the food chain. This phenomenon not only threatens marine ecosystems but also raises concerns about potential risks to human health.

Australian researchers have created building blocks out of DNA to construct a series of nano-scale objects and shapes, from a rod and a square to an infinitesimally small dinosaur.

The approach turns DNA into a modular material for building nanostructures – thousands of times narrower than a human hair. Developed by researchers from the University of Sydney Nano Institute and published in the journal Science Robotics, it suggests exciting possibilities for future use of nanobot technology.

Dr Mehdi Ghommem said that the AUS was happy to host and organise the eighth edition of the International Conference on Smart Materials and Nanotechnology, and to host more than 100 participants from 15 different countries.

Ghommem added that the social programme of the conference included plenary lectures, keynote lectures, parallel technical sessions with more than 70 presentations.

Continue reading “Smart Materials and Nanotechnology Engineering conf. kicks off” »

A tiny, four-fingered “hand” folded from a single piece of DNA can pick up the virus that causes COVID-19 for highly sensitive rapid detection and can even block viral particles from entering cells to infect them, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign researchers report. Dubbed the NanoGripper, the nanorobotic hand also could be programmed to interact with other viruses or to recognize cell surface markers for targeted drug delivery, such as for cancer treatment.

Led by Xing Wang, a professor of bioengineering and of chemistry at the U. of I., the researchers describe their advance in the journal Science Robotics.

Inspired by the gripping power of the human hand and bird claws, the researchers designed the NanoGripper with four bendable fingers and a palm, all in one nanostructure folded from a single piece of DNA. Each finger has three joints, like a human finger, and the angle and degree of bending are determined by the design on the DNA scaffold.

Researchers at the University of Sydney Nano Institute have made a significant advance in the field of molecular robotics by developing custom-designed and programmable nanostructures using DNA origami.

This innovative approach has potential across a range of applications, from targeted drug delivery systems to responsive materials and energy-efficient optical signal processing. The method uses “DNA origami,” so-called as it uses the natural folding power of DNA, the building blocks of human life, to create new and useful biological structures.

As a proof-of-concept, the researchers made more than 50 nanoscale objects, including a “nano-dinosaur,” a “dancing robot” and a mini-Australia that is 150 nanometers wide, a thousand times narrower than a human hair.