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Scientists develop tissue-healing gel using milk-derived extracellular vesicles

Researchers from Columbia Engineering have established a framework for the design of bioactive injectable hydrogels formulated with extracellular vesicles (EVs) for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications.

Published in Matter, Santiago Correa, assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Columbia Engineering, and his collaborators describe an injectable platform that uses EVs from milk to address longstanding barriers in the development of biomaterials for regenerative medicine.

EVs are particles naturally secreted by cells and carry hundreds of biological signals, like proteins and genetic material, enabling sophisticated cellular communication that cannot easily replicate.

Automaker clears major hurdle with first-of-its-kind flying vehicle: ‘The road to aircraft certification is broad and complex’

SkyDrive, a Toyota-affiliated startup in Japan, has crossed a major hurdle on the path to bringing flying cars to everyday life.

According to New Atlas, the company’s electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, the three-seat “SkyDrive,” has officially been issued a G-1 certification basis by the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau — a critical step toward full approval and commercial use.

“The road to aircraft certification is broad and complex, particularly for new aircraft such as eVTOLs,” the company noted, adding that this latest agreement “provides further clarity and direction.”

Future South Texas facility will help send rockets into space

“Expected to start up in the first quarter of 2026, this new facility will deliver liquid oxygen, nitrogen and argon, addressing the needs of its customer’s space operations in the region,” Linde officials said in the news release. Linde added that it has been a part of the American space industry since the Apollo program in the 1960s, when it supplied liquid oxygen to NASA’s rockets.

“Space exploration is advancing rapidly, with missions growing in ambition and scale,” Linde CEO Sanjiv Lamba said.

However, it remains unclear if SpaceX — which operates a suborbital launch facility at Starbase — will be one of Linde’s industrial gas customers.

2 national aerospace companies could move to Loring

Thanks to a military training program that launched in May, two national aerospace companies could be coming to northern Maine.

used the former Loring Air Force Base’s runways for the first run of its five-year aviation training effort. Word of that event spread in aviation circles, and the businesses reached out to the Loring Commerce Centre.

The Loring Development Authority works to attract business, housing and jobs to Loring’s 3,800 acres. Occupants have included Brunswick-based Green 4 Maine and, most recently, the Taste of Maine Potato Chip Co. The two aviation companies, whose names the authority is not yet releasing, would boost the authority’s plan to bring more aerospace jobs onto the former base. They would also ensure a future for its airport infrastructure, including its famed arch hangar.

Hormone found to suppress immune cells, allowing cancer to evade detection

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered how a hormone interacts with a receptor on the surface of immune cells to shield cancer cells from the body’s natural defenses.

The findings, published in Nature Immunology, could lead to new immunotherapy approaches for treating cancer as well as potential treatments for inflammatory disorders and neurologic diseases.

“Myeloid cells are among the first group of recruited to tumors, but very quickly these tumor-fighting cells turn into tumor-supporting cells. Our study suggests that receptors on these get stimulated by this hormone and end up suppressing the immune system,” said Cheng Cheng “Alec” Zhang, Ph.D., Professor of Physiology and a member of the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center at UT Southwestern. Dr. Zhang co-led the study with first author Xing Yang, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in the Zhang Lab.