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Patient-derived tissue cultures complement neurospheres for preclinical evaluation of AAV-mediated gene delivery in glioblastoma

Glioblastoma (GBM) is characterized by extensive intratumoral heterogeneity and a complex tumor microenvironment that complicate the preclinical evaluation of gene therapy vectors. We investigated how culture model, epidermal growth factor (EGF) supplementation, and adeno-associated virus (AAV) serotype influence vector-mediated gene delivery in patient-derived GBM models. Patient-derived neurospheres (PDNS) and patient-derived tissue slice cultures (PDTC) were transduced with AAV2 or AAV6 vectors encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP). Transduction was evaluated by live confocal imaging, quantitative PCR, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence under EGF-containing and EGF-free culture conditions. In PDNS, AAV6 produced significantly greater GFP expression than AAV2 and demonstrated a dose-dependent increase in transduction at both 2 and 5 days after vector exposure. EGF supplementation altered transduction patterns and was associated with changes in PDNS growth and marker-defined stem-like cell populations. In contrast, PDTC preserved tissue architecture and stromal, vascular, and immune-associated compartments while revealing substantial interpatient variability in AAV-mediated transduction. AAV-mediated gene delivery in GBM is influenced by culture model, growth factor conditions, and capsid serotype. Patient-derived tissue slice cultures complement neurosphere models by preserving features of the native tumor microenvironment and may improve the preclinical evaluation of gene therapy vectors for GBM.

Heat-storing gel could cut buildings’ energy consumption

Heating and cooling buildings account for a large portion of global energy use. A research team in the Texas A&M University Department of Materials Science and Engineering was featured on the cover of ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces for a study that aims to reduce that energy consumption.

The June 10 issue’s cover art was designed around a class of materials that the research team is calling “salogels.” Salogels are gel-like hybrid materials that pair polymer structures with inorganic salt hydrates to store and release heat.

Salt hydrates already store a large amount of thermal energy and have a high resistance to burning. This is why they work so well at storing heat during the day and releasing it at night. The main problem is that, on their own, they can leak and break down with repeated use. Introducing a polymer network or structure into them can resolve many of these concerns without sacrificing storage capacity.

Gravity and light reveal how liquids turn into thin fibers

From spiders spinning their webs to the manufacturing of textiles, the formation of fibers from liquids plays an important role in both nature and industry. Yet accurately predicting the properties of such fibers remains a challenge. The fiber is often much thinner than the nozzle from which a polymer or solution is extruded. Factors such as temperature, flow conditions and chemical reactions ultimately determine a fiber’s thickness and strength.

In a new experimental study, researcher Jan Siemen Smink (Faculty of Engineering Technology) demonstrates the physical processes involved in the formation of fibers from liquids. To investigate this phenomenon, he developed an experimental setup in which gravity continuously stretches a jet of highly reactive liquid resin. Ultraviolet (UV) light is then used to solidify the liquid at a precisely controlled moment, transforming it into a thin fiber.

Using this approach, Smink and his fellow researchers were able to study in detail how factors such as UV light intensity, gravity, inertia and capillary forces influence both the rate at which the liquid solidifies and the properties of the resulting fiber.

Liquid-crystal-like magnetism explains puzzling properties in a rare-earth compound

In some materials, physical properties don’t emerge from their individual particles, but from the collective behavior of their quantum spins. Now, researchers led by Pengcheng Dai at Rice University in the U.S. have discovered that in one compound containing the rare-earth element ytterbium, these spins can behave much like the molecules in a liquid crystal: favoring a certain direction without lining up to create magnetism on larger scales.

Their research has been published in Physical Review X.

Harmless amoeba’s tight-space crawling offers clues to how its deadly relative invades the brain

Tiny, shapeless invaders can find their way from ponds to the human brain and cause an infection so severe that it has a 95% fatality rate. The amoeba Naegleria fowleri naturally lives in ponds, feasting on bacteria, but once it enters the human body, it makes a run for the brain tissue, traversing complex, tight spaces to reach its destination.

A recent study set out to crack the secret of how a tiny amoeba steers itself through unfamiliar terrain without any guide.

Researchers built a microscopic obstacle course for the amoebas and filmed their every move, tracking how they squeeze through tight spaces and tackle different environments. They identified a few core mechanisms behind their navigational success. First, a love for tight spaces.

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