Dec 08, 2021 (Nanowerk News) Nanoparticles initially designed as biological markers are entering their first therapeutic trial as a treatment for patients with advanced, recurrent or refractory cancers. From the beginning, these “Cornell dots” – silica-encased fluorescent nanoparticles, developed in the lab of Ulrich Wiesner, professor of engineering – were...
Astronomers observe planet orbiting b Centauri
Dec 08, 2021 (Nanowerk News) The European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope has captured an image of a planet orbiting b Centauri, a two-star system that can be seen with the naked eye. This is the hottest and most massive planet-hosting star system found to date, and the planet was...
These tiny liquid robots never run out of juice as long as they have food
Dec 08, 2021 (Nanowerk News) When you think of a robot, images of R2-D2 or C-3PO might come to mind. But robots can serve up more than just entertainment on the big screen. In a lab, for example, robotic systems can improve safety and efficiency by performing repetitive tasks and...
Devising new meat alternatives with 3D printing
Dec 08, 2021 (Nanowerk News) No longer just a dream of vegetarians and vegans, fake meat is becoming more widely available in grocery stores and restaurants. And more options are almost certainly on the way. In a study reported in ACS Food Science & Technology ("3D Printing of Soy Protein-...
Using additive manufacturing and nanotechnology to detect increasingly tiny levels of biomarkers
Dec 08, 2021 (Nanowerk News) A group of Carnegie Mellon University mechanical engineering researchers have pushed the limits of diagnostic testing to a level never before seen. The researchers, led by Rahul Panat, an associate professor of mechanical engineering, have developed a sensor system that was able to successfully detect...
Breakthrough COVID-19 saliva Amplified Antigen Rapid Test is as sensitive as PCR test
Dec 08, 2021 (Nanowerk News) A potentially game-changing Antigen Rapid Test (ART) technology to diagnose COVID-19 has been developed by scientists in Singapore. Using a proprietary on-kit amplification technique, a person’s saliva can be self-administered or tested for the SARS-CoV-2 virus at the point-of-care with sensitivity higher than current ART...
Gravitational waves could be key to answering why more matter was left over after Big Bang
Dec 08, 2021 (Nanowerk News) A team of theoretical researchers have found it might be possible to detect Q-balls in gravitational waves, and their detection would answer why more matter than anti-matter to be left over after the Big Bang, reports a new study in Physical Review Letters ("Detectable Gravitational...
Smart transformable nanoparticles promise advances in theranostics
Dec 07, 2021 (Nanowerk News) For more than three decades, biomedical nanomaterials have been successfully developed for the benefit of theranostics -- a compound term referring to the diagnoses and treatment of tumors. The nanoparticles must reach the tumor site and its distinct microenvironment to target the treatment for the...
Microfountain pen draws minute patterns for live cells, circuits
Dec 07, 2021 (Nanowerk News) Advances in intuitive microwriting devices that can print microstructures could pattern electric circuits and more. The setup, featuring a robot arm to hold the micropen, deposits ink onto the surface, much like writing by hand with a fountain pen. In Review of Scientific Instruments ("High-precision...