U. students develop medical apps, award-winning video game

U. students develop medical apps, award-winning video game

By Elenor Heyborne, KSL.com Contributor

May 20th, 2014 @ 11:11am

SALT LAKE CITY The Princeton Review ranks the University of Utahs Entertainment Arts and Engineering program (EAE) among the top five schools in the nation for both undergraduate and graduate programs. So, it is no surprise when the program turns out winning student teams of video game design and production or that it can successfully cross in to the medical world by building innovative therapeutic apps.

The Utah Science and Technology Research initiatives (USTAR) digital media team supports the EAE program with two researchers, Craig Caldwell and Cem Yuskel, to develop and accelerate technology commercialization of digital media research and tools.

A team of 13 students from the Entertainment Arts and Engineering: Master Game Studio were winners of the annual Independent Games Festival student showcase. Along with eight other teams, they were chosen from a pool of 350 game entries across the world. The showcase winners games were playable on the Expo show floor at the recent Game Developers Conference held in San Francisco.

The U. was represented by their team Hack n Hide. The team entered their game Cyber Heist which is a two person co-op game in which the duo plays the role of two post graduate students breaking in to a futuristic department of education to eliminate records of student debt.

The idea for the game came when Hack n Hide realized that between the 13-team members (nine engineers, two producers, a designer and an artist), they had a combined total of more than $750,000 in student debt. The game was developed to play on a computer platform; however, one of the players can play on a tablet device.

Early on, we decided that we wanted to create this game not only for different game-play styles, but also for different devices and platforms as well, said Christopher Rawson, lead engineer for Hack n Hide. We developed it with tablets in mind so you can play the hacker interface on your iPad.

Cyber Heist is centered on creating trust between the two players who are different player-types; one is more strategy oriented (the hacker) and the other plays a first person stealth game. The "hacker", who has a blueprint of each level of the department of education, communicates to the stealth player where to go, the position of guards, what doors to bust through and how to avoid detection.

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U. students develop medical apps, award-winning video game

Researchers Combine Graphene And Painkiller Receptor

Image Caption: An illustration of the researchers' device. Credit: University of Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania

Almost every biological process involves sensing the presence of a certain chemical. Finely tuned over millions of years of evolution, the bodys different receptors are shaped to accept certain target chemicals. When they bind, the receptors tell their host cells to produce nerve impulses, regulate metabolism, defend the body against invaders or myriad other actions depending on the cell, receptor and chemical type.

Now, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have led an effort to create an artificial chemical sensor based on one of the human bodys most important receptors, one that is critical in the action of painkillers and anesthetics. In these devices, the receptors activation produces an electrical response rather than a biochemical one, allowing that response to be read out by a computer.

By attaching a modified version of this mu-opioid receptor to strips of graphene, they have shown a way to mass produce devices that could be useful in drug development and a variety of diagnostic tests. And because the mu-opioid receptor belongs to the most common class of such chemical sensors, the findings suggest that the same technique could be applied to detect a wide range of biologically relevant chemicals.

The study, published in the journal Nano Letters, was led by A.T. Charlie Johnson, director of Penns Nano/Bio Interface Center and professor of physics in Penns School of Arts & Sciences; Renyu Liu, assistant professor of anesthesiology in Penns Perelman School of Medicine; and Mitchell Lerner, then a graduate student in Johnsons lab. It was made possible through a collaboration with Jeffery Saven, professor of chemistry in Penn Arts & Sciences. The Penn team also worked with researchers from the Seoul National University in South Korea.

Their study combines recent advances from several disciplines.

Johnsons group has extensive experience attaching biological components to nanomaterials for use in chemical detectors. Previous studies have involved wrapping carbon nanotubes with single-stranded DNA to detect odors related to cancer and attaching antibodies to nanotubes to detect the presence of the bacteria associated with Lyme disease.

The groups of Saven and Liu have used computational techniques to redesign the mu-opioid receptor to make it easier to use in research. In its natural state, the receptor is not water soluble, making many common experimental techniques impossible. Worse, proteins like this receptor would normally be grown in genetically engineered bacteria to generate the quantity necessary for extensive study, but parts of the natural mu-opioid receptor are toxic to the E. coli used in this method.

After Saven and Liu addressed these problems with the redesigned receptor, they saw that it might be useful to Johnson, who had previously published a study on attaching a similar receptor protein to carbon nanotubes. In that case, the protein was difficult to grow genetically, and Johnson and his colleagues also needed to include additional biological structures from the receptors natural membranes in order to keep them stable.

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Researchers Combine Graphene And Painkiller Receptor

Graphene and painkiller receptor combined into scalable chemical sensor

Almost every biological process involves sensing the presence of a certain chemical. Finely tuned over millions of years of evolution, the body's different receptors are shaped to accept certain target chemicals. When they bind, the receptors tell their host cells to produce nerve impulses, regulate metabolism, defend the body against invaders or myriad other actions depending on the cell, receptor and chemical type.

Now, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have led an effort to create an artificial chemical sensor based on one of the human body's most important receptors, one that is critical in the action of painkillers and anesthetics. In these devices, the receptors' activation produces an electrical response rather than a biochemical one, allowing that response to be read out by a computer.

By attaching a modified version of this mu-opioid receptor to strips of graphene, they have shown a way to mass produce devices that could be useful in drug development and a variety of diagnostic tests. And because the mu-opioid receptor belongs to the most common class of such chemical sensors, the findings suggest that the same technique could be applied to detect a wide range of biologically relevant chemicals.

The study, published in the journal Nano Letters, was led by A.T. Charlie Johnson, director of Penn's Nano/Bio Interface Center and professor of physics in Penn's School of Arts & Sciences; Renyu Liu, assistant professor of anesthesiology in Penn's Perelman School of Medicine; and Mitchell Lerner, then a graduate student in Johnson's lab. It was made possible through a collaboration with Jeffery Saven, professor of chemistry in Penn Arts & Sciences. The Penn team also worked with researchers from the Seoul National University in South Korea.

Their study combines recent advances from several disciplines.

Johnson's group has extensive experience attaching biological components to nanomaterials for use in chemical detectors. Previous studies have involved wrapping carbon nanotubes with single-stranded DNA to detect odors related to cancer andattaching antibodies to nanotubes to detect the presence of the bacteria associated with Lyme disease.

The groups of Saven and Liu have used computational techniques toredesign the mu-opioid receptor to make it easier to use in research. In its natural state, the receptor is not water soluble, making many common experimental techniques impossible. Worse, proteins like this receptor would normally be grown in genetically engineered bacteria to generate the quantity necessary for extensive study, but parts of the natural mu-opioid receptor are toxic to the E. coli used in this method.

After Saven and Liu addressed these problems with the redesigned receptor, they saw that it might be useful to Johnson, who had previously published a study onattaching a similar receptor protein to carbon nanotubes. In that case, the protein was difficult to grow genetically, and Johnson and his colleagues also needed to include additional biological structures from the receptors' natural membranes in order to keep them stable.

In contrast, the computationally redesigned protein could be readily grown and attached directly to graphene, opening up the possibility of mass producing biosensor devices that utilize these receptors.

"Due to the challenges associated with isolating these receptors from their membrane environment without losing functionality," Liu said, "the traditional methods of studying them involved indirectly investigating the interactions between opioid and the receptor via radioactive or fluorescent labeled ligands, for example. This multi-disciplinary effort overcame those difficulties, enabling us to investigate these interactions directly in a cell free system without the need to label any ligands."

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Graphene and painkiller receptor combined into scalable chemical sensor

Pro Bono Bio announced as Official Supplier of breakthrough joint care product FLEXISEQ to Top of the Aviva …

London, United Kingdom (PRWEB UK) 1 May 2014

Pro Bono Bio (PBB), the world leader in nano-physical medical devices, is proud to announce that it has been appointed as an official supplier to top English premiership rugby club, Saracens, for their breakthrough joint-care product, FLEXISEQ.

This announcement is the culmination of nearly 6 months of collaboration between PBB and the Saracens medical staff who have been trialling FLEXISEQ among players of their elite squad, since the product hit the UK market in early December 2013.

FLEXISEQ, an injection-free biolubricant for joints, is a revolutionary new wellness product for the maintenance of joints that are either compromised by arthritic symptoms or those that are at higher risk of suffering wear and tear. The topically applied product delivers joint lubrication replacement therapy which coats cartilage surfaces to minimise friction and wear.

Saracens' Joe Collins, Head of Medical, said This is a fantastic product and one the medical team are proud and happy to have associated with the Club.

One of the players who has benefited from FLEXISEQ is Saracens, England and British & Irish Lions centre, Brad Barritt, FLEXISEQ has been a great product for me to use and has enabled me to train and compete at my best. FLEXISEQ offers me peace of mind in that it is drug-free and by lubricating my joints it protects them, shortens my recovery time and hopefully will prolong my career.

John Mayo, CEO of PBB said, As we have already proved in the arthritis field, FLEXISEQ is a game-changer and we expect the same outcome having entered the sports medicine and wellness sectors. Elite, high impact rugby is the ultimate sports test for joints. We are proud to have successfully proven FLEXISEQ in this testing environment with the Saracens medical team and wish each player and the Saracens team continued success.

FLEXISEQ fits extremely well into the field of sports medicine where healthcare professionals are overloaded with joint injuries and are ever-vigilant for safer, drug-free ways to treat them. The physicality of rugby puts extraordinary stress and strain on players bodies and injuries are inevitable. These injuries can involve joint damage which can predispose a player to the early onset of further joint problems such as osteoarthritis. FLEXISEQ provides joint lubrication replacement therapy to those joints where their natural wear and tear-reducing properties may be compromised. The product is being used by Saracens as a drug-free solution to joint pain and stiffness as well as an additional step in players rehabilitation and after-care. Replacing painkillers (such as commonly used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) saves sportsmen and women from the well documented risks of side effects and slowing of the natural recovery and rehabilitation that can be caused by these painkillers.

More information is available for sport healthcare professionals upon email request to wellness(at)flexiseq(dot)com.

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Pro Bono Bio announced as Official Supplier of breakthrough joint care product FLEXISEQ to Top of the Aviva ...

Trojan Horse' Nanoparticles Deliver Death Genes To Brain Cancer Cells

By Estel Grace Masangkay

Johns Hopkins biomedical engineers and neurosurgeons announced that they have successfully manufactured biodegradable nanoparticles that are able to carry death genes to brain cancer cells in mice. The scientists likened the DNA-carrying nanoparticles to Trojan horses that target and enter tumor cells.

The team reported that results of their proof of principle experiment indicate that such Trojan horse nanoparticles loaded with death genes might one day be used in patients with brain cancer during neurosurgery. The nanoparticles will allow normal brain tissue to stay unharmed while they selectively targetand kill any remaining tumor cells.

Jordan Green, assistant professor of biomedical engineering and neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said, In our experiments, our nanoparticles successfully delivered a test gene to brain cancer cells in mice, where it was then turned on. We now have evidence that these tiny Trojan horses will also be able to carry genes that selectively induce death in cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells healthy.

Professor Greens lab specializes in manufacturing tiny, round particles made of biodegradable plastic which are enhanced and sent out to complete medical missions. Professor Greens team produced dozens of different nanoparticles in order to test their ability to carry DNA sequences to cells used in the experiment.

The researchers focused on the most deadly and aggressive form of brain cancer, glioblastomas. Median survival time for glioblastomas is only 14.6 months with chemotherapy and radiation.

Improvements in treatment will only be achieved when cancer cells currently resistant to treatment are able to be destroyed, said Alfredo Quiones-Hinojosa, professor of neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a member of the research team. It is exciting to have found a way to selectively target gene delivery to cancer cells. Its a method that is much more feasible and safer for patients than traditional gene therapy, which uses modified viruses to carry out the treatment, said Professor Quiones-Hinojosa.

A summary of the researchers study results was published online in the journal ACS Nano.

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Trojan Horse' Nanoparticles Deliver Death Genes To Brain Cancer Cells

Brain Tumor Cells Penetrated by Tiny, Biodegradable Particles Carrying Genetic Instructions

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Newswise Working together, Johns Hopkins biomedical engineers and neurosurgeons report that they have created tiny, biodegradable nanoparticles able to carry DNA to brain cancer cells in mice.

The team says the results of their proof of principle experiment suggest that such particles loaded with death genes might one day be given to brain cancer patients during neurosurgery to selectively kill off any remaining tumor cells without damaging normal brain tissue.

A summary of the research results appeared online on April 26 in the journal ACS Nano.

In our experiments, our nanoparticles successfully delivered a test gene to brain cancer cells in mice, where it was then turned on, says Jordan Green, Ph.D., an assistant professor of biomedical engineering and neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. We now have evidence that these tiny Trojan horses will also be able to carry genes that selectively induce death in cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells healthy.

Green and his colleagues focused on glioblastomas, the most lethal and aggressive form of brain cancer. With standard treatments of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, the median survival time is only 14.6 months, and improvement will only come with the ability to kill tumor cells resistant to standard treatments, according to Alfredo Quiones-Hinojosa, M.D., a professor of neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a member of the research team.

Because nature protects the brain by making it difficult to reach its cells through the blood, efforts turned to the use of particles that could carry tumor-destroying DNA instructions directly to cancer cells during surgery.

The initial experiments made use of cancer cells that Quiones-Hinojosa and his team removed from willing patients and grew in the laboratory until they formed little spheres of cells, termed oncospheres, likely to be the most resistant to chemotherapy and radiation, and capable of creating new tumors.

Quiones-Hinojosa then worked with Green to find a vehicle for genes that would cause death in the oncospheres. Greens laboratory specializes in producing tiny, round particles made up of biodegradable plastic whose properties can be optimized for completing various medical missions. By varying the atoms within the plastic, the team can make particles that have different sizes, stabilities and affinities for water or oil. For this study, Greens team created dozens of different types of particles and tested their ability to carry and deliver a test sequence of DNA specifically a gene for a red or green glowing protein to the oncospheres.

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Brain Tumor Cells Penetrated by Tiny, Biodegradable Particles Carrying Genetic Instructions

Two Professors at SDSM&T Making Big Impact on Modern Medicine

Created: Tue, 29 Apr 2014 06:27:00 MST

Updated: Tue, 29 Apr 2014 06:36:36 MST

Two professors at the South Dakota School of Mines are behind the technology for the start-up company "Nanofiber Separations," and the research they are conducting at the school could ultimately have a big impact on modern medicine and the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr. Todd Menkhaus and Dr. Hao Fong are behind this technology, using tiny nano fibers that provide a highly efficient filtration mechanism.

This technology replaces all processing steps with a single step that can purify a material all at once, ultimately helping to reduce costs and waste.

The company recently won the Governor's Giant Vision Business Competition and has received nearly $710,000 to help commercialize and produce nano fiber filters for lower cost pharmaceutical purification's.

"Because we can offer a much lower cost of production opportunity for a company making the pharmaceutical product, the goal would be that those savings that the company creates by manufacturing it with our product, would be passed on to the consumer, you would end up with a low cost pharmaceutical that you would have to pay for," said Dr. Todd Menkhaus, an Associate Professor in the Chemical and Biological Engineering at the School of Mines.

This technology can also be used for water and air purification, greatly reducing the cost and waste as well.

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Two Professors at SDSM&T Making Big Impact on Modern Medicine

Federal beer waste regulations could have cost NH brewers millions

Proposed federal regulations that threw a multimillion dollar scare into New Hampshire's growing brewing industry appear to be on the verge of being scuttled by the federal Food and Drug Administration.

Brewers get rid of grain left over in the brewing process by selling it or giving it to farmers with dairy cows and beef cattle. The FDA is proposing new food safety rules for animal grains and would have included the spent brewing grains in those rules.

Critics said the FDA was pushing the concept that "good enough for humans is not good enough for a cow" into federal regulations.

Bill Herlicka of White Birch Brewing Co., of Hooksett, president of the Granite State Brewers Association, said the proposal would put millions of dollars worth of grain out of the reach of farmers and resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in added expense for brewers to get rid of the waste from the brewing process.

"This practice of donating spent brewers' grains has been going on for the past 20-plus years with no ill health effects reported by farmers or consumers," Herlicka said.

The result of the federal tinkering, brewers claimed, would have been higher costs for grain disposal, which would trickle down to consumer prices. A big casualty would be the foods which define casual American cuisine cheese, burgers, beer and ice-cream.

Bovine diets would suffer as well.

"The grains are malted and then boiled with water to draw off the sugar and that is what is fermented," said Chris Thorne, a vice president with the Beer Institute, an industry trade association. "The spent grain is a very nutritional and highly valued seed product ... the grains have all the fibers, essential oils and proteins that you want to feed to your animals."

The industry response has the feds waving a white flag.

Michael Taylor, the FDA's deputy commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine, said the agency heard worried brewers from New Hampshire and elsewhere complain that the requirements would increase the cost of doing business but would not improve food safety.

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Federal beer waste regulations could have cost NH brewers millions

Nanoglue headed for hospital operating rooms

April 21, 2014

Stitches could soon become a thing of the past, giving way to nanoglue. Effective and easy to use, the revolutionary solution of silica nanoparticles is capable of closing deep wounds in a matter of seconds.

Thanks to the progress of nanomedicine, stitches could soon become a thing of the past, giving way to nanoglue. The efficacy of the innovative technique has now been demonstrated in vivo.

Effective and easy to use, the revolutionary solution of silica nanoparticles is capable of closing deep wounds in a matter of seconds.

Developed last December by a team of researchers from the Soft Materials and Chemistry Laboratory (ESPCI/CNRS) and the Laboratory for Vascular Translational Science (Paris Diderot University) in France, the solution was the subject of a publication in the scientific journal Angewandte Chemie dated April 16.

The researchers were able to test the nanoglue procedure alongside current conventional methods for sealing deep wounds or repairing cuts to an organ, and the results lived up to expectations. The nanoglue method resulted in minimal scarring, an absence of necrosis or inflammation, and rapid healing of the wound. Hemorrhaging is quickly stopped and organ function is preserved.

The solution withstands immersion in water and is self-repairing, according to the CNRS, making it ideal for joining two pieces of skin or organ tissue during surgery.Silica is a widely available material, as it is used extensively in manufacturing and as a food additive.

The new nanoglue is expected to have applications in surgery and regenerative medicine for humans and animals alike.

See the nanoglue in action:http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1p4b9d_nano-colle-cicatrisante_lifestyle

- AFP Relaxnews

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Nanoglue headed for hospital operating rooms

Innovative strategy to facilitate organ repair

5 hours ago Phase 1 Skin injury, Phase 2 Application of the solution, Phase 3 Using pressure to hold the edges together, Phase 4 Skin closure. Illustration of the first experiment conducted by the researchers on rats: a deep wound is repaired by applying the aqueous nanoparticle solution. The wound closes in thirty seconds. "Matire Molle et Chimie" Laboratory. Credit: CNRS/ESPCI Paris Tech

A significant breakthrough could revolutionize surgical practice and regenerative medicine. A team led by Ludwik Leibler from the Laboratoire Matire Molle et Chimie (CNRS/ESPCI Paris Tech) and Didier Letourneur from the Laboratoire Recherche Vasculaire Translationnelle (INSERM/Universits Paris Diderot and Paris 13), has just demonstrated that the principle of adhesion by aqueous solutions of nanoparticles can be used in vivo to repair soft-tissue organs and tissues. This easy-to-use gluing method has been tested on rats. When applied to skin, it closes deep wounds in a few seconds and provides aesthetic, high quality healing.

It has also been shown to successfully repair organs that are difficult to suture, such as the liver. Finally, this solution has made it possible to attach a medical device to a beating heart, demonstrating the method's potential for delivering drugs and strengthening tissues. This work has just been published on the website of the journal Angewandte Chemie.

In an issue of Nature published in December last year, a team led by Ludwik Leibler presented a novel concept for gluing gels and biological tissues using nanoparticles. The principle is simple: nanoparticles contained in a solution spread out on surfaces to be glued bind to the gel's (or tissue's) molecular network. This phenomenon is called adsorption. At the same time the gel (or tissue) binds the particles together. Accordingly, myriad connections form between the two surfaces. This adhesion process, which involves no chemical reaction, only takes a few seconds. In their latest, newly published study, the researchers used experiments performed on rats to show that this method, applied in vivo, has the potential to revolutionize clinical practice.

In a first experiment, the researchers compared two methods for skin closure in a deep wound: traditional sutures, and the application of the aqueous nanoparticle solution with a brush. The latter is easy to use and closes skin rapidly until it heals completely, without inflammation or necrosis. The resulting scar is almost invisible.

In a second experiment, still on rats, the researchers applied this solution to soft-tissue organs such as the liver, lungs or spleen that are difficult to suture because they tear when the needle passes through them. At present, no glue is sufficiently strong as well as harmless for the organism. Confronted with a deep gash in the liver with severe bleeding, the researchers closed the wound by spreading the aqueous nanoparticle solution and pressing the two edges of the wound together. The bleeding stopped. To repair a sectioned liver lobe, the researchers also used nanoparticles: they glued a film coated with nanoparticles onto the wound, and stopped the bleeding. In both situations, organ function was unaffected and the animals survived.

"Gluing a film to stop leakage" is only one example of the possibilities opened up by adhesion brought by nanoparticles. In an entirely different field, the researchers have succeeded in using nanoparticles to attach a biodegradable membrane used for cardiac cell therapy, and to achieve this despite the substantial mechanical constraints due to its beating. They thus showed that it would be possible to attach various medical devices to organs and tissues for therapeutic, repair or mechanical strengthening purposes.

This adhesion method is exceptional because of its potential spectrum of clinical applications. It is simple, easy to use and the nanoparticles employed (silica, iron oxides) can be metabolized by the organism. It can easily be integrated into ongoing research on healing and tissue regeneration and contribute to the development of regenerative medicine.

Explore further: Revolutionary method for gluing gels and biological tissues

More information: "Organ Repair, Hemostasis, and In Vivo Bonding of Medical Devices by Aqueous Solutions of Nanoparticles." Anne Meddahi-Pelle, Aurelie Legrand, Alba Marcellan, Liliane Louedec, Didier Letourneur, Ludwik Leibler. Angewandte Chemie. Published online April 16, 2014. DOI: 10.1002/anie.201401043

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Innovative strategy to facilitate organ repair

Thinnest feasible nano-membrane produced

4 hours ago

A new nano-membrane made out of the 'super material' graphene is extremely light and breathable. Not only can this open the door to a new generation of functional waterproof clothing, but also to ultra-rapid filtration. The membrane produced by the researchers at ETH Zurich is as thin as is technologically possible.

Researchers have produced a stable porous membrane that is thinner than a nanometer. This is a 100,000 times thinner than the diameter of a human hair. The membrane consists of two layers of the much exalted "super material" graphene, a two-dimensional film made of carbon atoms, on which the team of researchers, led by Professor Hyung Gyu Park at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering at ETH Zurich, etched tiny pores of a precisely defined size.

The membrane can thus permeate tiny molecules. Larger molecules or particles, on the other hand, can pass only slowly or not at all. "With a thickness of just two carbon atoms, this is the thinnest porous membrane that is technologically possible to make," says PhD student Jakob Buchheim, one of the two lead authors of the study, which was conducted by ETH-Zurich researchers in collaboration with scientists from Empa and a research laboratory of LG Electronics. The study has just been published in journal Science.

The ultra-thin graphene membrane may one day be used for a range of different purposes, including waterproof clothing. "Our membrane is not only very light and flexible, but it is also a thousand fold more breathable than Goretex," says Kemal Celebi, a postdoc in Park's laboratory and also one of the lead authors of the study. The membrane could also potentially be used to separate gaseous mixtures into their constituent parts or to filter impurities from fluids. The researchers were able to demonstrate for the first time that graphene membranes could be suitable for water filtration. The researchers also see a potential use for the membrane in devices used for the accurate measurement of gas and fluid flow rates that are crucial to unveiling the physics around mass transfer at nanoscales and separation of chemical mixtures.

Breakthrough in nanofabrication

The researchers not only succeeded in producing the starting material, a double-layer graphene film with a high level of purity, but they also mastered a technique called focused ion beam milling to etch pores into the graphene film. In this process, which is also used in the production of semiconductors, a beam of helium or gallium ions is controlled with a high level of precision in order to etch away material. The researchers were able to etch pores of a specified number and size into the graphene with unprecedented precision. This process, which could easily take days to complete, took only a few hours in the current work. "This is a breakthrough that enables the nanofabrication of the porous graphene membranes," explains Ivan Shorubalko, a scientist at Empa that also contributed to the study.

In order to achieve this level of precision, the researchers had to work with double-layer graphene. "It wouldn't have been possible for this method to create such a membrane with only one layer because graphene in practice isn't perfect," says Park. The material can exhibit certain irregularities in the honeycomb structure of the carbon atoms. Now and again, individual atoms are missing from the structure, which not only impairs the stability of the material but also makes it impossible to etch a high-precision pore onto such a defect. The researchers solved this problem by laying two graphene layers on top of each other. The probability of two defects settling directly above one another is extremely low, explains Park.

Fastest possible filtration

A key advantage of the tiny dimensions is that the thinner a membrane, the lower its permeation resistance. The lower the resistance, the higher the energy-efficiency of the filtration process. "With such atomically thin membranes we can reach maximal permeation for a membrane of a given pore size and we believe that they allow the fastest feasible rate of permeation," says Celebi. However, before these applications are ready for use on an industrial scale or for the production of functional waterproof clothing, the manufacturing process needs to be further developed. To investigate the fundamental science, the researchers worked with tiny pieces of membrane with a surface area of less than one hundredth of a square millimetre. Objectives from now on will be to produce larger membrane surfaces and impose various filtering mechanisms.

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Thinnest feasible nano-membrane produced

Nanocrystalline cellulose for viral inhibitor

Researchers have succeeded in creating a surface on nano-sized cellulose crystals that imitates a biological structure. The surface adsorbs viruses and disables them. The results can prove useful in the development of antiviral ointments and surfaces, for instance.

There are many viral diseases in the world for which no pharmaceutical treatment exists. These include, among others, dengue fever, which is spread by mosquitoes in the tropics, as well as a type of diarrhea, which is more familiar in Finland and is easily spread by the hands and can be dangerous especially for small children and the elderly.

Researchers at Aalto University and the University of Eastern Finland have now succeeded in preliminary tests to prevent the spread of one type of virus into cells with the help of a new type of nanocrystalline cellulose. Nano-sized cellulose crystals were manufactured out of cotton fibre or filter paper with the help of sulphuric acid, causing sulphate ions with negative charges to attach to their surfaces. The ions then attached to alphaviruses used in the test and neutralised them. When the researchers replaced the sulphate ions with cellulose derivatives that imitate tyrosine sulphates, the activity of the viruses was further reduced. The experiments succeeded in preventing viral infection in 88-100 percent of the time with no noticeable effect on the viability of the cells by the nanoparticles.

The coordinator of the research, Jukka Seppl, Professor of Polymer Technology at Aalto University, sees the results as a good example of the possibilities that could be advanced with nanotechnology.

Certain cellulose derivatives had been seen to have an impact on viruses before. The nano scale increases the proportion of the surface area to that of the number of grams to a very high level, which is an advantage, because viruses specifically attach themselves to surfaces. Making the cellulose crystals biomimetic, which means that they mimic biological structures, was an important step, as we know that in nature viruses often interact specifically with tyrosine structures, he says.

Both Jukka Seppl and Ari Hinkkanen, Professor of Gene Transfer Technology at the University of Eastern Finland, emphasise that the research is still in the early stages.

Now we know that the attachment of a certain alphavirus can be effectively prevented when we use large amounts of nanocrystalline cellulose. Next we need to experiment with other alpha viruses and learn to better understand the mechanisms that prevent viral infection. In addition, it is necessary to ascertain if cellulose can also block other viruses and in what conditions, and to investigate whether or not the sulphates have a deleterious effects on an organism, Ari Hinkkanen explains.

According to Kristiina Jrvinen, Professor of Pharmaceutical Technology at the University of Eastern Finland, there are many routes that can be taken in the commercialisation of the results. The development of an antiviral medicine is the most distant of these; the idea could be sooner applied in disinfectant ointments and coatings, for instance.

It would be possible to provide protection against viruses, spread by mosquitoes, by applying ointment containing nanocrystalline cellulose onto the skin. Nanocrystalline cellulose applied on hospital door handles could kill viruses and prevent them from spreading. However, we first need to ascertain if the compounds will remain effective in a non-liquid form and how they work in animal tests, she ponders.

This story is reprinted from material from Aalto University, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier. Link to original source.

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Nanocrystalline cellulose for viral inhibitor

Researchers hope new tests will prevent enteric disease in pork industry

6 hours ago by Lindsey Elliott

Pork products cost about 10 percent more than they did last year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and economists expect the prices to continue rising because of diarrhea viruses currently devastating the pork industry.

That's why researchers at the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at Kansas State University have developed new tests they hope will mitigate the spread of these viruses.

"Enteric disease in pigs has turned into a huge, huge problem and we're developing all kinds of new tests to address the old problems but also to address the new diseases that are just destroying everything," said Dick Hesse, director of diagnostic virology at the lab and professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology.

Hesse says there are at least three viruses with similar symptoms affecting pigs, two of which have entered the United States for the first timeporcine epidemic diarrhea virus and delta coronavirus. Swine specialists and molecular diagnosticians at the Kansas State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory have developed tests to detect which virus is infecting the pigs.

"If you know what they've been exposed to and how high the immunity is, you can make adjustments on how you treat the virus," Hesse said.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus has already killed an estimated 6 million pigs. The Kansas State University laboratory is one of only four in the United States with the new tests to identify these diseases. The researchers hope the tests will stop the spread of these diseases before they become endemic.

"They're management tools," Hesse said. "With enough information, you can make informed decisions and minimize the impact of the disease."

Explore further: Veterinary scientists track the origin of a deadly emerging pig virus in the United States

If some day you are tested for the H1N1 virus without the painful prick of a needle, thank a pig -- and a team of Kansas State University researchers and their collaborators who are connecting animal and human health.

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Researchers hope new tests will prevent enteric disease in pork industry

Welcome to the body parts shop… would you like to place an order?

Professor Alexander Seifalian

There aren't many scientists who have grown human cells on the back of a butterfly wing, but Alexander is one of them!

Professor Alexander Seifalian (UCL Centre for Nanotechnology & Regenerative Medicine) and his team are aiming to make organ donation a thing of the past, combining nano-composite materials with stem cell technologies for the growth of replacement organs.

He used his discoveries to fight for the life of a young Icelandic man whose throat was destroyed by cancer. Given two weeks to live, Alexander set out to build for the man the world's first artificial windpipe, made from nanomaterials and stem cells - and succeeded.

"Welcome to the body parts shop... would you like to place an order?"

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Welcome to the body parts shop... would you like to place an order?

'Nano-anesthesia: New approach to local anesthesia?

A technique using anesthesia-containing nanoparticles -- drawn to the targeted area of the body by magnets -- could one day provide a useful alternative to nerve block for local anesthesia in patients, suggests an experimental study in the April issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

"We have established proof of principle that it is possible to produce ankle block in the rat by intravenous injection of magnetic nanoparticles associated with ropivacaine and magnet application at the ankle," write Dr Venkat R.R. Mantha and colleagues of University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. With further study, the nano-anesthesia technique might allow more potent doses of local anesthetics to be delivered safely during local anesthesia in humans.

Magnets Used to Attract Anesthesia-Containing Nanoparticles

The experimental pilot study evaluated the use of magnet-directed nanoparticles containing the local anesthetic drug ropivacaine (MNP/Ropiv) to produce anesthesia of the limbs. The researchers engineered nanoparticle complexes containing small amounts of ropivacaine and the iron oxide mineral magnetite. The MNP/Ropiv complexes were injected into the veins (intravenously, or IV) of anesthetized rats.

The researchers then placed magnets around the ankle of the right paw for 15, 30, or 60 minutes. The goal was to use the magnets to draw the nanoparticles to ankle. Once there, the particles would release the anesthetic, numbing the nerves around the ankle.

Sensation in the right paw was assessed by comparing the right paw to the left paw, which was not affected. Other groups of rats received standard nerve block, with ropivacaine injected directly into the ankle; or IV injection of ropivacaine alone, not incorporated into nanoparticles.

Injection of MNP/Ropiv complexes followed by magnet application produced significant nerve block in the right ankle, similar to a standard nerve block. The left ankle was unaffected.

Nano-Anesthesia Could Permit Safe Use of Higher Anesthetic Drug Doses

The ankle block produced by MNP/Ropiv injection was greatest when the magnet was applied for 30 minutes -- likely reflecting the time of maximum ropivacaine release. High ropivacaine concentrations were found in right ankles of the MNP/Ropiv group, suggesting "sequestration of the drug locally by the magnet."

In rats receiving MNP/Ropiv, the nanoparticles contained a total of 14 milligrams of ropivacaine -- a dose high enough to cause potentially fatal toxic effects. Yet none of the animals in the MNP/Ropiv group had apparent adverse effects of ropivacaine. This was similar to the findings in rats receiving 1 milligram of plain ropivacaine. Thus the safe dose of ropivacaine combined with nanoparticles could be at least 14 times higher, compared to IV ropivacaine alone.

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'Nano-anesthesia: New approach to local anesthesia?

'Nano-Anesthesia': A New Approach to Local Anesthesia?

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Newswise San Francisco, CA. (April 11, 2014) A technique using anesthesia-containing nanoparticlesdrawn to the targeted area of the body by magnetscould one day provide a useful alternative to nerve block for local anesthesia in patients, suggests an experimental study in the April issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

"We have established proof of principle that it is possible to produce ankle block in the rat by intravenous injection of magnetic nanoparticles associated with ropivacaine and magnet application at the ankle," write Dr Venkat R.R. Mantha and colleagues of University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. With further study, the nano-anesthesia technique might allow more potent doses of local anesthetics to be delivered safely during local anesthesia in humans.

Magnets Used to Attract Anesthesia-Containing Nanoparticles The experimental pilot study evaluated the use of magnet-directed nanoparticles containing the local anesthetic drug ropivacaine (MNP/Ropiv) to produce anesthesia of the limbs. The researchers engineered nanoparticle complexes containing small amounts of ropivacaine and the iron oxide mineral magnetite. The MNP/Ropiv complexes were injected into the veins (intravenously, or IV) of anesthetized rats.

The researchers then placed magnets around the ankle of the right paw for 15, 30, or 60 minutes. The goal was to use the magnets to draw the nanoparticles to ankle. Once there, the particles would release the anesthetic, numbing the nerves around the ankle.

Sensation in the right paw was assessed by comparing the right paw to the left paw, which was not affected. Other groups of rats received standard nerve block, with ropivacaine injected directly into the ankle; or IV injection of ropivacaine alone, not incorporated into nanoparticles.

Injection of MNP/Ropiv complexes followed by magnet application produced significant nerve block in the right ankle, similar to a standard nerve block. The left ankle was unaffected.

Nano-Anesthesia Could Permit Safe Use of Higher Anesthetic Drug Doses The ankle block produced by MNP/Ropiv injection was greatest when the magnet was applied for 30 minuteslikely reflecting the time of maximum ropivacaine release. High ropivacaine concentrations were found in right ankles of the MNP/Ropiv group, suggesting "sequestration of the drug locally by the magnet."

In rats receiving MNP/Ropiv, the nanoparticles contained a total of 14 milligrams of ropivacainea dose high enough to cause potentially fatal toxic effects. Yet none of the animals in the MNP/Ropiv group had apparent adverse effects of ropivacaine. This was similar to the findings in rats receiving 1 milligram of plain ropivacaine. Thus the safe dose of ropivacaine combined with nanoparticles could be at least 14 times higher, compared to IV ropivacaine alone.

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'Nano-Anesthesia': A New Approach to Local Anesthesia?

This smart nano-tech patch knows when you need more drugs

Outside of smartwatches, wristbands, and smart eyewear, wearable technology is making waves in the medical community. For example, weve already heard about health-monitoring tattoos, which can tell doctors about how your heart, muscles, or brain are functioning. The next evolutionary step could be similar smart patches, developed using nano technology, which not only deliver drugs into your system, but know when youve had enough or need a higher dose.

A study, carried out in South Korea and published by Nature Technology, outlines the development of wearable bio-integrated systems, as an alternative to wearing bulkier hardware. These skin patches are not only less intrusive, but are also capable of delivering medicine to the wearer, and smart enough to know how much is needed.

The stretchable, rectangular patches measure around 2-inches in size, and have a nano-particle coating which monitors muscle activity. Theyre heat activated, and when the wearers body temperature rises, so the drug delivery is increased. By using a system like this, patients would no longer need to wear potentially uncomfortable, or highly noticeable health monitoring devices, but more importantly theres no possibility of forgetting, or being unable, to take pills at the right time.

An example given in the paper is for sufferers of Parkinsons disease. Muscle tremors would be picked up by the patch, and thanks to an integrated memory system, it would know if a higher dose of corrective treatment was required. In the cases where body temperature doesnt change, but medicine is still needed, a built-in heater is activated to start the flow.

Speaking to The Verge, one of the engineers working on the project said that in the future, wireless components could be added to the patch. This would allow doctors to remotely diagnose patients based on telemetry gathered by the patch, then tell it to either increase or decrease drug dosage. All without a visit to the hospital or doctors office. Its very exciting, but the technology is still in the early stages, and we shouldnt expect to see this type of wearable medical patch for at least another five years.

DT

Andy's fascination with mobile tech began in the 90s, at a time when SMS messages were considered cutting edge, but it would be a decade before he would put finger-to-keyboard as a technology writer. In the interim he wrote about travel, formulated strong opinions about films and owned a series of audacious cars.

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This smart nano-tech patch knows when you need more drugs

Surprising new way to kill cancer cells

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

20-Mar-2014

Contact: Marla Paul marla-paul@northwestern.edu 312-503-8928 Northwestern University

Northwestern Medicine scientists have demonstrated that cancer cells and not normal cells can be killed by eliminating either the FAS receptor, also known as CD95, or its binding component, CD95 ligand.

"The discovery seems counterintuitive because CD95 has previously been defined as a tumor suppressor," said lead investigator Marcus Peter, professor in medicine-hematology/Oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "But when we removed it from cancer cells, rather than proliferate, they died."

The findings were published March 20 in Cell Reports.

The self-destruction of cells, known as apoptosis, is a necessary process that helps the body rid itself of unwanted and potentially harmful cells. Under normal circumstances, when CD95 is activated, the process of apoptosis is triggered. Seen as a keeper of homeostasis in the immune system, it's been long-considered vital for the prevention of uncontrolled, cancerous cell growth.

"In order to conduct this line of work, we had to create something that I don't believe exists, a cancer cell completely devoid of CD95," said Peter, a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. "If CD95 was truly a tumor suppressor, its elimination would result in an enhanced growth and/or invasiveness of cancer cells."

Peter and his team tested cancer cells from nine different tissue origins. Instead of proliferating, the cells increased their size and the production of harmful reactive oxygen species, resulting in DNA damage. In their first attempt to divide, they died.

Peter determined that the "cell death induced by CD95 receptor or ligand elimination (DICE)," comprises multiple death pathways. A cancer cell would have to mutate components of each to defend against DICE, a highly unlikely scenario.

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Surprising new way to kill cancer cells

NanoDays at Mohawk Valley Community College March 29

UTICA -- With Nano Utica and the Quad-C project promising to create more than 1,000 high-tech jobs in the Mohawk Valley, the region has been hearing a lot about nanotechnology and the ways it is revolutionizing research and development in medicine, computing, new materials, food, energy and other areas.

On Saturday, March 29, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., MVCC will bring such concepts to life at NanoDays, part of a nationwide festival of educational programs organized by the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net), and brought to the Mohawk Valley by MVCCs STEM Center. Admission is free.

MVCCs Information Technology Building on the Utica Campus will be transformed into a showcase of everything nano; giving visitors a unique, hands-on opportunity to explore the miniscule world of atoms, molecules and nanoscale forces. A range of exhibits will demonstrate the special and unexpected properties found at the nano scale, examine tools used by nanoscientists, and invite discussion of technology and society.

Students will explore capillary action and non-Newtonian fluids, investigate new nano products and materials, and imagine what society might be like if we all wore invisibility cloaks. Other activities will include using electricity to make a nickel coin look like a penny, a demonstration of ferrofluids and a display and video on the materials used to make the integrated circuits used in computers and cell phones.

For more information about the event, as well as videos and information about nano, visit: http://www.mvcc.edu/nanodays. To learn more about NISE Net and the science of nano, visit: http://www.whatisnano.org.

On Saturday, March 29, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., MVCC will bring such concepts to life at NanoDays, part of a nationwide festival of educational programs organized by the Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network (NISE Net), and brought to the Mohawk Valley by MVCCs STEM Center. Admission is free.

MVCCs Information Technology Building on the Utica Campus will be transformed into a showcase of everything nano; giving visitors a unique, hands-on opportunity to explore the miniscule world of atoms, molecules and nanoscale forces. A range of exhibits will demonstrate the special and unexpected properties found at the nano scale, examine tools used by nanoscientists, and invite discussion of technology and society.

Students will explore capillary action and non-Newtonian fluids, investigate new nano products and materials, and imagine what society might be like if we all wore invisibility cloaks. Other activities will include using electricity to make a nickel coin look like a penny, a demonstration of ferrofluids and a display and video on the materials used to make the integrated circuits used in computers and cell phones.

For more information about the event, as well as videos and information about nano, visit: http://www.mvcc.edu/nanodays. To learn more about NISE Net and the science of nano, visit: http://www.whatisnano.org.

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NanoDays at Mohawk Valley Community College March 29