The new diagnostic, which is based on analysis of urine samples, could also be designed to reveal whether a tumor has metastasized. MIT engineers have designed a new nanoparticle sensor that could enable early diagnosis of cancer with a simple urine test. The sensors, which can detect many different cancerous proteins, could also be used to distinguish the type of a tumor or how it is responding to treatment. The nanoparticles are designed so that when they encounter a tumor, they shed…
Typically T cells of the immune system respond to a specific feature (antigen) of a microbe, thereby generating protective immunity. As reported in the journal Immunity, an international team of scientists have discovered an exception to this rule. Namely, a group of divergent bacterial pathogens, including pneumococci, all share a small highly conserved protein sequence, which is both presented and recognized by human T cells in a conserved population-wide manner. The study set out to understand immune mechanisms that protect…
Fraunhofer IZFP at Control 2023: A planned service life of structures can only be achieved if the quality-assured execution of construction measures and the necessary maintenance measures during the service life phase are coordinated. This is why, it is usually necessary to record component-specific characteristic values non-destructively and with high accuracy of the measured value recording and localization. How this works will be presented by experts of the Fraunhofer IZFP from May 9 to 12, 2023 at the 35th Control…
Graz University of Technology Researchers Produce Pseudouridine through Biocatalytic Synthesis, The new and patented method for the production of the important mRNA vaccine component pseudouridine is more efficient, sustainable and cost-effective than the previously used chemical synthesis. Researchers from the Institute of Biotechnology and Biochemical Engineering at TU Graz and the Austrian Centre of Industrial Biotechnology (acib) have developed a novel method for the production of central components of mRNA vaccines and applied for a patent. In an article published…
Automated machining and assembly of large lightweight structures on a 1:1 scale. The Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials IFAM in Stade, Germany, will be presenting automation solutions for sustainable production at the Leading International Composites Show JEC WORLD 2023 from April 25 to 27 in Paris at the joint booth of Composites United e.V. (Hall 6 l Booth Q 28 l Position 16). Lightweight robotics modular system Assembly technologies for a lighter Clean Sky 2 aircraft fuselage…
A coil-powered robot fish designed by scientists at the University of Bristol could make underwater exploration more accessible. The robot fish was fitted with a twisted and coiled polymer (TCP) to drive it forward, a light-weight low cost device that relies on temperature change to generate movement, which also limits its speed. A TCP works by contracting like muscles when heated, converting the energy into mechanical motion . The TCP used in this work is warmed by Joule heating – the pass…
Revolutionary design could combine superconductor levitation, lossless electricity transmission, and liquid hydrogen transportation into one system. Superconductors can conduct electricity without any resistance or power loss, and they can effortlessly cause magnets to levitate above them. These properties would make superconductors useful for high-speed trains or long-distance power transmission, except for one glaring problem: superconductors only work at low temperatures, more than a hundred degrees below zero. This one requirement makes building a hyperefficient electrical grid or high-speed rail network…
The printer generates vaccine-filled microneedle patches that can be stored long-term at room temperature and applied to the skin. Getting vaccines to people who need them isn’t always easy. Many vaccines require cold storage, making it difficult to ship them to remote areas that don’t have the necessary infrastructure. MIT researchers have come up with a possible solution to this problem: a mobile vaccine printer that could be scaled up to produce hundreds of vaccine doses in a day. This…
KIT researchers develop first two-dimensional photonic time crystal – Application promises enhancements in wireless communication and laser technology. Photonic time crystals, whose properties change periodically, promise significant enhancements in microwave engineering, optics, and photonics. Researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and partners from Aalto University and Stanford University have unveiled a groundbreaking 2D photonic time crystal and demonstrated important applications. Their approach simplifies the realisation of photonic time crystals and may improve the efficiency of future communication systems. The…
New NASA InSight research reveals that Mars has a liquid core rich in sulfur and oxygen, leading to new clues about how terrestrial planets form, evolve and potentially sustain life. Scientists observed seismic waves traveling through Mars’ core for the first time and confirmed model predictions of the core’s composition. An international research team—which included University of Maryland seismologists—used seismic data acquired by the NASA InSight lander to directly measure properties of Mars’s core, finding a completely liquid iron-alloy core…
A new study has uncovered intriguing insights into the liquid core at the centre of Mars, furthering understanding of the planet’s formation and evolution. The research, led by the University of Bristol and published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the US, reveals the first-ever detections of sound waves travelling into the Martian core. Measurements from this acoustic energy, called seismic waves, indicate its liquid core is slightly denser and smaller than previously thought, and…
“We have developed a technique in our laboratories that allows us to obtain an antibiogram within 2-4 hours – instead of the current 24 hours for the most common germs and one month for tuberculosis,” says Dr Sandor Kasas at EPFL. Professor Ronnie Willaert at Vrije Universiteit Brussel adds: “Our technique is not only faster but also simpler and much cheaper than all those existing now.” Antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to…
A better understanding of oxide catalysts could inspire solutions for clean energy. Researchers at Binghamton University partnered with the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN) — a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory — to get a better look at how peroxides on the surface of copper oxide promote the oxidation of hydrogen but inhibit the oxidation of carbon monoxide, allowing them to steer oxidation reactions. They were able to observe these quick changes with two…
Together with project partners CG TEC, Cordenka, ElringKlinger, Fiber Engineering and Technikum Laubholz, DITF is developing a new fiber composite material (CELLUN) with reinforcing fibers made of cellulose. CELLUN made from renewable biopolymers enables the replacement of glass or carbon fibers in the production of industrial molded parts.The matrix of the material is a thermoplastic cellulose derivative that can be processed in industrial processing methods such as hot pressing or pultrusion. Organosheets are increasingly being used within the fast-growing segment…
In the RUBIO project, 18 partners are turning the vision of a sustainable plastics industry into reality. Their goal is to use regionally available plant residues to create versatile, sustainable products that are recyclable and biodegradable. As part of the project, the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Polymer Research IAP is developing new types of the bioplastic polybutylene succinate (PBS) so that it can be used for significantly more applications. Together with the company POLIFILM EXTRUSION GmbH, the Fraunhofer IAP has…
How gene interactions shape the evolution of cell-to-cell variation. Biological cells, whether free-living or part of a multicellular organism, have to perform hundreds of functions to survive, such as perceiving their environment, uptaking and metabolising nutrients, regenerating decayed parts, reproducing themselves, and many more. The information on how to perform these functions is carried by genes and practically realised through a process called “gene expression”, through which gene products are made. Gene products work together in what is often represented…
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