Long-term and excessive use of antibiotics has caused the spread of antibiotic resistance. The time- and cost-consuming process of new antibiotic development results in the much slower emergence of new antibacterial drugs than that of bacterial resistance. The emergence of superbugs has been growing to become a dominant challenge in human health. Tigecycline is [...]
The adapted COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna targets two different coronavirus variants – the original virus from 2020 and the Omicron variant An updated version of the COVID-19 vaccine made by Moderna that targets two coronavirus variants (known as a “bivalent” vaccine) has today been approved for adult booster doses by the Medicines and [...]
Artificial nanomotors with advanced functions, such as motility and miniaturization, enabled the exploration of new strategies for cancer treatment. However, these nanorobots do not contain multiple functions that could help progress this technology rapidly. In a recent study, researchers proposed a dual-source powered Janus nanomotor containing multiple photo-theranostic functions, for example, photodynamic therapy (PDT), [...]
An international research team led by the University of Göttingen has, for the first time, observed the build-up of a physical phenomenon that plays a role in the conversion of sunlight into electrical energy in 2D materials. The scientists succeeded in making quasiparticles – known as dark Moiré interlayer excitons – visible and explaining their [...]
A discovery by a team of B.C. researchers may lead to improved COVID-19 treatment options that are effective against several variants of the disease. Researchers at the University of British Columbia say they've found a "weak spot" in COVID-19 variants, including in the latest Omicron subvariants. Their findings were published in Nature Communications on [...]
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for fast-produced and adaptable vaccines that could be equally distributed around the world. Developing an efficient mRNA vaccine that is effective, thermostable, and has fewer side effects strongly depends on lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) which preserve and deliver mRNA to cells. Lipid nanoparticles appear to be the sole solution [...]
Engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) have found their applications in various technologies and consumer products. Manipulating chemicals at the nanoscale range introduces unique characteristics to these materials and makes them desirable for technological applications. With the increasing production of ENMs, there have been adverse effects on the environment. Moreover, it is unfeasible to estimate the risks [...]
Although chemotherapy can be a lifesaving treatment for patients with cancer, some of these medications can damage the heart. A team led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) recently developed a nanoparticle probe that can detect an indicator of heart damage from chemotherapy. Experiments with the probe also revealed that in mice with [...]
When the autumn booster programme begins next month, many people are likely to receive Moderna’s new bivalent vaccine, designed to protect against the original Covid strain and the more transmissible Omicron variant. As Covid continues to evolve, so will vaccination strategies. Here we look at some of the developments in the pipeline. Variant-specific boosters In [...]
Scientists of the department of Advanced Organ Bioengineering and Therapeutics (TechMed Centre) recently published a novel cancer immune therapy in the scientific journal Nature Communications ("Cancer immune therapy using engineered ‛tail-flipping’ nanoliposomes targeting alternatively activated macrophages"). In their research, Prof Dr Jai Prakash and his team developed newly designed nanoparticles which can target the body’s immune [...]
