(Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy)
Researchers established a theoretical analysis to define two regions, one where nanoscale interfacial dynamics are critical and another where the flow is accurately modeled by standard continuum theory. By demonstrating the important role of chemistry and molecular-scale interactions on confined fluid flows, the results can help guide future studies on when to apply different modeling approaches. These findings can help enhance the effectiveness of molecular-based simulations for investigating complex confined systems in nanofluidics, biology, and colloidal science, offering a complementary molecular-scale perspective to traditional continuum approaches.

(Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health)
Biomedical engineering researchers are exploring a novel treatment for alcohol-related liver disease using nanoparticles a thousand times smaller than a human hair. Despite this significant impact on society, alcohol-related liver disease (ARLD) remains largely unaddressed by medical research. A researcher aims to change that with a promising new therapy that she’s developing.

(Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Energy)
Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) are the delivery vehicles of modern medicine, carrying cancer drugs, gene therapies and vaccines into cells. Until recently, many scientists assumed that all LNPs followed more or less the same blueprint, like a fleet of trucks built from the same design. Researchers have characterized the shape and structure of LNPs in unprecedented detail, revealing that the particles come in a surprising variety of configurations. That variety isn’t just cosmetic: As the researchers found, a particle’s internal shape and structure correlates with how well it delivers therapeutic cargo to a particular destination.

(Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Defense)
A research team has discovered a way to make previously hidden states of light, known as dark excitons, shine brightly, and control their emission at the nanoscale. Their finding open the door to faster, smaller, and more energy-efficient technologies. “By turning these hidden states on and off at will and controlling them with nanoscale resolution, we open exciting opportunities to disruptively advance next-generation optical and quantum technologies, including for sensing and computing,” said the study’s principal investigator.

(Funded by the National Institutes of Health)
A nanoparticle vaccine designed to fight cancers induced by human papillomavirus (HPV) eradicated tumors in an animal model of late-stage metastatic disease. The findings could ultimately lead to a new type of vaccine that would be used to treat a variety of cancers. To develop a therapeutic vaccine against HPV-related cancers, researchers combined a polymer and a small-molecule drug that both activate stimulator of interferon genes (STING) – a protein that triggers immune activity – with a protein antigen called E7 derived from HPV. Together, these components formed nanoparticles about 25-30 nanometers in diameter (for comparison, 1 million nanometers equal 1 millimeter).