(Funded by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. National Science Foundation)
Researchers from Georgia Tech, Emory University, and the University of California, Davis, have created a technique that could lead to new, less-invasive treatments for blood disorders and genetic diseases. “This would be an alternative to invasive hematopoietic stem cell therapies – we could just give you an IV drip,” said James Dahlman, one of the researchers involved in this study. “It simplifies the process and reduces the risks to patients.” The procedure uses lipid nanoparticles that carry genetic instructions to hematopoietic stem cells, but unlike current therapies, in this procedure, the nanoparticles don’t have targeting ligands, and they can dodge the liver, which acts as the body’s primary blood filter.

(Funded by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. National Science Foundation)
Engineers at the University of Pennsylvania have modified lipid nanoparticles to not only cross the blood-brain barrier but also to target specific types of cells, including neurons. The researchers showed how short strings of amino acids can serve as precise targeting molecules, enabling the lipid nanoparticles to deliver mRNA specifically to the endothelial cells that line the blood vessels of the brain, as well as neurons. This breakthrough marks a significant step toward potential next-generation treatments for neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

(Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the U.S. National Science Foundation)
Researchers from Caltech, the University of Southern California, Santa Clara University, and the National University of Singapore have developed microrobots that decreased the size of bladder tumors in mice by delivering therapeutic drugs directly to the bladders. The microrobots incorporated magnetic nanoparticles and the therapeutic drug within the outer structure of the spheres. The magnetic nanoparticles allowed the scientists to direct the robots to a desired location using an external magnetic field. When the microrobots reached their targets, they remained in that spot, and the drug passively diffused out.

(Funded by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. National Science Foundation)
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have shown that lipid nanoparticles can mediate more than 100-fold greater mRNA delivery to the placenta of pregnant mice with pre-eclampsia than a lipid nanoparticle formulation approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. These lipid nanoparticles can decrease high blood pressure and increase vasodilation in these pre-eclamptic pregnant mice.

(Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation)
Researchers from Florida State University; the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in Tallahassee, FL; and the Universitat de València in Spain have unlocked a new method for producing one class of 2D material and for supercharging its magnetic properties. Experimenting on a metallic magnet made from the elements iron, germanium and tellurium, the research team made two breakthroughs: a collection method that yielded 1,000 times more material than typical practices, and the ability to change the material’s magnetic properties through a chemical treatment. “We’re moving toward developing more efficient electronic devices that consume less power, are lighter, faster and more responsive,” said Michael Shatruk, the scientist who led this study. “2D materials are a big part of this equation, but there’s still a lot of work to be done to make them viable. Our research is part of that effort.”