(Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. National Science Foundation)
Scientists from the University of Oklahoma and Northwestern University have shown that adding a crystalized molecular layer to quantum dots made of perovskite prevents them from darkening or blinking. Quantum dots, which are nanoparticles that have unique optical and electronic properties, usually fade out after 10–20 minutes of use. The crystal coverings developed in this study extend the continuous light emission of quantum dots to more than 12 hours with virtually no blinking. According to Yitong Dong, the scientist who led this study, these findings pave the way for the future design of quantum emitters – devices that emit single photons on demand, with applications in quantum computing.

(Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Defense)
Using an approach called DNA origami, scientists at Caltech have developed a technique that could lead to cheaper, reusable biomarker sensors for quickly detecting proteins in bodily fluids, eliminating the need to send samples out to lab centers for testing. DNA origami enables long strands of DNA to fold, through self-assembly, into molecular structures at the nanoscale. In this study, DNA origami was used to create a lilypad-like structure – a flat, circular surface about 100 nanometers in diameter, tethered by a DNA linker to a gold electrode. Both the lilypad and the electrode have short DNA strands available to bind with an analyte, a molecule of interest in solution – whether that be a molecule of DNA, a protein, or an antibody.

(Funded by the National Institutes of Health)
Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and Pennsylvania State University have discovered that Zika virus builds a series of tiny tubes, called tunneling nanotubes, that facilitate the transfer of viral particles to neighboring uninfected cells. The tiny conduits also provide a means to transport RNA, proteins and mitochondria, a cell’s main source of energy, from infected to neighboring cells. “Altogether, we show that Zika virus uses a tunneling strategy to covertly spread the infection in the placenta while hijacking mitochondria to augment its propagation and survival,” said Indira Mysorekar, one of the scientists involved in this study. “We propose that this strategy also protects the virus from the immune response.”

(Funded by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. National Science Foundation)
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, Rutgers University, and East China University of Science and Technology in Shanghai have shown that a combination of messenger RNA (mRNA) and a new lipid nanoparticle could help heal damaged lungs. The researchers matched up mRNA with just one unique lipid nanoparticle – ionizable amphiphilic Janus dendrimers – which are organ-specific. When it reaches the lung, the mRNA instructs the immune system to create transforming growth factor beta, a signaling molecule that is used to repair tissue. “This research marks the birth of a new mRNA delivery platform,” said 2023 Nobel laureate Drew Weissman, a co-author of the study. “While using other lipid nanoparticles works great to prevent infectious diseases, … this new platform does not have to be stored at such extremely cold temperatures and is even easier to produce.”

(Funded by the National Institutes of Health)
Researchers from Cedars-Sinai Cancer; Caltech; California State University, Northridge; and Technion-Israel Institute in Haifa, Israel, have designed nanobioparticles that can cross the protective blood–brain barrier and deliver therapy directly into cancerous tumor cells. The findings could help clinicians target brain tumors previously unreachable by chemotherapy. The investigators conducted experiments using a unique blood-brain barrier “organ chip.” When investigators flowed the nanobioparticles through the blood vessel portion of the chip, they saw that it crossed over and accumulated in the brain matter.