News from the NNI Community - Research Advances Funded by Agencies Participating in the NNI

Researchers from the University of Michigan and the Biointerfaces Institute (Ann Arbor, MI), along with international collaborators, have created nanodiscs that can target cholesterol levels in glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive form of brain cancer, by starving the cancer cells and increasing survival rates of treated mice. The nanodiscs delivered molecules that increase the number of pumps that can export cholesterol out of tumor cells, resulting in their death. When used in combination with radiation therapy, more than 60% of the mice survived when compared to the mice that only received radiation. The nanodisks also had molecules on their surfaces that activate the body’s immune system. As a result, immune cells not only attacked the tumor but also were able to attack any future tumors.

Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have found a way to create a metamaterial that is both strong and stretchy. (A metamaterial is a synthetic material with microscopic structures that give it exceptional properties.) The key to the new material’s dual properties is a combination of stiff microscopic struts and a softer woven architecture. The researchers printed samples of the new metamaterial, each measuring in size from several square microns to several square millimeters. They put the material through a series of stress tests, in which they attached either end of the sample to a specialized nanomechanical press and measured the force it took to pull the material apart. They found their new material was able to stretch three times its own length. The researchers say the new design can be applied to other materials and create stretchy ceramics, glass, and metals. This work was performed, in part, through the use of MIT.nano’s facilities. 

In 2023, researchers at Caltech developed a smart bandage that can provide real-time data about chronic wounds and accelerate the healing process by applying medication or electrical fields to stimulate tissue growth. Now, the researchers have shown that an improved version of their bandage can continually sample fluid, which the body sends to wound sites as part of the inflammatory response. The bandage is composed of a flexible, biocompatible polymer strip that integrates a nanoengineered biomarker sensor array, which is disposable for hygiene and single-use applications. The system also includes a reusable printed circuit board that handles signal processing and wireless data transmission to a user interface, such as a smartphone.

Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Purdue University, and the Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Chicago have created DNA origami structures – which are made by folding DNA into nanoscale scaffolds – that can selectively deliver fluorescent imaging agents to pancreatic cancer cells without affecting normal cells. The team experimented with different sizes of tube- and tile-shaped DNA origami structures. They found that tube-shaped structures about 70 nanometers in length and 30 nanometers in diameter, as well as ones that are about 6 nanometers in length and 30 nanometers in diameter, experienced the greatest uptake by the pancreatic cancer tissue while not being absorbed by the surrounding, noncancerous tissue. Larger tube-shaped structures and all sizes of tile-shaped structures did not perform as well.

Researchers have long recognized that quantum communication systems would transmit quantum information better and be unaffected by certain forms of error if nonlinear optical processes were used. But past efforts at using such processes could not operate with the very low light levels required for quantum communication. Now, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have improved the technology by basing the nonlinear process on an indium-gallium-phosphide nanophotonic platform. The result requires much less light and operates all the way down to single photons, the smallest units of light. 

Hydrogen fuel cells rely on proton exchange membranes to conduct protons while preventing the unwanted crossover of hydrogen molecules. Thinner membranes can improve performance but also allow more hydrogen molecules to leak through, reducing overall efficiency. So, researchers from Vanderbilt University, along with international collaborators, have developed a way to improve fuel cell efficiency without reducing its performance. By incorporating a monolayer of graphene – an ultra-thin material just one atom thick – into proton exchange membranes, the team significantly reduced hydrogen crossover by more than 50% while maintaining high proton conductivity. Part of the research work was performed at the Vanderbilt Institute of Nanoscale Science and Engineering.

A new study by Brown University researchers suggests that gold nanoparticles might one day be used to help restore vision in people with macular degeneration and other retinal disorders. The researchers showed that nanoparticles injected into the retina can successfully stimulate the visual system and restore vision in mice with retinal disorders. The findings suggest that a new type of visual prosthesis system in which nanoparticles, used in combination with a small laser device worn in a pair of glasses or goggles, might one day help people with retinal disorders to see again. The experiments showed that neither the nanoparticle solution nor the laser stimulation caused detectable adverse side effects, as indicated by metabolic markers for inflammation and toxicity. 

Researchers from The State University of New York, Buffalo; St. Bonaventure University; and Stony Brook University have created a molecular nanocage that captures the bulk of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in water – and it works better than traditional filtering techniques that use activated carbon. Made of an organic nanoporous material designed to capture only PFAS, this tiny chemical-based filtration system removed 80% of PFAS from sewage and 90% of PFAS groundwater, while showing very low adverse environmental effects. PFAS are chemical compounds sometimes called "forever chemicals" and are commonly used in food packaging and nonstick coatings.

Monitoring pressure inside the skull is key to treating traumatic brain injuries and preventing long-lasting complications, but most of the monitoring devices are large and invasive. Now, researchers from Georgia Tech and Louisiana State University, along with international collaborators, have created a nanosensor made from ultra-thin, flexible silicone that can be embedded in a catheter. Once the catheter is in a patient’s skull, the nanosensor can continuously gather data at a more sensitive rate than traditional devices. With this nanosensor, even the smallest pressure changes could alert clinicians that further treatment is needed.

Oregon State University researchers have discovered a way to get anti-inflammatory medicine across the blood-brain barrier, opening the door to potential new therapies for a range of conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and cancer cachexia. (The blood-brain barrier is a protective shield separating the brain from the bloodstream; it is made up of tightly packed cells lining the blood vessels in the brain and controls what substances can move from the blood to the brain.) The delivery method involves specially engineered nanoparticles. Tested in a mouse model, the nanoparticles reached their intended destination, the hypothalamus, and delivered a drug that inhibits a key protein associated with inflammation.