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

Fluorescent markers for imaging biomolecules have transformed science, but they have a major limitation. Light doesn’t penetrate well through tissue, so biomolecules deeper in the body have remained invisible. Now, a research team at Caltech has developed a way to “hear” molecular processes: tunable acoustic biosensors that can be used to track biological processes pretty much anywhere within the body using ultrasound. The biosensors are balloon-like nanoparticles that vibrate in response to ultrasound waves.

A research team from Purdue University has developed self-powered wearable triboelectric nanogenerators with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based contact layers for monitoring cardiovascular health. PVA offers a valuable material in future wearable self-powered devices. The PVA-based triboelectric devices can function as self-powered sensors to detect and monitor mechanical activities from the human body in applications such as health monitoring, human-machine interface, teleoperated robotics, consumer electronics, and virtual and augmented technologies.

A research team from Purdue University has developed self-powered wearable triboelectric nanogenerators with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)-based contact layers for monitoring cardiovascular health. PVA offers a valuable material in future wearable self-powered devices. The PVA-based triboelectric devices can function as self-powered sensors to detect and monitor mechanical activities from the human body in applications such as health monitoring, human-machine interface, teleoperated robotics, consumer electronics, and virtual and augmented technologies.

Researchers at Rice University have demonstrated that spheres made of bismuth, oxygen, and carbon wrapped with nitrogen-doped graphene oxide can inactivate multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli bacteria and degrade antibiotic-resistant genes in secondary wastewater effluent.

Researchers at Rice University have demonstrated that spheres made of bismuth, oxygen, and carbon wrapped with nitrogen-doped graphene oxide can inactivate multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli bacteria and degrade antibiotic-resistant genes in secondary wastewater effluent.

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have devised a method that uses nanoparticles called gold nanostars to simultaneously detect the presence of multiple specific microRNAs in RNA extracted from tissue samples without the need for labeling or target amplification. The technique could be used to identify early biomarkers of cancer and other diseases without the need for the elaborate, time-consuming, and expensive processes required by current technologies.

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have devised a method that uses nanoparticles called gold nanostars to simultaneously detect the presence of multiple specific microRNAs in RNA extracted from tissue samples without the need for labeling or target amplification. The technique could be used to identify early biomarkers of cancer and other diseases without the need for the elaborate, time-consuming, and expensive processes required by current technologies.

Researchers at MIT and elsewhere have found a new method for inducing mechanical stimulation of nerve cells in the body. The finding might offer a step toward new kinds of therapeutic treatments, similar to electrically based neurostimulation that has been used to treat Parkinson's disease and other conditions. Unlike those systems, which require an external wire connection, the new system would be completely contact-free after an initial injection of nanoparticles, and could be reactivated at will through an externally applied magnetic field.

Researchers at MIT and elsewhere have found a new method for inducing mechanical stimulation of nerve cells in the body. The finding might offer a step toward new kinds of therapeutic treatments, similar to electrically based neurostimulation that has been used to treat Parkinson's disease and other conditions. Unlike those systems, which require an external wire connection, the new system would be completely contact-free after an initial injection of nanoparticles, and could be reactivated at will through an externally applied magnetic field.

Using specialized nanoparticles, MIT engineers have developed a way to monitor pneumonia or other lung diseases by analyzing the breath exhaled by the patient. In a study of mice, the researchers showed that they could use this system to monitor bacterial pneumonia and a genetic disorder of the lungs called alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency.