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

Researchers at Northwestern University have synthesized a new form of melanin enriched with selenium. Called selenomelanin, this new material shows extraordinary promise as a shield for human tissue against harmful radiation. The researchers synthesized selenomelanin nanoparticles and used them to treat living cells. For comparison, they also prepared cells treated with synthetic pheomelanin and eumelanin, as well as cells with no protective melanin. After receiving a dose of radiation that would be lethal to a human being, only the cells treated with selenomelanin nanoparticles exhibited a normal cell cycle.

Researchers at Penn State have developed nanoparticles that can inhibit the growth of cancerous tumors in mice. Attached to these nanoparticles are microRNA molecules which, when paired to messenger RNA molecules, prevent them from operating. In this case, the microRNA prohibits the messenger RNA in a cancer cell from creating proteins, which are essential for that cancer cell to survive, and, eventually, the cancer cell dies.

Researchers at Penn State have developed nanoparticles that can inhibit the growth of cancerous tumors in mice. Attached to these nanoparticles are microRNA molecules which, when paired to messenger RNA molecules, prevent them from operating. In this case, the microRNA prohibits the messenger RNA in a cancer cell from creating proteins, which are essential for that cancer cell to survive, and, eventually, the cancer cell dies.

In experiments in rats and mice, two researchers from Johns Hopkins University have reported the successful use of nanoparticles to deliver gene therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration – an eye disease characterized by abnormal blood vessel growth that damages the light-sensitive tissue in the back of the eye. The research provides evidence of the potential value of nanoparticle-delivered gene therapy to treat wet age-related macular degeneration as well as rare, inherited blinding diseases of the retina.

In experiments in rats and mice, two researchers from Johns Hopkins University have reported the successful use of nanoparticles to deliver gene therapy for wet age-related macular degeneration – an eye disease characterized by abnormal blood vessel growth that damages the light-sensitive tissue in the back of the eye. The research provides evidence of the potential value of nanoparticle-delivered gene therapy to treat wet age-related macular degeneration as well as rare, inherited blinding diseases of the retina.

For the first time, researchers at Columbia University have observed a quantum fluid, known as the fractional quantum Hall states, in a monolayer 2D semiconductor. This observation demonstrates the excellent intrinsic quality of 2D semiconductors and establishes them as a unique test platform for future applications in quantum computing. The fractional quantum Hall state is a collective phenomenon that comes about when researchers confine electrons to move in a thin two-dimensional plane and subject them to large magnetic fields.

For the first time, researchers at Columbia University have observed a quantum fluid, known as the fractional quantum Hall states, in a monolayer 2D semiconductor. This observation demonstrates the excellent intrinsic quality of 2D semiconductors and establishes them as a unique test platform for future applications in quantum computing. The fractional quantum Hall state is a collective phenomenon that comes about when researchers confine electrons to move in a thin two-dimensional plane and subject them to large magnetic fields.

Researchers at Rice University, the University of Texas Health Science Center’s McGovern Medical School, and the Texas A&M Health Science Center have developed artificial enzymes made of oxidized charcoal nanoparticles that are highly effective at breaking down damaging reactive oxygen species produced in response to an injury. The oxidized charcoal nanoparticles can be made from an activated carbon source that is inexpensive, good manufacturing practice (GMP)-certified, and already being used in humans to treat acute poisoning.

Researchers at Rice University, the University of Texas Health Science Center’s McGovern Medical School, and the Texas A&M Health Science Center have developed artificial enzymes made of oxidized charcoal nanoparticles that are highly effective at breaking down damaging reactive oxygen species produced in response to an injury. The oxidized charcoal nanoparticles can be made from an activated carbon source that is inexpensive, good manufacturing practice (GMP)-certified, and already being used in humans to treat acute poisoning.

Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a film made of tiny carbon nanotubes which has a combination of thermal, electrical, and physical properties that make it an appealing candidate for next-generation smart fabrics. The researchers were able to optimize the thermal and electrical properties of the material, allowing the material to retain its desirable properties even when exposed to air for many weeks. This material may enable the development of clothing that can heat or cool the wearer on demand.