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

One of the largest problems with cancer treatment is the development of resistance to anticancer therapies. A research team has found that a commonly used chemotherapy drug may be repurposed as a treatment for resurgent or chemotherapy-resistant leukemia. The researchers developed a nanoparticle that allowed doxorubicin, a commonly used chemotherapy drug, to be injected safely and released sustainably over time.  Because of its rate of drug release, the patented nanoparticle was more effective than both a solution of the pure drug and the only commercially available version of a nanoparticle carrying doxorubicin.

A team of researchers at Brown University has found a way to increase the toughness of a ceramic material used to make solid-state lithium ion batteries. Ceramics are highly brittle materials that can fracture during the manufacturing process and during use. The researchers showed that infusing a ceramic with graphene doubled the material's fracture toughness compared to the ceramic alone.

A team of researchers at Brown University has found a way to increase the toughness of a ceramic material used to make solid-state lithium ion batteries. Ceramics are highly brittle materials that can fracture during the manufacturing process and during use. The researchers showed that infusing a ceramic with graphene doubled the material's fracture toughness compared to the ceramic alone.

Scientists at Arizona State University have developed a new type of nanostructure that mimics certain natural light-harvesting systems. The nanostructure serves as a bridge to move energy generated by light-absorbing molecules to light-emitting molecules. The transfer has almost no energy loss (less than 1%), which means the bridge can carry energy over distances of hundreds of nanometers. This research provides a new approach for transferring energy efficiently over long nanowires and has potential applications in photonic networks, which are widely used in communications and information processing.

Scientists at Arizona State University have developed a new type of nanostructure that mimics certain natural light-harvesting systems. The nanostructure serves as a bridge to move energy generated by light-absorbing molecules to light-emitting molecules. The transfer has almost no energy loss (less than 1%), which means the bridge can carry energy over distances of hundreds of nanometers. This research provides a new approach for transferring energy efficiently over long nanowires and has potential applications in photonic networks, which are widely used in communications and information processing.

Scientists at the University of California, Riverside have created a new film made of gold nanoparticles that changes color in response to movement. This new film could coat the surface of any object just as easily as applying spray paint on a house, and its unprecedented qualities could allow robots to mimic chameleons and octopuses.

Scientists at the University of California, Riverside have created a new film made of gold nanoparticles that changes color in response to movement. This new film could coat the surface of any object just as easily as applying spray paint on a house, and its unprecedented qualities could allow robots to mimic chameleons and octopuses.

Researchers at Purdue University have created a novel wearable patch with nanoneedles, enabling unobtrusive drug delivery through the skin for the management of skin cancers. The bioresorbable silicon nanoneedles are built on a thin, flexible, and water-soluble medical film that can be interfaced with the surface of the skin during the insertion of the nanoneedles. The silicon nanoneedles are biocompatible and dissolvable in tissue fluids, so they can be completely resorbed in the body over months in a harmless manner.

Researchers at Purdue University have created a novel wearable patch with nanoneedles, enabling unobtrusive drug delivery through the skin for the management of skin cancers. The bioresorbable silicon nanoneedles are built on a thin, flexible, and water-soluble medical film that can be interfaced with the surface of the skin during the insertion of the nanoneedles. The silicon nanoneedles are biocompatible and dissolvable in tissue fluids, so they can be completely resorbed in the body over months in a harmless manner.

In 2018, scientists discovered that two layers of graphene that are twisted one with respect to the other by a very small, well-defined angle show a variety of interesting quantum phases, including superconductivity, magnetism, and insulating behaviors. Now, a team of researchers from MIT and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel have discovered that these quantum phases come from a previously unknown high-energy “parent state,” with an unusual breaking of symmetry.