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

Researchers at the University of Virginia are pioneering the use of focused ultrasound to defy the brain's protective barrier, so that doctors could deliver treatments directly into the brain. The approach could revolutionize treatment for brain cancer by using the focused ultrasound to deliver gene therapy via "deep-penetrating nanoparticles." The nanoparticles are engineered to penetrate the tissue, and the focused sound waves are able to open spaces between cells in the tissue.

Researchers at the University of Virginia are pioneering the use of focused ultrasound to defy the brain's protective barrier, so that doctors could deliver treatments directly into the brain. The approach could revolutionize treatment for brain cancer by using the focused ultrasound to deliver gene therapy via "deep-penetrating nanoparticles." The nanoparticles are engineered to penetrate the tissue, and the focused sound waves are able to open spaces between cells in the tissue.

Researchers at Texas A&M University have made mats that are strong, stable, and capable of delivering antioxidant activity for prolonged periods of time. Each mat is made of an intertwined network of ultra-fine strands of a polymer and an antioxidant found in red wine. In past studies, antioxidants were blended into synthetic mats, but the researchers said these mats have lower functionality because the surface area for antioxidant activity is limited. To increase the surface area for antioxidant activity, the researchers created an antioxidant mesh made with nanofibers of polymer and tannic acid.

Researchers at Texas A&M University have made mats that are strong, stable, and capable of delivering antioxidant activity for prolonged periods of time. Each mat is made of an intertwined network of ultra-fine strands of a polymer and an antioxidant found in red wine. In past studies, antioxidants were blended into synthetic mats, but the researchers said these mats have lower functionality because the surface area for antioxidant activity is limited. To increase the surface area for antioxidant activity, the researchers created an antioxidant mesh made with nanofibers of polymer and tannic acid.

A multi-institutional team of researchers led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has developed a smart, breathable fabric designed to protect the wearer against biological and chemical warfare agents. The fabric combines two key elements: a base membrane layer made of trillions of aligned carbon nanotube pores and a polymer layer grafted onto the membrane layer. The carbon nanotubes are able to easily transport water molecules through their interiors while also blocking biological agents.

A multi-institutional team of researchers led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has developed a smart, breathable fabric designed to protect the wearer against biological and chemical warfare agents. The fabric combines two key elements: a base membrane layer made of trillions of aligned carbon nanotube pores and a polymer layer grafted onto the membrane layer. The carbon nanotubes are able to easily transport water molecules through their interiors while also blocking biological agents.

By disabling a gene in specific mouse cells, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have prevented mice from becoming obese, even after the animals had been fed a high-fat diet. In one set of experiments, the research team deleted the ASXL2 gene in the macrophages of obese mice, and in a second set of experiments, they injected the animals with nanoparticles that interfered with the activity of the ASXL2 gene. In both cases, the researchers found that despite high-fat diets, the treated animals burned 45% more calories than their obese littermates.

By disabling a gene in specific mouse cells, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have prevented mice from becoming obese, even after the animals had been fed a high-fat diet. In one set of experiments, the research team deleted the ASXL2 gene in the macrophages of obese mice, and in a second set of experiments, they injected the animals with nanoparticles that interfered with the activity of the ASXL2 gene. In both cases, the researchers found that despite high-fat diets, the treated animals burned 45% more calories than their obese littermates.

To clean wastewater from munitions processing and demilitarization, engineers at the University of Delaware are testing a novel technology using iron nanoparticles. Instead of being corroded by oxygen in water, forming rust, the 25-nanometer iron particles are corroded by munitions compounds in wastewater. The nanoparticles donate electrons to munitions compounds and, through electron transfer, the dissolved munitions compounds break down. Iron nanoparticles have already been used to treat groundwater, but this is its first application to munitions wastewater.

To clean wastewater from munitions processing and demilitarization, engineers at the University of Delaware are testing a novel technology using iron nanoparticles. Instead of being corroded by oxygen in water, forming rust, the 25-nanometer iron particles are corroded by munitions compounds in wastewater. The nanoparticles donate electrons to munitions compounds and, through electron transfer, the dissolved munitions compounds break down. Iron nanoparticles have already been used to treat groundwater, but this is its first application to munitions wastewater.