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

Every year, a lack of vaccination leads to about 1.5 million preventable deaths, primarily in developing nations. One factor that makes vaccination campaigns in those nations more difficult is that there is little infrastructure for storing medical records, so there is often no easy way to determine who needs a particular vaccine. MIT researchers have now developed a novel way to record a patient’s vaccination history: storing the data in a pattern of dye, invisible to the naked eye, that is delivered under the skin at the same time as the vaccine. The researchers showed that their new dye, which consists of nanocrystals called quantum dots, can remain for at least five years under the skin, where it emits near-infrared light that can be detected by a specially equipped smartphone.

Scientists have developed a new gene-therapy technique by transforming human cells into mass producers of nano-sized particles full of genetic material that has the potential to reverse disease processes. Though the research was intended as a proof of concept, the experimental therapy slowed tumor growth and prolonged survival in mice with gliomas, which constitute about 80 percent of malignant brain tumors in humans.

Scientists have developed a new gene-therapy technique by transforming human cells into mass producers of nano-sized particles full of genetic material that has the potential to reverse disease processes. Though the research was intended as a proof of concept, the experimental therapy slowed tumor growth and prolonged survival in mice with gliomas, which constitute about 80 percent of malignant brain tumors in humans.

A multidisciplinary group of engineers and scientists has discovered a new method for water filtration that could have implications for a variety of technologies, such as desalination plants, breathable and protective fabrics, and carbon capture in gas separations. The artificial water channels developed by the researchers enable fast and selective water permeation through water-wire networks, which are synthetic nanoarchitectures that mimic the function of proteins that serve as water channels in cell membranes.

A multidisciplinary group of engineers and scientists has discovered a new method for water filtration that could have implications for a variety of technologies, such as desalination plants, breathable and protective fabrics, and carbon capture in gas separations. The artificial water channels developed by the researchers enable fast and selective water permeation through water-wire networks, which are synthetic nanoarchitectures that mimic the function of proteins that serve as water channels in cell membranes.

Researchers have unlocked the secret to one of the most useful nanostructures: the five-fold twin. Nanomaterials with this structure – the cross-section of which looks like a pie sliced into five symmetrical pieces – are used in medical research for imaging and tracking cancerous tumors and in electronics, where they are valued for their mechanical strength. The researchers discovered two different mechanisms for forming five-fold twinned nanostructures, both of which are shaped by the accumulation and elimination of strain toward an ideal shape that eliminates all strain.

Researchers have unlocked the secret to one of the most useful nanostructures: the five-fold twin. Nanomaterials with this structure – the cross-section of which looks like a pie sliced into five symmetrical pieces – are used in medical research for imaging and tracking cancerous tumors and in electronics, where they are valued for their mechanical strength. The researchers discovered two different mechanisms for forming five-fold twinned nanostructures, both of which are shaped by the accumulation and elimination of strain toward an ideal shape that eliminates all strain.

Researchers at Wake Forest University have created a new, carbon-neutral process that uses silver diphosphide nanocrystals as a novel catalyst to convert carbon dioxide pollution from manufacturing plants to a material called syngas, from which liquid fuel is made. The new catalyst allows the conversion of carbon dioxide into fuel with minimal energy loss, compared to the current state-of-the-art process.

Researchers at Wake Forest University have created a new, carbon-neutral process that uses silver diphosphide nanocrystals as a novel catalyst to convert carbon dioxide pollution from manufacturing plants to a material called syngas, from which liquid fuel is made. The new catalyst allows the conversion of carbon dioxide into fuel with minimal energy loss, compared to the current state-of-the-art process.

Researchers from Iowa State University, the University of Iowa, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison are working together to develop and test what they think could be a better way to fight the flu. They have loaded synthesized influenza proteins into nanoparticles made from biodegradable polymers. The nanoparticles are then incorporated into a nasal spray and delivered with a sniff. Preliminary studies have shown that the nanovaccine could activate both kinds of immune cells (T cells and B cells) and provide protection in the nose, throat, voice box, windpipe, and lungs.