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

Drugs that help prevent the formation of unwanted or harmful proteins are currently being developed to treat a number of diseases, including cancer. The drugs are based on small interfering RNA (siRNA), which are pieces of nucleic acids that interfere with the production of proteins. But getting these drugs to the right target remains challenging because siRNAs can degrade rapidly in the body. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and colleagues report on a hydrogel-based carrier that can deliver siRNAs directly to where they are needed.

Drugs that help prevent the formation of unwanted or harmful proteins are currently being developed to treat a number of diseases, including cancer. The drugs are based on small interfering RNA (siRNA), which are pieces of nucleic acids that interfere with the production of proteins. But getting these drugs to the right target remains challenging because siRNAs can degrade rapidly in the body. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and colleagues report on a hydrogel-based carrier that can deliver siRNAs directly to where they are needed.

Scientists have demonstrated a wireless sensor small enough to be implanted in the blood vessels of the human brain, so it could help clinicians evaluate the healing of aneurysms -- bulges that can cause death or serious injury if they burst.

Scientists have demonstrated a wireless sensor small enough to be implanted in the blood vessels of the human brain, so it could help clinicians evaluate the healing of aneurysms -- bulges that can cause death or serious injury if they burst.

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created the biggest computer chip yet made from carbon nanotubes: rolled up sheets of atom-thick graphene that conduct electricity at super-fast speeds. Some researchers hope that carbon nanotubes could be used in future computers, because they conduct electricity faster and more efficiently than silicon.

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created the biggest computer chip yet made from carbon nanotubes: rolled up sheets of atom-thick graphene that conduct electricity at super-fast speeds. Some researchers hope that carbon nanotubes could be used in future computers, because they conduct electricity faster and more efficiently than silicon.

Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory have created “resists”—materials that are used as templates for transferring circuit patterns into device-useful substrates such as silicon – that combine the organic polymer poly(methyl methacrylate), or PMMA, with inorganic aluminum oxide. These “hybrid” organic-inorganic resists enable the patterning of high-resolution silicon nanostructures with a high aspect ratio.

Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory have created “resists”—materials that are used as templates for transferring circuit patterns into device-useful substrates such as silicon – that combine the organic polymer poly(methyl methacrylate), or PMMA, with inorganic aluminum oxide. These “hybrid” organic-inorganic resists enable the patterning of high-resolution silicon nanostructures with a high aspect ratio.

Researchers from Northwestern University have developed a novel way to track how nanoparticles interact with cancer cells and whether they reach their targets. The team’s work shows that if a nanoparticle targets cancer cells, it undergoes more rotational and translational movement compared to nanoparticles that cannot target cancer cells effectively.

Researchers from Northwestern University have developed a novel way to track how nanoparticles interact with cancer cells and whether they reach their targets. The team’s work shows that if a nanoparticle targets cancer cells, it undergoes more rotational and translational movement compared to nanoparticles that cannot target cancer cells effectively.