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

(Funded by the National Institutes of Health)

Researchers from Boston Medical Center, Boston University, the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania, and Acuitas Therapeutics (Vancouver, BC) have found evidence that a novel stem cell treatment, using mRNA technology encapsulated into nanoparticles – which was successfully used to produce COVID-19 vaccine – may boost the natural repair mechanism of the liver to regress the diseased tissue caused by either an acute or chronic liver injury. "This potential treatment has important clinical implications for people suffering from chronic liver disease, allowing the liver to heal itself, and potentially avoiding the need for many liver transplants," said Valerie Gouon-Evans, the corresponding author of the study. "It's our hope that these findings, with further study, will be translated to clinical patient care to alleviate chronic liver disease and the need for transplants as a result of acute or chronic injury."

(Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy)

Self-propelled nanoparticles could potentially advance drug delivery and lab-on-a-chip systems -- but they are prone to random, directionless movements. Now, researchers from Penn State, the University of Toronto in Canada, and Heilongjiang University of Science and Technology in China have

redesigned the nanoparticles into a propeller shape to better control their movements and increase their functionality. The nanoparticles were redesigned with a machine that can 3D-print at the nanoscale in Penn State's Materials Research Institute.

This conference, which was held on Nov. 15, 2023, was organized to support the NNI’s nanoinformatics infrastructure and to foster greater connections among the nanoinformatics, nanosafety, and broader informatics communities. 

The NNI, with support from the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, has organized a series of roundtable discussions on promising areas that could have near-term impacts on climate change. This summary focuses on coatings, lubricants, membranes, and other interface technologies.

This profile article explores Rachel Miller's academic journey, her early interest in STEM, her personal and academic struggles, and how she became interested in nanoscience and, later, in scientific research. 

According to an independent study, the 2022 economic impact of nanotechnology on the U.S. economy was between $67 billion and $83 billion and close to a trillion dollars over the past two decades. 

In celebration of the 20-year anniversary of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office have announced a series of events to drive U.S. leadership in nanotechnology. Coordination across the government has allowed Americans to safely enjoy the benefits of nanotechnology, which has led to revolutions in technology and industry, including faster microchips, powerful mRNA vaccines, and clean energy technologies.  

(Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation)

Researchers from Rice University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Penn State, Texas A&M University, and the University of Texas at Arlington have mapped out the structural features of a 2D ferroelectric material made of tin and selenium atoms, showing how domains – areas of the material in which molecules are identically oriented – impact the behavior of the material. Unlike conventional ferroelectrics, in which atoms are bound by a rigid lattice, in the tin–selenite crystal, the forces that bind the atoms together are weaker. "The material belongs to a special class of 2D materials, known as van der Waals ferroelectrics, whose properties could serve to design next-generation, ultra-thin data storage devices and sensors," said Chuqiao Shi, one of the scientists involved in this study.

The NNI, with support from the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, has organized a series of roundtable discussions on promising areas that could have near-term impacts (four years or less) on climate change. This summary focuses on batteries and energy storage.

(Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy)

Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have developed a synthetic form of a peptide that self-assembles into nanoscale fibers that conduct electricity when combined with heme. Heme is a substance that helps proteins in nature move electrons from one place to another, and a peptide consists of a short chain of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins. This study's results help researchers design peptide assemblies that form nanoscale fibers and transport electrons over long distances, which could make these fibers useful in medical devices, biosensors, and robotics.