Hydrogel could open new path for Glaucoma Treatment without Drugs or Surgery

A microneedle less than a millimeter in length is used to inject a natural and biodegradable polymer material into a structure in the eye. The material forms a hydrogel that holds open a pathway to release pressure from the eye. (Credit: Gary Meek, Georgia Tech)

Researchers have developed a potential new treatment for the eye disease glaucoma that could replace daily eye drops and surgery with a twice-a-year injection to control the buildup of pressure in the eye. The researchers envision the injection being done as an office procedure that could be part of regular patient visits.

The possible treatment, which could become the first non-drug, non-surgical, long-acting therapy for glaucoma, uses the injection of a natural and biodegradable material to create a viscous hydrogel — a wa...

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Breakthrough Optical Sensor mimics human Eye, a key step toward better AI

1. (a) Cross-sectional diagram of the photosensitive capacitor employed as a retinomorphic sensor. Au is gold, Perovskite is methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI3), SiO2 is silicon dioxide, and Si++ is highly doped (conducting) silicon. (b) Circuit diagram of the measurement setup. (c) Optical power density (P
P) incident on the sensor as a function of time. (d) Experimentally measured VR
R as a function of time.

Researchers at Oregon State University are making key advances with a new type of optical sensor that more closely mimics the human eye’s ability to perceive changes in its visual field.

The sensor is a major breakthrough for fields such as image recognition, robotics and artificial intelligence...

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New Sunspot Cycle could be one of the Strongest on Record, new research predicts

A visualization of the magnetic bands moving toward the equator and "terminating"
LEFT: Oppositely charged magnetic bands, represented in red and blue, march toward the equator over a 22-year period. When they meet at the equator, they annihilate one another.

RIGHT: The top animation shows the total sunspot number (black) and the contributions from the north (red) and south (blue) hemispheres. The bottom shows the location of the spots.

Scientists use an extended, 22-year solar cycle to make the forecast. In direct contradiction to the official forecast, a team of scientists led by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) is predicting that the Sunspot Cycle that started this fall could be one of the strongest since record-keeping began.

In a new article published in Solar Physics, the research team predicts that Sunspot Cycle 25 will peak with a maximu...

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CRISPR-edited CAR T cells enhance fight against Blood Cancers

t cells
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Knocking out a protein known to stifle T cell activation on CAR T cells using the CRISPR/Cas9 technology enhanced the engineered T cells’ ability to eliminate blood cancers, according to new preclinical data from researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Penn’s Abramson Cancer Center.

The findings will be presented as an oral presentation at the 62nd American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting & Exposition on Dec. 7 (abstract 554).

The team knocked out the CD5 gene — which encodes for the CD5 protein on the surface of T cells and can inhibit their activation — on CAR T cells using CRISPR-Cas9 and infused them back into mice with T- and B-cell leukemia or lymphoma...

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