‘Drug factory’ Implants Eliminate Ovarian, Colorectal Cancer in Mice

Rice University bioengineers Amanda Nash (left) and Omid Veiseh with vials of bead-like “drug factories” they created to treat cancer. The beads are designed to continuously produce natural compounds that program the immune system to attack tumors. (Photo by Jeff Fitlow/Rice University)

Immunotherapy treatment could begin human clinical trials this year. Rice University bioengineers have shown they can eradicate advanced-stage ovarian and colorectal cancer in mice in as little as six days with a treatment that could be ready for human clinical trials later this year.

The researchers used implantable “drug factories” the size of a pinhead to deliver continuous, high doses of interleukin2, a natural compound that activates white blood cells to fight cancer...

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New Research Advances Wearable Medical Sensors

In recent research papers, Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, assistant professor of engineering science and mechanics at Penn State, addresses challenges in the wearable health devices space, such as using materials that can withstand humid environments and integrating self-charging technology. Credit: Kate Myers. All Rights Reserved.

Self-powered sensors are key to more accurate, continuous health monitoring. Monitoring vitals and diagnosing ailments can be clunky, painful and inconvenient. But researchers like Huanyu “Larry” Cheng, Dorothy Quiggle Career Development Assistant Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Penn State, are working to improve health monitoring by creating wearable sensors that collect data for clinicians while limiting discomfort for patients.

Since joining t...

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A Solar Illusion: Coronal Loops May Not Be What They Seem

Apparent coronal loops observed by NASA’s Transition Region And Coronal Explorer (TRACE) spacecraft. Credit: NASA/TRACE

New study challenges long-held assumptions about the structure of the sun’s atmosphere. Many coronal loops — ropey strands of plasma that scientists have long thought existed in the Sun’s atmosphere — may actually be optical illusions, according to a new paper that challenges prevailing assumptions of what we know, and don’t know, about the Sun.

The research, led by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and published in The Astrophysical Journal, relied on a cutting-edge, realistic 3D simulation of the solar corona...

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New Lightweight Super Material could Battle Bullets, Deflect Space Debris

This illustration shows a high-speed microprojectile penetrating the researchers’ nanofiber mat, which consists of carbon nanotubes and Kevlar nanofibers. Image courtesy of Ramathasan Thevamaran.

University of Wisconsin–Madison engineers have created a nanofiber material that outperforms its widely used counterparts—including steel plates and Kevlar fabric—in protecting against high-speed projectile impacts.

Basically, it’s better than bulletproof.

“Our nanofiber mats exhibit protective properties that far surpass other material systems at much lighter weight,” says Ramathasan Thevamaran, a UW–Madison assistant professor of engineering physics who led the research.

He and his collaborators detailed the advance in a paper published recently in the journal ACS Nano.

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