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Category: biotech/medical – Page 645

Escaping the endosome: BEND lipids improve LNP mRNA delivery and gene editing

Every time a shuttle docks with the International Space Station (ISS), a delicate dance unfolds between the shuttle’s docking system and its counterpart on the station. Thanks to international standards, these mechanisms are universally compatible, ensuring astronauts and cargo can safely and seamlessly enter the station.

A similar challenge arises at the microscopic level when (LNPs)—the revolutionary drug vehicles behind the COVID-19 vaccines—attempt to deliver mRNA to cells. Optimizing the design and delivery of LNPs can greatly enhance their ability to deliver mRNA successfully, empowering cells with the disease-fighting instructions needed to transform medicine.

MRNA-based drugs successfully delivered to intestine—without passing through the liver

Researchers at Tel Aviv University have achieved a breakthrough in drug delivery: they have successfully transported lipid nanoparticles encapsulating messenger RNA (mRNA) to the immune system of the small and large intestines—bypassing the liver upon systemic administration. By simply altering the composition of the nanoparticles, the researchers demonstrated that mRNA-based drugs can be directed straight to target cells, avoiding the liver.

The Tel Aviv University study was led by post-doctoral fellow Dr. Riccardo Rampado together with Vice President for R&D Prof. Dan Peer, a pioneer in the development of mRNA therapeutics and Director of the Laboratory of Precision Nano-Medicine at the Shmunis School of Biomedical and Cancer Research. The study was published on the cover of the journal Advanced Science.

“Everything injected into the bloodstream eventually ends up in the liver—that’s just how our anatomy works,” explains Prof. Peer. “This poses two challenges. First, drugs intended to target specific cells in particular organs may be toxic to the liver. Second, we don’t want drugs to get ‘stuck’ in the liver.

Encoding many properties in one material via 3D printing

A class of synthetic soft materials called liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) can change shape in response to heat, similar to how muscles contract and relax in response to signals from the nervous system. 3D printing these materials opens new avenues to applications, ranging from soft robots and prosthetics to compression textiles.

Controlling the material’s properties requires squeezing this elastomer-forming ink through the of a 3D printer, which induces changes to the ink’s internal structure and aligns rigid building blocks known as mesogens at the molecular scale. However, achieving specific, targeted alignment, and resulting properties, in these shape-morphing materials has required extensive trial and error to fully optimize printing conditions. Until now.

In a new study, researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), Princeton University, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Brookhaven National Laboratory worked together to write a playbook for printing liquid crystal elastomers with predictable, controllable alignment, and hence properties, every time.

3D printing approach for shape-changing materials means better biomedical, energy, robotics devices

An Oregon State University researcher has helped create a new 3D printing approach for shape-changing materials that are likened to muscles, opening the door for improved applications in robotics as well as biomedical and energy devices.

The liquid crystalline elastomer structures printed by Devin Roach of the OSU College of Engineering and collaborators can crawl, fold and snap directly after printing. The study is published in the journal Advanced Materials.

“LCEs are basically soft motors,” said Roach, assistant professor of mechanical engineering. “Since they’re soft, unlike regular motors, they work great with our inherently soft bodies. So they can be used as implantable medical devices, for example, to deliver drugs at targeted locations, as stents for procedures in target areas, or as urethral implants that help with incontinence.”

Asimov Press’ New Book, Written in DNA

CATALOG, a DNA computing company, synthesized and assembled millions of nucleotides of DNA into thousands of individual strands in their Boston laboratories. That DNA was then shipped to France, where Imagene, a company specializing in robust and room-temperature storage solutions, packaged the molecules into laser-sealed, stainless steel capsules. Each capsule was sealed under an inert atmosphere — meaning there is no oxygen or moisture inside the capsule — preserving the DNA inside for tens of thousands of years. And finally, Plasmidsaurus “read” the DNA book at their headquarters in California and submitted the final sequence to the internet for everyone to enjoy. You can check out the book’s DNA sequence at CATALOG’s website, or by scanning the QR code at the bottom of this article.

Pre-Order

We’ve made 1,000 DNA capsules in total. Each capsule comes with a custom-designed display stand and a printed copy of the book. Pre-orders are open today and orders will ship in February. Our first book sold out, and we are not planning to do additional print runs. If you need any help with your order, would like to request international shipping, or plan to order more than ten copies, please email [email protected]. We’ll do our best to help!

A novel biomaterial for regenerative medicine: Scientists develop acellular nanocomposite living hydrogels

A biomaterial that can mimic certain behaviors within biological tissues could advance regenerative medicine, disease modeling, soft robotics and more, according to researchers at Penn State.

Materials created up to this point to mimic tissues and extracellular matrices (ECMs)—the body’s biological scaffolding of proteins and molecules that surrounds and supports tissues and cells—have all had limitations that hamper their practical applications, according to the team. To overcome some of those limitations, the researchers developed a bio-based, “living” material that encompasses self-healing properties and mimics the biological response of ECMs to .

They published their results in Materials Horizons, where the research was also featured on the cover of the journal.

Artificially Grown Tissue Repairs Heart Failure in Monkeys

German scientists have created lab-grown “patches” of heart muscle tissue derived from pluripotent stem cells. Following a success with rhesus monkeys, they have obtained approval for a human trial [1].

Wear and tear

As one of the most hard-working tissues in the body, the heart muscle is subject to incessant wear and tear due to aging and various health conditions. Unsurprisingly, heart failure is one of the most common age-related causes of death.

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