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Category: nanotechnology – Page 5

Hair-width LEDs could eventually replace lasers

LEDs no wider than a human hair could soon take on work traditionally handled by lasers, from moving data inside server racks to powering next-generation displays. New research co-authored by UC Santa Barbara doctoral student Roark Chao points to a practical path forward. The study is published in the journal Optics Express.

“We’re talking about devices that are literally the size of a hair follicle,” said Chao, who studies electrical engineering. “If you can engineer how the light comes out, those microLEDs can start to replace lasers in short-distance data communication.”

The work builds on UCSB’s longstanding strengths in gallium nitride research and optoelectronics. Chao is co-advised by Steven P. DenBaars and Jon A. Schuller, both co-authors on the study, which also includes Nobel laureate Shuji Nakamura, whose pioneering work on blue LEDs transformed global lighting and display technologies. The research was conducted in the laboratories of the DenBaars/Nakamura and Schuller groups, where teams focus on gallium nitride materials growth and nanoscale photonics.

How chronic inflammation rewires macrophages

TIL therapy for glioblastoma.

Tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy has demonstrated encouraging efficacy in melanoma and nonsmall-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and is now being explored for glioblastoma despite its immunologically ‘cold’ microenvironment.

Recent studies confirm that functional TILs can be expanded from cold tumors such as glioblastoma, including solid tumor resections and aspirates, overcoming previous feasibility concerns.

Advances in cytokine support, gene editing, and artificial antigen-presenting cells (APCs) are improving TIL persistence, cytotoxicity, and manufacturing scalability.

Focused ultrasound and nanoparticle delivery offer innovative solutions to enhance TIL infiltration across the blood– brain barrier. Integration of spatial multi-omics enables high-resolution mapping of immune niches and identification of tumorreactive clones.

Combination strategies with checkpoint blockade, myeloid modulation, and oncolytic virotherapy are emerging as rational paths to enhance TIL efficacy sciencenewshighlights ScienceMission https://sciencemission.com/TIL-therapy-17895

Continue reading “How chronic inflammation rewires macrophages” | >

Frontiers: Biological membranes are complex, heterogeneous, and dynamic systems that play roles in the compartmentalization and protection of cells from the environment

It is still a challenge to elucidate kinetics and real-time transport routes for molecules through biological membranes in live cells. Currently, by developing and employing super-resolution microscopy; increasing evidence indicates channels and transporter nano-organization and dynamics within membranes play an important role in these regulatory mechanisms. Here we review recent advances and discuss the major advantages and disadvantages of using super-resolution microscopy to investigate protein organization and transport within plasma membranes.

The mammalian plasma membrane (PM) is a complex assembly of lipids and proteins that separates the cell’s interior from the outside environment (Ingolfsson et al., 2014). The multiple collective processes that take place within membranes have a strong impact not only on the cellular behavior but also on its biochemistry. Understanding these processes poses a challenge due to the often complex and multiple interactions among membrane components (Stone et al., 2017). Moreover, the PM surface accommodates different types of lipid and protein clusters (Saka et al., 2014; Owen et al., 2012; Sezgin, 2017), even though the functional role of the clustering on the membrane surface has not yet been fully understood.

Engineered nanoparticles could deliver better targeted cancer treatment to lymph nodes

Scientists at McGill University and the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute have developed a new way to deliver cancer immunotherapy that caused fewer side effects compared to standard treatment in a preclinical study. The work is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The experimental approach is designed to treat cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes, a difficult-to-treat stage of the disease. Today, most immunotherapies are delivered by intravenous (IV) infusion and circulate throughout the body. This can trigger immune responses in healthy tissues, leading to serious side effects.

“Some immunotherapies cause such severe side effects that clinicians are forced to lower the dose, making treatment less effective,” said senior author Guojun Chen, Assistant Professor in McGill’s Department of Biomedical Engineering and member of the Goodman Cancer Institute. “Our approach could allow for higher, more effective doses while limiting toxicity, which is a major goal in cancer treatment.”

Nanotubes unlock new wavelengths for smarter sensing

Sensors made of carbon nanotubes that can measure infrared and terahertz radiation are being tested for uses ranging from detecting damaged cables after earthquakes, to collecting health data via ultrathin wearable devices, and assisting with pharmaceutical quality control, say researchers in Japan.

“Accurately visualizing the internal structures of organisms and objects is integral to our daily lives, from medical imaging to security scanning in airports,” and terahertz sensors built from carbon nanotubes are uniquely suited to this purpose, says Yukio Kawano is a professor of engineering at Chuo University in Tokyo, and project leader at the Kanagawa Institute of Industrial Science and Technology (KISTEC) in Japan.

Compared with many sensor technologies that can only detect one part of the electromagnetic spectrum, Kawano’s team is working to create sensors that can detect terahertz and a broader range of radiation, and use them to produce high-resolution images.

Groundbreaking 2D Nanomaterial Rolls Into a New Dimension

MXene nanoscrolls transform flat 2D materials into conductive 1D structures, unlocking advances in energy storage, sensing, wearables, and superconductivity. Nearly 15 years after identifying a versatile two-dimensional conductive nanomaterial known as MXene, researchers at Drexel University have

Sometimes less is more: Messier nanoparticles may actually deliver drugs more effectively than tightly packed ones

The tiny fatty capsules that deliver COVID-19 mRNA vaccines into billions of arms may work better when they’re a little disorganized. That’s the surprising finding from researchers who developed a new way to examine these drug-delivery vehicles one particle at a time—revealing that cramming in more medicine doesn’t always mean better results.

The research was presented at the 70th Biophysical Society Annual Meeting, held in San Francisco from February 21–25, 2026.

Lipid nanoparticles, or LNPs, are microscopic bubbles of fat that can ferry fragile RNA molecules into cells. They were crucial to the success of mRNA vaccines, and scientists are now working to use them to deliver treatments for cancer, genetic diseases, and other conditions. But there’s a problem: only about 1% to 5% of the cargo inside LNPs actually gets released inside cells.

Chemistry-powered ‘breathing’ membrane opens and closes tiny pores on its own

Ion channels are narrow passageways that play a pivotal role in many biological processes. To model how ions move through these tight spaces, pores need to be fabricated at very small length scales. The narrowest regions of ion channels can be just a few angstroms wide, about the size of individual atoms, making reproducible and precise fabrication a major challenge in modern nanotechnology.

In a study published in Nature Communications, researchers at The University of Osaka have addressed this challenge by using a miniature electrochemical reactor to create ultra-small pores approaching subnanometer dimensions.

In biological cells, ions flow in and out through channels in cell membranes. This ion flow is the basis for generating electrical signals, such as nerve impulses that trigger muscle contraction. The channels themselves are made of proteins and can have angstrom-wide narrow regions. Conformational changes of these proteins in response to external stimuli open and close the channels.

Transistor-like MXene membranes enhance ion separation

By applying voltage to electrically control a new “transistor” membrane, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) achieved real-time tuning of ion separations—a capability previously thought impossible. The recent work, which could make precision separation processes like water treatment, drug delivery and rare earth element extraction more efficient, was published in Science Advances.

The membranes are made of stacks of MXenes —2D sheets that are only a few atoms thick. Ions squeeze through nanoscale channels formed in the gaps between the stacked MXene layers.

Until now, scientists thought MXene membrane properties were intrinsic and unchangeable once created. The rate of ion transport was thought to be baked in from the beginning.

Kirigami-inspired sensors precisely map activity of neurons in the primate brain

Recent technological advances have opened new exciting possibilities for the development of smart prosthetics, such as artificial limbs, joints or organs that can replace injured, damaged or amputated body parts. These same advances are also enabling the development of other systems that connect the brain with machines, to record the activity of neurons or allow humans to operate machines in entirely new ways.

Researchers at the Chinese Institute for Brain Research, the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology in Beijing and other institutes recently developed a new flexible and implantable sensor that can record the activity of neurons in the brain of non-human primates. The sensing device, introduced in a paper published in Nature Electronics, is inspired by kirigami, an artistic discipline that entails the creation of intricate structures by folding and cutting paper in specific ways.

“The development of brain–computer interfaces requires implantable microelectrode arrays that can interface with numerous neurons across large spatial and temporal scales,” wrote Runjiu Fang, Huihui Tian and their colleagues in their paper.

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