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Category: biotech/medical – Page 36

Lead-free alternative discovered for essential electronics component

Ferroelectric materials are used in infrared cameras, medical ultrasounds, computer memory and actuators that turn electric properties into mechanical properties and vice-versa. Most of these essential materials, however, contain lead and can therefore be toxic.

“For the last 10 years, there has been a huge initiative all over the world to find that do not contain lead,” said Laurent Bellaiche, Distinguished Professor of physics at the University of Arkansas.

The atoms in a ferroelectric material can have more than one . Where two crystalline structures meet is called a phase boundary, and the properties that make ferroelectric materials useful are strongest at these boundaries.

Strange Structures Found Lurking in The Blood of People With Long COVID

A hidden physical change in the body may be helping to drive the prolonged malaise some people experience after contracting COVID-19.

Analyzing blood samples from patients with long COVID, a team of medical researchers has identified unusual microscopic structures that may contribute to symptoms such as brain fog and fatigue. If this is the case, it offers a hopeful target for future treatment.

“This study shows a robust association between biomarkers indicative of thromboinflammatory activity and long COVID,” the team writes in a paper led by geneticist Alain Thierry of Montpellier University in France.

CRISPR breakthrough reverses chemotherapy resistance in lung cancer

In a major step forward for cancer care, researchers at ChristianaCare’s Gene Editing Institute have shown that disabling the NRF2 gene with CRISPR technology can reverse chemotherapy resistance in lung cancer. The approach restores drug sensitivity and slows tumor growth. The findings are published in the journal Molecular Therapy Oncology.

This breakthrough stems from more than a decade of research by the Gene Editing Institute into the NRF2 gene, a known driver of treatment resistance. The results were consistent across multiple in vitro studies using human lung cancer cell lines and in vivo animal models.

“We’ve seen compelling evidence at every stage of research,” said Kelly Banas, Ph.D., lead author of the study and associate director of research at the Gene Editing Institute. “It’s a strong foundation for taking the next step toward clinical trials.”

Gene ‘switch’ reverses Alzheimer’s risk in experimental model

University of Kentucky researchers have developed a new experimental model that could point the way toward more effective Alzheimer’s disease treatments by targeting one of the brain’s most important genes for risk and resilience.

The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, focuses on apolipoprotein E (APOE), a gene long known to play a major role in Alzheimer’s disease. The team created a first-of-its-kind mouse model that allows scientists to “flip a switch,” changing the high-risk version of the gene (APOE4) to the protective form (APOE2) in adult animals.

Advancing Drug Discovery with Artificial Intelligence

Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) have emerged as popular vehicles for delivering various types of drugs such as mRNA and gene therapy. While these nanoparticles are effective in transporting therapeutic payloads, their components can interact with the human body, potentially causing genotoxicity — damage to the recipient’s genetic material that may lead to inheritable mutations or cancer. In this webinar brought to you by Inotiv, Shambhu Roy will discuss how to test the genotoxicity of LNP-based therapeutics to ensure the safety of these innovative drug delivery systems.

We’ll chat about these topics.

• Understanding the key components of LNP delivery systems • Genotoxicity testing for LNP-based drugs during preclinical safety assessment • Selecting the appropriate assays to meet regulatory requirements.

New Flu Strain Poised for Possible Takeover

Although the flu season seems off to a quiet start in the US, warnings from abroad suggest that a new strain may yet shake up the US healthcare system. New data reported in the British Medical Journal showed a significant increase in flu rates in the UK, largely among young adults and school-aged children. The cases are dominated by a new H3N2 strain, which mutated several times over the summer, increasing in severity, according to experts.

Data from Canada, UK, and Japan reveal an H3N2 flu variant that may affect 2025–2026 season.

Fibromyalgia: A Review of the Pathophysiological Mechanisms and Multidisciplinary Treatment Strategies

Fibromyalgia is a syndrome characterized by chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain, which may or may not be associated with muscle or joint stiffness, accompanied by other symptoms such as fatigue, sleep disturbances, anxiety, and depression. It is a highly prevalent condition globally, being considered the third most common musculoskeletal disorder, following lower back pain and osteoarthritis. It is more prevalent in women than in men, and although it can occur at any age, it is more common between the ages of thirty and thirty-five. Although the pathophysiology and etiopathogenesis remain largely unknown, three underlying processes in fibromyalgia have been investigated. These include central sensitization, associated with an increase in the release of both excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters; peripheral sensitization, involving alterations in peripheral nociceptor signaling; and inflammatory and immune mechanisms that develop concurrently with the aforementioned processes. Furthermore, it has been determined that genetic, endocrine, psychological, and sleep disorders may influence the development of this pathology. The accurate diagnosis of fibromyalgia remains challenging as it lacks specific diagnostic biomarkers, which are still under investigation. Nonetheless, diagnostic approaches to the condition have evolved based on the use of scales and questionnaires for pain identification. The complexity associated with this pathology makes it difficult to establish a single effective treatment. Therefore, treatment is multidisciplinary, involving both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions aimed at alleviating symptoms. The non-pharmacological treatments outlined in this review are primarily related to physiotherapy interventions. The effectiveness of physical exercise, both on land and in water, as well as the application of electrotherapy combined with transcranial therapy and manual therapy has been highlighted. All of these interventions aim to improve the quality of life of patients highly affected by fibromyalgia.

Soft robot powered by edible pneumatic battery and actuator

Using common kitchen ingredients such as citric acid and sodium bicarbonate, scientists have created an edible pneumatic battery and valve system to power soft robots.

Soft, biodegradable robots are used in various fields, such as and targeted drug delivery, and are designed to completely disappear after performing their tasks. However, the main problem with them is that they rely on conventional batteries (such as lithium), which are toxic and non-biodegradable. And until now, no successful system has been developed that can provide repeated, self-sustained motion using only edible materials.

In a new paper published in the journal Advanced Science, researchers from Dario Floreano’s Laboratory of Intelligent Systems at EPFL in Switzerland describe how they developed a fully edible power source (), a valve system (controller), and an actuator (the robot’s muscle).

A little-known desert berry may hold the key to fighting diabetes

Scientists may have uncovered a surprising new weapon in the fight against diabetes: the fruit of an ancient desert plant. Known as Nitraria roborowskii Kom, this resilient shrub has long been used in traditional medicine but has only recently gained scientific attention. In modern experiments, its fruit extract displayed a remarkable ability to reverse insulin resistance and restore healthy metabolism in diabetic mice.

The results went far beyond stabilizing blood sugar. Researchers found that the extract also corrected lipid imbalances and reduced oxidative stress, two major complications of diabetes. These effects were linked to the activation of a key cellular signaling pathway that helps regulate metabolism. Taken together, the findings suggest a powerful new direction for developing safer, more natural treatments for diabetes, one of the world’s most common chronic diseases.

As the number of people living with diabetes continues to climb, potentially reaching 750 million by 2045, scientists are urgently seeking better ways to manage the condition. Current medications can treat symptoms but often fail to tackle the root causes of metabolic dysfunction and may cause side effects over time. This challenge has driven researchers to reexamine traditional medicines in search of untapped therapeutic compounds.

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