Currently, computerized automated systems deliver drugs intravenously in exact volumes to hospital patients. However, these intravenous (IV) drug delivery systems cannot recognize which medications are in the tubing nor can they determine the concentration of the drug. A group of electrical and computer engineering students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) have developed… »
Hydrogels are gelatinous substances with several biomedical applications, including cartilage repair, implants for minimally invasive surgery and drug delivery. Most hydrogels are weak, brittle, and of low mechanical strength. They also exhibit limited extensibility, recoverability, and poor toughness. On the other hand, double-network hydrogels exhibit high mechanical strength, excellent recoverable properties, and a unique, free-shapeable… »
Researchers from the University of Illinois are making tracks in synthetic biology by designing non-electronic biological machines. They used a 3D printer to combine hydrogel and heart cells to create bio-robots. These functional machines are biocompatible and soft, and they are able to move by themselves. Once perfected, these bio-bots could be altered and specialized… »
Aside the technology being used to generate the energy from the sun, the efficiency of solar panels also depends on the cleanliness of the panels. Moisture and dust debris piled up on their surface require time consuming and costly maintenance, however, a group of researchers from the University of Pennsylvania used bio-inspiration to develop a… »
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) have developed a new approach for making biocompatible vesicles that can carry drugs to their targets in the body. By starting with a protein that is found in sunflower seeds, they used genetic engineering to make a variety of protein molecules that assemble into biocompatible vesicles and other… »
University of California, San Diego bioengineers have developed a smart and easy-to-synthesize self-healing hydrogels that consist of linked chains of polymer molecules which are capable to self-heal in aqueous environment. This jello-like material’s ability to self-heal, bind in seconds and form a bond strong enough to withstand repeated stretching could find uses in biology, medicine,… »
Researchers at Delft University of Technology and the University of Basel have created a biomimetic nanopore that provides a unique test and measurement platform for the way that proteins move into a cell’s nucleus. The biomimetic pore is fully functional and able to act selective, thus it can be used as a testing platform for… »
