A team of researchers at Vanderbilt University has developed a system of artificial cilia capable of monitoring mucus conditions in human airways to better detect infection, airway obstruction, or the severity of diseases like Cystic Fibrosis (CF), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases (COPD) and lung cancer. The lead researcher was funded by an NIH/NIBIB Trailblazer Award. Source: Vanderbilt School of Engineering

In a study published in Small, researchers at the University of Rochester outline a new method for using ultrathin membranes to easily identify extracellular vesicles for rapid liquid biopsies. The method, called catch and display for liquid biopsy (CAD-LB), holds promise for diagnosing cancer quickly and affordably, and assessing the progress of therapies used to treat diseases. Source: University of Rochester News

Metastasis remains the primary challenge to reducing cancer deaths worldwide. Now, a study by Memorial Sloan Kettering, published in Nature is providing unique insights into metastasis that researchers say point to new therapeutic opportunities. Source: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center News

In a study published in Small, researchers at the University of Rochester outline a new method for using ultrathin membranes to easily identify extracellular vesicles for rapid liquid biopsies. The method, called catch and display for liquid biopsy (CAD-LB), holds promise for diagnosing cancer quickly and affordably, and assessing the progress of therapies used to treat diseases.  Source: University of Rochester News Center

A team of engineers at the University of Houston has published a study in the journal Nature on how international air travel has influenced the spread of COVID-19 around the world. By using a newly developed AI tool, the team identified hotspots of infection linked to air traffic, pinpointing key areas that significantly contribute to disease transmission. Source: University of Houston Newsroom

Researchers at Washington University Medicine have reduced scar formation and improved heart function in mouse models of heart failure using a monoclonal antibody treatment. The antibody that reduces inflammation could serve as cardio-immunotherapy for heart failure patients.  Source: WashU Medicine  

The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) has solved a challenge that has long stymied researchers, reimagining the process of creating hydrogels to build a powerful semiconductor in hydrogel form that can be used to create better brain-machine interfaces, biosensors, and pacemakers. Source: UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering News.

A team of researchers at Penn State College of Medicine and collaborators from five institutes have developed a new 3D atlas of developing mice brains using advanced imaging and microscopy techniques. The new high-resolution maps of the mouse brain will help advance the understanding of brain development and the study of neurodevelopment disorders. 

Source: Penn State Research News

Labs that can’t afford expensive super-resolution microscopes could use a new expansion technique to image nanoscale structures inside cells. Source: MIT News