Biological materials, as physical systems, comprise substances produced by or derived from living organisms, characterized by hierarchical organization from molecular to macroscopic scales and emergent structure–property relationships. They include tissues, extracellular matrices, biominerals, and biopolymers such as collagen, chitin, cellulose, and elastin. Their properties arise from complex architectures combining organic and often inorganic phases, enabling functions such as load bearing, protection, adhesion, and signal transduction. Biological materials exhibit viscoelasticity, anisotropy, self-healing, and adaptive remodeling under mechanical or biochemical stimuli, making them central model systems for biomechanics, biomimetics, and the design of advanced bioinspired and biomedical materials.
Some COVID-19 vaccines safely and effectively used lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to deliver messenger RNA to cells. A new MIT study shows that different nanoparticles could be used for a potential Alzheimer's disease (AD) therapy. ...
Bio & Medicine
Dec 11, 2023
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By giving living cells a "nano-poke" and monitoring the resulting changes in the intracellular environment, researchers have gotten their first glimpse of how whole cells respond to external mechanical pressure.
Bio & Medicine
Nov 21, 2023
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A research team in Japan, led by Nagoya University's Akira Yokoi, has developed an innovative technique using cellulose nanofiber (CNF) sheets derived from wood cellulose to capture extracellular vesicles (EVs) from fluid ...
Bio & Medicine
Nov 8, 2023
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The movement of electrons across wires is what allows us to use electricity every day. Biological nanowires, microscopic wires made of proteins, have caught researchers' attention for their ability to carry electrons over ...
Bio & Medicine
Nov 1, 2023
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Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed modular nanoparticles that can be easily customized to target different biological entities such as tumors, viruses or toxins. The surface of the nanoparticles ...
Bio & Medicine
Oct 30, 2023
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Eyelashes and brows catch dust and debris from entering eyes. The same idea goes for tiny nose and ear hairs. At a more microscopic level, the tiny hair-like cilia that line human cells help detect subtle environmental changes ...
Bio & Medicine
Oct 23, 2023
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A team of University of Waterloo researchers has created smart, advanced materials that will be the building blocks for a future generation of soft medical microrobots. They published their results in Nature Communications. ...
Nanomaterials
Oct 23, 2023
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158
A team of chemical and biological engineers working with a group of nanotechnologists at Northwestern University in Illinois has developed a type of super-strong colloidal crystal metamaterial by gluing together metal nanostructures ...
University of Oxford researchers have made a significant step towards realizing miniature bio-integrated devices, capable of directly stimulating cells. Their work has been published in the journal Nature.
Bio & Medicine
Aug 30, 2023
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45
Over the past few decades, material scientists and chemists have been working on designing increasingly sophisticated materials for a wide range of technological and scientific applications. These materials include synthetic ...
