Squid tissues and chemistry combine for versatile hydrogels

Researchers at Hokkaido University in Japan have combined natural squid tissues with synthetic polymers to develop a strong and versatile hydrogel that mimics many of the unique properties of biological tissues. Hydrogels ...

An electrochemical biosensor for antibody detection

The quantitative detection of specific antibodies in complex samples such as blood can provide information on many different diseases but usually requires a complicated laboratory procedure. A new method for the rapid, inexpensive, ...

Synthetic cells communicate with organic cells

Many things are already possible when it comes to mimicking organic cells. For example, Jan van Hest's group has developed a synthetic cell platform in which all kinds of cell aspects can be mimicked in order to better understand ...

Turning white blood cells into medicinal microrobots with light

Medicinal microrobots could help physicians better treat and prevent diseases. But most of these devices are made with synthetic materials that trigger immune responses in vivo. Now, for the first time, researchers reporting ...

Nanoparticle 'backpacks' restore damaged stem cells

Within a newborn's umbilical cord lie potentially life-saving stem cells that can be used to fight diseases like lymphoma and leukemia. That is why many new parents elect to store ("bank") their infant's stem cell-rich umbilical ...

Possible new antivirals against COVID-19, herpes

In addition to antibodies and white blood cells, the immune system deploys peptides to fight viruses and other pathogens. Synthetic peptides could reinforce this defense but don't last long in the body, so researchers are ...

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