Polymers News and Research

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Researchers produce novel microparticles

A team of researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Michigan/USA has produced novel microparticles, whose surface consists of three chemically different segments.

24 Feb 2014

Researchers develop new method to obtain three chemically different patches on same microparticle

Micromachines, nanorobots, multifunctional drug transporters, and matrices for tissue growth – these and many other applications would benefit from three-dimensional microstructures that present different (bio)chemical ligands that offer control over directionality. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, a team of German and American researchers has now reported the production of microparticles whose surface consists of three separate areas (“patches”) that can be decorated with three different (bio)molecules.

21 Feb 2014

Researchers receive $3M grant to develop targeted cancer drugs and repair damaged arteries

The National Institutes of Health has awarded grants totaling $3 million for two nanoparticle research projects in which Penn State bioengineer Jian Yang is co-principal investigator.

19 Feb 2014

New receptors act as biological postal code for treating cancer

Scientists have discovered that a polymer can provide a key to get into tumors: Prof. Prasad Shastri, Director of the Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry and core member of the cluster of excellence BIOSS Centre for Biological Signalling Studies at the University of Freiburg, and graduate students Julia Voigt and Jon Christensen have developed a new paradigm to home nanoparticles, containers that measure a few 100 nanometers in size, to endothelial cells.

11 Feb 2014

New method to build tiny degradable 'medicine factories' inside the body

A factory built of gel does not sound very durable. But the new type of micro-factories invented by researchers at Aarhus University do not have to last.

9 Feb 2014

Robotic surgery holds promise for patients with infective endocarditis

A potentially fatal bacterial disease of the heart, infective endocarditis frequently affects the heart's tricuspid valve, often resulting in permanent tissue damage.

28 Jan 2014

New injectable material delivers drug therapies and sensor technology to targeted areas in human body

A new injectable material designed to deliver drug therapies and sensor technology to targeted areas within the human body is being developed by a Texas A&M University biomedical engineer who says the system can lock its payload in place and control how it is released.

23 Jan 2014

Nottingham scientists use MRI technology to assist in treatment, diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome

Scientists at The University of Nottingham are leading the world in exploiting MRI technology to assist in the treatment and diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), a condition that causes serious inconvenience and discomfort to sufferers.

10 Jan 2014

Nottingham scientists exploit MRI technology to assist in the treatment of IBS

Scientists at The University of Nottingham are leading the world in exploiting MRI technology to assist in the treatment and diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, a condition that causes serious inconvenience and discomfort to sufferers.

9 Jan 2014

Reflux disease diagnosis: an interview with Professor Peter Dettmar, Managing Director of RD Biomed Limited

Generally speaking, reflux has been a major chronic issue for probably the last 40 or 50 years. When you look at the global population, depending on which country we're talking about, around 20% to 40% of individuals have reflux disease within their populations.

23 Dec 2013

KIT researchers develop novel gel for biological and medical applications

A novel method developed by researchers from Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Jacobs University Bremen enables manufacturing of polymer layers with tailor-made properties and multiple functions: A stable porous gel (SURGEL) for biological and medical applications is obtained from a metal-organic framework (SURMOF) grown up on a substrate.

19 Dec 2013

Professor wins $1M to create medical devices that lead to greater control of prosthetics in soldiers

Dr. Walter Voit, assistant professor of materials science and engineering and mechanical engineering at The University of Texas at Dallas, has been awarded $1 million to create medical devices that will lead to greater control of prosthetics in wounded soldiers.

17 Dec 2013

Researchers discover easy-to-use method for bonding gels and biological tissues

Researchers have discovered an efficient and easy-to-use method for bonding together gels and biological tissues. A team headed by Ludwik Leibler, involving researchers from the Laboratoire Matière Molle et Chimie (CNRS/ESPCI ParisTech) and the Laboratoire Physico-Chimie des Polymères et Milieux Dispersés (CNRS/ UPMC/ESPCI ParisTech), has succeeded in obtaining very strong adhesion between two gels by spreading on their surface a solution containing nanoparticles.

12 Dec 2013

IBN and IBM discover new medical application for converted PET bottles

Researchers at Singapore's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) and California's IBM Research - Almaden (IBM) have discovered a new, potentially life-saving application for polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is widely used to make plastic bottles.

10 Dec 2013

Wrapping in low molecular weight poly can help stabilize hemoglobin

A UConn research team has found a way to stabilize hemoglobin, the oxygen carrier protein in the blood, a discovery that could lead to the development of stable vaccines and affordable artificial blood substitutes.

4 Dec 2013

VRC scientists receive $2.2M grant to develop new resin composite dental fillings

The American Dental Association and the ADA Foundation today announced that the foundation's Anthony Volpe Research Center (VRC) received a five-year, $2.2 million grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) to develop new resin composite dental fillings.

3 Dec 2013

Researchers examine how spindle apparatus self-organizes

Researchers at Waseda University in Japan have identified key information to help explain the formation of the "spindle apparatus", a structure required for cell division. Their findings shed light on the mechanisms behind "self-organization" - an essential characteristic of biological structures.

30 Nov 2013

NIBIB-funded researchers explore better treatment for brain aneurysms

Thirty thousand Americans suffer severe neurological damage or death from brain aneurysms each year and the existing treatments eventually fail in nearly half of patients. Currently, these "bubbles" in the blood vessel are either clamped off, which requires invasive brain surgery, or filled with platinum coils to induce clotting in the aneurysm. Both treatments, although somewhat effective, can have subsequent problems, including inflammation, incomplete healing, and the development of secondary aneurysms adjacent to the initial site. These complications result in approximately 40 percent of patients needing additional treatment to attempt to re-repair the aneurysm.

28 Nov 2013

Researchers create breathalyzer that may help control blood sugar

Finger pricks may soon be a thing of the past for diabetics. Researchers at Western New England University have created a breathalyzer that may help control blood sugar by measuring the amount of acetone in the breath.

27 Nov 2013

Nano-material within cells could lead to engineered bio-composites for drug delivery, artificial tissue

New York-A team of researchers has uncovered critical information that could help scientists understand how protein polymers interact with other self-assembling biopolymers.

22 Nov 2013