News from the NNI Community - Research Advances Funded by Agencies Participating in the NNI

While gene editing is remarkably precise in finding and altering genes, there is still no way to target treatment to specific locations in the body. The treatments tested so far involve removing blood stem cells or immune system T cells from the body to modify them, and then infusing them back into a patient. Now, researchers at Tufts University have, for the first time, devised a way to directly deliver gene-editing packages efficiently across the blood brain barrier and into specific regions of the brain, into immune system cells, or to specific tissues and organs in mouse models. The researchers used lipid nanoparticles – tiny "bubbles" of lipid molecules that can envelop the editing enzymes and carry them to specific cells, tissues, or organs.

Researchers at MIT, the Ragon Institute of MIT, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard University are working on strategies for designing a universal flu vaccine that could work against any flu strain. In a new study, they describe a vaccine that triggers an immune response against an influenza protein segment that rarely mutates but is normally not targeted by the immune system. The vaccine consists of nanoparticles coated with flu proteins that train the immune system to create the desired antibodies.

Researchers at MIT, the Ragon Institute of MIT, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Harvard University are working on strategies for designing a universal flu vaccine that could work against any flu strain. In a new study, they describe a vaccine that triggers an immune response against an influenza protein segment that rarely mutates but is normally not targeted by the immune system. The vaccine consists of nanoparticles coated with flu proteins that train the immune system to create the desired antibodies.

A research team led by the University of Washington, Seattle, has reported that carefully constructed stacks of graphene can exhibit highly correlated electron properties. The team also has found evidence that this type of collective behavior likely relates to the emergence of exotic magnetic states.

A research team led by the University of Washington, Seattle, has reported that carefully constructed stacks of graphene can exhibit highly correlated electron properties. The team also has found evidence that this type of collective behavior likely relates to the emergence of exotic magnetic states.

Engineers from Rutgers University and Binghamton University have invented a way to spray nanowires made of a plant-based material that could be used in N95 mask filters, devices that harvest energy for electricity, and potentially for the creation of human organs. The method involves spraying methylcellulose, a renewable plastic material derived from plant cellulose, on 3D-printed and other objects ranging from electronics to plants.

Engineers from Rutgers University and Binghamton University have invented a way to spray nanowires made of a plant-based material that could be used in N95 mask filters, devices that harvest energy for electricity, and potentially for the creation of human organs. The method involves spraying methylcellulose, a renewable plastic material derived from plant cellulose, on 3D-printed and other objects ranging from electronics to plants.

Reverse osmosis, which uses membranes to remove unwanted salts, has been the gold standard for desalination and wastewater reuse. But the material that best filters out impurities—polyamide—is highly susceptible to chlorine, which is typically used to clean membranes and can degrade membranes made from polyamide. Scientists at Yale University and Nanjing University of Science and Technology have created a chlorine-resistant membrane that could meet global water supply challenges. The new approach uses polyester layers on top of a conventional nanofiltration membrane, creating a more robust reverse-osmosis membrane.

Reverse osmosis, which uses membranes to remove unwanted salts, has been the gold standard for desalination and wastewater reuse. But the material that best filters out impurities—polyamide—is highly susceptible to chlorine, which is typically used to clean membranes and can degrade membranes made from polyamide. Scientists at Yale University and Nanjing University of Science and Technology have created a chlorine-resistant membrane that could meet global water supply challenges. The new approach uses polyester layers on top of a conventional nanofiltration membrane, creating a more robust reverse-osmosis membrane.

Researchers at Northwestern University have discovered a new, rapid method for fabricating nanoparticles from a simple, self-assembling polymer. Using a polymer net that collapses into nanoscale hydrogels (or nanogels), the novel method efficiently captures over 95% of proteins, DNA, or small molecule drugs. This method presents new possibilities for water purification, diagnostics, and rapidly generating vaccine formulations.