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

Date Published
(Funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration)

Researchers at the University of Illinois and the Missouri University of Science and Technology have modeled a method to manipulate nanoparticles as an alternative mode of propulsion for tiny spacecraft that require very small levels of thrust. The technique is based on a field of physics called plasmonics that studies how optical light or optical electromagnetic waves, interact with nanoscale structures.

(Funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency)

A research team at Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology demonstrates the use of CRISPR as a control element in a new type of stimuli-responsive "smart" materials. Upon activation by DNA stimuli, a CRISPR-Cas enzyme enables smart materials to release fluorescent dyes and active enzymes, deploy encapsulated nanoparticles and live cells, or regulate electric circuits.

(Funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency)

A research team at Harvard's Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology demonstrates the use of CRISPR as a control element in a new type of stimuli-responsive "smart" materials. Upon activation by DNA stimuli, a CRISPR-Cas enzyme enables smart materials to release fluorescent dyes and active enzymes, deploy encapsulated nanoparticles and live cells, or regulate electric circuits.

(Funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation)

Most pharmaceuticals must either be ingested or injected into the body to do their work, and it takes some time for them to reach their intended targets. Also, these pharmaceuticals tend to spread out to other areas of the body. Now, researchers at MIT and elsewhere have developed a system to deliver medical treatments that can be released at precise times, minimally invasively, and that ultimately could also deliver those drugs to specifically targeted areas such as a specific group of neurons in the brain.

(Funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation)

Most pharmaceuticals must either be ingested or injected into the body to do their work, and it takes some time for them to reach their intended targets. Also, these pharmaceuticals tend to spread out to other areas of the body. Now, researchers at MIT and elsewhere have developed a system to deliver medical treatments that can be released at precise times, minimally invasively, and that ultimately could also deliver those drugs to specifically targeted areas such as a specific group of neurons in the brain.

(Funded by the Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foundation)

A team of engineers at Tufts University has developed a transistor made from linen thread, enabling them to create electronic devices made entirely of thin threads that could be woven into fabric, worn on the skin, or even (theoretically) implanted surgically for diagnostic monitoring.

(Funded by the Office of Naval Research and the National Science Foundation)

A team of engineers at Tufts University has developed a transistor made from linen thread, enabling them to create electronic devices made entirely of thin threads that could be woven into fabric, worn on the skin, or even (theoretically) implanted surgically for diagnostic monitoring.

(Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the National Science Foundation)

Researchers at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy have developed a nanoparticle that alters the gut microbiome and alleviates symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in mice more effectively than common FDA-approved medications. IBD is an umbrella term for chronic debilitating and sometimes fatal diseases like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's, which are characterized by inflammation in the digestive tract.

(Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the National Science Foundation)

Researchers at the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy have developed a nanoparticle that alters the gut microbiome and alleviates symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in mice more effectively than common FDA-approved medications. IBD is an umbrella term for chronic debilitating and sometimes fatal diseases like ulcerative colitis and Crohn's, which are characterized by inflammation in the digestive tract.

(Funded by the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Defense)

Bioengineers and dentists have developed a new hydrogel that is more porous and effective in promoting tissue repair and regeneration. Once injected in a mouse model, the new hydrogel is shown to induce migration of naturally occurring stem cells to better promote bone healing.