Lifeboat Foundation

A nanoparticle formulation, using oligonucleotide chemistry, able to release a gene editing system with single cell resolution after near infrared laser activation. The full potential of the formulation was demonstrated in the brain after intracerebral and intranasal administrations. The spot of the laser defined the region of gene editing.

In a collaboration between scientists from Physics and Chemistry at the University of Bayreuth and Physical Chemistry at the University of Melbourne, it has now been possible to realize optically switchable photonic units that enable precise addressing of individual units. This will make it possible to reliably store and read binary information optically.

Scientists at the University of Texas used a breakthrough laser recycling technique to turn plastic into computer components.

Scraps of DNA discarded by our neurons’ power units are being absorbed into our nuclear genome far more frequently than assumed, potentially putting our brains at greater risk of developing life-threatening conditions.

An investigation by a team of researchers led by Columbia University in the US has found individuals with higher numbers of nuclear mitochondrial insertions – or NUMTs (pronounced new-mites) – in their brain cells are more likely to die earlier than those with fewer DNA transfers.

Continue reading “Mitochondria Dump DNA in The Brain, Potentially Cutting Years Off Our Lives” »

The retina and optic nerve share most of the brain’s biochemical properties – this way, they provide a ‘window’ into the biochemistry of the brain.

To address this lack of technological means for the early detection of TBI, Pola Goldberg Oppenheimer, a Professor in Micro-Engineering and Bio-Nanotechnology at the University of Birmingham, UK, has developed a groundbreaking laser-based, eye-safe device (EyeD) technology. This technology can detect molecular changes that reflect brain damage by scanning the back of the eye with a handheld device.

Direct meta-selective C–H functionalization of pyridines is of paramount importance, but such reactions remain limited and highly challenging. Here, the authors report an electrochemical methodology in which nucleophilic sulfinates allow meta-sulfonylation of pyridines through a redox-neutral dearomatization-rearomatization strategy.

A new study published in The Astrophysical Journal, led by Assistant Professor of Astronomy Rana Ezzeddine and UF alumnus Jeremy Kowkabany, with collaborators, reports the discovery of a star that challenges astronomers’ understanding of star evolution and formation of chemical elements, and could suggest a new stage in their growth cycle.

It is widely accepted that as stars burn, they lose lighter elements like lithium in exchange for heavier elements like carbon and oxygen, but an analysis of this new star revealed that not only was its lithium content high for its age, but was higher than the normal level for any star at any age.

This star, named J0524-0336 based on its coordinates in space, was discovered recently by Ezzeddine as part of a different study that used surveying to look for older stars in the Milky Way. It is an evolved star, meaning that it is in the later stages of its “life” and is beginning to grow unstable. That also means that it is much larger and brighter than most other stars of its type, estimated to be about 30 times the size of the sun.

Researchers have developed a technique to trap light within an organic material, forming a hybrid quantum state that gives rise to novel physical and chemical properties.

An international team of researchers led by the University of Ottawa has gone back to the kitchen cupboard to create a recipe that combines organic material and light to create quantum states.

Professor Jean-Michel Ménard, leader of the Ultrafast Terahertz Spectroscopy group at the Faculty of Science, coordinated with Dr. Claudiu Genes at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (Germany), and with Iridian Spectral Technologies (Ottawa) to design a device which can efficiently modify properties of materials using the quantum superposition with light.

An international group of researchers has developed a novel approach that enhances the efficiency of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), a key process in renewable energy technologies. By introducing rare earth single atoms into manganese oxide (MnO2), the group successfully modulated oxygen electronic states, leading to unprecedented improvements in OER performance.