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A research team affiliated with UNIST has unveiled an ultra-strong adhesive patch platform that adheres effectively to rough skin surfaces and shows remarkable motion adaptiveness during dynamic body movements, all while offering irritation-free removal on demand. The key to this technology lies in the surface adaptability inspired by barnacles and armadillo carapaces, which feature a tessellated structure that balances rigidity and flexibility.

The team, led by Professor Hoon Eui Jeong from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Professor Jae Joon Kim from the Department of Electrical Engineering at UNIST, along with researchers from the National Institute of Ecology (NIE), has introduced a highly adhesive, detachable, and stretchable skin patch, known as the Motion Adaptive Tessellation Patch.

This innovative technology is garnering attention for its potential to facilitate the commercialization of wearable electronic devices, such as health care monitoring systems and transdermal drug delivery systems. The research is published in the journal Advanced Materials.

Chaperones are molecular machines that help proteins in the cell fold into their proper shape. Among them, UNC45 plays a critical role in muscle health by ensuring the proper function of myosin, a key protein essential for muscle movement. UNC45 manages this by directing damaged myosin to degradation pathways while guiding correctly folded myosin toward assembly. Researchers from Tim Clausen’s lab at the IMP have uncovered the mechanisms behind this process, providing new insights into how disruptions in myosin quality control can lead to serious muscle disorders. Their findings have been published in Nature Communications.

Muscle movement relies on the interaction between two key proteins: actin and myosin. These proteins slide past each other to generate the force needed for movement. For this process to work efficiently, actin and myosin must be precisely organized within the sarcomere, the basic structural and functional unit of muscle cells. This arrangement is crucial for maintaining muscle health, particularly during exercise, periods of stress, and as the body ages.

To ensure proteins achieve their correct shape, cells use specialized molecular assistants called chaperones. These chaperones act as caretakers, helping proteins fold and assemble correctly. For myosin, which makes up about 16% of the total protein in muscle cells, proper structure is especially important. One critical chaperone for this task is UNC45, found in all eukaryotic organisms. Identified through genetic studies, UNC45 plays a vital role in shaping myosin and preserving the integrity of the sarcomere. The importance of UNC45 is evident in severe muscle disorders, known as myopathies, which can result from mutations in the UNC45 gene.

As we explore space outside our solar system, genetic engineering offers hope for overcoming challenges like radiation exposure and the effects of microgravity. By understanding and modifying our genes, we could make astronauts more resilient and improve their health in space. However, these advancements raise important ethical questions about safety, fairness, and long-term impacts, which must be carefully considered as we develop new space travel technologies.

We are on the edge of exploring space outside our solar system. This is not just a major advancement in technology, but a transformation for all of mankind. As we aim for the stars, we also try to understand more about ourselves. Our exploration into space will determine the future of our history. However, this thrilling adventure comes with many challenges. We need to build faster spacecraft, develop ways to live sustainably in space and deal with the physical and mental difficulties of long space missions. Genetics may help us solve some of these problems. As we travel further into space, it will be important to understand how genetics affects our ability to adapt to the space environment. This knowledge will be crucial for the success of space missions and the well-being of astronauts.

Genetics offers a hopeful path to overcoming many challenges in space exploration. As we venture further into space, it becomes essential to understand how our genes affect the way we adapt to the space environment. Genetics affects many aspects of an astronaut’s ability to survive and do well in space. It influences how the body handles exposure to radiation, deals with microgravity, and copes with isolation. Some genetic differences, like changes in the Methylene-TetraHydrofolate-Reductase (MTHR) gene, can make certain people more vulnerable to the harmful effects of radiation in space. With tools like genetic testing and personalized medicine, space agencies can now choose the best-suited astronauts and develop health strategies to improve their safety and performance in harsh space conditions.

Researchers at FutureNeuro, the SFI Research Centre for Translational Brain Science, and RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, in collaboration with international partners, have developed a revolutionary technique to profile gene activity in the living human brain.

This innovative approach, published in JCI Insight, opens new avenues for understanding and treating neurological conditions like epilepsy.

Studying gene activity in the brain without requiring invasive tissue samples from surgery or post-mortem donation has been a long-standing challenge in neuroscience. By analyzing molecular traces – specifically RNA and DNA – collected from electrodes implanted in the brains of patients with epilepsy and linking these with electrical recordings from the brain, the researchers were able to take a ‘snapshot’ of gene activity in the living brain.

Advancements in deep-tech solutions addressing global healthcare challenges.

The landscape of healthcare is undergoing a radical transformation fueled by deep-tech innovations that tackle some of the most pressing global health challenges. Deep-tech, a term that encompasses technologies grounded in scientific research and engineering advancements, is reshaping diagnostics, treatment modalities, and healthcare delivery systems on a global scale. With increasing demands for accessible, efficient, and equitable healthcare, deep-tech solutions—such as artificial intelligence (AI), advanced robotics, nanotechnology, biotechnology, and quantum computing—are playing pivotal roles in reshaping modern medicine.

This article explores the advancements in deep-tech solutions that are addressing global healthcare challenges and provides insight into how these technologies are likely to shape the future of medicine, impacting medical professionals, patients, and healthcare systems worldwide.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains one of the most clinically challenging malignancies facing our public health system. CRC accounts for the second and third most common cancer in males and females, respectively. In addition, CRC represents one of the most deadly cancers, expected to result in over 50,000 mortalities in 2024.

Hereditary colorectal cancer (HCRC) occurs when a parent passes a cancer gene to a child. Unfortunately, we have not identified a single gene that causes the disease. Hereditary CRC syndromes, such as hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC; also known as Lynch syndrome) and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), describe a group of genetic diseases that confer a high risk of developing CRC. As our knowledge has expanded, we have learned about a growing number of genetic variants in the genes that predispose carriers to CRC. However, the precise role of some variants in the development of CRC cancer remains unclear. Uncovering more information about these variants, called variants of uncertain significance.

As our knowledge has expanded, we have learned about a growing number of genetic variants in the genes which predispose carriers to CRC. However, the precise role of some variants in the development of CRC cancer remains unclear. Uncovering more information about these variants, called variants of uncertain significance (VUS), can aid in optimizing screening and surveillance programs.

Viviana Gradinaru, an assistant professor of biology at Caltech, discovered her passion for neuroscience as an undergraduate at Caltech, her alma mater. Viviana did her Ph.D. work with Karl Deisseroth at Stanford University where she played an instrumental role in the early development and applications of optogenetics, a research area concerned with the perturbation of neuronal activity via light-controlled ion channels and pumps. More information on her own lab at Caltech can be found at glab.caltech.edu. Viviana is also interested in entrepreneurship for better human health and has co-founded a company, Circuit Therapeutics, based on optogenetics.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)\ \ .

Continue reading “Brain Control with Light — Development and Application: Viviana Gradinaru at TEDxCaltech” »

It’s no secret: when we savour a delicious piece of fish or a platter of seafood, we’re not just consuming valuable omega-3s and vitamin D. Alongside these benefits come less appetising elements – countless micro– and nano-plastics.

These plastic particles, measuring less than 5 millimetres, enter our oceans through human waste and penetrate the food chain. According to an Ifremer study, around 24,400 billion microplastics are floating on the ocean’s surface.

These particles are found in all marine organisms – from microalgae to fish, which occupy higher levels of the food chain. This phenomenon not only threatens marine ecosystems but also raises concerns about potential risks to human health.

A quiet revolution is brewing in labs around the world, where scientists’ use of AI is growing exponentially. One in three postdocs now use large language models to help carry out literature reviews, coding, and editing. In October, the creators of our AlphaFold 2 system, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper became Nobel Laureates in Chemistry for using AI to predict the structure of proteins, alongside the scientist David Baker, for his work to design new proteins. Society will soon start to feel these benefits more direct ly, with drugs and materials designed with the help of AI currently making their way through development.

In this essay, we take a tour of how AI is transforming scientific disciplines from genomics to computer science to weather forecasting. Some scientists are training their own AI models, while others are fine-tuning existing AI models, or using these models’ predictions to accelerate their research. Scientists are using AI as a scientific instrument to help tackle important problems, such as designing proteins that bind more tightly to disease targets, but are also gradually transforming how science itself is practised.

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