Computational strategy finds brain tumor-shrinking molecules

Patients with glioblastoma, a type of malignant brain tumor, usually survive fewer than 15 months following diagnosis. Since there are no effective treatments for the deadly disease, Univ. of California, San Diego researchers developed a new computational strategy to search for molecules that could be developed into glioblastoma drugs. In mouse models of human glioblastoma, one molecule they found shrank the average tumor size by half. The study is published by Oncotarget.

The newly discovered molecule works against glioblastoma by wedging itself in the temporary interface between two proteins whose binding is essential for the tumor’s survival and growth. This study is the first to demonstrate successful inhibition of this type of protein, known as a transcription factor.

New imaging technology is advance for medical diagnostics, research

A team of researchers has demonstrated a new type of imaging system that reveals the chemical composition of living tissue for medical diagnostics and cellular studies.

The development is potentially important because knowing the chemical content of tissue is needed for early detection of disease, and the system also can be used to study molecular dynamics in living cells as they are occurring, said Ji-Xin Cheng, a professor in Purdue's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering and Dept. of Chemistry and Scientific Director of the Label-free Imaging lab at Purdue's Discovery Park.

Conventional imaging technologies such as magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography do not reveal the chemical composition of tissues, he said.

Although optical spectroscopy has been routinely used to study molecules in a sample cell, it is currently not practical to perform in vivo spectroscopy, or the analysis of how light interacts with molecules in living tissue. This is because photons strongly scatter when light shines through tissues, making detection of the signal through a spectrometer inefficient, Cheng said.

Researchers uncover new origins of radiation-tolerant materials

A new report from Los Alamos National Laboratory in Nature Communications provides new insight into what, exactly, makes some complex materials radiation tolerant.

The goal of such projects is to understand at a fundamental level just how materials respond to being irradiated, and how that response depends on fundamental properties of the material, such as its crystal structure and crystal chemistry. Focusing on oxide ceramics that have potential application for storing nuclear waste and the development of advanced nuclear fuels, the researchers discovered that fundamental differences in the structure of the material play a key role in how those materials respond to irradiation.

“There has been a lot of research on understanding what makes a complex ceramic suitable for nuclear energy applications. Our results generalize the previous understanding and provide a new path for developing radiation-tolerant materials,” said Blas Uberuaga, lead author of the paper.

Microbes: Cleaning the Environment Naturally

In the natural world, humans are far from being the foremost chemists. At least that’s what Catherine Drennan, a professor of biology and chemistry and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), believes.

“Microbes are the greatest chemists, that’s why I like them,” Drennan says in an interview with R&D Magazine. “Humans are really kind of boring in the chemistry that they do, to be honest…We utilize the microbes to do the cool stuff.”

Currently, Drennan is part of a team attempting to understand how microbes metabolize hydrocarbons—which are prevalent molecular components of crude oil—for growth and survival.

“We discovered these microbes are living off these things that we want to get rid of,” says Drennan.

Making green fuels, no fossils required

Using solar or wind power to produce carbon-based fuels, which are commonly called fossil fuels, might seem like a self-defeating approach to making a greener world. But when the starting material is carbon dioxide, which can be dragged out of the air, the approach is as green as it gets. The technology that makes it economically feasible isn't available yet, but a recently published paper presents nice step forward in the effort to not just sequester CO2, but turn it into a useful fuel that is part of a carbon-neutral future.

Xiao-Dong Zhou, an associate professor of chemical engineering at the Univ. of South Carolina, is part of a team that is working on a sustainable approach to harnessing renewable energy. Solar panels and wind turbines are most typically used to produce electricity, but on a large scale, electricity from sources like these pose problems. Utilities need to meet demand at all times, so if a power company is relying solely on wind or solar, what happens when the sun goes behind the clouds or the wind takes a breather?

Drone Delivery Down Under

Drones may deliver your mail sooner than you think—if you live down under, that is.

Speaking with the Australian Financial Review, Australia Post CEO Ahmed Fahour announced the company will trial drone parcel deliveries to rural communities in 2016.

According to the CEO, the drones are capable of carrying parcels up to 2 kg, meet all flying requirements, have backup engines and GPS coordination capabilities, allowing them to place packages right on customers’ patios.

According to Business Insider Australia, the drones will cost around $10,000 each.

“We’ve been talking to a major customer, an e-tailer, who would like to particularly deliver to regional and rural communities,” Fahour said to Australian Financial Review.