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Dr. Carrie Madej:“I have studied the proposed vaccine against Covid-19, and this is my wake-up call to the world. I have looked at the pros and cons, and it scares me, and I want you to know that you have to be very knowledgeable because this new vaccine is not like your normal flu shot. It is something very different. This is something brand new. It's something completely experimental about the human race. And it's not just about being a different vaccine, there are technologies that are introduced with this vaccine that can change our lives very quickly, who we...

The interface between the hydrogel (left-hand side) and the PDMS (on the right-hand side). Engineers have developed a new material that mimics human cartilage—the body's shock absorbing and lubrication system, and it could herald the development of a new generation of lightweight bearings. Cartilage is a soft fibrous tissue found around joints which provides protection from the compressive loading generated by walking, running or lifting. It also provides a protective, lubricating layer allowing bones to pass over one another in a frictionless way. For years, scientists have been trying to create a synthetic material with the properties of cartilage....

When compromised, the cartilage in our joints can't keep the bones from painfully grinding togetherlightsource/Depositphotos VIEW 1 IMAGES Once it's been injured, the protective cartilage in our knees and other joints heals very slowly – if at all. A new injectable gel, however, could both reinforce the tissue after it's been damaged, and encourage new cartilage to grow over top of it. Currently being developed by scientists at the University of Pennsylvania, the hydrogel contains a modified form of a gooey substance known as hyaluronic acid, which is produced naturally by the body's connective tissue. In recent years, the acid...

Brazilian researchers have succesfully bioprinted tiny organoids that perform all of the human liver’s functions, Brazilian news service Agência FAPESP reports — functions including building proteins, storing vitamins and secreting bile. The researchers had to cultivate and reprogram human stem cells, and then 3D print them in layers to form tissue. While the “mini-livers” perform the functions of a liver, they’re unfortunately still a far cry from an actual full-scale liver. Not only could printed livers end a reliance on a very short supply of donor organs, they might end up being safer as well. “Another important advantage is zero...

There is tremendous progress being made within the area of 3D bioprinting. In fact, there are companies working to print human organs as we speak, and within the next decade such organs may, if we are lucky, be available for human transplantation. With that said we still are a ways away from such an accomplishment. There are multiple obstacles researchers must first overcome. When considering the organ printing space in general, the printing of complicated vascular networks is the main obstacle currently preventing progress. On the other hand, when printing cellular musculoskeletal tissues the main obstacle in this space is...

The gel can flow freely as a liquid until poure back into water, where it reforms its original shapeIt might look like a pink gloopy liquid to begin with but when you pour Dan Lou's DNA hydrogel into water it spontaneously reforms into its original shape. Even the Cornell researchers aren't exactly sure why their new material does what it does, but the potential applications are causing excitement.The hydrogels are made from incredibly long strands of DNA that tangle up, trapping water in its structure. The researchers think that once the hydrogels are taken out of water they collapse under...

Your eyes aren’t deceiving you — you just watched a metal ball bounce off a sliver of jelly. But you wouldn’t put this jelly in a sherry trifle: it is a sophisticated hydrogel developed by Zhigang Suo, a materials engineer at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and his colleagues1. A hydrogel is a network of polymers that soaks up lots of water to form a jelly-like material. But most shatter easily and don’t stretch far without breaking. Some of the toughest hydrogels are used to make soft contact lenses, and researchers want to make them more robust, for use in...

Japanese researchers at Mebiol have discovered an innovative new way to grow plants and crops. Substituting traditional soils with ultra thin films made of hydrogel, the scientists have been able to successfully block out unwanted bacteria and viruses in soil that can be harmful for plants. Essentially removing dirt from the equation, plant roots grow alongside the thin membrane of the hydrogel, a substance that is commonly found in diapers. The method isn't exactly a perfect replacement to traditional growing methods, since water is absorbed at a much slower rate.

Two new studies suggest that use of cells derived from bone marrow, as well as a seaweed-derived product called hydrogel, may prompt stem cells to repair nerve damage caused by stroke or spinal cord injury. Both studies were expected to be presented Friday at the American Academy of Neurology annual meeting, in San Diego. In one study, researchers at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, examined bone marrow-derived multi-potent progenitor cells, which have the ability to develop into different kinds of cells, including nervous system cells. Both human and rat bone marrow cells were transplanted into rats with induced strokes....

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Maryland have created a new class of artificial proteins that can assemble themselves into a gel and encourage the growth of selected cell types. This biomaterial, which can be tailored to send different biological signals to cells, is expected to help scientists who are developing new ways to repair injured or diseased body parts. "We're trying to give an important new tool to tissue engineers to help them do their work more quickly and efficiently," said James L. Harden, whose lab team developed the new biomaterial. "We're the first to produce a self-assembling protein...