Volume 17 Issue 6, June 2018

Darrell Irvine provides an overview of the recent advances in materials science that have enabled the use of innovative natural and synthetic compounds in vaccine development capable of regulating the potency and safety of new vaccines progressing towards the clinic.

Camille M. Le Gall, Jorieke Weiden, Loek J. Eggermont and Carl G. Figdor provide an overview of immunotherapeutics for cancer treatment that harness dendritic cells, their challenges in clinical use, and approaches employed to enhance their recruitment and activation to promote effective anti-tumour immunity.

Tumour heterogeneity and off-target toxicity are current challenges of cancer immunotherapy. Karine Dzhandzhugazyan, Per Guldberg and Alexei Kirkin discuss how epigenetic induction of tumour antigens in antigen-presenting cells may form the basis for multi-target therapies.

Spin currents in magnetic trilayers exhibit an unexpected spin polarization that facilitates current-induced switching of magnetization.

By using high-concentration salt in electrolyte, water is replaced in the zinc solvation-sheath and a zinc anode is developed with high reversibility and stability

A strategy to enhance antigen immunogenicity was developed by adsorption of polyethyleneimine on a mesoporous silica microrod vaccine for the presentation of tumour viruses and neoantigens, demonstrating their ability to drive anti-tumour immunity.

Immunotherapy offers a promising approach to treating a range of complications. This Review discusses strategies that employ bioengineering and immunological principles to develop engineered tissues for screening therapeutics and treating diseases.

Ferromagnetic resonance experiments show enhanced spin pumping in superconductors in the presence of spin sink layers.

Tunnelling spectroscopy reveals a continuous closing of the superconducting gap at low temperature and high in-plane magnetic field in few-layer NbSe₂, due to the Ising spin–orbit coupling of these materials.

Spin–orbit torques are reported in ferromagnetic trilayers that lead to the switching of perpendicular magnetizations without an external magnetic field.

In situ transmission electron microscopy observations reveal atomistic mechanism of water-vapour-enhanced oxidation of Ni–Cr alloys. Protons derived from water promote vacancy formation, migration and clustering.

Electron microscopy and modelling are used to study CO oxidation on oxide-supported Pd. The perimeter of the metal/oxide interface is shown to affect CO tolerance of the entire particle, demonstrating a long-range effect over micrometre length scales.

Active rotational motion of pre-strained materials is achieved by elastic deformations that break rotational symmetry around their axes.

A strategy to enhance antigen immunogenicity is shown using polyethyleneimine adsorbed on mesoporous silica microrod vaccine as a platform for neoantigens, supporting potent humoral immune response and inhibition of tumour growth following vaccination.

Monolayer MoS₂ can be laterally grown in the vapour–liquid–solid mode, forming highly crystalline nano- and microribbon structures.

Metallic zinc is an ideal anode material for aqueous batteries but suffers from irreversibility issues. An aqueous electrolyte based on Zn and lithium salts using either LiMn₂O₄ or O₂ cathodes now brings unprecedented flexibility and reversibility to Zn batteries.

Films of exfoliated crystals of two-dimensional hybrid metal halide perovskites with phenyl groups as organic cations show increased molecular rigidity, reduced electron–phonon interactions and blue emission with photoluminescence quantum yield approaching 80%.

Quantitative analysis of polymer LED degradation under current stress provides insight on the role of hole traps and their formation. Blending of the emitting material with large-bandgap semiconductors leads to trap dilution and improved stability.