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Information thermodynamics offers a route to measure how effectively a light-driven molecular machine converts energy from absorbed photons into pumped motion.
Nanoneedle start-ups are traversing the biotech valley of death — from fundamental university research into commercial development in advanced therapeutics and diagnostics. How can academics make the most of this opportunity?
A theoretical model captures the thermodynamic principles behind the functioning of an out-of-equilibrium photoactivated artificial molecular pump in a quantitative manner.
We will now explicitly ask reviewers to flag up to us and authors whether a simpler model or theory could explain the experimental data in a given manuscript.
This Perspective suggests a characterization cascade for nanoparticle-based vaccines that takes into consideration the complexity of the materials and of their immunomodulatory responses, providing a roadmap for the preclinical validation of potential vaccine candidates.
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is an immune modulator that was suggested as a potential treatment for sepsis, but its in vivo benefits are contradictory and its low bioavailability as a free drug hampers potential clinical translation. Here the authors show that using a lipid-coated nanoparticle to deliver NAD+ to the cell cytosol can effectively replenish the intracellular content of NAD+ and reduce the extent of the inflammatory response in mouse models of sepsis.
Light harvesting in photosynthesis and photovoltaics may rely on quantum-coherent energy transfer, but experimental verification is hindered by the lossy nature of the molecular systems. Subnanometre-resolved electroluminescence spectroscopy now reveals wavelike intermolecular electronic energy transfer through quantum coherence in artificially constructed donor–acceptor heterodimers at the single-molecule level.
Nanostructured fibres with highly aligned and alternating crystalline and amorphous domains created from triblock copolymers exhibit excellent mechanical properties, multi-trigger actuation, high-performance contraction and on/off rotation.
A frequency filtering method can efficiently remove the autofluorescence background and light scattering during in vivo visible and near-infrared experiments.
An optical technique is developed that extends the capabilities of fluorescent nanosensors into previously inaccessible ultradeep in vivo locations, including the brain, without the use of fibre optic or cranial window insertion.
Activation of the STING pathway in antigen-presenting cells has been proposed as a strategy to stimulate the adaptive immune response against tumours, but its clinical application is hampered by the instability, low specificity and low cytosolic entry of natural STING agonists. Here the authors present a platform for targeted ultrasound-mediated cytosolic delivery of STING agonists that shows efficacy in different animal tumour models and improves the response to checkpoint blockade therapies.
A metal–organic-framework-derived nanoporous carbon with intrinsically fast sorption kinetics and excellent photothermal properties enables high-yield, solar-driven atmospheric water harvesting in arid areas.
Pyroptosis is a programmed cell death mechanism relevant in cancer therapy that can be triggered by endocytic organelle stress, but is challenging to induce in a controlled manner. In this paper the authors engineer a library of ultra-pH-sensitive nanophotosensitizers that can target specific endocytic organelles and elicit pyroptotic cancer cell death in a controlled fashion.
Biocompatible core–shell quantum dots and superconducting nanowire single-photon detector enable non-invasive one-photon excitation fluorescence imaging at 1,880 nm for in vivo imaging at 1,100 μm depth.
