Researchers at Duke University have discovered a way to enhance the effectiveness and safety of sonogenetics or ultrasonic modulation, emerging techniques that use sound waves to control the behavior of individual neurons or to promote tissue growth and wound healing in other cells. Ultrasonic therapy often uses targeted ultrasound waves to create cavitation bubbles —…
Electromagnetic Water Cloak Eradicates Drag and Wake
Researchers have developed a water cloaking concept based on electromagnetic forces that could eliminate an object’s wake, greatly reducing its drag while simultaneously helping it avoid detection. The idea originated at Duke University in 2011 when researchers outlined the general concept. By matching the acceleration of the surrounding water to an object’s movement, it would…
Working Sensors Constructed from Self-Organizing Bacteria
Researchers at Duke University have turned bacteria into the builders of useful devices by programming them with a synthetic gene circuit. As a bacterial colony grows into the shape of a hemisphere, the gene circuit triggers the production of a type of protein to distribute within the colony that can recruit inorganic materials. When supplied…
Gold Nanostars and Immunotherapy Vaccinate Mice Against Cancer
By combining an FDA-approved cancer immunotherapy with an emerging tumor-roasting nanotechnology, Duke University researchers improved the efficacy of both therapies in a proof-of-concept study using mice. The potent combination also attacked satellite tumors and distant cancerous cells, completely curing two mice and effectively vaccinating one against the disease. The results appeared online in Scientific Reports…
3D Printer Produces Next-Gen Surgical Implants
Two groups of undergraduate students at Duke University have been creating biomedical devices for their senior design projects with a campus rarity — a titanium 3D metal printer. Over the past few years, 3D printers that make plastic objects have become somewhat commonplace — Duke’s Innovation Co-Lab has more than 60 of them for use…
Whirlpools of Sound Waves Find Tiny Signs of Disease
Mechanical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated a tiny whirlpool that can concentrate nanoparticles using nothing but sound. The innovation could gather proteins and other biological structures from blood, urine or saliva samples for future diagnostic devices. Early diagnosis is key to successfully treating many diseases, but spotting early indicators of a problem is often…