Articles
How bread can save the world
Dr Peter Weegels is the Director of the European Bakery Innovation Centre, based in the Netherlands. The Centre has many aims, including creating, sharing and implementing bakery expertise across Europe. Dr Weegels is on a mission to make the simple loaf of wholemeal bread into a superfood to help solve the crisis of a growing population by showing that it has a superior nutritional content […]
Polymeric transformer: Nanoantibiotics for drug-resistant infections
The translational research of Professor Young Jik Kwon at the University of California, Irvine aims to fill a formidable void created by the lack of available effective antibiotics. Combining naturally-occurring antimicrobial substances with conventional antibiotics, Professor Kwon’s nanoantibiotics are a novel generation of compounds molecularly engineered to safely and effectively target drug-resistant bacteria. One of his current projects aims to tackle […]
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The ELIDOSE Project: Dosimetry for laser accelerated charged particle beams
High-energy beams of protons have the potential to greatly improve the ways in which doses of radiation are delivered to the body. To further develop this technique, more knowledge about the relative biological effectiveness of these beams is needed. Dr Radu Vasilache of Canberra Packard Ltd in Bucharest is a lead researcher at the ELIDOSE Project: a collaboration of Romanian researchers who are […]
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Making the most of microbes for soil restoration and function
Mary Ann Bruns is Associate Professor of Soil Microbiology in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management at Penn State University. The Bruns research group aims to understand how beneficial functions of soil microorganisms can be promoted through better management of agricultural and mining-impacted lands. The group focuses on microbial processes important in nutrient cycling and water retention. Their goal is […]
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It’s not only about neurons – How the UK Dementia Research Institute is facilitating an interdisciplinary approach in the global fight against neurodegenerative conditions
Dementia is the world’s biggest challenge in terms of social and health costs. In the UK, we’re projected to have 1 million dementia patients in 2020 at a cost of £26bn; by 2040, costs are projected to reach £55bn. Globally, 50 million people are affected by dementia and this will increase to 152 million by 2050. But, looking beyond the statistics, […]
Canonical quantisation: A solution to quantum gravity?
General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics are some of the most significant results in modern physics. Both theories appear to work seamlessly by themselves and have stood up to decades of scrutiny, but they also appear to be completely incompatible with each other. So far, no-one has managed to develop a theory which merges them together. Now, Dr Stuart Marongwe at the Botswana […]
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Graphene nanocomposites for new thermoplastic materials
Graphene has been the subject of intensive investigation, in view of its potential applications in a variety of technological fields, ranging from next-generation solar cells and hydrogen storage materials to super-capacitors and high-end composite materials. The peculiar two-dimensional structure of graphene can also be used to enhance and tailor the physical properties of existing materials through its incorporation in suitable matrices. Colloids […]
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The relationship between cancer subtype and treatment: New development using breast cancer subtypes to predict clinical outcomes
Dr Yang’s research at the National Cancer Institute, US, focuses on the discovery and validation of predictive and prognostic biomarkers for targeted cancer therapies and chemotherapy in breast cancer, lung cancer and other cancer types. The recent work in her group has focused on better understanding breast cancer subtypes and associated clinical outcomes, following treatment or without treatment, in order […]
Sildenafil: The pulmonary oedema wonder drug?
Dr Richard Moon and his team at the Duke University School of Medicine explore the use of sildenafil – better known by its more common brand name, Viagra – to prevent the onset of swimming-induced pulmonary oedema, a dangerous condition characterised by fluid accumulation in the lungs that can lead to drowning. Swimming-induced pulmonary oedema (SIPE) is a life-threatening condition that can […]
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Architecting 3D integrated circuit fabrics at nanoscale
Dr Csaba Andras Moritz, entrepreneur and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, is developing a new nanoscale 3D integrated circuit technology. This research offers a solution to the current 2D CMOS scaling issues and offers a pathway for building integrated circuits in the future with much higher densities and efficiencies than currently possible. It could […]
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