Cell-free protein synthesis is potential lifesaver

The device uses microfabricated bioreactors to facilitate the on-demand production of therapeutic proteins for medicines and biopharmaceuticals.

DARPA program seeks ability to assemble atom-sized pieces into practical products

DARPA selects 10 performers to develop technologies that bridge the existing manufacturing gap between nano-scale pieces and millimeter-scale components.

Thermal microscopy of single cells

Researchers explored whether it might be possible to tap into active thermography camera technology to create a sort of thermal microscope to produce heat maps of single cells to help them understand the thermal behavior of the cells or go a step even further by detecting diseased conditions at the sub-cell scale.

Improving accuracy in genomic mapping with nanochannels

Researchers have improved a nanochannel-based form of mapping by using dynamic time-series data to measure the probability distribution, or how much genetic material separates two labels, based on whether the strands are stretched or compressed.

Designing the topology of ion nano-channels leads to cleaner fuels

An international group of scientists has developed ion-exchange synthetic membranes based on amphiphilic compounds that are able to convert the energy of chemical reactions into electrical current. The new development could potentially be used in fuel cells, and in separation and purification processes.

Single molecule detection of contaminants, explosives or diseases now possible

A technique to combine the ultrasensitivity of surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) with a slippery surface will make it feasible to detect single molecules of a number of chemical and biological species from gaseous, liquid or solid samples.