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Green catalysts with Earth-abundant metals accelerate production of bio-based plastic

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A FitBit-like device for figure skaters

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TemperPack seeks to solve the world's packaging problems

Technology

A novel approach to fighting tumors

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UniAlB) and two partner institutions received a European patent for their novel approach to fighting cancer (lat. Carcinoma), an approach that is led by the UAB spinoff biopharmaceutical company Incysus Ltd. The company is focused on delivering innovative cellular therapy to treat solid tumor cancers. The European patent is owned by the academic collaborators of Incysus - UAB, Emory University and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta - and it is licensed exclusively to Incysus for all therapeutic purposes. U.S. Patent applications are pending. The novel cellular therapy is called drug-resistant immunotherapy, or DRI. It is in its preclinical phase, and Incysus is moving toward an investigational new drug application filing with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin tests of safety and efficacy in patients with the brain tumor glioblastoma.

by Yana Kurchenko

7 days ago

An affordable and easy to upscale electrocatalyst for hydrogen production from water

The imminent threat of global warming and climate change brought by carbon dioxide associated with the extensive use of fossil fuels has turned academic and industrial attention towards hydrogen, known as a clean fuel and could function as an excellent alternative to traditional fossil fuels. Water electrolysis is one of the most important non-polluting methods to obtain hydrogen from water. The water electrolysis technology is based on the generation of hydrogen at cathode and oxygen at the anode by passing an electric current through water. One of the biggest problems in the electrocatalytic water splitting process is the sluggish kinetics frequently observed for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) on the anode. However, a researchers' team at the University of Oulu (UniOulu) in collaboration with the Umea University, Abo Akademi, and University of Danang, developed a novel robust and efficient catalyst nanomaterial for electrochemical water splitting, which is easy to apply and feasible to produce in large quantities at low cost.

by Karina Vrashchuk

7 days ago

Technology

Research

Heart-muscle patches created from human cells improve recovery from heart attacks

Large, human cardiac-muscle patches created in the lab have been tested, for the first time, on large animals in a heart attack ( lat. Vitium Cordis) model. This clinically relevant approach showed that the patches significantly improved recovery from heart attack injury. The results are a step closer to the goal of treating human heart attacks by suturing cardiac-muscle patches over an area of dead heart muscle in order to reduce the pathology that often leads to heart failure. The research was led by Jianyi 'Jay' Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., the chair of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UniAlB) Biomedical Engineering, a joint department of the UAB School of Medicine and the UAB School of Engineering.

by Yana Kurchenko

7 days ago

Research

A new promising malaria drug candidate was discovered

Research

Three biomarkers better predict kidney disease complications

Research

Biomarker test for rheumatoid arthritis proves effective in study

Research

Scientists show link between microbiome in the gut and Parkinson’s

There is growing evidence showing a connection between Parkinson’s disease (lat. Parkinson scriptor morbus) - a neurodegenerative condition - and the composition of the microbiome of the gut. A new study from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UniAlB) shows that Parkinson’s disease, and medications to treat Parkinson’s, have distinct effects on the composition of the trillions of bacteria that make up the gut microbiome. According to Haydeh Payami, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Neurology, at the UAB School of Medicine, this study showed major disruption of the normal microbiome - the organisms in the gut - in individuals with Parkinson’s. The human gut hosts tens of trillions of microorganisms, including more than 1,000 species of bacteria. The collective genomes of the microorganisms in the gut is more than 100 times larger than the number of genes in the human genome. Scientists know that a well-balanced gut microbiota is critical for maintaining general health, and alterations in the composition of gut microbiota have been linked to a range of disorders.

by Yana Kurchenko

7 days ago

TurboClaw delivers the low flow rate characteristics

Turbomachinery is commonplace at high flow-rates but requires high operating speeds for operating at low flow-rates, increasing the cost of bearings, motors and drives as well as reducing efficiency, reliability and durability. However, Dynamic Boosting Systems Limited, City, University of London's spinoff (CITY UL), developed a radically new turbocompressor design that delivered the low flow rate characteristics. Electric supercharging for engine downsizing, refrigerant gas compression, and energy recovery from waste steam soon emerged as promising opportunities for company's new technology TurboClaw®, where its low flow-rate capability, simplicity and low production cost give it a significant edge over competing products. DBS's mission is to contribute to a significant reduction in global CO2 emissions by making a range of large and global industrial processes more environmentally sustainable and cost-efficient.

by Karina Vrashchuk

7 days ago

Technology

Research

Parkinson’s disease biomarker found in patient urine samples

Andrew West, Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UniAlB) discovered a brand-new type of biomarker - a phosphorylated protein that correlates with the presence and severity of Parkinson’s disease (lat. Parkinson scriptor morbus). Scientists with support from the National Institutes of Health, the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease Research and the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, are digging deeper into these biobanked samples, to validate the biomarker as a possible guide for future clinical treatments and a monitor of the efficacy of potential new Parkinson’s drugs in real time during treatment.

by Yana Kurchenko

7 days ago

Green catalysts with Earth-abundant metals accelerate production of bio-based plastic

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