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Category: nanotechnology

Engineered nanoparticles could deliver better targeted cancer treatment to lymph nodes

Scientists at McGill University and the Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Institute have developed a new way to deliver cancer immunotherapy that caused fewer side effects compared to standard treatment in a preclinical study. The work is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The experimental approach is designed to treat cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes, a difficult-to-treat stage of the disease. Today, most immunotherapies are delivered by intravenous (IV) infusion and circulate throughout the body. This can trigger immune responses in healthy tissues, leading to serious side effects.

“Some immunotherapies cause such severe side effects that clinicians are forced to lower the dose, making treatment less effective,” said senior author Guojun Chen, Assistant Professor in McGill’s Department of Biomedical Engineering and member of the Goodman Cancer Institute. “Our approach could allow for higher, more effective doses while limiting toxicity, which is a major goal in cancer treatment.”

Nanotubes unlock new wavelengths for smarter sensing

Sensors made of carbon nanotubes that can measure infrared and terahertz radiation are being tested for uses ranging from detecting damaged cables after earthquakes, to collecting health data via ultrathin wearable devices, and assisting with pharmaceutical quality control, say researchers in Japan.

“Accurately visualizing the internal structures of organisms and objects is integral to our daily lives, from medical imaging to security scanning in airports,” and terahertz sensors built from carbon nanotubes are uniquely suited to this purpose, says Yukio Kawano is a professor of engineering at Chuo University in Tokyo, and project leader at the Kanagawa Institute of Industrial Science and Technology (KISTEC) in Japan.

Compared with many sensor technologies that can only detect one part of the electromagnetic spectrum, Kawano’s team is working to create sensors that can detect terahertz and a broader range of radiation, and use them to produce high-resolution images.

Groundbreaking 2D Nanomaterial Rolls Into a New Dimension

MXene nanoscrolls transform flat 2D materials into conductive 1D structures, unlocking advances in energy storage, sensing, wearables, and superconductivity. Nearly 15 years after identifying a versatile two-dimensional conductive nanomaterial known as MXene, researchers at Drexel University have

Sometimes less is more: Messier nanoparticles may actually deliver drugs more effectively than tightly packed ones

The tiny fatty capsules that deliver COVID-19 mRNA vaccines into billions of arms may work better when they’re a little disorganized. That’s the surprising finding from researchers who developed a new way to examine these drug-delivery vehicles one particle at a time—revealing that cramming in more medicine doesn’t always mean better results.

The research was presented at the 70th Biophysical Society Annual Meeting, held in San Francisco from February 21–25, 2026.

Lipid nanoparticles, or LNPs, are microscopic bubbles of fat that can ferry fragile RNA molecules into cells. They were crucial to the success of mRNA vaccines, and scientists are now working to use them to deliver treatments for cancer, genetic diseases, and other conditions. But there’s a problem: only about 1% to 5% of the cargo inside LNPs actually gets released inside cells.

Chemistry-powered ‘breathing’ membrane opens and closes tiny pores on its own

Ion channels are narrow passageways that play a pivotal role in many biological processes. To model how ions move through these tight spaces, pores need to be fabricated at very small length scales. The narrowest regions of ion channels can be just a few angstroms wide, about the size of individual atoms, making reproducible and precise fabrication a major challenge in modern nanotechnology.

In a study published in Nature Communications, researchers at The University of Osaka have addressed this challenge by using a miniature electrochemical reactor to create ultra-small pores approaching subnanometer dimensions.

In biological cells, ions flow in and out through channels in cell membranes. This ion flow is the basis for generating electrical signals, such as nerve impulses that trigger muscle contraction. The channels themselves are made of proteins and can have angstrom-wide narrow regions. Conformational changes of these proteins in response to external stimuli open and close the channels.

Transistor-like MXene membranes enhance ion separation

By applying voltage to electrically control a new “transistor” membrane, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) achieved real-time tuning of ion separations—a capability previously thought impossible. The recent work, which could make precision separation processes like water treatment, drug delivery and rare earth element extraction more efficient, was published in Science Advances.

The membranes are made of stacks of MXenes —2D sheets that are only a few atoms thick. Ions squeeze through nanoscale channels formed in the gaps between the stacked MXene layers.

Until now, scientists thought MXene membrane properties were intrinsic and unchangeable once created. The rate of ion transport was thought to be baked in from the beginning.

Kirigami-inspired sensors precisely map activity of neurons in the primate brain

Recent technological advances have opened new exciting possibilities for the development of smart prosthetics, such as artificial limbs, joints or organs that can replace injured, damaged or amputated body parts. These same advances are also enabling the development of other systems that connect the brain with machines, to record the activity of neurons or allow humans to operate machines in entirely new ways.

Researchers at the Chinese Institute for Brain Research, the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology in Beijing and other institutes recently developed a new flexible and implantable sensor that can record the activity of neurons in the brain of non-human primates. The sensing device, introduced in a paper published in Nature Electronics, is inspired by kirigami, an artistic discipline that entails the creation of intricate structures by folding and cutting paper in specific ways.

“The development of brain–computer interfaces requires implantable microelectrode arrays that can interface with numerous neurons across large spatial and temporal scales,” wrote Runjiu Fang, Huihui Tian and their colleagues in their paper.

Silicon nanowire based angle robust ultrasensitive hyperbolic metamaterial biosensor

We design an angle-robust hyperbolic metamaterial-based biosensor structure using n-doped silicon nanowires. We examine the hyperbolic properties of the structure using effective medium theory (EMT) and analyze the resonance shift of our proposed biosensor structure, by employing the finite-difference time d.

Single-Shot Parity Readout of a Minimal Kitaev Chain: A Breakthrough in Majorana Qubits

In a major technical leap published in Nature on February 11, 2026, an international research team led by QuTech (Delft University of Technology) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) has demonstrated the first single-shot, real-time readout of the quantum information stored in Majorana qubits. This achievement addresses the “readout problem”—the long-standing experimental hurdle of measuring a non-locally distributed quantum state without compromising its inherent topological protection.

The study, titled “Single-shot parity readout of a minimal Kitaev chain,” utilizes a novel quantum capacitance technique to sense the global state of a “Kitaev minimal chain.” By constructing a bottom-up nanostructure of two semiconductor quantum dots coupled via a superconductor, the team successfully generated Majorana zero modes (MZMs) in a controlled, modular fashion. This “Lego-like” approach allowed the researchers to discriminate between the even and odd parity states (the 0 and 1 of the qubit) in real-time, effectively unlocking the “safe box” of topological information.

A double helix twist in HIV vaccine design

In a new Science study, researchers demonstrate that DNA origami can be used to display HIV protein antigens. When given to mice, these nanoparticles elicited antibody responses that may pave the way for broadly protective immunity against infection.

This approach could lead to more effective HIV vaccines. Learn more in a new Science Perspective.

DNA origami scaffolds displaying HIV antigens stimulate focused antibody responses in mice.

Oliver Bannard and Mark R. Howarth Authors Info & Affiliations

Science

Vol 391, Issue 6785

Continue reading “A double helix twist in HIV vaccine design” | >

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