Liquid Metals provide Effective Transport System
nanocapsules from gallium and its alloy with indium, making the process significantly simpler and cheaper. A regular drop of metal, warmed up to 30 degrees Celsius is subjected to ultrasound to produce micro- and nanodroplets; these are then subjected to the galvanic replacement reaction, resulting in hollow metal particles.
“We can produce monometallic hollow particles just as well as bi- or even trimetallic ones,” noted Aleksandra Falchevskaya, lead author of the study and a Master’s student at ITMO University’s ChemBio Cluster. “We can use additional substances to control the particles’ properties, such as making them less smooth, equipping them with offshoots that increase their total area, making them more or less porous, or changing the thickness of their walls. It’s a versatile method. It will allow any researcher to create a capsule of a specific shape and size, fit for the needs of whichever experiment they’re planning.”
Aleksandra Falchevskaya, ITMO University’s ChemBio Cluster (Credit ITMO University)
A new method for creating hollow nanoparticles using liquid metals has been devised by chemists from ITMO University (St Petersburg). Hollow nanocapsules are widely used for various purposes, from targeted drug delivery to catalysis induction in petrochemistry.
Conventional production methods using precious metals such as platinum, silver, or gold are both complex and expensive. The scientists at ITMO University have succeeded in producing metal
Another advantage of liquid metals is that they are relatively inactive. For that reason, similar procedures could potentially be carried out with more than 20 other metals that possess higher reduction potential than gallium and indium in the electrochemical activity series.
Aleksandra S. Falchevskaya, Artur Y. Prilepskii, Sofia A. Tsvetikova, Elena I. Koshel, and Vladimir V. Vinogradov. Facile Synthesis of a Library of Hollow Metallic Particles through the Galvanic Replacement of Liquid Gallium. Chemistry of Materials, 2021/10.1021/acs. chemmater.0c03969
Further details
www.en.itmo.ru 54606pr@reply-direct.com
Robust Tool Tracks Evolved Forms of Virus
A test capable of detecting mutated forms of SARS-CoV-2 which lead to development of the COVID -19 virus, including some that have spread widely in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil, has been developed by a team of scientists led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore).
The VaNGuard (Variant Nucleotide Guard) test uses CRISPR gene-editing to alter DNA sequences and modify gene function in human cells under lab conditions and more recently, in diagnostic applications.
With the ability of the virus to evolve over time, the genetic sequence variations in new strains may impede the ability of some diagnostic tests to detect the virus, said NTU Associate Professor Tan Meng How, whose team includes researchers from the National University Health System and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore (A*STAR).
The VaNGuard test, which can be used on patient samples in a clinical setting without the need for RNA purification is said to yield results in 30 minutes, about a third of the time required for the standard PCR method.
Associate Professor Tan, who is from NTU’s School of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, said: “Viruses are very smart. They can mutate, edit, or shuffle their genetic material, meaning diagnostic tests may fail to catch them. Hence, we spent considerable effort developing a robust and sensitive test that can catch the viruses even when they change their genetic sequences. In addition, frequent testing is essential for helping to break the transmission of viruses within populations, so we have developed our tests to be rapid and affordable, making them deployable in resource-poor settings.”
The research team, plans to further refine their diagnostic kit, obtain regulatory approval from relevant authorities and commercialise their test in partnership with diagnostic companies.
Project officer Ooi Kean Hean, Professor Lin Weisi, PhD student Hou Jingwen, Associate Professor Tan Meng How
Research Paper ‘An engineered CRISPR-Cas12a variant and DNA-RNA hybrid guides2 enable robust and rapid COVID-19 testing’ published in Nature Communications. 12, 1739 (2021) DOI: 10.1038/s41467- 021-21996-6
Further information:
ilmt.co/PL/PVmp 54921pr@reply-direct.com
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