https://phys.org/nanotech-news/bio-medicine/ en-us The latest science news on nanobiology, nano medicine, nanotechnology, nanoscience, and nanotech. Precision medicine aims to transport therapeutic agents, such as molecules, proteins or RNA, to the exact place where they need to act within the body. One of the most promising strategies is the use of nanocarriers: nanoparticles capable of encapsulating the drug, protecting it, transporting it and releasing it in a controlled manner where it is needed. At present, however, their behavior is usually analyzed using techniques based on average measurements of large populations, which conceal the differences between individual particles. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-particle-tracking-reveals-uneven-nanoparticle.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 21 May 2026 17:50:01 EDT news698601481 Living systems such as cells rely on membrane pores and channels to transport molecules, exchange signals, and organize biochemical reactions. These functions emerge from dynamic interactions between molecular components. Researchers at the University of Stuttgart have used DNA nanotechnology to develop a synthetic membrane architecture that mimics such interactions. The new platform enables coordinated molecular transport and programmable biochemical reactions inside an artificial compartment. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-coupled-dna-nanopores-molecular-traffic.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 21 May 2026 15:40:02 EDT news698592782 Gold nanoparticles, which are about one-thousandth the width of a human hair, can convert light they receive from a laser into heat. This capacity, known in medicine as photothermal therapy, is effective at destroying cancer cells without harming the surrounding healthy tissue. It's one of the techniques the scientific community is exploring in depth as an alternative chemotherapy, as it is less aggressive. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-shell-gold-nanoparticles-laser-longer.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 19 May 2026 15:00:08 EDT news698415541 What if eyes could use light to heal themselves? Drawing inspiration from how plants harness sunlight, researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) are pioneering a revolutionary treatment for dry eye disease. Their approach uses a light-activated technology derived from the photosynthetic membranes of the spinach plant, enabling the eye to stay continuously hydrated. This offers a solution that is simple, effective, and non-invasive. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-eyes-photosynthesize-scientists-dry-eye.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 18 May 2026 13:00:04 EDT news698321942 Every human cell is surrounded by a sugar coating known as the glycocalyx. It not only interacts with its environment but also reveals a great deal about cells' internal states. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light (MPL) have mapped sugar structures on cell surfaces using high-resolution microscopy. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-nanometer-scale-cell-sugar-reveals.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 15 May 2026 10:55:05 EDT news698061234 How do sea squirts stay attached to rocks amid crashing waves and strong currents? Recent research has revealed that sea squirts do not simply secrete adhesive substances. Instead, they possess a unique system where they package these materials into nano-sized (nm) condensates, deliver them to the destination, and then unpack them for use onsite. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-sea-squirts-nano-packaging-delivery.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 15 May 2026 09:07:46 EDT news698054822 Medications are designed to treat diseased tissues while sparing healthy ones, often by attaching the drug to something that helps guide it directly to its target. But drugs also need time to work, which means they need to stay near the diseased tissues long enough. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-molecular-grappling-cancer-drug-effectiveness.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 13 May 2026 08:00:03 EDT news697708321 Researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a high-throughput method to identify gold nanoparticles capable of delivering therapies directly to mitochondria (the energy centers inside cancer cells). By tagging nanoparticles with unique DNA "barcodes," the team was able to track and compare dozens of designs simultaneously in living tumor models, rapidly identifying those most effective at reaching this critical subcellular target. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-dna-barcodes-gold-nanoparticles-cancer.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 12 May 2026 14:20:03 EDT news697804561 Sleep is a vital physiological process that allows humans and other animals to restore both the mind and body, while also consolidating memories, clearing out toxins and regulating their metabolism. Several past studies showed that getting insufficient sleep for prolonged periods of time can trigger inflammatory responses and can negatively impact people's memory, mood, attention and decision-making. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-exosomes-reverse-deprivation-brain-mice.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 12 May 2026 11:20:06 EDT news697800599 Cancer cells frequently develop the ability to expel anticancer drugs before they can work—a phenomenon called multidrug resistance (MDR)—which is one of the leading reasons why chemotherapy fails in patients. Research published in the Journal of Controlled Release addresses that problem with a fundamentally new strategy: instead of simply increasing drug doses or switching drugs, researchers engineered nanoparticles that first disable the cancer cell's drug-expulsion mechanism, and only then release the anticancer drug. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-nanoparticles-drug-resistant-cancer-sequential.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 08 May 2026 11:20:05 EDT news697457282 A research team led by the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has developed a new type of nanoparticle therapy that could make cancer immunotherapy safer and more effective. The researchers say they've created a promising new treatment called CRYSTAL, short for Crystal-like STING-Activating nanoassemblies, by engineering a new nanoparticle that moves through the blood safely to target tumors but without triggering inflammation, which can lead to a range of negative side effects. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-nanoparticle-therapy-manganese-cancer-treatment.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 07 May 2026 17:30:03 EDT news697391341 Using a powerful single-molecule imaging method they developed, a Broad Institute research team has unveiled a dynamic view of how some cancer-related proteins interact in living cells. The technique relies on highly stable nanoparticle probes that brightly illuminate individual molecules for long periods of time. The researchers used their method to observe, for the first time, individual receptors as they move around the cell membrane, attaching to and then letting go of other receptors to alter signaling within the cell. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-nanoparticles-exposed-hidden-cancer-protein.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 04 May 2026 09:20:04 EDT news697103281 Extracellular vesicles, or EVs, are tiny membrane-bound particles released by nearly all cells. They carry proteins, RNA, lipids, and other biological cargo that reflect the condition of their parent cells. Because EVs circulate in blood, urine, and other body fluids, scientists see them as promising biomarkers for diagnosing diseases without invasive biopsies. However, traditional laboratory methods such as Western blotting and ELISA analyze EVs in bulk, averaging signals across millions of particles and often missing rare but clinically important subpopulations. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-vesicle-profiling-liquid-biopsies-everyday.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 30 Apr 2026 17:20:06 EDT news696784501 Just as the human body relies on organs such as the heart or liver for essential functions, cells depend on their own tiny organs, or organelles, to carry out vital tasks, including transporting nutrients, removing waste, and regulating genetic activity. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-rna-built-droplets-customizable-organelles.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 30 Apr 2026 16:40:03 EDT news696772322 Scientists at Durham University, working in partnership with Jagiellonian University in Poland, have developed a new nanoscale tool that can capture and precisely position some of the most important proteins in the human body, opening up new possibilities for medicine, imaging, and bioengineering. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-dna-nano-viral-cell-proteins.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 30 Apr 2026 10:00:10 EDT news696760442 Malignant tumor treatment remains a major challenge due to the limited precision and significant side effects. Copper-based single-atom nanozymes have shown promise for tumor microenvironment-responsive precision therapy, but their practical application is limited by weak substrate adsorption, difficulty in synthesizing low-coordination unsaturated structures, and limitations of conventional preparation methods. A research team has now successfully developed a coordination-unsaturated copper single-atom nanozyme. Their work is published in Advanced Functional Materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-copper-nanozyme-powerful-tumor-suppression.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 29 Apr 2026 20:40:01 EDT news696695221 Researchers at the National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST), Japan, and The University of Tokyo, Japan, in collaboration with Kyushu University, Japan, have developed a new class of biocompatible molecular quantum nanosensors (MoQNs) that operate inside living cells. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-molecular-quantum-nanosensors-reveal-temperature.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:00:03 EDT news696682742 Until now, molecular-level DNA circuits have mainly been used for simple tasks, such as detecting the presence of cancer-related substances. However, these systems have faced a key limitation: once a reaction occurs, the circuits cannot be reused. Overcoming this challenge, a research team has developed a DNA-based molecular computer that operates at a much smaller scale than conventional semiconductor devices, enabling both computation and memory within the same system. This advancement opens up new possibilities for future computing technologies in bio and medical applications, including disease diagnosis. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-dna-molecular-combines-memory-scales.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:20:04 EDT news696504961 A team of scientists has identified a new physical mechanism that could help explain one of the most persistent mysteries in science: why life consistently uses one "handed" version of its molecules and not the other. In a new study led by Prof. Yossi Paltiel of the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at Hebrew University and Prof. Ron Naaman of the Weizmann Institute, researchers show that electron spin, a fundamental quantum property, can cause mirror-image molecules to behave differently during dynamic processes, even though they are otherwise identical. The work appears in Science Advances. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-life-electron.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:00:02 EDT news696010742 Think of how many surfaces you touch every day, from your kitchen bench to the handrail on the bus or train, your work desk and your phone screen. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-plastic-thousands-tiny-pillars-viruses.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 21 Apr 2026 13:20:06 EDT news695991181 Researchers have developed a thin plastic film that tears apart viruses on contact, offering a promising new way to keep high-touch surfaces such as smartphones and hospital equipment from spreading disease. The innovation is not only effective at killing viruses, but also far more practical and scalable than earlier metal and silicon-based antiviral surfaces. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-plastic-texturing-viruses.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 20 Apr 2026 11:31:30 EDT news695901541 Canadians swallow millions of pills every day to treat common health issues like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and Type II diabetes, but scientists are working at the molecular level to turn patients' cells into pharmacies. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-nanomedicine-cells.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 17 Apr 2026 22:00:02 EDT news695634855 A tiny antibody component could fundamentally transform the treatment of cystic fibrosis: For the first time, researchers have succeeded in developing a so-called nanobody that penetrates directly into human cells and can repair the chloride channel most commonly affected in cystic fibrosis. The innovative therapeutic approach was developed in collaboration between teams from Charité—Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP). The results have now been published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-nanobody-misfolded-cftr-cells-boosting.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 17 Apr 2026 16:40:01 EDT news695646297 A quiet revolution is underway in modern medicine: Drug development is aiming to move from managing disease to correcting it through RNA and gene-editing therapies. But delivering these treatments safely and precisely to the right cells remains a major hurdle—especially in hard-to-target organs like the brain and kidneys. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-medicine-gene-therapies-theyre.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 17 Apr 2026 13:40:06 EDT news695649661 Researchers have developed a rapid color-changing test that can distinguish between different strains of golden staph, including those likely to be virulent and antibiotic resistant. Golden staph is a major human pathogen and is a leading cause of infection-related deaths globally, with more than a million fatalities each year. The research paper is published in the journal Small. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-dangerous-staph-strains-fast.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:20:09 EDT news695481241 A simple test developed at Washington State University could eventually allow astronauts and others in round-the-clock occupations to monitor their biological rhythms in just minutes using a drop of blood, a paper test strip, and a smartphone-based reader. An interdisciplinary team of WSU researchers created an inexpensive, 15-minute test using fluorescent nanoparticles to measure melatonin levels, which rise and fall along with a person's internal biological clock. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-rapid-melatonin-astronauts-easily-biological.html Bio & Medicine Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:40:07 EDT news695467081 Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nanoscale lipid bilayer particles secreted by cells that mediate intercellular communication by transporting biomolecules such as proteins and RNA. Among them, exosomes have attracted significant attention for applications in diagnostics and therapeutics, including cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. However, standardized criteria for evaluating their quality and functionality remain insufficient. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-phospholipid-asymmetry-extracellular-vesicle-surface.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:40:04 EDT news695396761 Picture this: your brain is a high-performance engine. Over decades, it doesn't just wear down, it also starts to run hot. Tiny "fires" of inflammation smolder deep within the brain's memory center, creating a persistent brain fog that makes it harder to think, form new memories or even adapt to new environments, all the while increasing the risk to disorders like Alzheimer's disease. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-nasal-spray-rewinds-aging-brain.html Bio & Medicine Tue, 14 Apr 2026 14:20:03 EDT news695386081 University of British Columbia researchers have developed a natural, biodegradable wash that removed up to 96% of pesticide residue from fruit and slowed browning and moisture loss. This could mean safer apples, grapes and other fruit that also stays fresh and crisp for days longer. With rising food prices and nearly half of all fresh produce wasted worldwide each year, finding a way to cut pesticide exposure and reduce spoilage could have a big impact. The findings are published in ACS Nano. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-fruit-pesticides-shelf-life.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 13 Apr 2026 19:30:01 EDT news695319121 An electrochemical sensor developed at Oregon State University holds promise for making food quality testing faster, more accurate, more environmentally friendly, and less expensive. The novel sensor, which also has potential applications in health care and environmental monitoring, is based on the design principle of engineered interfacial chemistry. The sensor requires tiny sample amounts, can be built into portable testing devices, and is fast and highly sensitive. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-oxide-based-sensor-door-greener.html Bio & Medicine Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:30:01 EDT news695317741