Lightactivated

Caused by bacterial infections or diseases such as keratoconus, thinning of the cornea can lead to blindness if not addressed. An experimental new injectable material could help keep that from happening, by thickening compromised corneas when triggered by blue light.Currently, the best treatment for a thinning cornea is simply to replace it with an undamaged one harvested from a cadaver. Unfortunately, though, there is a worldwide shortage of donor corneas, meaning that only a small number of people can receive them.…

Traffic is among the biggest sources of air pollution, but what if the very roads they drive on could help clear the air? Engineers in Korea have now demonstrated that photocatalytic concrete can help reduce pollution in tunnels.While we need to transition to greener vehicles as soon as possible, it’s still going to take a few decades. In the meantime, finding other ways to slurp up that air pollution is important, so why not turn to the most common building material in the world to help? In recent years scientists have…

Scientists have made progress in developing a new generation of light-activated cancer treatments. By embedding LED lights near a tumor and activating biotherapeutic drugs, these treatments would be more targeted and effective than current cancer immunotherapies. The researchers have engineered light-activated antibody fragments that fuse with their target, allowing for more precise immunotherapy treatments in the future.Scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) are a step closer to creating a new generation of…

While there are already a variety of implants that dispense medication within the body, most of them either can't be externally controlled, or they eventually have to be surgically removed. A new one, however, uses light to avoid both problems.The majority of existing drug-dispensing implants take one of two forms.One type harmlessly biodegrades over time – so it doesn't have to be removed – but it only delivers its medication at a preset rate. This means that if the patient needs their implant to release more of a…

Plastics can be hard, plastics can be soft, but can plastics be both at the same time? Scientists at the University of Texas at Austin have been exploring this question and produced a first-of-a-kind material that is pliable in some sections and stiff in others, which they see one day making its way into flexible electronics and robots.In developing the novel material, the scientists drew inspiration from natural materials that can be rigid in some places and soft and stretchy in others. Skin, muscle, trees and shellfish…

There is a lot for us still to learn about the dangers microplastics pose to the environment and the health of living organisms, but one thing is clear, their presence is widespread and only becoming more-so. Scientists have come up with a novel cleanup solution that takes its cues from nature, in the form of a fish-like robot that can move through the water and soak up small plastic pieces as it goes.The light-activated machine is the handiwork of scientists in China who were looking to improve on current approaches to…

Scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research in London have developed a new light-activated “photoimmunotherapy” that could help treat brain cancer. The key is a compound that glows under light to guide surgeons to the tumor, while near-infrared light activates a cancer-killing mechanism.The new study builds on a common technique called Fluorescence Guided Surgery (FGS), which involves introducing a fluorescent agent to the body which glows under exposure to light. This is paired with a synthetic molecule that binds to…