IISc scientists develop technique to study cancer cells

An interdisciplinary team of researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has made a breakthrough in the field of identifying cancer cells by using a 3D tumour model and magnetically-driven nanomotors to probe the microenvironment of these cells. The team consists of researchers from the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE) and Department of Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics (MRDG)."What came as a beautiful surprise was that within such a milieu, we found that aggressive cancer cells ended up remodelling their surroundings by making them stickier, and richer in specific charged sugars," Assistant Professor at MRDG and one of the senior authors Ramray Bhat observed."This charging can potentially be used to target and kill tiny populations of cancer cells hidden among their normal counterparts, for which we are extending these studies to living animals," he added.In their work, published in Angewandte Chemie, the team has steered helical nanomotors remotely via an external magnetic field through the tumour model to sense, map and quantify changes in the cellular environment."We believe these findings will find use as targeting strategies in future in-vivo applications, in quantifications of cancer aggressions and as biophysical probes to study the extracellular environment of cancer," the team...

Read More........→October 03, 2020

Scientists create ‘virtual Arctic’ to monitor impact of humans on frozen environment

The Digital Smart Arctic will simulate realistic processes taking place in the environment and predict any problems linked to mining and drilling for oil and gas. Picture: Sergey Anisimov By The Siberian Times reporter: Hi-tech project would use computer models to predict climate change and help with safe production of oil and gas in Northern Russia. A hi-tech virtual Arctic is being created by Siberian scientists to predict climate change and monitor the impact of mining and oil production on the roof of the world. The frozen northern region is thought to be rich with natural resources, particularly oil and gas, and a number of countries including Russia plan exploiting untapped reserves. However, environmentalists have expressed concerns about the possible knock-on effect of industrialisation and pollution. But a new computer project being developed by experts at the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Science will help answer many of the questions. The Digital Smart Arctic will simulate realistic processes taking place in the environment and predict any problems linked to mining and drilling for oil and gas. It will also be able to model complex safety systems, analyse pollution sources and their impact, study volcanic activity in the area and look at the climate of the Arctic basin. Being designed at the RAS Institute...

Read More........→July 04, 2015