Innovation

By incorporating magnetic nanoparticles into gene therapy treated cells, British researchers were able to guide them to a tumor. The effectiveness of this treatment still to be developed is significantly increased.

Claire Lewis and Munitta Muthana, researchers at the University of Sheffield, together with their colleagues, made a brilliant idea. As they explain in Gene Therapy, they injected magnetic nanoparticles into monocytes. This may be surprising, but such particles are present in some bacteria and are perfectly well tolerated by these living organisms.

Source :https://www.nature.com/articles/gt200857

Twenty years ago, gene therapy brought a lot of hope. In spite of undeniable successes, it was necessary to disillate a little and things are more complex than what biologists and doctors imagined. But what is gene therapy?
The absence or defective structure of a gene can alter the composition of the proteins produced by the cells. This defect is then at the origin of certain diseases, hereditary (cystic fibrosis, myopathy) or not (cancer). The idea of ​​gene therapy is that it would be enough to introduce a good gene into the defective cells to correct or compensate for the abnormal production of proteins. Unlike a drug that affects the activity of proteins and cellular functions, gene therapy seeks to intervene at the source of the dysfunctions.
One way to insert a good gene into a diseased organism is to place it first in monocytes, blood cells of the leukocyte family (white blood cells) evolving into macrophages, then inject them into the bloodstream. Attempts of this kind have been made to treat certain cancers, but their effectiveness is partly based on the number of monocytes carrying the curative gene penetrating into the tumor. In general, this number is unfortunately low.

Magnetic attraction to the tumor

Claire Lewis and Munitta Muthana, researchers at the University of Sheffield, together with their colleagues, made a brilliant idea. As they explain in Gene Therapy, they injected magnetic nanoparticles into monocytes. This may be surprising, but such particles are present in some bacteria and are perfectly well tolerated by these living organisms.
After successfully inserting these nanoparticles into the monocytes, and the latter having been injected into diseased mice, the researchers then used magnetic fields to attract the treated cells to the tumors. They then realized that the amount of monocytes carrying gene therapy that had entered the tumors had increased.
Lewis thinks this new technique has great potential in gene therapy and not just for cancer. For example, she mentions problems of osteoarthritis or myocardial ischaemia leading to heart problems.

Recently perovskite solar cells (PSCs), as photoelectric conversion devices, exhibit excellent power conversion efficiency (PCE) and low-processing cost, and have become one of the most promising devices to replace conventional silicon-based solar cells and address current pressing energy issues.

Among them, the flexible PSCs are especially more widely applicable and may propel the rapid advancements of wearable electronics, causing a significant paradigm shift in consumer electronics. Current flexible PSCs use non-biodegradable petroleum-based polymer substrates, discarding of which will aggravate “white pollution”. Therefore, development of green, biodegradable and low-cost flexible substrates will provide a great alternative to flexible PSCs.

Modified nanocellulose paper has been shown to be excellent biodegradable substrate for flexible perovskite solar cells and potentially other green flexible devices.

A team of Chinese scientists led by Prof Wei Huang from Institute of Advanced Materials, Nanjing Tech University fabricate flexible perovskite solar cells on transparent nanocellulose paper. This becomes feasible only after they develop a treatment recipe to improve the mechanical, optical properties and the waterproof ability of the pure nanocellulose paper.

The flexible solar cells on the modified substrates show high specific power of 0.56 W g^-1 and good stability and mechanical durability. Another key advantage of nanocellulose paper is its biodegradation capability, making it a better substrate compared to PEN and PET for the next generation green flexible electronics. 

Source: Nature.com

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41528-019-0048-2

GenesInk is a part of the GREENSENSE project funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement N° 761000 since January 2018. The aim of GREENSENSE is to develop nanocellulose (NC)-based printed electronics for their final integration into a multi-parameter, hybrid-printed biosensing platform to detect drugs of abuse (DoA). NC-based materials (e.g. substrates and inks) offer better printability and performances compared to paper in the printed electronics domain. Besides, NC is known for their technical and environmental advantages compared to polymers (high degree of functionalization and recyclability). This project is a promising source of innovation in the biomedical industry. The project is planned for 4 years with a total budget of 8 M€.

1.    Project goal

Printed Electronics (PE) is one of the fastest growing technologies in the world. PE is interesting for various application fields such as consumer goods, Internet of Things (IoT), healthcare, aerospace, electronics, media and transport. Paper and plastic are considered as key substrates in the development of future flexible electronic devices. Unlike polymer substrates, paper/cellulose-based electronics are cost effective, recyclable and are expected to have a significant impact in the reduction of environmental impact of « electronic trash ». Unfortunately, the surface properties of conventional paper (porosity and surface roughness) are not suitable for printed electronics. To overcome these issues encountered with conventional paper, NC-based films with mechanical strength, transparency, low porosity and smooth surface roughness are considered as promising alternatives.

Thus, GREENSENSE aims to develop a sustainable, wireless and autonomous NC-based biosensing platform for quantitative DoA (Drug-of-Abuse) analysis. By using nanocellulose, it will integrate different printed electronic components (a Near Field Communication (NFC) antenna, energy storage (E. storage) devices and a display) with a newly developed printed biosensor and a microchip. Nanocellulose will then be used:

• as a substrate for printed electronics,
• for the encapsulation of the final device,
• and as an active component in the formulation of functional inks.

If necessary, the nanocellulose surface will be treated to improve printability and compatibility with the functional inks.

2.    Outlooks

In the framework of GREENSENSE, a sustainable, nanocellulose-based biosensing platform for Drug-of-Abuse analysis will be developed. This platform integrates high-added value printed electronic components, such as an antenna, a display, a supercapacitor or a battery and biosensor with a specialized silicon microchip.

High throughput and high precision screen printing and inkjet printing techniques will be used to manufacture components at large-scale. The final flexible and recyclable biosensing platform will be mass producible with ultra-low power consumption and therefore, cost-effective, sustainable and environmentally friendly.

3.    Consortium

The project started on the 1^st of January 2018. 13 partners are joining their efforts to achieve the project goal of developing a sustainable NC-based biosensing platform.

• Leitat, technical institute expert in industrial innovation processes. GREENSENSE is coordinated by Leitat which is also participating in the NC functionalization and NC-based inks formulations.
• AIT, Austrian Institute of Technology, which participates in the development of the printed biosensors to be included in the biosensing platform.
• Melodea, expert in the extraction of cellulose nanocrystals, which participates in the production and functionalization of crystalline nanocellulose (CNC) and CNC-based films at pilot scale.
• RISE Acreo AB, provider of innovative and value-adding ICT solutions. Acreo is involved in ink development, optimization of printing processes, development of electrochromic displays and is responsible for the manufacturing, by combining printing and pick & place hybridization, of the GREENSENSE biosensing platform.
• Infineon, semiconductor company participates in the development of microchip.
• Atlas Medical, manufacturer and supplier of quality diagnostic reagents and kits, participates with its knowledge of in vitro diagnostic devices and the final validation of the biosensing platform.
• GenesInk, manufacturer and supplier of conductive and semi-conductive nanoinks. GenesInk is developing NC-based Ag conductive nanoinks in the framework of GREENSENSE project.
• IMST, leader in R&D of new products for mobile communication participates in the development of a printed NFC system and its communication to a smartphone.
• PROACTIVE, knowledge-based company providing services inter alia in innovation management and Key Enabling Technologies.
• Prelonic Technologies, developing printed electronics elements consisting of batteries, displays, logics, etc. since 2007. Prelonic will develop printed energy storage systems – Zn/MnO2 primary batteries and supercapacitors.
• EMPA, materials science and research institute, addressing sustainability assessment in the framework of GREENSENSE.
• RISE Bioeconomy (INNVENTIA AB), a division within RISE Research Institute of Sweden participates in the production and functionalization of cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and CNF-based films at pilot scale.
• Coatema, engineering expert for high quality coating, lamination and printing plants. Coatema participates in the development of NC-based substrates using R2R pilot lines.

[1] V. Beni et al., ECS Journal of Solid State Science and Technology, 4 (10) S3001-S3005; 2015

Stretchable electronics is emerging as a promising new technology for next-generation wearable devices, according to a review published in Science and Technology of Advanced Materials.

The technology has many possible applications for healthcare, energy and the military. But there are several challenges involved in finding suitable materials and manufacturing methods. The biggest challenge for making stretchable electronics is that each component must endure being compressed, twisted and applied to uneven surfaces while maintaining performance, according to the review author Wei Wu, materials scientist at Wuhan University, China.

https://www.printedelectronicsworld.com/articles/16846/the-future-of-stretchable-electronics

Source and top image: NIMS