LabGrab

In the latest issue of the American Chemistry Society's journal Langmuir, Bar-Ilan University researcher, Aharon Gedanken and colleagues report successful lab tests of a material intended for use as a new food packaging material.

In a fitting tribute to Valentine's Day, the British Health Foundation (BHF) launched an $80 million dollar research project at the beginning of this 'love' month to investigate using stem cells to regenerate heart tissue and "mend broken hearts".

Some disorders of the brain are obvious — the massive death of brain cells after a stroke, the explosion in the growth of cells that marks a tumor. Other disorders, such as autism, schizophrenia and mental retardation show no physical signs of damage and are believed to be caused by problems in how brain cells communicate with one another.

Researchers from Purdue University have developed a new type of sensor that allows rapid detection of chemical compounds in a person's respiration. The new approach is at least 100 times more accurate than current technologies - detecting biomarkers in the parts per billion to parts per million range - and may lead to wide-spread use of breathalyzers in detecting the possible presence of cancer and other diseases.

The technology works by detecting changes in electrical resistance or conductance as gases pass over sensors built on top of tiny heating devices on electronic chips, called "microphotplates".

Carlos Martinez, assistant professor of Materials Engineering, and key investigator of the new sensors commented; "We are talking about creating an inexpensive, rapid way of collecting diagnostic information about a patient. It might say, 'there is a certain percentage that you are metabolizing a specific compound indicative of this type of cancer,' and then additional, more complex tests could be conducted to confirm the diagnosis."