Category Archives: medicine

Tripling CRISPR efficiency with DNA-wrapped nanoparticles

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A September 7, 2025 news item announced a big step forward where gene-editing (CRISPR or clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) is concerned,

At a glance: 

  • CRISPR gene-editing machinery could transform medicine but is difficult to get into tissues and disease-relevant cells
  • New delivery system loads CRISPR machinery inside spherical nucleic acid (SNA) nanoparticles
  • Particles entered cells three times more effectively, tripled gene-editing efficiency, and decreased toxicity compared to current delivery methods

With the power to rewrite the genetic code underlying countless diseases, CRISPR holds immense promise to revolutionize medicine. But until scientists can deliver its gene-editing machinery safely and efficiently into relevant cells and tissues, that promise will remain out of reach.

Now, Northwestern University chemists have unveiled a new type of nanostructure that dramatically improves CRISPR delivery and potentially extends its scope of utility.

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An artistic interpretation of a spherical nucleic acid (SNA) nanoparticle, carrying CRISPR cargo, entering a cell. When inside an SNA nanoparticle, CRISPR machinery enters cells three times more effectively. Image by the Mirkin Research Group

A September 5, 2025 Northwestern University news release by Amanda Morris (also on EurekAlert but published September 1, 2025), which originated the news item, provides more detail, Note: Links have been removed,

Called lipid nanoparticle spherical nucleic acids (LNP-SNAs), these tiny structures carry the full set of CRISPR editing tools — Cas9 enzymes, guide RNA [ribonucleic acid] and a DNA [deoxyribonucleic acid] repair template — wrapped in a dense, protective shell of DNA. Not only does this DNA coating shield its cargo, but it also dictates which organs and tissues the LNP-SNAs travel to and makes it easier for them to enter cells.

In lab tests across various human and animal cell types, the LNP-SNAs entered cells up to three times more effectively than the standard lipid particle delivery systems used for COVID-19 vaccines, caused far less toxicity and boosted gene-editing efficiency threefold. The new nanostructures also improved the success rate of precise DNA repairs by more than 60% compared to current methods.

The study will be published on Sept. 5 [2025] in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The study paves the way for safer, more reliable genetic medicines and underscores the importance of how a nanomaterial’s structure — rather than its ingredients alone — can determine its potency. This principle underlies structural nanomedicine, an emerging field pioneered by Northwestern’s Chad A. Mirkin and his colleagues and pursued by hundreds of researchers around the world.

“CRISPR is an incredibly powerful tool that could correct defects in genes to decrease susceptibility to disease and even eliminate disease itself,” said Mirkin, who led the new study. “But it’s difficult to get CRISPR into the cells and tissues that matter. Reaching and entering the right cells — and the right places within those cells — requires a minor miracle. By using SNAs to deliver the machinery required for gene editing, we aimed to maximize CRISPR’s efficiency and expand the number of cell and tissue types that we can deliver it to.”

A nanotechnology and nanomedicine pioneer, Mirkin is the George B. Rathmann Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern’s Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences; professor of chemical and biological engineering, biomedical engineering and materials science and engineering at the McCormick School of Engineering; professor of medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine; executive director of the International Institute for Nanotechnology; and a member of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.

CRISPR needs a ride

When CRISPR machinery reaches its target inside a cell, it can disable genes, fix mutations, add new functions and more. But CRISPR machinery cannot enter cells by itself. It always needs a delivery vehicle. 

Currently, scientists typically use viral vectors and lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to perform this function. Naturally good at sneaking into cells, viruses are efficient, but they can cause the human body to mount an immune response, leading to painful or even dangerous side effects. LNPs, on the other hand, are safer but inefficient. They tend to get stuck in endosomes, or compartments within the cell, where they cannot release their cargo.

“Only a fraction of the CRISPR machinery actually makes it into the cell and even a smaller fraction makes it all the way into the nucleus,” Mirkin said. “Another strategy is to remove cells from the body, inject the CRISPR components and then put the cells back in. As you can imagine, that’s extremely inefficient and impractical.”

A DNA-wrapped taxi

To overcome this barrier, Mirkin’s team turned to SNAs, which are globular — rather than linear — forms of DNA and RNA previously invented in Mirkin’s lab at Northwestern. The spherical genetic material surrounds a nanoparticle core, which can be packed with cargo. Roughly 50 nanometers in diameter, the tiny structures possess a proven ability to enter cells for targeted delivery. Seven SNA-based therapies are already in human clinical trials, including a Phase 2 clinical trial for Merkel cell carcinoma being developed by Flashpoint Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biotechnology startup.

In the new study, Mirkin’s team started with an LNP core carrying the CRISPR machinery inside. Then, they decorated the particle’s surface with a dense layer of short strands of DNA. Because the DNA can interact with a cell’s surface receptors, cells easily absorb SNAs. The DNA also can be engineered with sequences that target specific cell types, making delivery more selective.

“Simple changes to the particle’s structure can dramatically change how well a cell takes it up,” Mirkin said. “The SNA architecture is recognized by almost all cell types, so cells actively take up the SNAs and rapidly internalize them.”

Boosted performance across the board

After successfully synthesizing LNP-SNAs with CRISPR cargo, Mirkin and his team added them to cellular cultures, which included skin cells, white blood cells, human bone marrow stem cells and human kidney cells. 

Then, the team observed and measured several key factors: how efficiently the cells internalized the particles, whether the particles were toxic to cells and if the particles successfully delivered a gene. They also analyzed the cells’ DNA to determine if CRISPR had made the desired gene edits. In every category, the system demonstrated its ability to successfully deliver CRISPR machinery and enable complex genetic modifications.

Next, Mirkin plans to further validate the system in multiple in vivo disease models. Because the platform is modular, researchers can adapt it for a wide range of systems and therapeutic applications. Northwestern biotechnology spin-out Flashpoint Therapeutics is commercializing the technology with the goal of rapidly moving it toward clinical trials.

“CRISPR could change the whole field of medicine,” Mirkin said. “But how we design the delivery vehicle is just as important as the genetic tools themselves. By marrying two powerful biotechnologies — CRISPR and SNAs — we have created a strategy that could unlock CRISPR’s full therapeutic potential.”

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Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

A general genome editing strategy using CRISPR lipid nanoparticle spherical nucleic acids by Zhenyu Han, Chi Huang, Taokun Luo, and Chad A. Mirkin. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) September 4, 2025 122 (36) e2426094122 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2426094122

This paper is behind a paywall.

Key obstacle to integrated bioelectronic implants removed with use of solid-state hydrogel

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Cyborgs calling? It seems a logical extension from the work being described in Michael Berger’s August 28, 2025 Nanowerk Spotlight article, Note: A link has been removed,

Electronic devices that can sense, process, and respond to biological signals are reshaping how researchers approach medicine, neuroscience, and human–machine interaction [emphasis mine]. These systems, often soft, flexible, and powered by organic materials, promise to monitor brain activity, stimulate nerves, and control prosthetics with a level of precision and integration that rigid silicon electronics cannot match. The ambition is clear: build circuits that are not just compatible with the body, but functionally embedded within it.

Yet at the core of many of these bioelectronic systems lies a persistent technical obstacle. Organic electrochemical transistors—or OECTs—have emerged as one of the most promising components for such interfaces. They operate at low voltages, work well in wet environments, and can amplify faint biological signals. But their performance has depended almost entirely on liquid electrolytes—saline-based solutions that shuttle ions in and out of the transistor channel. While effective at driving fast switching and strong responses, these liquids are difficult to confine. They spread, leak, evaporate, and cause interference between closely packed devices. They make miniaturization harder, circuit integration more complex, and long-term implantation more fragile.

Solid-state electrolytes have been explored as a replacement. Some are made from ionic gels or charged polymers, others from hydrogels with modified compositions. But each compromise has created new limitations: reduced ion mobility, patterning challenges, long response times, or incompatibility with both p-type and n-type transistor operation. These tradeoffs have made it difficult to build dense, fast, reliable circuits for real use in living systems.

Now, researchers in Sweden report a material system that brings this goal closer. Writing in Advanced Materials (“A Photo‐Patternable Solid‐State Electrolyte for High‐Performance, Miniaturized, and Implantable Organic Electrochemical Transistor‐Based Circuits”), the team presents a hydrogel-based solid-state electrolyte that is both photopatternable and fast enough to match the performance of liquid systems.

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This turns out to be a hydrogel and seaweed story, from Berger’s August 28, 2025 article,

Using a naturally derived polymer from seaweed and a light-activated crosslinker, they’ve built a platform that enables high-speed operation, micrometer-scale precision, and compatibility with flexible, implantable devices. The system supports both logic circuits and spiking neural mimics, all operating on a solid-state foundation—offering a solution to a long-standing bottleneck in bioelectronic circuit design.

This work introduces a solid-state hydrogel based on ι-carrageenan, a charged polysaccharide extracted from red seaweed, crosslinked with poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA). When exposed to ultraviolet light, PEGDA forms a permanent network that locks the ι-carrageenan into a soft, water-stable gel. The result is a solid-state electrolyte that can be patterned with high precision, while maintaining ionic conductivity at levels comparable to liquid saline.

The hydrogel can be processed as a liquid and selectively hardened using light exposure. Before crosslinking, it spreads easily for coating or printing. After UV exposure, it forms a water-insoluble gel that can be patterned down to 15 micrometers. This resolution is sufficient for building densely packed circuits on flexible substrates. Crucially, the material retains ionic conductivity above 10 millisiemens per centimeter—on par with 0.1 molar sodium chloride. That conductivity enables fast ion movement through the gel, preserving the switching speed and signal fidelity expected of high-performance OECTs.

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To move beyond digital logic, the researchers designed a circuit that mimics the behavior of a spiking neuron. This organic electrochemical neuron (OECN) was based on the leaky integrate-and-fire model used in artificial neural networks. It combines complementary OECTs with a reset transistor and integrates them into a spiking architecture that converts a continuous input into transient voltage pulses. The circuit was encapsulated using a biocompatible layer of parylene and fabricated on an ultrathin flexible substrate.

To demonstrate biological relevance, the team implanted this device in mice. They connected it to flexible stimulation electrodes coated with PEDOT:PSS, a conductive polymer that lowers electrode impedance. The system was wrapped around the cervical vagus nerve, a major nerve involved in autonomic regulation of the heart and digestive system. When inactive, the device produced no physiological effect. When activated to spike at frequencies between 1 and 20 hertz, it induced a measurable drop in heart rate of 2 to 4 percent—consistent with the known effects of vagus nerve stimulation.

Unlike previous systems based on liquid electrolytes, this device remained stable after implantation, with no fluid reservoirs or leakage pathways. Its function did not degrade after encapsulation, and spiking behavior remained consistent. The reduction in spiking frequency observed after implantation was attributed to the mouse acting as an external load, not to any failure of the circuit.

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The platform introduced in this study enables a new level of complexity and stability in soft bioelectronics. It demonstrates that solid-state, hydrogel-based circuits can meet the electrical demands of real-world applications without sacrificing manufacturability or implant safety. By bridging the gap between ionic transport and scalable circuit design, this work sets the foundation for future generations of bioelectronic therapies and neural interfaces.

Berger’s August 28, 2025 article offers a lot more detail and his explanations tend to be accessible (relatively speaking).

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

A Photo-Patternable Solid-State Electrolyte for High-Performance, Miniaturized, and Implantable Organic Electrochemical Transistor-Based Circuits by Miao Xiong, Chi-Yuan Yang, Junpeng Ji, April S. Caravaca, Qi Guo, Qifan Li, Mary J. Donahue, Dace Gao, Han-Yan Wu, Adam Marks, Yincai Xu, Deyu Tu, Iain McCulloch, Peder S. Olofsson, Simone Fabiano. Advanced Materials DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.20250931 First published: 22 August 2025

This paper is open access.

Engineering graphene to block and detect malaria

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Michael Berger wrote an August 17, 2025 Nanowerk spotlight article on proposed research into the use of graphene as a protection against malaria carrying mosquitoes, Note: Links have been removed,

Malaria continues to resist elimination efforts, even as vaccines and treatments become easier to access. Despite substantial progress, the disease remains a serious global threat. According to the World Health Organization, in 2023 there were an estimated 597,000 malaria-related deaths and 263 million cases worldwide. Preventive measures such as insecticide-treated bed nets and indoor spraying remain key strategies, and diagnostic testing and treatments are essential for managing infections.

Yet each tool faces limits. Mosquitoes are developing resistance to insecticides. Parasites are evolving resistance to treatments. Diagnostics often require lab settings or fail to detect infections early or at low levels. Malaria must be managed at many points—from the mosquito bite to parasite growth to detection—but the current tools are not equally effective at every stage.

Materials science is now stepping into this space with a new class of engineered substances: two-dimensional (2D) materials, particularly graphene and its variants. Graphene is a single sheet of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal pattern, known for its exceptional strength, electrical conductivity, and chemical reactivity. These properties make it promising for applications that require both sensitivity and selectivity, such as detecting tiny amounts of biomolecules or blocking microscopic particles.

Figure 1: Graphene in the fight against malaria. I) Material based on a diversity of graphene (e.g., 0D, 1D, 2D, 3D, monolayer, multilayer, and nanosheet) with chemical properties of strong strength, high mobility, high transparency, good heat conductivity, biocompatibility, and chemical stability; II) advanced devices (e.g., nanofabrication of graphene quantum dots, surface plasmon resonance biosensing chip) demonstrating antimalarial characteristics can be used for III) malaria treatment (i.e., enhanced predation efficiency of natural enemies, prevented P. falciparum bites by acting as physical barrier, interference P. falciparum sense the human body, the superior loading capacity of graphene oxide nanosheets (GOns) for essential biomolecules required for the growth and development of malaria parasites resulted in the depletion of vital nutrients, diagnosis malaria by rapid detection of DNA, RBC, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and nanodrug delivery system with high toxicity against malaria mosquitoes) at IV) different stages of malaria development from injection of sporozoites by an infected mosquito to multiplication of merozoites in RBCs. This review contributes to a better understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with graphene-based materials in the fight against malaria, offering valuable guidance for future research and development in this important area. [downloaded from https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anbr.202300130]

Berger’s August 17, 2025 article delves into further detail, Note: A link has been removed,

A comprehensive review published in Advanced NanoBiomed Research (“The Comprehensive Roadmap Toward Malaria Elimination Using Graphene and its Promising 2D Analogs”) outlines how graphene and similar materials could be systematically applied across multiple stages of malaria control.

The authors present a structured roadmap covering synthesis methods, biological interactions, safety issues, and potential for use in both diagnosis and prevention. Their approach is not to suggest a single cure-all, but to identify specific material properties that could address long-standing weaknesses in current malaria tools.

The paper begins by describing how graphene and its common derivatives — including graphene oxide (GO), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and graphene quantum dots (GQDs) — can be manufactured using physical, chemical, or biological methods. Physical methods include mechanical exfoliation and chemical vapor deposition, which yield high-purity graphene sheets. Chemical methods, such as Hummers’ method, oxidize graphite to produce GO, a more water-dispersible form that is easier to work with in biological environments. Biological or “green” methods use plant extracts or microbes as reducing agents to avoid toxic solvents, and these are seen as more scalable and biocompatible for medical applications. Each method has trade-offs in cost, quality, and environmental impact.

Once produced, graphene-based materials can interact with malaria parasites, mosquitoes, or infected blood cells in ways that potentially disrupt the disease process. The authors identify three primary intervention points: prevention, parasite inhibition, and diagnosis.

In terms of prevention, graphene’s impermeability makes it an effective barrier material. When applied as a coating on fabrics or films, it can block mosquito bites by physically resisting the insect’s proboscis and masking human scent cues such as carbon dioxide and lactic acid. Laboratory studies have demonstrated that multilayer GO coatings on the skin prevent mosquitoes from locating and piercing the surface, reducing bite risk without using chemicals. These barrier films are flexible and can be integrated into clothing or wearable devices. Because the films are stable and resistant to wear, they offer longer-lasting protection than chemical repellents.

The review also discusses using GQDs as larvicides, since these nanoscale particles can penetrate mosquito larvae and disrupt their development. Their small size allows them to pass through biological membranes and interfere with cell function, though the exact mechanism remains under study.

The second application area is inhibition of parasite development. After a person is bitten, the malaria parasite enters the bloodstream and invades red blood cells. GO nanosheets have shown the ability to bind to the parasite’s outer membrane or to essential nutrients in the blood, physically blocking the parasite’s access to the cell. In vitro experiments suggest that GO can capture or neutralize the parasite before it completes its life cycle.
Some graphene derivatives can interfere with protein transport or nutrient absorption, making the environment inside the host less favorable to the parasite. These materials could potentially be delivered through injectable suspensions or oral carriers, though this application remains in early experimental phases.

One of the most promising areas for using graphene in malaria control is early diagnosis. Accurate detection is critical for timely treatment and for preventing the spread of infection, especially in areas with limited medical infrastructure. Traditional diagnostic tools, such as rapid tests and blood smears, often miss low-level infections or require trained personnel and laboratory settings. Graphene offers a way to build more sensitive, portable, and reliable detection devices.

Graphene’s usefulness in sensing comes from its structure. Because it is only one atom thick, any molecule that lands on its surface can quickly alter its electrical or optical properties. This makes it especially good at detecting very small amounts of biological material — such as the proteins, DNA, or altered red blood cells that signal a malaria infection.

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If you are interested in the possibilities that graphene offers, Berger’s August 17, 2025 article is well worth reading in its entirety.

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

The Comprehensive Roadmap Toward Malaria Elimination Using Graphene and its Promising 2D Analogs by Fangzhou He, George Junior, Rajashree Konar, Yuanding Huang, Ke Zhang, Lijing Ke, Meng Niu, Boon Tong Goh, Amine El Moutaouakil, Gilbert Daniel Nessim, Mohamed Belmoubarik, Weng Kung Peng. Advanced NanoBiomed Research Volume 5, Issue 8 August 2025 2300130 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/anbr.202300130 First published online: 15 March 2024

This paper is open access.

Gene-editing tools like CRISPR unlock promising new topical treatments for the first time for skin diseases

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Exciting? Yes. However, as far as I can tell, hey are a long way from human clinical trials. Onto the good news, from a January 27, 2026 University of British Columbia (UBC) news release (can be found here at the Life Science Institute, here at the Faculty of Medicine, and here at the university’s press office), Note: Links have been removed,

Gene-editing tools like CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) have unlocked new treatments for previously uncurable diseases. Now, researchers at the University of British Columbia are extending those possibilities to the skin for the first time.

The UBC team, together with researchers from the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité in Germany, has developed the first gene therapy capable of correcting faulty genes when applied directly to human skin. Outlined today [January 27, 2926] in a paper published in Cell Stem Cell, the breakthrough could lead to new treatments for a wide range of genetic skin conditions, from rare inherited diseases to more common disorders like eczema.

“With this work, we show that it is possible to correct disease-causing mutations in human skin using a topical treatment that is safe, scalable and easy-to-use,” said Dr. Sarah Hedtrich, an associate professor at UBC’s school of biomedical engineering and senior author of the study. “Importantly, the approach corrects the root cause of disease, and our data suggests that a one-time treatment might even be enough to provide a lasting and durable cure.”

Broad therapeutic potential 

In the study, the researchers show the gene therapy can correct the most common genetic mutation behind autosomal recessive congenital ichthyosis (ARCI), a rare and life-threatening inherited skin disorder that appears at birth.

Affecting approximately one in 100,000 people, ARCI causes lifelong complications including extremely dry and scaly skin, chronic inflammation and a high risk of infections. There is currently no cure or effective treatment, and patients must manage their symptoms for life.

“For many patients, this condition is not only physically painful, but also deeply stigmatizing and isolating,” said Dr. Hedtrich.

By testing the treatment in models made from living human skin, the team showed it can restore up to 30 per cent of normal skin function—a level that previous research suggests could be clinically meaningful for returning skin function to normal.

While ARCI affects relatively few people, the researchers say the treatment strategy could be adapted to many other genetic skin diseases, including epidermolysis bullosa—a severe skin blistering condition often called ‘butterfly skin’—and potentially more common conditions such as eczema or psoriasis.

“The approach we developed is a platform technology,” said Dr. Hedtrich. “It can be readily adapted to treat almost any skin disease.”

A new way to deliver CRISPR gene editing 

Despite major advances in gene editing, applying the technology to skin diseases has remained a long-standing challenge. The skin’s primary role is to protect the body from the outside world, making it difficult to deliver large biological therapies, such as gene editors, past its protective barrier.

To overcome this, the team developed a novel delivery method that uses lipid nanoparticle technology, or LNPs. These microscopic “bubbles of fat,” pioneered by UBC professor Dr. Pieter Cullis [emphasis mine] and brought to global prominence through mRNA vaccines, are able to carry gene-editing technology into cells.

Using a clinically approved laser, the researchers first create microscopic, pain-free openings in the outer layers of the skin. This allows the lipid nanoparticles to pass through the skin barrier and reach skin stem cells beneath the surface. Once inside, the gene editor corrects the underlying DNA mutation, enabling the skin to begin functioning more normally.

“This is a highly targeted, localized approach,” said Dr. Hedtrich. “The treatment stays in the skin and we saw no evidence of off-target effects, which is a critical safety milestone.”

The study was conducted in close collaboration with Vancouver-based biotech company NanoVation Therapeutics [emphasis mine], a UBC spin-off focused on developing LNP-based genetic medicines. The researchers now hope to bring the treatment into clinical testing and have already been working with regulatory authorities to define the necessary safety and efficacy studies. [emphasis mine]

“Our goal now is to take this from the lab into first-in-human clinical trials,” said Dr. Hedtrich. “We hope this work will ultimately lead to a safe, effective treatment that can transform the lives of patients who currently have no real therapeutic options.”

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Lipid nanoparticle-based non-viral in situ gene editing of congenital ichthyosis-causing mutations in human skin models by Dilem Ceren Apaydin, Gaurav Sadhnani, Tiffany Carlaw, Jan Renziehausen, Elena Lizunova, Viviane Filor, Anna Hiller, Sophia Brumhard, Vincent Halim, Ulrike Brüning, Johannes Bischof, Rafaela Horbach Marodin, Daniel Z. Kurek, Manuel Rhiel, Sandra Ammann, Tatjana I. Cornu, Toni Cathomen, Leif Erik Sander, Benedikt Obermayer, Fabian Coscia, Jennifer Kirwan, Ulrich Koller, Achim D. Gruber, Wolfgang Bäumer, and Sarah Hedtrich. Cell Stem Cell Available online 27 January 2026 In Press, Corrected Proof DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2026.01.001

This paper is behind a paywall.

NanoVation Therapeutics, the UBC spin-off mentioned in the news release, was co-founded by Pieter Cullis according to the company’s Our Team webpage.

LASIK no more—remodel the cornea; don’t cut it

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Caption: The electromechanical reshaping technique successfully flattened this rabbit cornea, shown in a cross section, from its original shape (white line) to a corrected one (yellow line). Credit: Daniel Kim and Mimi Chen

An August 18, 2025 news item on ScienceDaily announced a surgery-free technique for some eye surgeries,

Millions of Americans have altered vision, ranging from blurriness to blindness. But not everyone wants to wear prescription glasses or contact lenses. Accordingly, hundreds of thousands of people undergo corrective eye surgery each year, including LASIK — a laser-assisted surgery that reshapes the cornea and corrects vision. The procedure can result in negative side effects, prompting researchers to take the laser out of LASIK by remodeling the cornea, rather than cutting it, in initial animal tissue tests.

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There is a video,

The research was presented at the American Chemical Society (ACS) Fall 2025 meetings according to an August 18, 2025 American Chemical Society news release (also on EurekAlert), which originated the news item,

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Michael Hill, a professor of chemistry at Occidental College, will present his team’s results at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS Fall 2025 is being held Aug. 17-21; it features about 9,000 presentations on a range of science topics.

Human corneas are dome-shaped, clear structures that sit at the front of the eye, bending light from surroundings and focusing it onto the retina, where it’s sent to the brain and interpreted as an image. But if the cornea is misshapen, it doesn’t focus light properly, resulting in a blurry image. With LASIK, specialized lasers reshape the cornea by removing precise sections of the tissue. This common procedure is considered safe, but it has some limitations and risks, and cutting the cornea compromises the structural integrity of the eye. Hill explains that “LASIK is just a fancy way of doing traditional surgery. It’s still carving tissue — it’s just carving with a laser.”

But what if the cornea could be reshaped without the need for any incisions?

This is what Hill and collaborator Brian Wong are exploring through a process known as electromechanical reshaping (EMR). “The whole effect was discovered by accident,” explains Wong, a professor and surgeon at the University of California, Irvine. “I was looking at living tissues as moldable materials and discovered this whole process of chemical modification.”

In the body, the shapes of many collagen-containing tissues, including corneas, are held in place by attractions of oppositely charged components. These tissues contain a lot of water, so applying an electric potential to them lowers the tissue’s pH, making it more acidic. By altering the pH, the rigid attractions within the tissue are loosened and make the shape malleable. When the original pH is restored, the tissue is locked into the new shape.

Previously, the researchers used EMR to reshape cartilage-rich rabbit ears, as well as alter scars and skin in pigs. But one collagen-rich tissue that they were eager to explore was the cornea.

In this work, the team constructed specialized, platinum “contact lenses” that provided a template for the corrected shape of the cornea, then placed each over a rabbit eyeball in a saline solution meant to mimic natural tears. The platinum lens acted as an electrode to generate a precise pH change when the researchers applied a small electric potential to the lens. After about a minute, the cornea’s curvature conformed to the shape of the lens — about the same amount of time LASIK takes, but with fewer steps, less expensive equipment and no incisions.

They repeated this setup on 12 separate rabbit eyeballs, 10 of which were treated as if they had myopia, or nearsightedness. In all the “myopic” eyeballs, the treatment dialed in the targeted focusing power of the eye, which would correspond to improved vision. The cells in the eyeball survived the treatment, because the researchers carefully controlled the pH gradient. Additionally, in other experiments, the team demonstrated that their technique might be able to reverse some chemical-caused cloudiness to the cornea — a condition that is currently only treatable through a complete corneal transplant.

Though this initial work is promising, the researchers emphasize that it is in its very early stages. Next up is what Wong describes as, “the long march through animal studies that are detailed and precise,” including tests on a living rabbit rather than just its eyeball. They also plan to determine the types of vision correction possible with EMR, such as near- and far-sightedness and astigmatism. Though the next steps are planned, uncertainties in the team’s scientific funding have put them on hold. “There’s a long road between what we’ve done and the clinic. But, if we get there, this technique is widely applicable, vastly cheaper and potentially even reversible,” concludes Hill.

This research was funded by the National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health and the John Stauffer Charitable Trust.

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The ACS Fall 2025 meeting took place August 17 – 21, 2025.

Upcoming US clinical trial to test a tiny eye implant that could restore sight for age-related macular degeneration (AMD)

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A January 9, 2026 news item on ScienceDaily announces an upcoming clinical trial,

Age-related macular degeneration is the most common cause of vision loss and blindness among Americans age 65 and older. The disease worsens over time and primarily damages central vision, making it difficult to see faces, read text or focus on objects directly ahead. As the condition progresses, people may experience blurry areas, dark patches or blind spots in the center of their vision.

Researchers are now launching a new clinical trial that could offer hope to people with advanced dry age-related macular degeneration [emphases mine]. This form of the disease is the most widespread and currently has very limited treatment options.

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This clinical trial was first announced in a December 17, 2025 University of Southern California (USC) news release, which originated the news item, Note: Links have been removed,

Researchers at the USC Roski Eye Institute, part of Keck Medicine of USC, are launching a phase 2b clinical trial examining if stem cells bioengineered to replace failing cells in the retina damaged by macular degeneration could restore eyesight. The cells are attached to an implant — an ultra-thin patch, thinner than a strand of hair — which holds the cells in place.

“We are hoping to determine if the stem-cell based retinal implant can not only stop the progression of dry age-related macular degeneration, but actually improve patients’ vision,” said Sun Young Lee, MD, PhD, a retinal surgeon with Keck Medicine and principal investigator of the Keck Medicine study site. “The findings could be groundbreaking because while there are a few treatments available that delay the progress of macular degeneration, there are none able to reverse the damage already done.”

The clinical trial follows early research conducted by USC Roski Eye Institute experts on a small patient population that showed the implant was well-tolerated, stayed put in the eye and was successfully absorbed into the tissue of the retina. Additionally, 27% of patients had some improved vision.

“The earlier phase of the clinical trial showed the treatment to be safe with the potential to benefit patients’ vision; this next phase will investigate whether the therapy can achieve clinically significant improvements in vision,” said Lee, who is also an associate professor of ophthalmology and physiology & neuroscience at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. 

How the retinal implant works

Approximately 20 million Americans live with age-related macular degeneration. This number also includes cases of wet macular degeneration, which is a less common but more serious form of the disease.

Age-related macular degeneration affects the eye’s macula, which is located in the center of the retina and is responsible for central vision. In advanced cases, the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, which line the macula and are key in helping the retina produce clear vision, become damaged or destroyed, which leads to vision loss.

The retinal implant used in the clinical trial is derived from embryonic stem cells grown into RPE cells in a lab. During an outpatient surgical procedure, Keck Medicine eye surgeons will implant a tiny layer of the lab-produced RPE cells into the retina.

“The study will explore if the lab-engineered implant will take over for the damaged cells, function as normal RPE cells would, and improve vision for patients who may currently have no other options for improvement,” said Rodrigo Antonio Brant Fernandes, MD, PhD, an ophthalmologist with Keck Medicine and the study surgeon. He is also an associate professor of clinical ophthalmology at the Keck School. 

Details of the clinical trial

Keck Medicine is one of five locations in the nation enrolling patients in the clinical trial. The study is masked — some of the enrolled participants will receive the implant, while others receive a simulated implant.

Eligible patients must be between ages 55-90 with advanced dry age-related macular degeneration and a diagnosis of geographic atrophy, meaning their RPE cells are damaged or not functioning.

Patients will be monitored for at least one year to determine how the implant is tolerated and for any changes in vision. The trial is hoping to enroll 24 patients.

Those interested in learning more about the trial can contact Mariana Edwards at mariana.edwards@med.usc.edu or Kimberly Rodriguez at kimberly.rodriguez2@med.usc.edu.

“The USC Roski Eye Institute is dedicated to furthering innovative treatments to help improve lives by restoring vision,” said Mark S. Humayun, MD, PhD, co-director of the USC Roski Eye Institute, director of the USC Ginsberg Institute for Biomedical Therapeutics and the Dennis and Michele Slivinski Chair in Macular Degeneration Research at the Keck School. “Stem cell-derived retinal implants may offer one of the greatest possibilities for helping patients with dry age-related macular degeneration and one day, may offer a cure.”

The bioengineered RPE cell retinal implant is manufactured by Regenerative Patch Technologies LLC, a clinical-stage company developing stem cell-based implant technologies for the treatment of retinal diseases. Humayun co-invented the implant and is a co-founder of the company.

The technology to produce the cell implant is exclusively licensed to Regenerative Patch Technologies from the University of Southern California, the California Institute of Technology and the University of California Santa Barbara.

The clinical trial is in part funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, a California state-funded organization dedicated to accelerating the development of innovative cell and gene therapies, the Marcus Foundation, a biomedical research philanthropic organization, and USC.

You can find more detail about “A Phase IIb Randomized, Multicenter Trial of Subretinal CPCB-RPE1 in Advanced Dry AMD (Geographic Atrophy) (PATCH-AMD)” at ClimicalTrials.gov.

I suspect that you have to be able to travel easily on a regular basis to one of the five centers holding the trials in California (3 in southern California), Illinois (1), and Texas (1) to quality although it’s not mentioned in the eligibility criteria. Of course, I could be wrong so, it’s best to check with the organizers.

Regenerative Patch Technologies can found here.

Protect and repair damaged teeth with toothpaste made from your own hair?

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Intriguing, non? An August 13 , 2025 King’s College London press release (also on EurekAlert) describes work that could save your teeth in years to come, Note: A video of the researcher, Dr Sherif Elsharkawy, describing his work is embedded in the King’s College London press release,

Toothpaste made from your own hair may offer a sustainable and clinically effective way to protect and repair damaged teeth.

In a new study published today, scientists discovered that keratin, a protein found in hair, skin and wool, can repair tooth enamel and stop early stages of decay.

The King’s College London team of scientists discovered that keratin produces a protective coating that mimics the structure and function of natural enamel when it comes into contact with minerals in saliva.

Dr Sherif Elsharkawy, senior author and consultant in prosthodontics at King’s College London, said: “Unlike bones and hair, enamel does not regenerate, once it is lost, it’s gone forever.”

Acidic foods and drinks, poor oral hygiene, and ageing all contribute to enamel erosion and decay, leading to tooth sensitivity, pain and eventually tooth loss.

While fluoride toothpastes are currently used to slow this process, keratin-based treatments were found to stop it completely. Keratin forms a dense mineral layer that protects the tooth and seals off exposed nerve channels that cause sensitivity, offering both structural and symptomatic relief.

The treatment could be delivered through a toothpaste for daily use or as a professionally applied gel, similar to nail varnish, for more targeted repair. The team is already exploring pathways for clinical application and believes that keratin-based enamel regeneration could be made available to the public within the next two to three years.

In their study, published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, the scientists extracted keratin from wool. They discovered that when keratin is applied to the tooth surface and comes into contact with the minerals naturally present in saliva, it forms a highly organised, crystal-like scaffold that mimics the structure and function of natural enamel.

Over time, this scaffold continues to attract calcium and phosphate ions, leading to the growth of a protective enamel-like coating around the tooth. This marks a significant step forward in regenerative dentistry.

Sara Gamea, PhD researcher at King’s College London and first author of the study, added: “Keratin offers a transformative alternative to current dental treatments. Not only is it sustainably sourced from biological waste materials like hair and skin, it also eliminates the need for traditional plastic resins, commonly used in restorative dentistry, which are toxic and less durable. Keratin also looks much more natural than these treatments, as it can more closely match the colour of the original tooth.”

As concerns grow over the sustainability of healthcare materials and long-term fluoride use, this discovery positions keratin as a leading candidate for future dental care. The research also aligns with broader efforts to embrace circular, waste-to-health innovations, transforming what would otherwise be discarded into a valuable clinical resource.

Sara Gamea said: “This technology bridges the gap between biology and dentistry, providing an eco-friendly biomaterial that mirrors natural processes.”

Dr Elsharkawy concluded: “We are entering an exciting era where biotechnology allows us to not just treat symptoms but restore biological function using the body’s own materials. With further development and the right industry partnerships, we may soon be growing stronger, healthier smiles from something as simple as a haircut.”

[diagram downloaded from https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/toothpaste-made-from-hair-provides-natural-root-to-repair-teeth]

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Biomimetic Mineralization of Keratin Scaffolds for Enamel Regeneration by Sara Gamea, Elham Radvar, Dimitra Athanasiadou, Ryan Lee Chan, Giacomo De Sero, Ecaterina Ware, Sunie Kundi, Avir Patel, Shwan Horamee, Shuaib Hadadi, Mads Carlsen, Leanne Allison, Roland Fleck, Ka Lung Andrew Chan, Avijit Banerjee, Nicola Pugno, Marianne Liebi, Paul T Sharpe, Karina Carneiro, Sherif Elsharkawy. Advanced Healthcare Materials DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202502465 First published online: 12 August 2025

This paper is open access.

“Skin in a syringe” offers a new way to heal burns

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An August 14, 2025 news item on ScienceDaily announced research into burn care from Sweden’s Linköping University,

Researchers have created what could be called “skin in a syringe.” The gel containing live cells can be 3D printed into a skin transplant, as shown in a study conducted on mice. This technology may lead to new ways to treat burns and severe wounds. The study was led from the Center for Disaster Medicine and Traumatology and Linköping University in Sweden, and has been published in Advanced Healthcare Materials.

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An August 12, 2025 Linköping University press release (also on EurekAlert), which originated the news item, delves further into the research,

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As long as we have a healthy skin, we do not give it much thought. However, if we get major wounds or other injuries, it becomes clear that the skin is the body’s protection from the outside world. Helping the body restore the skin barrier after a serious burn can therefore be a matter of life and death.

Large burns are often treated by transplanting a thin layer of the top part of the skin, the epidermis. This is basically composed of a single cell type. Transplanting only this part of the skin leads to severe scarring.

Under the epidermis there is a thicker and more advanced layer of skin called the dermis. It has blood vessels, nerves, hair follicles and other structures necessary for skin function and elasticity. However, transplanting also the dermis is rarely an option, as the procedure leaves a wound as large as the wound to be healed.

The trick is to create new skin that does not become scar tissue but a functioning dermis.

“The dermis is so complicated that we can’t grow it in a lab. We don’t even know what all its components are. That’s why we, and many others, think that we could possibly transplant the building blocks and then let the body make the dermis itself,” says Johan Junker, researcher at the Swedish Center for Disaster Medicine and Traumatology and docent in plastic surgery at Linköping University, who led the study published in Advanced Healthcare Materials.

The most common cell type in the dermis, the connective tissue cell or fibroblast, is easy to remove from the body and grow in a lab. The connective tissue cell also has the advantage of being able to develop into more specialised cell types depending on what is needed. The researchers behind the study provide a scaffold by having the cells grow on tiny, porous beads of gelatine, a substance similar to skin collagen. But a liquid containing these beads poured on a wound will not stay there.

The researchers’ solution to the problem is mixing the gelatine beads with a gel consisting of another body-specific substance, hyaluronic acid. When the beads and gel are mixed, they are connected using what is known as click chemistry. The result is a gel that, somewhat simplified, can be called skin in a syringe.

“The gel has a special feature that means that it becomes liquid when exposed to light pressure. You can use a syringe to apply it to a wound, for example, and once applied it becomes gel-like again. This also makes it possible to 3D print the gel with the cells in it,” says Daniel Aili, professor of molecular physics at Linköping University, who led the study together with Johan Junker.

In the current study, the researchers 3D-printed small pucks that were placed under the skin of mice. The results point to the potential of this technology to be used to grow the patient’s own cells from a minimal skin biopsy, which are then 3D-printed into a graft and applied to the wound.

“We see that the cells survive and it’s clear that they produce different substances that are needed to create new dermis. In addition, blood vessels are formed in the grafts, which is important for the tissue to survive in the body. We find this material very promising,” says Johan Junker.

Blood vessels are key to a variety of applications for engineered tissue-like materials. Scientists can grow cells in three-dimensional materials that can be used to build organoids, i.e. mini versions of organs. But there is a bottleneck as concerns these tissue models; they lack blood vessels to transport oxygen and nutrients to the cells. This means that there is a limit to how large the structures can get before the cells at the centre die from oxygen and nutrient deficiency.

The LiU researchers may be one step closer to solving the problem of blood vessel supply. In another article, also published in Advanced Healthcare Materials, the researchers describe a method for making threads from materials consisting of 98 per cent water, known as hydrogels.

“The hydrogel threads become quite elastic, so we can tie knots on them. We also show that they can be formed into mini-tubes, which we can pump fluid through or have blood vessel cells grow in,” says Daniel Aili.

The mini-tubes, or the perfusable channels as the researchers also call them, open up new possibilities for the development of blood vessels for e.g. organoids.

Lars Kölby, professor of plastic surgery at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, also participated in the project. The research has received funding from, among others, the Erling-Persson Foundation, the European Research Council (ERC), the Swedish Research Council and the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation.

Caption: The researchers 3D-printed small pucks of the gel with cells in it. Credit: Magnus Johansson/Linköping University

Here are links to and citations for both papers in the order in which they are mentioned in the press release,

Biphasic Granular Bioinks for Biofabrication of High Cell Density Constructs for Dermal Regeneration by Rozalin Shamasha, Sneha Kollenchery Ramanathan, Kristin Oskarsdotter, Fatemeh Rasti Boroojeni, Aleksandra Zielińska, Sajjad Naeimipour, Philip Lifwergren, Nina Reustle, Lauren Roberts, Annika Starkenberg, Gunnar Kratz, Peter Apelgren, Karin Säljö, Jonathan Rakar, Lars Kölby, Daniel Aili, Johan Junker. Advanced Healthcare Materials Volume 14, Issue 21 August 19, 2025 2501430 DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202501430 First published online: 12 June 2025

This paper is open access.

Printing and Rerouting of Elastic and Protease Responsive Shape Memory Hydrogel Filaments by Philip Lifwergren, Viktoria Schoen, Sajjad Naeimipour, Lalit Khare, Anna Wunder, Hanna Blom, Jose G. Martinez, Pierfrancesco Pagella, Anders Fridberger, Johan Junker, Daniel Aili. Advanced Healthcare Materials Volume 14, Issue 22 August 28, 2025 2502262 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202502262 First published online: 20 June 2025

This paper is open access.