Science Highlights

Radioisotope therapies improve on traditional chemotherapies by being finely targeted to only the diseased cells and leaving surrounding healthy cells unharmed. A promising radioisotope for therapeutic uses is ¹¹⁹Sb, which releases low energy Auger electrons that can kill cancer cells.

Every year the flu vaccine contains a different formulation, due to multiple influenza virus strains and their ability to mutate. Scientists are working toward the universal flu vaccine, which would target conserved regions of the virus. Such a vaccine would be effective regardless of virus strain or genetic drift due to mutation, requiring no yearly updates.

Our genetic information is stored in DNA using just four nucleotide bases: A, C, G, and T.

The expanded use of renewable energies instead of fossil fuels depends on developing better batteries. Researchers are finding ways to make batteries store more energy, have more efficient output, and last longer at lower cost.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is an aggressive malignancy of the bone marrow that currently stands as the most common form of cancer in children. DNA sequencing studies comparing diagnostic and relapse patient samples have identified relapse-driving mutations in the cytosolic 5’-nucleotidase II (NT5C2) gene.

General anesthetics like alphaxalone (5α-pregnan-3α-ol-11,20 dione) bind to type A γ-aminobutyric acid receptors (GABA_ARs), which are gated ion channels that reduce the potential of neurons to fire. Experimental evidence points to GABA_AR’s transmembrane domain (TMD) as the allosteric site of drug binding.

While a small amount of copper is essential for living organisms, too much copper contaminating our soils can be toxic and pose a serious problem. Copper has an affinity for organic matter in soils, where it mainly exists in the two redox states Cu(I) and Cu(II). In soils that fluctuate in redox conditions, the mobility of copper through the environment can be hard to predict.

To defend against infections, our phagocyte cells form a vesicle called a phagosome around pathogens, which then merges with a lysosome to form a phagolysosome. To terminate the threat, the phagolysosome gives the invading cell toxic doses of copper. However, some bacteria have evolved mechanisms for pumping the copper back out of the cell, avoiding toxicity.

Many new electronic devices replace traditional silicon chips with silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor chips, which are able to handle more power, function with less power loss, and operate at higher temperatures. Because these chips generate more heat, new materials that bond the chip to the heat sink are needed. A promising choice is sintered silver (Ag).

T cells allow our immune system to respond to specific antigens from infectious agents. Each T cell hosts a receptor (TCR) that binds to a particular antigenic peptide ligand. If the receptor is exposed to the ligand it recognizes, the T cell is activated.