Thoughts control a near-infrared LED, which starts the production of a molecule in a reaction chamber.Martin Fussenegger / ETH Zurich Scientists have tapped into human brainwaves to control a gene network involved in production of proteins. By transferring thoughts wirelessly, ETH bioengineers could manipulate the gene expression for proteins. The novel gene regulation by thought-controlcould lead to implants that combat neurological diseases, like chronic headaches, back pain and epilepsy, by detecting specific brainwaves at an early stage and triggering production of alleviating agents at the right time. Marc Folcher and other researchers from the group led by Martin Fussenegger, Professor of Biotechnology and Bioengineering at the Department of Biosystems (D-BSSE) in Basel used an EEH headset to record brain waves. These were analysed and transmitted via Bluetooth to a controller that switches on the current to an implant. The implant emits LED light in the near infrared range to illuminate a culture of genetically modified cells and trigger them to produce a desired protein. The bioengineers have presented their findings in the journal Nature Communications. The implant was initially tested in cell cultures and mice, and controlled by the thoughts of various test subjects. The researchers used SEAP, an easy-to-detect … Continue reading →

Vaccine technology being developed at The University of Queensland could hold the key to completely eradicating polioby removing live virus from the vaccine production process. A polio inoculation in use since the 1950s has all-but eradicatedthe crippling disease in the developed world, but wild polio strains are running rampant in some poorer countries. The World Health Organisation has described the current polio situation in developing countries is an emergency. Researcher Dr Natalie Connors visited the WHO in Geneva last month to brief researchers on the modular virus-like particles her team is developing at UQs Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology. These particles resemble viruses but they are not infectious and only use the safe part of the virus, Dr Connors said. They are made by producing protein, not the virus. However, being a good mimic of the infectious virus, they raise an excellent immune response. Dr Connors uses computational modelling and simulation to predict the best design of virus-like particles to obtain the optimal immune response. There is no cure for polio. It can only be prevented, she said. This is why polio vaccination is so important, and why developing a polio virus-like particle vaccine would be the final step … Continue reading →