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Showing posts with the label bioengineering

New biosensor powers itself, detects and kills bacteria to make water safe

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The biosensor uses an enzyme-based biofuel cell, antibodies called aptamers and a bacterial elimination mechanism to make water decontamination faster and easier. Originally published by Christopher McFadden at https://interestingengineering.com on Mar 02, 2025           Stock image of a biosensor.                                                  grechina/iStock A team of researchers has developed a new self-powered biosensor that can detect Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria in drinking water and destroy them in situ (on site). This discovery could have enormous ramifications for providing s afe drinking water worldwide . Traditional methods , such as culturing or polymerase chain reaction (PCR), are time-consuming and labor-intensive . They also require specialized equipment and trained sta...

A Band-Aid for the heart? New 3D printing method makes this, and much more, possible

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Originally published by Lisa Marshall, Nicholas Goda, University of Colorado at Boulder , on August 1, 2024 Laboratory tests show this 3D-printed material molds and sticks to organs. Pictured is a porcine heart. Credit: University of Colorado at Boulder In the quest to develop life-like materials to replace and repair human body parts , scientists face a formidable challenge: Real tissues are often both strong and stretchable and vary in shape and size . A CU Boulder -led team, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Pennsylvania , has taken a critical step toward cracking that code. They've developed a new way to 3D print material that is at once elastic enough to withstand a heart 's persistent beating, tough enough to endure the crushing load placed on joints , and easily shapable to fit a patient's unique defects . Better yet, it sticks easily to wet tissue . Their breakthrough, described in the Aug. 2 edition of the journal Science , helps ...