Researchers from The University of Osaka have shown that the MIC11 gene of Toxoplasma gondii is essential for the parasite to egress, or exit, the host cell, a key part of the lifecycle. Deletion of MIC11 caused parasites to be unable to permeabilize host cell membranes and prevented egress. This study identifies potential new therapeutic targets for human diseases caused by parasites, such as toxoplasmosis and malaria, which represent a major global health problem.

Butterfly wings were the inspiration behind this new, lightweight lattice structure that doesn’t compromise on sturdiness.

Porous materials are widely used for gas storage, separation, catalysis, and environmental purification. Their functionality arises from nanoscale pores that allow molecules to be selectively captured or transported. However, most porous materials, such as metal-organic frameworks, rely on rigid three-dimensional networks formed by strong chemical bonds, which often make them mechanically brittle and difficult to process into practical shapes.

A research team led by Professor Shuhei Furukawa at the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (WPI-iCeMS), Kyoto University, has developed a new type of microporous aerogel that overcomes these limitations. Their study demonstrates a strategy to assemble metal–organic polyhedra (MOPs) into hierarchically ordered one-dimensional porous fibrils using weak van der Waals interactions.

Unlike conventional porous frameworks constructed through strong chemical bonds, the newly developed fibrils are held together by reversible van der Waals interactions between MOP molecules. Thanks to the weak nature of these interactions, the molecular assemblies can reversibly associate and dissociate with minimal energy input, exhibiting thixotropic behavior. This feature allows the material to be easily shaped using molds, providing a high degree of processability that is rarely achieved in conventional microporous materials.