Developing next-generation analytical technique for gene and cell doping and ensuring ethics and fairness in sports
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 20-Aug-2025 15:10 ET (20-Aug-2025 19:10 GMT/UTC)
Changmin Sung, a principal researcher at the Doping Control Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), announced that he and his collaborators at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Korea University have developed a high-throughput multiplexed gene and cell doping analysis (HiMDA) based on gene scissors (CRISPR-Cas).
Researchers at the College of Design and Engineering at the National University of Singapore have developed a copper-based catalyst that significantly improves the energy efficiency of converting carbon dioxide (CO₂) into ethylene. By introducing small amounts of cobalt just beneath the catalyst surface, the team was able to alter the reaction pathway to favour ethylene formation at lower energy cost. The system achieved over 70 per cent selectivity towards ethylene with 25 per cent energy efficiency and ran stably for more than 140 hours. The breakthrough could support the development of commercially viable, low-emissions alternatives to conventional carbon-intensive ethylene production.
The treatment of gastrointestinal and urinary system diseases has long been plagued by limitations of traditional drug delivery methods, such as low drug concentration at target sites, lack of specificity in release, and short in vivo retention time, all of which result in suboptimal therapeutic efficacy. Magnetic microrobots, with their advantages of non-contact actuation, deep tissue penetration, and non-radiative operation, have emerged as ideal candidates for in vivo targeted drug delivery. However, existing manufacturing methods for magnetic robots have significant drawbacks: mold-assisted pre-deforming magnetization methods struggle to achieve complex deformations; emerging customizable fabrication techniques, such as nozzle magnetization during direct ink writing and laser-induced local remagnetization, can control the remnant magnetization of robot components to a certain extent but lack uniform and high-precision 3D magnetic fields, limiting the functional complexity and deformation accuracy of magnetic robots. To address these limitations, this study developed in-situ pixel-scale magnetic programming 3D printing technology, aiming to break through the bottlenecks of existing manufacturing techniques.
Researchers from The University of Osaka have used a miniature heater positioned over a nano-sized opening to gently unzip DNA’s double helix into a single strand for quick, efficient analysis. The device enables detection of longer DNA strands than before while using less power and improving accuracy. The technology could be used in handheld medical devices, helping doctors to diagnose disease and tailor treatments based on patients’ genes.