UC Science Today

Did you know that researchers are developing new materials that can soak up excess drugs inside your body? Engineer Chelsea Chen of the University of California, Berkeley is building a polymer membrane that can absorb circulating chemotherapy drugs after treatment. The membrane is known as a ChemoFilter, and how it absorbs drugs depends on the materials inside it.

"We study the structure-property relationship of the polymer membranes. So basically by establishing the structure-property relationships, we can predict what kind of structure would work best, so we could design the optimal performance membrane. That’s our goal."

When it comes to testing the filter, Chen is trying to create an environment similar to what the membrane would be exposed to within the body.

"We are trying to improve the design to mimic body environment more closely, instead of just doing a simple benchtop experiment. So we’re working on both a more real environment in vitro experiment and also the next step is the in vivo."

This week on Science Today. Did you know that nearly 40 percent of worldwide agricultural crops are destroyed by insects – in particular, fruit flies such as the spotted-wing Drosophila. These pests feed on ripening fruits, laying eggs inside berries and causing hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of agricultural damage. According to UC Riverside entomologist Anandasankar Ray, most flies go for rotting fruits that have fallen off plants.

"But these flies will go after the ripening fruit. So this is of particular concern because when you have fruit or produce that is close to harvest, you really do not want to spray toxic chemicals on them."

Ray describes a safe repellent they’ve developed, which successfully warded off hungry flies in the lab. Also in the lab, this one at UC Berkeley, we talk to engineer Chelsea Chen who is testing how their ChemoFilter works in a natural environment. This is a polymer membrane that can absorb excess, circulating chemotherapy drugs in one’s body after treatment.

"We are trying to improve the design to mimic body environment more closely instead of just doing a simple benchtop experiment. So, we’re working on both a more real environment in vitro experiment and also the next step is the in vivo."

And at UC San Francisco, doctors are seeing things in a whole new way – literally. Dr. Judy Yee describes how they’re using virtual holography to perform colonoscopies and how this technology may also be applied to other parts of the body and help surgeons prepare for procedures.

"It will allow surgeons to get a sense of the size of lesions, the proximity to key structures like vessels and to potentially practice the approach to a tumor, for example."

There’s just so much going on at the University of California – keep on top of all the latest discoveries and breakthroughs. Subscribe to UC Science Today on iTunes or Stitcher. You can also follow us on Soundcloud or Facebook. Be well, and until next time I’m Larissa Branin.

Subscribe to Science Today:

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Stories mentioned in this roundup:

https://soundcloud.com/sciencetoday/safe_replellents

https://soundcloud.com/sciencetoday/chemofilter_testing

https://soundcloud.com/sciencetoday/holography_medical

How do researchers test new glues for fetal surgery? Bioengineer Phillip Messersmith of the University of California, Berkeley is synthesizing bio-inspired glues to seal the delicate amniotic sac during a procedure. The glues are based off an adhesive used by mussels, the hard-shelled mollusks, to stick to wet surfaces. And it takes multiple rounds of testing to make sure such a product does in fact work.

"The entry level testing would involve some mimic of a tissue. We could use, for example, and do routinely use, sausage casing, which actually has relatively similar mechanical properties to the fetal membranes."

If some of these formulations look promising, the next step is to test them on fetal membrane tissues like discarded placentas from births.

"For formulations that work well in that situation, then we can advance to a third stage which would be pre-clinical animal studies."

Messersmith and his team are currently working to strengthen their second generation of glues.

How do researchers test new glues for fetal surgery? Bioengineer Phillip Messersmith of the University of California, Berkeley is synthesizing bio-inspired glues to seal the delicate amniotic sac during a procedure. The glues are based off an adhesive used by mussels, the hard-shelled mollusks, to stick to wet surfaces. And it takes multiple rounds of testing to make sure such a product does in fact work.

"The entry level testing would involve some mimic of a tissue. We could use, for example, and do routinely use, sausage casing, which actually has relatively similar mechanical properties to the fetal membranes."

If some of these formulations look promising, the next step is to test them on fetal membrane tissues like discarded placentas from births.

"For formulations that work well in that situation, then we can advance to a third stage which would be pre-clinical animal studies."

Messersmith and his team are currently working to strengthen their second generation of glues.

Nearly 40 percent of worldwide agricultural crops are destroyed by insects. Take the small invasive fruit fly known as the spotted wing Drosophila. It feeds on ripening fruits, laying eggs inside berries, causing hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of agricultural damage. Entomologist Anandasankar Ray of the University of California, Riverside says most flies go for rotting fruits that have fallen off plants.

"But these flies will go after the ripening fruit. And so this is of particular concern because when you have fruit or produce that is close to harvest, you really do not want to spray toxic chemical on them."

Ray helped identify a safe repellent that uses a grape-smelling chemical compound that’s produced naturally in fruits in small amounts. In the lab, ripe blueberries coated with it warded off the hungry flies.

"We will continually improve upon these active ingredients that we found. It’s not a stagnant process, it is technology-driven and innovation-driven."

Nearly 40 percent of worldwide agricultural crops are destroyed by insects. Take the small invasive fruit fly known as the spotted wing Drosophila. It feeds on ripening fruits, laying eggs inside berries, causing hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of agricultural damage. Entomologist Anandasankar Ray of the University of California, Riverside says most flies go for rotting fruits that have fallen off plants.

"But these flies will go after the ripening fruit. And so this is of particular concern because when you have fruit or produce that is close to harvest, you really do not want to spray toxic chemical on them."

Ray helped identify a safe repellent that uses a grape-smelling chemical compound that’s produced naturally in fruits in small amounts. In the lab, ripe blueberries coated with it warded off the hungry flies.

"We will continually improve upon these active ingredients that we found. It’s not a stagnant process, it is technology-driven and innovation-driven."

This week on Science Today. It’s been over three decades since Dr. Michael Harrison of the University of California, San Francisco performed the first fetal surgery – and now Harrison is teaming up with bioengineers at UC Berkeley to develop a better glue for fetal surgery. We met with engineer Phillip Messersmith to learn about this super adhesive, which is inspired by mussels. That’s right, the edible ocean dwellers.

"The idea that we could borrow ideas from the mussel and use them in a synthetic material is something that we embraced. And so if you want to do that, you have to at least have some basic level of understanding of how this glue works in nature."

Meanwhile, in another collaboration between UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley, researchers have joined forces to help the scientific community get a better understanding of how mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus can infect isolated placental cells. UCSF virologist Lenore Pereira explains how they did this.

"We infected these cells with both the prototype African strain and the Nicaraguan strain from the new epidemics that have been associated with microcephaly. Somehow, cells were more susceptible to the Nicaraguan strains."

Preventing the chain of infection from mother to fetus remains a challenge, but we’re glad to know scientists like Pereira and Dr. Eva Harris at UC Berkeley are on the case. It’s also great to learn that researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are leading an international study to conduct the first comprehensive study of cool roofs in China. Staff scientist Ronnen Levinson says these are the white coatings that provide energy cost savings by reflecting more sunlight than an ordinary dark roof.

"We were taking something that was well understood elsewhere in the world and extending it to a very important country with a very large population that’s actively seeking to save energy and reduce its carbon footprint."

Listen to this and other episodes. Subscribe to UC Science Today on iTunes or follow us on Soundcloud. Stay tuned for more great discoveries by University of California researchers. Until next time, I’m Larissa Branin.

Subscribe to Science Today:

iTunes: apple.co/1TQBewD

Stitcher: www.stitcher.com/podcast/science-today

Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ucsciencetoday

Stories mentioned in this roundup:

https://soundcloud.com/sciencetoday/mollusk_glue

https://soundcloud.com/sciencetoday/zika_strains

https://soundcloud.com/sciencetoday/cool_roof

This week on Science Today. It’s been over three decades since Dr. Michael Harrison of the University of California, San Francisco performed the first fetal surgery – and now Harrison is teaming up with bioengineers at UC Berkeley to develop a better glue for fetal surgery. We met with engineer Phillip Messersmith to learn about this super adhesive, which is inspired by mussels. That’s right, the edible ocean dwellers.

"The idea that we could borrow ideas from the mussel and use them in a synthetic material is something that we embraced. And so if you want to do that, you have to at least have some basic level of understanding of how this glue works in nature."

Meanwhile, in another collaboration between UC San Francisco and UC Berkeley, researchers have joined forces to help the scientific community get a better understanding of how mosquitoes carrying the Zika virus can infect isolated placental cells. UCSF virologist Lenore Pereira explains how they did this.

"We infected these cells with both the prototype African strain and the Nicaraguan strain from the new epidemics that have been associated with microcephaly. Somehow, cells were more susceptible to the Nicaraguan strains."

Preventing the chain of infection from mother to fetus remains a challenge, but we’re glad to know scientists like Pereira and Dr. Eva Harris at UC Berkeley are on the case. It’s also great to learn that researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are leading an international study to conduct the first comprehensive study of cool roofs in China. Staff scientist Ronnen Levinson says these are the white coatings that provide energy cost savings by reflecting more sunlight than an ordinary dark roof.

"We were taking something that was well understood elsewhere in the world and extending it to a very important country with a very large population that’s actively seeking to save energy and reduce its carbon footprint."

Listen to this and other episodes. Subscribe to UC Science Today on iTunes or follow us on Soundcloud. Stay tuned for more great discoveries by University of California researchers. Until next time, I’m Larissa Branin.

Subscribe to Science Today:

iTunes: apple.co/1TQBewD

Stitcher: www.stitcher.com/podcast/science-today

Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ucsciencetoday

Stories mentioned in this roundup:

https://soundcloud.com/sciencetoday/mollusk_glue

https://soundcloud.com/sciencetoday/zika_strains

https://soundcloud.com/sciencetoday/cool_roof

Can you expect a colonoscopy performed via CT scan to be as accurate as a conventional colonoscopy? Physician Judy Yee of the University of California, San Francisco says innovative CT colonographies, or CTCs, are becoming a good alternative.

"CT colonography is an imaging test that we would like to use for not only diagnosis of colorectal cancer, but for screening for colorectal cancer. There are many peer-reviewed papers and research that’s been done, including here, comparing the traditional CT colonography method to colonoscopy and have found that they’re pretty much equivalent for the clinically significant polyps. The true 3D, or the virtual holographic version of CT colonography is expected to be as accurate, if not more accurate."

Yee is currently conducting larger studies on the procedure, which has proven to have multiple benefits.

"So that’s another advantage, actually, of the CTC, is that you don’t need sedation at all."

How do you test a new theory on how cephalopods see color? Creatures like octopuses only have one type of light receptor in their eyes, meaning they have black and white vision. But graduate student Alexander Stubbs of the University of California, Berkeley teamed up with his father, Harvard astrophysicist Christopher Stubbs, to design a computer model simulating how cephalopods might be able to use their strangely shaped pupils to detect color.

"There’ve been a number of studies studying the physical optical properties of cephalopod eyes, and then a really rich history of behavioral experiments on cephalopods. So we used the measured optical properties of cephalopod eyes, and then we were able to complete our computer simulation to be able to look at the refractive properties of cephalopod eyes with real spectra that they might encounter in their natural habitat. And I’d say we sort of show, as a proof of concept, that this could work for those organisms and that it’s consistent with prior behavioral data."

It turns out that contrast was particularly important for picking out colors.