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Daily Innovation News

May 15^th 2024

💻 Technology

🇨🇳 Chinese scientists develop smart contact lenses that track eye movements, enabling gameplay, web interaction, and robot control

Chinese scientists have developed smart contact lenses that track eye movements using techniques like pupil center corneal reflection and electrooculography. The biocompatible, battery-free lenses enhance human-machine interaction, ideal for healthcare and augmented reality. These lenses can provide a seamless augmented reality experience by integrating virtual and real worlds without compromising user comfort or safety. The research, offering a new dimension in human-computer interaction, was published in Nature Communications.

⚡️ Energy

🇪🇸 Spanish researchers develop an innovative energy storage method using volcanic ash

Researchers from the University of Barcelona have developed an innovative energy storage medium using volcanic ash, which demonstrates a unique combination of properties making it suitable for concentrated solar power systems. This material, tested for its thermal properties, proved to be an efficient, stable, and cost-effective alternative to traditional storage materials like molten salts. Its ability to handle high temperatures and resist corrosion could significantly enhance the sustainability and efficiency of solar energy systems. The study, published in Journal of Energy Storage, highlights the potential of volcanic ash to transform energy storage, particularly in regions with abundant volcanic activity.

🇨🇳 China launches its first large-scale sodium-ion battery energy storage project

China has launched its first large-scale sodium-ion battery energy storage station in Guangxi, showcasing a significant advancement in energy storage technology. This 10-MWh facility is part of a 100-MWh project by China Southern Power Grid Energy Storage, aiming to provide clean energy to 35,000 residential customers and cut CO2 emissions by 50,000 tons annually. Sodium-ion batteries offer advantages over lithium-ion ones, including abundance, lower cost, and better low-temperature performance, promising a 20% to 30% cost reduction in large-scale applications.

🇯🇵 Japan to develop the world’s first wood pellet-powered ship

A collaboration among NYK Line, Tsuneishi Shipbuilding, and Drax Group is developing the world’s first ship powered by biomass. The initiative, set to be completed by the end of the decade, aims to utilize biomass fuel technology onboard, significantly reducing carbon emissions associated with marine biomass transport. This technology could decrease emissions by 22% compared to traditional fuels. This project aligns with Japan's shift towards renewable energy sources and supports Drax's goal of achieving carbon-negative status by 2030.

💊 Healthcare

🇯🇵 Japanese scientists begin the world’s first clinical trials for tooth regrowth medicine

Japanese scientists at Kyoto University are initiating the world’s first clinical trials for a tooth regrowth medicine through their startup Toregem Biopharma. This innovative treatment targets a protein that inhibits tooth growth and has shown promising results in stimulating tooth bud development in mice. The clinical trials, set to start with safety tests on 30 healthy male adults, aim to offer a new treatment option for congenital anodontia, which currently relies on implants or dentures. If successful, Phase 2 trials will assess effectiveness in young patients with the condition.

🇬🇧 British researchers develop a technique to 3D print personalized medication tablets

Researchers at the University of Nottingham have developed a new 3D printing technique that allows the creation of personalized medication tablets. These tablets can house multiple drugs and release them at controlled times. The process, known as Multi-Material InkJet 3D Printing (MM-IJ3DP), utilizes a novel ink sensitive to UV light to form water-soluble structures that dictate drug release rates. This advancement, published in Materials Today Advances, offers precise treatment options and simplifies complex medication regimens into a single dose, potentially improving patient compliance and health outcomes.

🇨🇦 Canadian researchers develop “mini-brains” from stem cells for Alzheimer’s diagnosis and treatment

Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan have developed "mini-brains" from stem cells, potentially revolutionizing the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases. These cerebral organoids, derived from human blood stem cells, accurately model the adult human brain, including its response to Alzheimer's pathology. This innovation, published in Frontiers of Cellular Neuroscience, could lead to personalized medical interventions and significantly impact health services, especially in remote areas, by allowing diagnosis and treatment monitoring through a simple blood sample.

🇺🇸 US researchers develop an AI tool that predicts heart failure outcomes

Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System have developed a new AI tool called CARNA that enhances the prediction of heart failure outcomes. By integrating machine learning and artificial intelligence, CARNA can analyze complex clinical data, including hemodynamics, to assess individual risks for heart failure patients. This tool enables clinicians to tailor treatments more effectively, potentially improving patient longevity and quality of life. The tool is available for free to clinicians and has been validated using data from extensive heart failure clinical trials. The results were published in American Heart Journal.

🇨🇭 Swiss researchers discover new fat cell mechanism, offering a new target for obesity treatments

Researchers at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne have discovered why fat in the omentum—an apron-like layer covering internal organs—behaves differently from other fat by enlarging existing cells rather than creating new ones. This contributes to inflammation and insulin resistance, linked to metabolic diseases. They identified a cell population in the omentum that transitions between states and controls fat storage by releasing a protein that inhibits new fat cell formation. This finding opens new avenues for treating obesity by targeting these mechanisms. The study was published in Cell Metabolism.

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