Noteworthy publications

Figure 1: (a) A schematic illustration of the fabrication of a flexible sensor. (b) Demonstration of sensor flexibility. (c) SEM image of the morphology of gold nanowires coated tissue fibres (scale bar,100 um).
Figure 2: Confocoal microscopy (top) and SEM (bottom) images showing pore size and morphology of swollen pGtn hydrogel and lyophilized pGtn hydrogel, respectively. 

Congratulations to MCN Technology Fellow, Wenlong Cheng, who co-authored the paper entitled “A wearable and highly sensitive pressure sensor with ultrathin gold nanowires,” recently published in Nature Communications. The paper presents an efficient, low cost fabrication strategy for constructing highly sensitive, flexible pressure sensors. The process involves sandwiching tissue paper impregnated with ultrathin gold nanowires between two sheets of polydimethylsiloxane. These sensors are scalable, with superior sensing qualities to previous sensors and can be operated at a battery voltage of 1.5V with low energy consumption. Read more here. (see figure 1) 

Congratulations to MCN Technology Fellow, Peggy Chan, who co-authored the paper entitled "Effects of GDNF-Loaded Injectable Gelatin-Based Hydrogels on Endogenous Neural Progenitor Cell Migration," recently published in Advanced Materials. Brain repair following disease and injury is very limited due to difficulties in recruiting and mobilizing stem cells towards the lesion. This study investigates the effectiveness of an injectable gelatin-based hydrogel in attracting neural progenitor cells towards the implant.The development of an injectable gelatin-based hydrogel has significant implications for the treatment of some neurodegenerative diseases and brain injuries. The ability of GDNF and porosity to effectively prevent glial scar formation will allow better integration and interaction between the implant and surrounding neural tissue. Read more here. (see figure 2)