Edible food packaging made from milk proteins.

Foods at the grocery store come wrapped in plastic packaging. Not only does this create a lot of non-recyclable, non-biodegradable waste, but thin plastic films are not great at preventing spoilage. Scientists are now developing a packaging film made of milk proteins that addresses these issues -- and it is even edible. Current food packaging is mainly petroleum-based, which is not sustainable. It also does not degrade, creating tons of plastic waste that sits in landfills for years. Research leader Peggy Tomasula, D.Sc. says the protein-based films are powerful oxygen blockers that help prevent food spoilage and when used in packaging, they could prevent food waste during distribution along the food chain. To create an all-around better packaging solution, Tomasula and colleagues at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are developing an environmentally friendly film made of the milk protein casein. These casein-based films are up to 500 times better than plastics at keeping oxygen away from food and, because they are derived from milk, are biodegradable, sustainable and edible. Some commercially available edible packaging varieties are already on the market, but these are made of starch, which is more porous and allows oxygen to seep through its microholes. The milk-based packaging, however, has smaller pores and can thus create a tighter network that keeps oxygen out. In addition to being used as plastic pouches and wraps, this casein coating could be sprayed onto food, such as cereal flakes or bars. Right now, cereals keep their crunch in milk due to a sugar coating. Instead of all that sugar, manufacturers could spray on casein-protein coatings to prevent soggy cereal. The spray also could line pizza or other food boxes to keep the grease from staining the packaging, or to serve as a lamination step for paper or cardboard food boxes or plastic pouches. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration recently banned the perfluorinated substances that used to coat these containers, so casein coatings could be a safe, biodegradable alternative. culled from science daily.

Virtual reality and cancer cure.

Virtual technology could also be used to find new treatments for cancer. A team at the University of New South Wales has used high-resolution electron microscope data to reconstruct a human breast cancer cell in 3D CGI. It’s the first time a cancer cell has been reconstructed for virtual reality. This means scientists can don VR headsets to walk through the “landscape” of the cell, including its nucleus, mitochondria and endosomes to see how nanoparticle drugs are absorbed. This will look as if you have shrunk down to nano size, to the height of 40 one-billionths of a metre and you are navigating the surface of the cell. This will provide amble information as you are literally walking within the cell and gather data required. The aim of the project is to accelerate discoveries by giving researchers a new perspective on cancerous cells. Drug delivery requires successful penetration of the cell membrane ,this visualization will give insight into the level of penetration; if the drug gets past the tough cell surface, or whether the body automatically stops it. 3D has enabled better visualization and thus expanding the treatment strategies and health interventions. Many more surgeries are now possible because of of innovations stemming from 3D printing and 3D technology. excerpts from wired.co.uk.

Edible robots and cancer cure.

Researchers from the Polytechnique Montréal, The University of Montreal and McGill University, have made a breakthrough in cancer research, by developing tiny 'robots' that can travel through the bloodstream to administer a drug with precision by targeting the active cancerous cells of tumors. This method blasts a tumor with medication while avoiding jeopardising the integrity of organs and surrounding healthy tissue, meaning a lower dosage of toxic drugs is suitable for treatment.At present, it has only been tested in mice but the nanobots successfully targeted colorectal tumours. The nanorobotic agents are actually composed of more than 100 million flagellated bacteria - and therefore self-propelled - and loaded with drugs that moved by taking the most direct path between the drug's injection point and the area of the body to cure. The drug's propelling force was enough to travel efficiently and enter deep inside the tumors. When in contact with a tumor, the nanorobot-like bacteria can detect oxygen-depleted tumor areas, known as hypoxic zones and deliver a drug to them, without human intervention. The hypoxic zone is created by the substantial consumption of oxygen by tumor cells and are known to be resistant to most therapies, including radiotherapy, meaning the futuristic treatment could save more lives. The bacteria used in the experiment move in the direction of a magnetic field, while a sensor measuring oxygen concentration enables them to reach and remain in the tumor's active regions. By exposing them to a computer-controlled magnetic field, the researchers showed the bacteria could perfectly replicate artificial nanorobots of the future designed for this kind of task. The innovative use of nanotransporters will have an impact not only on creating more advanced engineering concepts and original intervention methods, but it also throws the door wide open to the synthesis of new vehicles for therapeutic, imaging and diagnostic agents. culled from wired.co.uk.

Edible' robots and batteries could help cure cancer.

A depressing statistics, but figures suggest that as many as half of the population will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in our lifetime. Doctors and roboticists are looking at ways to significantly reduce this number and the answer may lie in batteries and bots you can swallow, according to new research from Carnegie Mellon University. Researchers from the university have created non-toxic 'edible' batteries with melanin pigments naturally found in the skin, hair and eyes. These ingestible batteries could be used to power devices that can be swallowed, while tiny robots could travel through the bloodstream to accurately target cancerous tumors. This ingestible and degradable non-toxic battery could make drug delivery devices in the form of pills possible, with minimal risk and discomfort for patients. The researchers were inspired to make the battery after examining the role of melanins, which absorb ultraviolet light to quench free radicals and protect us from damage, as well as binding and unbinding metallic ions. The team experimented with battery designs that use melanin pigments at either the positive or negative terminals; various electrode materials such as manganese oxide and sodium titanium phosphate; and cations such as copper and iron that the body uses for normal functioning.Although the capacity of a melanin battery is low relative to lithium-ion, it would be high enough to power an ingestible drug-delivery or sensing device, used to diagnose disease.courtesy wired.co.uk

Lagos and entrepreneurship.

The Lagos state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has approved N15.5million as seed funding and grants for final year students enrolled in the state’s graduate employment and entrepreneurs scheme. Gov. Ambode had in May established the graduate employment and entrepreneurs scheme tagged “Ready.Set.Work”, which would enable successful students get internship placements in high ranking corporate organisations. The students in the entrepreneurship track can also benefit from experience in a structured, supervised work setting, where they can learn the rudiments of running a business effectively. Ambode’s Special Adviser on Education, Mr Obafela Bank-Olemoh, said in a statement that the initiative is aimed at providing final year students of the state’s tertiary institutions with the tools and knowledge to become effective employees or job creators. Bank-Olemoh said that 500 final year students from the state’s tertiary institutions had been enrolled in a curriculum, either in the employability track or the entrepreneurship track, since its commencement in June. He said that at the end of the programme, over 90 top performing students in the employability track would be placed on six-month internship training with high ranking organisations. The special adviser said that 80 students in the entrepreneurship track would also take part in three to six months entrepreneur apprenticeships. Bank-Olemoh said that with this, they could learn the tricks of the trade, understand and develop processes for various businesses and build a network of vendors, industry peers, and mentors. “We already secured 90 internship slots for students in the employability track of the program. more

How a designer uses LEGO to build prosthetics for children injured by landmines.

Dario, 11, is from Bogota in Colombia. Born with a congenital disease that left him without a right forearm, he is one of thousands of limbless children in Colombia, where landmines laid in the war between the government and Farc guerrillas have blown away the limbs of thousands of Colombians, many of them children. Carlos Arturo Torres is the designer, and he wanted to help his compatriots hence he made the IKO Creative Prosthetic System; a bionic arm that's LEGO-compatible. "My ambition is for every kid in the world to learn about robotics and forget about disability," says the 33-year-old. "When you introduce the IKO, the word 'disability' suddenly takes a different colour." The 3D printed prosthetic, which is currently in testing, has a module that lets children attach the bionic hand and LEGO parts with a simple “push and lock” movement. At night, the battery-powered device goes on a charger.more

Asthma and innovative diagnostic technology in Dehli..

Mohan Lal an asthma patient whose, regular visits to Delhi’s hospitals were a nightmare of waiting in endless queues in sweltering corridors that swarm with mosquitoes ,until a spotless and air-conditioned clinic boasting innovative diagnostic technology and sharply-dressed doctors opened in Mr Lal’s neighborhood. Mr Lal, who needs regular treatment for his asthma, the sparkling free clinic and 100 others developed by the Delhi government of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in mostly low-income neighborhoods are a revelation. The crowning glory of Mr Lal’s neighborhood clinic is a newly invented device that conducts 50 common medical tests from a single blood sample, including sugar levels and cholesterol. In a city where diabetes, dengue, hepatitis, typhoid and other illnesses are common, the small, rectangular device provides swift diagnosis — thereby allowing for early treatment. Results of most of the tests are known within two minutes and are uploaded onto an IT cloud for access by patients and their doctors on their smart phones and the clinic’s tablets. The device was developed by biomedical engineer Kanav Kahol, who developed the device that he hopes will soon be installed in all of the other new clinics.It was originally aimed at easing India’s overburdened public health system, whose basic medical services are provided free of charge. Mr Kahol is surprised other countries have also expressed interest in the machine, which costs about $1,000 to buy.continue