Press Clips from 2020
December 4, 2020
How a fake coronavirus sample could help scientists tackle the real thing
When Dr. Soo Khim Chan runs what appears to be a regular virus sample through a COVID-19 test, she knows that if all goes well, it will come back positive. But Chan's sample isn't from a COVID-19 patient, and it doesn't even contain the virus which causes the disease. Instead, she's using a virus-like nanoparticle that's essentially a fake coronavirus. Working with UC San Diego nanoengineering professor Nicole Steinmetz, Chan created a positive control--something tested alongside samples from patients as a comparison to ensure that the COVID-19 testing process has worked correctly. Full Story
October 21, 2020
UC San Diego researcher gets $15 million for nanosponge therapy
A researcher at UC San Diego just got a $15 million grant to further his work into nanosponge therapy. Liangfang Zhang, a professor of nanoengineering and bioengineering, has been working on creating macrophage cellular nanosponges, tiny particles covered in white blood cell membranes, to treat sepsis and other diseases. The nanosponges act as decoys, tricking a disease or virus into binding with them instead of with human cells. While the initial aim is to treat sepsis, Zhang says it has applications to other deadly diseases, including COVID-19. Full Story
October 5, 2020
A Common Plant Virus Is an Unlikely Ally in the War on Cancer
Researchers have seen promising results by injecting dog and mouse tumors with the cowpea mosaic virus. Now they're aiming for a human trial. Full Story
July 9, 2020
NIH grant to bioprint nanoparticles for ovarian cance immunotherapy
Nanoengineers at UC San Diego received a five-year, $2.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop an immunotherapy for ovarian cancer using plant virus nanoparticles. The particles will be produced using 3D-bioprinting, enabling them to be released at specified intervals, instead of a continuous slow release. High grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC) is the most common and severe form of ovarian cancer, accounting for an estimated 70 percent of all ovarian cancer diagnoses. Full Story
July 9, 2020
Bioprinting nanoparticles for ovarian cancer immunotherapy
Nanoengineers at UC San Diego received a five-year, $2.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop an immunotherapy for ovarian cancer using plant virus nanoparticles. The particles will be produced using 3D-bioprinting, enabling them to be released at specified intervals, instead of a continuous slow release. Full Story
July 9, 2020
Cell-like decoys could mop up viruses in humans - including the one that causes COVID-19
Researchers in Professor Liangfang Zhang's nanoengineering lab are taking a different approach toward stopping SARS-CoV-2. Instead of playing offense and stimulating the immune system to attack the SARS-CoV-2 virus, they're playing defense. They're working to shield the healthy human cells the virus invades. Full Story
July 9, 2020
Cell-like decoys could mop up viruses in humans - including the one that causes COVID-19
Researchers around the world are working frantically to develop COVID-19 vaccines meant to target and attack the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Researchers in my nanoengineering lab are taking a different approach toward stopping SARS-CoV-2. Instead of playing offense and stimulating the immune system to attack the SARS-CoV-2 virus, we're playing defense. We're working to shield the healthy human cells the virus invades. Conceptually, the strategy is simple. We create decoys that look like the human cells the SARS-CoV-2 virus invades. So far, we've made lung-cell decoys and immune-cell decoys. Full Story
July 9, 2020
'Nanosponges' act as a decoy for the new coronavirus
A new study has found that nanosponges - tiny, bio-friendly plastics coated in lung and immune cell membranes - act as a decoy for SARS-CoV-2, neutralizing the virus. A team of scientists has found that a new technology is effective at distracting and neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 in a laboratory setting. The research, published in the journal Nano Letters, has implications not only for treating SARS-CoV-2 but also for other virulent viruses, such as influenza, Ebola, Marburg, and Lassa viruses. Full Story
July 9, 2020
'Nanosponge' Technology May Help Prevent and Treat COVID-19
While there's still no specific treatment for COVID-19, a team of researchers at the University of California San Diego is working to change that. The researchers have invented a treatment that involves using "nanosponges" to target and neutralize SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. A summary of the team's work was published in the journal Nano Letters in June, suggestion the technology has potential to be a major tool in the fight against COVID-19. "Cellular nanosponges have shown great promise in inhibiting the infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 and protecting host cells," Liangfang Zhang Full Story
July 9, 2020
New nanosponge technology may stop COVID-19 in its tracks
Scientists at the University of California San Diego may have found a way to neutralise SARS-CoV-2 - the virus that causes COVID-19 - and block it from infecting human lungs and other vital organs. Using 'cellular nanosponges' - tiny cell-like structures that mimic the role of human cells by soaking up biological molecules - the researchers were able to divert SARS-CoV-2 away from live host cells in a laboratory setting. Now, they need to make sure the nanosponges will work in live animals and are safe to inject into humans, before they can advance them to human clinical trials. Full Story
July 9, 2020
Cell-like decoys could mop up viruses in humans - including the one that causes COVID-19
Researchers around the world are working frantically to develop COVID-19 vaccines meant to target and attack the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Researchers in my nanoengineering lab are taking a different approach toward stopping SARS-CoV-2. Instead of playing offense and stimulating the immune system to attack the SARS-CoV-2 virus, we're playing defense. We're working to shield the healthy human cells the virus invades. Conceptually, the strategy is simple. We create decoys that look like the human cells the SARS-CoV-2 virus invades. So far, we've made lung-cell decoys and immune-cell decoys. Full Story
June 25, 2020
'Nanosponges' act as a decoy for the new coronavirus
A new study has found that nanosponges - tiny, bio-friendly plastics coated in lung and immune cell membranes - act as a decoy for SARS-CoV-2, neutralizing the virus. A team of scientists has found that a new technology is effective at distracting and neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 in a laboratory setting. The research, published in the journal Nano Letters, has implications not only for treating SARS-CoV-2 but also for other virulent viruses, such as influenza, Ebola, Marburg, and Lassa viruses. Full Story
June 25, 2020
BU researchers: Tiny, decoy 'sponges' may divert coronavirus away from lung cells
Researchers at Boston University and the University of California say they may have found a way to fight a coronavirus infection by diverting its attention away from lung cells. The technology, developed by engineers at UC San Diego and tested at BU's National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories, could have far-reaching implications, they say, not only for fighting different mutations of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, but for other viruses as well, including influenza and Ebola. "It's a simple concept that's really promising," said Anna Honko, research associate professor Full Story
June 22, 2020
Tiny sponges may soak up coronavirus; old steroid dexamethasone saves lives in COVID-19 study
The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Microscopic sponges may be able to soak up the coronavirus. Scientists have developed microscopic sponges - a thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair - they hope might be used inside the body to attract and neutralize the coronavirus. The "nanosponges" are coated with membranes from lung cells or from immune cells known as macrophages, study co-leader Liangfang Zhang of UCSD told Reuters. Full Story
June 19, 2020
'Nanosponges' Could Be Used To Prevent COVID-19: UCSD Researchers
UC San Diego announced Wednesday that technology known as "nanosponges" developed by its engineers could work as a decoy to attract the virus that causes COVID-19 and divert it from infecting human cells. Researchers say lab experiments conducted at Boston University have shown promising signs that the nanosponge platform inhibits SARS-CoV-2's viral infectivity, or its ability to enter host cells and replicate the virus. Full Story
June 19, 2020
Searching For Answers: Scientists Struggle To Get Beyond Ambiguous Reasons Behind Who Dies, Who Doesn't
s it age, pre-existing conditions, blood types or virus strains that make one person more likely to die than another? Scientists says the "why" of the matter remains unclear. Science news is also on soaking up the virus with tiny, tiny sponges, having certain blood types might be helpful, trying to produce super antibodies, alleviating fears for pregnant women, exploring childhood vulnerability and analyzing infection rates among the elderly, as well. Full Story
June 19, 2020
Tiny sponges may soak up coronavirus; old steroid dexamethasone saves lives in COVID-19 study
The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Microscopic sponges may be able to soak up the coronavirus. Scientists have developed microscopic sponges - a thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair - they hope might be used inside the body to attract and neutralize the coronavirus. The "nanosponges" are coated with membranes from lung cells or from immune cells known as macrophages, study co-leader Liangfang Zhang of UC San Diego. Full Story
June 19, 2020
Scientists use 'nanosponges' to soak up, neutralise coronavirus in lab study
According to the research, published in the journal Nano Letters, these "nanosponges," which are thousand times smaller than the width of a single human hair, are named so as they soak up harmful pathogens and toxins. These particles were developed by engineers, including those from the University of California (UC) San Diego in the US, for their ability to prevent the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, from hijacking host cells. Full Story
June 19, 2020
Scientists use 'nanosponges' to soak up, neutralise coronavirus in lab study
Ultrasmall sponge-like particles covered by human lung and immune cell membranes can attract, soak up, and neutralise the novel coronavirus, says a lab study that may lead to new therapies for COVID-19. According to the research, published in the journal Nano Letters, these 'nanosponges,' which are thousand times smaller than the width of a single human hair, are named so as they soak up harmful pathogens and toxins. These particles were developed by engineers, including those from the University of California (UC) San Diego in the US, for their ability to prevent Full Story
June 19, 2020
UCSD Researchers Say 'Nanosponges' Could Be Used to Prevent COVID-19
UC San Diego announced today that technology known as "nanosponges" developed by its engineers could work as a decoy to attract the virus that causes COVID-19 and divert it from infecting human cells. Researchers say lab experiments conducted at Boston University have shown promising signs that the nanosponge platform inhibits SARS-CoV-2's viral infectivity, or its ability to enter host cells and replicate the virus. The nanosponges are cloaked in membranes from human cells such as lung epithelial and immune cells, which the virus would latch onto instead of actual human cells. Full Story
June 19, 2020
Tiny sponges may soak up coronavirus; old steroid dexamethasone saves lives in COVID-19 study
The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Microscopic sponges may be able to soak up the coronavirus. Scientists have developed microscopic sponges - a thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair - they hope might be used inside the body to attract and neutralize the coronavirus. The "nanosponges" are coated with membranes from lung cells or from immune cells known as macrophages, study co-leader Liangfang Zhang of UCSD. Full Story
June 19, 2020
Tiny sponges may soak up coronavirus; old steriod dexamethanson saves lives in COVID-19 study
The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Scientists have developed microscopic sponges - a thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair - they hope might be used inside the body to attract and neutralize the coronavirus. The "nanosponges" are coated with membranes from lung cells or from immune cells known as macrophages, study co-leader Liangfang Zhang of the University of California, San Diego told Reuters. Full Story
June 19, 2020
UCSD Researchers Say 'Nanosponges' Could Be Used to Prevent COVID-19
UC San Diego announced today that technology known as "nanosponges" developed by its engineers could work as a decoy to attract the virus that causes COVID-19 and divert it from infecting human cells. Researchers say lab experiments conducted at Boston University have shown promising signs that the nanosponge platform inhibits SARS-CoV-2's viral infectivity, or its ability to enter host cells and replicate the virus. The nanosponges are cloaked in membranes from human cells such as lung epithelial and immune cells, which the virus would latch onto instead of actual human cells. Full Story
June 19, 2020
'Nanosponges' Could Be Used To Prevent COVID-19: UCSD Researchers
UC San Diego announced Wednesday that technology known as "nanosponges" developed by its engineers could work as a decoy to attract the virus that causes COVID-19 and divert it from infecting human cells. Researchers say lab experiments conducted at Boston University have shown promising signs that the nanosponge platform inhibits SARS-CoV-2's viral infectivity, or its ability to enter host cells and replicate the virus. The nanosponges are cloaked in membranes from human cells such as lung epithelial and immune cells, which the virus would latch onto instead of actual human cells. Full Story
June 19, 2020
'Nanoesponja' engana o vírus da Covid-19 e previne infecção
Nanopartículas envoltas em membranas de células pulmonares e células imunes, que atraem e neutralizam o Sars-Cov-2, conseguiram interromper a reprodução do vírus da Covid-19 em experimentos de laboratório. Os primeiros dados que descrevem esse possível tratamento foram publicados na revista científica Nano Letters. Full Story
June 19, 2020
Cientistas desenvolvem esponjas microscópicas para neutralizar o vírus que causa a Covid-19
Cientistas da Universidade da Califórnia em San Diego e da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Boston desenvolveram uma esponja microscópica - mil vezes menor do que a espessura de um fio de cabelo - capaz de neutralizar a ação do Sars CoV-2, causador da Covid-19. Full Story
June 19, 2020
Científicos crean "nanoesponjas" capaces de neutralizar en un 90% la infectividad viral del SARS-CoV-2
Las nanopartículas recubiertas en las membranas de las células pulmonares humanas y las membranas de las células inmunes humanas pueden atraer y neutralizar en cultivos celulares el virus del SARS-CoV-2, que genera la COVID-19, haciendo que el virus pierda su capacidad de secuestrar células huéspedes y reproducirse. Estas "nanoesponjas" fueron desarrolladas por ingenieros de la Universidad de California en San Diego y probadas por investigadores de la Universidad de Boston (Estados Unidos). Los investigadores llaman a sus partículas a nanoescala "nanoesponjas" porque absorben patógenos y Full Story
June 19, 2020
Nowa metoda walki z koronawirusem? Ma wykorzystywać... nanogąbkę
Naukowcy z University of California San Diego i Boston University School of Medicine przedstawili nowatorską metodę zapobiegającą rozprzestrzenianiu się koronawisa w organizmie. W tym celu chcą wykorzystać niezwykłą nanogąbkę. Full Story
June 19, 2020
Nieuwe Nano-Sponsjes Kunnen Coronavirus Onschadelijk Maken
Dat schrijven Amerikaanse onderzoekers in het blad Nano Letters. Ze baseren zich onder meer op experimenten in petrischaaltjes, waarbij de door hen ontwikkelde nano-sponsjes uitzonderlijk goed in staat bleken om het virus, nog voor het gezonde cellen kon infecteren, onschadelijk te maken. Onderzoekers van de University of California (San Diego) werken al meer dan tien jaar aan nanodeeltjes die ontwikkeld zijn om ziekteverwekkers en gifstoffen op te ruimen. Omdat de nanodeeltjes deze als het ware opnemen, worden ze door de onderzoekers ook wel aangeduid als ?nano-sponsjes?. En met de uitbraak v Full Story
June 18, 2020
Tiny Sponges May Soak Up Coronavirus; Old Steroid Dexamethasone Saves Lives in COVID-19 Study
The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Microscopic sponges may be able to soak up the coronavirus Scientists have developed microscopic sponges - a thousand times smaller than the width of a human hair - they hope might be used inside the body to attract and neutralize the coronavirus. The "nanosponges" are coated with membranes from lung cells or from immune cells known as macrophages, study co-leader Liangfang Zhang of UCSD told Reuters. Full Story
June 18, 2020
Can "Nanosponges" Help Treat Patients With Coronavirus?
With news yesterday out of the UK that the inexpensive and widely available steroid dexamethasone significantly reduced deaths in coronavirus patients who are intubated and those requiring oxygen, following published evidence last month that the antiviral Remdesivir shortened time to recovery, the search for a breakthrough drug or approach that improves survival before approval of a viable vaccine remains illusive. Add to this the potential for the virus to mutate--already with multiple strains-- the search for a new approach would be ideal. Full Story
June 18, 2020
Cellics Therapeutics Announces the Publication of Cellular Nanosponges Inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Infectivity in Nano Letters
Cellics Therapeutics, Inc. (Cellics) announced today that results of the study that evaluates the potential benefits of macrophage and pulmonary epithelial nanosponges in neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 infectivity have been published in Nano Letters, entitled Cellular Nanosponges Inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Infectivity, based on research conducted by its founder, Liangfang Zhang, Ph.D. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c02278. As new information about COVID-19 continues to emerge almost on a daily basis, the virus has already demonstrated its ability to mutate and became more infectious, Full Story
June 18, 2020
San Diego Researchers Develop Mini 'Sponges' That Could Stop Coronavirus
UC San Diego researchers say a new type of technology, called "nanosponges" can be used to stop the coronavirus from infecting human cells and multiplying. The research is out Wednesday, June 17 in the peer-reviewed journal Nano Letters. The tool is not exactly an antiviral drug. Antivirals works by targeting and trying to stop the virus itself. Nanosponges, on the other hand, focus on human cells and guard them, so they can't be infected by the virus. The method works like this: Scientists take tiny particles, which are biodegradable and can leave the human body ... Full Story
June 18, 2020
'Nanosponges' that attract and neutralise coronavirus cells could protect against Covid-19
The 'nanosponges' - biodegradable polymer cores coated in human lung cell and immune cell membranes - can attract and neutralise the SARS-CoV-2 virus in cell culture, causing the virus to lose its ability to hijack host cells and reproduce. The particles were developed by engineers at the University of California (UC) San Diego and tested by researchers at Boston University in Massachusetts. In lab experiments, both the lung cell and immune cell types of nanosponges caused the SARS-CoV-2 virus to lose nearly 90% of its ?viral infectivity' in a dose-dependent manner. Full Story
June 18, 2020
Could nanosponges soak up SARS-CoV-2?
As we noted yesterday, with specific reference to physics, scientists from a range of disciplines are front and centre in the battle to deal with COVID-19 and its consequences. Now there's news from chemists in the US, who have proposed an alternative way to search for an effective treatment. Rather than targeting a specific part of the virus, such as the spike protein, they used nanosponges coated with human cell membranes - the natural targets of the virus - to soak up SARS-CoV-2 and keep it from infecting cells in a petri dish. Full Story
June 18, 2020
UCSD researchers testing 'nanosponges' to fight COVID-19
UC San Diego researchers are testing a technology that's been in development for more than a decade to fight the coronavirus. In lab experiments, "nanosponges" covered in human lung cell membranes and immune cell membranes were found to attract and neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus in cell culture, according to a UCSD release. This caused the virus to lose about 90% of infectivity, or its ability to hijack cells and reproduce. Full Story
June 18, 2020
'Nanosponges' May Divert Coronavirus from Cells, UCSD Engineers Say
UC San Diego announced Wednesday that technology known as "nanosponges" developed by its engineers could work as a decoy to attract the virus that causes COVID-19 and divert it from infecting human cells. The nanosponges are cloaked in membranes from human cells such as lung epithelial and immune cells, which the virus would latch onto instead of actual human cells. UCSD says experiments have shown both lung cell and immune cell types of nanosponges have caused the virus to lose nearly 90% of its viral infectivity. Full Story