Peeking inside living cells: how we watch live mitochondria
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 24-Jul-2025 13:11 ET (24-Jul-2025 17:11 GMT/UTC)
Studying how cells work inside a living body is one of the most powerful ways to understand health and disease. However, looking deep inside live tissue is extremely challenging, especially when trying to see very small structures like mitochondria the tiny engines inside cells that produce energy and help regulate many important biological functions. These structures are constantly moving and changing, so scientists need imaging tools that can capture them in action, clearly and without harming the animal.
H5N1 influenza outbreaks have been reported on more than 1.070 dairy farms in the United States since 2024. The virus severely affects the mammary glands and contaminates the milk, posing a threat to the global dairy industry and public health. The way the virus invades the mammary glands of dairy cattle remains a mystery. A recent study by Shi. et al found that the cows' unique "milk-stealing" behavior is the cause of the virus invading their mammary glands and triggering the outbreaks, and that vaccination would be a practical strategy for controlling this disease.
LabMed Discovery (LMD) is an open-access, peer-reviewed international journal published by Elsevier, committed to promoting interdisciplinary collaboration across medicine, biology, and engineering. As part of its mission to advance integrative biomedical research, LMD is now calling for papers in line with its 2025 themed issue.
The recent global outbreak of monkeypox (mpox) has underscored the urgent need for rapid, accurate, and accessible diagnostic tools. The unprecedented spread of mpox beyond its endemic regions has highlighted significant gaps in our preparedness for emerging infectious diseases, particularly in diagnostics. Traditional methods like polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), while accurate, often require sophisticated equipment and trained personnel, leading to potential delays in diagnosis and disease management. In response, the development of point-of-care (POC) biosensors has emerged as a critical area of research, offering the promise of rapid, on-site detection with minimal resource requirements. This article explores various biosensing technologies, including CRISPR-based systems, electrochemical sensors, optical biosensors, and microfluidic devices. We discuss the principles behind these technologies, their performance characteristics, advantages, limitations, and potential for real-world application. By leveraging the current state of knowledge, this article provides a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in POC biosensors for mpox detection to enhance cognizance among researchers, healthcare professionals, and policymakers about the latest advancements and opportunities in this critical area of public health, contributing to enhanced global health security and preparedness against mpox and other emerging infectious diseases.
The 4th LabMed Discovery Youth Scholars Forum, hosted by Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, is a themed event under the SJTU Med-Engineering Journal Alliance. This interdisciplinary forum aims to provide a platform for outstanding young researchers to share cutting-edge scientific advancements and foster academic dialogue across fields such as medicine, translational research, and biomedical engineering.
Metallic Zn anodes suffer from hydrogen evolution and dendritic deposition in aqueous electrolytes, resulting in low Coulombic efficiency and poor cyclic stability for aqueous Zn-ion batteries (AZIBs). Constructing stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) with strong affinity for Zn and exclusion of water corrosion of Zn metal anodes is a promising strategy to tackle these challenges. In this study, we develop a self-healing ZnO-based SEI film on the Zn electrode surface by employing an aspartame (APM) as a versatile electrolyte additive. The hydrophobic nature and strong Zn affinity of APM can facilitate the dynamic self-healing of ZnO-based SEI film during cyclic Zn plating/stripping process. Benefiting from the superior protection effect of self-healing ZnO-based SEI, the Zn║Cu cells possess an average coulombic efficiency more than 99.59% over 1,000 cycles even at a low current density of 1 mA cm−2 − 1 mAh cm−2. Furthermore, the Zn║NH4+-V2O5 full cells display a large specific capacity of 150 mAh g−1 and high cyclic stability with a capacity retention of 77.8% after 1,750 cycles. In addition, the Zn║Zn cell delivers high temperature adaptability at a wide-temperature range from − 5 to 40 °C even under a high DOD of 85.2%. The enhanced capability and durability originate from the self-healing SEI formation enabled by multifunctional APM additives mediating both corrosion suppression and interfacial stabilization. This work presents an inspired and straightforward approach to promote a dendrite-free and wide-temperature rechargeable AZIBs energy storage system.