- Combining wine components and precision synthetic polymers to create nanomachines carrying adeno-associated viral vectors (AAVs)

- Nanomachine wrapping of AAV suppresses the production of neutralizing antibodies and also overcomes hepatotoxicity, a side effect of gene therapy with AAV, for the first time in the world.

- Efficient gene therapy with gene-loaded AAVs as a new approach to clinical application

- Published in ACS Nano as a result of joint research by iCONM and Institute of Science Tokyo

Quantum spin liquids are fascinating states of matter where magnetic spins stay disordered, defying the usual rules of magnetism. Professor Yasuyuki Ishii and his team have made an exciting discovery about one such material, β’-EtMe₃Sb[Pd(dmit)₂]₂. Instead of acting like a 2D system as expected, it behaves like a 1D system. This breakthrough changes how we understand these mysterious materials, offering new insights into magnetism and opening doors to advances in quantum materials and technology.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common digestive disorder with unclear causes, affecting about 10% of the global population. Researchers from Japan have now discovered that opioid delta-receptor agonists may alleviate IBS symptoms by acting directly on the central nervous system. Using a novel stress-induced mouse model, they found these drugs reduce abdominal pain and regulate bowel movements. This research suggests a promising approach to treating IBS by targeting stress as a contributing factor.

A collaboration led by researchers at Osaka University has developed a versatile platform with an electrically controlled nanogate that can be used for applications in sensing, chemical synthesis, memristors, and neuromorphic computing. The nanogate, which consists of a pore in a membrane, is closed by the formation of a precipitate and opened by the dissolution of the precipitate, which are regulated by the applied voltage.

Scientists have developed a high-resolution distributed temperature sensing technique using plastic optical fibers, achieving a spatial resolution of 4.8 centimeters. This breakthrough, based on Brillouin optical correlation-domain reflectometry (BOCDR), enables precise detection of temperature changes over short distances, with potential applications in structural health monitoring and industrial diagnostics.

Researchers at Osaka University developed advanced terahertz photodetectors containing ‘living’ microelectrodes. A vanadium dioxide (VO₂) layer was precisely deposited on a silicon substrate. Temperature regulation modulated the size of conductive metallic areas in VO₂, forming a dynamic microelectrode network that selectively enhanced the response of the silicon substrate to terahertz light. These advanced photodetectors reveal the potential of modifiable metamaterials such as VO₂ to overcome the performance limitations of traditional materials.