Siegfried Musser, PhD, and his team in the Department of Cell Biology and Genetics at the Texas A&M College of Medicine have been investigating how molecules move through the pores of the double-membrane enveloping the nucleus quickly and efficiently without colliding or becoming congested. This month, Musser’s team published a study in Nature revealing new insights into molecular transport. Using an advanced imaging technique called MINFLUX, they tracked molecular movements in milliseconds and in 3D at an unprecedented scale: about 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair. Their findings show that import, the process of molecules entering the nucleus, and export, the process of molecules leaving, occur in overlapping highways within the nuclear pore complex. This challenges a previous hypothesis that these processes may take place in separate lanes.

Researchers at University of Toronto Engineering, led by Professor Yu Zou, are leveraging machine learning to improve additive manufacturing, also commonly known as 3D printing. In a new paper, published in the journal of Additive Manufacturing, the team introduces a new framework they’ve dubbed the Accurate Inverse process optimization framework in laser Directed Energy Deposition (AIDED). 

The new AIDED framework optimizes laser 3D printing to enhance the accuracy and robustness of the finished product. This advancement aims to produce higher quality metal parts for industries, such as aerospace, automotive, nuclear and health care, by predicting how the metal will melt and solidify to find optimal printing conditions.

Aging compromises the lymphatic vessels surrounding the brain, disabling waste drainage from the brain and impacting cognitive function. Researchers at WashU Medicine boosted lymphatic vessel integrity in old mice and found improvements in their memory compared with old mice without rejuvenated lymphatic vessels.