Kink in cosmic ray spectrum puzzles astrophysicists

15 Feb 2024

Kinky particles: the GRAPES-3 experiment in Ooty, India depicted with a simulated cosmic ray shower. The inset shows the cosmic ray proton spectrum measurement by GRAPES-3 along with observations by other space and ground-based experiments. (Courtesy: TIFR)

Using observations from the GRAPES-3 muon detector, physicists in India and Japan have explored a poorly understood region of the cosmic ray energy spectrum in unprecedented detail. Fahim Varsi at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur and colleagues identified a previously unseen feature in the form of a kink in the spectrum.

 

First-in-human study reveals potential of biology-guided radiotherapy

16 Feb 2024

Inside the machine Key components of the RefleXion X1 radiotherapy system: 1) 6 MeV electron beam linac; 2) multileaf collimator; 3) 16-slice fan-beam kVCT; 4) dual 90-degree PET arcs; 5) ring gantry that rotates at 60 RPM; 6) megavoltage detector. (Courtesy: RefleXion Medical)

SCINTIX biology-guided radiotherapy (BgRT), performed on the RefleXion X1 linac, is a radiation delivery modality that uses real-time positron emission tomography (PET) to guide radiotherapy beamlets to radiolabelled tumours. Such guidance offers the potential to compensate for motion during treatments, reduce treatment volumes for moving tumours and increase intra-fraction treatment accuracy. In a first-in-human study, researchers in the US have now shown that SCINTIX dose distributions calculated from PET data were accurate and deliverable to lung or bone tumours.

 

Focused ultrasound plus plaque-reducing drugs could slow Alzheimer’s progression

24 Jan 2024

Deliver the drugs Researchers at the West Virginia University Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, shown in the MRI suite’s control area, plan the focused ultrasound treatment for blood–brain barrier opening. (Courtesy: WVU Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute)

Non-invasive low-frequency focused ultrasound (FUS), delivered in combination with intravenously administered microbubbles, can temporarily open the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and enable drugs that combat Alzheimer’s disease to enter the brain and reach their therapeutic targets. The combination of an amyloid-beta plaque-reducing drug followed by FUS is proving to be safe and more effective in reducing plaque deposits in the brain than drug therapy alone. While not curing Alzheimer’s disease, reduction of plaque can reduce the disease’s cognitive impact and slow its progression.

 

Metal-free graphene quantum dots show potential for cancer treatment

13 Feb 2024

Chemodynamic therapy Schematic illustration showing the role of graphene quantum dots, derived from red blood cell membranes, as nanozymes for tumour catalytic therapy. (Courtesy: FHIPS)

A team of researchers in China has pioneered the use of novel metal-free graphene quantum dots (GQDs) for chemodynamic therapy, an emerging non-invasive cancer treatment. The breakthrough paves the way for an efficient and cost-effective means of improving the catalytic activity of GQDs, while addressing the toxicity concerns linked with metal-based nanozyme treatments.