.@Junfang_Zhang @Dr_A_Creamer et al. @imperialcollege @UniofOxford report #anticounterfeiting devices using #polymer nanoparticles embedded in photoresist thin films with resilience to UV exposure, high humidity, and temperature variations. #GettingApplied

A major new research hub led by @ucl and @Cambridge_Uni, with £19m funding from @EPSRC, aims to use #quantum technology to improve the diagnosis and treatment of diseases ranging from cancer to infectious disease to Alzheimer’s https://t.co/dmmjSoG5tM

How the twitter timeline feels recently

“Clickable” fluorescent nanoparticles developed by @adcreamy and colleagues @ImperialBioeng overcome issues such as aggregation and protein fouling, and could one day find use in diagnosing cancer. Find out more: https://t.co/lKqDOe2aXJ

This was a hugely collaborative effort over 4 years. Thanks so much to the efforts of the groups of Fenaroli, @VijayChudasama_, Kramer-Marek @GroupHeeney and fellow stevens grp members (@AlessandraFiego @LinoPrados @jono_woj @_JamesFoote @AndreShamsabadi) & all other co-authors

This paper is just a possible use-case. The ability to achieve colloidally stable nanoparticles with a semiconducting polymer core and a reactive surface is key. This opens up a wide range of applications in biosensing, therapeutics & photocatalysis…to name a few examples

Finally, HER2 +ve cells were allowed to grow in a zebrafish before injecting affibody-coated NPs. Image 👇 show very clear association of the NPs (green) with the cancer cells (white). Quantitative analysis showed a significant difference in uptake when compared to controls.

The azide groups on the surface allow for the covalent functionalisation of the NPs with antibodies and affibodies. They targeted the HER2 protein on cells with great selectivity. Image 👇: ⬅️ is HER2 targeting NPs with cancer cells & ➡️ is non-targeting NPs.

Nanoparticles also had excellent circulation efficiency in transparent zebrafish embryos. Here is a video of our nanoparticles circulting even after 7 days! The best performing NPs typically only circulate for 2-3 days

The NPs were stable in common buffers and serum. However, NPs made by co-precipitating a PEG-lipid (a common method in the lit.) with F8BT were found to dissociate in serum (by FCS analysis). This is important when considering nanoparticles choice for in vivo applications.

The chemistry behind this is a simple 1-step substitution of fluorinated benzothiadazole that we’ve previously published https://t.co/K8aVJAgXNl. The resulting PEG graft co-polymers self-assemble in water into nanoparticles with reactive azides on the surface.

New paper just out- we show a method of producing fluorescent nanoparticles (F8BT) w/ high colloidal stability, brightness, circulation efficiency & tumor targeting. See 👇 video of NPs circulating through a zebrafish embryo🤯see link &🧵below for details https://t.co/tHxpniKMgH

NEW: last week we got the latest UK census data, on ethnicity, religion & identity. It was met with toxic responses from the usual suspects seeking to weaponise the stats. Almost every word of what they claimed was false. My column: https://t.co/2FLJ5LqJ8m And a thread 🧵

“This current event is actually about the thing I’m obsessed by” - Ukraine edition. 🧵 1. Brexit

Have heard a British friend from Kyiv has made it to Lithuania with his Ukrainian boyfriend but they were unable to get back to the UK together due to UKBA not granting visas, instead they are now going to Ireland, who let them both in without issue, despite neither being Irish.

🏠 Home, home on Lagrange! We successfully completed our burn to start #NASAWebb on its orbit of the 2nd Lagrange point (L2), about a million miles (1.5 million km) from Earth. It will orbit the Sun, in line with Earth, as it orbits L2. https://t.co/bsIU3vccAj #UnfoldTheUniverse

mondays amirite lol

#NASAWebb is fully deployed! 🎉 With the successful deployment & latching of our last mirror wing, that's: 50 major deployments, complete. 178 pins, released. 20+ years of work, realized. Next to #UnfoldTheUniverse: traveling out to our orbital destination of Lagrange point 2!

This morning please spare a thought for NHS staff who - at exactly the same time you did - found out last night from @BorisJohnson they’d be delivering 1 million boosters a day from… today.