Press releases

Researchers at Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-NanoLSI), Kanazawa University report in Nano Letters how the flexibility of a protein hinge plays a crucial role in the transfer of proteins in key cell processes.

Researchers from Osaka University have discovered a novel treatment to relieve cytokine release syndrome (CRS), a life-threatening inflammation triggered by a serious infection or severe burn. Treatment with a short-acting antibody reduces the inflammatory effects of interleukin-6, a key cytokine in CRS while avoiding the side effects associated with previous longer-acting therapies.

Researchers from Osaka University developed a bio-logger for seabirds that enables long-term observation of rare behaviors. The bio-logger employs low-power depth sensors and accelerometers to identify rare behavior using a light-weight outlier detection model and records the behavior in a 5-min video. Observations using the bio-loggers on Streaked Shearwaters revealed novel aspects of head-shaking and foraging strategies. This approach will enable a wider range of animal behaviors in various environments to be observed.

Researchers from Osaka University and collaborating partners have improved the efficiency of heat-to-electricity conversion in gallium arsenide semiconductor microstructures. By judicious spatial alignment of electrons within a two-dimensional electron gas system with multiple subbands, one can substantially enhance the power factor compared with previous iterations of analogous systems. This work is an important advance in modern thermoelectric technology and will benefit the global integration of the Internet of Things.

7000 forever chemicals (PFAS) and human PPARa binding properties predicted using AI technology

Researchers from Osaka University have simplified the operation of an important class of chemical transformation: synthesis of beta-lactams, the intricate scaffold of many antibiotics. Their experimental protocol minimizes the toxicity that is a common feature of similar Fischer-carbene synthetic methodologies, and was used to synthesize the scaffold of the thienamycin antibiotic in high yield. This work is an important advancement in sustainable chemistry that should benefit drug development and other chemical syntheses.

Researchers from Osaka University and collaborating partners have helped minimize the cost of an important class of chemical transformations: converting nitriles into primary amines. Their experimental protocol uses a cheap nickel catalyst instead of an expensive noble metal, is convenient to conduct, and works for a broad range of starting materials. This work is an important advance in sustainable chemistry that might help lower the cost of producing nylon and many other everyday products.

Research by Assistant Professor Edison Ang Huixiang and his team from National Institute of Education/Nanyang Technological University Singapore

The Punjab regions of India and Pakistan bear witness to a centuries-old, laborious tradition of embroidering cloth with silk threads. Called Vari da Bagh and Bagh, meaning “‘garden”’, these textiles are ritually significant and are adorned with geometric patterns or motifs that draw from the everyday life and culture of the region.

Unleashing stem cells from dog urine, Electronic Tongue, Tapping into human motion energy, How neurons network, and A radical use for plastic bags. Plus Communicating science two decades on. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice.

The Council of Lingnan University approved the Search Committee’s recommendation to appoint Prof Yao Xin as Vice-President (Research and Innovation) and concurrently Tong Tin Sun Chair Professor of Machine Learning, effective from 22 January 2024, for a term of five years. Prof Yao is also appointed as Tong Tin Sun Chair Professor of Machine Learning and will oversee and steer the development of research, innovation and knowledge transfer at the University, and provide leadership for the research institutes and centres with the Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research). He will oversee the School of Graduate Studies and the Office of Research and Knowledge Transfer directly.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are how a King Kongesque ape went extinct, how antibodies can make you dizzy, and a material that can break down harmful chemicals using the sun.

Much is known about the added complication to pregnancy when it comes to the age of the mother, but recent studies show that the age of the father can also heighten the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders. A team of researchers has explored the impacts of paternal aging on microRNAs, the molecules that play a crucial role in regulating gene expression.

Tohoku University researchers have unveiled a new approach to treating lymph node metastasis. The process invovled administering anticancer drugs directly into the lymph nodes, producing better outcomes and lessening the side effects commonly associated with cancer treatment.

Researchers at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo create customizable polymer molds to produce cost-effective arrays of microneedles that can be used to uniquely identify pets with alphanumeric symbols instead of tags or collars.

The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) announced the establishment of a new collaborative research network with the Institute of Education (IOE), University College London (UCL) – an institution which has been recognised as the top-ranked institution in the discipline of Education & Training by the QS World University Rankings every year since 2014.

Researchers from Osaka University found that CD4+ T cells can be classified into 18 categories and 12 distinct gene programs, and that characteristic changes in CD4+ T cell profiles are associated with autoimmune disease, sex, and aging. Analysis of these distinctive immune cell profiles could be used to predict autoimmune disease in the future, paving the way for precision medicine.

Researchers from SANKEN (The Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research), at Osaka University, Shizuoka Institute of Science & Technology, and collaborating partners have resolved a problem that has limited the environmental sustainability of peracid synthesis. By judicious choice of the solvent and light input, approximately room-temperature autoxidation of aldehydes proceeds in a manner that results in industrially useful peracids or carboxylic acids. This work is an important advance in green chemistry that will help minimize the carbon footprint of the chemical industry.

A research team from Osaka University, The University of Tokyo, and Tokyo Institute of Technology revealed the microscopic origin of the large magnetoelectric effect in interfacial multiferroics composed of the ferromagnetic Co2FeSi Heusler alloy and the piezoelectric material. They observed element-specific changes in the orbital magnetic moments in the interfacial multiferroic material using an X-ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism (XMCD) measurement under the application of an electric field, and they showed the change contributes to the large magnetoelectric effect. The findings provide guidelines for designing materials with a large magnetoelectric effect, and it will be useful in developing new information writing technology that consumes less power in spintronic memory devices. The research results will be shown in an article, “Strain-induced specific orbital control in a Heusler alloy-based interfacial multiferroics” published in NPG Asia Materials.

Novel findings from a preclinical head-to-head comparison show that administering a COVID-19 vaccine as a nasal spray rather than a subcutaneous injection enhances the body’s long-term immune memory, thereby increasing the vaccine’s overall effectiveness. This research could pave the way for a COVID-19 vaccination strategy that depends on fewer boosters to achieve the same level of protection against SARS-CoV-2 viruses.

What actually happens is much weirder, and may help us understand more about quantum mechanics

Transmitting an effect known as a domino reaction using redox chemistry has been achieved for the first time.

Prof Sam Kwong Tak-wu, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research) and Chair Professor of Computational Intelligence of Lingnan University, co-authored the research paper that has received the Best Paper, Chester W. Sall Memorial Awards 2024 from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world's largest technical professional organisation dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. This honour was published in their monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal “IEEE Transactions on Consumer Electronics”. Only three Best Paper Awards are given each year, and the competition is extremely fierce.

Researchers from Osaka University and collaborating partners have, via reductive amination, resolved a problem that has limited the applicability of carboxylic acids to alkylamine production. Their experimental protocol is environmentally sustainable, simple and convenient to conduct, and works for a broad range of starting materials. This work is an important advance in green chemistry that might help minimize the environmental footprint of synthesizing a class of molecule that's used to manufacture many everyday products.

In the bustling cities and remote villages of Asia, a silent revolution is taking place. The traditional chalk-and-talk classrooms are gradually giving way to a more technologically advanced, AI-driven educational paradigm. This shift, experts say, is transforming the way education is both delivered and received in Asia.

Asia Research News monitors the latest research news in Asia. Some highlights that caught our attention this week are self-sacrificing cancer cells, tiny new drones that kill cancer cells and a living “skin” that covers the Great Wall of China.

The topping-out ceremony for Lingnan Hub, Lingnan University’s first comprehensive building offering shared living space for teachers and students, took place today (5 January). The ceremony was officiated by Mr Andrew Yao Cho-fai, Council Chairman of Lingnan University; Mr Augustine Wong Ho-ming, Deputy Chairman of the Council; Ms Katherine Cheung Marn-kay, Council Treasurer; Dr Patrick Wong Chi-kwong, Chairman of the Court of Lingnan University; and Prof. S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science at Lingnan University. The event was also attended by distinguished guests, faculty, staff and students. The construction of Lingnan Hub began in February 2022 and is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2024, after approximately three years of construction. Interior work has already commenced, and Lingnan Hub is anticipated to officially open in the academic year 2024/25.

A team of researchers has developed an innovative method to design complicated all-α proteins, characterized by their non-uniformly arranged α-helices as seen in hemoglobin. Employing their novel approach, the team successfully created five unique all-α protein structures, each distinguished by their complicated arrangements of α-helices. This capability holds immense potential in designing functional proteins.

A research team led by Lingnan University's School of Interdisciplinary Studies Assistant Professor Xiao Hang recently devised a “crystal language” that enables artificial intelligence (AI) to create new materials with desired properties (Figure 1). This groundbreaking discovery holds the potential for creating the next revolutionary semiconductor material that makes solar energy abundant and affordable, and opens possibilities for the development of novel superconductors that effortlessly transport clean electricity with zero losses. The findings of this breakthrough research have been published in the prestigious academic journal Nature Communications, which is also the first time Lingnan University scholar published a lead-author paper on the esteemed Nature series.

Researchers from Osaka University have shown that a protein called HKDC1 is a new target of another protein, TFEB, and plays key roles in maintaining the stability of both mitochondria and lysosomes. HKDC1 is essential for mitophagy to remove damaged mitochondria, and mediates mitochondria–lysosome contact, which is critical for lysosomal repair. The role of HKDC1 in maintaining the stability of these organelles counteracts cellular senescence, revealing HKDC1 as a potential therapeutic target for age-related diseases.