Reviews & Analysis

A 20 cent centrifuge made of paper and string and operated by hand can separate plasma from blood in about 90 seconds.

Conjugation of a diabetes drug with a brush polymer reduces the reactivity of the drug conjugate towards pre-existing polymer antibodies in human plasma and improves the drug's performance in diabetic mice.

Solid stress within tumours can be quantified by measuring their deformation after cutting, slicing or taking a needle biopsy of them.

Intravital microscopy reveals how giant cells and neovascularization drive the fibrotic encapsulation of biomaterials implanted in live animals.

A self-adjusting synthetic gene circuit senses and reverses insulin resistance in animal models of diabetes and obesity.

Nanoprobes that fluoresce only when activated by the acidic environment in tumours may make a universal imaging agent for cancer surgery.