Express News Service
Neuron growthNEW CHEMICAL FOR NERVE REGENERATION POST INJURIESResearchers have discovered a new chemical compound that can stimulate nerve regeneration and protect heart tissue from damage inflicted in cardiac arrests. The new chemical compound was used on animal models to find the welcome outcome of cell regeneration that can potentially reverse the impacts of severe injuries. According to the study published in Nature, the chemical compound, called ‘1938’, was found to increase neuron growth in nerve cells and reduce major trauma-induced heart tissue damage, besides regenerating lost motor function caused due to nerve injuries.
Researchers from University College London (UCL) during research on the new compound 1938 found that it activated the enzyme Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), a signalling pathway involved in cell growth. PI3K enzyme is known to be active in initiating wound healing. However, the enzyme remains vulnerable to cancer cells, which allow them to proliferate, leading to uncontrolled growth of cells that result in large malignant as well as benign tumours.
To deal with that, experts have developed cancer drugs that can inhibit PI3K to restrict or even reverse tumour growths. However, the use of chemical compounds to trigger the enzyme to regenerate nerve cells is the first of its kind process, although it is yet to be tried in clinical trials. In 1938, researchers found that very small molecular volumes can directly activate the PI3K enzyme for significant therapeutic benefits in protecting against heart injuries due to cardiac arrests and also stimulating nerve regeneration in animal models. They found that if 1938 was administered within the first 15 minutes of blood flow getting restored post-cardiac arrest, substantial tissue protection and regeneration could be achieved. A delay, however, could lead to the formation of dead tissue which can cause complications with fatal results later.
Low-cost process CHEAPER WAY TO MAKE CLEAN HYDROGEN ENERGY FOUNDTechnology can bring about revolutions. But often economics, in terms of the high costs involved, can make a promising technology unfeasible. One such, which can promise an abundant supply of clean energy at low costs to completely eliminate fossil fuels is staring us in the face. It is about extracting clean hydrogen as an energy source from water at low costs — yes, from plain water, or H2O, as we call it! A US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory-led team of institutions has developed a low-cost process to extract hydrogen from water.
A century-old technology, called electrolysis, separates hydrogen and oxygen in water. Lately, it is being done using a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzer. The PEM is found to split water into hydrogen and oxygen with much higher efficiency at almost room temperature than earlier processes used for the purpose. But it was extremely costly because it required the use of iridium, a chemical element that is a transition metal for platinum.
It costs $5,000 (Rs 4.12 lakh) per ounce! In the PEM method, iridium is used for the anode catalyst that derives oxygen, while the cathode catalyst separates hydrogen. It is the high cost and lack of supply of iridium that prevents the popular adoption of PEM electrolyzers to extract clean hydrogen. The US DOE-led team discovered that cobalt-based anode catalysts are just as efficient and durable in carrying out the process. Cobalt costs less than half that of iridium at $2,075 (Rs 1.71 lakh) per ounce. A thorough inspection of the process using cobalt anode catalysts proved its durability and strength even through the reaction conditions. The discovery of cobalt as a cheaper alternative to iridium has now opened the gates to producing higher volumes of clean hydrogen at lower costs. Further research could yield even cheaper elements as anode catalysts for electrolyzers in future.
Neuron growth
NEW CHEMICAL FOR NERVE REGENERATION POST INJURIES
Researchers have discovered a new chemical compound that can stimulate nerve regeneration and protect heart tissue from damage inflicted in cardiac arrests. The new chemical compound was used on animal models to find the welcome outcome of cell regeneration that can potentially reverse the impacts of severe injuries. According to the study published in Nature, the chemical compound, called ‘1938’, was found to increase neuron growth in nerve cells and reduce major trauma-induced heart tissue damage, besides regenerating lost motor function caused due to nerve injuries.
Researchers from University College London (UCL) during research on the new compound 1938 found that it activated the enzyme Phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), a signalling pathway involved in cell growth. PI3K enzyme is known to be active in initiating wound healing. However, the enzyme remains vulnerable to cancer cells, which allow them to proliferate, leading to uncontrolled growth of cells that result in large malignant as well as benign tumours.
To deal with that, experts have developed cancer drugs that can inhibit PI3K to restrict or even reverse tumour growths. However, the use of chemical compounds to trigger the enzyme to regenerate nerve cells is the first of its kind process, although it is yet to be tried in clinical trials. In 1938, researchers found that very small molecular volumes can directly activate the PI3K enzyme for significant therapeutic benefits in protecting against heart injuries due to cardiac arrests and also stimulating nerve regeneration in animal models. They found that if 1938 was administered within the first 15 minutes of blood flow getting restored post-cardiac arrest, substantial tissue protection and regeneration could be achieved. A delay, however, could lead to the formation of dead tissue which can cause complications with fatal results later. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });
Low-cost process
CHEAPER WAY TO MAKE CLEAN HYDROGEN ENERGY FOUND
Technology can bring about revolutions. But often economics, in terms of the high costs involved, can make a promising technology unfeasible. One such, which can promise an abundant supply of clean energy at low costs to completely eliminate fossil fuels is staring us in the face. It is about extracting clean hydrogen as an energy source from water at low costs — yes, from plain water, or H2O, as we call it! A US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory-led team of institutions has developed a low-cost process to extract hydrogen from water.
A century-old technology, called electrolysis, separates hydrogen and oxygen in water. Lately, it is being done using a Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyzer. The PEM is found to split water into hydrogen and oxygen with much higher efficiency at almost room temperature than earlier processes used for the purpose. But it was extremely costly because it required the use of iridium, a chemical element that is a transition metal for platinum.
It costs $5,000 (Rs 4.12 lakh) per ounce! In the PEM method, iridium is used for the anode catalyst that derives oxygen, while the cathode catalyst separates hydrogen. It is the high cost and lack of supply of iridium that prevents the popular adoption of PEM electrolyzers to extract clean hydrogen. The US DOE-led team discovered that cobalt-based anode catalysts are just as efficient and durable in carrying out the process. Cobalt costs less than half that of iridium at $2,075 (Rs 1.71 lakh) per ounce. A thorough inspection of the process using cobalt anode catalysts proved its durability and strength even through the reaction conditions. The discovery of cobalt as a cheaper alternative to iridium has now opened the gates to producing higher volumes of clean hydrogen at lower costs. Further research could yield even cheaper elements as anode catalysts for electrolyzers in future.