Since its discovery in 2004, researchers have speculated that graphene has the capacity to carry an electrical current with zero resistance. But until now, superconductivity has only been achieved in graphene by doping or contact with a superconducting material, which can compromise some of graphene’s other properties. However, researchers at the University of Cambridge now claim they can turn graphene into a superconductor in its own right.
Drug discovery company Neem Biotech has been given the green light to develop its lead molecule for treating lung infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. In 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) awarded the company’s alternative antibiotic technology Orphan Drug status - a designation given to drug candidates with the potential to treat rare diseases.
An environmentalist has flown a light aircraft across Australia using a fuel blend made partly from plastic waste. He claims the fuel – known as ‘the 10% solution’ – is proof that plastics can be turned into a viable alternative aviation fuel.
The University of Sheffield, UK, has teamed up with Scottish drug discovery company Mironid to identify and develop drug candidate molecules for the treatment of polycystic disease (PKD). The most common form of this genetic disorder – whereby a child inherits the mutated gene from only one parent – affects ca 12.5m people worldwide.
The leaves of the plant Artemisia annua are the natural source of the potent antimalarial drug artemisinin. Now, scientists investigating the biosynthesis of artemisinin say the plant could also be a potential source of other novel pharmaceuticals.