Read the latest Organic Chemistry highlights in C&I Magazine Issue 4 2022 written by G. Richard Stephenson from University of East Anglia, UK.
The events in Ukraine are devastating beyond what I can even start to comprehend or describe. My heart goes out to all those involved. What probably hasn’t been appreciated, however, is the impact this war will have on drug discovery.
Neil Simpson and Paul Evans ask if the chemical industry can solve radical challenges through innovation?
Modified graphene-based materials have the ability to interact with and scatter light – work that could lead to better, faster computers, Jon Evans reports
A fire-retardant coating to protect wooden parts of buildings from fire damage could make homes safer. It promises to save lives by reducing heat release and smoke production, a team from Texas A&M University and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), US, told the ACS Spring 2022 Meeting.
Scientists have reported an enzyme capable of breaking down one of the building blocks of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic used in single-use plastic bottles, carpets and clothing. Most PET and other plastic waste currently ends up in landfills. It is hoped the research will lead to more plastics recycling into useful chemicals.
Scientists have invented a non-invasive chip-based system able to accurately sniff out lung cancer cells. The chip contains live roundworms Caenorhabditis elegans that migrate towards cancer-containing cells and might one day be able to detect early-stage lung cancer, researchers told the ACS Spring 2022 Meeting.
Despite the raft of new biotech company entries, the first quarter of 2022 has also seen massive job losses in the sector, particularly in the US. And the companies concerned are not just small startups, they include names in Big Pharma, like Pfizer, Lundbeck, Daiichi, Gilead and Biogen.
Researchers have developed a freely available software system to accelerate the development of diagnostic assays (Nature Commun., doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-29101-1).