In the following manuscript, Zahr and Li et al. develop polycation-based polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers conjugated with an atherosclerotic plaque-homing peptide Lyp1 for the treatment of atherosclerosis.

This study investigates the conversion of endothelial cells to osteoblast-like cells and its role in maintaining bone homeostasis. The authors focus on the Kindlin-2/Piezo1/TGFβ/Runx2 signaling pathway, showing that endothelial-to-osteoblast conversion is crucial for bone health. The findings suggest that endothelial cells can adopt osteoblast-like functions, thus contributing to bone maintenance and repair. This conversion process could have therapeutic implications for bone-related diseases, including osteoporosis and fractures, offering new insights into vascular-bone interactions.

A new study in Engineering explores the role of astrocytic G protein-coupled receptors in drug addiction. It shows that these receptors, including mGLUR5 and D1R, play important parts in the process. The findings could help us better understand substance-use disorders and may lead to new treatment methods.

In a new study published in Engineering, researchers from Tongji University and Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen) explore the application of digital twin (DT) technology in road engineering. The study reviews relevant enabling technologies and their applications throughout the road engineering lifecycle. Although DT shows promise, it faces challenges like a lack of unified standards and technological limitations. The research offers insights for future development in this area, aiming to enhance the efficiency, safety, and sustainability of road engineering.

A recent study in Engineering delves into how next-generation artificial intelligence and big data are being applied in crop breeding. It explores the journey of crop breeding from traditional methods to intelligent design, examines China’s current position in the global seed industry, and offers suggestions for future development, aiming to enhance breeding efficiency and contribute to global food security.

A new study published in Engineering explores the biomimetic synthesis of natural products. This research, led by scientists from Jinan University and the University of Illinois Chicago, delves into the progress, challenges, and prospects of mimicking natural processes to create these valuable compounds. Natural products play a crucial role in drug discovery, but traditional production methods face issues. Biomimetic synthesis offers an alternative, with recent developments and a promising future, as the researchers detail.

A new study published in the journal Engineering has analyzed the correlation between different indoor transmission-risk assessment metrics for infectious diseases. By using simulation-generated data, researchers found that the choice of metric can lead to different conclusions about the effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions. This discovery has important implications for facility managers in evaluating such interventions.

A new review in Engineering explores vacuum glazing, a technology with potential for improving building energy efficiency. With buildings consuming a large portion of society’s energy, this research delves into its fabrication, performance assessment, and energy-saving capabilities, aiming to contribute to low-carbon building development.