Scientists have developed a simple yet powerful strategy to overcome a long-standing challenge in cancer phototheranostics—the trade-off between imaging brightness, therapeutic efficacy, and biological stability. By systematically replacing hydrogen atoms with deuterium (a heavier isotope) in a near-infrared fluorescent molecule, researchers achieved simultaneous improvements in all three critical properties. The optimized nanoparticles delivered 26% higher fluorescence brightness, 14% more reactive oxygen species for killing cancer cells, and 20% better stability in blood. In mouse models, a single treatment completely eliminated breast tumors, and fluorescence-guided surgery enabled precise removal of colorectal cancer remnants that were invisible under white light—extending survival from under 20 days to over 60 days. The strategy is broadly applicable and does not require redesigning the molecular backbone, offering a versatile platform for next-generation cancer theranostics.

Preeclampsia (PE) is a serious pregnancy complication characterized by hypertension and multi-organ dysfunction after 20 weeks of gestation, posing significant risks to both mothers and infants. Early identification of women at high risk enables timely preventive interventions, yet established screening protocols, such as the Fetal Medicine Foundation (FMF) clinical model, exhibit moderate sensitivity during the first trimester. Since routine laboratory tests reflect early metabolic and inflammatory changes associated with disease development, they may provide an accessible and cost-effective strategy for improving PE prediction.   

In the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, Prof. Jinyou Shao at Xi'an Jiaotong University and his co-workers have resolved the challenge of maintaining electrical reliability under repeated bending by bonding a sturdy copper base directly beneath a reservoir of liquid metal alloy. The pairing functions like an autonomous, self-repairing highway: as bending tears microscopic cracks into the solid copper floor, the liquid alloy overhead immediately flows into the fractures to preserve electrical flow, while the rigid copper foundation bears external pressure so the circuit never chokes under compression.

Researchers at University of Tsukuba have developed a model for estimating the internal current distribution of a fuel cell from magnetic field measurements. By optimizing the model against experimentally obtained current and magnetic field data, the researchers demonstrated the model's ability to reproduce characteristic current distribution patterns associated with fuel cell malfunctions. These findings highlight the potential of magnetic-field-based monitoring as a noninvasive approach for diagnosing fuel cell operating conditions and identifying early indications of failure.

Professor Kibum Kang from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, in collaboration with UNIST (President Chong-Rae Park), Hanyang University (President Ki-jeong Lee), and TDS Innovation (Co-CEOs Kibum Kang and Sanghyun Mo), has developed a new growth technique that precisely controls the location of nucleation, the stage at which 2D semiconductor crystals first form, using chemical species released from an oxide barrier.

Researchers from the Shenyang Institute of Automation (SIA) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed an electrohydraulically actuated soft robotic fish that can swim at high speeds and perform agile three-dimensional (3D) maneuvers. The soft robotic fish addresses a longstanding design challenge by combining a rigid–flexible coupled propulsion system with dynamic buoyancy regulation. This allows for fast propulsion without sacrificing maneuverability.