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Category: Research

Seelig/Klavins team develops programming language to build synthetic DNA

October 14, 2013

From UW Today: UW engineers invent programming language to build synthetic DNA Michelle Ma Similar to using Python or Java to write code for a computer, chemists soon could be able to use a structured set of instructions to "program" how DNA molecules interact in a test tube or cell. A team led [...]

David Ginger’s synthetic polymer for solar cell applications

August 8, 2013

Regulating electron "˜spin' may be key to making organic solar cells competitive Vince Stricherz Organic solar cells that convert light to electricity using carbon-based molecules have shown promise as a versatile energy source but have not been able to match the efficiency of their silicon-based counterparts. Now, researchers have discovered a synthetic, high-performance polymer that [...]

Engineered biomaterial could improve success of medical implants

May 15, 2013

University of Washington engineers have created a synthetic substance that fully resists the body's natural attack response to foreign objects. Medical devices such as artificial heart valves, prostheses and breast implants could be coated with this polymer to prevent the body from rejecting an implanted object. [...]

High glucose levels could impair ferroelectricity in body's connective tissues

April 15, 2013

High sugar levels in the body come at a cost to health. New research suggests that more sugar in the body could damage the elastic proteins that help us breathe and pump blood. The findings could have health implications for diabetics, who have high blood-glucose levels. Researchers at the University of Washington and Boston University [...]

New device could cut costs on household products, pharmaceuticals

April 12, 2013

New device could cut costs on household products, pharmaceuticals By Michelle Ma Sometimes cost saving comes in nanoscale packages. A new procedure that thickens and thins fluid at the micron level could save consumers and manufacturers money, particularly for soap products that depend on certain molecules to effectively deal with grease and dirt. Researchers at [...]

Organic ferroelectric molecule shows promise for memory chips, sensors

January 25, 2013

A paper in Science describes an organic crystal that shows promise as a cheap, flexible, nontoxic material for the working parts of memory chips, sensors and energy-harvesting devices. [...]

Energy Dept. funds UW project to turn wasted natural gas into diesel

December 17, 2012

The U.S. Department of Energy this month awarded $4 million to a team, led by UW chemical engineers, that aims to develop bacteria to turn the methane in natural gas into diesel fuel for transportation. [...]

Rules devised for building ideal protein molecules from scratch

November 30, 2012

By Leila Gray, UW Health Sciences/UW MedicineNovember 29, 2012 By following certain rules, scientists can prepare architectural plans for building ideal protein molecules not found in the real world. Based on these computer renditions, previously non-existent proteins can be produced from scratch in the lab. The principles to make this happen appear this month in [...]

Electrically spun fabric offers dual defense against pregnancy, HIV

November 30, 2012

Electrically spun cloth with nanometer-sized fibers show promise as a cheap, versatile platform to simultaneously offer contraception and prevent HIV. New funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will help MolES faculty member Kim Woodrow further test the system's versatility and feasibility. [...]

Sticky paper offers cheap, easy solution for paper-based diagnostics

October 2, 2012

Global health researchers, including MolES faculty member Dan Ratner, are working on cheap systems like a home-based pregnancy test that might work for malaria, diabetes or other diseases. A new chemical technique makes medically interesting molecules stick to regular paper "” a possible route to building such paper-based diagnostics from paper you could buy at an office-supply store. [...]