This revolutionary approach to vision correction is called electromechanical reshaping (EMR). This method utilizes electrical impulses to reshape the cornea, potentially providing a safer and more affordable alternative to traditional LASIK surgery. Researchers at Occidental College have made significant progress in this area, with initial studies demonstrating promising results on rabbit eyeballs.

The researchers’ innovative technique involves using platinum “contact lenses” that provide a template for the corrected shape of the cornea. By applying an electric potential to these contact lenses, they create a precise pH change within the tissue, loosening its rigidity and making it malleable. This enables them to reshape the cornea without any incisions or ablative procedures.

In their experiments on rabbit eyeballs, the team successfully reshaped the corneas of 12 separate specimens, 10 of which were treated as if they had myopia (nearsightedness). The treatment effectively corrected the focusing power of the eye in all “myopic” eyeballs. Moreover, the cells within the eyeball survived this procedure because the researchers carefully controlled the pH gradient.

The researchers emphasize that while these initial results are promising, their work is still in its early stages. They plan to conduct further animal studies and investigate the potential of EMR for treating a range of vision problems, including astigmatism, near- and far-sightedness. However, the team’s scientific funding uncertainties have put them on hold.

Despite these challenges, the researchers remain optimistic about the potential of this new technique. They believe that if successful, EMR could provide a widely applicable, vastly cheaper, and potentially even reversible method for vision correction, surpassing current treatments like LASIK.

The article reveals groundbreaking research on the effectiveness of vaccinating pregnant women against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The study found that babies born to vaccinated mothers had a 72% reduction in hospitalizations due to RSV, making it a crucial tool for reducing infant hospital admissions and pressures on healthcare systems.

Research conducted by universities across England and Scotland involved 537 babies who were admitted to hospital with severe respiratory disease during the winter of 2024-2025. The findings showed that mothers of babies without RSV were more likely to have received the vaccine before delivery, highlighting the importance of timely vaccination for maximum protection.

The study highlights the significance of raising awareness about the availability and effectiveness of the new RSV vaccine, which can be given as early as 28 weeks of pregnancy, allowing for optimal antibody transfer to the baby. However, it is recommended that pregnant women get vaccinated as soon as possible, ideally before delivery, to maximize protection.

The research collaboration also included experts from various institutions and emphasized the value of vaccination in preventing RSV-related illnesses. The study’s findings were published in the journal The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health.

Key Takeaways:

* Vaccinating pregnant women can reduce RSV hospitalizations by 72% among newborns.
* Timely vaccination during pregnancy is crucial for maximum protection against RSV.
* The new RSV vaccine offers a significant opportunity to protect babies from severe respiratory disease.
* Awareness about the availability and effectiveness of the vaccine should be raised among healthcare providers, pregnant women, and their families.

The scientific community has made significant strides in recent years towards developing innovative methods for producing and analyzing complex molecules. In an exciting breakthrough, researchers from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, along with international collaborators, have successfully harnessed the potential of brewer’s yeast to create miniature factories that produce macrocyclic peptides – promising drugs with high therapeutic value.

Macrocyclic peptides are a class of molecules that offer precision targeting, stability, and safety, making them an attractive alternative to traditional drugs. However, conventional methods for discovering and testing these peptides have been complex, slow, and environmentally unfriendly. To overcome these limitations, the researchers engineered brewer’s yeast cells to individually produce different macrocyclic peptides.

Each yeast cell acts as a tiny factory that lights up when producing the compound, allowing scientists to swiftly identify promising peptides. Using advanced fluorescence-based techniques, the team screened billions of micro-factories in just a few hours – a process significantly faster and more ecofriendly than existing methods.

Lead author Sara Linciano explained the innovative approach: “We manipulated yeast cells so that each one functions as a ‘micro-factory’ that becomes fluorescent when producing a specific compound. This allowed us to analyze 100 million different peptides rapidly and effectively.”

The study’s co-leader, Ylenia Mazzocato, highlighted the sustainability of their approach: “By exploiting the natural machinery of yeast, we produce peptide molecules that are biocompatible and biodegradable, making them safe for health and the environment – a truly ‘green pharma’ approach.”

The researchers also demonstrated the excellent binding properties of these peptides using X-ray crystallography. This new method offers significant advancements for drug discovery, especially for challenging targets that conventional drugs cannot easily address.

As Alessandro Angelini, associate professor and study coordinator, emphasized: “We are pushing the boundaries of this technology to create macrocyclic peptides that can deliver advanced therapies directly to specific cells, potentially revolutionising treatments. This could greatly benefit patient health and have substantial scientific and economic impacts.”

This work was part of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), supported by the European Union’s Next Generation EU initiative. The team involved multidisciplinary experts from Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Padova, and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne.

Part of this technology has already been patented by Ca’ Foscari and was recently acquired by the startup Arzanya S.r.l. As Angelini concluded: “Seeing our technology gain international recognition makes me proud. I hope Arzanya S.r.l. can provide our talented young researchers with the opportunity to pursue their passions here in Italy, without necessarily needing to move abroad.”