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Synopsis

The NSF Trailblazer Engineering Impact Award (TRAILBLAZER) program supports individual investigators who propose novel research projects with the potential to innovatively and creatively address national needs and/or grand challenges, advance US leadership, and catalyze the convergence of engineering and science domains. TRAILBLAZER will support engineers and scientists who leverage their distinctive track record of innovation and creativity to pursue new research directions that are distinct from their previous or current research areas.

All funded TRAILBLAZER projects will form an NSF TRAILBLAZER cohort, and principal investigators will be expected to participate in an annual meeting. TRAILBLAZER investigators may also be invited to additional activities.

INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR: The Emerging Frontiers and Multidisciplinary Activities (EFMA) Office will host an informational webinar on October 15, 2024 to discuss the TRAILBLAZER program and answer questions about the FY 2025 TRAILBLAZER solicitation. Details on how to join this webinar will

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RSS feed source: National Science Foundation

Synopsis

Wildland fire is a powerful force on the planet, one that is rapidly accelerating in complexity beyond our current understanding. A new approach is needed. This approach requires a proactive and scalable perspective that recognizes the variety and connectedness of components of wildland fire. Coordinated scientific research and education that enables large-scale, cross-cutting breakthroughs to transform our understanding of wildland fire is urgently needed. In an era of rapid change, our society needs forward-looking research built on new frameworks that will realign our relationship with wildland fire.

The Fire Science Innovations through Research and Education (FIRE) program invites innovative multidisciplinary and multisector investigations focused on convergent research and education activities in wildland fire. All areas of science, engineering, and education supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation are included in this program. Projects developed by a wide array of groups including, for example,

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A team of researchers led by the recipient of a U.S. National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development grant has developed a new storage method for protein-based drugs that could potentially eliminate the need for refrigeration of important medicines. Using an oil-based solution and a molecule acting as a coating to enclose the proteins in these drugs, researchers demonstrated a technique to prevent the proteins from degrading rapidly — a protection that traditionally requires refrigeration.

The research is led by Scott Medina at Pennsylvania State University and published in Nature Communications. It demonstrates a possible practical application to eliminate the need to refrigerate hundreds of life-saving medicines like insulin, monoclonal antibodies and viral vaccines.

The work could eventually reduce the cost of refrigerating such drugs throughout the supply chain and enable greater use of protein-based therapies where constant refrigeration isn’t possible, including military environments. 

“Over 80% of biologic drugs and 90% of vaccines require temperature-controlled conditions. This approach could revolutionize their storage and distribution, making them more accessible and affordable for everyone,” says Medina.

To accomplish this, researchers created an oil-based solution using perfluorocarbon oil, finding that it was naturally sterile and could not be contaminated by bacteria, fungi or viruses, which require a water-based environment to grow and survive.

The team also developed a surfactant — a molecule that coats the surface of the protein — to shield the surface of the protein in a way that would allow it to evenly disperse throughout the solution. The surfactant created a

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Supported by multiple grants from the U.S. National Science Foundation, researchers have comprehensively characterized the properties of a unique type of skeletal tissue with the potential for advancing tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The tissue, called “lipocartilage,” is packed with fat-filled cells that provide stable internal support so the tissue remains soft and springy like bubbled packaging material.

The fat-filled cells in lipocartilage are called “lipochondrocytes,” which were first recognized in 1854 by Franz Leydig. The tissue is unlike most other types of cartilage, which rely on an external cellular matrix for strength. Led by the University of California, Irvine, the research team showed how lipocartilage cells create and maintain their own lipid reservoirs, remaining constant in size. Unlike other fat cells, lipochondrocytes never shrink or expand in response to food availability. The study was published in Science.

“Lipocartilage’s resilience and stability provide a compliant, elastic quality that’s perfect for flexible body parts such as earlobes or the tip of the nose, opening exciting possibilities in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, particularly for facial defects or injuries,” says Maksim Plikus, a UC Irvine professor and author on the paper.

“Currently, cartilage reconstruction often requires harvesting tissue from the patient’s rib — a painful and invasive procedure. In the future, patient-specific lipochondrocytes could be derived from stem cells, purified and used to manufacture living cartilage tailored to

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