broadsword
Brigadier
Especially one that looks like the next iteration of the Chiron in the lineage.
News on China's scientific and technological development.
- Thread starter Quickie
- Start date
Especially one that looks like the next iteration of the Chiron in the lineage.
broadsword
Brigadier
The compounds were provided by Z. Liu, J. Zhang, and S. Zhao.
Scientists reverse Alzheimer’s in mice using nanoparticles
The innovative approach to treating the disease focuses on restoring the normal function of the vasculature, rather than acting on neurons or other brain cells, as has usually been done until now.Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC)
A research team co-led by the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and West China Hospital Sichuan University (WCHSU), working with partners in the UK, has demonstrated a nanotechnology strategy that reverses Alzheimer’s disease in mice. Unlike traditional nanomedicine, which relies on nanoparticles as carriers for therapeutic molecules, this approach employs nanoparticles that are bioactive in their own right: “supramolecular drugs.” Instead of targeting neurons directly, the therapy restores the proper function of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), the vascular gatekeeper that regulates the brain’s environment. By repairing this critical interface, the researchers achieved a reversal of Alzheimer’s pathology in animal models.
The brain is the most expensive organ of the body, consuming 20% of the energy in adults and up to 60% in children. This energy arrives through a vast blood supply, assured by a unique and dense vascular system where each neuron is nourished by one capillary. Our brain contains approximately one billion capillaries, highlighting the vital role of brain vasculature in maintaining health and combating disease. These findings highlight the crucial role of vascular health, especially in diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s, where a compromised vascular system is closely linked.
The BBB is a cellular and physiological barrier that separates the brain from the blood flow to protect it from external dangers such as pathogens or toxins. The team demonstrated that targeting a specific mechanism enables undesirable “waste proteins” produced in the brain to pass through this barrier and be eliminated in the blood flow. In Alzheimer’s disease, the main “waste” protein is amyloid-β (Aβ), whose accumulation impairs the normal functioning of the neurons.
Researchers used mouse models that are genetically programmed to produce larger amounts of Aβ protein and develop a significant cognitive decline mimicking Alzheimer’s pathology. They administered only 3 doses of the supramolecular drugs and afterwards regularly monitored the evolution of the disease. “Only 1h after the injection we observed a reduction of 50-60% in Aβ amount inside the brain” explains Junyang Chen, first co-author of the study, researcher at the West China Hospital of Sichuan University and PhD student at the University College London (UCL).
The most striking data were the therapeutic effects. Researchers conducted various experiments to analyze the behavior of the animals and measure their memory decline over several months, covering all stages of the disease. In one of the experiments, they treated a 12-month-old mouse (equivalent to a 60-year-old human) with the nanoparticles and analysed its behaviour after 6 months. The result was impressive: the animal, aged 18 months (comparable to a 90-year-old human), had recovered the behaviour of a healthy mouse.
“The long-term effect comes from restoring the brain’s vasculature. We think it works like a cascade: when toxic species such as amyloid-beta (Aβ) accumulate, disease progresses. But once the vasculature is able to function again, it starts clearing Aβ and other harmful molecules, allowing the whole system to recover its balance. What’s remarkable is that our nanoparticles act as a drug and seem to activate a feedback mechanism that brings this clearance pathway back to normal levels.”
Giuseppe Battaglia, ICREA Research Professor at IBEC, Principal Investigator of the and leader of the study.
Amyloid-β clearance from the brain
In Alzheimer’s disease, one of the key problems is that the brain’s natural clearance system for toxic species like amyloid-β stops working properly. Normally, the protein LRP1 acts as a molecular gatekeeper: it recognizes Aβ, binds to it through ligands, and ferries it across the blood-brain barrier into the bloodstream, where it can be removed. But this system is fragile. If LRP1 binds too much Aβ too tightly, the transport clogs and the protein itself gets degraded inside the brain barrier cells, leaving fewer LRP1 “carriers” available. On the other hand, if it binds too little, the signal is too weak to trigger transport. In both cases, the result is the same: Aβ builds up inside the brain.
The supramolecular drugs developed in this work act like a switch that resets the system. By mimicking the ligands of LRP1, they can bind to Aβ, cross the blood–brain barrier, and initiate the process of removing toxic species from the brain. In doing so, they help restore the vasculature’s natural role as a waste-clearing pathway and bring it back to proper function.
Nanoparticles to treat Alzheimer’s
In this study, the researchers introduce nanoparticles that act as supramolecular drugs, therapeutic agents in their own right rather than carriers of medication. Designed with a bottom-up molecular engineering approach, these nanoparticles combine precise size control with a defined number of surface ligands, creating a multivalent platform able to interact with cellular receptors in a highly specific way. By engaging receptor trafficking at the cell membrane, they open up a unique and novel way to modulate receptor function. This precision not only enables the effective clearance of amyloid-β from the brain but also restores balance to the vascular system that maintains healthy brain function.
This innovative therapeutic paradigm offers a promising pathway for developing effective clinical interventions, addressing vascular contributions to Alzheimer’s disease, and ultimately enhancing patient outcomes. “Our study demonstrated remarkable efficacy in achieving rapid Aβ clearance, restoring healthy function in the blood–brain barrier and leading to a striking reversal of Alzheimer’s pathology.”, concludes Lorena Ruiz Perez, researcher at the Molecular Bionics group from the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC) and Serra Hunter Assistant Professor at the University of Barcelona (UB).
The study was a collaboration among the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalunya (IBEC), West China Hospital of Sichuan University, West China Xiamen Hospital of Sichuan University, University College London, the Xiamen Key Laboratory of Psychoradiology and Neuromodulation, University of Barcelona,Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and the Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA).
There are Chinese brands daring to do unique design language - Nio, Aito, Avatr, GAC's brands like Hyptec and Trumpchi (horrible anglicised spelling), Li Auto, BYD and pretty much all its high end brands, Zeekr, Xpeng, Geely, Voyah, GWM (Tank, Wey, Haval, Ora) and about 10 more I can't think of. Yet Dreame chooses to broadcast using a Chiron and Cullinan.
Chinese firms are too often led by clueless older generation uncles who have questionable taste. I get copying Porsche for Xioami and Aston Martin for IM (Ziji?). All the major brands do a Cullinan-esque flagship but every single one separates its design far enough to evoke Cullinan but not resemble the Cullinan like the Xiamo Su7 resembles a Taycan. Unless they can offer incredible performance, great build quality and more features than its design inspirer and be 5 times cheaper.
Dreame Founder Yu Hao is an 80s baby (younger than me), so not exactly led by clueless older generation.
In fact, he is pretty stereotypical of 80s/90s baby that run these newer Shenzhen tech companies.
CSST group celebrates 1 year anniversary of its T1100 grade carbon fiber passing evaluation. Looks like it's still working hard at product validation right now and ramping up production. ZA70GC is its T1100 grade product and it has like 1000t of capacity here.
fyi, it passed COMAC PCD certification last year for C919 and gold golden supplier award for its T800 ZA55GC in first half of this year. So as you can see even when product is certified and validated, it still takes a while for commercial product to put in their supply chain and for it to go into production.
Russian airliners are also using Chinese carbon fibre
do we have a source that says this?
Yes, there are many pieces of information.
China and Russia have many cooperation projects related to carbon fiber.
In 2024, China's carbon fiber exports to Russia reached 231 tons, with a value of 47.5 million yuan. This accounted for nearly 10% of China's total exports for that year.
On Friday (April 18th), the Ukrainian government released a new list of sanctioned entities, which includes Beijing Aerospace Xianghui Technology Co., Ltd., Ruijin Machinery Co., Ltd., Zhongfu Shenying Carbon Fiber Xining Co., Ltd., and several Russian companies.
