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Journal articleDebab猫che NB, Wagner M, Jiang Q, et al., 2026, , Carbohydrate Polymers, Vol: 389, ISSN: 0144-8617
Lightweight porous cellulose materials, in particular pulp fibre foams, face challenges in achieving suitable mechanical properties while maintaining sustainability. Porous cellulose structures were developed by inserting pulp fibre pins or paper tubes into pre-perforated pulp fibre foams to form a sandwich structure with kraft liner paper deck sheets using a simple and scalable manufacturing process. The resulting porous cellulose composite structures, with densities ranging from 80 kg/m<sup>3</sup> to 177 kg/m<sup>3</sup>, were mechanically characterised under compression, three-point bending, and double lap shear loading. We demonstrate that tube-reinforced configurations outperformed perforated pulp fibre foams in stiffness and strength, showing a significant improvement of 10,300% in compressive, 1500% in flexural, and 350% in shear modulus compared to perforated pulp fibre foams. We showed that the mechanical performance of pulp-based materials can be controlled by structural design rather than material modification, providing a viable strategy to overcome mechanical limitations of cellulose fibre foams.
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Journal articleSun M, Gao AX, Ye B, et al., 2026, , Synthetic and Systems Biotechnology, Vol: 13, Pages: 37-49, ISSN: 2405-805X
Membraneless organelles (MLOs) formed through liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) constitute crucial dynamic microenvironments within cells, capable of selectively concentrating specific molecules and regulating biochemical reactions. Based on the working mechanisms of natural MLOs, researchers have designed and constructed various synthetic MLOs. These MLOs have been applied in regulating enzyme activity, optimizing metabolic pathways, regulating gene expression, producing recombinant proteins, and developing functional biomaterials. Here, we systematically summarized the design strategies, characterization techniques, and client protein recruitment methods for synthetic MLOs, and categorically reviewed their application progress in the biotechnology field. We also discussed current challenges faced in the practical applications of synthetic MLOs and future research directions. This review aims to provide theoretical guidance and practical reference for the design and application of LLPS-driven synthetic MLOs, thereby promoting their innovative development in synthetic biology and biotechnology.
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Journal articleZhao A, J眉stel JPM, Jones MP, et al., 2026, , Cleaner Materials, Vol: 21
Fungal leather alternatives, intended to imitate animal leather, are popular with fashion designers. Most fungal leather alternatives rely on ‘as-grown’ mycelium networks, which are time-intensive to grow and difficult to scale. We present a leather alternative designed for scalability, utilising mushroom residues and papermaking methods. Flexible chitin-glucan sheets were produced from Agaricus bisporus mushrooms with tensile strengths up to 20 MPa, values approaching those of synthetic and bovine leather (∼13 MPa and 10–31 MPa, respectively), and strains-to-failure of 16–18% (compared to 15–60% and 31–69%, respectively). Sheet aesthetics and mechanical properties were tailored through modified fungal pulp extraction, dyeing, and reinforcement with cellulose-based fibres to achieve tear strengths comparable to bovine leather (104–107 N/mm compared to 42–106 N/mm). Mushroom residue-based sheets demonstrated a solution aligned with the principles of circularity, converting underutilised by-products into wearable garments to reduce waste and resource use in the fashion and textile industries.
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Journal articleZhang B, Murali GG, Quit茅ria TFH, et al., 2026, , Composites Part B: Engineering, Vol: 323, ISSN: 1359-8368
An interleaving strategy for polymer matrix composite laminates is proposed to create a mechanical fuse allowing interlaminar damage to be localised in the interleaf, which can subsequently be repaired. To create the mechanical fuse, the laminates are interleaved with thermoplastic polymer films with suitable mechanical properties to act as a repairable weak link. Carbon fibre/epoxy laminates interleaved with polystyrene (PS) were investigated by three-point flexure and static indentation tests. In the three-point bending tests, shear–driven damage was observed in the interleaved region, and this damage was subsequently repaired by application of heat and pressure. After two damage-repair cycles, the stiffness was virtually fully recovered, and the shear strength restored to 88% of the pristine value. In the static indentation tests, the stiffness and damage onset force of the specimens recovered to 84% and 70% of the pristine values, respectively, after three damage-repair cycles.
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Journal articleFink N, de Freitas Naves L, Gamboa-Mel茅ndez H, et al., 2026, , Current Opinion in Biotechnology, Vol: 100, ISSN: 0958-1669
Sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) are critical for decarbonising the hard-to-abate aviation sector, which significantly contributes to global CO2 emissions. Conventional SAF production routes, such as Hydroprocessed Esters and Fatty Acids, Fischer-Tropsch and Alcohol-to-Jet, offer drop-in compatibility but are constrained by feedstock availability, high costs and environmental impacts. This review highlights, as promising alternatives, microbial bioproduction via precision fermentation of SAF-relevant compounds from low-cost feedstocks, with reduced land use and enhanced circularity. Here, we focus on microbially derived SAF precursors such as alcohols, terpenes, fatty acid ethyl esters, methyl ketones and saturated hydrocarbons, as well as recent advances in host engineering, pathway design, and bioprocess optimisation.
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Journal articleLedesma Amaro R, 2026,
WASP: a pipeline for functional annotation prediction based on AlphaFold structural models
, Nature Communications, ISSN: 2041-1723Protein function annotation is crucial for understanding biological processes and mechanisms. Traditionally, annotations rely on sequence homology, providing valuable insights but often leaving gaps even in well-characterised organisms. With AlphaFold enabling rapid generation of protein structural models, we can now infer function from three-dimensional shape. Here, we present WASP, a pipeline leveraging structural homology to enhance protein annotation prediction at scale, providing a more comprehensive understanding of protein functions across various organisms. WASP relies on network topology for better accuracy and more robust statistical power. We show that WASP achieves superior F1 scores compared to state-of-the-art sequence-based tools when recovering hidden annotations. On 20 industrially relevant organisms, WASP retrieves annotations for 20-30% of previously uncharacterized proteins. We further demonstrate utility in genome-scale metabolic model curation, identifying native candidates for 75-100% of orphan reactions. WASP highlights how structural homology can systematically discover annotations missed by sequence-based approaches.
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Journal articleKhor YH, Luppi F, Adegunsoye A, et al., 2026, , Am J Respir Crit Care Med
Acute exacerbations (AEs) occur both in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and non-IPF fibrotic interstitial lung disease (fILD). These events confer high morbidity and mortality, with a lack of proven effective therapeutic interventions. The objective of this state-of-the-art document is to summarize latest evidence since the 2016 international working group report on AE-IPF, expanding it across the spectrum of all fILDs. A comprehensive literature review on the epidemiology, associated and risk factors, prognosis, and management of AE-fILD is summarized. In addition to revising the AE definition and diagnostic criteria for broad application across different fILDs, a conceptual framework for acute respiratory worsening (ARW) has been proposed to encompass a variety of acute respiratory deteriorations, both related and unrelated to AE. This allows structured evaluation in both clinical and research settings. The proposed revised definition for AE-fILD is an acute respiratory event characterized by increased respiratory symptoms or signs and associated with radiologic or histologic features consistent with diffuse alveolar damage (with or without superimposed organizing pneumonia) in a patient with known or newly diagnosed fILD. On the other hand, ARW refers to a heterogeneous group of clinical events with acute symptom worsening not attributable to DAD in patients with fILD, such as pulmonary edema, bronchitis, and pneumonia, although severe pneumonia can trigger AE-fILD. Additionally, we discuss considerations for inclusion of AE as a clinical trial endpoint, as well as research priorities for advancing knowledge on the pathogenic mechanisms, event prediction, risk stratification, and development of drugs and supportive treatments.
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Journal articleGodson A, Eddie L, Schuster M, et al., 2026, , New Phytol
RD21-like proteases are papain-like cysteine proteases with a C-terminal granulin domain that are abundant and ubiquitous in angiosperms and have often been implicated in immunity. We previously found that the activity of RD21 in Nicotiana benthamiana (NbRD21) is suppressed during infection with Pseudomonas syringae. Here, we studied the role of NbRD21 in immunity and proteome processing. NbRD21 was disrupted by genome editing and rd21 mutants were subjected to disease assays and shotgun proteomics. Dipeptide substrate zLR-AMC was used in protease assays and agroinfiltration was used to transiently express NbRD21 and candidate substrates. Genome-edited lines lacking NbRD21 develop normally but have drastically reduced zLRase activity and are significantly more susceptible to P. syringae. Shotgun proteomics revealed an increased accumulation of c. 20 diverse receptor-like kinases (RLKs) in untreated rd21 knockout lines, but their transcript levels are unaltered when compared to wild-type plants. 35S-driven GFP-tagged RLKs accumulate more upon transient expression in rd21 plants than in wild-type plants. These data indicate that NbRD21 post-translationally controls RLK homeostasis, either by directly degrading RLKs or indirectly by regulating endocytic RLK recycling.
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Journal articleHowlett P, Durairaj A, Gan J, et al., 2026, , Occup Environ Med
INTRODUCTION: A recent meta-analysis confirmed that chest X-ray (CXR) has low sensitivity for diagnosing silicosis. We re-estimated previously published dose-response relationships between cumulative respirable crystalline silica (RCS) exposure and silicosis risk, under the assumptions that sensitivity was either fixed or relative to the population proportion of severe silicosis. METHODS: We combined unpublished logistic regression models from Scottish coal miners with meta-analysis results to model how CXR sensitivity changed according to cumulative RCS exposure. We assumed specificity was 0.95. Among mining cohorts, we calculated the difference in the cumulative risk of silicosis between the unadjusted and fixed and relative scenarios. Finally, we re-estimated a published dose-response meta-analysis and associated absolute risk reductions (ARR). RESULTS: The cumulative risk of silicosis was substantially higher in both the fixed and relative sensitivity scenarios compared with the unadjusted estimate in all mining cohorts. This was most pronounced in the relative scenario and when cumulative RCS exposures were below approximately 6 mg/m³-years. A reduction in cumulative RCS exposure from 4 to 2mg/m³-years corresponded to larger ARRs in the fixed and relative scenarios than the unadjusted scenario; 382 (95% CI 361 to 399) and 529 (95% CI 353 to 592) cases per 1000 miners compared with 313 (95% CI 288 to 333) cases per 1000 miners, respectively. DISCUSSION: We relied on a single estimate of the proportion of severe disease to link sensitivity and cumulative RCS exposure. Nevertheless, adjusting for the reduced diagnostic accuracy of CXR for silicosis suggests the burden of silicosis is underestimated in published mining cohorts.
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Journal articleDuret A, Davies F, Fitzgerald F, et al., 2026, , JAC-Antimicrobial Resistance, Vol: 8
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Despite a significant decline in the incidence of neonatal sepsis, the clinical imperative to avoid missing life-threatening infection continues to drive widespread antibiotic overprescription. Antimicrobial stewardship is universally recognized and explicitly mandated within the UK 2024–2029 National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance as a critical mechanism to combat resistance and prevent iatrogenic harms related to infant dysbiosis. However, a major misalignment exists within the current evidence base: most of the neonatal stewardship research is conducted in highly resourced, tertiary Neonatal Intensive Care Units (Level 3), even though most postnatal inpatient care occurs in Special Care Baby Units (Level 1) and Local Neonatal Units (Level 2). This Viewpoint explores the operational and structural barriers that limit the transferability of intensive-care stewardship models to lower-acuity settings, identifies key research gaps around baseline prescribing practices and multidisciplinary collaboration, and argues for the inclusion of Level 1 and 2 populations in future validation studies of emerging diagnostic tools for neonatal sepsis.</jats:p>
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