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Journal articleDebabèche NB, Wagner M, Jiang Q, et al., 2026,
Cellulose sandwich composites with tube-reinforced foam cores
, Carbohydrate Polymers, Vol: 389, ISSN: 0144-8617Lightweight 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 articleZhao A, Jüstel JPM, Jones MP, et al., 2026,
Circular and scalable leather alternatives from fungal fruiting bodies
, Cleaner Materials, Vol: 21Fungal 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 articleSun M, Gao AX, Ye B, et al., 2026,
Advances in engineering and applications of synthetic phase-separated membraneless organelles in biotechnology
, Synthetic and Systems Biotechnology, Vol: 13, Pages: 37-49, ISSN: 2405-805XMembraneless 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 articleZhang B, Murali GG, Quitéria TFH, et al., 2026,
Easy repair enabled by an interleaving ‘weak link’ strategy to localise damage in laminated fibre-reinforced polymer-matrix composites
, Composites Part B: Engineering, Vol: 323, ISSN: 1359-8368An 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-Meléndez H, et al., 2026,
Advances in metabolic engineering for the production of sustainable aviation fuels
, Current Opinion in Biotechnology, Vol: 100, ISSN: 0958-1669Sustainable 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 articleDuret A, Davies F, Fitzgerald F, et al., 2026,
Antimicrobial stewardship in UK special care baby units: gaps in research and future directions.
, JAC Antimicrob Resist, Vol: 8Despite 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.
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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 articleBozkurt O, Ecevit A, Gunlemez A, 2026,
Noninvasive acoustic evaluation of oral feeding skills in preterm infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
, Pediatr ResBACKGROUND: Oral feeding difficulties are common in infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and contribute to delayed discharge. The aim was to evaluate oral feeding skills (OFS) and swallow-respiration coordination in infants with BPD using a bedside noninvasive signal-based device. METHODS: Prospective observational study. Forty-six infants with BPD and 51 stable preterm controls ( ≤ 32 weeks' gestation) underwent a two-minute oral feeding evaluation. Acoustic swallow and respiratory signals were synchronously recorded to derive total swallow count (TSwC), maximum rhythmic swallow count (MxRSwC), average time between rhythmic swallows (AvgTmBtwnRhSw), respiration rate, and swallowing apnea. RESULTS: Infants with BPD had fewer TSwC and MxRSwC, and a longer AvgTmBtwnRhSw (all p < 0.05). Oxygen desaturation events were more frequent and swallowing apnea was more common in BPD group (%39 vs %9.8, p = 0.001). Infants with BPD achieved full independent oral feeding at an older postmenstrual age than controls. CONCLUSION: Oral feeding skills in preterm infants with BPD are characterized by delayed progression and altered swallowing rhythmicity, suggesting impaired swallow-respiration coordination. Individualized noninvasive acoustic assessment provides a feasible and objective method for the evaluation of OFSs in infants with BPD. IMPACT: Infants with BPD often have delayed and less mature oral feeding skills mostly driven by impaired swallow-respiration coordination. This study demonstrates the feasibility of a simple, objective, noninvasive bedside approach for assessment of swallowing physiology and swallow-respiration coordination during oral feeding. Individualized evaluation of feeding readiness using noninvasive, easily accessible tools may support targeted feeding strategies in preterm infants with BPD.
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Journal articleJervis PA, Rosa GM, Bates KA, et al., 2026,
Early maturation of host antimicrobial peptide defences is associated with host-pathogen coexistence.
, Nat Chem BiolEpizootic outbreaks of invasive pathogens, such as the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), are increasingly recognized as a global threat to biodiversity. However, not all susceptible host populations are equally impacted by these disease outbreaks. While some populations persist despite intense infections and high mortality rates, others can transition to enzootic coexistence with the pathogen. Here, we use comparative peptidomics to identify differences in antimicrobial peptide (AMP) maturation in Bd-susceptible common midwife toads (Alytes obstetricans) through metamorphosis. Here, we show that animals that metamorphose before AMP immune maturation display a low-diversity AMP phenotype deficient in anti-Bd AMPs. Where a high incidence of postmetamorphic animals occur with immature AMPs, populations are associated with epizootic disease dynamics. Conversely, populations associated with mature AMPs are stable following invasion of the pathogen. Our results show that even intrinsically susceptible amphibian species can possess the tools that allow populations to recover following a severe Bd epizootic.
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Journal articleKhor YH, Luppi F, Adegunsoye A, et al., 2026,
Acute exacerbation in fibrotic interstitial lung disease: An International Working Group Report.
, Am J Respir Crit Care MedAcute 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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