News

Fitrim: Wheelchair power to the people

Just imagine that you just drove your wheelchair for half an hour over bumpy roads and some grassy spots, only to have your fitbit or smartphone activity tracker inform you that you took only 50 steps, burned virtually no calories and that you shouldn’t be such a couch potato. ‘There has to be a better way,’ Marit van Dijk thought. A seed grant from Delft Health Initiative and the TU Delft Sports Engineering Institute makes the difference.

Self-experimentation for long-lasting physical activity promotion in cardiac rehabilitation

A heart-attack may very well be the ultimate wake-up call when it comes to changing your lifestyle and behaviour. Even so, four years on most cardiac patients have relapsed to a very low fitness and physical activity level. Explorative self-experimentation, developed by Jos Kraal and colleagues, makes changing physical activity behaviour for cardiac patients more personal.

The formation of kidney stones on a microscale

Researchers from TU Delft developed a method to watch the formation of kidney stones on a microscale, in a so called microfluidic platform. By slightly adjusting the pH and the concentration of specific minerals, the formation could be slowed down or inhibited completely. The research is now published in Biomicrofluidics.

Healthy Start: Increasing opportunities for young people

Scanning a single protein, one amino acid at a time

Using nanopore DNA sequencing technology, researchers from TU Delft and the University of Illinois have managed to scan a single protein: by slowly moving a linearized protein through a tiny nanopore, one amino acid at the time, the researchers were able to read off electric currents that relate to the information content of the protein. The researchers published their proof-of-concept in Science today. The new single-molecule peptide reader marks a breakthrough in protein identification, and opens the way towards single-molecule protein sequencing and cataloguing the proteins inside a single cell.

Mechanism underlying the emergence of virus variants unravelled

An international consortium, led by Delft University of Technology and the University of North Carolina, has for the first time succeeded in probing the molecular origins of recombination in RNA viruses. Hiccups during the copying process of viruses cause recombination to take place: the exchange of segments of viral RNA.

Design for Deaf culture and health

Patients failing to take their medication in the prescribed manner is a widespread problem across society. But a combination of social barriers, discrimination and difficulty with written language mean that the Deaf community has a greater struggle. This medication non-adherence can be dangerous for patients, prolong sickness and strained healthcare systems. Ph.D. researcher Prangnat Chininthorn wanted to find ways to improve this and help Deaf people better manage their own health.

Mapping the brain motor cortex region in detail

In a major study funded by U.S Government, an international consortium of researchers successfully mapped the different types of brain cells in the motor cortex. Scientists from the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) and Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) contributed specific expertise to visualize the data.

Researchers unravel molecular replication process of covid-19

Is there a way to stop SARS-CoV-2-? An international consortium, led by biophysicist David Dulin at VU Amsterdam and in collaboration with Martin Depken from TU Delft, has investigated how to interfere with the viral genome-replication process at the molecular level.

Understanding human-robot interaction critical in design of rehabilitation systems

Robotic body-weight support (BWS) devices can play a key role in helping people with neurological disorders to improve their walking. The team that developed the advanced body-weight support device RYSEN in 2018 has since gained more fundamental insight in BWS but also concludes that improvement in this field is necessary.

Stronger is not always better

Rather than one key and one strong lock, biology often uses tens or hundreds of weaker links to bind parts together, such as cells membranes. This allows for selectivity and also reversibility: the binding can also be undone. Researcher Christine Linne and colleagues from Leiden University, TU Delft and Imperial College London first caught this phenomenon using spheres or colloids, and published September 1st in the journal PNAS.

Catch me if you can: a revolutionary method to study single proteins

Researchers from the technical universities of Delft and Munich have invented a new type of molecular trap that can hold a single protein in place for hours to study its natural behavior – a million times longer than before.

New CRISPR-Cas system cuts virus RNA

Researchers from the group of Stan Brouns (Delft University of Technology) have discovered a new CRISPR-Cas system that cuts RNA. The study will be published on August 26 in Science and is expected to offer many opportunities for the development of new applications in genetic research and biotechnology.

The Spaceman has a job for you

A cancer diagnosis is an awful and upsetting event for anyone. For the parents of young children, it is nearly unthinkable. Yet, every year, for some 35,000 families around Europe, it is a reality. PhD researcher Patrizia D'Olivo wanted to help them with her research.

Getting personal with dementia care

Caring for people with dementia is not a one-size-fits-all kind of thing. That’s because people have different personalities, life experiences and preferences. Taking these things into account, Gubing Wang’s PhD explored how to facilitate designers and healthcare professionals with designing for personalised dementia care.

A new spin on making minimal cells

The ability of a cell to separate its own matter from its surroundings is a basic requirement for life. A team of researchers at AMOLF and Delft University of Technology have managed to create a synthetic container, or lipid vesicle, that is able to hold a range of different biological systems: from a cytoskeleton to entire E.coli bacteria. Their findings on this optimized cDICE method, which has the potential to reveal the inner workings of life, are published in ACS Synthetic Biology on DATE.

Researchers make 3D image with light microscope

For the first time, Delft researchers have succeeded in making a three-dimensional image of a cellular component using light. The component in question is the nuclear pore complex: tunnels that facilitate traffic to and from the cell nucleus. Studying cell components in 3D can help to determine the cause of various diseases, among other things. The researchers have published their findings in Nature Communications.

A new tool to understand the brain

How does our brain work? An international team of researchers, including lead author Daan Brinks of TU Delft, has taken another step towards answering that question. They have created a new tool that allows them to image electrical signals in brains with an unprecedented combination of precision, resolution, sensitivity, and depth.

Researchers in Delft and Eindhoven argue in Science for more ventilation to combat COVID-19

An international group of 39 scientists have published an article in Science arguing for more use of ventilation to combat COVID-19. However, they want to use their argument far more broadly than just the current pandemic, and to combat the spread of all respiratory infections by changing building designs. Philomena Bluyssen from TU Delft and Marcel Loomans from TU Eindhoven are two of the authors. The article was published on Thursday 13 May.

Pandemic & Disaster Preparedness Center openend

The Pandemic & Disaster Preparedness Center (PDPC) was officially opened on Friday May 21 at Erasmus MC. Researchers at the PDPC study future virus outbreaks and disasters to be better prepared.

Researchers discover how a cell’s armour can be both flexible and strong

Medieval knights either had thick, cumbersome armour, or they could wear less protective armour and be flexible in combat – they couldn’t have both. Cells, on the other hand, do have it all. Researchers from Delft University of Technology (TU Delft), Leeds University, Institut Fresnel in Marseille, and Institut Curie in Paris discovered that proteins called ‘septins’ reinforce the fragile membrane of a cell, while still being flexible enough to allow the cell to change shape.

Persuasive technology for health and wellbeing at work

Elsbeth de Korte isn’t your typical Ph.D. student. When she defends her thesis later this month, on how technology can improve health and well-being in the workplace, she will have already been working at the Dutch research institute TNO for more than twenty years.

TU Delft develops ‘stumble tracker’ for trauma surgeon

We’re all familiar with the step tracker these days. Now there’s something new: the stumble tracker. This invention by TU Delft is helping a trauma surgeon at Erasmus MC to measure whether people using a new kind of prosthetic leg stumble less frequently. ‘This partnership has a bright future.’

Chirlmin Joo receives VICI grant for identifying proteins one at a time

Researcher Chirlmin Joo of TU Delft will receive a VICI grant for developing a method to sequence proteins one at a time. He will receive 1.5 million euros from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO).

Investment from Growth Fund gives Zuid-Holland economy a big boost

Zuid-Holland's economy and knowledge and innovation infrastructure will be strengthened thanks to investments from the National Growth Fund announced today by the demissionary government. The money will go towards improving accessibility, Health, Quantum, Green Power and Artificial Intelligence.