Medicine

Researchers at King Khalid University, Warsaw University of Technology and Saveetha University have used molecular docking, molecular dynamics simulations, and computational toxicity screening to examine whether adding graphene oxide (GO) to hydroxyapatite (HA) dental implant coatings could improve how strongly bone-related proteins bind to the implant surface. In their entirely computational study, the team modeled how a set of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and integrin receptors interact with simulated GO, HA, and combined GO-HA surfaces.

Titanium dental implants are mechanically strong but biologically inert, which can slow the early bone-implant bonding (osseointegration) that determines whether an implant takes hold. Hydroxyapatite coatings, which chemically resemble bone mineral, are already used to help bridge that gap, but the researchers note that HA coatings show inconsistent protein binding and can delaminate over time. GO has drawn interest as an additive because its high surface area and oxygen-containing functional groups (hydroxyl, carboxyl, epoxide) can, in principle, promote stronger protein adsorption - but GO also carries known dose-dependent cytotoxicity concerns, which is part of what this study set out to weigh.

Researchers at Italy's National Research Council (CNR) - specifically its Institute for Organic Synthesis and Photoreactivity (Cnr-Isof) and Institute of Nanostructured Materials (Cnr-Ismn) - working with Ca' Foscari University of Venice, the University of Ferrara, and the University of Bologna, have developed a graphene-based bioelectronic platform that combines sustainable materials, biochemical sensing, and neural stimulation in a single biodegradable device, aimed at both monitoring and modulating activity in brain tissue.

The platform is built from poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and graphene oxide, processed through a green, water-based manufacturing route and turned into conductive electrodes through laser functionalization rather than more environmentally costly fabrication methods. The approach is meant to address the growing footprint of implantable and wearable medical electronics by keeping the device fully biodegradable and biocompatible while still delivering the electrical performance needed for neural interfacing.

UK-based Paragraf has launched two new products expanding its graphene sensing portfolio: the PMF2002 Graphene Field-Effect Transistor (GFET) Platform and the Enterprise Reader data acquisition system, designed to work together to take users from sensor development through to data analysis.

The PMF2002 builds on Paragraf's earlier PMF2000 platform with a 12-channel multiplexing architecture that uses a common gate with separate source and drain connections, allowing simultaneous measurements across multiple sensing channels from a single sample while requiring less sample material. The sensing surface can be functionalized by customers, letting the platform be adapted for target-specific detection across applications including water quality monitoring, soil analysis, gas detection, and molecular biosensing.

Researchers at Shanghai University and Shanghai General Hospital at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine have developed an electrochemical biosensor that combines a three-dimensional graphene framework with a heat-denatured casein interlayer to detect uric acid in sweat at femtomolar concentrations - a sensitivity the team says surpasses prior sweat-based uric acid sensors.

Uric acid is a key biomarker for conditions like gout, hyperuricemia, kidney dysfunction, and cardiovascular disease, and is conventionally measured through blood tests that require trained personnel and aren't suited to frequent or continuous monitoring. Sweat-based sensing offers a non-invasive alternative, but the low concentration of uric acid in sweat and the complexity of the sweat matrix have made reliable detection difficult, and conventional two-dimensional graphene sensing platforms are limited by restricted surface area for enzyme loading and slow analyte diffusion to active sites.

Researchers from Brazil's Federal University of Pelotas and Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul have developed a laser-induced graphene sensor that can detect dopamine with high sensitivity in tear fluid, pointing to a possible noninvasive route for monitoring neurological disorders. 

Dopamine is central to movement, cognition, and emotional regulation, and abnormal levels are linked to disorders including Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia. Because current monitoring methods often rely on blood, urine, or implanted devices, the researchers focused on tears as a faster and less invasive alternative. The team built the sensor using laser-induced graphene and then functionalized it with nickel nitrate and urea. This combination increased the number of active sites, improved electron transfer, and boosted the oxidation signal from dopamine, which is the key electrochemical event the sensor measures.

Researchers at China's Gannan Medical University and Shanghai University recently developed a Schottky junction-based nanocomposite that combines gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) with graphene oxide quantum dots (GOQDs), demonstrating a highly effective, antibiotic-free strategy for treating bacterial infections and accelerating wound healing.

The work addresses a known clinical challenge: the rapid rise of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria driven by widespread antibiotic use. Conventional approaches - such as increasing antibiotic dosage or developing new drugs - are often limited by toxicity, long development timelines, and persistent resistance. As a result, non-invasive phototherapies, particularly photodynamic therapy (PDT) and photothermal therapy (PTT), are gaining attention as alternatives. However, each modality has intrinsic limitations: PDT efficiency is constrained by electron–hole recombination and oxygen availability, while PTT requires precise thermal control to avoid damaging healthy tissue. To overcome these constraints, the researchers engineered a hybrid nanostructure in which AuNPs and GOQDs form a Schottky junction - a metal–semiconductor interface that enables directional charge transfer. 

A team of researchers, led by IMB-CNM-CSIC and ICN2, has developed a graphene-based bidirectional neural interface that can simultaneously record and modulate brain activity, overcoming a longstanding limitation in neurotechnology. The device combines graphene solution-gated field-effect transistors (gSGFETs) with nanoporous reduced graphene oxide (rGO) microelectrodes in a single, flexible platform, enabling both high-sensitivity monitoring and effective stimulation.

Neural interfaces are already used clinically to treat neurological disorders, but most current systems remain unidirectional. They typically deliver stimulation using fixed parameters, without the ability to adapt in real time to ongoing brain activity. Even in systems that can both stimulate and record, performance is often constrained - particularly when it comes to detecting very low-frequency signals, which are increasingly recognized as important biomarkers. The newly reported device addresses these challenges by integrating two complementary graphene technologies. 

China-based developer and manufacturer of smart wearables and telehealth devices, Linktop, has launched the Lifestone Graphene Cooling Headband, a wearable device designed to enhance athletic endurance by reducing core body temperature and heart rate during high-intensity activities. The headband uses graphene's thermal conductivity to enable passive heat dissipation without batteries or evaporative cooling.

The technology is reportedly based on exercise physiology research showing that lower core temperature leads to reduced heart rate, delayed fatigue and improved endurance performance. 

Researchers from Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Polish Academy of Sciences, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, University of Amsterdam, Florida Polytechnic University and Jagiellonian University have shown that graphene quantum dots (GQDs) can disrupt the harmful aggregation of the protein α‑synuclein (ASN), which plays a central role in Parkinson’s disease and multiple system atrophy (MSA). In these disorders, ASN assembles into stable protein clusters inside brain cells, damaging them over time; the study demonstrates that properly engineered GQDs can interfere with this clustering process and help reduce the toxic protein load.

The team synthesized custom GQDs and carried out a detailed physicochemical characterization, including their surface chemistry, charge, optical behavior and crystalline structure. This allowed them to link specific material features to biological activity, an important step for rational design of nanomaterials that interact with proteins in a controlled way. They then evaluated the GQDs in a multi‑stage experimental pipeline that covered cell‑free aggregation assays, human dermal fibroblasts, primary murine dopaminergic neurons and an in vivo MSA mouse model.

INBRAIN Neuroelectronics has announced that it has completed patient recruitment in its first-in-human study evaluating its graphene cortical interface. A total of ten patients were recruited into its first-in-human study, and eight patients were treated surgically, with no perioperative device failure observed during use. Complete datasets were obtained from eight patients.

The study (NCT06368310), sponsored by the University of Manchester and conducted with Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, evaluated INBRAIN’s graphene-based cortical interface during neurosurgical procedures for brain tumor resection. The primary objective was to assess safety, with secondary objectives focused on signal quality, stability, stimulation capability, and suitability for intraoperative use with standard surgical tooling and recording equipment.