Medicine

Researchers from TU Delft, its spinoff company SoundCell and Reinier Haga MDC have shown that graphene “nanodrums” combined with machine learning can identify bacteria and determine their antibiotic susceptibility from the nanomotion of single cells within a couple of hours. The approach unifies bacterial identification and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) in one label-free measurement at the single-cell level.

Each nanodrum consists of a bilayer graphene membrane less than 1 nanometer thick, suspended over an 8 micrometer-wide cavity that can host a single bacterium. When a living cell adheres to the drum, its intrinsic motions drive nanoscale vibrations of the graphene, which are read out optically as a time-dependent signal. This configuration avoids ensemble averaging and captures the mechanical behavior of individual bacteria.

Archer Materials has provided an update on its biochip program following the completion of Stage 1 project with IMEC. The company is developing advanced semiconductor devices, including chips relevant to quantum computing, sensing, and medical diagnostics. The next phase will focus on beta prototype development, incorporating cartridge engineering, readout electronics integration, stability testing, and external user validation.

The company has selected silicon for the current prototype builds, citing faster development timelines and established manufacturing pathways. While silicon is the material of choice for the current prototype, Archer affirms that graphene remains its next-generation chip platform for future performance optimization and product expansion. The core value of Archer’s technology resides in its proprietary functionalized layer chemistry and sensing architecture, applicable across both silicon and graphene chip substrates.

Researchers from Wuhan University and City University of Hong Kong have reported a soft, transparent, and stretchable laser-induced graphene (LIG)-Cu/PDMS patch that delivers noninvasive, low-temperature photothermal therapy for melanoma while simultaneously activating multiple programmed cell death pathways.

Melanoma causes over 80% of skin cancer-related deaths, and its aggressiveness, metastasis and drug resistance limit conventional surgery and chemoradiotherapy. The new patch is a bandage-like construct in which CuO-embedded LIG acts as the active therapeutic layer and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) provides a biocompatible, breathable, conformable matrix. Chemically inert and soft on the skin, the LIG-Cu/PDMS hybrid is fabricated via a cold-transfer method, remaining transparent and stretchable and enabling intimate contact, repeated use and potentially prolonged Cu²⁺ release under controlled stimulation.

A research team led by KAIST (The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) has unveiled a molecular-level mechanism that explains how graphene oxide (GO) can be both strongly antibacterial and yet biocompatible, paving the way for next‑generation hygienic materials that could reduce reliance on conventional antibiotics.

GO has long been studied as a promising biomedical material thanks to its biocompatibility and excellent antibacterial performance, but the origin of these apparently conflicting behaviors has remained controversial. The new work shows that the key lies in the controlled physicochemical and biomimetic features of GO: abundant oxygen functional groups on the GO basal surface drive highly specific interactions with a bacterial‑signature phospholipid, palmitoyloleoylphosphatidylglycerol (POPG), while sparing mammalian cell membranes.

Researchers at Penn State have developed a graphene-based field-effect transistor (GFET) architecture that improves sensor stability and sensitivity in liquid environments, marking a step toward real-time molecular detection for health, environmental, and industrial applications.

The team engineered a dual‑gate GFET that integrates a high‑κ hafnium dioxide (HfO₂) local back gate with an electrolyte top gate, coupled through a real‑time feedback control loop. This novel configuration enables capacitive signal amplification while suppressing gate leakage and low‑frequency noise - two sources of instability that have long limited the performance of conventional single‑gate GFETs used in liquid sensing.

University of Delhi researchers have developed an environmentally friendly method to synthesize graphene oxide quantum dots (GO QDs) for use in ultrasensitive biosensors capable of detecting key neurological biomarkers such as dopamine and serotonin. The team’s novel approach employs citric acid as a green, biodegradable precursor, successfully producing uniform, negatively charged GO QDs with an average diameter of 23.4 nm.

The synthesized GO QDs were thoroughly characterized using UV-Visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HR-XRD), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The data confirmed the formation of pure, spherical QDs with well-defined structural integrity and optical stability, indicating precise control over quantum confinement and surface functionality.

Hawkeye Bio has announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted U.S. Patent No. 12,461,102 titled “Pristine Graphene Based Biosensor for Biomarker Detection and Related Core Particles, Materials Compositions Methods and Systems.” The patent protects Hawkeye Bio’s proprietary graphene-based biosensor platform technology designed to detect biological molecules through highly sensitive optical signaling mechanisms.

The patented technology utilizes pristine graphene particles functionalized with optical reporter systems that respond to the presence of specific protease biomarkers. When exposed to target biological molecules, the biosensors convert biochemical interactions into measurable optical signals, enabling precise detection of molecular activity associated with disease.

Vocxi Health, a medical technology company developing graphene-enhanced breath-based diagnostics, has partnered with Forj Medical to transform its MyBreathPrint device from a desktop prototype into a compact, handheld diagnostic platform designed for real-world use.

MyBreathPrint uses graphene-based nano sensors and machine learning based algorithms to detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by the body in a person’s breath that correspond with specific diseases, including lung cancer, the world’s leading cause of cancer death. The device’s ultra-sensitive sensors can detect compounds at parts-per-billion concentration, a thousand times more sensitive than conventional medical gas sensors. Combined with AI/ML based algorithm, the system delivers accurate, near-instant results in seconds, potentially enabling widespread screening in clinics, and ultimately, in homes.

INBRAIN Neuroelectronics has announced a step forward in its long‑running collaboration with Merck, highlighting a new bidirectional, “rice‑sized” graphene BCI chip and a fresh push toward commercialization, including a speech‑decoding clinical trial.

The collaboration between INBRAIN and Merck was first established in 2021, with the goal of developing graphene‑based bioelectronic therapies for serious chronic diseases. This framework is now shifting from high‑level R&D into product‑oriented development, with Merck signaling commercialization intent around INBRAIN’s BCI‑Tx platform and its latest device iteration.

An international team of researchers - including members from the University of Cambridge, Beihang University, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Tsinghua University, and other institutions - has developed a wearable, comfortable and washable device called Revoice that could help people regain the ability to communicate naturally and fluently following a stroke, without the need for invasive brain implants.

Schematic of a textile-based strain-sensing choker. Two channels are aligned with the carotid artery and center of throat, respectively. Each channel consists of a two-terminal crack-based resistive strain sensor surrounded by a polyurethane acrylate (PUA) stress isolation layer. The top right SEM image shows the spontaneous ordered crack structure of the graphene coating. Image from: Nature Communications

Wearable silent speech systems hold significant potential for restoring communication in patients with speech impairments, but seamless, coherent speech has so far remained elusive and clinical effectiveness unproven. The Revoice system (also referred to as an intelligent throat, IT) integrates throat muscle vibration sensing and carotid pulse monitoring with large language model (LLM) processing to support fluent, emotionally expressive communication in real time. Ultrasensitive textile strain sensors embedded in a soft choker capture high-quality signals from the neck area and feed them into a token-level decoding pipeline, enabling continuous, delay-free speech reconstruction. In tests with five stroke patients with dysarthria, the system achieved low word and sentence error rates and a marked increase in user satisfaction, suggesting a promising non-invasive route to restore more natural communication.