2023 NEWS AND ANNOUCEMENTS

Our collaborative research with Prof. Capangpangan from MSU-Naawan (Philippines), conducted within the framework of the DOST-PCIEERD funded project, has been successfully published. The paper, titled "Predicting cytotoxicity of engineered nanoparticles using regularized regression models: An in silico approach" delves into an extensive study aimed at forecasting the cytotoxicity of diverse engineered nanoparticles, encompassing variations like organic, inorganic, and carbon-based compositions. This forecasting endeavor relies on the application of regularized regression models, including ridge regression, lasso regression, and elastic net regression, utilizing two distinct comprehensive datasets. A significant outcome of our study is the unequivocal demonstration that all constructed models effectively extend their predictive capabilities to uncharted data points. Moreover, our investigation spotlights the identification of the ten most influential descriptors, which encompass critical factors such as cell type, synthesis methodology, material constitution, cell source, and the presence of coatings or functional groups. These descriptors notably underscore their pivotal roles in steering nanoparticle cytotoxicity. The results of our study markedly emphasize the substantial potential of these developed models in facilitating the strategic design and selection of nanoparticles that can be considered safe for a wide spectrum of applications. You can access her paper at this link.

We are pleased to announce the publication of a paper by our Ph.D. student, Gulzat Nuroldayeva, in the journal Polymers. Titled "Flexing the Spectrum: Advancements and Prospects of Flexible Electrochromic Materials," the paper provides a comprehensive overview of the current state and future directions of electrochromic materials. These materials can change color and transparency in response to electric stimuli and have promising applications in smart windows, displays, sensors, and wearable devices. Gulzat has done an excellent job summarizing the recent advances and challenges in this field, as well as highlighting the potential environmental and social benefits of flexible electrochromic materials. We congratulate Gulzat on her achievement and look forward to reading more of her work in the future. You can access her paper at this link.

We would like to congratulate Dr. Prechiel Barredo, now at Mindanao State University - Main Campus, Marawi City, Philippines, for publishing an invited article entitled "Recent advances in molecular dynamics simulations of tau fibrils and oligomers" at Membranes (MDPI) as part of the special issue Molecular Dynamics Simulations in Biological Membranes. In this review paper, current MD simulation studies of tau oligomers and fibrils such as tau-NPK, tau-PHF, tau-K18 and tau-R3-R4 monomers and dimers interacting in solution, lipid bilayers or lipid membrane systems are discussed for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Pick's disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy and other tauopathies. Also discussed is the dissociation of tau fibrils, which has been studied using steered MD.

To read the full article, click this link.