News

Mechanical ventilator from the 1960s inspires Delft engineers

Today, a team of Delft researchers and students from the BioMechanical Engineering department is launching a new type of ventilator that is purely mechanical and which you could easily construct and repair yourself. The team borrowed a 1960s ventilator from Rijksmuseum Boerhaave and used it as inspiration. As it works mechanically, no electronics are required. This is particularly advantageous since its production is not dependent on the – now uncertain – supply of parts from China.

Scientists design ventilator made of standard parts

Amir Zadpoor and a team of scientists from the BioMechanical Engineering department are testing the first prototypes of a ventilator that consists entirely of standard parts. These parts are available locally almost all over the world and can be produced by hundreds of manufacturers. This means that, in many cases, the ventilator can be assembled locally. It is hoped that the design will be able to respond to the demand for ventilators and offer a solution to the logistical problems resulting from a shortage of specific components.

The strength of collagen

Collagen is the glue that holds our bodies together. It can be found in our skin, bones, muscles, cartilage, ligaments, hair, nails - in short, in almost every tissue in our body. In some places, for example in the skin, collagen proteins form networks that are very elastic. But why these networks are so elastic has so far been unclear. Researchers from Delft University of Technology, AMOLF and Wageningen University & Research have now discovered that the number of 'intersections' plays an important role. Between three and four connections per intersection is ideal. In fact, more connections makes the collagen networks less elastic. The new insights can be used, among other things, to repair damaged or aged tissue, such as cartilage or skin, and to grow new skin tissue for burn victims.

Zigzag DNA

DNA in a cell can normally be compared to spaghetti on one’s plate: a large tangle of strands. To be able to divide DNA neatly between the two daughter cells during cell division, the cell organises this tangle into tightly packed chromosomes. A protein complex called condensin has been known to play a key role in this process, but biologists had no idea exactly how this worked. Until February 2018, when scientists from the Kavli Institute at Delft University of Technology, together with colleagues from EMBL Heidelberg, showed in real time how a condensin protein extrudes a loop in the DNA. Now, follow-up research by the same research groups shows that simple bundling up such loops is by no means the only way condensin packs up DNA. The researchers discovered an entirely new loop structure, which they call the 'Z loop'. They publish this new phenomenon in Nature on 4 March, where they show, for the first time, how condensins mutually interact to fold DNA into a zigzag structure.

The voice of the patient

The use of technology is unavoidable to keep healthcare affordable and accessible, but its implementation must go hand in hand with respect for patient values, says trauma surgeon Maarten van der Elst. He has been appointed to TU Delft’s Reinier de Graaf chair for the coming five years and is holding his inaugural address on 4 March.

Monitoring the development of a tumour using the memory of bacteria

Researchers discover new mechanism for the coexistence of species

New software to better understand conversations between cells

One of the most fascinating and important properties of living cells is their capacity for self-organization. By talking to each other cells can, among other things, determine where they are in relation to each other and whether they need to turn certain genes on or off. Thus, large groups of cells are able to work together and organise into all kinds of tissues. Researchers at Delft University of Technology have now developed software that can predict and visualise conversations between cells on the basis of the molecules involved.

Heike Vallery professor of innovative rehabilitation technology at EMC

Heike Vallery, professor of human motor augmentation, has been named honorary professor of innovative rehabilitation technology at the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at Erasmus MC. This appointment underscores the importance of innovative rehabilitation technology in health care and is an important milestone in connecting technology and medicine.

A boost of €4,1M for joint proton therapy research TU Delft, Erasmus MC and LUMC

The next round of funding has been awarded to 13 researchers within the HollandPTC R&D consortium.

Combined technique measures nanostructures ten times better than before

Combination of microscopy techniques makes images twice as sharp

Researchers at Delft University of Technology have combined two existing super-resolution microscopy techniques to create a new method. Many experts thought that combining these techniques was not technically possible. The new, combined method enables researchers to visualize the tiny components of living cells better than ever before. Among other things, this can lead to new insights for healthcare.

A boost for head and neck proton therapy research

Towards single-cell biopsy with 3D printing

Murali Ghatkesar, assistant professor in the Department of Precision and Microsystems Engineering, has developed a new method through 3D printing that makes it easier, quicker and more efficient to perform single-cell biopsies. It is the first time that 3D printing is being used for the production of micro- and nanofluidic equipment. The results of his research were published in the scientific journal Lab on a Chip this month.

The Road to Schistoscope

For half a year, a team of six dedicated students worked endlessly on solving the problems around diagnosing Schistosomiasis in Nigeria. The tipping point for their project; seeing not only the eggs, but also the spine of the disease in the pictures made by their product. But before reaching this milestone, the team had to overcome many obstacles through weeks of hard work, motivation and creative problem solving. Tina Ekhtiar and Talitha Brenninkmeyer share the ins and outs of the process.

How to Expand and Contract Curved Surfaces of all Shapes

Researchers at TU Delft have designed a dilation method that can be applied to any curved surface. The range of applications include medical braces for children, expandable furniture, or aortic stents.

Researchers see rapidly hunting CRISPR system in action

Artificial cell division a step closer to reality

Researchers at TU Delft have succeeded in replicating a biological mechanism that is essential for cell division in bacteria in the lab. The research is an important step within a larger, ambitious project with the ultimate goal of creating a fully artificial cell that can sustain and divide itself. The researchers have published their findings in Nature Communications.

ERC Starting Grant for three AS researchers

Five TU Delft researchers have been selected to receive an ERC Starting Grant. Three of these researchers work at the Faculty of Applied Sciences, the other two are affiliated with QuTech. The grants (1,5 million euros for a five-year programme) are intended to support scientists who are in the early stages of their career and have already produced excellent supervised work.

Twelve Veni awards for TU Delft researchers

The Dutch Research Council (NWO) has awarded a Veni grant worth up to 250,000 euros to twelve highly promising young scientists from TU Delft.

Yeast against dementia

As our life expectancy increases, more and more people are confronted with different types of dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease. How these brain diseases arise and develop is still unclear, complicating the search for effective treatment.

Leiden, Delft and Erasmus strengthen cooperation

Leiden-Delft-Erasmus, the strategic alliance of the three universities in the province of South Holland (Zuid Holland), are to build further on their successful cooperation. In the coming years, four social themes will guide their joint research and education: Healthy Society, Sustainable Society, Digital Society and Inclusive Society. Topics of concern to the metropolitan area around Rotterdam and The Hague will serve as a source of inspiration.

Programmable soft actuators show the great potential of soft robotics

Researchers at TU Delft have developed highly programmable actuators that, similar to the human hand, combine soft and hard materials to perform complex movements.

Jenny Dankelman is Professor of Excellence 2019

On Thursday 4 July, Jenny Dankelman, Professor of Minimally Invasive Surgery and Intervention Techniques at the Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (3mE), was informed by Delft University Fund that she will receive the prestigious Professor of Excellence Award 2019.

Safety in OR remains a hot item

Doctor and PhD student Frederique Meeuwsen from TU Delft spent two years researching the possible application of RFID technology to the research OR.