🧬Star Wars inspires a DNA-reading chip, a worm that can heal human skin, and an AI for start-ups

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MIT Scientists have created a tiny chip that manipulates cells and particles based on the tractor beam in Star Wars.

Optical traps and tweezers use focused light beams to capture and move tiny biological particles, such as cells or DNA molecules. 

This device could be used to study DNA, identify different types of cells, and explore the underlying causes of diseases. Dive deeper into this Must-Read.

🔥Today’s job of the day as featured on jobs.interestingengineering.com:

> Software Engineering Manager
> Data Streaming Engineer IV

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MUST-READ

🧬MIT’s Star Wars-inspired ‘tractor beam’ uses light to capture, manipulate cells

This miniature device is based on a silicon photonics chip that emits a light beam to control particles' movement within a few millimeters accurately.

As a chip-based optical tweezer, it would enable the trapping and tweezing of cells at much larger distances than previously demonstrated.

The researchers first tested the device on polystyrene spheres and then tried trapping and tweezing cancer cells.

🩹Scar-free healing: Worm protein could revolutionize wound treatment

A protein derived from an intestinal parasitic roundworm has been shown to speed up wound healing and reduce scarring in mice.

Small cuts on human skin heal easily, but deeper injuries can cause scarring. A recent study tested the protein TGM and found that it sped up healing and reduced scarring.

This research reflects a growing body of work searching for innovative new treatments for wound healing. 

🤝 GenAI: the new secret sauce for startup success?

The latest episode of Lexicon highlights GenAI, a powerful tool for startups that helps them grow and scale more rapidly and strategically.

This robust tool allows companies to automate processes, create content, and streamline customer interactions. It can also generate marketing content quickly, define target audiences, and more.

However, AI normally comes with concerns about replacing human jobs, and GenAI is no exception. But will AI help accelerate the next generation of start-ups?

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