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Scientists have redefined how the key blood-clotting protein fibrinogen behaves when it comes in contact with air, overturning two decades of scientific consensus on wound healing. Neutron reflectometry measurements at the ILL played a key role.

Blood-based biomarkers are widely used to diagnose and monitor diseases through simple blood tests. However, in some cases they can be partially “hidden” and harder to detect accurately. Researchers investigated, with molecular accuracy, how biomarkers interact with lipid membranes using neutron reflectometry at the ILL.

Neutron reflectometry provides unique insights into pulmonary surfactant, advancing the development of novel therapeutic materials for surfactant-deficient lung disorders.

Researchers used neutrons to study how peptides assemble into tiny spirals - and then used them as templates to create golden replicas.

Understanding the interactions of biomolecules such as proteins or drugs with the membrane of cells is important in biomedical research and for the pharmaceutical industry. The sensitivity of neutrons to hydrogen atoms make neutron scattering a unique probe.

Anthracyclines are widely used and highly effective chemotherapy drugs, clinically used to treat various types of cancer. Powerful characterisation techniques were combined by researchers from the University of Manchester, University of Warsaw and the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in order to bette…

Dirty windows can harbour potentially harmful pollutants under protective films of fatty acids from cooking emissions – and these can hang around over long periods of time.According to a new study, led by researchers at the University of Birmingham, the fatty acids contained within cooking emissions are highly stable and not easily broken down in the atmosphere. …

Research has demonstrated the likely critical membrane fusion mechanism involved when the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infects human cells.SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, is from a family of single-stranded positive sense RNA viruses named β-coronaviruses. SARS-CoV-2 and oth…

Neutron reflectometry reveals SARS-CoV-2 spike protein induces lipid stripping from cell membrane, leading to a greater understanding of SARS-CoV-2 infection mechanisms and potential therapeutics. 22 July 2021Scientists at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), in colla…

Schematic, cross-sectional view of a PEM fuel cell. Hydrogen fuel is channelled to the anode, while oxygen from air is channelled to the cathode. At the anode, hydrogen is split into protons (H+) and electrons (e-). The PEM allows the protons to cross to the cathode, while the electrons travel vi…

Centuries-old works of art can be damaged when solvents are used to remove varnish on paintings during the restoration process – the 20th century is said to have the largest number of damaged paintings as a result of deliberate restorationNew research uses neutrons to examine how solvents penetrate the varnish of a painting – studying the precise varnishing used for most restoration efforts since…