Washington: A collaboration between researchers in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the College of Medicine at Texas A&amp;M University identifies the crucial role of minerals in regulating gene expression, thus controlling the number of proteins that a cell should make, thereby encouraging tissue regeneration and redefining cellular identity.This research paves the way for future studies to identify the role of specific minerals, as well as how they can be assembled to design the next generation of mineral medicine to heal damaged tissue. This study was recently published in Science Advances.Minerals are inorganic elements that play many vital roles, working interactively with vitamins, enzymes, hormones and other nutrient cofactors to regulate thousands of the body's biological functions. Although several minerals have been shown to regulate gene expression and cellular activity, very little work has focused on understanding underlying molecular mechanisms.This engineering research group is led by Dr Akhilesh Gaharwar, associate professor of biomedical engineering and Presidential Impact Fellow, in collaboration with Dr Irtisha Singh, assistant professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine at Texas A&amp;M and the co-corresponding author of the study where a new class of mineral-based nanoparticles has been introduced to direct human stem cells toward bone cells. These nanoparticles are known specifically as nanosilicates, and with them, the team is able to determine the role of minerals in regulating gene expression profiles to direct stem cell differentiation. These nanosilicates are disc-shaped mineral-nanoparticles 20-30 nanometers (nm) in diameter and 1-2 nm in thickness. These nanoparticles are highly biocompatible and are readily eaten up by cells. Once inside the cell body, these nanoparticles slowly dissolve into individual minerals such as silicon, magnesium and lithium.Nanosilicates dissociate into individual minerals inside the cells and turn "on" a set of key genes that result in information flow throughout the cells, known as signalling pathways. These signalling pathways are responsible for instructing the cells to take on specific functions, such as converting into another type of cells or starting the healing process by secreting tissue-specific proteins known as extracellular matrix. These extracellular matrices are composed of various proteins, including glycoproteins and proteoglycans that facilitate tissue healing and support tissue functions.Combining interdisciplinary techniques and biomedical engineering and genomics methods, the lead authors of this study, doctoral students Anna Brokesh and Lauren Cross, identify and characterize significant genes that are turned "on" and activated by different signalling pathways due to treatment with minerals. One of the major findings of this study is that minerals such as silicon, magnesium and lithium are involved in inducing endochondral ossification, a process by which stem cells are transformed into soft and hard tissues such as cartilage and bone in young humans.The Singh Laboratory, managed by Singh, leverages high-throughput functional assays and perturbations to dissect the functional regulatory programs in mammalian cells. In this study, they analyzed whole transcriptomic sequencing (RNA-seq) data to evaluate the effect of nanosilicates and ionic dissolution products on the gene expression profiles of stem cells. RNA-seq, a transcriptome-wide high throughput sequencing assay, provides an unbiased and holistic overview of the gene expression profiles to identify pathways that are perturbed by specific treatments."There are a lot of people who want to understand how minerals impact the human body, but there is limited evidence to identify how they affect us on the cellular level," Brokesh said. "Our study is one of the first studies to utilize unbiased transcriptome-wide sequencing to determine how mineral ions can direct stem cell fate."The proposed approach addresses a long-standing challenge in current therapeutic approaches that utilize supraphysiological doses of growth factors to direct tissue research. Such a high dose of growth factors results in a range of complications, including uncontrolled tissue formation, inflammation and tumorigenesis, and the production or formation of tumour cells. These adversely limit the usage of growth factors as a therapeutic agent in the field of regenerative medicine. Gaharwar said the impact of this work is far-reaching because understanding the effect of minerals to achieve desired regulation of cellular activity has a strong potential to open novel avenues for developing clinically relevant therapeutics for regenerative medicine, drug delivery and immunomodulation. —ANI

 A collaboration between researchers in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the College of Medicine at Texas A&M University identifies the crucial role of minerals in regulating gene expression, thus controlling the number of proteins that a cell should make, thereby encouraging tissue regeneration and redefining cellular identity.

Research Suggests Minerals Might Be Key To Healing Damaged Tissue

New Delhi (The Hawk): In the presence of Shri Arun Singhal, Secretary, Brigadier Amar Singh Rathore, Chairman &amp; Managing Director, FCI Aravali Gypsum &amp; Minerals India Limited, a Central Government Public Sector Undertaking, presented a dividend check for Rs. 12,55,00,000/- (Rupees Twelve crore fifty five lakh only) to the Union Minister of Chemicals &amp; Fertilizers, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya (Fertilizer). The Minister praised the Company's accomplishments and growth. He also expressed the hope that the Company would expand rapidly, support economic expansion, and produce higher dividends in the upcoming years.
The CMD also disclosed that in May 2022, the company received notification that it was a Private Exploration Agency. The business intends to start mining rock phosphate and dolomite soon. The business also intends to build a facility for the production of fertiliser in Chittorgarh, Rajasthan.
On February 14, 2003, the FCI Aravali Gypsum &amp; Minerals India Limited (FAGMIL) was established as a result of the separation of the FCIL Jodhpur Mining Organization (a unit). For the past 18 years, the company has consistently paid dividends.

In the presence of Shri Arun Singhal, Secretary, Brigadier Amar Singh Rathore, Chairman & Managing Director, FCI Aravali Gypsum & Minerals India Limited, a Central Government Public Sector Undertaking, presented a dividend check for Rs. 12,55,00,000/- (Rupees Twelve crore fifty five lakh only) to the Union Minister of Chemicals & Fertilizers, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya (Fertilizer).

19th Dividend by FCI Aravali Gypsum & Minerals India  Ltd, a Miniratna-II Company

Washington: A study has found that a mining technology can reduce the amount of energy needed to access critical minerals vital for modern energy technologies and capture greenhouse gases along the way.
The study was published in the journal, 'US Department of Energy'.
A mining technology pioneered by researchers at the Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin could reduce the amount of energy needed to access critical minerals vital for modern energy technologies and capture greenhouse gases along the way.
Transitioning the world's energy to technologies and sources with low-carbon emissions will take, in part, tremendous amounts of lithium, nickel, cobalt and other critical minerals that exist in low concentrations in the Earth's crust. Mining those elements takes much energy and produces waste, which can negatively affect the environment and create significant amounts of greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide (CO2).
This research could turn these emissions into a tool by using CO2 to weaken the rock containing critical minerals, reducing the amount of energy needed for mining. The ultimate goal is to significantly reduce the emissions produced during mining by storing them safely in the rocks, and potentially even make mining carbon negative - storing more carbon than is produced - by piping in and storing CO2 emissions from other industrial operations.
This CO2 storage is possible because of the way ultramafic rocks, which typically contain critical minerals, react with carbon. The CO2 chemically reacts with the rock to mechanically break its structure, making the minerals easier and less energy-intensive to mine. This reaction also partially turns the rock into limestone, incorporating the carbon dioxide into the mineral structure and storing it permanently. "Mining processes create a lot of CO2 as a byproduct," said Estibalitz Ukar, a research scientist at the Bureau of Economic Geology at the UT Jackson School of Geosciences, adding, 'If you can capture what is produced at the mine, then you can come up with a low-emission operation, which is good, but we want to use the CO2-reducing properties of ultramafic rocks to help eliminate even more CO2."
Ukar is leading a team of scientists that is working to perfect the mining technology, which is supported by a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. The three-year project will work to refine the mining method in the lab for two years before trying a full-scale field test in partnership with Canada Nickel Company. The field test is planned to take place in one of 20 newly discovered ore bodies near the U.S.-Canada border that are forecast to be an important new source of critical minerals in North America.
The project would also make low-grade deposits more economically viable, an important step in increasing the available supply of domestically produced critical minerals.
"The demand is high now, but we will see a huge increase in the next three to five years as we transition into lower-emission technologies, such as electric vehicles," Ukar said, adding, "We need to meet the demand by finding creative ways to reduce costs and emissions, find new sources of metals, and make the mines of the future more sustainable. And we need to do it fast." The project is part of the Mining Innovations for Negative Emissions Resource Recovery program, a new initiative that aims to develop market-ready technologies that will increase domestic supplies of critical elements required for the transition to low-carbon or carbon-free energy.
The research brings together the expertise of scientists from the Bureau of Economic Geology and Department of Geological Sciences in the UT Jackson School, as well as researchers from the UT departments of Petroleum &amp; Geosystems Engineering and Aerospace Engineering &amp; Engineering Mechanics; Columbia University; the University of Bern; and Carbfix, an Iceland-based project using a similar method to store CO2 in basalt. Several groups from the Bureau of Economic Geology are a part of the project. These include the Gulf Coast Carbon Center, a world leader in monitoring carbon to make sure it is safely stored. Experts from the bureau's TexNet seismic monitoring system are also part of the team, and will help determine if the new mining method causes any seismic activity.
"Lowering the emissions from energy, in an affordable and reliable way so that the global population can afford it, is the great challenge," said Bureau of Economic Geology Director Scott Tinker, adding, "This research program, if successful, could be one of several approaches to help advance that effort. The integrated team is critical to success."
In addition to the MINER support, Ukar has received a separate $1 million grant from the DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory to find places within the U.S. where this new mining technology could be applied. If successful, the technology could be useful in mining operations globally. —ANI

A study has found that a mining technology can reduce the amount of energy needed to access critical minerals vital for modern energy technologies and capture greenhouse gases along the way.

New Mining Technology Uses CO2 To Control Critical Minerals: Study

New Delhi [India]: The mineral production sector in India witnessed a significant upswing in July 2023, with a remarkable 10.7 per cent increase compared to the same month in the previous year. These findings are based on the latest data released by the Indian Bureau of Mines (IBM), indicating a positive trajectory in the country's mineral production, read the Ministry of Mines press release.
The Index of Mineral Production for the mining and quarrying sector, using the base year 2011-12 as a reference, reached a level of 111.9 in July 2023. This robust growth demonstrates the sector's resilience and ability to contribute substantially to the nation's economic development. The cumulative growth for the April-July period in 2023 compared to the same period in the previous year stands at an impressive 7.3 per cent. This consistent performance underscores the sector's role as a vital component of India's economic landscape, read the press release. In July 2023, production figures for several critical minerals revealed promising numbers. Coal production stood at an impressive 693 lakh tonnes, while lignite production reached 32 lakh tonnes. Natural gas utilization recorded 3062 million cubic meters, and crude petroleum production amounted to 25 lakh tonnes.
Additionally, essential minerals such as bauxite, chromite, copper concentrate, gold, iron ore, lead concentrate, manganese ore, zinc concentrate, limestone, phosphorite, and magnesite all contributed positively to the sector's growth read the press release. Chromite, with a remarkable growth rate of 45.9 per cent, led the pack of minerals showing positive trends in July 2023 compared to the same month in 2022. It was followed closely by manganese ore (41.7 per cent), coal (14.9 per cent), limestone (12.7 per cent), iron ore (11.2 per cent), and gold (9.7 per cent). These significant increases indicate the sector's capacity for expansion and diversification. Furthermore, the mineral sector demonstrated its resilience with notable growth in copper concentrate (9 per cent), natural gas utilization (8.9 per cent), lead concentrate (4.7 per cent), zinc concentrate (3.6 per cent), magnesite (3.4 per cent), and crude petroleum (2.1 per cent), read the press release. While the overall outlook is promising, some minerals showed a decline in production during July 2023. Lignite production declined marginally by -0.7 per cent, bauxite by -3.2 per cent, phosphorite by -24.7 per cent, and diamond by -27.3 per cent, read the release. These fluctuations reflect the dynamic nature of the mineral production sector, which relies on various factors, including market demand and resource availability. The growth in mineral production is not only significant for the sector itself but also holds broader implications for India's industrial and economic development. It highlights the sector's role in contributing to the nation's self-reliance and economic growth.
—ANI

The mineral production sector in India witnessed a significant upswing in July 2023, with a remarkable 10.7 per cent increase compared to the same month

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Research Suggests Minerals Might Be Key To Healing Damaged Tissue

Inam Ansari

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Tag : Minerals

Research Suggests Minerals Might Be Key To Healing Damaged Tissue

Inam Ansari

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