Research Briefs 2026 Inspired by gecko toes CU Boulder scientists have taken a cue from geckos to develop a material able to stick to tumors inside the body, pumping out chemotherapy drugs for days. The technology, developed with doctors at CU Anschutz, turns an already FDA-approved biodegradable polymer, poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), into small particles displaying branched hair-like nanostructures similar to those on geckos’ feet. Researchers loaded these “soft dendritic particles” with chemotherapy drugs and attached them to cancer cells in a petri dish and to bladder tumors in mice. The resulting study showed that the particles clung tightly to the cancer for days, even in a slippery environment like the surface of a bladder. “We envision that this gecko-inspired technology could ultimately reduce the frequency of clinical treatments, potentially allowing patients to receive fewer but longer-lasting therapies,” said study author Jin Gyun Lee, a postdoctoral researcher who works with Wyatt Shields, Thomas F. Austin Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering. Unlocking larger quantum computers Researchers have made a major advance in quantum computing with a new device that is nearly 100 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. Published in the journal Nature Communications, the breakthrough optical phase modulators could help unlock much larger quantum computers by enabling efficient control of lasers required to operate thousands or even millions of qubits — the basic units of quantum information. Critically, the team of scientists has developed these devices using scalable manufacturing, avoiding complex, custom builds in favor of those used to make the same technology behind processors already found in computers, phones, vehicles and home appliances. Led by Jake Freedman, a PhD student in the Department of Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering; Matt Eichenfield, professor and the Karl Gustafson Endowed Chair in Quantum Engineering; and collaborators from Sandia