Biomaterials and Technology for Tumor Engineering

A special issue of Bioengineering (ISSN 2306-5354). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomedical Engineering and Biomaterials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2025 | Viewed by 4311

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Medical Laboratory Sciences and Public Health Department, Tarleton State University, Fort Worth, TX 76104, USA
Interests: 3D tumor models; cancer cell signatures; anticancer drug delivery systems; hydrogels; 3D bioprinting systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor
Department of Chemical, Biological and Bioengineering, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, NC, USA
Interests: drug delivery; liver metabolism; cancer cell targeting; wound healing; cell spheroids; 3D co-culture; nanofiber scaffolds; electrospinning; bioprinting

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Spheroids, tumoroids, and cell-laden 3D scaffolding systems are commonly used as 3D tumor engineering models for the study of various tumorigeneses. Different biomaterials that could mimic the natural microenvironment with or without blended forms have significantly advanced tumor engineering. A complex in vitro heterogeneous tumor, which is representative of biologically relevant tumors, is not only necessary for tumor studies, for example, in proliferation, growth, and cell signatures, but is also equally important in discovering the efficacies of anticancer drugs. The implantation of 3D tumors into an animal is a common practice for generating xenograft tumors. However, we cannot precisely monitor the growth of the tumor, because of physiological, metabolic, and cell-signature complexities in animal tissue. In addition, we do not have a complete set of physiological systems that resemble the in vivo tissue environment yet; therefore, we rely on the outcomes of animal studies. Biomaterials which could provide a native-like microenvironment to the cells and which facilitate the monitoring of cell migration, proliferation, and kinetic development of the tumors are in demand in tumor-model engineering. In addition, this Special Issue will consider the application of imaging systems which could support the tracing of tumor development in animal tissues.

The topics of interest of this Special Issue therefore include, but are not limited to:

  • Advancements in 3D tumor model engineering;
  • Advancements in in vivo tumor imaging systems;
  • Advancements in biomaterials;
  • Advancements in tumor spheroids;
  • Advancements in tumoroids;

Advancements in new protocols for blended biomaterials that could mimic native microenvironments.

Dr. Girdhari Rijal
Prof. Dr. Narayan Bhattarai
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Bioengineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • three-dimensional tumor models
  • xenograft tumors
  • cancer cell signatures
  • H-scan ultrasound
  • in vivo imaging systems
  • dye-tagged cell technologies
  • scaffolds
  • tumoroids
  • spheroids
  • anticancer drugs

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Review

32 pages, 3355 KiB  
Review
Advances in Natural-Product-Based Fluorescent Agents and Synthetic Analogues for Analytical and Biomedical Applications
by Soniya Joshi, Alexis Moody, Padamlal Budthapa, Anita Gurung, Rachana Gautam, Prabha Sanjel, Aakash Gupta, Surya P. Aryal, Niranjan Parajuli and Narayan Bhattarai
Bioengineering 2024, 11(12), 1292; https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering11121292 - 19 Dec 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3887
Abstract
Fluorescence is a remarkable property exhibited by many chemical compounds and biomolecules. Fluorescence has revolutionized analytical and biomedical sciences due to its wide-ranging applications in analytical and diagnostic tools of biological and environmental importance. Fluorescent molecules are frequently employed in drug delivery, optical [...] Read more.
Fluorescence is a remarkable property exhibited by many chemical compounds and biomolecules. Fluorescence has revolutionized analytical and biomedical sciences due to its wide-ranging applications in analytical and diagnostic tools of biological and environmental importance. Fluorescent molecules are frequently employed in drug delivery, optical sensing, cellular imaging, and biomarker discovery. Cancer is a global challenge and fluorescence agents can function as diagnostic as well as monitoring tools, both during early tumor progression and treatment monitoring. Many fluorescent compounds can be found in their natural form, but recent developments in synthetic chemistry and molecular biology have allowed us to synthesize and tune fluorescent molecules that would not otherwise exist in nature. Naturally derived fluorescent compounds are generally more biocompatible and environmentally friendly. They can also be modified in cost-effective and target-specific ways with the help of synthetic tools. Understanding their unique chemical structures and photophysical properties is key to harnessing their full potential in biomedical and analytical research. As drug discovery efforts require the rigorous characterization of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, fluorescence-based detection accelerates the understanding of drug interactions via in vitro and in vivo assays. Herein, we provide a review of natural products and synthetic analogs that exhibit fluorescence properties and can be used as probes, detailing their photophysical properties. We have also provided some insights into the relationships between chemical structures and fluorescent properties. Finally, we have discussed the applications of fluorescent compounds in biomedical science, mainly in the study of tumor and cancer cells and analytical research, highlighting their pivotal role in advancing drug delivery, biomarkers, cell imaging, biosensing technologies, and as targeting ligands in the diagnosis of tumors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomaterials and Technology for Tumor Engineering)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Back to TopTop