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Nanomaterials in Biomedicine: From Drug Delivery to Tissue Engineering

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A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomedical Engineering and Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 10807

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Miriam Filippi

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Guest Editor

Soft Robotics Laboratory, ETH Zurich, Tannenstrasse 3, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
Interests: tissue engineering; bio-hybrid robotics; regenerative medicine; magnetic systems; magnetic nanoparticles; iron oxide nanoparticles; SPIO; theranostics; tissue regeneration; stem cells; soft robotics; biohybrid robotics; micromachines; remote control; drug delivery; microrobots; neuromodulation
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In the last decade, advances in nanotechnologies have contributed greatly to biomedical fields, including drug delivery, imaging, biophysical cell stimulation, tissue regeneration and engineering. Being optimally sized to interact with cells or subcellular structures and to finely control cell behavior, nanomaterials provide exciting key-enabling technologies for cell conditioning in biomedical applications covering 3D cell culture models and tissue engineering. Moreover, they can be directly applied to in vivo scenarios for imaging and drug delivery, as their size renders them suitable for systemic circulation and topical administration. Various classes of nanomaterials support and enhance tissue regeneration, including polymers and inorganic materials, such as metallic, ceramic, and carbon allotrope particles. Nanosystems enrich scaffolds and mediate topographical, chemical, or electrical cues that affect cell response. Responding to internal or external triggers (such as enzymes, redox, pH, temperature, light, magnetism, or ultrasound), “intelligent” nanomaterials can release bioactive molecules on demand to support the biological functions of regenerative cells (e.g., differentiation, proliferation, and paracrine activity). Moreover, they can display antibacterial activity, shape memory abilities, and improve the capability to regulate cell growth pathways, which greatly enhance scaffold functionality. Thus far, nanotechnologies have improved stem cell engraftment, drug delivery, scaffold stability, the osteogenic commitment of cells for bone tissue repair, electrical conductivity in nerve and cardiac regeneration, the fabrication of vascular substitutes, adhesion strength in tissue approximation, and bactericide barriers in wound dressings.

This Special Issue seeks to showcase research papers, short communications, and review articles that report on the exceptional abilities of nanoscale materials to promote the generation and repair of biological tissues, build up cell culture models, and control the delivery of biofactors, drugs, and imaging agents.

Dr. Miriam Filippi
Guest Editor

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. Biomedicines 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 2600 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

tissue engineering
nanomaterials
nanoparticle
scaffold
composite
stem cells
tissue repair
drug delivery

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 4126 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Human Forebrain Organoid-Derived Extracellular Vesicle Labeling with Iron Oxides for In Vitro Magnetic Resonance Imaging

by Chang Liu, Shannon Helsper, Mark Marzano, Xingchi Chen, Laureana Muok, Colin Esmonde, Changchun Zeng, Li Sun, Samuel C. Grant and Yan Li

Biomedicines 2022, 10(12), 3060; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines10123060 - 28 Nov 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1714

Abstract

The significant roles of extracellular vesicles (EVs) as intracellular mediators, disease biomarkers, and therapeutic agents, make them a scientific hotspot. In particular, EVs secreted by human stem cells show significance in treating neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and ischemic stroke. However, the clinical applications of EVs are limited due to their poor targeting capabilities and low therapeutic efficacies after intravenous administration. Superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles are biocompatible and have been shown to improve the targeting ability of EVs. In particular, ultrasmall SPIO (USPIO, <50 nm) are more suitable for labeling nanoscale EVs due to their small size. In this study, induced forebrain neural progenitor cortical organoids (iNPCo) were differentiated from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), and the iNPCo expressed FOXG1, Nkx2.1, α-catenin, as well as β-tubulin III. EVs were isolated from iNPCo media, then loaded with USPIOs by sonication. Size and concentration of EV particles were measured by nanoparticle tracking analysis, and no significant changes were observed in size distribution before and after sonication, but the concentration decreased after labeling. miR-21 and miR-133b decreased after sonication. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated contrast visualized for the USPIO labeled EVs embedded in agarose gel phantoms. Upon calculation, USPIO labeled EVs exhibited considerably shorter relaxation times, quantified as T₂ and T₂^* values, reducing the signal intensity and generating higher MRI contrast compared to unlabeled EVs and gel only. Our study demonstrated that USPIO labeling was a feasible approach for in vitro tracking of brain organoid-derived EVs, which paves the way for further in vivo examination. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials in Biomedicine: From Drug Delivery to Tissue Engineering)

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Review

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25 pages, 1749 KiB

Open AccessReview

Cubosomes in Drug Delivery—A Comprehensive Review on Its Structural Components, Preparation Techniques and Therapeutic Applications

by Durgaramani Sivadasan, Muhammad H. Sultan, Saad S. Alqahtani and Shamama Javed

Biomedicines 2023, 11(4), 1114; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11041114 - 7 Apr 2023

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5120

Abstract

Cubosomes are lipid vesicles that are comparable to vesicular systems like liposomes. Cubosomes are created with certain amphiphilic lipids in the presence of a suitable stabiliser. Since its discovery and designation, self-assembled cubosomes as active drug delivery vehicles have drawn much attention and interest. Oral, ocular, transdermal, and chemotherapeutic are just a few of the drug delivery methods in which they are used. Cubosomes show tremendous potential in drug nanoformulations for cancer therapeutics because of their prospective advantages, which include high drug dispersal due to the structure of the cubic, large surface area, a relatively simple manufacturing process, biodegradability, ability to encapsulate hydrophobic, hydrophilic, and amphiphilic compounds, targeted and controlled release of bioactive agents, and biodegradability of lipids. The most typical technique of preparation is the simple emulsification of a monoglyceride with a polymer, followed by sonication and homogenisation. Top-down and bottom-up are two different sorts of preparation techniques. This review will critically analyse the composition, preparation techniques, drug encapsulation approaches, drug loading, release mechanism and applications relevant to cubosomes. Furthermore, the challenges faced in optimising various parameters to enhance the loading capacities and future potentialities are also addressed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials in Biomedicine: From Drug Delivery to Tissue Engineering)

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25 pages, 6061 KiB

Open AccessReview

Therapeutic Plasma Exchange in Certain Immune-Mediated Neurological Disorders: Focus on a Novel Nanomembrane-Based Technology

by Dimitar G. Tonev and Albena B. Momchilova

Biomedicines 2023, 11(2), 328; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11020328 - 25 Jan 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3098

Abstract

Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) is an efficient extracorporeal blood purification technique to remove circulating autoantibodies and other pathogenic substances. Its mechanism of action in immune-mediated neurological disorders includes immediate intravascular reduction of autoantibody concentration, pulsed induction of antibody redistribution, and subsequent immunomodulatory changes. Conventional TPE with 1 to 1.5 total plasma volume (TPV) exchange is a well-established treatment in Guillain-Barre Syndrome, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy, Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder, Myasthenia Gravis and Multiple Sclerosis. There is insufficient evidence for the efficacy of so-called low volume plasma exchange (LVPE) (<1 TPV exchange) implemented either by the conventional or by a novel nanomembrane-based TPE in these neurological conditions, including their impact on conductivity and neuroregenerative recovery. In this narrative review, we focus on the role of nanomembrane-based technology as an alternative LVPE treatment option in these neurological conditions. Nanomembrane-based technology is a promising type of TPE, which seems to share the basic advantages of the conventional one, but probably with fewer adverse effects. It could play a valuable role in patient management by ameliorating neurological symptoms, improving disability, and reducing oxidative stress in a cost-effective way. Further research is needed to identify which patients benefit most from this novel TPE technology. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nanomaterials in Biomedicine: From Drug Delivery to Tissue Engineering)

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