Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
8.1
4.9
Journals
IJMS
Special Issues
Biomaterials for Drug Delivery and Advanced Therapies
ijms-logo
Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for IJMS Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

► Journal Menu

Journal Browser

► Journal Browser
share announcement

Biomaterials for Drug Delivery and Advanced Therapies

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2025 | Viewed by 3589

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Annalisa Bianchera

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
1. Food and Drug Department, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 27/a, Parma, Italy
2. Interdepartmental Centre for Innovation in Health Products Biopharmanet-TEC, University of Parma, Parco Area delle Scienze 27/a, Parma, Italy
Interests: polymers; drug delivery; biopharmaceuticals; in vitro models
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Advanced therapeutic medicinal products (ATMPs) represent a new frontier in personalized and regenerative therapies. The classical triad of tissue-engineered products relies on cells, active molecules and biomaterials. Biomaterials serve as the crucial link in this triad, playing a dual role: they act as scaffolds to support cell adhesion and growth, and they enable the sustained and localized delivery of active ingredients. These materials, particularly polymeric macromolecules, can vary widely in nature and can be used alone or in combination, either in their original form or modified. These versatile molecules can be specifically engineered to tune their mechanical and chemical properties, allowing for the customization of their behaviour and therapeutic purposes. These functions include their signalling role when interacting with cells, their ability to drive the healing and regeneration of damaged tissues, as well as the capability to encapsulate and protect other molecules, such as sensitive drugs, thereby improving their stability and bioavailability, or targeting ligands, in a precision medicine approach.

In this Special Issue, I aim to highlight biomaterials, not just as ancillary components, but as central players in targeted drug delivery, signalling, inflammation and tissue regeneration.

Dr. Annalisa Bianchera
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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. 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

  • polymers
  • biomaterials
  • drug delivery
  • scaffold
  • ATMPs
  • tissue regeneration

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 (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

24 pages, 5395 KiB  
Article
Dexketoprofen-Loaded Alginate-Grafted Poly(N-vinylcaprolactam)-Based Hydrogel for Wound Healing
by Tudor Bibire, Alina-Diana Panainte, Catalina Natalia Yilmaz, Daniel Vasile Timofte, Radu Dănilă, Nela Bibire, Larisa Păduraru and Cristina Mihaela Ghiciuc
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2025, 26(7), 3051; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26073051 - 26 Mar 2025
Viewed by 239
Abstract
All acute and chronic wound management strategies have limitations. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new treatment options for wound healing. Hydrogels based on natural polymers offer advantages in wound management because they can reduce patients’ pain, fight infection, and carry [...] Read more.
All acute and chronic wound management strategies have limitations. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new treatment options for wound healing. Hydrogels based on natural polymers offer advantages in wound management because they can reduce patients’ pain, fight infection, and carry targeted drugs to speed up the healing process. In this study, we aimed to develop and investigate an alginate-grafted N-vinylcaprolactam-based matrix for a modified release of dexketoprofen (DEX), which is potentially useful in wound healing. Free radical polymerization and grafted techniques were used to prepare thermo-responsive hydrogels. The obtained hydrogels, unloaded hydrogel (HY) and dexketoprofen-loaded hydrogel (DEXHY), were characterized and analyzed. The concentration of DEX encapsulated in the polymer matrix was 4 mg/mL. The IC50 values found for the samples tested by us were 607.4 µg/mL for HY, 950.4 µg/mL for DEXHY, and 2239 µg/mL for DEX. The average value of cell viability (%) after the exposure of cells to DEXHY hydrogel was 75.4%. DEXHY exhibited a very good in vitro wound closure rate, given its ability to modify DEX release kinetics. The hydrogel developed in this study has shown considerable potential to facilitate and even accelerate wound healing, including surgical wounds, by inhibiting the overexpressed inflammation process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomaterials for Drug Delivery and Advanced Therapies)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 8670 KiB  
Article
Cell Membrane- and Extracellular Vesicle-Coated Chitosan Methacrylate-Tripolyphosphate Nanoparticles for RNA Delivery
by Wen Jie Melvin Liew, Syed Abdullah Alkaff, Sheng Yuan Leong, Marin Zhen Lin Yee, Han Wei Hou and Bertrand Czarny
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(24), 13724; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252413724 - 23 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1798
Abstract
mRNA-based vaccines against the COVID-19 pandemic have propelled the use of nucleic acids for drug delivery. Conventional lipid-based carriers, such as liposomes and nanolipogels, effectively encapsulate and deliver RNA but are hindered by issues such as premature burst release and immunogenicity. To address [...] Read more.
mRNA-based vaccines against the COVID-19 pandemic have propelled the use of nucleic acids for drug delivery. Conventional lipid-based carriers, such as liposomes and nanolipogels, effectively encapsulate and deliver RNA but are hindered by issues such as premature burst release and immunogenicity. To address these challenges, cell membrane-coated nanoparticles offer a promising alternative. We developed a novel nanoparticle system using chitosan methacrylate-tripolyphosphate (CMATPP), which capitalizes on interactions involving membrane proteins at biointerfaces. Ionic crosslinking between chitosan methacrylate and tripolyphosphate facilitates the formation of nanoparticles amenable to coating with red blood cell (RBC) membranes, extracellular vesicles (EVs), and cell-derived nanovesicles (CDNs). Coating CMATPP nanoparticles with RBC membranes effectively mitigated the initial burst release of encapsulated small interfering RNA (siRNA), sustaining controlled release while preserving membrane proteins. This concept was extended to EVs, where CMATPP nanoparticles and CDNs were incorporated into a microfluidic device and subjected to electroporation to create hybrid CDN-CMATPP nanoparticles. Our findings demonstrate that CMATPP nanoparticles are a robust siRNA delivery system with suppressed burst release and enhanced membrane properties conferred by cell or vesicle membranes. Furthermore, the adaptation of the CDN-CMATPP nanoparticle formation in a microfluidic device suggests its potential for personalized therapies using diverse cell sources and increased throughput via automation. This study underscores the versatility and efficacy of CMATPP nanoparticles in RNA delivery, offering a pathway towards advanced therapeutic strategies that utilize biomimetic principles and microfluidic technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomaterials for Drug Delivery and Advanced Therapies)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 10725 KiB  
Article
Effect of Low-Molecular-Weight Hyaluronate-Based Nanoparticles on the In Vitro Expression of Cartilage Markers
by Annalisa Bianchera, Paolo Borghetti, Francesca Ravanetti, Laura Bertocchi, Elena De Angelis and Ruggero Bettini
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(23), 12486; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms252312486 - 21 Nov 2024
Viewed by 996
Abstract
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a key component of synovial fluid as it plays a crucial role in joint physiology. Its biological activity is influenced by molecular weight, local concentration, and persistence in joints. High-molecular-weight HA has a consolidated history of clinical use, whereas [...] Read more.
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a key component of synovial fluid as it plays a crucial role in joint physiology. Its biological activity is influenced by molecular weight, local concentration, and persistence in joints. High-molecular-weight HA has a consolidated history of clinical use, whereas little is known about the metabolic effect of low-molecular-weight hyaluronate on cartilage differentiation. This study explores the potential of HA-based nanoparticles (NPs) on chondrocytes differentiation in vitro. Starting from 25 kDa and 250 kDa sodium hyaluronate solutions, two types of NPs were prepared by antisolvent precipitation in ethanol. The resulting NPs were dried in the presence of dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine, a natural synovial fluid component, then applied on an in vitro model of horse articular chondrocytes: no toxicity was observed and NPs prepared from 250 kDa HA promoted chondrocyte differentiation to a larger extent with respect to corresponding HA solutions, as evidenced by increased gene expression of chondrogenic markers (Col2a1 and Sox9) and reduced expression of dedifferentiation markers (Col1a1 and Runx2). These findings suggest that HA-based NPs are more effective at promoting the cellular internalization of the molecule and the differentiation of chondrocytes in vitro and could be a promising platform for drug delivery and cartilage repair. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biomaterials for Drug Delivery and Advanced Therapies)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop