Advanced Biomaterials in Cancer Therapeutics and Diagnosis

A special issue of Journal of Functional Biomaterials (ISSN 2079-4983). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomaterials for Cancer Therapies".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 258

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Institute for Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine (MERLN), Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 40, 6229 ER Maastricht, The Netherlands
2. Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
Interests: dynamic-covalent chemistry; biomaterials; regenerative medicine; drug delivery

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Guest Editor
College of Pharmacy, Western University, Pomona, CA, USA
Interests: fusion protein design and expression; nanoparticles; drug delivery; cancer

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The integration of advanced biomaterials into cancer research is opening new pathways for precise diagnosis and more effective treatment options. This Special Issue will highlight innovative approaches that utilize smart biomaterials for selective drug delivery, real-time imaging, and modulation of the tumor microenvironment.

We will focus on stimuli-responsive strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, including drug delivery systems, tumor-targeting mechanisms, and materials designed to respond to the unique characteristics of cancerous tissues.

By showcasing interdisciplinary advancements, this Special Issue aims to contribute to the growing body of literature at the intersection of material science, cancer biology, and personalized medicine.

Dr. Dominik Schauenburg
Prof. Dr. Jeffrey J. H. Wang
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • biomaterials
  • cancer research
  • stimuli responsive
  • tumor microenvironment
  • tumor targeting
  • delivery platforms
  • in vitro/in vivo models
  • clinical trials

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

21 pages, 3350 KB  
Article
Multifunctional Peptide-Based Biohybrid for Targeted Reduction of Metastatic Breast Carcinoma-Associated Osteolysis
by Nicole Stadler, Bingjie Gao, Maria Jose Silva, Joscha Borho, Eva Haunschild, Kaloian Koynov, Melanie Haffner-Luntzer, Anita Ignatius, Gilbert Weidinger, Seah Ling Kuan, Tanja Weil and Holger Barth
J. Funct. Biomater. 2025, 16(11), 399; https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb16110399 (registering DOI) - 25 Oct 2025
Abstract
Metastatic breast carcinoma (BC) cells are prone to spreading in the bone microenvironment, leading to a vicious cycle between local osteoclast-mediated osteolysis and tumor progression. Therefore, the targeted pharmacological down-modulation of BC cell proliferation as well as osteoclast differentiation and hyperactivity might represent [...] Read more.
Metastatic breast carcinoma (BC) cells are prone to spreading in the bone microenvironment, leading to a vicious cycle between local osteoclast-mediated osteolysis and tumor progression. Therefore, the targeted pharmacological down-modulation of BC cell proliferation as well as osteoclast differentiation and hyperactivity might represent a promising treatment option. We developed a multifunctional peptide nanocarrier combining bioactive EPI-X4 peptides and the Rho-inhibiting C3bot enzyme from Clostridium botulinum. C3bot is preferentially internalized into the cytosol of monocytic cells, including osteoclasts, where it inhibits Rho-mediated signal transduction. However, Rho-mediated cellular processes like migration and cell division can also be inhibited in non-monocytic cells if C3bot is delivered into their cytosol by a nanocarrier. To accomplish this, we designed a supramolecular transporter where one molecule of biotinylated C3bot and three biotinylated entities of the human EPI-X4 peptide-derived CXCR4 antagonist JM173 are assembled on avidin as a central platform. This modular transport system (JM173)3-Avi-C3 down-modulated osteoclast formation and hyperactivity and delivered the therapeutic cargo C3bot successfully into the cytosol of breast cancer cells, where it inhibited Rho. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Biomaterials in Cancer Therapeutics and Diagnosis)
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