materials-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

New Functional Materials for Biomedical Applications

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomaterials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2025 | Viewed by 785

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biophysical Microstructures, Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences, Radzikowskiego 152, 31-342 Kraków, Poland
Interests: microstructure—mechanical relationship in 3D cell scaffolds; 3D cell culture models; spheroids; organoids; cell-biomaterial interaction; tissue engineering; electrospinning; electron microscopy; biomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biophysical Microstructures, Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences, Radzikowskiego 152, 31-342 Kraków, Poland
Interests: cytotoxic; pro- and anti-inflammatory activities of materials against eukaryotic cells; antibacterial and antifungal activities of compounds; signal transduction pathways in eukaryotic cells; cellular metabolism

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue of Materials (IF: 3.1) focuses on the latest advances in the development and application of novel functional materials designed for biomedical applications. It combines innovative research on materials' design, synthesis, and characterization with unique biological, physico-chemical, and mechanical properties suitable for integration into in vitro, in vivo, clinical, and therapeutic settings. The issue aims to highlight interdisciplinary innovations at the interface of materials science, bioengineering, and translational medicine. Special attention is given to biocompatibility, biofunctionality, and the scalability of material systems to ensure clinical relevance and regulatory compliance.

In this Special Issue, original research articles, reviews, and communications are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Synthesis, processing, and characterization of functional materials;
  • Bioactive and biodegradable materials;
  • Stimuli-responsive materials;
  • Advanced materials for biosensing and diagnostics;
  • Multifunctional antimicrobial materials;
  • Nanostructured carriers for targeted drug delivery;
  • Scaffolds for tissue engineering;
  • Regenerative medicine;
  • Cancer therapy;
  • 3D bioprinting;
  • Smart materials;
  • Mathematical modeling in functional materials.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Sara Metwally
Dr. Justyna Smialek-Bartyzel
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. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly 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

  • smart functional materials
  • regenerative medicine
  • biomaterials
  • 3D scaffolds
  • drug carriers
  • bioprinting
  • antibacterial agents
  • tissue engineering
  • bioactivity
  • cancer therapy

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.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

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:

Research

22 pages, 9293 KB  
Article
Synthesis, Characterization, and In Vitro Cytotoxic Evaluation of Neodymium-Doped Cobalt Ferrite Nanoparticles on Human Cancer Cell Lines
by Slaviţa Rotunjanu, Armand Gogulescu, Narcisa Laura Marangoci, Andrei-Ioan Dascălu, Marius Mioc, Roxana Racoviceanu, Alexandra Mioc, Tamara Maksimović, Oana Eșanu, Gabriela Antal and Codruţa Șoica
Materials 2025, 18(16), 3911; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma18163911 - 21 Aug 2025
Viewed by 577
Abstract
Cancer is still the world’s most prevalent cause of death, and the limited efficacy of current treatments highlights the requirement for new therapeutic approaches. In this study, neodymium (Nd)-doped cobalt ferrite (CoFe2₋zNdzO4, z = 0; 0.01; 0.02; [...] Read more.
Cancer is still the world’s most prevalent cause of death, and the limited efficacy of current treatments highlights the requirement for new therapeutic approaches. In this study, neodymium (Nd)-doped cobalt ferrite (CoFe2₋zNdzO4, z = 0; 0.01; 0.02; 0.03; 0.05; 0.1) nanoparticles (Nd0-Nd5) were synthesized via the combustion method. The structural, morphological, and magnetic properties were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) analysis. The synthesized compounds demonstrated single-phase spinel structures, with morphological differences observed between undoped and Nd-doped samples. The biological activity of the nanoparticles was evaluated on immortalized human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and on cancer cell lines: melanoma (A375), breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7), and pancreatic carcinoma (PANC-1). The cytotoxic effects of Nd0-Nd5 (50–1000 μg∙mL−1) were assessed through Alamar Blue and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assays. The results indicated a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect in cancer cell lines. Changes in cell morphology, suggesting the induction of the apoptotic processes, were observed through immunofluorescence staining of F-actin and nuclei. These findings highlight the potential of Nd-doped cobalt ferrite nanoparticles as selective anticancer agents, warranting further investigation to fully elucidate their mechanisms of action and therapeutic applicability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Functional Materials for Biomedical Applications)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop