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Recent Progress in Bioimaging and Targeted Therapy
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Recent Progress in Bioimaging and Targeted Therapy

A special issue of Targets (ISSN 2813-3137).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2025 | Viewed by 8302

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Huangxian Ju

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
Interests: immunosensors; electrochemical sensors; chemically modified electrodes; biosensors; electroanalysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Ying Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
Interests: responsive DNA probes; rare-earth nanoparticles; biosensing; in-vivo bioimaging and therapy
Prof. Dr. Huanghao Yang

grade E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
MOE Key Laboratory for Analytical Science of Food Safety and Biology, Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Analysis and Detection Technology for Food Safety, State Key Laboratory of Photocatalysis on Energy and Environment, College of Chemistry, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou 350116, China
Interests: nanobiotechnology; bioanalytical chemistry; biological imaging; functional nucleic acid; nanoscintillator
Prof. Dr. Zong Dai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Biomedical Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen 518107, China
Interests: biosensing; bioimaging and molecular diagnosis; nucleic acid analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bioimaging is used to visualize biomolecules and their biological activity in a specific period of time. It does not influence the life processes during visualization, but can help understanding biological activities in molecular levels and connecting the observation of subcellular structures with multicellular tissues and organs. Targeted bioimaging contributes to current therapy by providing evidence for disease diagnosis; locating and guiding surgical operation; indicating the time and position to perform treatments; and evaluating therapeutic effects. The topics of this Special Issue may include the following themes:

Developing novel in vivo strategies for targeted MRI, PET, CT, fluorescence, Raman imaging etc.

Developing specific biosensing techniques for disease biomarkers, including small molecules, nucleic acids, macromolecules, circulating cancer cells, cancer cells, tumor organs etc.

Designing and fabricating targeted imaging probes including but not limited to organic molecules; inorganic nanomaterials such as rare earth materials, silica nanoparticles, and quantum dots; conducting polymers; and DNA self-assembly materials.

Developing strategies to enhance imaging S/N ratio, resolution, specificity, efficiency, etc.

Developing cancer therapeutic plans including chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy, photothermal therapy, gene therapy, immune therapy etc.

Exploring new therapeutic targets and signaling pathways for therapeutic plans.

Developing novel targeted therapeutic strategies to enhance therapeutic efficiency and diminish side effects

Prof. Dr. Huangxian Ju
Prof. Dr. Ying Liu
Prof. Dr. Huanghao Yang
Prof. Dr. Zong Dai
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. Targets is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1000 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

  • bioimaging
  • targeted bioimaging
  • activatable imaging probes
  • chemotherapy
  • photodynamic therapy
  • photothermal therapy
  • gene therapy
  • immunotherapy

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

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 3217 KiB  
Article
Photo-Cleavable Polycations-Wrapped Upconversion Nanoparticles for Efficient siRNA Delivery and Cancer Therapy
by Yuling He, Shuwen Guo, Huangxian Ju and Ying Liu
Targets 2023, 1(1), 63-78; https://doi.org/10.3390/targets1010006 - 12 Sep 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1899
Abstract
RNA interference (RNAi) therapy is a promising approach for cancer therapy. However, due to the weak binding affinity between a carrier and small interference RNA (siRNA) and complicated tumor environment, efficient loading and release of siRNA still remain challenging. Here, we design photo-cleavable [...] Read more.
RNA interference (RNAi) therapy is a promising approach for cancer therapy. However, due to the weak binding affinity between a carrier and small interference RNA (siRNA) and complicated tumor environment, efficient loading and release of siRNA still remain challenging. Here, we design photo-cleavable polycations-wrapped upconversion nanoparticles (PC-UCNPs) for spatially and temporally controllable siRNA delivery. The PC-UCNPs are synthesized by in situ reversible addition−fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization of photo-cleaved 5-(2-(dimethylamino)ethoxy)-2-nitrobenzyl acrylat (MENA) monomer and poly(oligo(ethylene oxide) methyl ether acrylate (OEMA) mononer through a chain transfer agent that anchored on the surface of silica-coated upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs@SiO2). After reacting with CH3I, siRNA and hyaluronic acid (HA) are adsorbed on the particle surface to prepare PC-UCNPs/siRNA/HA. The reaction with cell-secreted hyaluronidase (HAase) achieves the intracellular delivery of PC-UCNPs/siRNA/HA, and 980 nm laser irradiation causes siRNA release, which effectively improves the gene silencing efficiency in vitro and suppresses tumor growth in vivo; therefore, these processes have a promising potential application in precision medicine. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Bioimaging and Targeted Therapy)
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14 pages, 8292 KiB  
Article
An Activatable Nanoscintillator Probe for Detecting Telomerase Activity and Screening Inhibitors In Vivo
by Baoliu Chen, Junduan Dai, Sijie Song, Xianzhe Tang, Yuheng Guo, Ting Wu, Mengnan Wu, Chaojie Hao, Xiaofeng Cheng, Xucong Lin, Yijie Bian, Zhaowei Chen and Huanghao Yang
Targets 2023, 1(1), 34-47; https://doi.org/10.3390/targets1010004 - 14 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2018
Abstract
Telomerase represents an essential molecular machinery for tumor occurrence and progression and a potential therapeutic target for cancer treatment. Sensitive and reliable analysis of telomerase activity is of significant importance for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. In this study, we developed a [...] Read more.
Telomerase represents an essential molecular machinery for tumor occurrence and progression and a potential therapeutic target for cancer treatment. Sensitive and reliable analysis of telomerase activity is of significant importance for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. In this study, we developed a telomerase-activated nanoscintillator probe for deep-tissue and background-free imaging of telomerase activity and screening telomerase inhibitors in tumor-bearing living mice models. The probe was constructed by modifying lanthanide-doped nanoscintillators with aptamer-containing DNA anchor strands which hybridized with quencher labelled–oligonucleotide strands and telomerase primers. The X-ray-induced fluorescence of the probe was quenched originally but turned on upon telomerase-catalyzed extension of the primer. Benefiting from exceptional tissue penetrating properties and negligible autofluorescence of X-ray excitation, this probe enabled direct detection of telomerase activity in vivo via fluorescence imaging. Furthermore, with the direct, readable fluorescent signals, the probe enabled the screening of telomerase inhibitors in living cells and whole-animal models in the native states of telomerase. This strategy would inspire the development of low autofluorescence and deep tissue bioimaging probes for disease diagnosis and drug development in high-level living settings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Bioimaging and Targeted Therapy)
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Review

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14 pages, 7974 KiB  
Review
Recent Development of Organic Afterglow Probes for Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer
by Meiqin Li, Le Tu, Huiling Wang, Junrong Li and Yao Sun
Targets 2024, 2(4), 327-340; https://doi.org/10.3390/targets2040019 - 31 Oct 2024
Viewed by 485
Abstract
Afterglow imaging plays a crucial role in the cancer treatment field. In contrast to inorganic afterglow imaging agents, organic afterglow imaging agents possess easily modifiable structures and exhibit excellent biocompatibility, thereby presenting significant prospects for application in tumor diagnosis and management. In this [...] Read more.
Afterglow imaging plays a crucial role in the cancer treatment field. In contrast to inorganic afterglow imaging agents, organic afterglow imaging agents possess easily modifiable structures and exhibit excellent biocompatibility, thereby presenting significant prospects for application in tumor diagnosis and management. In this review, we summarize the design principles and applications of afterglow probes in tumor imaging and therapy. Finally, we discuss the future challenges and prospects of organic afterglow probes in cancer diagnosis and therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Bioimaging and Targeted Therapy)
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16 pages, 2168 KiB  
Review
Design of Cell-Specific Targeting Peptides for Cancer Therapy
by Xiaoyong Chen, Di Wang, Yun-Bao Jiang and Tao Jiang
Targets 2024, 2(3), 186-201; https://doi.org/10.3390/targets2030011 - 27 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1844
Abstract
The landscape of cancer therapy has gained major impetus through the development of materials capable of selectively targeting cancer cells while sparing normal cells. Synthetic peptides are appealing as scaffolds for the creation of such materials. They are small in size, amenable to [...] Read more.
The landscape of cancer therapy has gained major impetus through the development of materials capable of selectively targeting cancer cells while sparing normal cells. Synthetic peptides are appealing as scaffolds for the creation of such materials. They are small in size, amenable to chemical synthesis and functionalization, and possess diverse chemical and structural space for modulating targeting properties. Here, we review some fundamental insights into the design, discovery, and evolution of peptide-based targeting agents, with a particular focus on two types of cancer cell targets: unique/overexpressed surface receptors and abnormal physiological properties. We highlight the cutting-edge strategies from the literature of the last two decades that demonstrate innovative approaches to constructing receptor-specific cyclic binders and stimulus-responsive targeting materials. Additionally, we discuss potential future directions for advancing this field, with the aim of pushing the frontiers of targeted cancer therapy forward. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Bioimaging and Targeted Therapy)
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29 pages, 18897 KiB  
Review
Living Bacteriophage Engineering for Functional Material Synthesis, Bioanalytical Sensing and Disease Theranostics
by Jing Zhang and Xuewen He
Targets 2024, 2(3), 157-185; https://doi.org/10.3390/targets2030010 - 8 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1097
Abstract
Facing the increasingly global crisis of antibiotic resistance, it is urgent to develop new antibacterial agents and methods. Simultaneously, as research progresses, the occurrence, development, and treatment of diseases, especially some malignant cancers, are found to be closely associated with the bacterial microenvironment, [...] Read more.
Facing the increasingly global crisis of antibiotic resistance, it is urgent to develop new antibacterial agents and methods. Simultaneously, as research progresses, the occurrence, development, and treatment of diseases, especially some malignant cancers, are found to be closely associated with the bacterial microenvironment, prompting us to reconsider the efficiency of existing antibacterial strategies for disease treatments. Bacteriophages have been employed as antibacterial agents for an extended period owing to their high biocompatibility and particular targetability toward the host bacterial strains. Nonetheless, they are almost neglected due to their slow and limited efficacy in antibacterial practice, especially in acute and severe infectious cases. In recent years, fantastic advancements in various biochemical technologies, such as bacteriophage display technology, genetic engineering, and chemical molecular engineering, have enabled scientists to conduct a broader range of modifications and transformations on the existing bacteriophages with inherited unique characteristics of themselves. As a result, a series of novel bacteriophage platforms are designed and fabricated with significantly enhanced properties and multiplied functionalities. These offer new avenues for combating infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria and treatment of malignancies that are associated with bacterial infections, holding great significance and potential in the innovative theranostic applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Progress in Bioimaging and Targeted Therapy)
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