Functional nanoassemblies for the diagnosis and therapy of Alzheimer's diseases

Recent Advances in Two-Dimensional Nanomaterials for Healthcare Monitoring

The development of advanced technologies for the fabrication of functional nanomaterials, nanostructures, and devices has facilitated the development of biosensors for analyses. Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, with unique hierarchical structures, a high surface area, and the ability to be functionalized for target detection at the surface, exhibit high potential for biosensing applications. The electronic properties, mechanical flexibility, and optical, electrochemical, and physical properties of 2D nanomaterials can be easily modulated, enabling the construction of biosensing platforms for the detection of various analytes with targeted recognition, sensitivity, and selectivity. This review provides an overview of the recent advances in 2D nanomaterials and nanostructures used for biosensor and wearable-sensor development for healthcare and health-monitoring applications. Finally, the advantages of 2D-nanomaterial-based devices and several challenges in their optimal operation have been discussed to facilitate the development of smart high-performance biosensors in the future.

Biomedical application of 2D nanomaterials in neuroscience

Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials, such as graphene, black phosphorus and transition metal dichalcogenides, have attracted increasing attention in biology and biomedicine. Their high mechanical stiffness, excellent electrical conductivity, optical transparency, and biocompatibility have led to rapid advances. Neuroscience is a complex field with many challenges, such as nervous system is difficult to repair and regenerate, as well as the early diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases are also challenged. This review mainly focuses on the application of 2D nanomaterials in neuroscience. Firstly, we introduced various types of 2D nanomaterials. Secondly, due to the repairment and regeneration of nerve is an important problem in the field of neuroscience, we summarized the studies of 2D nanomaterials applied in neural repairment and regeneration based on their unique physicochemical properties and excellent biocompatibility. We also discussed the potential of 2D nanomaterial-based synaptic devices to mimic connections among neurons in the human brain due to their low-power switching capabilities and high mobility of charge carriers. In addition, we also reviewed the potential clinical application of various 2D nanomaterials in diagnosing and treating neurodegenerative diseases, neurological system disorders, as well as glioma. Finally, we discussed the challenge and future directions of 2D nanomaterials in neuroscience.

Biodegradable Poly(trehalose) Nanoparticle for Preventing Amyloid Beta Aggregation and Related Neurotoxicity

Trehalose is a disaccharide that is capable of inhibiting protein aggregation and activating cellular autophagy. It has been shown that a polymer or nanoparticle form, terminated with multiple trehalose units, can significantly enhance the anti-amyloidogenic performance and is suitable for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we report a trehalose-conjugated polycarbonate-co-lactide polymer and formulation of its nanoparticles having multiple numbers of trehalose exposed on the surface. The resultant poly(trehalose) nanoparticle inhibits the aggregation of amyloid beta peptides and disintegrates matured amyloid fibrils into smaller fragments. Moreover, the poly(trehalose) nanoparticle lowers extracellular amyloid β oligomer-driven cellular stress and enhances cell viability. The presence of biodegradable polycarbonate components in the poly(trehalose) nanoparticle would enhance their application potential as an anti-amyloidogenic material.

Microenvironment-tailored nanoassemblies for the diagnosis and therapy of neurodegenerative diseases

Neurodegenerative disorder is an illness involving neural dysfunction/death attributed to complex pathological processes, which eventually lead to the mortality of the host. It is generally recognized through features such as mitochondrial dysfunction, protein aggregation, oxidative stress, metal ions dyshomeostasis, membrane potential change, neuroinflammation and neurotransmitter impairment. The aforementioned neuronal dysregulations result in the formation of a complex neurodegenerative microenvironment (NME), and may interact with each other, hindering the performance of therapeutics for neurodegenerative disease (ND). Recently, smart nanoassemblies prepared from functional nanoparticles, which possess the ability to interfere with different NME factors, have shown great promise to enhance the diagnostic and therapeutic efficacy of NDs. Herein, this review highlights the recent advances of stimuli-responsive nanoassemblies that can effectively combat the NME for the management of ND. The first section outlined the NME properties and their interrelations that are exploitable for nanoscale targeting. The discussion is then extended to the controlled assembly of functional nanoparticles for the construction of stimuli-responsive nanoassemblies. Further, the applications of stimuli-responsive nanoassemblies for the enhanced diagnosis and therapy of ND are introduced. Finally, perspectives on the future development of NME-tailored nanomedicines are given.