A double safety lock tumor-specific device for suicide gene therapy in breast cancer

Acetazolamide encapsulation in elastin like recombinamers using a supercritical antisolvent (SAS) process for glaucoma treatment

Glaucoma, the second most common cause of blindness worldwide, requires the development of new and effective treatments. This study introduces a novel controlled-release system utilizing elastin-like recombinamers (ELR) and the Supercritical Antisolvent (SAS) technique with supercritical CO2. Acetazolamide (AZM), a class IV drug with limited solubility and permeability, is successfully encapsulated in an amphiphilic ELR at three different ELR:AZM ratios, yielding up to 62 %. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) reveals spherical microparticles that disintegrate into monodisperse nanoparticles measuring approximately 42 nm under physiological conditions. The nanoparticles, as observed via Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), do not exhibit aggregates, a fact confirmed by the zeta potential displaying a value of -33 mV over a period of 30 days. Transcorneal permeation tests demonstrate a 10 % higher permeation level compared to the control solution, which increases to 30 % after 2 h. Ocular irritation tests demonstrate no adverse effects or damage. Intraocular pressure (IOP) tests conducted on hypertensive rabbits indicate greater effectiveness for all three analyzed formulations, suggesting enhanced drug bioavailability during treatment. Consequently, the combination of recombinant biopolymers and high-pressure techniques represents a promising approach for advancing glaucoma therapy, emphasizing its potential clinical significance.

Protein-based nanoparticles for therapeutic nucleic acid delivery

To realize the full potential of emerging nucleic acid therapies, there is a need for effective delivery agents to transport cargo to cells of interest. Protein materials exhibit several unique properties, including biodegradability, biocompatibility, ease of functionalization via recombinant and chemical modifications, among other features, which establish a promising basis for therapeutic nucleic acid delivery systems. In this review, we highlight progress made in the use of non-viral protein-based nanoparticles for nucleic acid delivery in vitro and in vivo, while elaborating on key physicochemical properties that have enabled the use of these materials for nanoparticle formulation and drug delivery. To conclude, we comment on the prospects and unresolved challenges associated with the translation of protein-based nucleic acid delivery systems for therapeutic applications.

The construction of elastin-like polypeptides and their applications in drug delivery system and tissue repair

Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) are thermally responsive biopolymers derived from natural elastin. These peptides have a low critical solution temperature phase behavior and can be used to prepare stimuli-responsive biomaterials. Through genetic engineering, biomaterials prepared from ELPs can have unique and customizable properties. By adjusting the amino acid sequence and length of ELPs, nanostructures, such as micelles and nanofibers, can be formed. Correspondingly, ELPs have been used for improving the stability and prolonging drug-release time. Furthermore, ELPs have widespread use in tissue repair due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability. Here, this review summarizes the basic property composition of ELPs and the methods for modulating their phase transition properties, discusses the application of drug delivery system and tissue repair and clarifies the current challenges and future directions of ELPs in applications.

CD44-targeted nanoparticles for co-delivery of docetaxel and an Akt inhibitor against colorectal cancer

New strategies to develop drug-loaded nanocarriers with improved therapeutic efficacy are needed for cancer treatment. Herein we report a novel drug-delivery nanosystem comprising encapsulation of the chemotherapeutic drug docetaxel (DTX) and recombinant fusion of a small peptide inhibitor of Akt kinase within an elastin-like recombinamer (ELR) vehicle. This combined approach is also precisely targeted to colorectal cancer cells by means of a chemically conjugated DNA aptamer specific for the CD44 tumor marker. This 53 nm dual-approach nanosystem was found to selectively affect cell viability (2.5 % survival) and proliferation of colorectal cancer cells in vitro compared to endothelial cells (50 % survival), and to trigger both apoptosis- and necrosis-mediated cell death. Our findings also show that the nanohybrid particles remain stable under physiological conditions, trigger sustained drug release and possess an adequate pharmacokinetic profile after systemic intravenous administration. In vivo assays showed that these dual-approach nanohybrids significantly reduced the number of tumor polyps along the colorectal tract in a murine colorectal cancer model. Furthermore, systemic administration of advanced nanohybrids induced tissue recovery by improving the morphology of gastrointestinal crypts and the tissue architecture. Taken together, these findings indicate that our strategy of an advanced dual-approach nanosystem allows us to achieve successful controlled release of chemotherapeutics in cancer cells and may have a promising potential for colorectal cancer treatment.

Cancer Targeting and Diagnosis: Recent Trends with Carbon Nanotubes

Cancer belongs to a category of disorders characterized by uncontrolled cell development with the potential to invade other bodily organs, resulting in an estimated 10 million deaths globally in 2020. With advancements in nanotechnology-based systems, biomedical applications of nanomaterials are attracting increasing interest as prospective vehicles for targeted cancer therapy and enhancing treatment results. In this context, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have recently garnered a great deal of interest in the field of cancer diagnosis and treatment due to various factors such as biocompatibility, thermodynamic properties, and varied functionalization. In the present review, we will discuss recent advancements regarding CNT contributions to cancer diagnosis and therapy. Various sensing strategies like electrochemical, colorimetric, plasmonic, and immunosensing are discussed in detail. In the next section, therapy techniques like photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, drug targeting, gene therapy, and immunotherapy are also explained in-depth. The toxicological aspect of CNTs for biomedical application will also be discussed in order to ensure the safe real-life and clinical use of CNTs.

Advanced nanomedicine and cancer: Challenges and opportunities in clinical translation

Cancer has reached pandemic dimensions in the whole world. Although current medicine offers multiple treatment options against cancer, novel therapeutic strategies are needed due to the low specificity of chemotherapeutic drugs, undesired side effects and the presence of different incurable types of cancer. Among these new strategies, nanomedicine arises as an encouraging approach towards personalized medicine with high potential for present and future cancer patients. Therefore, nanomedicine aims to develop novel tools with wide potential in cancer treatment, imaging or even theranostic purposes. Even though numerous preclinical studies have been published with successful preliminary results, promising nanosystems have to face multiple obstacles before adoption in clinical practice as safe options for patients with cancer. In this MiniReview, we provide a short overview on the latest advances in current nanomedicine approaches, challenges and promising strategies towards more accurate cancer treatment.

Aptamer-Functionalized Natural Protein-Based Polymers as Innovative Biomaterials

Biomaterials science is one of the most rapidly evolving fields in biomedicine. However, although novel biomaterials have achieved well-defined goals, such as the production of devices with improved biocompatibility and mechanical properties, their development could be more ambitious. Indeed, the integration of active targeting strategies has been shown to allow spatiotemporal control of cell-material interactions, thus leading to more specific and better-performing devices. This manuscript reviews recent advances that have led to enhanced biomaterials resulting from the use of natural structural macromolecules. In this regard, several structural macromolecules have been adapted or modified using biohybrid approaches for use in both regenerative medicine and therapeutic delivery. The integration of structural and functional features and aptamer targeting, although still incipient, has already shown its ability and wide-reaching potential. In this review, we discuss aptamer-functionalized hybrid protein-based or polymeric biomaterials derived from structural macromolecules, with a focus on bioresponsive/bioactive systems.

In vivo gene delivery mediated by non-viral vectors for cancer therapy

Gene therapy by expression constructs or down-regulation of certain genes has shown great potential for the treatment of various diseases. The wide clinical application of nucleic acid materials dependents on the development of biocompatible gene carriers. There are enormous various compounds widely investigated to be used as non-viral gene carriers including lipids, polymers, carbon materials, and inorganic structures. In this review, we will discuss the recent discoveries on non-viral gene delivery systems. We will also highlight the in vivo gene delivery mediated by non-viral vectors to treat cancer in different tissue and organs including brain, breast, lung, liver, stomach, and prostate. Finally, we will delineate the state-of-the-art and promising perspective of in vivo gene editing using non-viral nano-vectors.