A Novel Surface Modification and Immobilization Method of Anti-CD25 Antibody on Nonwoven Fabric Filter Removing Regulatory T Cells Selectively

Glycopeptoid nanospheres: glycosylation-induced coacervation of poly(sarcosine)

Conjugation of maltopentaose to water-soluble homo-poly(sarcosine) induced self-association and formed nanospheres (-150 nm) in water although homo-poly(sarcosine) was water-soluble and did not form any aggregates. Fluorescent probe experiments showed that the spheres were non-ionic glycopeptoid coacervate-like particles with both hydrophobic and hydrophilic domains inside.

Tumor growth suppression by implantation of an anti-CD25 antibody-immobilized material near the tumor via regulatory T cell capture

In this study, we designed and synthesized an implantable anti-CD25 antibody-immobilized polyethylene (CD25-PE) mesh to suppress tumor growth by removing regulatory T cells (Tregs). The PE mesh was graft-polymerized with poly(acrylic acid), and the anti-mouse CD25 antibody was then immobilized using the 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide reaction. Immobilization of the antibody on the PE mesh was confirmed by immunostaining. The CD25-PE mesh could effectively and selectively capture CD25-positive cells through antigen-antibody interactions when the CD25-PE mesh was incubated with a suspension of mouse spleen cells, including CD25-positive cells. In addition, implantation of the CD25-PE mesh into mice subcutaneously demonstrated the Treg-capturing ability of the CD25-PE mesh with only a weak inflammatory reaction. In tumor-bearing mice, tumor growth was suppressed by subcutaneous implantation of the CD25-PE mesh near the tumor for 1 week. These results suggested that the anti-CD25 antibody-immobilized material could capture Tregs in vivo and inhibit tumor proliferation in a limited tumor-bearing mouse model. Further research is needed to facilitate cancer immunotherapy using implantable anti-CD25 antibody-immobilized material as a Treg-capturing device.

Cellulose aerogel micro fibers for drug delivery applications

Textile engineering can offer a multi-scale toolbox via various fiber or textile fabrication methods to obtain woven or nonwoven aerogels with different structural and mechanical properties to overcome the current limitations of polysaccharide-based aerogels, such as poor mechanical properties and undeveloped shaping techniques. Hereby, a high viscous solution of microcrystalline cellulose and zinc chloride hydrate was wet spun to produce mono and multi-filament alcogel microfibers. Subsequently, cellulose aerogel fibers (CAF) were produced and impregnated with model drugs using supercritical CO₂ processes. Fibers were characterized in terms of morphology and textural properties, thermal stability, mechanical properties, and in vitro biological and drug release assessments. Loaded and non-loaded CAFs proved to have a macro-porous outer shell and a nano-porous inner core with interconnected pore structure and a specific area in the range of 100-180 m²/g. The CAFs with larger diameter (d ~ 235 μm) were able to form knitted mesh while lower diameter fibers (d ~ 70 μm) formed needle punched nonwoven textiles. Humidity and water uptake assessments indicated that the fibrous structures were highly moisture absorbable and non-toxic with immediate drug release profiles due to the highly open interconnected porous structure of the fibers. Finally, CAFs are propitious to be further developed for biomedical applications such as drug delivery and wound care.