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Introduction to Cancer, Conventional Therapies, and Bionano-Based Advanced Anticancer Strategies
Published in D. Sakthi Kumar, Aswathy Ravindran Girija, Bionanotechnology in Cancer, 2023
Several NPs are used for cancer diagnosis. For instance, those of cadmium selenide can glow if exposed to UV light. They go within cancer tumors when injected into the human body, and surgeons can detect the glowing tumor and utilize these NPs for more accurate tumor resection. Furthermore, sensor test chips, which contain thousands of nanowires, are able to detect remnant biomarkers left by cancer cells. This may enable the diagnosis of cancer in its early stages from just a few drops of the patient’s blood [124].
Nanotechnological Strategies for Engineering Complex Tissues
Published in Lajos P. Balogh, Nano-Enabled Medical Applications, 2020
Tal Dvir, Brian P. Timko, Daniel S. Kohane, Robert Langer
Recently, Fan and co-workers reported that gold nanowires can be functionalized with a cytokine and manipulated to specific locations using electric fields [80]. The nanowires were able to deliver and release their payload to a pre-specific cell with subcellular resolution and activate desirable signalling pathways. Such control over localization of biomolecules in specific zones, if applied in 3D constructs, can assist in precise engineering of the cellular microenvironment by delivering factors to specific cell types in co-cultures. For example, this technique can be used to engineer the complex microenvironment of the stem cell niche, which is composed of a variety of materials and cell types, originating from stem cells. Factors inducing self-renewal or differentiation of the cells can be manipulated to affect specific cells in different regions of the construct.
Immunology
Published in Paul Pumpens, Single-Stranded RNA Phages, 2020
Tok et al. (2006) demonstrated a novel biosensing platform using engineered nanowires as an alternative substrate for sandwich immunoassays. The nanowires were built through submicrometer layering of different metals by electrodeposition within a porous alumina template. Although variety of metals could be deposited, this study employed stripes of gold, silver, and nickel. Owing to the permutations in which the metals could be deposited, a large number of unique yet easily identifiable encoded nanowires could be included in a multiplex array format. As a result, the 1 × 105 pfu/mL detection limit was reached for the phage MS2 with the use of polyclonal anti-MS2 antibodies for the nanowire coating.
Physical transfection technologies for macrophages and dendritic cells in immunotherapy
Published in Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery, 2021
Aranit Harizaj, Stefaan C. De Smedt, Ine Lentacker, Kevin Braeckmans
In summary, the delivery of functional molecules ex vivo in patient derived DCs and macrophages is an important step toward improved cell-based cancer immunotherapy. Physical transfection technologies are gaining interest as they offer excellent control of the delivery process combined with high efficiency and throughput. Electroporation remains the most used technique to date with the ability to deliver a variety of macromolecules, including mRNA, into primary DCs and macrophages. However, recent literature points to adverse effects on the level of cell homeostasis and functionality, including alteration of cytokine secretion, disturbed migration capacity and misexpression of genes. To reduce these unwanted effects that may reduce the cell’s therapeutic potential, novel delivery technologies are emerging, such as sonoporation, nanowires and cell squeezing. Contrary to electroporation they only act at the level of the outer cell membrane, which provides them with a better safety profile. Although research is still ongoing, they already have been successfully applied for the cytosolic delivery of macromolecules in DCs and macrophages. Combined with the rise of other new physical transfection technologies which already have shown promising results in other cell types [22], chances are high that modification of DCs and macrophages will be possible with steadily increasing efficiency while preserving cell viability and functionality.
An evaluation of liposome-based diagnostics of pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis
Published in Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics, 2020
Nikunj Tandel, Anish Z Joseph, Aishwarya Joshi, Priya Shrama, Ravi PN Mishra, Rajeev K. Tyagi, Prakash S Bisen
Nanotubes, nanobots, nanowires, and quantum dots are nanostructures besides nanoparticles that are coming into play in the area of molecular diagnostics [27]. Nanotubes are cylindrical carbon molecules generally measuring 0.5–3.0 nm in diameter, 20–1000 nm in length. Their peculiar attributes such as extraordinary strength and high conductance of electricity and thermal energy render high utility in the field of biomedical nanotechnology. Carbon nanotubes have been implicated in combination with other gold nanoparticles and silicon nanowires for the detection of oral cancer and lung cancer [28]. Nanocrystals, on the other hand, measure not more than 1 micron, at least by one dimension. The electrical and thermodynamic properties of these crystalline nanostructures vary with their size; however, nanocrystals falling in the range of 2 nm to 9.5 nm have been implicated in improving the solubility of certain drugs [29]. Nanowires are composed of carbon nanotubes or silicon. Antibodies that can be loaded over the surface can act as detectors. When the antibody binds to target biomolecules, specific conformational changes occur which can be recognized as signals. When several nanowires are loaded with different antibodies over the surface assembled in a single device, they can work as detectors for a disease, as used in cancer [28,30].
Drug delivery across length scales
Published in Journal of Drug Targeting, 2019
Derfogail Delcassian, Asha K. Patel, Abel B. Cortinas, Robert Langer
High-aspect-ratio nanoscale systems [168–170], such as nanowires, nanoneedles and nanotubes have been used to deliver a wide variety of biomolecules and can be combined with macro and micro systems to enhance drug delivery technologies. For example micron scaled drug delivery particles have been coated with nanowires which enhance retention in the mucosal tract. This strategy enables prolonged retention to mucosal epithelial tissue [171], facilitating enhanced drug delivery and limiting clearance. In addition, nano scale needles (nanoneedles), wires and tubes can be loaded directly with drugs for intracellular drug delivery. Biodegradable silicon nanoneedles grafted onto micron-sized patches have been used for the intracellular delivery of VEGF DNA to localised regions of skin and exposed muscle [168], where they are able to enhance neovascularization compared to delivery of naked DNA. Recently, more sophisticated systems have been developed which can release cargo in response to specific stimuli [29,91], including changes in pH and temperature and the presence of specific enzymes. High-aspect delivery systems are typically silicon-based, however, alternative materials (such as carbon nanotube-based drug reservoirs) [172–175] are currently being developed. These material systems will need to meet stringent nano scale safety and toxicity requirements before widespread clinical use.