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Theranostics: A New Holistic Approach in Nanomedicine
Published in D. Sakthi Kumar, Aswathy Ravindran Girija, Bionanotechnology in Cancer, 2023
Ankit Rochani, Sreejith Raveendran
The development of nanotheranostics mostly focuses on (i) efficient synthesis strategy (for new particle designs with therapeutic potential), and (ii) high-resolution imaging technique. In terms of synthesis, self-assembly has been the primary focus of most medicinal NP synthesis; for instance, self-assembly of polymeric-drug or fluorophore-conjugated system or the polymer coating of metallic or organo-metallic NPs for developing theranostic nanoparticles (TNPs). These NPs can be seen using imaging technologies like photoacoustic imaging (PAI), fluorescence imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electron microscopy, and mass spectrometry imaging [12]. In particular, mass spectrometry imaging for NPs is relatively new and still under development [13], whereas other techniques have been validated and used in multiple preclinical and clinical investigations. Further, some studies have also suggested that molecular theranostics is also one of the emerging technologies, wherein researchers have developed fluorescence tagged aptamers or antibodies for the targeted therapies along with diagnostic capabilities [14, 15]. This knowledge has been extensively explored for developing target-specific nanotheranostic therapies.
Fundamentals of Modern Peptide Synthesis
Published in Mesut Karahan, Synthetic Peptide Vaccine Models, 2021
Amino acids have very important properties in drug development as they play important roles in many physiological and pathological processes. Amino acids are important components of peptides, and any research done with amino acids actually provides a basis for peptides. Recently, many studies have been carried out with amino acids, and when looking at these studies it has been aimed at increasing the efficiency of amino acids and finding bioactive amino acids from different components, especially plants. It has also been investigated in some studies for example in in vivo, in vitro, and clinical trials that these amino acids can be used in various diseases and have beneficial properties. From this point of view, the fact that amino acids are useful in various diseases, especially peptides, provides hints that they can be useful and can guide scientists in the production of new drugs, vaccines, and carrier biopolymers. In addition, amino acids can be used to overcome the disadvantages created by the poor pharmacokinetic properties of such low molecular weight agents. For example, amino acid-based self-assembly macromolecules can act by improving the pharmacokinetic profile and accumulation of specific molecules at target sites to enhance the therapeutic effect (Vong, Trinh, and Nagasaki 2020).
Restoration: Nanotechnology in Tissue Replacement and Prosthetics
Published in Harry F. Tibbals, Medical Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine, 2017
Self-assembly is the process in which a system’s components organize into ordered and/or functional structures without explicit external guidance. Self-assembly of atoms and molecules results from surface, chemical, electronic, and steric interactions between molecular particles and their surrounding solvents and ligands. The process and the resulting structures are the result of the chemical, electronic, and physical profiles presented to neighboring molecules, and depend on the chemical composition and shape of the molecules [46].
Thermo-sensitive self-assembly of poly(ethylene imine)/(phenylthio) acetic acid ion pair in surfactant solutions
Published in Drug Delivery, 2022
The self-assembly of amphiphilic molecules is spontaneously formed in an aqueous solution via an entropy-driven process (Tanford, 1973; Israelachvili et al., 1980; Michel & Cleaver, 2007; Sorrenti et al., 2013). A major determinant for the shape and the structure of the self-assembly is the shape of amphiphilic molecules because amphiphilic molecules act as the building block and constitute the assembly following a space-filling model. The shape of amphiphilic molecules can be characterized by the packing parameter (P) (Tanford, 1973; Khalil & Zarari, 2014; Lombardo et al., 2015; Doncom et al., 2017; Lombardo et al., 2020). If the packing parameter is around 1, an amphiphilic molecule is rectangular and it can build up bilayer. If the packing parameter is much different from 1, an amphiphilic molecule is conical (P < 1) or reversed conical (P > 1) and it can be assembled into micelles or hexagonal phase (Tanford, 1973; Sych et al., 2018; Sagnella et al., 2010; N. Wang et al., 2019). Much attention has been paid to self-assembly for its use as a drug carrier because it shows the versatile property in several aspects.
A pH-responsive complex based on supramolecular organic framework for drug-resistant breast cancer therapy
Published in Drug Delivery, 2022
Yun-Chang Zhang, Pei-Yu Zeng, Zhi-Qiang Ma, Zi-Yue Xu, Ze-Kun Wang, Beibei Guo, Feng Yang, Zhan-Ting Li
In recent decades, supramolecular chemistry and self-assembly strategies have attracted more and more attention (Liu et al., 2012; Zhao et al., 2014; Jiang et al., 2016; Ashwanikumar et al., 2018; Sun et al., 2018; Zhang & Zhang, 2019; Li et al., 2021a, 2021b; Qin et al., 2021; Zhang et al., 2021). Supramolecular systems have multifunctional and dynamic regulation properties, and supramolecular components can reversibly change shape and structure according to changes in the external environment to control the release of embedded drugs (Stoffelen & Huskens, 2015; Putaux et al., 2017; Yang et al., 2018; Liu et al., 2021). Thus, supramolecular self-assembly has become a potential strategy for the development of new drug delivery methods. Recently, our team has developed a three-dimensional supramolecular organic frameworks in aqueous atmosphere with self-assembly strategy, which utilized hydrophobically driven encapsulation of the dimers formed by aromatic units by the cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]) ring (Yang et al., 2018). In particular, the SOFs with well-defined pores have great potential in adsorbing and releasing drugs (Tian et al., 2016, 2017; Yao et al., 2017). In order to achieve efficient and controlled release, various stimuli-responsive (such as pH) techniques have been developed in the past decade (Zhang et al., 2019a, 2019b, 2020; Zhu et al., 2020; Li et al., 2021c). Therefore, it is of great scientific and clinical interest to explore new responsive SOFs for the construction of DDSs.
Disentangling the fibrous microenvironment: designer culture models for improved drug discovery
Published in Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery, 2021
Carley Ort, Wontae Lee, Nikita Kalashnikov, Christopher Moraes
Recreating these tissue structures presents considerable challenges and opportunities for HTS platforms. Engineered tissues are generally achieved via three main mechanisms: precision assembly, guided assembly, and self-assembly (Figure 2). In self-assembled tissues, cells themselves direct their formation through processes of growth, invasion, and matrix remodeling, as is the case with the acinar structures described above, and organoid models derived from stem-cell precursors [65]. While tissue self-assembly is relatively straightforward to implement at scale, there is no control over tissue architecture, and cells can often form undesired structures. For example, placental organoids form a fused syncytial mass within the organoid, rather than on the surface as in human placental villi [66], and this may not be desirable for the specific screening application being developed. On the other end of the spectrum, precision assembly involves precisely positioning individual cells in pre-defined locations within an encapsulating matrix [67–69]. Limitations in speed of precision-assembly strategies currently prevent scale-up toward high-throughput drug screening, and are therefore not considered in this review.