In order to co-immobilize multiple enzymes, a wide range of nanomaterials has been designed to achieve synergistic enzyme activity and enhance catalytic efficiency. Nanomaterials, as carriers for enzyme co-immobilization, possess various advantages such as tunable morphology and size, high specific surface area, and abundant chemically active sites. They can significantly enhance enzyme stability, activity, and catalytic efficiency. We overview the commonly used methods and strategies of enzyme co-immobilization. This review further summarizes the latest research advances in nanomaterials for enzyme co-immobilization applications over the past 5 years. Meanwhile, the advantages and challenges of these nanomaterials used for enzyme co-immobilization as well as some potential future directions are also discussed.
Hepatitis and arthritis are prevalent inflammatory diseases, and the utilization of fluorogenic probes incorporating hydrogen sulfide (H2S) as a crucial mediator of inflammation presents significant opportunities for early detection. However, the poor in vivo biodistribution and limited targeted efficacy of molecule probes for inflammation imaging severely impede their ability to differentiate the extent of inflammation and provide real-time monitoring of inflammatory levels. Therefore, we developed a highly efficient H2S-activated near-infrared (NIR) fluorogenic probe (hCy-DNP) for real-time tracking and capturing fluctuations in H2S levels within inflammatory lesions. hCy-DNP demonstrates an exceptionally sensitive fluorescence response to H2S expression, enabling specific differentiation between various levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) -stimulated early hepatitis models in situ, while also facilitating visual monitoring for diagnosis and efficacy evaluation of arthritis. Therefore, hCy-DNP offers an innovative tool for exploring early diagnosis and evaluating treatment effectiveness across diverse inflammatory diseases.
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is a form of adoptive cell therapy that has revolutionized the field of cancer immunotherapy. Owing to the unprecedented efficacy seen in the treatment of blood cancers, the FDA has now approved multiple CAR T cell products for the treatment of various hematologic malignancies. Despite the clinical success seen in hematologic malignancies, CAR T cell therapies have demonstrated only modest efficacy in the treatment of solid tumors. Thus, great efforts are underway to increase the treatment efficacy in solid tumors and further enhance the treatment of hematologic malignancies. However, irrespective of advancements in efficacy, there are still unmet needs for patients receiving CAR T cell therapies. CAR T cell therapies carry significant risks of potentially fatal toxicities, and few of these toxicities were predicted in the animal models used to advance these therapies to the clinic. Therefore, significant advancements are needed to help reduce the incidence and severity of these toxicities to ultimately enhance patient safety and quality of life. This review will provide a brief overview of some of the major toxicities associated with CAR T cell therapies and will discuss the various engineering strategies used to mitigate such toxicities in preclinical models and clinical studies.
In recent years, tissue engineering has emerged as a cutting-edge approach for the treatment of spinal cord injury (SCI) owing to its remarkable capabilities. It can create living tissues with robust vitality, achieve maximal tissue repair with minimal cell usage, and facilitate seamless reconstruction with unmatched plasticity, all while addressing immune rejection issues. Among these advancements, one-dimensional (1D) materials have garnered significant attention. Their morphology closely resembles the extracellular matrix environment, thereby fostering the elongation of dendrites and axons on neurons and greatly enhancing the prospects for SCI repair. With a keen focus on the latest advancements in the application of 1D nanomaterials in nerve tissue engineering for spinal nerve repair, this review delves into several key aspects. Firstly, it explores the “bottom-up” approach to synthesizing 1D nanomaterials. Secondly, it examines the mechanisms by which these nanomaterials influence neural tissue engineering. Thirdly, it presents various cutting-edge strategies aimed at optimizing the morphology and performance of 1D materials, thereby enhancing the efficiency of nerve tissue injury repair. Lastly, it discusses the current challenges and future prospects facing this fascinating field. We aspire that this comprehensive review will provide a profound understanding of the development of 1D materials in neural tissue engineering and inspire a wider audience with its potential.
Immunotherapy has recently emerged as a promising therapeutic modality for the treatment of various diseases such as cancer, inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and infectious diseases. Despite its potential, immunotherapy faces challenges related to delivery efficiency and off-target toxicity of immunotherapeutic drugs. Nano drug delivery systems offer improvements in drug biodistribution and release kinetics but still suffer from shortcomings such as high immunogenicity, poor penetration across biological barriers, and insufficient tissue permeability. Targeted delivery of drugs using living cells has become an emerging strategy that can take advantage of the inherent characteristics of cells to deal with the delivery defects of nano delivery systems. Furthermore, cells themselves can be genetically engineered into cellular drugs for enhanced immunotherapy. This review provides an in-depth exploration of cell-derived drug carriers, detailing their biological properties, functions, and commonly used drug loading strategies. In addition, the role of genetically modified cells in immunotherapy and their synergistic therapeutic effects with drug delivery are also introduced. By summarizing the main advancements and limitations in the field, this review offers insights into the potential of cell-based drug delivery systems to address the existing challenges in immunotherapy. The introduction to recent developments and evaluation of ongoing research will pave the way for the optimization and widespread adoption of nano/genetically engineered cells for immunotherapy.
For both animal and human tissues, translucence is an intrinsic property that gives them a milky appearance. This optical property arises due to the combined effects of light absorption and scattering and becomes the main impediment of deep imaging. To overcome these obstacles, the tissue-clearing technique has experienced a resurgence over the past century and evolved from its initial use in neuroscience to encompass various samples due to the emergence of various clearing methods. Notably, these techniques unveil both macroscopic and microscopic details, offering valuable insights into tissue structures. In particular, the oral cavity is structured with both soft and hard tissues at the macroscopic level and is rich in neurovascular networks microscopically, providing a suitable application environment for tissue-clearing techniques. Currently, tissue-clearing techniques have provided a powerful tool for research on the dental pulp neurovascular system, oral tissue regeneration, dental implants, and maxillofacial surgical treatments. Hence, this review aims to give a general introduction to tissue-clearing techniques and focus on their remarkable applications in dental research. At last, we will discuss the integration of tissue-clearing methods with other techniques such as labeling and microscopy, hoping to offer valuable insights for the development of tissue-clearing techniques in both bioscience and materials science.
mRNA therapeutics have significantly evolved within the life sciences, particularly in applications such as vaccines, tumor immunotherapy, protein replacement, gene editing, and monoclonal antibody therapy. To fully realize the potential of mRNA drugs and mitigate the adverse effects, substantial vector materials have been developed for delivery of these pharmaceutical agents. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) represent the most clinically advanced mRNA carriers, recognized by U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved mRNA vaccines and numerous clinical trials. Diverse therapeutic applications necessitate tailored design of LNPs. Herein, we outline the principles of LNP design for mRNA delivery, focusing specifically on their effectiveness, targeting capabilities, safety profiles, and nanoparticle stability. Additionally, we present the latest advancements in mRNA-LNP technology. This review aims to elucidate the benefits and design principles of LNP delivery systems for mRNA therapeutics, providing insights into breakthroughs and innovative ideas for further enhancing these advantages. These summaries are dedicated to promoting the broader applications of LNP-mRNA drugs, aiming to advance the treatment of serious diseases in an effective and safe manner.
Machine learning (ML) and nanotechnology interfacing are exploring opportunities for cancer treatment strategies. To improve cancer therapy, this article investigates the synergistic combination of Graphene Oxide (GO)-based devices with ML techniques. The production techniques and functionalization tactics used to modify the physicochemical characteristics of GO for specific drug delivery are explained at the outset of the investigation. GO is a great option for treating cancer because of its natural biocompatibility and capacity to absorb medicinal chemicals. Then, complicated biological data are analyzed using ML algorithms, which make it possible to identify the best medicine formulations and individualized treatment plans depending on each patient's particular characteristics. The study also looks at optimizing and predicting the interactions between GO carriers and cancer cells using ML. Predictive modeling helps ensure effective payload release and therapeutic efficacy in the design of customized drug delivery systems. Furthermore, tracking treatment outcomes in real time is made possible by ML algorithms, which permit adaptive modifications to therapy regimens. By optimizing medication doses and delivery settings, the combination of ML and GO in cancer therapy not only decreases adverse effects but also enhances treatment accuracy.
The importance of continuous healthcare management has significantly accelerated the development of wearable devices for monitoring health-related physical and biochemical markers. Despite extensive research on wearable devices for physiological and biochemical monitoring, critical issues of power management and device/skin interfacial properties restrict the advancement of personalized healthcare and early disease detection. Here, we report a multimodal sweat monitoring device featuring a real-time display and long-term data analysis based on self-powered format of sweat-activated batteries (SABs). The polyvinyl alcohol-sucrose (PVA-Suc) hydrogel serves as the key component for the SAB, offering not only great long-term adhesive properties for conformable wearability but also significant power generation capabilities. A maximum current density of 44.06 mA cm−2 and a maximum power density of 21.89 mW cm−2 can be realized for the hydrogel based SAB. The resulting device integrates an advanced colorimetric and electrochemical sensor array to measure pH levels, glucose concentrations, and chloride ion levels in human sweat, with data wirelessly transmitted by Near Field Communication. The self-powering features and multiple mode sensing function offer sufficient power to support real-time monitoring of metabolic biomarkers in sweat, with the ability to visually observe changes in the colorimetric sensors for long-term data monitoring.
Effective intervention in glycolytic metabolism is a promising way to inhibit tumor malignant invasion. However, the inherent hypoxia environment and unitary regulating model subsequently compromise its therapeutic efficacy. Herein, a facile way to design an automatic metabolism modulator (auto-MMOD) is developed by loading glucose oxidase (GOx) and DNA-templated silver nanoclusters (DNA-AgNCs) into a pH-responsive zeolitic imidazolate frameworks-8 (ZIF-8) nanocarrier, which can activate a cascaded metal ion-killing effect during GOx-regulated glycolysis metabolism. When the acidic lysosome microenvironment induces ZIF-8 decomposition, the released GOx can effectively consume glucose and generate H2O2, thus inhibiting Adenosine Triphosphate synthesis and accelerating tumor starvation. Moreover, the released Ag+ in response to H2O2 can disturb bioenergy metabolism to inhibit tumor proliferation, which further enhances the tumor-killing effect in hypoxic microenvironments. This study achieves effective tumor suppression in vitro and in vivo by integrating ion therapy into glycolysis intervention, which establish a promising strategy for nano-theranostics.