Biomedical Technology最新文献

As an emerging technology relevant to materials science, 3D printing technology simplifies material production process, shortens the preparation cycle, and provides a broader space for disease treatment. This review introduces the latest development in 3D printing, the goal is showing summary of the preparation and the utilization of this technology. We first describe the familiar biological ink for 3d printing. Then, we focus on different applications, including drug delivery, tumor modeling, and organ printing. Later, we described the application of this technology in some disciplines, including neurosurgery, gastrointestinal surgery, and orthopedics. Finally, the recent challenges and prospects of 3D printing are presented.

Nucleic acid amplification techniques are broadly employed in nucleic acid testing due to their efficient accumulation of nucleic acid sequences. With the development of biotechnology, they are further applied to proteins, living cells, extracellular vesicles (EVs) and even small molecule detection to amplify detection signals for ultra-sensitive bioanalysis. As important amplification techniques, isothermal amplification techniques, CRISPR/Cas system, DNA Walker and DNAzymes are playing an increasingly important role in signal magnification. Cooperating with functional nanomaterials, they present a wide availability in biosensing and bioimaging. This review gives a comprehensive summary of the four main signal amplification techniques mentioned above and their applications in biosensing and bioimaging. Finally, some of the challenges and further opportunities of nucleic acid amplification strategy in the current biomedical technology field are discussed.

Monoclonal antibodies targeting CTLA-4, PD-1/PD-L1 axis, and LAG-3, have shown unprecedented clinical success in melanoma. However, such immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapies failed to initiate primary immune responses or with limited durability. Here, we reviewed the mechanisms eliciting intrinsic resistance and adaptive resistance in melanoma patients. Furthermore, we introduced emerging nano-strategies to overcome the ICB by either enhancing tumour cell phagocytosis through checkpoint-mediated internalization or devising nano-immunomodulators for ICB combination therapy. These strategies may lead to clinical translations in the future.

Recently, scientists at Pohang University of Science and Technology in South Korea constructed a smart theranostic contact lens. The highly integrated smart contact lens is composed of an intraocular pressure (IOP) biosensor, a drug delivery system (DDS), a wireless communication system, as well as a circuit chip for IOP regulation. This design provides a new opportunity for wearable medical treatment in the individualized treatment of glaucoma and other ocular diseases.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease that affects multiple organs and tissues. However, only a handful of new drugs have been FDA-approved for SLE since the 1950s. Therefore, novel treatments for SLE are urgently needed to be developed. In recent years, various engineering technologies such as tissue engineering, organs-on-chips, and intelligent delivery systems have been rapidly developed in the field of biomedicine. Notably, engineered nanocarriers and cell-based therapies can address the problems faced by traditional drug delivery and cell transplantation. They have proven effective in the treatment of many areas of disease, including autoimmune diseases. This is an important opportunity to break through the limited treatment options for SLE. In this review, we summarize the application progresses of engineering technologies and also propose their challenges in SLE treatment. This paper aims to help readers to understand the perspective of engineering technologies on the direction of SLE treatments in forthcoming years.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a severely spreading pandemic, has dramatically brought physiological and economical burdens to people. Although the injectable vaccines have some achievements for coronavirus defense, they still generate accompanied pain, untoward reaction and cannot take part in mucosal immunity. Inhalable vaccines, as a safe, facile and efficient strategy, have been presented to protect body from virus by inducing robust mucosal immunity. Here, we give a perspective of an inhalable COVID-19 vaccine composed of lung-derived exosomes (a type of virus-like particle) conjugated with viral receptor-binding domain. The lung-derived exosomes act as carriers, such inhalable particles successfully reach at lung and reveal wider distribution and longer retention on respiratory mucosa. In addition, such vaccines induce the high production of specific antibodies and T cells in lung, significantly protecting host against coronavirus invasion. It is conceived that inhalable virus-like particles with long-term stability wound open a new avenue for vaccines delivery and further achieve vaccine popularization to against with COVID-19 pandemic.

Therapeutic DNAzymes with RNA depleting effect are multifunctional building blocks for constructing biological materials. In a recent work published in Nature Chemistry, Holliger group and Chaput group had a wonderful debate base on previously reported approach for tailoring DNAzymes with high mRNA cleavage activity in mammalian cells. Their perspective pushes the catalytic mechanism investigation of DNAzymes to a new stage with more standardization and clarity.

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs) are an emerging class of carbon-based nanomaterials. CQDs are receiving considerable interest in biomedical applications due to their low toxicity, stability profile, efficient surface tailorability, aqueous solubility, diverse functionality, biocompatibility, and size-tunable emission when compared to other conventional carbon quantum dots (CDs) of group II, III, IV & V. Improved photodynamic treatment, photosensitization, bioimaging, targeted drug delivery, fluorescent marker for disease-detection, cell tracking, and biosensors are made possible by the presence of diverse functional groups on the surface of CQDs, such as thiol, carboxyl, hydroxyl, etc. This article gives thorough understanding of CQDs for drug delivery applications by describing their origin and rationale. In addition, the in-vivo characteristics of CQDs are also examined in an initiative to strengthen the argument for CQDs as powerful drug delivery vehicles.

Digital Twin is a virtual replica of an item that is gaining traction in several sectors. This technology is creating significant advancements in the field of healthcare. A machine or a person's digital twin is a virtual replica of that entity. In order to create a digital model that can be tested and simulated, one has to gather enormous volumes of data through Internet of Things (IoT) sensors for the associated application. Based on the patient's lifestyle, regular eating habits, and blood sugar data, this technology helps to warn the patient about prescriptions, dietary adjustments, medical consultations, and other situations. Digital Twin uses a substantial quantity of data from multiple IoT devices and uses Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered models. Patients' own Digital Twin uses previous data insights to help select the most appropriate medication, forecast the results of a particular surgery, and control chronic illness. The main aim of this paper is to study Digital Twin and its need for the healthcare sector. This Paper discusses various features and services of Digital Twin for Healthcare. Various technologies and tools of Digital Twins for Healthcare are also briefed and further identified and discussed, along with significant applications. The healthcare sector has realised to create a framework focused on the patient. In the future, healthcare should think about more advanced ways to provide best-in-class treatment to the patient. Planning for the post-digital era is crucial as healthcare organisations continue their digital transformation initiatives.

Ultrasound (US)-responsive microparticles show broad potential in controlled drug delivery systems. Compare with the traditional micron-scale material fabrication methods, capillary microfluidic technology features superior advantages in large-scale production, batch-to-batch similarity, high encapsulation efficiency, low cost, and so on. The excellent maneuverability and customizability of the capillary microfluidic devices allow the production of microparticles with various functionalities and fine-tuned chemical compartments. Moreover, the flexible regulation of the particle size and core-shell ratio can be easily realized by modulating the capillary orifices and flow rates of microfluidic channels. In this review, we introduce the fabrication of US-responsive microparticles with specific core-shell structures via capillary microfluidic methods, from single emulsion to triple emulsions. Then, we address some particular examples, where the drug delivery and US-triggered cargo release capacity of these microfluidic microparticles are demonstrated. Finally, we conclude the advanced achievements of the US-responsive microfluidic microparticles, summarize the obstacles to the development of this interdisciplinary field, and prospect their future applications.