Progress in biomedical engineering (Bristol, England)最新文献

As the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine progresses, the possibility for artificial organs to restore normal tissue functions seems to become more feasible. However, a major challenge in the long-term culture of the engineered tissues is the lack of adequate oxygenation. The photosynthetic supply of oxygen (O₂) for tissues and organs using photoautotrophic microorganisms has been explored recently in bothin vitroandin vivostudies. The biofabrication of photosymbiotic scaffolds using biomaterials, photosynthetic microorganisms, and human cells has shown constant generation of O₂in response to light illumination while avoiding hypoxic conditions. This emerging strategy of photosymbiotic oxygenation is potentially an attractive approach to overcome the need of adequate oxygenation in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. This Perspective aims to present an overview on the applications of photoautotrophic microorganism-enabled oxygenation strategies for overcoming hypoxia-related challenges in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Exosomes have emerged as natural nanocarriers and are advantageous in the field of nanomedicine due to their lipid bilayer membrane comprising many proteins, nucleic acids and cell debris. Exosomes are secreted from all types of living cells and play a role in cancer diagnosis and therapy because of their biological properties, such as intercellular communication, modulation of immune responses, biocompatibility and target specificity. Many studies have shown that exosomes can be engineered or modified with different therapeutic substances, including nucleic acids, proteins, drugs and other nanomaterials, to improve their specificity, efficiency and safety in nanomedicine. In this review, we summarize the methodologies of exosome biogenesis, purification, the possible mechanisms of cellular uptake and the important role of exosomes in cancer diagnosis, followed by the role of engineered exosomes in cancer therapy. Also, future trends and challenges are discussed. We strongly suggest that a clear articulation of the fundamental principles for the creation of exosome-based theranostic platforms will help reveal the unique powers of exosomes in early cancer diagnosis and therapeutics, including chemotherapy, gene therapy, immunotherapy and phototherapy.

Conventional 2D cell cultures are widely used for the development of new anticancer drugs. However, their relevance asin vitromodels is increasingly questioned as they are considered too simplistic compared to complex, three-dimensionalin vivotumors. Moreover, animal experiments are not only costly and time-consuming, but also raise ethical issues and their use for some applications has been restricted. Therefore, it becomes crucial to develop new experimental models that better capture the complexity and dynamic aspects ofin vivotumors. New approaches based on microfluidic technology are promising. This technology has indeed been used to create microphysiological systems called 'organ-on-chip' which simulate key structural and functional features of human tissues and organs. These devices have further been adapted to create cancer models giving rise to the 'cancer-on-chip' (COC) concept. In this review, we will discuss the main COC models described so far for major cancer types including lung, prostate, breast, colorectal, pancreatic, and ovarian cancers. Then, we will highlight the challenges that this technology is facing and the possible research perspectives that can arise from them.

Glioma is one of the most malignant types of cancer and most gliomas remain incurable. One of the hallmarks of glioma is its invasiveness. Furthermore, glioma cells tend to readily detach from the primary tumor and travel through the brain tissue, making complete tumor resection impossible in many cases. To expand the knowledge regarding the invasive behavior of glioma, evaluate drug resistance, and recapitulate the tumor microenvironment, various modeling strategies were proposed in the last decade, including three-dimensional (3D) biomimetic scaffold-free cultures, organ-on-chip microfluidics chips, and 3D bioprinting platforms, which allow for the investigation on patient-specific treatments. The emerging method of 3D bioprinting technology has introduced a time- and cost-efficient approach to createin vitromodels that possess the structural and functional characteristics of human organs and tissues by spatially positioning cells and bioink. Here, we review emerging 3D bioprinted models developed for recapitulating the brain environment and glioma tumors, with the purpose of probing glioma cell invasion and gliomagenesis and discuss the potential use of 4D printing and machine learning applications in glioma modelling.

Achieving local therapeutic agent concentration in the kidneys through traditional systemic administration routes have associated concerns with off-target drug effects and toxicity. Additionally, kidney diseases are often accompanied by co-morbidities in other major organs, which negatively impacts drug metabolism and clearance. To circumvent these issues, kidney-specific targeting of therapeutics aims to achieve the delivery of controlled doses of therapeutic agents, such as drugs, nucleic acids, peptides, or proteins, to kidney tissues in a safe and efficient manner. Current carrier material approaches implement macromolecular and polyplex hydrogel constructs, prodrug strategies, and nanoparticle (NP)-based delivery technologies. In the context of multidisciplinary and cross-discipline innovations, the medical and bioengineering research fields have facilitated the rapid development of kidney-targeted therapies and carrier materials. In this review, we summarize the current trends and recent advancements made in the development of carrier materials for kidney disease targeted therapies, specifically hydrogel and NP-based strategies for acute kidney disease, chronic kidney disease, and renal cell carcinoma. Additionally, we discuss the current limitations in carrier materials and their delivery mechanisms.