Themed collection Biomaterial Interactions with the Immune System

Guest editors Chris Jewell and Joel Collier introduce this Biomaterials Science themed issue on biomaterial interactions with the immune system.

Up-to-date review and perspective on injectable macroscale biomaterials for local cancer immunotherapy.

The immune system has evolved as a powerful tool for our body to combat infections, and is being engineered for new treatments in cancer, autoimmune disease, and trauma.

Layer-by-layer (LbL)-based biomaterials vaccines are broadly explored to tune the immunity in different diseases for translational purposes.

New advances in biomaterial-based approaches to modulate the immune system are being applied to treat cancer, infectious diseases, and autoimmunity.

HA-based matrix spontaneously triggers M2-like polarity of human monocytes/macrophages through the CD44-mediated activation of STAT3.

Two different vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) amphiphiles have been formulated which readily form micelles of varying shapes. Interestingly, VIP micelle structure has been found to directly correlate to anti-inflammatory behavior providing evidence that these biomaterials can serve as a promising new therapeutic modality.

This work highlights the potential synergistic effect of chitosan/γ-PGA nanoparticles with immunomodulatory cytokines, like IFN-γ, for anticancer therapy.

Assembly of a fusion of galectin-1 and galectin-3 with higher carbohydrate binding affinity and a significantly lower effective dose than galectin-1.

A rapamycin-eluting PLLA-PCL stent is deployed into a diseased mouse trachea to treat laryngotracheal stenosis.

Polymers that are unable to escape the early endosome, and instead cause lysosomal rupture, activate the NLRP3 inflammasome.

Photothermal therapy using CpG oligodeoxynucleotide-coated Prussian blue nanoparticles increases the tumor antigenicity and adjuvanticity, eliciting long-term tumor regression and immunological memory.

Degradable polyelectrolyle multilayers to enable controlled release of a regulatory toll-like receptor ligand to restrain inflammation and promote immune tolerance.

Combined polyanhydride nanoparticles and pentablock copolymer micelles provide protection against homologous challenge in aged mice.

A novel bi-functional peptide consisting of an Fc-binding domain and self-assembly sequence is shown to retain IgG in vivo.

Decreased uptake of polyplexes and an increased intracellular pH contribute to poor gene delivery to human T cells via cationic polymers.

Gold nanoparticles functionalized with a thiol ligand containing both mannose mimicking shikimoyl- and transfection enhancing guanidinyl-functionalities for in vivo delivery of DNA vaccines to dendritic cells.

External temperature control actively modulated the biodistribution of a thermo-sensitive nanomaterial among the injection site and the draining LNs.

We sought to develop a nanoparticle vehicle that could deliver small molecule drugs to T cells.

rGO microfibers mediate polarization of RAW-264.7 macrophages towards an M2 phenotype and support neural progenitor cell growth.