Themed collection Advanced Functional Nanomaterials for Biomedical Applications

Chenjie Xu, Yu Shrike Zhang, Sylvie Begin and Nguyễn Thị Kim Thanh introduce the Nanoscale and Nanoscale Advances themed collection on advanced functional nanomaterials for biomedical applications.

The synergistic combination of noble metal nanoparticles and bacterial cells results in hybrid systems that offer new useful properties for the development of future applications and tools.

Ferrofluids investigated along for about five decades are ultrastable colloidal suspensions of magnetic nanoparticles, which manifest simultaneously fluid and magnetic properties.

This article overviews the recent trends of various types of metallic, noble, magnetic and carbon nanomaterials (carbon nanotubes, graphene, nanodiamonds, fullerene and their derivatives) specific to the drug delivery and bio-imaging fields.

This review focusses on magnetic particle imaging (MPI), considering progress made in the many biomedical applications, and the design of nanoparticle tracers tailored towards optimal performance.

The present review article provides the insight of an overall survey on the recent advancements of manganese nanomaterials for biomedical nanotechnology and other fields.

Self-assembly of peptide nanofibers shows significance in tumor/disease imaging applications.

Exosome encapsulation protects and delivers AAV vectors for gene therapy.

Recently discovered proteins from magnetotactic Deltaproteobacteria were tested for their ability to bind to magnetite surfaces. Two new proteins (Mad10, Mad11) were identified that display fast and nearly irreversible magnetite binding.

A multifunctional nanoprobe for tumor microenvironment- induced cancer imaging and chemo/PTT synergistic targeted therapy was constructed. Tumor microenvironment-specific stimuli responses enable targeted drug accumulation and cancer imaging.

A dual-enzyme nanogel system is successfully fabricated for synergistic starvation and photodynamic therapy.

An effective photothermy generation aggregate system for bacterial biofilm elimination was designed and investigated. Results indicated that the biofilm matrix was destroyed by the nano-system in addition to the killing of the embedded bacteria.

Nano-conjugates composed of gold nanorods and nonyl acridine orange (NAO) derivatives were built as a novel approach for mitochondria targeted-cancer therapy.

Ionic liquid-functionalized linear-dendritic block copolymer nanoparticles show facile assemblies and red blood cell hitchhiking in whole blood.

Riboflavin-coated multicore SPIONs show specific binding with RCP, enhanced uptake in breast cancer cells and excellent MRI response.

Quantitative characterization of heterogeneity in neuroblastoma cells is achieved using nanopillar-guided subnuclear irregularities.

Surface functionalization of silver nanoparticles by Raman reporters derived from aryl diazonium salts offers new opportunities for the design of Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS) labels for Cell Raman Imaging

Optical in vivo imaging has become a widely used technique and is still under development for clinical diagnostics and treatment applications.

Here, we developed a nano-engineered biomaterial optimized for skeletal muscle proliferation and differentiation. Nanoclay disks were used to control the release of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), a key myogenic and immunogenic regulator.

Synchrotron X-ray scattering reveals that atomic-scale defect control manipulated by chemical substitution optimizes nanomagnetism and enables hyperthermia heating in core-shell iron-oxide nanocrystals.

Injectable shear-thinning biomaterials (STBs) have attracted significant attention because of their efficient and localized delivery of cells as well as various molecules ranging from growth factors to drugs.

Bulky hydrophobic counterions were applied for encapsulation of near-infrared cyanine dyes into biodegradable polymer matrix with minimized self-quenching, yielding fluorescent nanoparticles with stealth PEG shell for in vivo imaging.

A novel injectable hydrogel drug delivery platform introduces miRNA therapeutics coupled to gold nanoparticles to cells in a 3D bioprinted heart valve disease model.

Heterogeneous multi-compartmental DNA hydrogel particles fabricated via microfluidic assembly were incorporated with a tandem DNA sequence logical circuit for precision medicine against cancers.

Multimodal gadolinium fluoride nanoparticles belong to potential contrast agents useful for bimodal optical fluorescence and magnetic resonance imaging.

Phase-transfer catalyst (PTC)-based nanoprobes were designed to accelerate the probe–analyte reaction in aqueous solutions for the real-time imaging of H₂S under biological conditions.

We introduce a co-doping-based fabrication of stimuli-responsive hydrogel-elastomer actuators. Based on this actuator, a series of bio-inspired soft micro-robots are developed, demonstrating biomimetic motions, such as grabbing, crawling and jumping.

A self-supplying O₂ nanosystem based on MOF combined with hyaluronate-modified CaO₂ (PCN-224-CaO₂-HA) was constructed. This nanosystem can be used for targeted and enhanced photodynamic therapy in vitro and in vivo.

Photoactivated Gold decorated iron oxide nanoflowers induce a hot tumor immune microenvironnment in triple negative breast cancer model.

An adhesive nano-coating on extracellular matrix (ECM) based grafts, which could crosslink in situ with ferric ions for fixation with surrounding tissues after implantation without affecting the porous structures of the grafts, was developed.

A schematic of the drug release electronic suture system (DRESS) with a conductive fiber strain sensor core and a thermoresponsive polymer shell containing drugs.

We developed a supramolecular nanozyme through the strategy of multicomponent coordination self-assembly using a bio-derived amino acid, glucose oxidase and Fe²⁺ as building blocks, which exhibited great potential towards biomedical applications.

An efficient photoresponsive protein delivery system was developed by exploiting the protein-binding function of a photocleavable group, DEACM.

The preparation of an efficient bimodal single probe for magnetic resonance (MRI) and optical imaging (OI) is reported.

A rapid and convenient method was developed to load gene molecules into nanostructures, exploring structure–function relationship for efficient intracellular delivery and gene editing, opening up new avenues for the MOF-based non-viral vectors.

Comprehensive analysis of hepatocellular carcinoma 3D models revealed enhanced penetrative siRNA delivery by a nanodiamonds compared to liposomes. Nanodiamonds were able to improve siRNA's gene knockdown and anti-cancer effects in 3D tumor models.

With the boosted sonocatalytic activity established by the interfacial Schottky junction, the Au@Cu₂O hybrid nanocubes can substantially produce reactive oxygen species under ultrasound stimulation so as to eliminate incoming bacteria rapidly.

Attributed to the dual function of antimicrobial and angiogenesis, sprayed CuO₂ nanodots accelerate wound healing in diabetic ulcers with an acidic environment.

We demonstrate that some assemblies of anisometric nanoparticles could be the ideal agents to optimize the response to external AC fields for magnetic fluid hyperthermia in viscous environments.

We show herein that a combination of a biomaterial and extracellular vesicles (produced at a high yield by a turbulence stimulation from stromal cells) was effective in the prevention of esophageal stricture in a clinically relevant porcine model.

We show how tumour heating in magnetic hyperthermia can become more homogeneous through exploitation of magnetisation dynamics of interacting particles.

Core–shell structures of anthracene crosslinked nanocomposites containing upconverting nanoparticles and IR780 are manufactured to achieve better phototherapeutic tumor treatment with MRI/PA bimodal imaging guidance.

Highly effective and selective killing of EGFR(+)-colorectal cancer cell lines was achieved with targeted PDT and PDT/chemotherapy combination using theranostic nanoparticles.

A local delivery strategy provides an alternative adjuvant chemotherapy for post-surgical breast cancer, not only preventing the local recurrence but also offering necessary mechanical support for breast tissue reconstruction.

Theranosticity of nanoparticles provided by their shape, size, defects and dendron coating.

Mixed transition metals ferrites nanocubes are here prepared. Their magnetic properties are evaluated to assess their applicability as theranostic tools for magnetic hyperthermia treatment, magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic particles imaging.

A co-delivery nanoplatform for a lignan-derived compound and perfluorocarbon was reported to increase the oxygen level and IL-25 secretion, providing a new strategy of manipulating the tumor microenvironment to improve the radiotherapeutics.

Hyperspectral-enhanced dark field microscopy to correlate Au/CuS NPs’ changes in their physicochemical properties induced by cellular environments with their functionality as photothermal probes by tracking their scattering profile evolution in real time.

A liposomal nanostructure self-assembled from hemin-lipid has been designed to co-deliver artemisinin, an antimalarial drug, with hemin to mimic plasmodium falciparum microenvironment, and to take advantage of ART as an oral anticancer drug.

Herein we report a versatile method for introducing functionality to gold nanoparticles by exploiting the strong interaction between chemically functionalised bovine serum albumin (f-BSA) and citrate-capped gold nanoparticles (AuNPs).

By using elevated level of phosphatase and reductase in lung cancer cells, we designed a tandem molecular self-assembling prodrug that could selectively improve the therapeutic efficacy of HCPT against lung cancer by two orders of magnitude.

Solid solution AuFe nanoparticles with paramagnetic Fe atoms in the Au matrix synthesized at 25 °C transform into Janus particles upon annealing at 700 °C with the ferromagnetic bcc Fe phase epitaxially grown on fcc Au.

Small iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) were synthesised in water via co-precipitation by quenching particle growth after the magnetic iron oxide phase formed.

Magneto-fluorescent nanocomposites of Zn doped ferrites nanoparticles with Pt complexes for magnetic hyperthermia and fluorescent imaging.

Biomimetic cytomembrane nanovaccines were fabricated to enhance immunity and induce the generation of immune response to fight against breast cancer challenge.

Local minimally-invasive EV delivery on a thermo-actuated PF-127 gel enhanced EV residence time in colo-cutaneous fistulas promoting a therapeutic effect.