Themed collection Journal of Materials Chemistry B Emerging Investigators

Journal of Materials Chemistry B profiles: Contributors to the Emerging Investigators issue.

Recent advancements in the design of complementary infrared (IR) fluorescence imaging systems and IR-emitting contrast agents are highlighted. The ability to maximize the full performance of any IR imaging platform relies on the thorough understanding of the requirements of the imaging system and physical characteristics of the complementary contrast agents.

The efficacy of nanoparticles in biomedical applications is strongly influenced by their ability to bind proteins onto their surface. The analysis of organic nanoparticles interacting with proteins in physiological conditions may help in the successful design of next generation nanoparticles with improved biodistributions and therapeutic performances.

Semiconductor nanomaterials are emerging as a class of materials that can push the fundamental limits of current biomedical devices and possibly revolutionize healthcare.

Shining a light on spectrally converting lanthanide (Ln³⁺)-doped nanoparticles: progress, trends, and challenges in Ln³⁺-nanoprobes for near-infrared bioimaging, nanothermometry, and photodynamic therapy.

Summary of recent progress in cell-derived decellularized matrices preparation and application, with perspectives towards the next decade.

This review outlines the most recent advances in peptide-mediated tumor-targeting and gives insight into the direction of the field.

This review describes the strategies employed and the mechanisms behind both ¹H and ¹⁹F-MRI based activatable probes for diagnosis and biomarker detection.

This review summarises smart thermo-responsive polymeric materials with reversible and ‘on–off’ remotely switchable properties for a wide range of biomedical and biomaterials applications.

Clarifying the physical principles of graphene cellular interactions is critical for the wider application of graphene-based nanomaterials in nanomedicine. This review highlights the advances in computational and theoretical accounts for this emerging field.

pH-Responsive drug nanocarriers were made via facile self-assembly, showing excellent stability in bio-media (50% PBS/FBS) and enhanced drug efficacy towards cancer cells.

Using AFM based single-molecule force spectroscopy, we studied the synergy between Dopa and lysine for wet adhesion on titania (TiO₂) and mica surfaces.

Janus nanoparticles displaying clustered ligands enhance T cell activation by increasing the local surface density of ligand stimuli.

Near-infrared (NIR) absorbing amphiphilic semiconducting polymers with absorption maximum at 804 nm were designed and synthesized. This polymer can spontaneously self-assemble into homogeneous water-soluble nanoparticles in aqueous solution and efficiently convert photon energy into heat, allowing for photoacoustic imaging of tumor in living mice.

Therapeutic methacrylic (TMA) monomers lend local, covalently-controlled release of therapeutics, tunable mechanical properties, and increased cytocompatibility to cyanoacrylate medical adhesives.

Hydroxyapatite and fluorhydroxyapatite (F)HA nanoparticles were synthesised in the presence of branched poly(acrylic acid)s and compared to those synthesised in the presence of linear PAA.

A solution of zinc oxide nanoparticles was explored as an antimicrobial tissue adhesive for skin wound closure.

A series of charged polymer gels with precisely controlled magnitude and direction of electro-osmotic flow was prepared and opens up the possibility for understanding the contribution of electro-osmosis to transport phenomenon in native biological tissues.

Typical silicate bioactive glasses are known to crystallize readily during the processing of porous scaffolds. New borosilicate bioactive glass can be sintered without significant sign of crystallization.

Electrochemical deposition of dopamine-hyaluronic acid conjugates onto electrode surfaces can lead to preserved electrochemical activities and anti-biofouling properties of the electrodes.

This work describes the complex interplay between mechanical manipulation of coextruded fibers and the resulting photochemical yield of surface modification.

Biocompatible, synthetic hydrogels were formed and modified by photomediated oxime ligation with full spatiotemporal control.

Solvent evaporation parameters and ethanol content during PLGA/PLLA microparticle (MP) fabrication affect protein distribution and MP structure, thereby altering the protein release profiles.

Two types of thermo-sensitive DHBCs-based micelle prodrugs with drug tethered to the hydrophilic shell or encapsulated with the hydrophobic core was fabricated, and compared further for their drug delivery efficacy.

The biomineralisation of metal phosphates is a promising approach to develop more efficient nanobiocatalysts; elucidating which protein regions most likely participate in the mineral formation will guide the fabrication of more efficient biocatalysts based on metal-phosphate nanoflowers.

The synthetic potential of dynamic bond formation is introduced for the delivery of plasmid DNA by modulated amphiphilic peptides. The synthetic advantage of these dynamic bonds allowed the identification of improved reagents (better efficiency and lower toxicity) for plasmid transfection assays in human HeLa cells.

Redox-triggered biodegradable hybrid nanocapsules with the disulfide-bridged silsesquioxane framework were developed for promising drug delivery.

We demonstrate the rational design of a size changeable nanosystem triggered by intracellular GSH for enhanced retention and photodynamic activity.