The engineering of advanced healthcare materials provides a platform to address challenges facing interdisciplinary scientists, clinicians, pharmacists, biomaterial scientists, and biomedical engineers. Niche, timely developments arising from the synthesis or extraction of more biocompatible materials, new biologically active components, clearer insights into disease mechanisms, and novel therapies provide several timely opportunities. These include enhanced therapies with greater patient compliance, improved disease targeting, better diagnosis, and bespoke medications for individuals. Electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) comprises several processes making use of electric fields interplaying with several forces. Coupled to advanced materials and specifically configured apparatuses, effective and controlled fabrication of various structures on various scales possessing various dimensions is readily achieved. The processes have distinct advantages compared to established engineering methods (ambient environment engineering, low shear, scalability, compartmentalization, etc.). This detailed review focuses on key concepts and developments in EHDA engineering pertaining to underlying principles, enabling tools and engineered structures specifically for healthcare remits. From initial experiments involving the behaviour of non‐formulated liquids on charged amber to recent developments in complex 3D matrix printing, the EHDA route has progressed significantly in the last two decades, and is capable of providing timely platform opportunities to tackle several global healthcare challenges.
Ganoderma lucidum triterpenoids (GLT) possess advantageous characteristics including antiinflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-cancer properties. In this study, a drug loaded core-shell fibrous system was engineered using the coaxial electrospinning method. The core comprised polycaprolactone and GTL whilst the shell contained polyethylene oxide with anti-cancer drug methotrexate. The morphology and structure, chemical composition, biocompatibility and in vitro release profile of the encapsulated GLT was assessed. Scanning electron microscopy images showed cylindrical fibers were developed whilst fluorescence microscopy confirmed the successful formation of core-shell fibers.Increasing GLT concentration from 2 wt% to 6 wt% resulted in an increase in mean fiber diameter from 2.29 ± 1.26 µm to 4.65 ± 2.30 µm, respectively. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry analysis all confirmed that both drugs were encapsulated in amorphous form while contact angle hysteresis showed engineered fibres to possess good hydrophilicity. In vitro drug release tests indicated the release of methotrexate (R 2 = 0.9941) and GLT (R 2 = 0.9924) were controlled by Fick Diffusion. In vitro cell culture experiments proved that the combined use of traditional Chinese medicine and current western medicine has good application prospects in the treatment of cervical cancer.
SARS-CoV-2 has affected people from all age groups, races and ethnicities. Given that many infected individuals are asymptomatic, they transmit the disease to others unknowingly, which has resulted in the spread of infection at an alarming rate. This review aims to provide an overview of the pathophysiology, preventive measures to reduce the disease spread, therapies currently in use, an update on vaccine development and opportunities for vaccine delivery. The World Health Organization has advised several precautions including social distancing, hand washing and the use of PPE including gloves and face masks for minimizing the spread of SARS-CoV-2 infection. At present, several antiviral therapies previously approved for other infections are being repositioned to study their efficacy against SARS-CoV-2. In addition, some medicines (i.e., remdesivir, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine) have received emergency use authorisation from the FDA. Plasma therapy has also been authorised for emergency use for the treatment of COVID-19 on a smaller scale. However, no vaccine has been approved so far against this virus. Nevertheless, several potential vaccine targets have been reported, and development of different types of vaccines including DNA, mRNA, viral vector, inactivated, subunit and vaccine-like particles is in process. It is concluded that a suitable candidate delivered through an advanced drug delivery approach would effectively boost the immune system against this coronavirus.
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