Biomedical application of nanotechnology is a rapidly developing area that raises new prospect in the improvement of diagnosis and treatment of human diseases. The ability to incorporate drugs or genes into a functionalized nanoparticle demonstrates a new era in pharmacotherapy for delivering drugs or genes selectively to tissues or cells. It is envisioned that the transfer of nanoengineering capability into disease therapy will provide constant and concentrated drug delivery to targeted tissues, minimizing systemic side effects and toxicity. We have in this article highlighted the recent state of the art in nanomedicine, focusing particularly on the achievement of nanotechnology in nanoscale drug and gene delivery in vitro and in vivo. In addition, a specific emphasis has been placed on the use of nanotechnology to improve controlled drug release and sustainable drug delivery in solid tumors and on new drug therapies for age-related neurodegenerative disorders.Nanotechnology focuses on the design, synthesis, characterization, and application of materials and devices at the nano scale. Application of nanotechnology to medicine led to the emergence of a new area called "nanomedicine", which employs molecular knowledge to address medical problems and maintain and improve human health (1). The scope of the rapid progress in nanomedicine ranges from in vivo imaging and diagnosis to therapeutics such as drug delivery and gene therapy. One of the most attractive applications of nanotechnology is its ability to significantly improve the sensitivity of biosensors. For example, nanoparticle (NP)-based assay has been demonstrated to be able to detect proteins in the attomolar concentration range, a magnitude of six orders lower than concentrations detected by ELISA (2). This improvement will allow early detection of many diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases, saving millions of lives through the prevention and early treatment of these diseases.Another promising technique developed based on nanotechnology is the nanodrug and/or gene delivery system. This new technology provides greater potential for many applications, including anti-tumor therapy by targeted delivery of therapeutic agents to tumors. Cancer treatment represents an enormous biomedical challenge for drug delivery. The unique properties of cancer require the development of a multifunctional drug delivery system that can be efficiently manufactured to target subtle molecular alterations that distinguish a cancer cell from healthy cells in the body (3). A NP-mediated drug delivery system can significantly eliminate drug or drug carrier side effects. A good example is the first biologically interactive agent, albumin-bound paclitaxel, an anti-cancer drug. ABI 007 is encapsulated in a 130 nm NP, designed to avoid solvent-related toxicities and to deliver paclitaxel to tumors via molecular pathways involving an endothelial cell-surface albumin receptor and an albumin-binding protein expressed by tumor cells. The paclitaxel is then secreted into the tu...

The accumulation of amyloid ␤ peptide(1-42) (A␤(1-42)) in extracellular plaques is one of the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer disease (AD). Several studies have suggested that cellular reuptake of A␤(1-42) may be a crucial step in its cytotoxicity, but the uptake mechanism is not yet understood. A␤ may be present in an aggregated form prior to cellular uptake. Alternatively, monomeric peptide may enter the endocytic pathway and conditions in the endocytic compartments may induce the aggregation process. Our study aims to answer the question whether aggregate formation is a prerequisite or a consequence of A␤ endocytosis. We visualized aggregate formation of fluorescently labeled A␤(1-42) and tracked its internalization by human neuroblastoma cells and neurons. ␤-Sheet-rich A␤(1-42) aggregates entered the cells at low nanomolar concentration of A␤(1-42). In contrast, monomer uptake faced a concentration threshold and occurred only at concentrations and time scales that allowed A␤(1-42) aggregates to form. By uncoupling membrane binding from internalization, we found that A␤(1-42) monomers bound rapidly to the plasma membrane and formed aggregates there. These structures were subsequently taken up and accumulated in endocytic vesicles. This process correlated with metabolic inhibition. Our data therefore imply that the formation of ␤-sheet-rich aggregates is a prerequisite for A␤(1-42) uptake and cytotoxicity.One of the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer disease (AD) 2 is the presence of extracellular plaques composed mainly of 42-amino acid amyloid ␤ peptide (A␤(1-42)) (1). The small hydrophobic A␤(1-42) peptide, which is generated by proteolytic cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein, is released as a monomer from the plasma membrane into extracellular space, and tends to aggregate spontaneously into oligomeric, protofibrillar, and fibrillar assemblies (2-4). Oligomeric species of A␤(1-42) are tightly linked to AD pathogenesis and are presumed to be the cause of neuronal damage (5). Several studies have suggested that the reuptake of extracellular A␤(1-42) into neurons may lead to the formation of intracellular aggregates, resulting in neuronal damage and neurotoxicity (6 -8). Endocytosis of misfolded proteins has also been observed in cell models of the tau protein, ␣-synuclein and huntingtin (9, 10), and recent evidence suggests that it may be the initial step in the replication of the misfolded protein structures by prion mechanisms (10 -14). Several possible endocytic pathways, such as macropinocytosis and receptor-mediated endocytosis, have been discussed for A␤ and other misfolded protein aggregates (15-19). However, our understanding of the connection between aggregation and cytotoxicity is still limited. It has not been conclusively determined how and when the A␤(1-42) peptide becomes toxic, whether A␤ aggregates prior to internalization or during the internalization process and, if so, in which intracellular compartments the aggregates form. Elucidating the connection between aggregation and i...

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting enables the creation of tissue constructs with heterogeneous compositions and complex architectures. It was initially used for preparing scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. It has recently been adopted to create living tissues, such as cartilage, skin, and heart valve. To facilitate vascularization, hollow channels have been created in the hydrogels by 3D bioprinting. This review discusses the state of the art of the technology, along with a broad range of biomaterials used for 3D bioprinting. It provides an update on recent developments in bioprinting and its applications. 3D bioprinting has profound impacts on biomedical research and industry. It offers a new way to industrialize tissue biofabrication. It has great potential for regenerating tissues and organs to overcome the shortage of organ transplantation.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells have the potential to become an unlimited cell source for cell replacement therapy. The realization of this potential, however, depends on the availability of culture methods that are robust, scalable, and use chemically defined materials. Despite significant advances in hiPSC technologies, the expansion of hiPSCs relies upon the use of animal-derived extracellular matrix extracts, such as Matrigel, which raises safety concerns over the use of these products. In this work, we investigated the feasibility of expanding and differentiating hiPSCs on a chemically defined, xeno-free synthetic peptide substrate, i.e. Corning Synthemax® Surface. We demonstrated that the Synthemax Surface supports the attachment, spreading, and proliferation of hiPSCs, as well as hiPSCs’ lineage-specific differentiation. hiPSCs colonies grown on Synthemax Surfaces exhibit less spread and more compact morphology compared to cells grown on Matrigel™. The cytoskeleton characterization of hiPSCs grown on the Synthemax Surface revealed formation of denser actin filaments in the cell-cell interface. The down-regulation of vinculin and up-regulation of zyxin expression were also observed in hiPSCs grown on the Synthemax Surface. Further examination of cell-ECM interaction revealed that hiPSCs grown on the Synthemax Surface primarily utilize αvβ5 integrins to mediate attachment to the substrate, whereas multiple integrins are involved in cell attachment to Matrigel. Finally, hiPSCs can be maintained undifferentiated on the Synthemax Surface for more than ten passages. These studies provide a novel approach for expansion of hiPSCs using synthetic peptide engineered surface as a substrate to avoid a potential risk of contamination and lot-to-lot variability with animal derived materials.

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