Category Archives: Nano Medicine

Eleven researchers working out of Hamilton's McMaster University have been awarded almost $3.3 million from the Federal Government for projects deemed to be "on the cutting edge of science andinnovation."

On Wednesday (Aug. 11), Francois-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, announced that more than $77 million had been earmarked to support 332 research infrastructure projects at 50 universities acrossCanada.

The funding, made possible through the Canada Foundation for Innovation's (CFI) John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF), is expected to help universities attract and retain topresearchers.

"From developing sustainable building materials to creating new laboratories based on Indigenous principles and community engagement, these awards support essential and urgent research," said CFI president and CEO Roseann O'Reilly Runte, in a pressrelease.

"With the necessary spaces and tools, Canada's researchers will play a meaningful role on the global stage and contribute significantly to the quality of life today and for generations tocome."

The more than $3 million going to Mac researchers will help advance their work in health, materials and electrificationresearch.

Projects at Mac that will benefit from the fundinginclude:

Faculty ofEngineering

Bilgen Berker, Electrical and Computer Engineering Project: An Acoustic Noise and Vibration Measurement Facility for Low-noise and High-efficiency Electric Motor DrivesAward:$200,000

Ryan Lewis, Engineering Physics Project: Advanced Epitaxial Nanostructures and Materials LaboratoryAward:$190,584

Zahra Keshavarz-Motamed, Mechanical Engineering Project: Developments of Diagnostic and Predictive Tools and Regulatory Device Testing Machines for Cardiovascular DiseasesAward:$185,000

Maureen Lagos Paredes, Materials Science & Engineering Project: Momentum-resolved EELS Spectroscopy of Beam-sensitive Nanoscale MaterialsAward:$387,788

Faculty of HealthSciences

Lisa Carlesso, Rehabilitation Science Project: Understanding Pain Mechanisms and Management in Neuromusculoskeletal RehabilitationAward:$129,000

Michael McGillion, Nursing Project: Improving Perioperative and canceR Outcomes Through Excellence and appliCation of Virtual Technologies (PROTECT) LabAward:$800,000

Ishac Nazy, Medicine Project: Investigating Novel Mechanisms in Immune-mediated Platelet DisordersAward:$160,000

Michael Surette, Medicine Project: Metagemomics and Genomics of the Microbiome, Infectious Disease and Host ResponseAward:$650,000

Faculty ofScience

Katherine Bujold, Chemistry & Chemical Biology Project: Establishment of Nucleic Acid Nanomedicine Laboratory at McMaster UniversityAward:$75,005

Katrina Choe, Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour Project: Neural Mechanisms Linking Autism-risk Genes with Impaired Social BehaviorAward:$400,000

Jeremy Walsh, Kinesiology Project: Integrative Psychophysiology Research LabAward:$100,000

A full list of research projects and funding recipients benefitting from this investment can be found on the CFI website.

Original post:
McMaster University researchers awarded more than $3M in Federal funds for projects - insauga.com

Newswise Green manufacturing is becoming an increasingly critical process across industries, propelled by a growing awareness of the negative environmental and health impacts associated with traditional practices. In the biomaterials industry, electrospinning is a universal fabrication method used around the world to produce nano- to microscale fibrous meshes that closely resemble native tissue architecture. The process, however, has traditionally used solvents that not only are environmentally hazardous but also pose a significant barrier to industrial scale-up, clinical translation, and, ultimately, widespread use.

Researchers atColumbia Engineeringreport that they have developed a "green electrospinning" process that addresses many of the challenges to scaling up this fabrication method, from managing the environmental risks of volatile solvent storage and disposal at large volumes to meeting health and safety standards during both fabrication and implementation. The teams newstudy, published June 28, 2021, by Biofabrication, details how they have modernized the nanofiber fabrication of widely utilized biological and synthetic polymers (e.g. poly--hydroxyesters, collagen), polymer blends, and polymer-ceramic composites.

The study also underscores the superiority of green manufacturing. The groups green fibers exhibited exceptional mechanical properties and preserved growth factor bioactivity relative to traditional fiber counterparts, which is essential for drug delivery and tissue engineering applications.

Regenerative medicine is a $156 billion global industry, one that is growing exponentially. The team of researchers, led byHelen H. Lu, Percy K. and Vida L.W. Hudson Professor ofBiomedical Engineering, wanted to address the challenge of establishing scalable green manufacturing practices for biomimetic biomaterials and scaffolds used in regenerative medicine.

We think this is a paradigm shift in biofabrication, and will accelerate the translation of scalable biomaterials and biomimetic scaffolds for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, said Lu, a leader in research on tissue interfaces, particularly the design of biomaterials and therapeutic strategies for recreating the bodys natural synchrony between tissues. Green electrospinning not only preserves the composition, chemistry, architecture, and biocompatibility of traditionally electrospun fibers, but it also improves their mechanical properties by doubling the ductility of traditional fibers without compromising yield or ultimate tensile strength. Our work provides both a more biocompatible and sustainable solution for scalable nanomaterial fabrication.

The team, which included several BME doctoral students from Lus group, Christopher Mosher PhD20 and Philip Brudnicki, as well as Theanne Schiros, an expert in eco-conscious textile synthesis who is also a research scientist at Columbia MRSEC and assistant professor at FIT, applied sustainability principles to biomaterial production, and developed a green electrospinning process by systematically testing what the FDA considers as biologically benign solvents (Q3C Class 3).

They identified acetic acid as a green solvent that exhibits low ecological impact (Sustainable Minds Life Cycle Assessment) and supports a stable electrospinning jet under routine fabrication conditions. By tuning electrospinning parameters, such as needle-plate distance and flow rate, the researchers were able to ameliorate the fabrication of research and industry-standard biomedical polymers, cutting the detrimental manufacturing impacts of the electrospinning process by three to six times.

Green electrospun materials can be used in a broad range of applications. Lus team is currently working on further innovating these materials for orthopaedic and dental applications, and expanding this eco-conscious fabrication process for scalable production of regenerative materials.

"Biofabrication has been referred to as the fourth industrial revolution' following steam engines, electrical power, and the digital age for automating mass production, noted Mosher, the studys first author. This work is an important step towards developing sustainable practices in the next generation of biomaterials manufacturing, which has become paramount amidst the global climate crisis."

###

The study is titled Green electrospinning for biomaterials and biofabrication.

Authors are: Christopher Z. Mosher (A), Philip A.P. Brudnickia (A), Zhengxiang Gonga (A), Hannah R. Childs (A), Sang Won Lee (A),Romare M. Antrobus (A)Elisa C. Fang (A), Theanne N. Schiros (B,C)and Helen H. Lu (A,B)

A. Biomaterials and Interface Tissue Engineering Laboratory, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Columbia University

B. Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Columbia University

C. Science and Mathematics Department, Fashion Institute of Technology

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH-NIAMS 1R01-AR07352901A), the New York State Stem Cell ESSC Board (NYSTEM C029551), the DoD CDMRP award (W81XWH-15- 1-0685), and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (DGE-1644869, CZM). The CD analysis system was supported by NIH grant 1S10OD025102-01, and TNS was supported as part of the NSF MRSEC program through Columbia in the Center for Precision Assembly of Superstratic and Superatomic Solids (DMR-1420634).

The authors declare no competing interest.

Columbia Engineering

Columbia Engineering, based in New York City, is one of the top engineering schools in the U.S. and one of the oldest in the nation. Also known as The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School expands knowledge and advances technology through the pioneering research of its more than 220 faculty, while educating undergraduate and graduate students in a collaborative environment to become leaders informed by a firm foundation in engineering. The Schools faculty are at the center of the Universitys cross-disciplinary research, contributing to the Data Science Institute, Earth Institute, Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute, Precision Medicine Initiative, and the Columbia Nano Initiative. Guided by its strategic vision, Columbia Engineering for Humanity, the School aims to translate ideas into innovations that foster a sustainable, healthy, secure, connected, and creative humanity.

Link:
"Greening Biomaterials and Scaffolds Used in Regenerative Medicine - Newswise

Engineer Kathryn A. Whitehead takes us down to the nano level to break down how lipid nanoparticles could revolutionize the way vaccines our delivered to our bodys cells. She speaks at TEDMonterey: The Case for Optimism on August 2, 2021. (Photo: Bret Hartman / TED)

The central topic of Session 3 is, surely, on many of our minds: health. From the technology powering the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to new Alzheimers treatment possibilities, these amazing speakers give a glimpse at exciting new frontiers of medicine. Plus, an artist drawing live onstage!

The event: TEDMonterey: Session 3, hosted by TEDs Chris Anderson on Monday, August 2, 2021

Speakers: Uur ahin, zlem Treci, Kathryn Whitehead, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, Ian Kerner, Li-Huei Tsai, Nabiha Saklayen

The talks in brief:

Uur ahin and zlem Treci, cofounders of BioNTech

Big idea: When COVID-19 first reared its many-crowned head in January of 2020, immunologists zlem Treci and Uur ahin saw an opportunity to develop a vaccine at light speed, using revolutionary mRNA technology to turn the bodys own immune system into a COVID-fighting factory.

How? Treci and ahins development of the first approved COVID-19 vaccine impacted the lives of millions if not billions of people worldwide, who were previously defenseless against the deadliest virus to hit humanity in a century. The husband-and-wife team had started their firm BioNTech as a way to bypass the glacial channels of traditional research, and thus were uniquely suited to bring a vaccine to market quickly. Their revolutionary approach used messenger RNA (mRNA) to address the bodys immune system at the cellular level, compiling chemical source code to teach cells how to produce antibodies personalized to each patient. As Treci puts it: mRNA strands are the generals which call all the different special forces and train them on the wanted poster of the attackers. And far from being effective only against COVID-19, mRNA therapy offers the promise of individually adaptable treatments for a variety of cellular disorders, including cancer.

Kathryn A. Whitehead, engineer, teacher, innovator

Big idea: Messenger RNA (or mRNA) is about to change the world forever.

How? After years of research, Kathryn A. Whitehead and her team have finally created the perfect vehicle for delivering life-saving yet delicate mRNA information through vaccines: lipid nanoparticles. She takes us down to the nano level to break down this fatty packaging into its four key ingredients: phospholipids, cholesterol, ionizable lipids and a polymer called PEG. These components make up the ideal shipping materials for delivering life-saving vaccines to our bodys cells. Amazingly, her work is paving the way for mRNA therapies that can treat or cure diseases that have unrelentingly plagued us, including cancer, Type 1 diabetes, muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis as well as the flu, malaria, Ebola, Zika and HIV. As she puts it: mRNA therapies are going to usher in a new era of medicine in human health forever, and its all thanks to these fatty little balls that deliver this miracle medicine to exactly where it needs to go.

Jarrett J. Krosoczka delights the crowd with live drawing presentation paired with a poignant autobiographical journey. He speaks at TEDMonterey: The Case for Optimism on August 2, 2021 (Photo: Bret Hartman / TED)

Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author, illustrator

Big idea: Stories keep people alive and help us remember, share and process the human experience.

How? Equipped with sheets of paper and a mug full of markers, Jarrett J. Krosoczka takes us on an autobiographical journey during a live drawing presentation. He begins by drawing his younger self surrounded by his grandfather and the ancestors he was introduced to through family stories. Krosoczka used his sketchbook as a means of escape from the chaos of his upbringing and as a way to connect with his incarcerated mother, who was also an artist. As a teenager, he volunteered at a camp for children with cancer, befriending a four-year-old boy named Eric who had recently been diagnosed with Leukemia. Krosoczkas drawing of Eric is vibrant, depicting the boy with a Power Rangers sword in hand and a huge grin. Krosoczka shares the difficulties of recounting his experience at the camp in his graphic memoir, Sunshine, and how its creation forced him to come face-to-face with unspoken losses. While this can be painful, he explains, stories are an opportunity to understand the human experience, deal with absence and bring loved ones back to life on the page.

Ian Kerner, psychotherapist

Big idea: If youre experiencing a lack of sexual desire, increasing psychological stimulation can help boost feelings of arousal.

How? Failure to launch, or the inability to build and maintain sexual momentum, is a common problem plaguing the couples who work with sex therapist Ian Kerner. His solution? An arousal runway of psychological stimulation. In other words, he suggests getting the mind in on the action before anything physical begins. For couples dealing with shame around sex, he recommends starting with side-to-side experiences like listening to a sexy podcast together or reading literary erotica aloud. Other couples might try face-to-face experiences, such as sharing sexual fantasies to bring some psychological stimuli back into the relationship. After a year spent in a pandemic (and in our pajamas), Kerner reminds us that if were not feeling super sexy, theres nothing wrong with our libidos we just need to try some new strategies to get the sparks flying.

Li-Huei Tsai, professor, neuroscientist

Big idea: A promising approach to Alzheimers and dementia treatment lies in a mind-blowing (or rather, mind-healing) application of gamma wave stimulation.

How? Of the many signals that fire our synapses, the brain relies on gamma frequencies, or waves, to coordinate cellular activity and keep everything in sync. So when these specific brain waves become weaker, it is often an early indication of dementia or Alzheimers. In seeking to understand and treat this degenerative disease, Li-Huei Tsai and her team asked an intriguing question and found promising answers: What if we artificially boosted the brains gamma waves? They started with mice and, through light and sound stimulation carrying the gamma frequency, discovered profound benefits, such as improved memory and less brain decay. But as Tsai says, mice are nice but people are the point. Now theyre testing on humans with an at-home device that emits the same gamma output and the results, so far, are exciting: reduced brain atrophy, improved mental function and increased synchrony. While its early days and theres still work to be done, shes already seeing a lot of evidence that this approach seems safe and that humans tolerate gamma wave stimulation well meaning this non-invasive treatment could prove accessible for those who need it and usher in a better world and brighter future for everyone.

Nabiha Saklayen, biotech entrepreneur

Big idea: The future of regenerative medicine is personalized.

How? What if diseases could be treated with a patients own cells precisely and on demand? This may sound like science fiction, but through personalized, stem-cell-derived therapies, Nabiha Saklayen says this future is closer than we think. How could this work? The answer lies in automation through machine learning. Currently, stem cells are painstakingly difficult (and expensive) to engineer, requiring scientists to manually remove unwanted cells from stem cell cultures. Saklayen describes how we could leverage physics, biology and algorithms to scale up an alternative, affordable approach gathering the perfect culture of your own personal stem cells by utilizing the precision of a computer. Imagining a revolution in personalized pharmaceuticals, forecasts a world where every person could have a personalized bank of these cells to be used as needed.

Read more:
Well, well, well! Notes from Session 3 of TEDMonterey - TED Blog

Researchers from The University of Manchester and Harvard University have collaborated on a pioneering project in bioengineering, producing metal-free, hydrogel electrodes that flex to fit the complex shapes inside the human body.

Replacing rigid metals

Tringides and Mooney, in collaboration with the Nanomedicine Lab in Manchester, identified a mixture of graphene flakes and carbon nanotubes as the best conductive filler, replacing the use of traditional rigid metals.

Cinzia Casiraghi, Professor of Nanoscience from the NGI and Department of Chemistry at Manchester, said: "This work demonstrates that high-quality graphene dispersions - made in water by a simple process based on a molecule that one can buy from any chemical supply - have strong potential in bioelectronics. We are very interested in exploiting our graphene (and other 2D materials) inks in this field."

Collaborative effort

Kostas Kostarelos, Professor of Nanomedicine and leader of the Nanomedicine Lab, added: "This truly collaborative effort between three institutions is a step forward in the development of softer, more adaptable and electroactive devices, where traditional technologies based on bulk and rigid materials cannot be applied to soft tissues such as the brain."

Source: University of Manchester

Top image source: Wyss Institute at Harvard University

More:
'Soft' Graphene-Containing Electrodes That Adapt to Living Tissue - Printed Electronics World

Xu M, Yao C, Zhang W, Gao S, Zou H, Gao J. Int J Nanomedicine. 2021;16:27352749.

The authors have advised the Acknowledgment statement on page 2748 is incorrect. The acknowledgment section should read as follows:

The authors acknowledge the formulation for the docetaxel in Poly(2-oxazoline) micelles previously developed and published by the Kabanov lab with reference to Seo Y, Schulz A, Han Y, et al. Poly (2-oxazoline) block copolymer based formulations of taxanes: effect of copolymer and drug structure, concentration, and environmental factors. Polym Adv Technol. 2015;26(7):837850 (https://doi.org/10.1002/pat.3556).24 The current article reports the authors original research evaluating this polymeric micelle formulation of docetaxel in their own animal models. Dr Jing Gao wishes to acknowledge her time spent as a visiting scholar to the Kabanov lab at UNC-Chapel Hill from 2013-2014. This study was supported by Military Medical Innovation Project (16CXZ032), National Science and Technology Major Projects for Major New Drugs Innovation and Development (No. 2018ZX09J18107-003, 2018ZX0 9721003-005-009) and NSFC projects (No. 81773278, 81702491).

Read the original article

This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License.By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.

Read more:
Corrigendum for the article Anti-Cancer Activity Based on the High Doc | IJN - Dove Medical Press

DUBLIN, May 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Nanobiotechnologies - Applications, Markets & Companies" report from Jain PharmaBiotech has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Nanobiotechnology, an integration of physical sciences, molecular engineering, biology, chemistry and biotechnology holds considerable promise of advances in pharmaceuticals and healthcare.

The report starts with an introduction to various techniques and materials that are relevant to nanobiotechnology. It includes some of the physical forms of energy such as nanolasers. Some of the technologies are scaling down such as microfluidics to nanofluidic biochips and others are constructions from bottom up. Application in life sciences research, particularly at the cell level sets the stage for the role of nanobiotechnology in healthcare in subsequent chapters.

Some of the earliest applications are in molecular diagnostics. Nanoparticles, particularly quantum dots, are playing important roles. In-vitro diagnostics, does not have any of the safety concerns associated with the fate of nanoparticles introduced into the human body. Numerous nanodevices and nanosystems for sequencing single molecules of DNA are feasible. Various nanodiagnostics that have been reviewed will improve the sensitivity and extend the present limits of molecular diagnostics.

An increasing use of nanobiotechnology by the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries is anticipated. Nanotechnology will be applied at all stages of drug development - from formulations for optimal delivery to diagnostic applications in clinical trials. Many of the assays based on nanobiotechnology will enable high-throughput screening. Some of nanostructures such as fullerenes are themselves, drug candidates, as they allow precise grafting of active chemical groups in three-dimensional orientations.

The most important pharmaceutical applications are in drug delivery. Apart from offering a solution to solubility problems, nanobiotechnology provides and intracellular delivery possibilities. Skin penetration is improved in transdermal drug delivery. A particularly effective application is as nonviral gene therapy vectors. Nanotechnology has the potential to provide controlled release devices with autonomous operation guided by the needs.

Nanomedicine is now within the realm of reality starting with nanodiagnostics and drug delivery facilitated by nanobiotechnology. Miniature devices such as nanorobots could carry out integrated diagnosis and therapy by refined and minimally invasive procedures, nanosurgery, as an alternative to crude surgery. Applications of nanobiotechnology are described according to various therapeutic systems. Nanotechnology will markedly improve the implants and tissue engineering approaches as well.

Of the over 1,000 clinical trials of nanomedicines, approximately 100 are selected and tabulated in major therapeutic areas. Other applications such as for management of biological warfare injuries and poisoning are included. Contribution of nanobiotechnology to nutrition and public health such as the supply of purified water are also included.

There is some concern about the safety of nanoparticles introduced in the human body and released into the environment. Research is underway to address these issues. As yet there are no FDA directives to regulate nanobiotechnology but as products are ready to enter the market, these are expected to be in place.

Future nanobiotechnology markets are calculated on the basis of the background markets in the areas of application and the share of this market by new technologies and state of development at any given year in the future. This is based on a comprehensive and thorough review of the current status of nanobiotechnology, research work in progress and anticipated progress.

There is a definite indication of large growth of the market but it will be uneven and cannot be plotted as a steady growth curve. Marketing estimates are given according to areas of application, technologies and geographical distribution starting with 2020. The largest expansion is expected between the years 2024 and 2030.

Profiles of 252 companies, out of over 500 involved in this area, are included in the last chapter along with their 185 collaborations. The report is supplemented with 51 Tables, 32 figures and 800 references to the literature.

The report contains information on the following:

Key Topics Covered:

Part One: Applications & Markets

Executive Summary

1. Introduction

2. Nanotechnologies

3. Nanotechnologies for Basic Research Relevant to Medicine

4. Nanomolecular Diagnostics

5. Nanopharmaceuticals

6. Role of Nanotechnology in Biological Therapies

7. Nanodevices & Techniques for Clinical Applications

8. Nanooncology

9. Nanoneurology

10. Nanocardiology

11. Nanopulmonology

12. Nanoorthopedics

13. Nanoophthalmology

14. Nanomicrobiology

15. Miscellaneous Healthcare Applications of Nanobiotechnology

16. Nanobiotechnology and Personalized Medicine

17. Nanotoxicology

18. Ethical and Regulatory Aspects of Nanomedicine

19. Research and Future of Nanomedicine

20. Nanobiotechnology Markets

21. References

Part Two: Companies

22. Nanobiotech Companies

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/wk4qzo

Media Contact:

Research and Markets Laura Wood, Senior Manager [emailprotected]

For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900

U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

SOURCE Research and Markets

http://www.researchandmarkets.com

More:
Global Nanobiotechnologies Markets Report 2021: Comprehensive and Thorough Review of the Current Status of Nanobiotechnology, Research Work in...