Hedgehog Pathway Inhibition by Novel Small Molecules Impairs Melanoma Cell Migration and Invasion under Hypoxia.

Melanoma is the principal cause of death in skin cancer due to its ability to invade and cause metastasis. Hypoxia, which characterises the tumour microenvironment (TME), plays an important role in melanoma development, as cancer cells can adapt and acquire a more aggressive phenotype. Carbonic anhydrases (CA) activity, involved in pH regulation, is related to melanoma cell migration and invasion.

SERS-based methods for the detection of genomic biomarkers of cancer.

Genomic biomarkers of cancer are based on changes in nucleic acids, which include abnormal expression levels of some miRNAs, point mutations in DNA sequences, and altered levels of DNA methylation. The presence of tumor-related nucleic acids in body fluids (blood, saliva, or urine) makes it possible to achieve a non-invasive early-stage cancer diagnosis. Currently existing techniques for the discovery of nucleic acids require complex, time-consuming, costly assays and have limited multiplexing abilities.

Photo-elasticity of silk fibroin harnessing whispering gallery modes.

Silk fibroin is an important biomaterial for photonic devices in wearable systems. The functionality of such devices is inherently influenced by the stimulation from elastic deformations, which are mutually coupled through photo-elasticity. Here, we investigate the photo-elasticity of silk fibroin employing optical whispering gallery mode resonation of light at the wavelength of 1550 nm.

Metal Ion and Guest-Mediated Spontaneous Resolution and Solvent-Induced Chiral Symmetry Breaking in Guanine-Based Metallosupramolecular Networks.

Two-dimensional (2D) chirality has been actively studied in view of numerous applications of chiral surfaces such as in chiral resolutions and enantioselective catalysis. Here, we report on the expression and amplification of chirality in hybrid 2D metallosupramolecular networks formed by a nucleobase derivative. Self-assembly of a guanine derivative appended with a pyridyl node was studied at the solution-graphite interface in the presence and absence of coordinating metal ions.