Generation and analysis of 3D cell culture models for drug discovery.

Successful preclinical drug testing relies in part on data generated using in vitro cell culture models that recapitulate the structure and function of tumours and other tissues in vivo. The growing evidence that 3D cell models can more accurately predict the efficacy of drug responses compared to traditionally utilised 2D cell culture systems has led to continuous scientific and technological advances that enable better physiologically representative in vitro modelling of in vivo tissues. This review will provide an overview of the utility of current 3D cell models from a drug screening perspective and explore the future of 3D cell models for drug discovery applications.

Surface roughness influences the protein corona formation of glycosylated nanoparticles and alter their cellular uptake.

Recently the role of protein absorption in nanoparticle drug delivery has gathered significant attention as the protein corona can significantly decide on the fate of nanoparticles in the body. Although it is known that the surface chemistry will significantly influence the amount and type of bound protein, there is little known about the effect of surface roughness and surface topography on the interaction. In this work, we show how patchy nanoparticles can noticeably reduce the adsorption of proteins compared to spherical nanoparticles with a smooth surface as demonstrated using six ABC triblock terpolymers based on glucose, mannose and galactose.

Echocardiographic evaluation of inferior vena cava wall motion and pulmonary flow velocity responses to sublingual nifedipine.

Echocardiographic and cardiac catheterization were used to test the effect of Nifedipine, sublingually administered, on the right heart function and pulmonary flow velocity and pressure in 25 cases. Systolic and mean pulmonary pressure, wedge pressure, mean right atrial and ventricular end-diastolic pressure, aortic pressure, and total pulmonary resistance decreased after Nifedipine in 10 patients who underwent diagnostic cardiac catheterization. While pulmonary flow velocity, expressed as the slope of the contrast echo lines on the pulmonary valve, increased as a mean value after Nifedipine, it showed different behaviour in single cases and thus failed to provide any reliable conclusion as to the effect of Nifedipine.