Dendritic Cell-Activating Magnetic Nanoparticles Enable Early Prediction of Antitumor Response with Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Cancer vaccines initiate antitumor responses in a subset of patients, but the lack of clinically meaningful biomarkers to predict treatment response limits their development. Here, we design multifunctional RNA-loaded magnetic liposomes to initiate potent antitumor immunity and function as an early biomarker of treatment response. These particles activate dendritic cells (DCs) more effectively than electroporation, leading to superior inhibition of tumor growth in treatment models.

Evaluation of magnetic nanoparticles for magnetic fluid hyperthermia.

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) generate heat when exposed to an alternating magnetic field. Consequently, MNPs are used for magnetic fluid hyperthermia (MFH) for cancer treatment, and have been shown to increase the efficacy of chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment in clinical trials. A downfall of current MFH treatment is the inability to deliver sufficient heat to the tumor due to: insufficient amounts of MNPs, unequal distribution of MNPs throughout the tumor, or heat loss to the surrounding environment.

DNA Aptamer Assembly as a Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor Agonist.

Controlling receptor-mediated processes in cells is paramount in many research areas. The activity of small molecules and growth factors is difficult to control and can lead to off-target effects through the activation of nonspecific receptors as well as binding affinity to nonspecific cell types. In this study, we report the development of a molecular trigger in the form of a divalent nucleic acid aptamer assembly toward vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR2).

Biocompatibility evaluation of porous ceria foams for orthopedic tissue engineering.

Ceria ceramics have the unique ability to protect cells from free radical-induced damage, making them materials of interest for biomedical applications. To expand upon the understanding of the potential of ceria as a biomaterial, porous ceria, fabricated via direct foaming, was investigated to assess its biocompatibility and its ability to scavenge free radicals. A mouse osteoblast (7F2) cell line was cultured with the ceria foams to determine the extent of the foams' toxicity.