Development of a Nanohybrid Peptide Hydrogel for Enhanced Intervertebral Disc Repair and Regeneration.

Effective therapeutic approaches to overcome the heterogeneous pro-inflammatory and inhibitory extracellular matrix (ECM) microenvironment are urgently needed to achieve robust structural and functional repair of severely wounded fibrocartilaginous tissues. Herein we developed a dynamic and multifunctional nanohybrid peptide hydrogel (NHPH) through hierarchical self-assembly of peptide amphiphile modified with biodegradable two-dimensional nanomaterials with enzyme-like functions. NHPH is not only injectable, biocompatible, and biodegradable but also therapeutic by catalyzing the scavenging of pro-inflammatory reactive oxygen species and promoting ECM remodeling.

Advanced theragnostics for the central nervous system (CNS) and neurological disorders using functional inorganic nanomaterials.

Various types of inorganic nanomaterials are capable of diagnostic biomarker detection and the therapeutic delivery of a disease or inflammatory modulating agent. Those multi-functional nanomaterials have been utilized to treat neurodegenerative diseases and central nervous system (CNS) injuries in an effective and personalized manner. Even though many nanomaterials can deliver a payload and detect a biomarker of interest, only a few studies have yet to fully utilize this combined strategy to its full potential.

Ultrasensitive Electrochemical Detection of Mutated Viral RNAs with Single-Nucleotide Resolution Using a Nanoporous Electrode Array (NPEA).

The detection of nucleic acids and their mutation derivatives is vital for biomedical science and applications. Although many nucleic acid biosensors have been developed, they often require pretreatment processes, such as target amplification and tagging probes to nucleic acids. Moreover, current biosensors typically cannot detect sequence-specific mutations in the targeted nucleic acids.

Predictive Biophysical Cue Mapping for Direct Cell Reprogramming Using Combinatorial Nanoarrays.

Biophysical cues, such as nanotopographies of extracellular matrix (ECM), are key cell regulators for direct cell reprogramming. Therefore, high-throughput methods capable of systematically screening a wide range of biophysical cue-regulated cell reprogramming are increasingly needed for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Here, we report the development of a dynamic laser interference lithography (DIL) to generate large-scale combinatorial biophysical cue (CBC) arrays with diverse micro/nanostructures at higher complexities than most current arrays.

Effective Modulation of CNS Inhibitory Microenvironment using Bioinspired Hybrid-Nanoscaffold-Based Therapeutic Interventions.

Central nervous system (CNS) injuries are often debilitating, and most currently have no cure. This is due to the formation of a neuroinhibitory microenvironment at injury sites, which includes neuroinflammatory signaling and non-permissive extracellular matrix (ECM) components. To address this challenge, a viscous interfacial self-assembly approach, to generate a bioinspired hybrid 3D porous nanoscaffold platform for delivering anti-inflammatory molecules and establish a favorable 3D-ECM environment for the effective suppression of the neuroinhibitory microenvironment, is developed.