Publications by authors named "Julia Caserto"
Automated delivery of insulin based on continuous glucose monitoring is revolutionizing the way insulin-dependent diabetes is treated. However, challenges remain for the widespread adoption of these systems, including the requirement of a separate glucose sensor, sophisticated electronics and algorithms, and the need for significant user input to operate these costly therapies. Herein, a user-centric glucose-responsive cannula is reported for electronics-free insulin delivery.
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- Cancer immunotherapies face challenges from metabolic changes in tumors and low immune response, particularly due to the effect of substances like kynurenine (Kyn) that suppress the immune system.
- A new treatment involving a hydrogel is introduced that releases both doxorubicin (a chemotherapy drug) to kill tumor cells and kynureninase to block Kyn's immunosuppressive effects.
- In mouse studies, this therapy not only enhances immune activity against the tumors but also shows promise in preventing tumor recurrence after surgical removal, suggesting a new way to improve cancer treatment effectiveness.
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- Adhesive hydrogels are being explored as a solution for treating gastric perforations, which are life-threatening and challenging to manage with current surgical techniques.
- The study presents a new hydrogel made from a combination of gelatin and poly-N-[Tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl]acrylamide, designed for easy application and effective sealing of gastric defects.
- Tests in a mouse model demonstrate that this hydrogel not only seals perforations but also aids in the regeneration of stomach lining, highlighting its potential as a valuable treatment option.
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- Encapsulation and transplantation of insulin-producing cells offer a potential cure for type 1 diabetes (T1D) without the need for immunosuppressive drugs, but existing biomaterials often cause harmful reactions that can hinder effectiveness.
- A new nanofibrous device has been developed, featuring a thin alginate hydrogel coating that reduces fibrotic responses and enhances mass transfer, allowing for better cell function.
- The device has shown promising results in long-term diabetes correction in mice and demonstrates the ability to scale and be retrieved, indicating its potential for clinical applications in T1D and other diseases.
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- * Researchers have developed an injectable hydrogel scaffold designed to enhance the immunogenicity of RBD by providing a prolonged release, leading to stronger antibody responses in mice compared to traditional injection methods.
- * This hydrogel not only serves as a reservoir for RBD but also activates immune responses, making it a promising and cost-effective approach for improving the effectiveness of RBD-based vaccines and potentially applicable to other diseases.
Biodegradable elastomers are important emerging biomaterials for biomedical applications, particularly in the area of soft-tissue engineering in which scaffolds need to match the physicochemical properties of native tissues. Here, we report novel fast photocurable elastomers with readily tunable mechanical properties, surface wettability, and degradability. These elastomers are prepared by a 5-min UV-irradiation of thiol-ene reaction systems of glycerol tripentenoate (GTP; a triene) or the combination of GTP and 4-pentenyl 4-pentenoate (PP; a diene) with a carefully chosen series of di- or tri-thiols.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiomaterial Applications in Islet Encapsulation and Transplantation.
ACS Appl Bio Mater
December 2020
The worldwide prevalence of type 1 diabetes motivates the development of different treatment options for the disease. Current clinical treatments typically require patient involvement, often resulting in stress or inconvenience to the patient due to frequent blood glucose measurements and insulin injections or infusions. Islet transplantation, a potentially curative treatment, is limited by donor availability and the need for long-term administration of immunosuppressants.
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- Researchers are investigating how nanoparticles behave in the body after being delivered through the bloodstream, focusing on the effectiveness of using cancer-specific antibodies for targeting versus not using them.
- In mouse models of breast cancer, it was found that the presence of immune cells, like dendritic cells and macrophages, affected how well antibody-labeled nanoparticles stayed in tumors, rather than the expected antibody-antigen interaction.
- The study revealed that nanoparticles can stimulate a robust immune response against tumors regardless of any therapeutic drugs they carry, highlighting the importance of the immune environment in cancer treatments and suggesting that nanoparticles might be useful in developing new cancer immunotherapies.
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- The study investigates the combined effects of hyperthermia and doxorubicin (Dox) on cancer cells, aiming to see if heat can enhance Dox's effectiveness by increasing its concentration inside the cells.
- Experiments were conducted using HCT116, HT29, and CT26 cell lines, exposing them to different combinations of Dox and heat to evaluate cell survival and drug levels.
- Results showed that simultaneous exposure to heat and Dox produced the strongest effects, particularly at lower Dox concentrations, but increased Dox levels alone did not explain the enhanced cell toxicity observed with the combination treatment.
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- Zwitterionic biodegradable nanocapsules (NCs) were created for cancer imaging using a polylactide-based diblock copolymer, which combined hydrophilic and hydrophobic elements to stabilize miniemulsions.
- The synthesis involved a "click" reaction that attached zwitterionic sulfobetaine and fluorescent dye Cy5.5 to one block of the copolymer, followed by cross-linking via UV-induced thiol-ene reactions, resulting in NCs with a hydrodynamic diameter of 136 nm.
- In vitro studies showed effective uptake by cancer cells, and in vivo imaging indicated longer circulation times compared to small molecule dyes, highlighting the potential of these