Cellular Export Fate of Liposomal Spherical Nucleic Acids.

Liposomal spherical nucleic acids (LSNAs) are useful structures for oligonucleotide-based cell modulation because of their biocompatibility and ability to readily enter cells without transfection agents. Understanding LSNA trafficking is key to developing applications, but while much is understood about LSNA cell uptake, little is known about their export fate. Here, we study LSNA export through pulse-chase studies with fluorophore-labeled LSNAs.

Diagnosis of LVAD Thrombus using a High-Avidity Fibrin-Specific Tc Probe.

Treatment of advanced heart failure with implantable LVADs is increasing, driven by profound unmet patient need despite potential serious complications: bleeding, infection, and thrombus. The experimental objective was to develop a sensitive imaging approach to assess early thrombus accumulation in LVADs under operational high flow and high shear rates. : A monomeric bifunctional ligand with a fibrin-specific peptide, a short spacer, and Tc chelating amino acid sequence (F1A) was developed and compared to its tetrameric PEG analogue (F4A).

Anti-angiogenic Nanotherapy Inhibits Airway Remodeling and Hyper-responsiveness of Dust Mite Triggered Asthma in the Brown Norway Rat.

Although angiogenesis is a hallmark feature of asthmatic inflammatory responses, therapeutic anti-angiogenesis interventions have received little attention. Assess the effectiveness of anti-angiogenic Sn2 lipase-labile prodrugs delivered via αβ-micellar nanotherapy to suppress microvascular expansion, bronchial remodeling, and airway hyper-responsiveness in Brown Norway rats exposed to serial house dust mite (HDM) inhalation challenges. Anti-neovascular effectiveness of αβ-mixed micelles incorporating docetaxel-prodrug (Dxtl-PD) or fumagillin-prodrug (Fum-PD) were shown to robustly suppress neovascular expansion (p<0.

Autophagy in breast cancer and its implications for therapy.

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process of cellular self-digestion that serves as a mechanism to clear damaged organelles and recycle nutrients. Since autophagy can promote cell survival as well as cell death, it has been linked to different human pathologies, including cancer. Although mono-allelic deletion of autophagy-related gene BECN1 in breast tumors originally indicated a tumor suppressive role for autophagy in breast cancer, the intense research during the last decade suggests a role for autophagy in tumor progression.