Polymer-Encapsulated Aβ Peptide Fragments as an Oligomeric-Specific Vaccine for Alzheimer's Disease.

Vaccination is regarded as one of the most cost-effective and reliable methods for combating disease. We have developed a new method for an oligomeric Aβ-specific AD vaccination using polymer micelle-encapsulated peptide fragments, which overcome many problems of vaccination associated with the direct use of the Aβ1–42 peptide. We studied different encapsulated forms of shortened Aβ peptides with and without the entire T cell epitope in an APP/PS1 mouse model.

Encapsidated atom-transfer radical polymerization in Qβ virus-like nanoparticles.

Virus-like particles (VLPs) are unique macromolecular structures that hold great promise in biomedical and biomaterial applications. The interior of the 30 nm-diameter Qβ VLP was functionalized by a three-step process: (1) hydrolytic removal of endogenously packaged RNA, (2) covalent attachment of initiator molecules to unnatural amino acid residues located on the interior capsid surface, and (3) atom-transfer radical polymerization of tertiary amine-bearing methacrylate monomers. The resulting polymer-containing particles were moderately expanded in size; however, biotin-derivatized polymer strands were only very weakly accessible to avidin, suggesting that most of the polymer was confined within the protein shell.

Relative performance of alkynes in copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition.

Copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) has found numerous applications in a variety of fields. We report here only modest differences in the reactivity of various classes of terminal alkynes under typical bioconjugative and preparative organic conditions. Propargyl compounds represent an excellent combination of azide reactivity, ease of installation, and cost.

Photodynamic activity of viral nanoparticles conjugated with C60.

The development of viral nanoparticles (VNP) displaying multiple copies of the buckyball (C(60)) and their photodynamic activity is described. VNP-C(60) conjugates were assembled using click chemistry. Cell uptake and cell killing using white light therapy and a prostate cancer cell line is demonstrated.

Synergistic action of fibroblast growth factor-2 and transforming growth factor-beta1 enhances bioprinted human neocartilage formation.

Bioprinting as a promising but unexplored approach for cartilage tissue engineering has the advantages of high throughput, digital control, and highly accurate placement of cells and biomaterial scaffold to the targeted 3D locations with simultaneous polymerization. This study tested feasibility of using bioprinting for cartilage engineering and examined the influence of cell density, growth, and differentiation factors. Human articular chondrocytes were printed at various densities, stimulated transiently with growth factors and subsequently with chondrogenic factors.

Direct human cartilage repair using three-dimensional bioprinting technology.

Current cartilage tissue engineering strategies cannot as yet fabricate new tissue that is indistinguishable from native cartilage with respect to zonal organization, extracellular matrix composition, and mechanical properties. Integration of implants with surrounding native tissues is crucial for long-term stability and enhanced functionality. In this study, we developed a bioprinting system with simultaneous photopolymerization capable for three-dimensional (3D) cartilage tissue engineering.

Functional virus-based polymer-protein nanoparticles by atom transfer radical polymerization.

Viruses and virus-like particles (VLPs) are useful tools in biomedical research. Their defined structural attributes make them attractive platforms for engineered interactions over large molecular surface areas. In this report, we describe the use of VLPs as multivalent macroinitiators for atom transfer radical polymerization.

Buckyballs meet viral nanoparticles: candidates for biomedicine.

Fullerenes such as C(60) show promise as functional components in several emerging technologies. For biomedical applications, C(60) has been used in gene- and drug-delivery vectors, as imaging agents, and as photosensitizers in cancer therapy. A major drawback of C(60) for bioapplications is its insolubility in water.

Novel polymer capsules from amphiphilic graft copolymers and cross-metathesis.

We report the synthesis of polymer capsules from amphiphilic graft copolymers composed of reactive, hydrophobic polyolefin backbones and hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) grafts. The capsules are produced by self-assembly of the polymers at the oil-water interface, followed by cross-linking with bis-cyclooctene PEG derivatives. The fluorescence of these capsules results from integration of rhodamine B functionalized cyclooctene 1 into the polymer structure.