Identification of Quiescent Cells in a Zebrafish T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Model Using Cell Proliferation Staining.

Cellular quiescence is a state of growth arrest or slowed proliferation that is described in normal and cancer stem cells (CSCs). Quiescence may protect CSCs from antiproliferative chemotherapy drugs. In T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse models, quiescent cells are associated with treatment resistance and stemness.

Zebrafish drug screening identifies Erlotinib as an inhibitor of Wnt/β-catenin signaling and self-renewal in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The Wnt/β-catenin pathway's significance in cancer initiation, progression, and stem cell biology underscores its therapeutic potential. However, the clinical application of Wnt inhibitors remains limited due to challenges posed by off-target effects and complex cross-talk of Wnt signaling with other pathways. In this study, we leveraged a zebrafish model to perform a robust and rapid drug screening of 773 FDA-approved compounds to identify Wnt/β-catenin inhibitors with minimal toxicity.

Zebrafish Drug Screening Identifies Erlotinib as an Inhibitor of Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling and Self-Renewal in T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Unlabelled: The Wnt/β-catenin pathway's significance in cancer initiation, progression, and stem cell biology underscores its therapeutic potential, yet clinical application of Wnt inhibitors remains limited due to challenges posed by off-target effects and complex crosstalk with other pathways. In this study, we leveraged the zebrafish model to perform a robust and rapid drug screening of 773 FDA-approved compounds to identify Wnt/β-catenin inhibitors with minimal toxicity. Utilizing zebrafish expressing a Wnt reporter, we identified several drugs that suppressed Wnt signaling without compromising zebrafish development.

Zebrafish Cancer Avatars: A Translational Platform for Analyzing Tumor Heterogeneity and Predicting Patient Outcomes.

The increasing number of available anti-cancer drugs presents a challenge for oncologists, who must choose the most effective treatment for the patient. Precision cancer medicine relies on matching a drug with a tumor's molecular profile to optimize the therapeutic benefit. However, current precision medicine approaches do not fully account for intra-tumoral heterogeneity.

Freeze-drying of monoclonal antibody-conjugated gold nanorods: Colloidal stability and biological activity.

Maintaining colloidal stability of nanoparticles in suspensions is a major challenge. Therefore, freeze-drying (lyophilization) is recently proposed to preserve colloidal stability of nanoparticles through maintaining them in a solid state. However, freeze-drying would itself induce nanoparticle aggregation unless proper formulation with a careful selection of cryoprotectants is considered.

Cellular uptake of nanoparticles: journey inside the cell.

Nanoscale materials are increasingly found in consumer goods, electronics, and pharmaceuticals. While these particles interact with the body in myriad ways, their beneficial and/or deleterious effects ultimately arise from interactions at the cellular and subcellular level. Nanoparticles (NPs) can modulate cell fate, induce or prevent mutations, initiate cell-cell communication, and modulate cell structure in a manner dictated largely by phenomena at the nano-bio interface.

Phase transfer of citrate stabilized gold nanoparticles using nonspecifically adsorbed polymers.

Many synthetic approaches for gold nanoparticles rely on an aqueous media, resulting in water-soluble nanoparticles, which limits the ability to incorporate gold nanoparticles into other organic solvents or hydrophobic polymeric composites. Surface functionalization and phase transfer approaches using alkylthiols or alkylamines, which strongly bind the gold surface, are common routes to overcome this limitation, however they are typically challenging methods. In this paper we report an approach to transport citrate capped gold nanoparticles into a variety of solvents, including ones that are hydrophobic and not miscible with water without the need for phase transfer agents.

Colloidal stability of citrate and mercaptoacetic acid capped gold nanoparticles upon lyophilization: effect of capping ligand attachment and type of cryoprotectants.

For various applications of gold nanotechnology, long-term nanoparticle stability in solution is a major challenge. Lyophilization (freeze-drying) is a widely used process to convert labile protein and various colloidal systems into powder for improved long-term stability. However, the lyophilization process itself may induce various stresses resulting in nanoparticle aggregation.