Enzyme-activated intracellular drug delivery with tubule clay nanoformulation.

Fabrication of stimuli-triggered drug delivery vehicle s is an important milestone in treating cancer. Here we demonstrate the selective anticancer drug delivery into human cells with biocompatible 50-nm diameter halloysite nanotube carriers. Physically-adsorbed dextrin end stoppers secure the intercellular release of brilliant green.

Nano-labelled cells-a functional tool in biomedical applications.

Nanotechnology offers an unprecedented number of opportunities for biomedical research, utilizing the unusual functionalities of nanosized materials. Here we describe the recent advances in fabrication and utilization of nanoparticle-labelled cells. We present a brief overview of the most promising techniques, namely layer-by-layer polyelectrolyte assembly on cells and intracellular and extracellular labelling with magnetic nanoparticles.

Surface-modified magnetic human cells for scaffold-free tissue engineering.

We report the magnetically-facilitated scaffold-free assembly of lung tissue mimicking two-layered multicellular clusters. Polymer-stabilized magnetic nanoparticles were deposited on surfaces of viable human cells (A549 and skin fibroblasts), allowing the formation of two-layered porous tissue prototypes.

A direct technique for magnetic functionalization of living human cells.

Functionalized living cells are regarded as effective tools in directed cell delivery and tissue engineering. Here we report the facile functionalization of viable isolated HeLa cells with superparamagnetic cationic nanoparticles via a single-step biocompatible process. Nanoparticles are localized on the cellular membranes and do not penetrate into the cytoplasm.