Mesoporous Silica-Based Nanoparticles as Non-Viral Gene Delivery Platform for Treating Retinitis Pigmentosa.

Background: Gene therapy is a therapeutic possibility for retinitis pigmentosa (RP), in which therapeutic transgenes are currently delivered to the retina by adeno-associated viral vectors (AAVs). Although their safety and efficacy have been demonstrated in both clinical and preclinical settings, AAVs present some technical handicaps, such as limited cargo capacity and possible immunogenicity in repetitive doses. The development of alternative, non-viral delivery platforms like nanoparticles is of great interest to extend the application of gene therapy for RP.

Nanofibrous Matrix of Defined Composition Sustains Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Culture.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) represent the most promising biological material for regenerative medicine applications. In this work, a 3D solid nanofibrous matrix of defined composition (Colamigel-S) consisting of 97 wt % gelatin, 2.6 wt % atelocollagen, and 0.

Nanofibrous Gelatin-Based Biomaterial with Improved Biomimicry Using D-Periodic Self-Assembled Atelocollagen.

Design of bioinspired materials that mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) at the nanoscale is a challenge in tissue engineering. While nanofibrillar gelatin materials mimic chemical composition and nano-architecture of natural ECM collagen components, it lacks the characteristic D-staggered array (D-periodicity) of 67 nm, which is an important cue in terms of cell recognition and adhesion properties. In this study, a nanofibrous gelatin matrix with improved biomimicry is achieved using a formulation including a minimal content of D-periodic self-assembled atelocollagen.

Collagen Type I Biomaterials as Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering.

Collagen type I is the main organic constituent of the bone extracellular matrix and has been used for decades as scaffolding material in bone tissue engineering approaches when autografts are not feasible. Polymeric collagen can be easily isolated from various animal sources and can be processed in a great number of ways to manufacture biomaterials in the form of sponges, particles, or hydrogels, among others, for different applications. Despite its great biocompatibility and osteoconductivity, collagen type I also has some drawbacks, such as its high biodegradability, low mechanical strength, and lack of osteoinductive activity.

Sponge-like processed D-periodic self-assembled atelocollagen supports bone formation in vivo.

Fibrous biopolymeric collagen extracted from animal tissues has been widely used for fabricating matrices for bone tissue engineering (BTE). However, animal extracted collagens can trigger immune reactions when implanted in vivo and the presence of native crosslinks leads to batch-to-batch variability. Atelocollagen, a monomeric form of collagen, is free of telopeptides, which are mainly responsible for the immunogenicity of collagen, and can self-assemble in vitro to obtain fibrils with the characteristic D-periodic staining pattern of native collagen.