Accurate measurement and enhancement of fiber coil symmetry.

The pure Shupe effect is substantially reduced in a fiber optic gyroscope (FOG) with symmetrical windings. However, the effect of the temperature-induced nonuniformity of the stress in the coil depends on the mean temperature derivative (T-dot). Research on precision winding technology has discovered that the symmetry of optical fiber rings affects the temperature performance of fiber optic gyroscopes.

Precisely Shaped Self-Adjuvanting Peptide Vaccines with Enhanced Immune Responses for HPV-Associated Cancer Therapy.

Peptide vaccines exhibit great potential in cancer therapy via eliciting antigen-specific host immune response and long-term immune memory to defend cancer cells. However, the low induced immune response of many developing vaccines implies the imperatives for understanding the favorable structural features of efficient cancer vaccines. Herein, we report on the two groups of self-adjuvanting peptide vaccines with distinct morphology and investigate the relationship between the morphology of peptide vaccines and the induced immune response.

Self-assembly of virulent amyloid-derived peptides into nanoantibacterials.

Current strategies for the design of antibacterial peptides show limitations in the development of assembled antibacterial peptides due to the challenges in simultaneously balancing the antibacterial activity and assembling behavior. Herein, we report on one strategy for the design of antibacterial peptides derived from virulent amyloids and investigate their self-assembly into nanostructures with remarkable antibacterial activity. The peptides were either directly truncated from virulent amyloid peptide PSM α3 or mutated from the original sequence by replacing the lysine and phenylalanine residues with arginine or tryptophan, leading to three undecapeptides.

Peptide Tectonics: Encoded Structural Complementarity Dictates Programmable Self-Assembly.

Programmable self-assembly of peptides into well-defined nanostructures represents one promising approach for bioinspired and biomimetic synthesis of artificial complex systems and functional materials. Despite the progress made over the past two decades in the development of strategies for precise manipulation of the self-assembly of peptides, there is a remarkable gap between current peptide assemblies and biological systems in terms of structural complexity and functions. Here, the concept of peptide tectonics for the creation of well-defined nanostructures predominately driven by the complementary association at the interacting interfaces of tectons is introduced.

Pancreatic islet surface engineering with a starPEG-chondroitin sulfate nanocoating.

Islet transplantation is one of the most promising therapeutic options that could restore euglycaemia in type 1 diabetic individuals. The currently implemented alginate microsphere islet encapsulation approach has led to positive outcomes in improving intraportal islet delivery in rodents. However, results obtained from human clinical trials remain disappointing.

Polar-π Interactions Promote Self-assembly of Dipeptides into Laminated Nanofibers.

Precise incorporation of functional residues into sequences allows for tailoring the noncovalent interactions between peptides to guide their self-assembly into well-defined nanostructures, thus facilitating creation of artificial functional materials resembling natural systems. Here, we report on the self-assembly of dipeptides consisting of one fluorinated phenylalanine unit (Z residue) and one natural aromatic residue into laminated nanofibers predominately driven by polar-π interactions. On the basis of characterizations using transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, circular dichroism, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thioflavin T binding assay, we found that the face-centered stacking pattern of the dipeptides FZ, ZF, and ZY stabilized by the polar-π interactions and antiparallel β-sheet H-bonding interactions led to lamination of nanofibers and formation of ribbonlike nanostructures.

Surface Engineering of Pancreatic Islets with a Heparinized StarPEG Nanocoating.

Cell surface engineering can protect implanted cells from host immune attack. It can also reshape cellular landscape to improve graft function and survival post-transplantation. This protocol aims to achieve surface engineering of pancreatic islets using an ultrathin heparin-incorporated starPEG (Hep-PEG) nanocoating.

Pancreatic islet surface bioengineering with a heparin-incorporated starPEG nanofilm.

Cell surface engineering could protect implanted cells from host immune rejections while modify the cellular landscape for better post-transplantation graft function and survival. Islet transplantation is considered the most promising therapeutic option with the potential to cure diabetes. Current approach to improve clinical efficacy of pancreatic islet transplantation is alginate encapsulation.

Preparation of a dual cored hepatoma-specific star glycopolymer nanogel via arm-first ATRP approach.

A reductase-cleavable and thermo-responsive star-shaped polymer nanogel was prepared via an "arm-first" atom transfer radical polymerization approach. The nanogel consists of a thermo- and redox-sensitive core and a zwitterionic copolymer block. The dual sensitive core is composed of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) that is formed by disulfide crosslinking of N-isopropylacrylamide.

Galactose-functionalized multi-responsive nanogels for hepatoma-targeted drug delivery.

We report here a hepatoma-targeting multi-responsive biodegradable crosslinked nanogel, poly(6-O-vinyladipoyl-D-galactose-ss-N-vinylcaprolactam-ss-methacrylic acid) P(ODGal-VCL-MAA), using a combination of enzymatic transesterification and emulsion copolymerization for intracellular drug delivery. The nanogel exhibited redox, pH and temperature-responsive properties, which can be adjusted by varying the monomer feeding ratio. Furthermore, the volume phase transition temperature (VPTT) of the nanogels was close to body temperature and can result in rapid thermal gelation at 37 °C.

Galactose functionalized injectable thermoresponsive microgels for sustained protein release.

Novel galactose functionalized thermoresponsive injectable microgels, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-6-O-vinyladipoyl-D-galactose) P(NIPAAm-co-VAGA), have been fabricated using a combination of enzymatic transesterification and emulsion copolymerization. The microgels exhibit reversible temperature-responsive behavior, which can be tuned by varying the monomer feed ratio. The lower critical solution temperatures (LCSTs) of the materials are close to body temperature and can result in a rapid thermal gelation at 37 °C.

Fabrication and aggregation of thermoresponsive glucose-functionalized double hydrophilic copolymers.

Novel double-hydrophilic thermosensitive statistical glycopolymers, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-6-O-vinyladipoyl-D-glucose), were fabricated using a chemoenzymatic process and free radical copolymerization. The structures of the glycopolymers were confirmed by (1)H and (13)C NMR, and their molar mass distributions determined by gel permeation chromatography. UV-vis spectroscopy data showed that the polymers exhibited reproducible temperature-responsive behavior.

A systematic study of captopril-loaded polyester fiber mats prepared by electrospinning.

In this study, drug-loaded nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning captopril (CPL) with aliphatic biodegradable polyesters. Poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA), poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), and poly(lactic-co-ε-caprolactone) (PLCL) were used as filament-forming matrix polymers, and the concentration of CPL in each fiber type was varied. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that the morphology and diameters of the fibers were influenced by the concentration of polymer in the spinning solution and the drug loading.