Low intensity focused ultrasound responsive microcapsules for non-ablative ultrafast intracellular release of small molecules.

Focused ultrasound (FU) is in demand for clinical cancer therapy, but the possible thermal injury to the normal peripheral tissues limits the usage of the ablative FU for tumors with a large size; therefore research efforts have been made to minimize the possible side effects induced by the FU treatment. Non-ablative focused ultrasound assisted chemotherapy could open a new avenue for the development of cancer therapy technology. Here, low intensity focused ultrasound (LIFU) for controlled quick intracellular release of small molecules (Mw ≤ 1000 Da) without acute cell damage is demonstrated.

Cells-Grab-on Particles: A Novel Approach to Control Cell Focal Adhesion on Hybrid Thermally Annealed Hydrogels.

Biomaterials engineered with specific cell binding sites, tunable mechanical properties, and complex architectures are essential to control cell adhesion and proliferation. The influence of the local properties, such as the local hardness and stability on the interaction with cells, has not been yet fully understood and exploited. This is particularly relevant for hydrogels, very promising materials with, unfortunately, poor cell adhesion properties, attributed mostly to their softness.

A highly efficient and safe gene delivery platform based on polyelectrolyte core-shell nanoparticles for hard-to-transfect clinically relevant cell types.

While DNA and messenger RNA (mRNA) based therapies are currently changing the biomedical field, the delivery of genetic materials remains the key problem preventing the wide introduction of these methods into clinical practice. Therefore, the creation of new methods for intracellular gene delivery, particularly to hard-to-transfect, clinically relevant cell populations is a pressing issue. Here, we report on the design of a novel approach to format 50-150 nm calcium carbonate particles in the vaterite state and using them as a template for polymeric core-shell nanoparticles.

Biodegradable Nanocarriers Resembling Extracellular Vesicles Deliver Genetic Material with the Highest Efficiency to Various Cell Types.

Efficient delivery of genetic material to primary cells remains challenging. Here, efficient transfer of genetic material is presented using synthetic biodegradable nanocarriers, resembling extracellular vesicles in their biomechanical properties. This is based on two main technological achievements: generation of soft biodegradable polyelectrolyte capsules in nanosize and efficient application of the nanocapsules for co-transfer of different RNAs to tumor cell lines and primary cells, including hematopoietic progenitor cells and primary T cells.

Hierarchy of Hybrid Materials-The Place of Inorganics--Organics in it, Their Composition and Applications.

Hybrid materials, or hybrids incorporating both organic and inorganic constituents, are emerging as a very potent and promising class of materials due to the diverse, but complementary nature of the properties inherent of these different classes of materials. The complementarity leads to a perfect synergy of properties of desired material and eventually an end-product. The diversity of resultant properties and materials used in the construction of hybrids, leads to a very broad range of application areas generated by engaging very different research communities.

Polyelectrolyte-Graphene Oxide Multilayer Composites for Array of Microchambers which are Mechanically Robust and Responsive to NIR Light.

Development of composite polymer/graphene oxide (GO) materials attracts significant attention due to their unique properties. In this work, highly ordered arrays of hollow microchambers made of composite polyelectrolyte/GO multilayers (PEGOMs) are successfully fabricated via layer-by-layer assembly on sacrificial or sustainable templates having imprinted patterns of microwells on their surface. Mechanical and optical properties of PEGOMs are studied by nanoindentation and near-infrared (NIR) absorption spectroscopy.

Hybrid PCL/CaCO scaffolds with capabilities of carrying biologically active molecules: Synthesis, loading and in vivo applications.

Designing advanced biomaterials for tissue regeneration with drug delivery and release functionalities remains a challenge in regenerative medicine. In this research, we have developed novel composite scaffolds based on polymeric polycaprolactone fibers coated with porous calcium carbonate structures (PCL/CaCO) for tissue engineering and have shown their drug delivery and release in rats. In vivo biocompatibility tests of PCL/CaCO scaffolds were complemented with in vivo drug release study, where tannic acid (TA) was used as a model drug.

Polymeric and Lipid Membranes-From Spheres to Flat Membranes and vice versa.

Membranes are important components in a number of systems, where separation and control of the flow of molecules is desirable. Controllable membranes represent an even more coveted and desirable entity and their development is considered to be the next step of development. Typically, membranes are considered on flat surfaces, but spherical capsules possess a perfect "infinite" or fully suspended membranes.

Polylactic acid nano- and microchamber arrays for encapsulation of small hydrophilic molecules featuring drug release via high intensity focused ultrasound.

Long term encapsulation combined with spatiotemporal release for a precisely defined quantity of small hydrophilic molecules on demand remains a challenge in various fields ranging from medical drug delivery, controlled release of catalysts to industrial anti-corrosion systems. Free-standing individually sealed polylactic acid (PLA) nano- and microchamber arrays were produced by one-step dip-coating a PDMS stamp into PLA solution for 5 s followed by drying under ambient conditions. The wall thickness of these hydrophobic nano-microchambers is tunable from 150 nm to 7 μm by varying the PLA solution concentration.

Patient-specific hemodynamics and stress-strain state of cerebral aneurysms.

Purpose: Approximately 5% of the adult population has one or more cerebral aneurysm. Aneurysms are one of the most dangerous cerebral vascular pathologies. Aneurysm rupture leads to a subarachnoid hemorrhage with a very high mortality rate of 45-50%.

Ab initio electron propagator calculations of transverse conduction through DNA nucleotide bases in 1-nm nanopore corroborate third generation sequencing.

Background: The conduction properties of DNA molecule, particularly its transverse conductance (electron transfer through nucleotide bridges), represent a point of interest for DNA chemistry community, especially for DNA sequencing. However, there is no fully developed first-principles theory for molecular conductance and current that allows one to analyze the transverse flow of electrical charge through a nucleotide base.

Methods: We theoretically investigate the transverse electron transport through all four DNA nucleotide bases by implementing an unbiased ab initio theoretical approach, namely, the electron propagator theory.

Biomechanical rationale of coronary artery bypass grafting of multivessel disease.

The biomechanical model of human coronary arteries was modified for improving the quality of diagnosis and surgical treatment for coronary heart disease. The problem of hemodynamics in the left coronary artery with multivessel bed disease - 45% stenosis of the anterior descending branch and 75% stenosis of the circumflex branch - was particularly considered. Numerical simulation of the coronary arterial bypass of the main trunk was carried out to estimate the functional condition of the coronary arteries after restoring myocardial blood supply by surgery.

Modeling of human circle of Willis with and without aneurisms.

Purpose: This paper includes results of the first stage of research aimed at the development of recommendations for physicians in order to help them to choose a particular type of cerebral arteries aneurysms treatment.

Methods: Recent studies show that the majority of aneurysms develop as a result of hemodynamic and degenerative lesions of the vascular wall. Obviously, such wall damage can be studied using the methods of continuum mechanics and numerical simulations.