1.
Biodegradable Polymeric Nanoparticles for Therapeutic Cancer Treatments.
Karlsson, J, Vaughan, HJ, Green, JJ
Annual review of chemical and biomolecular engineering. 2018;:105-127
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Abstract
Polymeric nanoparticles have tremendous potential to improve the efficacy of therapeutic cancer treatments by facilitating targeted delivery to a desired site. The physical and chemical properties of polymers can be tuned to accomplish delivery across the multiple biological barriers required to reach diverse subsets of cells. The use of biodegradable polymers as nanocarriers is especially attractive, as these materials can be designed to break down in physiological conditions and engineered to exhibit triggered functionality when at a particular location or activated by an external source. We present how biodegradable polymers can be engineered as drug delivery systems to target the tumor microenvironment in multiple ways. These nanomedicines can target cancer cells directly, the blood vessels that supply the nutrients and oxygen that support tumor growth, and immune cells to promote anticancer immunotherapy.
2.
The pathogenicity of Aspergillus fumigatus, drug resistance, and nanoparticle delivery.
Szalewski, DA, Hinrichs, VS, Zinniel, DK, Barletta, RG
Canadian journal of microbiology. 2018;(7):439-453
Abstract
The genus Aspergillus includes fungal species that cause major health issues of significant economic importance. These microorganisms are also the culprit for production of carcinogenic aflatoxins in grain storages, contaminating crops, and economically straining the production process. Aspergillus fumigatus is a very important pathogenic species, being responsible for high human morbidity and mortality on a global basis. The prevalence of these infections in immunosuppressed individuals is on the rise, and physicians struggle with the diagnosis of these deadly pathogens. Several virulence determinants facilitate fungal invasion and evasion of the host immune response. Metabolic functions are also important for virulence and drug resistance, since they allow fungi to obtain nutrients for their own survival and growth. Following a positive diagnostic identification, mortality rates remain high due, in part, to emerging resistance to frequently used antifungal drugs. In this review, we discuss the role of the main virulence, drug target, and drug resistance determinants. We conclude with the review of new technologies being developed to treat aspergillosis. In particular, microsphere and nanoparticle delivery systems are discussed in the context of improving drug bioavailability. Aspergillus will likely continue to cause problematic infections in immunocompromised patients, so it is imperative to improve treatment options.
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Harnessing self-assembled peptide nanoparticles in epitope vaccine design.
Negahdaripour, M, Golkar, N, Hajighahramani, N, Kianpour, S, Nezafat, N, Ghasemi, Y
Biotechnology advances. 2017;(5):575-596
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Abstract
Vaccination has been one of the most successful breakthroughs in medical history. In recent years, epitope-based subunit vaccines have been introduced as a safer alternative to traditional vaccines. However, they suffer from limited immunogenicity. Nanotechnology has shown value in solving this issue. Different kinds of nanovaccines have been employed, among which virus-like nanoparticles (VLPs) and self-assembled peptide nanoparticles (SAPNs) seem very promising. Recently, SAPNs have attracted special interest due to their unique properties, including molecular specificity, biodegradability, and biocompatibility. They also resemble pathogens in terms of their size. Their multivalency allows an orderly repetitive display of antigens on their surface, which induces a stronger immune response than single immunogens. In vaccine design, SAPN self-adjuvanticity is regarded an outstanding advantage, since the use of toxic adjuvants is no longer required. SAPNs are usually composed of helical or β-sheet secondary structures and are tailored from natural peptides or de novo structures. Flexibility in subunit selection opens the door to a wide variety of molecules with different characteristics. SAPN engineering is an emerging area, and more novel structures are expected to be generated in the future, particularly with the rapid progress in related computational tools. The aim of this review is to provide a state-of-the-art overview of self-assembled peptide nanoparticles and their use in vaccine design in recent studies. Additionally, principles for their design and the application of computational approaches to vaccine design are summarized.