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| Open AccessPreventing tissue fibrosis by local biomaterials interfacing of specific cryptic extracellular matrix information
Matrix metalloproteinase enzymes are widely known to contribute to the breakdown of tissues. Here, the authors utilise a biomaterial substrate functionalised with a laminin fragment to modulate the expression of these enzymes, subsequently controlling the integrity of tissue.
- Christine-Maria Horejs
- , Jean-Philippe St-Pierre
- & Molly M. Stevens
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| Open AccessMagnetic forces enable controlled drug delivery by disrupting endothelial cell-cell junctions
The transportation of large molecules through the vascular endothelium presents a major challenge forin vivodrug delivery. Here, the authors demonstrate the potential of using external magnetic fields and magnetic nanoparticles to enhance the local extravasation of circulating large molecules.
- Yongzhi Qiu
- , Sheng Tong
- & Gang Bao
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| Open AccessThermal annihilation of photo-induced radicals following dynamic nuclear polarization to produce transportable frozen hyperpolarized 13C-substrates
Hyperpolarized molecules provide unique contrast for MRI but due to their short relaxation time need to be prepared shortly before injection. Here the authors report a method for eliminating the main source of relaxation and producing frozen polarized substances that can be stored and transported.
- Andrea Capozzi
- , Tian Cheng
- & Arnaud Comment
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| Open AccessLipoprotein-biomimetic nanostructure enables efficient targeting delivery of siRNA to Ras-activated glioblastoma cells via macropinocytosis
Drug delivery in brain tumours is still a significant clinical concern. In this study, the authors develop a biomimetic lipoprotein nanoparticle for the efficient delivery of ATF5 siRNA inRas-activated brain cancer cells, where the nanoparticle is internalized by macropinocytosis in a Ras-dependent manner.
- Jia-Lin Huang
- , Gan Jiang
- & Xiao-Ling Gao
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| Open AccessAn extra-uterine system to physiologically support the extreme premature lamb
The ability to support the development of a premature fetus in the form of an extracorporeal system has had limited success. Here, the authors show that an extra-uterine device that mimics the intra-uterine environment can provide physiologic support for the extreme premature lamb fetus for four weeks.
- Emily A. Partridge
- , Marcus G. Davey
- & Alan W. Flake
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| Open AccessImplantable batteryless device for on-demand and pulsatile insulin administration
Implantable insulin delivery devices can make a significant difference in the lives of patients although they are limited by the duration of their battery life, often requiring replacement. Here, the authors developed an implantable battery-less insulin delivery device with noninvasive actuation.
- Seung Ho Lee
- , Young Bin Lee
- & Young Bin Choy
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Article
| Open AccessMolecular level detection and localization of mechanical damage in collagen enabled by collagen hybridizing peptides
Collagen denaturation is thought to occur during tissue mechanical damage, but its role in damage initiation is still unclear. Here, the authors use a collagen hybridizing peptide to provide insights into the molecular mechanisms leading to collagen unfolding during tendon mechanical stretch.
- Jared L. Zitnay
- , Yang Li
- & Jeffrey A. Weiss
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| Open AccessRapid control and feedback rates enhance neuroprosthetic control
Brain machine interfaces (BMI) enable sensorimotor control of movement yet the parameters that may affect these pathways are not known. Here the authors show systematically that increasing the rate of control from brain as well as feedback rates to the subject results in better performance on a BMI task in monkeys.
- Maryam M. Shanechi
- , Amy L. Orsborn
- & Jose M. Carmena
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| Open AccessBioengineering of injectable encapsulated aggregates of pluripotent stem cells for therapy of myocardial infarction
Stem cell therapy of myocardial infarction is hampered by poor survival of injected cells. Here the authors develop injectable aggregates of stem cells differentiated to an early cardiac stage and encapsulated in a biodegradable micromatrix, and show their enhanced therapeutic efficacy in a heart infarction mouse model.
- Shuting Zhao
- , Zhaobin Xu
- & Xiaoming He
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| Open AccessLarge-scale microfluidics providing high-resolution and high-throughput screening of Caenorhabditis elegans poly-glutamine aggregation model
Large-scale screens on whole animals could facilitate drug discovery, but are technically challenging. Here, Mondal et al. develop a microfluidic chip combined with an automated imaging platform that enables high-throughput, high-resolution screening of Caenorhabditis elegansdisease models.
- Sudip Mondal
- , Evan Hegarty
- & Adela Ben-Yakar
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| Open AccessFabrication of fibrillosomes from droplets stabilized by protein nanofibrils at all-aqueous interfaces
All-aqueous emulsions are useful for delivering and processing biomolecules, but their stability is constrained by low interfacial adsorption energy. Song et al. solve this problem using protein nanofibrils that form a crosslinked network, whose stability is superior to conventional colloidal capsules.
- Yang Song
- , Ulyana Shimanovich
- & Ho Cheung Shum
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| Open AccessMicrofluidic cantilever detects bacteria and measures their susceptibility to antibiotics in small confined volumes
Analysis of bacteria and their response to antibiotics in real time is challenging. Here the authors report a microcantilever based system that can detect and discriminate between bacteria species and, due to the ability to discriminate between alive and dead samples, measure response to antibiotics.
- Hashem Etayash
- , M. F. Khan
- & Thomas Thundat
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| Open AccessIntercalated water layers promote thermal dissipation at bio–nano interfaces
Thermal management is important for designing bio-nano interfaces for biosensing and thermotherapic applications. Here the authors perform simulations showing that nm-thick water layers between graphene and cell membranes display layered ordering, promoting interfacial thermal coupling and thermal dissipation.
- Yanlei Wang
- , Zhao Qin
- & Zhiping Xu
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| Open AccessA wearable chemical–electrophysiological hybrid biosensing system for real-time health and fitness monitoring
Wearable sensors can provide continuous, convenient feedback for users but typically focus on a small number of physiological parameters. Here, the authors report a skin-worn sensing system that combines a biosensor for lactate detection with an electrocardiogram in one patch, with applications for exercise monitoring.
- Somayeh Imani
- , Amay J. Bandodkar
- & Patrick P. Mercier
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| Open AccessViscoelastic lithography for fabricating self-organizing soft micro-honeycomb structures with ultra-high aspect ratios
Tissue engineering applications call for controllable micro-structural units as a platform, but their fabrication remains challenging. Here, Jeong et al. show a method that enables soft materials to self-organize into highly packed micro-honeycomb structures with aspect ratios up to 500, and tunable shapes.
- Gi Seok Jeong
- , Da Yoon No
- & Sang-Hoon Lee
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| Open AccessScreen-printed flexible MRI receive coils
Signal-to-noise ratio is one of the key factors that currently limit the diagnostic image quality and patient conditions of magnetic resonance imaging. Here, Corea et al. use fully printed flexible receive coils, conforming to patient bodies, to improve signals and patient comfort in clinical scanners.
- Joseph R. Corea
- , Anita M. Flynn
- & Ana C. Arias
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| Open AccessHighly robust crystalsome via directed polymer crystallization at curved liquid/liquid interface
Self-assemblies of polymers to form polymersomes in solution can be used as carriers for drug delivery, but it is challenging to control polymer crystallization to improve their mechanical stability. Here, Wang et al.show the formation of nanosized crystalsomes composed of polymer lamellar single crystals.
- Wenda Wang
- , Hao Qi
- & Christopher Y. Li
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| Open AccessAqueous multiphoton lithography with multifunctional silk-centred bio-resists
Scientists are increasingly realising the potential for natural materials in micro- and nanofabrication. Here, the authors employ silk-based resists for aqueous multiphoton lithography towards generating intricate structures by femtosecond direct writing.
- Yun-Lu Sun
- , Qi Li
- & Hong-Bo Sun
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| Open AccessSoft network composite materials with deterministic and bio-inspired designs
Soft biological composites have great potential in areas such as artificial tissue constructs and bio-integrated devices, but receive little attention. Here, the authors design soft biomimetic materials that can precisely reproduce the non-linear mechanics of relevant biological materials.
- Kyung-In Jang
- , Ha Uk Chung
- & John A. Rogers
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Optical focusing deep inside dynamic scattering media with near-infrared time-reversed ultrasonically encoded (TRUE) light
Shaping the incident wavefront allows optical focusing deep inside scattering media, but its application in dynamic media is hindered by its low speed. Here, Liu et al. improve the speed by two orders of magnitude and demonstrate in vivolight focusing inside dynamic scattering media.
- Yan Liu
- , Puxiang Lai
- & Lihong V. Wang
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Low-concentration mechanical biosensor based on a photonic crystal nanowire array
Nanomechanical resonators are attractive as ultra-low concentration sensors of biomolecules, as their small scale allows for sensitive mass detection. Here, using a nanowire array as part of a photonic crystal, such a device is presented for light trapping, absorption and low-concentration sensing.
- Yuerui Lu
- , Songming Peng
- & Amit Lal
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| Open AccessEngineering modular and orthogonal genetic logic gates for robust digital-like synthetic biology
Biological digital sensors require the fabrication of modular genetic logic gates. Using thePseudomonas syringae hrpsystem, Wang and colleagues generate AND, NOT and NAND gates, demonstrating the ability to engineer a modular system from biological elements.
- Baojun Wang
- , Richard I Kitney
- & Martin Buck
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| Open AccessMediatorless high-power glucose biofuel cells based on compressed carbon nanotube-enzyme electrodes
Glucose biofuel cells can be used to produce clean energy from renewable sources, but their use is limited by poor stability and low power output. In this study, bioelectrodes are fabricated using carbon nanotubes and the resulting biofuel cells have improved stability and power.
- Abdelkader Zebda
- , Chantal Gondran
- & Serge Cosnier
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Engineering biosynthetic excitable tissues from unexcitable cells for electrophysiological and cell therapy studies
Patch-clamp recordings are used to study the function of ion channels, but the method does not allow the assessment of tissue-level function. Kirkton and Bursac introduce a biosynthetic system for the study of channel activity and electrical conduction, facilitating studies of ion channel function.
- Robert D. Kirkton
- & Nenad Bursac
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Subcellular in vivo time-lapse imaging and optical manipulation of Caenorhabditis elegans in standard multiwell plates
The nematodeCaenorhabditis elegans is a widely used model organism for visualizing development, ageing and other phenomena, but high-throughput imaging requires immobilization of the animal. Rohde and Yanik report a rapid immobilization and imaging method for the high-throughput screening of C. elegans.
- Christopher B. Rohde
- & Mehmet Fatih Yanik
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Multifunctional nanoparticles as coupled contrast agents
Multifunctional imaging probes are important in bionanotechnology. In this paper, the authors show that nanoparticles with magnetic cores, thin gold shells and an organic spacer layer support a novel magnetomotive photoacoustic imaging mode, and enhance contrast with respect to conventional imaging techniques.
- Yongdong Jin
- , Congxian Jia
- & Xiaohu Gao