Article
Polymer Science
Yu-Chi Ma, Chang-Tsung Hsieh, Yu-Hsiang Lin, Chi-An Dai, Jia-Han Li
Summary: The study focuses on the development of artificial corneas with different shapes using two hydrogel polymers. Simulations show that optimizing the artificial corneas can efficiently decrease imaging blur, with increasing asphericity found to be helpful for imaging corrections. The use of different materials for optimized artificial corneas may have small differences in optical performance, but can reduce high order aberrations.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Donghui Zhang, Qi Chen, Yufang Bi, Haodong Zhang, Minzhang Chen, Jianglin Wan, Chao Shi, Wenjing Zhang, Junyu Zhang, Zhongqian Qiao, Jin Li, Shengfu Chen, Runhui Liu
Summary: The authors demonstrate that a highly water soluble, biocompatible, and easily accessible poly-DL-serine hydrogel can mitigate foreign-body response caused by implantation, showing promising potential for wide application in implantable biomaterials and biomedical devices.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Electrical & Electronic
Yu-Hsiang Lin, Jia-Hong Jian, Jia-Han Li
Summary: The study proposes using the Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor system to measure the refractive index of hydrogel materials, finding that the P407-DA hydrogel is suitable for designing corneal samples and its refractive index is similar to elasmobranch corneas. This non-contact, minimally invasive, and time-efficient method can guide the development of better biocompatible materials for artificial cornea.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INSTRUMENTATION AND MEASUREMENT
(2021)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Krishnan Thyagarajan, Rene A. Lujan, Qian Wang, JengPing Lu, Sivkheng Kor, Bruce Kakimoto, Norine Chang, Julie A. Bert
Summary: Advances in neural probes have made intracortical neuromodulation possible through direct electrical stimulation or generating electric fields using time-varying magnetic fields. Current-actuated coils, which require no conductive contact with tissues, offer precise tailoring of magnetic fields and are a more effective technique for intracortical stimulation.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Erika Eskina, Olga Klokova, Roman Damashauskas, Karine Davtyan, Bojan Pajic, Marina Movsesian
Summary: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of thin corneas on the efficacy and safety of small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE). The results showed that thin corneas had lower uncorrected distance visual acuity at one month after surgery compared to the control group, but the rates were comparable at three months. SMILE was equally safe in patients with thin corneas and the predictability of the procedure was similar between groups. Cap thickness and volume of removed tissue had an impact on the postoperative outcomes in patients with thin corneas.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Maobin Xie, Liming Lian, Xuan Mu, Zeyu Luo, Carlos Ezio Garciamendez-Mijares, Zhenrui Zhang, Arturo Lopez, Jennifer Manriquez, Xiao Kuang, Junqi Wu, Jugal Kishore Sahoo, Federico Zertuche Gonzalez, Gang Li, Guosheng Tang, Sushila Maharjan, Jie Guo, David L. Kaplan, Yu Shrike Zhang
Summary: This study demonstrates the rapid volumetric printing of unmodified silk sericin and silk fibroin inks, which exhibit shape-memory and tuneable mechanical properties. The inks are cytocompatible, providing expanded bioink libraries for volumetric additive manufacturing and offering potential for diverse biomedical applications.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Dongkai Zhu, Yangping Liu, Jeremy L. Gilbert
Summary: Adhesion properties of silicone hydrogel contact lenses are crucial for their performance and comfort in the eye. This study developed a new testing method to study adhesive interactions of different silicone contact lenses under dehydrating conditions, highlighting the importance of hydration state on adhesion.
ACTA BIOMATERIALIA
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Wenbo Cheng, Li Li, Gang Luo, Yan Wang
Summary: This study investigated the feasibility of using a smartphone application to measure posture-related pupil center shifts and found that body position has a significant impact on the pupil center. The results suggest that the shift of the pupil center during corneal refractive surgery may exceed the error tolerance for centration.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ahammed H. M. Mohammed-Sadhakathullah, Sofia Paulo-Mirasol, Juan Torras, Elaine Armelin
Summary: Bioresorbable nanomembranes (NMs) and nanoparticles (NPs) made from natural polymers and proteins are highly biocompatible and have the ability to interact with biomolecules, making them effective in reducing infections and inflammatory conditions in patients. This review highlights their common materials, surface functionalization methods, and recent applications in biosensors, drug delivery, wound dressing, skin regeneration, chemotherapy, and imaging/diagnostics, showing their importance in modern biomedical applications.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Polymer Science
Shota Iino, Shigeki Sobu, Kazuhiro Nakabayashi, Sadaki Samitsu, Hideharu Mori
Summary: A series of polythioethers with spirobifluorene skeletons were successfully synthesized by a thiol-ene reaction, exhibiting high refractive index, transparency, and thermal stability. The manipulation of refractive index and Abbe number through reacting different dithiol components with DASF allows for the design of molecular structures suitable for nano- and microfabrication, achieving high transparency, flexibility, and thermal stability.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ahmed Ali Nada, Anita Eckstein Andicsova, Jaroslav Mosnacek
Summary: This article reviews the significance of electrically conductive materials fabricated from natural polymers in various applications. It discusses the preparation methods and properties of conductive polymers and hydrogels, with a focus on those that can be synthesized from renewable resources. The article also presents the self-healing systems and electrical conductivity values of conductive hydrogels based on natural polymers.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jianwen Peng, Nan Zheng, Pingchuan Shen, Zujin Zhao, Rongrong Hu, Ben Zhong Tang
Summary: The development of polymerization methodology is crucial for obtaining polymers with diverse structures and functions. In this study, efficient transition-metal-free room temperature regioselective polymerizations of selenium and alkynones were developed to create functional polymers with unique selenium-containing heterocycles. The resulting polymers exhibited excellent solubility, stability, and high refractive indices.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sidi Duan, Shuwang Wu, Mutian Hua, Dong Wu, Yichen Yan, Xinyuan Zhu, Ximin He
Summary: Researchers have developed a method to strengthen polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels inspired by tendons and coniferous trees, enhancing their mechanical properties and freeze resistance. This versatile material has broad applications, such as in manufacturing hydraulic actuators and ionic conductors.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Michael A. Lee, Xiaojia Jin, Sureshkumar Muthupalani, Naveed A. Bakh, Xun Gong, Michael S. Strano
Summary: Nanotechnology-enabled sensors show promise in various in-vivo life science applications, but tissue responses depend on cell types and nanocomponent properties. Encapsulation formulation may help mitigate adverse reactions. This study implanted hydrogel-encapsulated nanosensors into mice to investigate inflammatory responses and determine design rules for encapsulation and minimizing such responses.
JOURNAL OF NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Sina Sharifi, Mohammad Mirazul Islam, Hannah Sharifi, Rakibul Islam, Darrell Koza, Felisa Reyes-Ortega, David Alba-Molina, Per H. Nilsson, Claes H. Dohlman, Tom Eirik Mollnes, James Chodosh, Miguel Gonzalez-Andrades
Summary: Gelatin-based adhesives have been widely used in biomedical applications due to their excellent biocompatibility and mechanical properties. By simple chemical modification, an elastic protein-based hydrogel with excellent biomimetic properties can be obtained, demonstrating potential for various biomedical applications.
BIOACTIVE MATERIALS
(2021)
Review
Engineering, Biomedical
Kang Sun, Chao Tao, Dong-An Wang
Summary: Tissue engineered cartilaginous constructs have made significant advances in the past decades as a treatment for osteoarthritis. Scaffold-free constructs, which involve only cells and cell-derived matrix, have several advantages over scaffold-based constructs in terms of relying on cells to produce matrix, avoiding interference with cell signaling and introducing no exogenous impurities.
BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhangyong Si, Wenbin Zheng, Dicky Prananty, Jianghua Li, Chong Hui Koh, En-Tang Kang, Kevin Pethe, Mary B. Chan-Park
Summary: The increasing prevalence of antimicrobial drug resistance in pathogenic bacteria poses a critical threat to global health. Cationic polymers, which target bacterial membranes, are seen as the last frontier in antibacterial development due to their low propensity for resistance and rapid bactericidal effect. Advanced antimicrobial cationic polymers show promise for overcoming bacterial membrane-related resistance mechanisms and may be useful for future therapeutic applications.
Review
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Bangheng Liu, Chao Tao, Zhonglian Wu, Hang Yao, Dong-An Wang
Summary: This article reviews three main resource categories involved in haematopoietic stem cell niche engineering: the construction of bionic cell culture environments using cytokines, nurse cells or extracellular matrix; the application of microscale technologies to mimic the properties of natural stem cell niches; and the use of biomaterials to construct three-dimensional extracellular matrix-like culture environments.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY B
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dicky Pranantyo, Kaixi Zhang, Zhangyong Si, Zheng Hou, Mary B. Chan-Park
Summary: In recent years, infectious diseases have become a critical threat again due to antimicrobial resistance. Natural antimicrobial peptides and their mimics show potential for killing bacteria with low resistance, but they can also be toxic to host cells. Smart systems to target bacteria are needed to minimize resistance and make practical use of these antimicrobial agents.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Peiyan Wang, Xinyue Meng, Runze Wang, Wei Yang, Lanting Yang, Jianxun Wang, Dong-An Wang, Changjiang Fan
Summary: This study explores the use of chemically cross-linked gelatin microsphere aggregates (C-GMSs) scaffolds for vascularized bone reconstruction. The scaffolds enhance focal adhesion, proliferation, and function of functional cells by optimizing cell-material interfaces. In vitro and in vivo experiments confirm the efficacy of C-GMSs scaffolds in inducing angiogenesis and osteogenesis, as well as promoting integration with host bone.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Min Jin, Chao Tao, Xu Hu, Bangheng Liu, Cheng Ma, Zhonglian Wu, Hang Yao, Dong-An Wang
Summary: Due to safety concerns and poor underwater adhesion, current bioadhesives are not suitable for in vivo physiological environments and diverse medical uses. In this study, a novel bioadhesive, PcC, is developed based on electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions, using catechin as an adhesion provider. PcC demonstrates superior underwater adhesion on cartilage in mechanical tests and shows potential in various medical applications such as closing surgical incisions and reducing seroma formation.
ADVANCED HEALTHCARE MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Bangheng Liu, Min Jin, Dong-An Wang
Summary: A porous alginate hydrogel-based 3D culture system is effective in maintaining the phenotype and renewability of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). It outperforms traditional suspension or non-porous alginate hydrogel culture in terms of HSC expansion efficiency.
ACTA BIOMATERIALIA
(2023)
Editorial Material
Engineering, Biomedical
Kang Sun, Bangheng Liu, Dong-An Wang
Summary: Traditional joint replacement surgery carries risks of trauma and revision, while medication may cause undesirable side effects. Medical research has focused on minimally invasive tissue-engineered scaffolds for cartilage repair. Challenges include cell seeding, scaffold construction, mechanical properties, and regulating the transplant environment. This issue explores cartilage repair development, cutting-edge discoveries, manufacturing technologies, and current technological queries in regenerative medicine.
BIOMEDICAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Zhen Zhang, Yulei Mu, Huiqun Zhou, Hang Yao, Dong-An Wang
Summary: This review focuses on the advances in cartilage tissue engineering, particularly in preclinical trials and clinical applications, prospects, and challenges. Articular cartilage defects significantly impact the global population's quality of life. Despite various strategies for repair, the therapeutic effects remain suboptimal. However, with the development of cartilage tissue engineering, scientists have made progress in therapeutic cells, biomaterial-based scaffolds, and biological factors, providing new possibilities for better cartilage lesion treatment.
TISSUE ENGINEERING PART B-REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Meng Ma, Jun Gu, Dong-An Wang, Siwei Bi, Ruiqi Liu, Xiaosheng Zhang, Jing Yang, Yi Zhang
Summary: In this paper, various 3D printing technologies commonly used in the biomedical field are briefly introduced, with a focus on their application in aging research and aging care. The aging-related health conditions of the nervous system, musculoskeletal system, cardiovascular system, and digestive system are closely examined in relation to the application of 3D printing, including the creation of in vitro models and implants, production of drugs and drug delivery systems, and fabrication of rehabilitation and assistive medical devices. The opportunities, challenges, and prospects of 3D printing in the field of aging are discussed.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOPRINTING
(2023)
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Liping Wang, Wenbin Zhong, Bo Liu, Dicky Pranantyo, Mary B. Chan-Park
Summary: Recent studies have shown that carbon monoxide-releasing molecules (CORMs) possess antibacterial properties by delivering carbon monoxide (CO) molecules. In this study, a new CO delivery system was developed by conjugating CORMs onto a carrier, resulting in polymers with improved solubility, prolonged release duration, and enhanced antimicrobial ability. These polymers demonstrated inhibitory effects on various bacteria and fungi, as well as preventing and dispersing biofilm formation. These findings suggest the promising potential of CO-releasing polymers as antimicrobial and antibiofilm agents in biomedical applications.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Min Jin, Bangheng Liu, Zhen Zhang, Yulei Mu, Liang Ma, Hang Yao, Dong-An Wang
Summary: This study develops a nano-scaled micellar composite composed of catechin-functionalized cationic lipopolymer and serum albumin, which improves the bioavailability of catechins by enhancing intracellular delivery. The nano-micellar complexes exhibit anti-tumor properties and the potential for lung disease treatment. The combination of cationic liposomes with catechins creates a tissue-targeted and biologically active delivery system.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Yahua Chen, Melvin Yong, Ming Li, Zhangyong Si, Chong Hui Koh, Pearlyn Lau, Yi Wei Chang, Jeanette Teo, Mary B. Chan-Park, Yunn-Hwen Gan
Summary: The polyimidazolium compound PIM5 was found to have the same antimicrobial effect on colistin- and meropenem-resistant clinical isolates as susceptible strains, and it showed negligible cytotoxicity on human cells. It is a potent broad-spectrum antibiotic targeting Gram-negative bacteria resistant to last-resort drugs.
JOURNAL OF ANTIMICROBIAL CHEMOTHERAPY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhangyong Si, Kevin Pethe, Mary B. Chan-Park
Summary: The antimicrobial resistance crisis is a global health issue that requires the discovery and development of new therapeutic methods. Conventional screening methods for natural products or synthetic chemical libraries are uncertain. Combination therapy using approved antibiotics and inhibitors that target innate resistance mechanisms is an alternative strategy for developing potent therapeutics. This review discusses the chemical structures of effective beta-lactamase inhibitors, outer membrane permeabilizers, and efflux pump inhibitors that act as adjunct molecules to classical antibiotics. Rational design of adjunct chemical structures provides methods to enhance or restore the efficacy of classical antibiotics against inherently antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Simultaneously targeting multiple pathways with adjunct molecules shows promising approaches to combat multidrug-resistant bacterial infections.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Hang Zhang, Xin Wei, Mary B. Chan-Park, Mingfeng Wang
Summary: In this study, we developed a series of multifunctional polymer-dye adducts to construct desirable colorimetric sensors for food sensing. The polymeric sensors exhibited excellent sensory performance, including multicolor transition, high sensitivity, selectivity, long-term stability, and real-time colorimetric response, when coated directly on the surface of commercial plastic wrap.
ACS FOOD SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
