1,059 research outputs found

    Radiolabeled PET/MRI Nanoparticles for Tumor Imaging

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    The development of integrated positron emission tomography (PET)/ magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners opened a new scenario for cancer diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. Multimodal imaging combines functional and morphological information from different modalities, which, singularly, cannot provide a comprehensive pathophysiological overview. Molecular imaging exploits multimodal imaging in order to obtain information at a biological and cellular level; in this way, it is possible to track biological pathways and discover many typical tumoral features. In this context, nanoparticle-based contrast agents (CAs) can improve probe biocompatibility and biodistribution, prolonging blood half-life to achieve specific target accumulation and non-toxicity. In addition, CAs can be simultaneously delivered with drugs or, in general, therapeutic agents gathering a dual diagnostic and therapeutic effect in order to perform cancer diagnosis and treatment simultaneous. The way for personalized medicine is not so far. Herein, we report principles, characteristics, applications, and concerns of nanoparticle (NP)-based PET/MRI CAs

    Nanotechnology-Assisted Cell Tracking

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    The usefulness of nanoparticles (NPs) in the diagnostic and/or therapeutic sector is derived from their aptitude for navigating intra-and extracellular barriers successfully and to be spatiotemporally targeted. In this context, the optimization of NP delivery platforms is technologically related to the exploitation of the mechanisms involved in the NP–cell interaction. This review provides a detailed overview of the available technologies focusing on cell–NP interaction/detection by describing their applications in the fields of cancer and regenerative medicine. Specifically, a literature survey has been performed to analyze the key nanocarrier-impacting elements, such as NP typology and functionalization, the ability to tune cell interaction mechanisms under in vitro and in vivo conditions by framing, and at the same time, the imaging devices supporting NP delivery assessment, and consideration of their specificity and sensitivity. Although the large amount of literature information on the designs and applications of cell membrane-coated NPs has reached the extent at which it could be considered a mature branch of nanomedicine ready to be translated to the clinic, the technology applied to the biomimetic functionalization strategy of the design of NPs for directing cell labelling and intracellular retention appears less advanced. These approaches, if properly scaled up, will present diverse biomedical applications and make a positive impact on human health

    Recent Advances in Bioimaging for Cancer Research

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    Molecular imaging techniques as well as nanoparticle applicable to molecular imaging are being explored to improve the cancer detection accuracy, which help to manage efficiently at the early stage. Among the various imaging technologies, optical imaging is a highly sensitive detection technique that allows direct observation of specific molecular events, biological pathways, and disease processes in real time through imaging probes that emit light in a range of wavelengths. Recently, nanoparticles have provided significant progresses that can be simultaneously used for cancer diagnosis and therapy (cancer theranostics). Theranostics aims to provide “image-guided cancer therapy,” by integrating therapeutic and imaging agents in a single platform. In addition, molecular imaging techniques facilitate “image-guided surgery” enabling maximization of tumor excision and minimization of side effects. The optical signals generated by fluorescence nanoparticles offer the possibility to distinguish tumor sites and normal tissues during surgery by real-time guidance, thereby increasing the long-term patient survival. These techniques will considerably contribute to reducing cancer recurrence and developing more effective cures. In this chapter, we will introduce diverse research on nanomaterials-based optical imaging for effective cancer therapy

    Advanced Optical Imaging-Guided Nanotheranostics toward Personalized Cancer Drug Delivery

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    Nanomedicine involves the use of nanotechnology for clinical applications and holds promise to improve treatments. Recent developments offer new hope for cancer detection, prevention and treatment; however, being a heterogenous disorder, cancer calls for a more targeted treatment approach. Personalized Medicine (PM) aims to revolutionize cancer therapy by matching the most effective treatment to individual patients. Nanotheranostics comprise a combination of therapy and diagnostic imaging incorporated in a nanosystem and are developed to fulfill the promise of PM by helping in the selection of treatments, the objective monitoring of response and the planning of follow-up therapy. Although well-established imaging techniques, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computed Tomography (CT), Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT), are primarily used in the development of theranostics, Optical Imaging (OI) offers some advantages, such as high sensitivity, spatial and temporal resolution and less invasiveness. Additionally, it allows for multiplexing, using multi-color imaging and DNA barcoding, which further aids in the development of personalized treatments. Recent advances have also given rise to techniques permitting better penetration, opening new doors for OI-guided nanotheranostics. In this review, we describe in detail these recent advances that may be used to design and develop efficient and specific nanotheranostics for personalized cancer drug delivery. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

    Current Trends in Cancer Nanotheranostics: Metallic, Polymeric, and Lipid-Based Systems

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    Theranostics has emerged in recent years to provide an efficient and safer alternative in cancer management. This review presents an updated description of nanotheranostic formulations under development for skin cancer (including melanoma), head and neck, thyroid, breast, gynecologic, prostate, and colon cancers, brain-related cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma. With this focus, we appraised the clinical advantages and drawbacks of metallic, polymeric, and lipid-based nanosystems, such as low invasiveness, low toxicity to the surrounding healthy tissues, high precision, deeper tissue penetration, and dosage adjustment in a real-time setting. Particularly recognizing the increased complexity and multimodality in this area, multifunctional hybrid nanoparticles, comprising different nanomaterials and functionalized with targeting moieties and/or anticancer drugs, present the best characteristics for theranostics. Several examples, focusing on their design, composition, imaging and treatment modalities, and in vitro and in vivo characterization, are detailed herein. Briefly, all studies followed a common trend in the design of these theranostics modalities, such as the use of materials and/or drugs that share both inherent imaging (e.g., contrast agents) and therapeutic properties (e.g., heating or production reactive oxygen species). This rationale allows one to apparently overcome the heterogeneity, complexity, and harsh conditions of tumor microenvironments, leading to the development of successful targeted therapies.The authors acknowledge Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) for financial support through Projects UID/DTP/04138/2013, PTDC/MED-QUI/31721/2017 and for financial support through PhD fellowship SFRH/BD/117586/2016.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Functional nanoparticles for magnetic resonance C-Surgery tools

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    Ο κεντρικός σκοπός αυτής της εργασίας είναι να παρέχει μια γενική επισκόπηση όσων αφορά την χρήση και εφαρμογή των λειτουργικών νανοσωματιδίων στην μαγνητική τομογραφία και της εικονικά καθοδηγούμενης χειρουργικής στον τομέα της ιατρικής. Τα νανοσωματιδιακά σκιαγραφικά μέσα προσφέρουν την δυνατότητα άριστης ανάλυσης και υψηλής ευαισθησίας μαγνητικής τομογραφίας μέσα από την ικανότητα τους να συσσωρεύονται στα παθολογικά σημεία καθώς και την ιδιότητα περεταίρω επεξεργασίας τους μέσω διαφόρων τεχνικών. Τα διάφορα είδη σκιαγραφικών ουσιών αναλύονται εκτενέστερα καθώς και οι πρόσφατες εξελίξεις στον συγκεκριμένο τομέα. Αυτή η διπλωματική αναλύει το συνεχώς αυξανόμενο ενδιαφέρον ως προς τα νανοσωματιδιακά ενεργοποιούμενα σκιαγραφικά μέσα τα οποία ενεργοποιούνται έπειτα από συγκεκριμένα ερεθίσματα και προσφέρουν υψηλή ευαισθησία και εξειδίκευση . Οι αρχές της συσσώρευσης των νανοϋλικών στα χειρουργικά σημεία αναλύονται και αποτελούν προοίμιο για τα οφέλη της νανοϊατρικής στην εικονικά καθοδηγούμενη χειρουργική . Ένας ρεαλιστικός τρόπος για να παρέχουμε άρτια διεγχειρητική εικόνα και ικανοποιητική διείσδυση ιστών είναι η πολυτροπική απεικόνιση βασισμένη σε μοριακές απεικονιστικές τεχνολογίες. Επιπροσθέτως τα λειτουργικά νανοσωματιδιακά μπορούν να χρησιμοποιηθούν σε διαφόρου είδους χειρουργικές επεμβάσεις με στόχο την ολοκληρωτική εξαίρεση των παθολογικών εξεργασιών. Επιπλέον, ο σύγχρονος συνδυασμός της διάγνωσης και θεραπείας ταυτόχρονα και σε πρώτο χρόνο μέσω της χρήσης νανοσωματιδίων στον τομέα της χειρουργικής αναλύεται στα πλαίσια αυτής της διπλωματικής. Τελειώνοντας, αυτή η διπλωματική αναφέρει τις δυσκολίες και τις μελλοντικές προοπτικές όσον αφορά την ανάπτυξη , εξέλιξη και κλινική εφαρμογή των λειτουργικών νανοσωματιδίων στην μαγνητική τομογραφία και στην εικονικά καθοδηγούμενη χειρουργική .The central purpose of this thesis is to provide a general overview of functional nanoparticles for MRI and image-guided surgery and their applications in the medical field. Nanoparticle-based contrast agents offer promising new platforms to increase the resolution and sensitivity of MRI by their enhanced accumulation at disease sites and their large surface area for additional modification with targeting ligands etc. The different types of contrast agents were discussed concurrently with any recent developments. This thesis reviews the ever-evolving interest in nanoparticle-based activatable MRI contrast agents responsive to various stimuli which enhances specificity and sensitivity. The principles of nanomaterials to surgical targets are reviewed, unlocking the advantages of nano-technology in image-guided surgery and multimodal image-guided surgery and assisted synergistic therapy. A pragmatic method to achieve intraoperative visualization with deep tissue penetration and high resolution is multimodal-imaging based on molecular imaging technologies. Furthermore, functional nanomaterials synergize different surgical procedures to eliminate residual lesions. Additionally, theragnostic nanomaterials with surgical applications were discussed. Finally, this thesis mentions the challenges and future perspectives to develop and translate functional nanoparticles for MRI and nanomaterials for image-guided surgery into clinical practice

    Emerging role of radiolabeled nanoparticles as an effective diagnostic technique

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    Thermo-responsive Fluorescent Nanoparticles for Multimodal Imaging and Treatment of Cancers

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    Theranostic systems capable of delivering imaging and therapeutic agents at a specific target are the focus of intense research efforts in drug delivery. To overcome non-degradability and toxicity concerns of conventional theranostic systems, we formulated a novel thermo-responsive fluorescent polymer (TFP) and conjugated it on the surface of iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) for imaging and therapeutic applications in solid tumors. Methods: TFP-MNPs were synthesized by copolymerizing poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), allylamine and a biodegradable photoluminescent polymer, and conjugating it on MNPs via a free radical polymerization reaction. Physicochemical properties of the nanoparticles were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering, and vibrational sample magnetometry. Nanoparticle cytocompatibility, cellular uptake and cytotoxicity were evaluated using in vitro cell assays. Finally, in vivo imaging and therapeutic efficacy studies were performed in subcutaneous tumor xenograft mouse models. Results: TFP-MNPs of ~135 nm diameter and -31 mV ζ potential maintained colloidal stability and superparamagnetic properties. The TFP shell was thermo-responsive, fluorescent, degradable, and released doxorubicin in response to temperature changes. In vitro cell studies showed that TFP-MNPs were compatible to human dermal fibroblasts and prostate epithelial cells. These nanoparticles were also taken up by prostate and skin cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner and exhibited enhanced killing of tumor cells at 41°C. Preliminary in vivo studies showed theranostic capabilities of the nanoparticles with bright fluorescence, MRI signal, and therapeutic efficacy under magnetic targeting after systemic administration in tumor bearing mice. Conclusion: These results indicate the potential of TFP-MNPs as multifunctional theranostic nanoparticles for various biological applications, including solid cancer management

    Nanomaterials for nanotheranostics : tuning their properties according to disease needs

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    Altres ajuts: this work was funded by the CERCA Program/Generalitat de Catalunya.Nanotheranostics is one of the biggest scientific breakthroughs in nanomedicine. Most of the currently available diagnosis and therapies are invasive, time-consuming, and associated with severe toxic side effects. Nanotheranostics, on the other hand, has the potential to bridge this gap by harnessing the capabilities of nanotechnology and nanomaterials for combined therapeutics and diagnostics with markedly enhanced efficacy. However, nanomaterial applications in nanotheranostics are still in its infancy. This is due to the fact that each disease has a particular microenvironment with well-defined characteristics, which promotes deeper selection criteria of nanomaterials to meet the disease needs. In this review, we have outlined how nanomaterials are designed and tailored for nanotheranostics of cancer and other diseases such as neurodegenerative, autoimmune (particularly on rheumatoid arthritis), and cardiovascular diseases. The penetrability and retention of a nanomaterial in the biological system, the therapeutic strategy used, and the imaging mode selected are some of the aspects discussed for each disease. The specific properties of the nanomaterials in terms of feasibility, physicochemical challenges, progress in clinical trials, its toxicity, and their future application on translational medicine are addressed. Our review meticulously and critically examines the applications of nanotheranostics with various nanomaterials, including graphene, across several diseases, offering a broader perspective of this emerging field
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