3,064 research outputs found

    Biodegradable Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanodots for Non-Invasive Photoacoustic Imaging and Photothermal Therapy

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    Multifunctional nanoparticles have been widely investigated for biomedical applications, such as imaging, therapy, and drug delivery. Especially, photoactive nanoparticles have received great attention as theranostic agents because of their heat-generating abilities after exposure to laser irradiation. However, photostability and safety issues have been the technical hurdles for further clinical applications. Here, we designed nitrogen (N)-doped carbon nanodots (N-CNDs) that have strong absorption in the near-infrared region, high photostability, and excellent biodegradability. Optimized N-CNDs can be utilized not only as a new photoacoustic (PA) imaging agent but also as a superior photothermal therapy (PTT) agent in vivo because of their strong optical absorption at a specific wavelength. We used N-CNDs to perform in vivo/ex vivo noninvasive PA imaging of sentinel lymph nodes via local delivery and performed PTT for cancer ablation therapy. Finally, biodegradation and renal clearance were confirmed by performing whole-body PA monitoring and a degradation test

    Roadmap on semiconductor-cell biointerfaces.

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    This roadmap outlines the role semiconductor-based materials play in understanding the complex biophysical dynamics at multiple length scales, as well as the design and implementation of next-generation electronic, optoelectronic, and mechanical devices for biointerfaces. The roadmap emphasizes the advantages of semiconductor building blocks in interfacing, monitoring, and manipulating the activity of biological components, and discusses the possibility of using active semiconductor-cell interfaces for discovering new signaling processes in the biological world

    Biodegradable Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanodots for Non-Invasive Photoacoustic Imaging and Photothermal Therapy

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    Multifunctional nanoparticles have been widely investigated for biomedical applications, such as imaging, therapy, and drug delivery. Especially, photoactive nanoparticles have received great attention as theranostic agents because of their heat-generating abilities after exposure to laser irradiation. However, photostability and safety issues have been the technical hurdles for further clinical applications. Here, we designed nitrogen (N)-doped carbon nanodots (N-CNDs) that have strong absorption in the near-infrared region, high photostability, and excellent biodegradability. Optimized N-CNDs can be utilized not only as a new photoacoustic (PA) imaging agent but also as a superior photothermal therapy (PTT) agent in vivo because of their strong optical absorption at a specific wavelength. We used N-CNDs to perform in vivo/ex vivo noninvasive PA imaging of sentinel lymph nodes via local delivery and performed PTT for cancer ablation therapy. Finally, biodegradation and renal clearance were confirmed by performing whole-body PA monitoring and a degradation test.11269Ysciescopu

    Terahertz Induced Protein Interactions in a Random Medium

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    Folding of proteins into their correct native structure is key to their function. Simultaneously, the intricate interplay between cell movement and protein conformation highlights the complex nature of cellular processes. In this work, we demonstrate the impact of Terahertz (THz) signaling on controlling protein conformational changes in a random medium. Our system of interest consists of a communication link that involves a nanoantenna transmitter, a protein receiver, and a channel composed of moving red blood cells. Due to the system dynamics, we investigate the influence of both the fast and slow channel variations on protein folding. Specifically, we analyze the system's selectivity to asses the effectiveness of the induced THz interaction in targeting a specific group of proteins under fading conditions. By optimizing the selectivity metric with respect to the nanoantenna power and frequency, it is possible to enhance the controllability of protein interactions. Our probabilistic analysis provides a new perspective regarding electromagnetically triggered protein molecules, their microenvironment and their interaction with surrounding particles. It helps elucidate how external conditions impact the protein folding kinetics and pathways. This results in not only understanding the mechanisms underlying THz-induced protein interactions but also engineering these still-emerging tools.Comment: Accepted for publication in the IEEE Transactions on Molecular, Biological and Multi-Scale Communication

    Progress in Probe-Based Sensing Techniques for In Vivo Diagnosis

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    Advancements in robotic surgery help to improve the endoluminal diagnosis and treatment with minimally invasive or non-invasive intervention in a precise and safe manner. Miniaturized probe-based sensors can be used to obtain information about endoluminal anatomy, and they can be integrated with medical robots to augment the convenience of robotic operations. The tremendous benefit of having this physiological information during the intervention has led to the development of a variety of in vivo sensing technologies over the past decades. In this paper, we review the probe-based sensing techniques for the in vivo physical and biochemical sensing in China in recent years, especially on in vivo force sensing, temperature sensing, optical coherence tomography/photoacoustic/ultrasound imaging, chemical sensing, and biomarker sensing

    Nanoparticles-based magnetic and photo induced hyperthermia for cancer treatment

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    Nanoscience provides several modalities to combat cancer disease effectively. Magnetic hyperthermia and photothermal therapy techniques are central research themes among various groups in the world by utilizing magnetic and optical characteristics of distinct or composite nanoentities. This review provides the current research on both the techniques and their successes towards clinical translation. This review discusses about the various heating mechanisms involved in magnetic and photo-induced hyperthermia. We have evaluated potential functional nanoparticles with excellent properties capable of providing innovative future solutions to current problems associated with these therapies. Several factors (extracellular and intracellular) have been covered and explained which may affect such thermal treatments. We have provided some instrumental and technical details of both the techniques that are important for consideration in using these modalities of treatments. A direct comparison of these two techniques and a further need of the combined therapy (magnetic hyperthermia plus photothermal therapy) was highlighted as a new pathway for cancer treatments

    Nanoparticles-based phototherapy systems for cancer treatment : Current status and clinical potential

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    Remarkable progress in phototherapy has been made in recent decades, due to its non-invasiveness and instant therapeutic efficacy. In addition, with the rapid development of nanoscience and nanotechnology, phototherapy systems based on nanoparticles or nanocomposites also evolved as an emerging hotspot in nanomedicine research, especially in cancer. In this review, first we briefly introduce the history of phototherapy, and the mechanisms of phototherapy in cancer treatment. Then, we summarize the representative development over the past three to five years in nanoparticle-based phototherapy and highlight the design of the innovative nanoparticles thereof. Finally, we discuss the feasibility and the potential of the nanoparticle-based phototherapy systems in clinical anticancer therapeutic applications, aiming to predict future research directions in this field. Our review is a tutorial work, aiming at providing useful insights to researchers in the field of nanotechnology, nanoscience and cancer.Peer reviewe

    The Boston University Photonics Center annual report 2016-2017

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    This repository item contains an annual report that summarizes activities of the Boston University Photonics Center in the 2016-2017 academic year. The report provides quantitative and descriptive information regarding photonics programs in education, interdisciplinary research, business innovation, and technology development. The Boston University Photonics Center (BUPC) is an interdisciplinary hub for education, research, scholarship, innovation, and technology development associated with practical uses of light.This has undoubtedly been the Photonics Centerā€™s best year since I became Director 10 years ago. In the following pages, you will see highlights of the Centerā€™s activities in the past year, including more than 100 notable scholarly publications in the leading journals in our field, and the attraction of more than 22 million dollars in new research grants/contracts. Last year I had the honor to lead an international search for the first recipient of the Moustakas Endowed Professorship in Optics and Photonics, in collaboration with ECE Department Chair Clem Karl. This professorship honors the Centerā€™s most impactful scholar and one of the Centerā€™s founding visionaries, Professor Theodore Moustakas. We are delighted to haveawarded this professorship to Professor Ji-Xin Cheng, who joined our faculty this year.The past year also marked the launch of Boston Universityā€™s Neurophotonics Center, which will be allied closely with the Photonics Center. Leading that Center will be a distinguished new faculty member, Professor David Boas. David and I are together leading a new Neurophotonics NSF Research Traineeship Program that will provide $3M to promote graduate traineeships in this emerging new field. We had a busy summer hosting NSF Sites for Research Experiences for Undergraduates, Research Experiences for Teachers, and the BU Student Satellite Program. As a community, we emphasized the theme of ā€œOptics of Cancer Imagingā€ at our annual symposium, hosted by Darren Roblyer. We entered a five-year second phase of NSF funding in our Industry/University Collaborative Research Center on Biophotonic Sensors and Systems, which has become the centerpiece of our translational biophotonics program. That I/UCRC continues to focus on advancing the health care and medical device industries

    Biologically inspired bio-cyber interface architecture and model for internet of Bio-NanoThings applications

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    With the advent of nanotechnology, concepts related to the Internet of Things, such as the Internet of NanoThings and Internet of Bio-NanoThings (IoBNT) have also emerged in the classical literature. The main concern of this paper is the IoBNT, which projects the prospective application domain where the activities of very tiny, biocompatible, and non-intrusive devices operating in an in-body nanonetwork can be monitored and controlled through the Internet. In this paper, we present an illustrative scenario and system model of an IoBNT for application in an advanced healthcare delivery system. To address one of the major challenges of the IoBNT, we present an exemplary architecture and model of a bio-cyber interface for connecting the conventional electromagnetic-based Internet to the biochemical signaling-based bionanonetwork. The biocyber interface is designed and modeled by employing biological concepts, such as the responsiveness of certain biomolecules to thermal and light stimuli, and the bioluminescence phenomenon of some biochemical reactions. The analysis in this paper focuses on the system that comprises the bio-cyber interface and the information propagation network of the blood vessel that leads to the in-body nanonetwork location. The effects of the system and design parameters associated with the IoBNT models presented are numerically evaluated.The Sentech Chair in Broadband Wireless Multimedia Communications at the University of Pretoria and the Department of Trade and Industry THRIP Program.http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=26hb2016Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineerin
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