Advancements in the co-formulation of biologic therapeutics

Biologic therapeutics are the medicines of the future and are destined to transform the approaches by which the causes and symptoms of diseases are cured and alleviated. These approaches will be accelerated through the development of novel strategies that target multiple pharmacologically active sites using a combination of different biologics, or mixtures of biologics and small molecule therapeutics. However, for this potential to be realised, advancements in co-formulation strategies for biologic therapeutics must be established. This review describes the current and emerging developments within this field and highlights the challenges and potential solutions, that will pave-the-way towards their clinical translation

Electrochemical communication with the inside of cells using micro-patterned vertical carbon nanofibre electrodes

With the rapidly increasing demands for ultrasensitive biodetection, the design and applications of new nano-scale materials for development of sensors based on optical and electrochemical transducers have attracted substantial interest. In particular, given the comparable sizes of nanomaterials and biomolecules, there exist plenty of opportunities to develop functional nanoprobes with biomolecules for highly sensitive and selective biosensing, shedding new light on cellular behaviour. Towards this aim, herein we interface cells with patterned nano-arrays of carbon nanofibers forming a nanosensor-cell construct. We show that such a construct is capable of electrochemically communicating with the intracellular environment.This work was supported by the Leverhulme Trust [grant numbers F/00 094/BD, ECF/2013-603]; the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council [grant number BB/L017059/1]; the European Research Council [Consolidator Grant, number 614787], the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council [EP/K027263/1]; and the NC3Rs [grant number NC/L00058X/1]

Minimum Two-Year Follow-Up of Cases with Recurrent Disc Herniation Treated with Microdiscectomy and Posterior Dynamic Transpedicular Stabilisation

The objective of this article is to evaluate two-year clinical and radiological follow-up results for patients who were treated with microdiscectomy and posterior dynamic transpedicular stabilisation (PDTS) due to recurrent disc herniation. This article is a prospective clinical study. We conducted microdiscectomy and PDTS (using a cosmic dynamic screw-rod system) in 40 cases (23 males, 17 females) with a diagnosis of recurrent disc herniation. Mean age of included patients was 48.92 ± 12.18 years (range: 21-73 years). Patients were clinically and radiologically evaluated for follow-up for at least two years. Patients’ postoperative clinical results and radiological outcomes were evaluated during the 3rd, 12th, and 24th months after surgery. Forty patients who underwent microdiscectomy and PDTS were followed for a mean of 41 months (range: 24-63 months). Both the Oswestry and VAS scores showed significant improvements two years postoperatively in comparison to preoperative scores (p<0.01). There were no significant differences between any of the three measured radiological parameters (α, LL, IVS) after two years of follow-up (p > 0.05). New recurrent disc herniations were not observed during follow-up in any of the patients. We observed complications in two patients. Performing microdiscectomy and PDTS after recurrent disc herniation can decrease the risk of postoperative segmental instability. This approach reduces the frequency of failed back syndrome with low back pain and sciatica

Electrospun PLGA fibre sheets incorporating fluorescent nanosensors: self-reporting scaffolds for application in tissue engineering

Ratiometric analyte responsive nanosensors have been incorporated into electrospun poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) fibres to create self-reporting scaffolds. It has been demonstrated that the self-reporting scaffolds could be utilised to monitor microenvironment conditions without damaging the fabricated scaffold or the cells being cultured upon the construct. This presents opportunities to fully understand, monitor and optimise the growth of 3D model tissue constructs in vitro. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry

Thermo-optical characterization of fluorescent rhodamine B based temperature-sensitive nanosensors using a CMOS MEMS micro-hotplate

A custom designed microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) micro-hotplate, capable of operating at high temperatures (up to 700 C), was used to thermo-optically characterize fluorescent temperature-sensitive nanosensors. The nanosensors, 550 nm in diameter, are composed of temperature-sensitive rhodamine B (RhB) fluorophore which was conjugated to an inert silica sol-gel matrix. Temperature-sensitive nanosensors were dispersed and dried across the surface of the MEMS micro-hotplate, which was mounted in the slide holder of a fluorescence confocal microscope. Through electrical control of the MEMS micro-hotplate, temperature induced changes in fluorescence intensity of the nanosensors was measured over a wide temperature range. The fluorescence response of all nanosensors dispersed across the surface of the MEMS device was found to decrease in an exponential manner by 94%, when the temperature was increased from 25 C to 145 C. The fluorescence response of all dispersed nanosensors across the whole surface of the MEMS device and individual nanosensors, using line profile analysis, were not statistically different (p < 0.05). The MEMS device used for this study could prove to be a reliable, low cost, low power and high temperature micro-hotplate for the thermo-optical characterisation of sub-micron sized particles. The temperature-sensitive nanosensors could find potential application in the measurement of temperature in biological and micro-electrical systems. The Authors. © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved