4 research outputs found
Standalone Lab-on-a-Chip Systems toward the Evaluation of Therapeutic Biomaterials in Individualized Disease Treatment
As
each tumor is unique, treatments should be individualized in
terms of their drug formulation and time dependent dosing. In vitro
lab-on-a-chip (LOC) drug testing is a viable avenue to individualize
treatments. A drug testing platform in the form of a customizable
standalone LOC system is proposed for treatment individualization
in vitro. The platform was used to individualize the treatment of
pancreatic cancer by using PANC-1 and MIA PaCa-2 cell lines cultured
on-chip. Using on-chip drug uptake, growth, and migration inhibition
assays, the therapeutic effect of various treatment combinations was
analyzed. Thereafter, optimized treatments were devised for each cell
line. The individualized dosage for MIA PaCa-2 cell line was found
to be between 0.05–0.1 μg/μL of doxorubicin (DOX),
where the greatest growth and migration inhibition effects were observed.
As the PANC-1 cell line showed resistance to DOX only formulations,
a multidrug approach was used for individualized treatment. Compared
to the DOX only formulations, the individualized treatment produced
the same degree of migration inhibition but with 5–10 times
lower concentration of DOX, potentially minimizing the side-effects
of the treatment. Furthermore, the individualized treatment had an
average of 672.4% higher rate of growth inhibition. Finally, a preliminary
study showed how a tested formulation from the LOC system can be translated
for use by employing a nanoparticle system for controlled delivery,
producing similar therapeutic effects. The use of such systems in
clinical practice could potentially revolutionize treatment formulation
by maximizing the therapeutic effects of existing treatments while
minimizing their potential side effects through individualization
of treatment
MOESM1 of Immunotoxicity assessment of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots in macrophages, lymphocytes and BALB/c mice
Additional file 1. Results from flow cytometry analysis of QDs uptake, ICP-MS analysis of Se element in major organs, the phagocytic assay of peritoneal macrophages, and MTT assay of macrophages treated with different types of QDs are presented
Two-Dimensional Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Enhanced Phase-Sensitive Plasmonic Biosensors: Theoretical Insight
Atomically thin transition metal
dichalcogenide nanomaterials have
shown superior optical and electronic properties in the two-dimensional
(2D) scale. They are considered as promising alternative materials
to graphene. Here, we have precisely engineered a plasmonic sensing
substrate with four types of two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide
nanomaterial to achieve significant phase sensitivity improvement.
Phase modulation is currently the most sensitive interrogation method
among all the plasmonic detection approaches. The tuning of the substrate
thickness in an atomic scale with a step less than 1 nm allows the
efficient modulation of phase signals. More importantly, the optical
absorption rate for each of these nanomaterials is different and can
be tuned by changing the number of 2D layers, where perfect absorption
and interrogation of the plasmonic signal can be obtained. Through
systematically optimizing the parameters of the transition metal dichalcogenide
structured plasmonic substrate, we can balance the optical absorption
efficiencies and the electron losses at the plasmonic resonance condition.
All of the calculations were based on the transfer matrix method and
Fresnel equations. A very low minimum reflectivity of 3.2560 ×
10<sup>–8</sup> was demonstrated with an excitation wavelength
of 1024 nm, showing a complete transfer (∼100%) of the light
energy into the plasmon resonance energy. The ultradark singularity
at the resonance dip leads to an ultrahigh plasmonic sensitivity of
1.1 × 10<sup>7</sup> deg/RIU, which is 3 orders of magnitude
higher than those with bare metallic sensing substrates used in commercial
plasmonic sensors. The resolution is also improved by at least 3 orders
of magnitude compared with conventional substrates
Assessing Clinical Prospects of Silicon Quantum Dots: Studies in Mice and Monkeys
Silicon nanocrystals can provide the outstanding imaging capabilities of toxic heavy-metal-based quantum dots without employing heavy metals and have potential for rapid progression to the clinic. Understanding the toxicity of silicon quantum dots (SiQDs) is essential to realizing this potential. However, existing studies of SiQD biocompatibility are limited, with no systematic progression from small-animal to large-animal studies that are more clinically relevant. Here, we test the response of both mice and monkeys to high intravenous doses of a nanoconstruct created using only SiQDs and FDA-approved materials. We show that (1) neither mice nor monkeys show overt signs of toxicity reflected in their behavior, body mass, or blood chemistry, even at a dose of 200 mg/kg. (2) This formulation did not biodegrade as expected. Elevated levels of silicon were present in the liver and spleen of mice three months post-treatment. (3) Histopathology three months after treatment showed adverse effects of the nanoformulation in the livers of mice, but showed no such effects in monkeys. This investigation reveals that the systemic reactions of the two animal models may have some differences and there are no signs of toxicity clearly attributable to silicon quantum dots