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Biomaterials as signal-releasing platforms

Scientists of the CIBER-BBN and IBEC reserch group Biomaterials for Regenerative Therapies, led by Miguel Angel Mateos-Timoneda and Elisabeth Engel who run NANBIOSIS U5. Rapid Prototyping Unit,  have  published a review of the state-of-the-art in biomaterials for skin healing that proposes a move towards more personalized, in situ therapies.

Skin wound healing repairs and restore tissue through a complex process that involves different cells and signalling molecules that regulate cellular response and the remodelling of the extracellular matrix. Publishing in Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, the article begins by summarizing recent advances in therapies for healing that combine biomolecule signals such as growth factors and cytokines with cells.

“So far, the application of these therapies is hampered by high costs, a lack of standardization, no scalable processes, and storage and regulatory issues – as well as a lack of real evidence that they work,” explains Oscar Castaño, senior researcher in the  group. “To address this, we suggest concentrating on biomaterials that can act as platforms to generate stimuli that can promote the type of cell activity that encourages skin regeneration.” This strategy of tissue regeneration in situ uses the body’s own capacity for regeneration by mobilizing host endogenous stem cells or tissue-specific progenitor cells to the wound site to promote repair and regeneration. “The aim would be to create instructive microenvironments that combine biomaterial supports with the many different signal cues that happen in wound healing,” says Oscar. “They’d regulate the spatio-temporal delivery of the proper signalling based on the biological mechanisms of the various events that occur.”

Article of reference:

Oscar Castaño, Soledad Pérez-Amodio, Claudia Navarro-Requena, Miguel Angel Mateos-Timoneda, Elisabeth Engel Instructive microenvironments in skin wound healing: Biomaterials as signal releasing platforms.  Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 129, 95-117, 2018. doi.org/10.1016/j.addr.2018.03.012

 

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NANBIOSIS Unit 14 of Cell Therapy receives the Research Excellence Accreditation

Dr. Javier García Casado, Scientific Director of NANBIOSIS Unit 14, of Cell Therapy, has been awarded  by the General Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation, belonging to the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure of the Autonomous Community of Extremadura, the accreditation of research excellence of the Autonomous Community of Extremadura in the field of Life Sciences, which includes the research areas of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Medical Sciences, Pharmacology and Physiology, Food Science and Technology and other related fields.

The accreditation, which is valid for 4 years, is the recognition of Javier García Casado’s research career, highlighted by his contributions to scientific-technological knowledge, due to the impact and international relevance of his scientific results.

 

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New cover ACS Sustainable Che. Eng. by Scientists of NANBOSIS U9

Scientists of NANBIOSIS Unit 9 Synthesis of Nanoparticles Unit are coauthors of  of the New cover ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng.
Sustainable Production of Drug-Loaded Particles by Membrane Emulsification. Albisa A, Piacentini E, Arruebo M, Sebastian V, Giorno L. ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng., 2018, 6 (5), pp 6663–6674 March 13, 2018. DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.8b00401. IF: 5,951

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Stimuli-Responsive Functionalization Strategies to Spatially and Temporally Control Surface Properties: Michael vs Diels–Alder Type Additions

NANBIOSIS Unit 6 Biomaterial Processing and Nanostructuring and Unit 3 Synthesis of Peptides collaborate in a research whose results are published by The Journal of Physical Chemistry B

Stimuli-Responsive Functionalization Strategies to Spatially and Temporally Control Surface Properties: Michael vs Diels–Alder Type Additions

Adriana R. Kyvik, Carlos Luque-Corredera, Daniel Pulido, Miriam Royo, Jaume Veciana, Judith Guasch, and Imma Ratera
The Journal of Physical Chemistry B 2018 122 (16), 4481-4490

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b01652

Stimuli-responsive self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are used to confer switchable physical, chemical, or biological properties to surfaces through the application of external stimuli. To obtain spatially and temporally tunable surfaces, we present microcontact printed SAMs of a hydroquinone molecule that are used as a dynamic interface to immobilize different functional molecules either via Diels–Alder or Michael thiol addition reactions upon the application of a low potential. In spite of the use of such reactions and the potential applicability of the resulting surfaces in different fields ranging from sensing to biomedicine through data storage or cleanup, a direct comparison of the two functionalization strategies on a surface has not yet been performed. Although the Michael thiol addition requires molecules that are commercial or easy to synthesize in comparison with the cyclopentadiene derivatives needed for the Diels–Alder reaction, the latter reaction produces more homogeneous coverages under similar experimental conditions.

 

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Josep Samitier, Scientific Director of NANBIOSIS Unit 7, Panelist in a round table about the current situation of biomedical research

Last month NANBIOSIS Unit 7 Nanotechnology Unit Scientific Director Josep Samitier was one of the panelists in a round table organised by the Cercle de Salut, an association devoted to improving the health system so that it may respond adequately to the challenges posed by society.

In the discussion at the Parc de Recerca Biomèdica de Barcelona (PRBB) entitled ‘L’excel·lència en la recerca, reptes immediats’, Josep and the other participants – ISGlobal director Antoni Plasencia and IrsiCaixa director Bonaventura Clotet – discussed the current situation of biomedical research in Catalonia. In particular, the hot topic under discussion was the impact that recent regulatory and administrative changes may have on its competitiveness.

Samitier is a key figure of influence in this area, not only as president of ACER (the Associació Catalana d’Entitats de Recerca, but also with IBEC being a member of SOMMa, the alliance of the country’s 41 Severo Ochoa and María de Maeztu units. One of SOMMa’s first actions was the document ‘Informe SOMMa: Acciones necesarias para salvaguardar la competitividad de la ciencia’ to attract the attention of politicians to address some of the problems currently hampering research in the country, such as VAT deduction, public contracting, and the hiring of personnel.

The proceedings began with a presentation of the document on behalf of SOMMa by Bruna Vives, managing director of the CRG, and the round table moderator was Jordi Camí, director general of the PRBB and the Fundació Pasqual Maragall. The session was closed by Cercle de Salut vicepresident Lluis Bohigas.

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Judith Guasch, (NANBIOSIS Unit 6) has been granted with a Ramon y Cajal grant from the Spanish Goverment

Judith Guasch holds a senior postdoctoral research position at the NANOMOL group CIBER-BBN at  ICMAB-CSIC that coordinates NANBIOSIS Unit 6 Biomaterial Processing and Nanostructuring Unit, after being awarded with a TecnioSpring fellowship  (Marie Curie Fellow, Cofund – Catalan Government and EU). Since 2017 she is also head of a Max Planck Partner Group (Dynamic Biomimetics for Cancer Immunotherapy) in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research (Heidelberg, Germany). Judith’s research interests are focused on the design, synthesis, and fabrication of multifunctional molecular and supramolecular materials for biomedical applications. Special interest is devoted to study the cell-material interaction for improving novel adoptive cell therapies for the treatment of cancer. She studied Chemistry at the UB (2006) and she received her PhD in 2011 from ICMAB. Afterwards, she carried out postdoctoral research at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (Stuttgart, Germany).

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«The combination of nanotechnology with bioengineering and biomedicine allows us to act on the human body on a molecular scale»

Josep Samitier, Scientific Director of NANBIOSIS Unit 7 Nanotechnology Unit, has been highlighted in ‘Dominical’ supplement of the Diari de Girona last week.

More information here 

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Parasympathetic tone activity evaluation to discriminate ketorolac and ketorolac/tramadol analgesia level in swine

Francisco M. Sánchez-Margallo, Assistant Director of NANBIOSIS and Scientific Director of JUMISC is co-author of the article “Parasympathetic tone activity evaluation to discriminate ketorolac and ketorolac/tramadol analgesia level in swine”, publish by   2018 Jun 14. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000003573. [Epub ahead of print]

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Evaluation of nociceptive–antinociceptive balance during general anesthesia is still challenging and routinely based on clinical criteria. Analgesic drug delivered may be optimized with parasympathetic tone activity (PTA) monitor. This study compares ketorolac and ketorolac/tramadol balance analgesia using a PTA monitor.

METHODS:

Pain intensity response was assessed using a 0–100 numerical state scale (PTA) after nociceptive stimuli in pigs under stable sevoflurane anesthesia. Bispectral index, heart rate, noninvasive blood pressure, and respiratory parameters were also measured. Animals were divided into 3 groups: without analgesia, ketorolac, and ketorolac/tramadol. Mean values or mean areas under the curve (AUC) in selected time periods were compared over time and between groups through a mixed-model repeated measures analysis of variance and nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis tests, followed by Bonferroni or Dunn’s multiple comparisons.

RESULTS:

It was observed a significant decrease in the PTA AUC mean value after application of the stimulus in animals treated without analgesia and only with ketorolac. The PTA AUC mean value in the control group was significantly lower than the corresponding mean in ketorolac group. The ketorolac/tramadol group showed the highest PTA AUC mean values, significantly different from those obtained for the other 2 groups, with no significant differences detected over time. Bispectral index means showed no statistically significant differences either over time periods or between different treatment groups. Heart rate showed only a statistically significant increase in AUC mean between without analgesia and ketorolac/tramadol group, in the time period after the stimulus application. Noninvasive blood pressure means showed no statistically significant differences over time and between treatment groups.

CONCLUSIONS:

This study shows that a low dose combination of ketorolac and tramadol is sufficient to block the pain responses induced with a needle holder in pigs 20 minutes after its administration. The PTA monitor was able to clearly recognize the analgesic level between treatments and may be used to optimize analgesic drug delivered

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Selective CXCR4+ Cancer Cell Targeting and Potent Antineoplastic Effect by a Nanostructured Version of Recombinant Ricin

Researchers of NANBIOSIS Unit 1 and NANBIOSIS Unit 18, led by Prof Antoni Villaverde have published the article “Selective CXCR4+ Cancer Cell Targeting and Potent Antineoplastic Effect by a Nanostructured Version of Recombinant Ricin” at SMALL journal.

Under the unmet need of efficient tumor‐targeting drugs for oncology, a recombinant version of the plant toxin ricin (the modular protein T22‐mRTA‐H6) is engineered to self‐assemble as protein‐only, CXCR4‐targeted nanoparticles. The soluble version of the construct self‐organizes as regular 11 nm planar entities that are highly cytotoxic in cultured CXCR4+ cancer cells upon short time exposure, with a determined IC50 in the nanomolar order of magnitude. The chemical inhibition of CXCR4 binding sites in exposed cells results in a dramatic reduction of the cytotoxic potency, proving the receptor‐dependent mechanism of cytotoxicity. The insoluble version of T22‐mRTA‐H6 is, contrarily, moderately active, indicating that free, nanostructured protein is the optimal drug form. In animal models of acute myeloid leukemia, T22‐mRTA‐H6 nanoparticles show an impressive and highly selective therapeutic effect, dramatically reducing the leukemia cells affectation of clinically relevant organs. Functionalized T22‐mRTA‐H6 nanoparticles are then promising prototypes of chemically homogeneous, highly potent antitumor nanostructured toxins for precise oncotherapies based on self‐mediated intracellular drug delivery.

See article: https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.201800665

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Prof. Laura Lehuga, new Associate Editor at Analyst Editorial Board

Laura Lechuga, Scientific Director of NANBIOSIS Unit 4 Biodeposition and Biodetection Unit, at Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology,  has joined the Analyst Editorial Board as an Associate Editor from today.

Analyst publishes analytical and bioanalytical research that reports premier fundamental discoveries and inventions and the applications of those discoveries, unconfined by traditional discipline barriers

Laura Lechuga is the CSIC Research Professor at the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Spain. She is the leader of the CIBER-BBN-ICN2 Nanobiosensors and Bioanalytical Applications Group, which focusses on the technological development of nanophotonic biosensors, their integration into portable lab-on-a-chip platforms and their application in clinical and environmental diagnostics. Professor Lechuga gained her PhD in chemistry in 1992 from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Between 2012 and 2015 she was an adjunct professor at the University of Norway within their department of Physics and Technology at the Artic. She has also been a distinguished visiting professor at the School of Electrical and Computer Sciences of the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Brazil) since 2013.

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