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The potential role of bottom-up Synthetic Cells (SCs) in the Internet of Bio-Nano Things (IoBNT) is discussed. In particular, this perspective paper focuses on the growing interest in networks of biological and/or artificial objects at the micro- and nanoscale (cells and subcellular parts, microelectrodes, microvessels, etc.), whereby communication takes place in an unconventional manner, i.e., via chemical signaling. The resulting "molecular communication" (MC) scenario paves the way to the development of innovative technologies that have the potential to impact biotechnology, nanomedicine, and related fields. The scenario that relies on the interconnection of natural and artificial entities is briefly introduced, highlighting how Synthetic Biology (SB) plays a central role. SB allows the construction of various types of SCs that can be designed, tailored, and programmed according to specific predefined requirements. In particular, "bottom-up" SCs are briefly described by commenting on the principles of their design and fabrication and their features (in particular, the capacity to exchange chemicals with other SCs or with natural biological cells). Although bottom-up SCs still have low complexity and thus basic functionalities, here, we introduce their potential role in the IoBNT. This perspective paper aims to stimulate interest in and discussion on the presented topics. The article also includes commentaries on MC, semantic information, minimal cognition, wetware neuromorphic engineering, and chemical social robotics, with the specific potential they can bring to the IoBNT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanotechnology, contrary to its name, has massively revolutionized industries around the world. This paper predominantly deals with data regarding the applications of nanotechnology in the modernization of several industries. A comprehensive research strategy is adopted to incorporate the latest data driven from major science platforms. Resultantly, a broad-spectrum overview is presented which comprises the diverse applications of nanotechnology in modern industries. This study reveals that nanotechnology is not limited to research labs or small-scale manufacturing units of nanomedicine, but instead has taken a major share in different industries. Companies around the world are now trying to make their innovations more efficient in terms of structuring, working, and designing outlook and productivity by taking advantage of nanotechnology. From small-scale manufacturing and processing units such as those in agriculture, food, and medicine industries to larger-scale production units such as those operating in industries of automobiles, civil engineering, and environmental management, nanotechnology has manifested the modernization of almost every industrial domain on a global scale. With pronounced cooperation among researchers, industrialists, scientists, technologists, environmentalists, and educationists, the more sustainable development of nano-based industries can be predicted in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AB5 compounds issued from the reactivity of hexachlorocyclotriphosphazene are relatively easy to obtain using two ways: either first the reaction of one chloride with one reagent, followed by the reaction of the five remaining Cl with another reagent, or first the reaction of five chlorides with one reagent, followed by the reaction of the single remaining Cl with another reagent. This particular property led to the use of such compounds as core for the synthesis of dendrons (dendritic wedges), using the five functions for growing the dendritic branches. The single function can be used for the synthesis of diverse types of dendrimers (onion peel, dumbbell-shape, Janus), for covalent or non-covalent grafting to solid surfaces, providing nanomaterials, for grafting a fluorophore, especially for studying biological mechanisms, or for self-associations to get micelles. All these properties are reviewed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a heterogeneous subtype of tumors that tests negative for estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, and excess HER2 protein. The mainstay of treatment remains chemotherapy, but the therapeutic outcome remains inadequate. This paper investigates the potential of a duocarmycin derivative, tafuramycin A (TFA), as a new and more effective chemotherapy agent in TNBC treatment. To this extent, we optimized the chemical synthesis of TFA, and we encapsulated TFA in a micellar system to reduce side effects and increase tumor accumulation. In vitro and in vivo studies suggest that both TFA and SMA–TFA possess high anticancer effects in TNBC models. Finally, the encapsulation of TFA offered a preferential avenue to tumor accumulation by increasing its concentration at the tumor tissues by around four times in comparison with the free drug. Overall, the results provide a new potential strategy useful for TNBC treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent findings suggest that tumor microenvironment (TME) plays an important regulatory role in the occurrence, proliferation, and metastasis of tumors. Different from normal tissue, the condition around tumor significantly altered, including immune infiltration, compact extracellular matrix, new vasculatures, abundant enzyme, acidic pH value, and hypoxia. Increasingly, researchers focused on targeting TME to prevent tumor development and metastasis. With the development of nanotechnology and the deep research on the tumor environment, stimulation-responsive intelligent nanostructures designed based on TME have attracted much attention in the anti-tumor drug delivery system. TME-targeted nano therapeutics can regulate the distribution of drugs in the body, specifically increase the concentration of drugs in the tumor site, so as to enhance the efficacy and reduce adverse reactions, can utilize particular conditions of TME to improve the effect of tumor therapy. This paper summarizes the major components and characteristics of TME, discusses the principles and strategies of relevant nano-architectures targeting TME for the treatment and diagnosis systematically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chitosan is a polymer that is extensively used to prepare nanoparticles (NPs) with tailored properties for applications in many fields of human activities. Among them, targeted drug delivery, especially when cancer therapy is the main interest, is a major application of chitosan-based NPs. Due to its positive charges, chitosan is used to produce the core of the NPs or to cover NPs made from other types of polymers, both strategies aiming to protect the carried drug until NPs reach the target sites and to facilitate the uptake and drug delivery into these cells. A major challenge in the design of these chitosan-based NPs is the formation of a protein corona (PC) upon contact with biological fluids. The composition of the PC can, to some extent, be modulated depending on the size, shape, electrical charge and hydrophobic/hydrophilic characteristics of the NPs. According to the composition of the biological fluids that have to be crossed during the journey of the drug-loaded NPs towards the target cells, the surface of these particles can be changed by covering their core with various types of polymers or with functionalized polymers carrying some special molecules, that will preferentially adsorb some proteins in their PC. The PC's composition may change by continuous processes of adsorption and desorption, depending on the affinity of these proteins for the chemical structure of the surface of NPs. Beside these, in designing the targeted drug delivery NPs one can take into account their toxicity, initiation of an immune response, participation (enhancement or inhibition) in certain metabolic pathways or chemical processes like reactive oxygen species, type of endocytosis of target cells, and many others. There are cases in which these processes seem to require antagonistic properties of nanoparticles. Products that show good behavior in cell cultures may lead to poor in vivo results, when the composition of the formed PC is totally different. This paper reviews the physico-chemical properties, cellular uptake and drug delivery applications of chitosan-based nanoparticles, specifying the factors that contribute to the success of the targeted drug delivery. Furthermore, we highlight the role of the protein corona formed around the NP in its intercellular fate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the potential contamination of pharmaceutical products with innate immunity modulating impurities (IIMIs) is essential for establishing their safety profiles. IIMIs are a large family of molecules with diverse compositions and structures that contribute to the immune-mediated adverse effects (IMAE) of drug products. Pyrogenicity (the ability to induce fever) and activation of innate immune responses underlying both acute toxicities (e.g., anaphylactoid reactions or pseudoallergy, cytokine storm) and long-term effects (e.g., immunogenicity) are among the IMAE commonly related to IIMI contamination. Endotoxins of gram-negative bacteria are the best-studied IIMIs in that both methodologies for and pitfalls in their detection and quantification are well established. Additionally, regulatory guidance documents and research papers from laboratories worldwide are available on endotoxins. However, less information is currently known about other IIMIs. Herein, we focus on one such IIMI, namely, beta-glucans, and review literature and discuss the experience of the Nanotechnology Characterization Lab (NCL) with the detection of beta-glucans in nanotechnology-based drug products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prussian blue (PB) is a coordination polymer studied since the early 18th century, historically known as a pigment. PB can be prepared in colloidal form with a straightforward synthesis. It has a strong charge-transfer absorption centered at ~700 nm, with a large tail in the Near-IR range. Irradiation of this band results in thermal relaxation and can be exploited to generate a local hyperthermia by irradiating in the so-called bio-transparent Near-IR window. PB nanoparticles are fully biocompatible (PB has already been approved by FDA) and biodegradable, this making them ideal candidates for in vivo use. While papers based on the imaging, drug-delivery and absorbing properties of PB nanoparticles have appeared and have been reviewed in the past decades, a very recent interest is flourishing with the use of PB nanoparticles as photothermal agents in biomedical applications. This review summarizes the syntheses and the optical features of PB nanoparticles in relation to their photothermal use and describes the state of the art of PB nanoparticles as photothermal agents, also in combination with diagnostic techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]