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Lung cancer has been the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide for decades. Despite the increasing understanding of the underlying disease mechanisms, the prognosis still remains poor for many patients. Novel adjuvant therapies have emerged as a promising treatment method to augment conventional methods and boost the therapeutic effects of primary therapies. Adjuvant therapy based on nanomedicine has gained considerable interest for supporting and enhancing traditional therapies, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiotherapy, due to the tunable physicochemical features and ease of synthetic design of nanomaterials. In addition, nanomedicine can provide protective effects against other therapies by reducing adverse side effects through precise disease targeting. Therefore, nanomedicine-based adjuvant therapies have been extensively employed in a wide range of preclinical and clinical cancer treatments to overcome the drawbacks of conventional therapies. In this review, we mainly discuss the recent advances in adjuvant nanomedicine for lung cancer treatment and highlight their functions in improving the therapeutic outcome of other therapies, which may inspire new ideas for advanced lung cancer therapies and stimulate research efforts around this topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of nanomedicine, there is a tendency of matching designed nanomaterials with a suitable type of orthotopic cancer model, not just a casual subcutaneous one. Under this condition, knowing the specific features of the chosen cancer model is the priority, then introducing a proper therapy strategy using designed nanomaterials. Here, the Fenton chemistry is combined with zinc peroxide nanoparticles in the treatment of orthotopic liver cancer which has a "chemical factory" including that liver is the main place for iron storage, metabolism, and also the main metabolic sites for the majority of ingested substances, guaranteeing customized and enhanced chemodynamic therapy and normal liver cells protection as well. The good results in vitro and in vivo can set an inspiring example for exploring and utilizing suitable nanomaterials in corresponding cancer models, ensuring well‐fitness of nanomaterials for disease and satisfactory therapeutic effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radio‐nanomedicine, or the use of radiolabeled nanoparticles in nuclear medicine, has attracted much attention in the last few decades. Since the discovery of Cerenkov radiation and its employment in Cerenkov luminescence imaging, the combination of nanomaterials and Cerenkov radiation emitters has been revolutionizing the way nanomaterials are perceived in the field: from simple inert carriers of radioactivity to activatable nanomaterials for both diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Herein, we provide a comprehensive review on the types of nanomaterials that have been used to interact with Cerenkov radiation and the gamma and beta scintillation of radionuclides, as well as on their biological applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multifunctional theranostic agents have become rather attractive to realize image-guided combination cancer therapy. Herein, a novel method is developed to synthesize Bi2Se3 nanosheets decorated with mono-dispersed FeSe2 nanoparticles (FeSe2/Bi2Se3) for tetra-modal image-guided combined photothermal and radiation tumor therapy. Interestingly, upon addition of Bi(NO3)3, pre-made FeSe2 nanoparticles via cation exchange would be gradually converted into Bi2Se3 nanosheets, on which remaining FeSe2 nanoparticles are decorated. The yielded FeSe2/Bi2Se3 composite-nanostructures are then modified with polyethylene glycol (PEG). Taking advantages of the high r2 relaxivity of FeSe2, the X-ray attenuation ability of Bi2Se3, the strong near-infrared optical absorbance of the whole nanostructure, as well as the chelate-free radiolabeling of 64Cu on FeSe2/Bi2Se3-PEG, in vivo magnetic resonance/computer tomography/photoacoustic/position emission tomography multimodal imaging is carried out, revealing efficient tumor homing of FeSe2/Bi2Se3-PEG after intravenous injection. Utilizing the intrinsic physical properties of FeSe2/Bi2Se3-PEG, in vivo photothermal and radiation therapy to achieve synergistic tumor destruction is then realized, without causing obvious toxicity to the treated animals. This work presents a unique method to synthesize composite-nanostructures with highly integrated functionalities, promising not only for nano-biomedicine but also potentially for other different nanotechnology fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is of vital importance in several biological and physical processes. The significance of H2S‐specific detection and monitoring is emphasized by its elevated levels in various diseases such as cancer. Nanotechnology enhances the performance of chemical sensing nanoprobes due to the enhanced efficiency and sensitivity. Recently, extensive research efforts have been dedicated to developing novel smart H2S‐triggered/therapeutic system (SHTS) nanoplatforms for H2S‐activated sensing, imaging, and therapy. Herein, the latest SHTS‐based nanomaterials are summarized and discussed in detail. In addition, therapeutic strategies mediated by endogenous H2S as a trigger or exogenous H2S delivery are also included. A comprehensive understanding of the current status of SHTS‐based strategies will greatly facilitate innovation in this field. Lastly, the challenges and key issues related to the design and development of SHTS‐based nanomaterials (e.g., morphology, surface modification, therapeutic strategies, appropriate application, and selection of nanomaterials) are outlined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autophagy is a conserved process that is critical for sequestering and degrading proteins, damaged or aged organelles, and for maintaining cellular homeostasis under stress conditions. Despite its dichotomous role in health and diseases, autophagy usually promotes growth and progression of advanced cancers. In this context, clinical trials using chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as autophagy inhibitors have suggested that autophagy inhibition is a promising approach for treating advanced malignancies and/or overcoming drug resistance of small molecule therapeutics (i.e., chemotherapy and molecularly targeted therapy). Efficient delivery of autophagy inhibitors may further enhance the therapeutic effect, reduce systemic toxicity, and prevent drug resistance. As such, nanocarrier‐based drug delivery systems have several distinct advantages over free autophagy inhibitors that include increased circulation of the drugs, reduced off‐target systemic toxicity, increased drug delivery efficiency, and increased solubility and stability of the encapsulated drugs. With their versatile drug encapsulation and surface‐functionalization capabilities, nanocarriers can be engineered to deliver autophagy inhibitors to tumor sites in a context‐specific and/or tissue‐specific manner. This review focuses on the role of nanomaterials utilizing autophagy inhibitors for cancer therapy, with a focus on their applications in different cancer types. Autophagy is a conserved process that is critical for sequestering and degrading proteins, damaged or aged organelles, and for capturing nanoparticles. Clinical trials have suggested that autophagy inhibition is a promising approach for treating advanced malignancies. With their versatile drug encapsulation and surface‐functionalization capabilities, nanocarrier‐based delivering of autophagy inhibitors has several distinct advantages over free autophagy inhibitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanomaterial has emerged as a novel delivery agent for biomedical applications due to its unique structure and properties. However, in vivo positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with LDH nanoparticles has not been achieved. The aim of this study is to explore chelator-free labeling of LDH nanoparticles with radioisotopes for in vivo PET imaging. Bivalent cation 64Cu2+ and trivalent cation 44Sc3+ were found to readily label LDH nanoparticles with excellent labeling efficiency and stability, whereas tetravalent cation 89Zr4+ could not label LDH since it does not fit into the LDH crystal structure. PET imaging shows that prominent tumor uptake was achieved in 4T1 breast cancer with 64Cu-LDH-BSA via passive targeting alone (7.7 ± 0.1%ID/g at 16 h post-injection; n = 3). These results support that LDH is a versatile platform that can be labeled with various bivalent and trivalent radiometals without comprising the native properties, highly desirable for PET image-guided drug delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Recently, spectral computed tomography (CT) technology has received great interest in the field of radiology. Spectral CT imaging utilizes the distinct, energy-dependent X-ray absorption properties of substances in order to provide additional imaging information. Dual-energy CT and multi-energy CT (Spectral CT) are capable of constructing monochromatic energy images, material separation images, energy spectrum curves, constructing effective atomic number maps, and more. However, poor contrast, due to neighboring X-ray attenuation of organs and tissues, is still a challenge to spectral CT. Hence, contrast agents (CAs) are applied for better differentiation of a given region of interest (ROI). Currently, many different kinds of inorganic nanoparticulate CAs for spectral CT have been developed due to the limitations of clinical iodine (I)-based contrast media, leading to the conclusion that inorganic nanomedicine applied to spectral CT will be a powerful collaboration both in basic research and in clinics. In this review, the underlying principles and types of spectral CT techniques are discussed, and some evolving clinical diagnosis applications of spectral CT techniques are introduced. In particular, recent developments in inorganic CAs used for spectral CT are summarized. Finally, the challenges and future developments of inorganic nanomedicine in spectral CT are briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although graphene oxide (GO) has recently been considered as a highly attractive nanomaterial for future cancer imaging and therapy, it is still a major challenge to improve its in vivo tumor active targeting efficiency. Here in this full article, we demonstrated the successful and significantly enhanced in vivo tumor vasculature targeting efficacy of well-functionalized GO nanoconjugates by using vascular endothelial growth factor 121 (VEGF121) as the targeting ligand. As-developed GO nanoconjugate exhibits excellent in vivo stability, specific in vitro and in vivo vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) targeting, significantly enhanced tumor accumulation (>8 %ID/g) as well as high tumor-to-muscle contrast, showing great potential for future tumor targeted imaging and therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Graphene-based nanomaterials have attracted tremendous attention in the field of biomedicine due to their intriguing properties. Herein, we report tumor vasculature targeting and imaging in living mice using reduced graphene oxide (RGO), which was conjugated to the anti-CD105 antibody TRC105. The RGO conjugate, 64Cu–NOTA–RGO–TRC105, exhibited excellent stability in vitro and in vivo. Serial positron emission tomography (PET) imaging studies non-invasively assessed the pharmacokinetics and demonstrated specific targeting of 64Cu–NOTA–RGO–TRC105 to 4T1 murine breast tumors in vivo, compared to non-targeted RGO conjugate (64Cu–NOTA–RGO). In vivo (e.g., blocking 4T1 tumor uptake with excess TRC105), in vitro (e.g., flow cytometry), and ex vivo (e.g., histology) experiments confirmed the specificity of 64Cu–NOTA–RGO–TRC105 for tumor vascular CD105. Since RGO exhibits desirable properties for photothermal therapy, the tumor-specific RGO conjugate developed in this work may serve as a promising theranostic agent that integrates imaging and therapeutic components. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The goal of this study was to employ nano-graphene for tumor targeting in an animal tumor model, and quantitatively evaluate the pharmacokinetics and tumor targeting efficacy through positron emission tomography (PET) imaging using 66Ga as the radiolabel. Nano-graphene oxide (GO) sheets with covalently linked, amino group-terminated six-arm branched polyethylene glycol (PEG; 10 kDa) chains were conjugated to NOTA (1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1,4,7-triacetic acid, for 66Ga-labeling) and TRC105 (an antibody that binds to CD105). Flow cytometry analyses, size measurements, and serum stability studies were performed to characterize the GO conjugates before in vivo investigations in 4T1 murine breast tumor-bearing mice, which were further validated by histology. TRC105-conjugated GO was specific for CD105 in cell culture. 66Ga-NOTA-GO-TRC105 and 66Ga-NOTA-GO exhibited excellent stability in complete mouse serum. In 4T1 tumor-bearing mice, these GO conjugates were primarily cleared through the hepatobiliary pathway. 66Ga-NOTA-GO-TRC105 accumulated quickly in the 4T1 tumors and tumor uptake remained stable over time (3.8 ± 0.4, 4.5 ± 0.4, 5.8 ± 0.3, and 4.5 ± 0.4 %ID/g at 0.5, 3, 7, and 24 h post-injection respectively; n = 4). Blocking studies with unconjugated TRC105 confirmed CD105 specificity of 66Ga-NOTA-GO-TRC105, which was corroborated by biodistribution and histology studies. Furthermore, histological examination revealed that targeting of NOTA-GO-TRC105 is tumor vasculature CD105 specific with little extravasation. Successful demonstration of in vivo tumor targeting with GO, along with the versatile chemistry of graphene-based nanomaterials, makes them suitable nanoplatforms for future biomedical research such as cancer theranostics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]