Advanced Biological Methods Research Articles

Strategies for biological treatment of waste water: A critical review

Global water demand is continuously growing due to rising population and associated industrial and agricultural activities. However, these factors are also polluting the existing water bodies and therefore, limiting the water supply. Increasing level of contaminants poses risk to human, wildlife and the environment. Widening gap between water demand and supply creates water stress. Therefore, treatment of waste water becomes imperative in order to ensure sustainable development of planet earth. Conventional methods utilizing physical, chemical and biological processes are generally adopted for this purpose. These methods are further modified so as to enhance the efficiency and economy of the treatment process as well as to make them more eco-friendly. None of the conventional or advance technology is individually sufficient for appropriate treatment of wastewater. Therefore, more efficient hybrid methods are required. The development of such hybrid methods needs detailed information about various treatment methods. This paper critically reviews the conventional and advanced biological methods used for waste water treatment. The main objective of this review is to present vital information about various biological treatment methods forming the basis for the development of sustainable hybrid methods for waste water treatment.

Evasion of opsonization of macromolecules using novel surface‐modification and biological‐camouflage‐mediated techniques for next‐generation drug delivery

AbstractOpsonization plays a pivotal role in hindering controlled drug release from nanoformulations due to macrophage‐mediated nanoparticle destruction. While first and second‐generation delivery systems, such as lipoplexes (50–150 nm) and quantum dots, hold immense potential in revolutionizing disease treatment through spatiotemporal controlled drug delivery, their therapeutic efficacy is restricted by the selective labeling of nanoparticles for uptake by reticuloendothelial system and mononuclear phagocyte system via various molecular forces, such as electrostatic, hydrophobic, and van der Waals bonds. This review article presents novel insights into surface‐modification techniques utilizing macromolecule‐mediated approaches, including PEGylation, di‐block copolymerization, and multi‐block polymerization. These techniques induce stealth properties by generating steric forces to repel micromolecular‐opsonins, such as fibrinogen, thereby mitigating opsonization effects. Moreover, advanced biological methods, like cellular hitchhiking and dysopsonic protein adsorption, are highlighted for their potential to induce biological camouflage by adsorbing onto the nanoparticulate surface, leading to immune escape. These significant findings pave the way for the development of long‐circulating next‐generation nanoplatforms capable of delivering superior therapy to patients. Future integration of artificial intelligence‐based algorithms, integrated with nanoparticle properties such as shape, size, and surface chemistry, can aid in elucidating nanoparticulate‐surface morphology and predicting interactions with the immune system, providing valuable insights into the probable path of opsonization.

Redox-Enabled Bio-Electronics for Information Acquisition and Transmission

Biology uses an electron-based modality that involves reduction and oxidation (redox) reactions, and this redox modality has both molecular and electrical features. Importantly, the electrical features are accessible to convenient electrode measurements, but this electron-based redox modality is fundamentally different from biology’s ion-based electrical modality that is prominent in neural and neuromuscular communication. Here, we review recent efforts to develop redox based bioelectronics for the acquisition of information and actuation of responses. Specifically, we illustrate how electrodes enable comparatively simple modulation/demodulation because electrodes readily transduce electrical inputs into redox-signals -in some cases, the same redox signals (i.e., reactive oxygen species; ROS) used by biology. The propagation of redox signals occurs through diffusion and reaction mechanisms involving redox reaction networks. We further describe how advanced biological methods (protein engineering and synthetic biology) are being used to enable a targeting of redox inputs to actuate specific responses at molecular (i.e., protein conjugation) and cellular (i.e., electrogenetic) levels. In summary, we envision that redox-based bioelectronics could enable entirely new opportunities for applying electronics to: provide new experimental approaches for the study of redox-biology; yield systems-level measurements for clinical practice; and facilitate a fusion of the informationprocessing capabilities of biology and electronics.

Nasal Chondrocyte–Based Engineered Grafts for the Repair of Articular Cartilage “Kissing” Lesions: A Pilot Large-Animal Study

Background: Bipolar or “kissing” cartilage lesions formed on 2 opposite articular surfaces of the knee joint are commonly listed as exclusion criteria for advanced cartilage therapies. Purpose: To test, in a pilot large-animal study, whether autologous nasal chondrocyte (NC)–based tissue engineering, recently introduced for the treatment of focal cartilage injuries, could provide a solution for challenging kissing lesions. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Osteochondral kissing lesions were freshly introduced into the knee joints of 26 sheep and covered with NC-based grafts with a low or high hyaline-like extracellular matrix; a control group was treated with a cell-free scaffold collagen membrane (SCA). The cartilage repair site was assessed at 6 weeks and 6 months after implantation by histology, immunohistochemistry, and magnetic resonance imaging evaluation. Results: NC-based grafts, independently of their composition, induced partial hyaline cartilage repair with stable integrity in surrounding healthy tissue at 6 months after treatment. The SCA repaired cartilage to a similar degree to that of NC-based grafts. Conclusion: Kissing lesion repair, as evidenced in this sheep study, demonstrated the feasibility of the treatment of complex cartilage injuries with advanced biological methods. However, the potential advantages of an NC-based approach over a cell-free approach warrant further investigations in a more relevant preclinical model. Clinical Relevance: NC-based grafts currently undergoing phase II clinical trials have a high potential to replace existing cartilage therapies that show significant limitations in the quality and reproducibility of the repair method. We have brought this innovative concept to the next level by addressing a new clinical indication.

Simulation of Wastewater Depolution Processes by Advanced Biological Methods

This paper presents the results from a study which simulates wastewater depollution processes using advanced biological methods. The experimental research was performed in a static biological reactor, equipped with an air compressor and an agitator / mixer. Synthetic wastewater, prepared with the addition of glucose, was fed into the reactor. The wastewater was subjected to alternating cycles of aeration and slow mixing, for consecutive 3 h intervals within the reactor to ensure the necessary conditions for the reduction of nitrogen based organic compounds within the wastewater. In the successive aeration processes, aerobic / nitrifying microorganisms which developed within the reactor, facilitated the decomposition of organic substances into nitrites and then into nitrates. By stopping aeration and starting the slow mixing cycle the anaerobic / denitrifying microorganisms growing in the reactor consume the necessary oxygen from nitrates and release free nitrogen into the atmosphere, thus completing the process of advanced depollution. Therefore, the experimental procedure highlights the existence of two distinct phases in the development of the depollution process. In the first phase, the biological process is initiated using glucose in order to promote the growth of the bacterial flora. In the second phase (the regime phase), the reduction of mineral and organic pollutants from the wastewater is ensured. The activity of microorganisms in the biological reactor can be further supported by the recirculation of activated sludge retained in the secondary decanter. The proposed technology offers a fast, safe and relatively inexpensive method for advanced wastewater depollution. Bioreactors of this type are recommended in wastewater treatment schemes in the hearth of rural localities, agro-zootechnical complexes and tourist units with seasonal activities due to their fluctuations in hourly wastewater flow rates. Similar approaches can also be considered for the elimination of ammonium compounds in groundwater polluted with animal manure.