Nanoscale Platform Research Articles

Nano-structured urchin-like photothermal covalent organic frameworks for efficient Solar-Driven interfacial water evaporation

Solar-driven interfacial water evaporation is a promising sustainable technology to alleviate the global energy crisis and clean water shortage. The design of advanced photothermal materials play the critical role to utilize photothermal heat for water evaporation. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) as a new class of crystalline porous polymer semiconductor materials have been deemed as an ideal nanoscale platform for designing photothermal materials with notable features like highly ordered structures, porous open channels, and tunable structure and functionality. In this work, we focus on the regulation of the multi-scale structure of COFs and design hierarchically nano-structured photothermal COFs for efficient solar-driven interfacial water evaporation. At the molecular scale, we synthesize a photothermal functionalized COF-366-OH using photosensitive 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-aminophenyl) porphyrin (TAPP) and 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalaldehyde (DHTA) as building blocks. At the micro-nano scale, we introduce the π-conjugated catechol molecule 2,3,6,7,10,11-hexahydroxytriphenylene (HHTP) to regulate COF polycondensation and assembly, which enable the shaping of COF-366-OH into urchin-like nano-morphologies (namely UCOF-366-OH). The synthesized UCOF-366-OH exhibits high crystallinity, large surface area, excellent photothermal conversion capacity, and strong hydrophilicity. Furthermore, UCOF-366-OH is processed into a photothermal composite membrane. With localized solar heating and optimized water transport at the water evaporation interface, a high evaporation rate of 2.51 kg m−2h−1 with solar-to-vapor efficiency of 97.3 % is achieved. This work paves a new way for the multi-scale structural design of COF-based photothermal materials and highlights their innovative application in solar water evaporation.

A proteome-wide quantitative platform for nanoscale spatially resolved extraction of membrane proteins into native nanodiscs.

The intricate molecular environment of the native membrane profoundly influences every aspect of membrane protein (MP) biology. Despite this, the most prevalent method of studying MPs uses detergent-like molecules that disrupt and remove this vital local membrane context. This severely impedes our ability to quantitatively decipher the local molecular context and comprehend its regulatory role in the structure, function, and biogenesis of MPs. Using a library of membrane-active polymers we have developed a platform for the high-throughput analysis of the membrane proteome. The platform enables near-complete spatially resolved extraction of target MPs directly from their endogenous membranes into native nanodiscs that maintain the local membrane context. We accompany this advancement with an open-access database that quantifies the polymer-specific extraction variability for 2065 unique mammalian MPs and provides the most optimized condition for each of them. Our method enables rapid and near-complete extraction and purification of target MPs directly from their endogenous organellar membranes at physiological expression levels while maintaining the nanoscale local membrane environment. Going beyond the plasma membrane proteome, our platform enables extraction from any target organellar membrane including the endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, lysosome, Golgi, and even transient organelles such as the autophagosome. To further validate this platform, we took several independent MPs and demonstrated how our resource can enable rapid extraction and purification of target MPs from different organellar membranes with high efficiency and purity. Further, taking two synaptic vesicle MPs, we show how the database can be extended to capture multiprotein complexes between overexpressed MPs. We expect these publicly available resources to empower researchers across disciplines to efficiently capture membrane 'nano-scoops' containing a target MP and interface with structural, functional, and other bioanalytical approaches. We demonstrate an example of this by combining our extraction platform with single-molecule TIRF imaging to demonstrate how it can enable rapid determination of homo-oligomeric states of target MPs in native cell membranes.

A Glucose Oxidase-Curcumin Composite Nanoreactor for Multimodal Synergistic Cancer Therapy.

Glucose oxidase (GOx) selectively oxidizes β-d-glucose into gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide; thus, it has emerged as a promising anticancer agent by tumor starvation and oxidative therapy. Here, we developed a nanoscale platform or "nanoreactor" that incorporates GOx and the bioactive natural product curcumin (CUR) to achieve a multimodal anticancer nanocomposite. The composite nanoreactor was formed by loading CUR in biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) of poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(ε-caprolactone) (PEG-PCL). Prime-coating of the NPs with an iron(III)-tannic acid complex enabled facile immobilization of GOx on the NP surface. The NPs were monodisperse with a hydrodynamic diameter of 122 nm and a partially negative surface charge. The NPs were also associated with an excellent CUR loading efficiency and sustained release up to 96 h, which was accelerated by surface-immobilized GOx and followed supercase II transport. Viability assays were conducted on two model cancer cell lines, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, as well as human dermal fibroblasts as a representative normal cell line. The assays revealed significantly improved potency of CUR in the composite nanoreactor, with up to 6000- and 1280-fold increase in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, respectively, and lower toxicity toward normal cells. The NPs were also able to promote intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and dissipation of the mitochondrial membrane potential, providing important clues on the mechanism of action of the nanoreactor. Further investigation of caspase-3 activity revealed that the nanoreactor had no effect or inhibited caspase-3 levels, signifying a caspase-independent mechanism of inducing apoptosis. Our findings present a promising nanocarrier platform that combines therapeutic agents with distinct mechanisms of action acting in synergy for more effective cancer therapy.

Protonation-triggered self-assembly of chiral copper nanoclusters: Chirality transfer and circularly polarized luminescence generation

Complex biological processes are inseparable from the transmission of chiral information, and the realization of chiral transfer in the process of designing and manufacturing chiral functional materials is conducive to explore sophisticated nature activities. The construction of chiral nanomaterials using self-assembly strategy can effectively constitute asymmetric molecular stacking pattern and occur hierarchical chirality transfer, but there are few studies on the chirality modulation or amplification of metal nanoclusters in self-assembled systems. Herein, we select a chiral glutathione-stabilized copper nanocluster (R-GSH-Cu NCs) as the chiral donor and introduced achiral cationic polymer poly (allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) to self assembly to form R-GSH-Cu NCs/PAH nanoaggregates. Through thesynergistic effectof hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction. Through the synergistic effect of hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction, the optical properties of nanoaggregates were greatly regulated, especially in the supramolecular chirality and circularly polarized luminescence (CPL). Meanwhile, the addition of external proton source (hydrochloric acid, HCl) into the R-GSH-Cu NCs/PAH complexes increased the protonation degree of PAH, resulting in chiral inversion and CPL amplification. Regulating chiral properties of chiral metal NCs provides a nanoscale platform for understanding chiral transfer at organic–inorganic interface, which provided candidate in 3D display, biological probes, encrypted information transmission.

Surface decoration of PLGA nanoparticles enables efficient transport of floxuridine oligomers into mammalian cells

2′-deoxy-5-fluorouridine (Floxuridine, FdU) oligomers are repeated FdU residues linked to each other through phosphate groups exhibiting anticancer properties. One of the major hurdles exhibited by natural oligomers is their reduced stability and limited ability to impart cellular uptake. To overcome these drawbacks, electrostatic and covalent strategies have been used to combine oligomers with nanoparticles (NPs) to enhance stability and cellular internalization. Polymeric NPs, prepared from oil-in-water (O/W) PLGA nano-emulsions (NEs) using low-energy emulsification methods, have shown potential in many biomedical applications owing to their ability to transport drugs across cellular membranes. Carbodiimide-mediated amine coupling reaction and thiol-based Michael-type addition were used to attach FdU oligomers formed by five FdU residues (FdU5) to PLGA NPs. Colloidally stable dispersions of FdU5-decorated PLGA NPs were obtained and characterized in terms of size, surface charge, and morphology in physiological medium. Additionally, synthetic strategies were envisaged to functionalize the surface of FdU5-decorated polymeric NPs with folic acid (FA). Cell culture experiments showed that FdU5-decorated PLGA NPs were able to internalize efficiently inducing cytotoxic effect and inhibiting cell proliferation in tumor cells. These outcomes suggest the feasibility of grafting oligomeric FdU produgs in a covalent fashion into nanoscale platforms as a potential approach for cancer therapy.

Quantification of ssDNA Scaffold Production by Ion-Pair Reverse Phase Chromatography.

DNA origami is an emerging technology that can be used as a nanoscale platform in numerous applications ranging from drug delivery systems to biosensors. The DNA nanostructures are assembled from large single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) scaffolds, ranging from hundreds to thousands of nucleotides and from short staple strands. Scaffolds are usually obtained by asymmetric PCR (aPCR) or Escherichia coli infection/transformation with phages or phagemids. Scaffold quantification is typically based on agarose gel electrophoresis densitometry for molecules obtained by aPCR, or by UV absorbance, in the case of scaffolds obtained by infection or transformation. Although these methods are well-established and easy-to-apply, the results obtained are often inaccurate due to the lack of selectivity and sensitivity in the presence of impurities. Herein, we present an HPLC method based on ion-pair reversed-phase (IP-RP) chromatography to quantify DNA scaffolds. Using IP-RP chromatography, ssDNA products (449 and 1000 nt) prepared by aPCR were separated from impurities and from the double stranded (ds) DNA byproduct. Additionally, both ss and dsDNA were quantified with high accuracy. The method was used to guide the optimization of the production of ssDNA by aPCR, which targeted the maximization of the ratio of ssDNA to dsDNA obtained. Moreover, ssDNA produced from phage infection of E. coli cells was also quantified by IP-RP using commercial ssDNA from the M13mp18 phage as a standard.

A new energy-efficient design for quantum-based multiplier for nano-scale devices in internet of things

An enormous variety of items and things are connected via wired or wireless connections and specific addressing schemes, which is known as the Internet of Things (IoT). However, IoT devices that adopt aggressive duty-cycling for high power efficiency and prolonged lifespan necessitate the incorporation of ultra-low power consumption always-on blocks. The multiplier plays a crucial role in enhancing the capabilities of low-power IoT devices, particularly those operating with energy-efficient batteries that offer extended battery life. The previous multipliers have a struggling speed, enormous occupied area, and high energy consumption; therefore, all prior flaws must be fixed by implementing it in a suitable technology, like the quantum computing. Therefore, this paper examines the ultra-low power circuit for nano-scale IoT platforms. It also suggests novel quantum-based adders for multiplier structure. The proposed designs are simulated using the QCADesignerE 2.2 tool by focusing on energy-efficient and occupied areas for miniaturizing IoT systems.

Confinement of CsPbBr3 Perovskite Nanocrystals into Extra-large-pore Zeolite for Efficient and Stable Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.

Metal halide perovskites (MHPs), renowned for their outstanding optoelectronic properties, hold significant promise as photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, the low stability and insufficient exposure of catalytically active sites of bulky MHPs seriously impair their catalytic efficiency. Herein, we utilized an extra-large-pore zeolite ZEO-1 (JZO) as a host to confine and stabilize the CsPbBr3 nanocrystals (3.4 nm) for boosting hydrogen iodide (HI) splitting. The as-prepared CsPbBr3@ZEO-1 featured sufficiently exposed active sites, superior stability in acidic media, along with intrinsic extra-large pores of ZEO-1 that were favorable for molecule/ion adsorption and diffusion. Most importantly, the unique nanoconfinement effect of ZEO-1 led to the narrowing of the band gap of CsPbBr3, allowing for more efficient light utilization. As a result, the photocatalytic HER rate of the as-prepared CsPbBr3@ZEO-1 photocatalyst was increased to 1734 μmol ⋅ h-1 ⋅ g-1 (CsPbBr3) under visible light irradiation compared with bulk CsPbBr3 (11 μmol ⋅ h-1 ⋅ g-1 (CsPbBr3)), and the long-term durability (36 h) can be achieved. Furthermore, Pt was incorporated with well-dispersed CsPbBr3 nanocrystals into ZEO-1, resulting in a significant enhancement in activity (4826 μmol ⋅ h-1 ⋅ g-1 (CsPbBr3)), surpassing most of the Pt-integrated perovskite-based photocatalysts. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and charge-carrier dynamics investigation revealed that the dramatically boosted photocatalytic performance of Pt/CsPbBr3@ZEO-1 could be attributed to the promotion of charge separation and transfer, as well as to the substantially lowered energy barrier for HER. This work highlights the advantage of extra-large-pore zeolites as the nanoscale platform to accommodate multiple photoactive components, opening up promising prospects in the design and exploitation of novel zeolite-confined photocatalysts for energy harvesting and storage.

Confinement of CsPbBr3 Perovskite Nanocrystals into Extra‐large‐pore Zeolite for Efficient and Stable Photocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

AbstractMetal halide perovskites (MHPs), renowned for their outstanding optoelectronic properties, hold significant promise as photocatalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, the low stability and insufficient exposure of catalytically active sites of bulky MHPs seriously impair their catalytic efficiency. Herein, we utilized an extra‐large‐pore zeolite ZEO‐1 (JZO) as a host to confine and stabilize the CsPbBr3 nanocrystals (3.4 nm) for boosting hydrogen iodide (HI) splitting. The as‐prepared CsPbBr3@ZEO‐1 featured sufficiently exposed active sites, superior stability in acidic media, along with intrinsic extra‐large pores of ZEO‐1 that were favorable for molecule/ion adsorption and diffusion. Most importantly, the unique nanoconfinement effect of ZEO‐1 led to the narrowing of the band gap of CsPbBr3, allowing for more efficient light utilization. As a result, the photocatalytic HER rate of the as‐prepared CsPbBr3@ZEO‐1 photocatalyst was increased to 1734 μmol ⋅ h−1 ⋅ g−1(CsPbBr3) under visible light irradiation compared with bulk CsPbBr3 (11 μmol ⋅ h−1 ⋅ g−1(CsPbBr3)), and the long‐term durability (36 h) can be achieved. Furthermore, Pt was incorporated with well‐dispersed CsPbBr3 nanocrystals into ZEO‐1, resulting in a significant enhancement in activity (4826 μmol ⋅ h−1 ⋅ g−1(CsPbBr3)), surpassing most of the Pt‐integrated perovskite‐based photocatalysts. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and charge‐carrier dynamics investigation revealed that the dramatically boosted photocatalytic performance of Pt/CsPbBr3@ZEO‐1 could be attributed to the promotion of charge separation and transfer, as well as to the substantially lowered energy barrier for HER. This work highlights the advantage of extra‐large‐pore zeolites as the nanoscale platform to accommodate multiple photoactive components, opening up promising prospects in the design and exploitation of novel zeolite‐confined photocatalysts for energy harvesting and storage.

Theranostic nanogels: multifunctional agents for simultaneous therapeutic delivery and diagnostic imaging.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in multifunctional theranostic agents capable of delivering therapeutic payloads while facilitating simultaneous diagnostic imaging of diseased sites. This approach offers a comprehensive strategy particularly valuable in dynamically evolving diseases like cancer, where combining therapy and diagnostics provides crucial insights for treatment planning. Nanoscale platforms, specifically nanogels, have emerged as promising candidates due to their stability, tunability, and multifunctionality as carriers. As a well-studied subgroup of soft polymeric nanoparticles, nanogels exhibit inherent advantages due to their size and chemical compositions, allowing for passive and active targeting of diseased tissues. Moreover, nanogels loaded with therapeutic and diagnostic agents can be designed to respond to specific stimuli at the disease site, enhancing their efficacy and specificity. This capability enables fine-tuning of theranostic platforms, garnering significant clinical interest as they can be tailored for personalized treatments. The ability to monitor tumor progression in response to treatment facilitates the adaptation of therapies according to individual patient responses, highlighting the importance of designing theranostic platforms to guide clinicians in making informed treatment decisions. Consequently, the integration of therapy and diagnostics using theranostic platforms continues to advance, offering intelligent solutions to address the challenges of complex diseases such as cancer. In this context, nanogels capable of delivering therapeutic payloads and simultaneously armed with diagnostic modalities have emerged as an attractive theranostic platform. This review focuses on advances made toward the fabrication and utilization of theranostic nanogels by highlighting examples from recent literature where their performances through a combination of therapeutic agents and imaging methods have been evaluated.

Nanoparticle technology for mRNA: Delivery strategy, clinical application and developmental landscape.

The mRNA vaccine, a groundbreaking advancement in the field of immunology, has garnered international recognition by being awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize, which has emerged as a promising prophylactic and therapeutic modality for various diseases, especially in cancer, rare disease, and infectious disease such as COVID-19, wherein successful mRNA treatment can be achieved by improving the stability of mRNA and introducing a safe and effective delivery system. Nanotechnology-based delivery systems, such as lipid nanoparticles, lipoplexes, polyplexes, lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles and others, have attracted great interest and have been explored for mRNA delivery. Nanoscale platforms can protect mRNA from extracellular degradation while promoting endosome escape after endocytosis, hence improving the efficacy. This review provides an overview of diverse nanoplatforms utilized for mRNA delivery in preclinical and clinical stages, including formulation, preparation process, transfection efficiency, and administration route. Furthermore, the market situation and prospects of mRNA vaccines are discussed here.

Herbal Theranostics: Controlled, Targeted Delivery and Imaging of Herbal Molecules.

Modern medicine relies on a small number of key biologics, which can be found in nature but require further characterization and purification before they can be used. Since the herbal remedy is given through a dated and ineffective method of drug administration, its effectiveness is diminished. The novel form of medicine delivery has the potential to increase the effectiveness of herbal substances while decreasing their side effects. This is the main idea behind utilising different ways of drug delivery in herbal treatments. Several benefits arise from novel formulations of herbal compounds as compared to their conventional counterparts. These include enhanced penetrating ability into tissues, constant delivery of effective doses, and resistance to physical and chemical degradation. Controlled and targeted delivery that include herbal components allow for more traditional dosing while simultaneously increasing their efficacy. Enhancing the biodistribution and target site accumulation of systemically administered herbal medicines is the goal of nanomedicine formulations. The field of nanotheranostics has made significant advancements in the development of herbal compounds by combining diagnostic and therapeutic functions on a single nanoscale platform. It is critically important to create a theranostic nanoplatform that is derived from plants and is intrinsically "all-in-one" for single molecules. In addition to examining the mechanistic approach to nanoparticle synthesis, this review highlights the therapeutic effects of nanoscale phytochemical delivery systems. Furthermore, we have evaluated the scope for future advancements in this field, discussed several nanoparticles that have been developed recently for herbal imaging, and provided experimental evidence that supports their usage.

Promoting effect of proanthocyanidin-amorphous calcium phosphate nanoparticles on biomimetic mineralization of demineralized dentin

Biomimetic mineralization is a new strategy for dentin repair emerging in the field of minimally invasive dentistry in recent years. However, the degradation of collagen fibrils and the lack of sustained supply of calcium and phosphorus ions are two main limitations during dentin biomimetic mineralization. Herein, by integrating the dual effects of collagen protection and mineralization induction, we proposed a novel nanoscale platform called proanthocyanidin-amorphous calcium phosphate nanoparticles (PA-ACP/NPs), which were solid nanospheres with uniform size and good biocompatibility, and could continuously release Ca and P ions in neutral or weak acidic microenvironment. PA-ACP/NPs effectively decreased the endogenous collagenase activity of demineralized dentin matrix and protected demineralized dentin collagen from degradation. Compared with the control ACP/NPs, PA-ACP/NPs induced nearly complete intrafibrillar mineralization of collagen fibrils and facilitated remineralization of demineralized dentin. As an additive of dental adhesives for the preliminary exploration of clinical application forms, the adhesive containing 20 wt% PA-ACP/NPs induced biomimetic intrafibrillar mineralization within the bonding interface after one and three months. PA-ACP/NPs nanoscale delivery exhibits excellent effects on stabilizing collagen fibrils and provides a long-term supply of mineral ions for dentin biomimetic mineralization, being a promising strategy for dentin biomimetic repair.

Strong Coupling Dynamics of a Quantum Emitter near a Topological Insulator Nanoparticle.

We study the spontaneous emission dynamics of a quantum emitter near a topological insulator Bi2Se3 spherical nanoparticle. Using the electromagnetic Green's tensor method, we find exceptional Purcell factors of the quantum emitter up to 1010 at distances between the emitter and the nanoparticle as large as half the nanoparticle's radius in the terahertz regime. We study the spontaneous emission evolution of a quantum emitter for various transition frequencies in the terahertz and various vacuum decay rates. For short vacuum decay times, we observe non-Markovian spontaneous emission dynamics, which correspond perfectly to values of well-established measures of non-Markovianity and possibly indicate considerable dynamical quantum speedup. The dynamics turn progressively Markovian as the vacuum decay times increase, while in this regime, the non-Markovianity measures are nullified, and the quantum speedup vanishes. For the shortest vacuum decay times, we find that the population remains trapped in the emitter, which indicates that a hybrid bound state between the quantum emitter and the continuum of electromagnetic modes as affected by the nanoparticle has been formed. This work demonstrates that a Bi2Se3 spherical nanoparticle can be a nanoscale platform for strong light-matter coupling.

Emerging Self‐Assembled Nanoparticles Constructed from Natural Polyphenols for Intestinal Diseases

Intestinal diseases like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer originate from inflammation and disruption of mucosal barriers. Polyphenols can mitigate intestinal inflammation through antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, and microbiome modulation effects. However, the poor solubility and stability of polyphenols restrict therapeutic delivery. Self‐assembly provides a nanoscale platform to overcome these limitations. Polyphenol‐based nanoparticles (PNPs) are formed via coordination of polyphenols with metals like iron, copper, and zinc based on the catechol/galloyl groups. Templeted assembly with amphiphilic block copolymers can also direct polyphenol self‐assembly into nanostructures. PNPs prepared by these mild, aqueous methods exhibit enhanced stability, pH‐responsive disassembly, high cargo‐loading capacity, and targeted accumulation in inflamed intestinal tissues. PNPs can load with hydrophobic polyphenols, drugs, genes, proteins, or probiotics and demonstrate therapeutic potential in preclinical IBD, colorectal cancer, and microbiome disorder models. Ongoing challenges include augmenting prebiotic effects, multidrug encapsulation, and engineering PNPs as biotherapeutics. Future directions involve tailored polyphenol–polymer covalent assemblies and investigating PNPs interactions with enterocytes, immune cells, and microbiota. Overall, PNPs prepared by facile self‐assembly combine the bioactivities of polyphenols with advanced delivery functionality, presenting new opportunities for combination and microbiota‐based therapies for complex intestinal diseases.

Bacterial Nanocellulose Hydrogel: A Promising Alternative Material for the Fabrication of Engineered Vascular Grafts.

Blood vessels are crucial in the human body, providing essential nutrients to all tissues while facilitating waste removal. As the incidence of cardiovascular disease rises, the demand for efficient treatments increases concurrently. Currently, the predominant interventions for cardiovascular disease are autografts and allografts. Although effective, they present limitations including high costs and inconsistent success rates. Recently, synthetic vascular grafts, made from artificial materials, have emerged as promising alternatives to traditional methods. Among these materials, bacterial cellulose hydrogel exhibits significant potential for tissue engineering applications, particularly in developing nanoscale platforms that regulate cell behavior and promote tissue regeneration, attributed to its notable physicochemical and biocompatible properties. This study reviews recent progress in fabricating engineered vascular grafts using bacterial nanocellulose, demonstrating the efficacy of bacterial cellulose hydrogel as a biomaterial for synthetic vascular grafts, specifically for stimulating angiogenesis and neovascularization.

Current Advances in Nanotheranostics for Molecular Imaging and Therapy of Cardiovascular Disorders.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) refer to a collection of conditions characterized by abnormalities in the cardiovascular system. They are a global problem and one of the leading causes of mortality and disability. Nanotheranostics implies to the combination of diagnostic and therapeutic capabilities inside a single nanoscale platform that has allowed for significant advancement in cardiovascular diagnosis and therapy. These advancements are being developed to improve imaging capabilities, introduce personalized therapies, and boost cardiovascular disease patient treatment outcomes. Significant progress has been achieved in the integration of imaging and therapeutic capabilities within nanocarriers. In the case of cardiovascular disease, nanoparticles provide targeted delivery of therapeutics, genetic material, photothermal, and imaging agents. Directing and monitoring the movement of these therapeutic nanoparticles may be done with pinpoint accuracy by using imaging modalities such as cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR), computed tomography (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), photoacoustic/ultrasound, and fluorescence imaging. Recently, there has been an increasing demand of noninvasive for multimodal nanotheranostic platforms. In these platforms, various imaging technologies such as optical and magnetic resonance are integrated into a single nanoparticle. This platform helps in acquiring more accurate descriptions of cardiovascular diseases and provides clues for accurate diagnosis. Advances in surface functionalization methods have strengthened the potential application of nanotheranostics in cardiovascular diagnosis and therapy. In this Review, we have covered the potential impact of nanomedicine on CVDs. Additionally, we have discussed the recently developed various nanoparticles for CVDs imaging. Moreover, advancements in the CMR, CT, PET, ultrasound, and photoacoustic imaging for the CVDs have been discussed. We have limited our discussion to nanomaterials based clinical trials for CVDs and their patents.

Noninvasive and Microinvasive Nanoscale Drug Delivery Platforms for Hard Tissue Engineering.

Bone tissue plays a crucial role in protecting internal organs and providing structural support and locomotion of the body. Treatment of hard tissue defects and medical conditions due to physical injuries, genetic disorders, aging, metabolic syndromes, and infections is more often a complex and drawn out process. Presently, dealing with hard-tissue-based clinical problems is still mostly conducted via surgical interventions. However, advances in nanotechnology over the last decades have led to shifting trends in clinical practice toward noninvasive and microinvasive methods. In this review article, recent advances in the development of nanoscale platforms for bone tissue engineering have been reviewed and critically discussed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of noninvasive and microinvasive methods for treating medical conditions related to hard tissue regeneration and repair.

Anapole-Assisted Low-Power Optical Trapping of Nanoscale Extracellular Vesicles and Particles.

This study addresses the challenge of trapping nanoscale biological particles using optical tweezers without the photothermal heating effect and the limitation presented by the diffraction limit. Optical tweezers are effective for trapping microscopic biological objects but not for nanoscale specimens due to the diffraction limit. To overcome this, we present an approach that uses optical anapole states in all-dielectric nanoantenna systems on distributed Bragg reflector substrates to generate strong optical gradient force and potential on nanoscale biological objects with negligible temperature rise below 1 K. The anapole antenna condenses the accessible electromagnetic energy to scales as small as 30 nm. Using this approach, we successfully trapped nanosized extracellular vesicles and supermeres (approximately 25 nm in size) using low laser power of only 10.8 mW. This nanoscale optical trapping platform has great potential for single molecule analysis while precluding photothermal degradation.

Multifunctional Nanoscale Platform for the Study of T Cell Receptor Segregation.

T cells respond not only to biochemical stimuli transmitted through their activating, costimulatory, and inhibitory receptors but also to biophysical aspects of their environment, including the receptors' spatial arrangement. While these receptors form nanoclusters that can either colocalize or segregate, the roles of these colocalization and segregation remain unclear. Deciphering these roles requires a nanoscale platform with independent and simultaneous spatial control of multiple types of receptors. Herein, using a straightforward and modular fabrication process, we engineered a tunable nanoscale chip used as a platform for T cell stimulation, allowing spatial control over the clustering and segregation of activating, costimulatory, and inhibitory receptors. Using this platform, we showed that, upon blocked inhibition, cells became sensitive to changes in the nanoscale ligand configuration. The nanofabrication methodology described here opens a pathway to numerous studies, which will produce an important insight into the molecular mechanism of T cell activation. This insight is essential for the fundamental understanding of our immune system as well as for the rational design of future immunotherapies.