Tissue engineering aims at developing functional substitutes for damaged tissues and organs. Before transplantation, cells are generally seeded on biomaterial scaffolds that recapitulate the extracellular matrix and provide cells with information that is important for tissue development. Here we review the nanocomposite nature of the extracellular matrix, describe the design considerations for different tissues and discuss the impact of nanostructures on the properties of scaffolds and their uses in monitoring the behaviour of engineered tissues. We also examine the different nanodevices used to trigger certain processes for tissue development, and offer our view on the principal challenges and prospects of applying nanotechnology in tissue engineering.

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Nanotechnological strategies for engineering complex tissues.

2.3. Ionic Liquids (ILs) 5374 2.4. Complexation Reactions on Oxidized CNTs 5375 2.5. Halogenation 5376 2.6. Cycloaddition Reactions 5377 2.7. Radical Additions 5379 2.8. Nucleophilic Additions 5381 2.9. Electrophilic Additions 5381 2.10. Electrochemical Modifications 5381 2.11. Plasma-Activation 5381 2.12. Mechanochemical Functionalizations 5382 3. Noncovalent Interactions 5382 3.1. Polynuclear Aromatic Compounds 5382 3.2. Interactions with Other Substances 5384 3.3. Interactions with Biomolecules 5385 4. Endohedral Filling 5386 4.1. Encapsulation of Fullerenes 5386 4.2. Encapsulation of Organic Substances 5387 4.3. Encapsulation of Inorganic Substances 5387 5. Decoration of CNTs with Metal Nanoparticles 5388 5.1. Covalent Linkage 5388 5.2. Direct Formation on Defect Sites 5388 5.3. Electroless Deposition 5388 5.4. Electrodeposition 5389 5.5. Chemical Decoration 5390 5.6. Deposition of Nanoparticles onto CNTs 5391 5.7. π-π Stacking and Electrostatic Interactions 5391 6. Concluding Remarks 5392 7. Acknowledgments 5392 8. References 5392

Current progress on the chemical modification of carbon nanotubes.

The design and use of materials in the nanoscale size range for addressing medical and health-related issues continues to receive increasing interest. Research in nanomedicine spans a multitude of areas, including drug delivery, vaccine development, antibacterial, diagnosis and imaging tools, wearable devices, implants, high-throughput screening platforms, etc. using biological, nonbiological, biomimetic, or hybrid materials. Many of these developments are starting to be translated into viable clinical products. Here, we provide an overview of recent developments in nanomedicine and highlight the current challenges and upcoming opportunities for the field and translation to the clinic.

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Diverse Applications of Nanomedicine

We engineered functional cardiac patches by seeding neonatal rat cardiomyocytes onto carbon nanotube (CNT)-incorporated photo-cross-linkable gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogels. The resulting cardiac constructs showed excellent mechanical integrity and advanced electrophysiological functions. Specifically, myocardial tissues cultured on 50 μm thick CNT-GelMA showed 3 times higher spontaneous synchronous beating rates and 85% lower excitation threshold, compared to those cultured on pristine GelMA hydrogels. Our results indicate that the electrically conductive and nanofibrous networks formed by CNTs within a porous gelatin framework are the key characteristics of CNT-GelMA leading to improved cardiac cell adhesion, organization, and cell–cell coupling. Centimeter-scale patches were released from glass substrates to form 3D biohybrid actuators, which showed controllable linear cyclic contraction/extension, pumping, and swimming actuations. In addition, we demonstrate for the first time that cardiac tiss...

/pdf/carbon-nanotube-embedded-hydrogel-sheets-for-engineering-54qml2y2vx.pdf

Carbon-Nanotube-Embedded Hydrogel Sheets for Engineering Cardiac Constructs and Bioactuators

Silicon nanowire field-effect transistor-based biosensors for biomedical diagnosis and cellular recording investigation

Carbon nanotubes have been applied in several areas of nerve tissue engineering to probe and augment cell behaviour, to label and track subcellular components, and to study the growth and organization of neural networks. Recent reports show that nanotubes can sustain and promote neuronal electrical activity in networks of cultured cells, but the ways in which they affect cellular function are still poorly understood. Here, we show, using single-cell electrophysiology techniques, electron microscopy analysis and theoretical modelling, that nanotubes improve the responsiveness of neurons by forming tight contacts with the cell membranes that might favour electrical shortcuts between the proximal and distal compartments of the neuron. We propose the 'electrotonic hypothesis' to explain the physical interactions between the cell and nanotube, and the mechanisms of how carbon nanotubes might affect the collective electrical activity of cultured neuronal networks. These considerations offer a perspective that would allow us to predict or engineer interactions between neurons and carbon nanotubes.

http://www.giugliano.info/public/reprints/cccrsggmgsgcpgb08.pdf

Emanuele Cilia

Papers

Carbon nanotubes might improve neuronal performance by favouring electrical shortcuts