Over the past decades, considerable attention has been dedicated to the exploitation of diverse immune cells as therapeutic and/or diagnostic cell-based microrobots for hard-to-treat disorders. To date, a plethora of therapeutics based on alive immune cells, surface-engineered immune cells, immunocytes' cell membranes, leukocyte-derived extracellular vesicles or exosomes, and artificial immune cells have been investigated and a few have been introduced into the market. These systems take advantage of the unique characteristics and functions of immune cells, including their presence in circulating blood and various tissues, complex crosstalk properties, high affinity to different self and foreign markers, unique potential of their on-demand navigation and activity, production of a variety of chemokines/cytokines, as well as being cytotoxic in particular conditions. Here, the latest progress in the development of engineered therapeutics and diagnostics inspired by immune cells to ameliorate cancer, inflammatory conditions, autoimmune diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular complications, and infectious diseases is reviewed, and finally, the perspective for their clinical application is delineated.

Chemically Engineered Immune Cell-Derived Microrobots and Biomimetic Nanoparticles: Emerging Biodiagnostic and Therapeutic Tools

Horizons of nanotechnology applications in female specific cancers

https://www.mdpi.com/2079-6374/11/8/246/pdf

The Role of Peptides in the Design of Electrochemical Biosensors for Clinical Diagnostics.

In medicine, obtaining simply a resolute and accurate image of an organ of interest is a real challenge. To achieve this, it has recently been proposed to use combined methods in which standard imaging (MRI, PAI, CT, PET/SPEC, USI, OI) is carried out in the presence of iron oxide nanoparticles, thus making it possible to image certain tissues/cells through the specific targeting of these nanoparticles, hence resulting in improved imaging contrast and resolution. Here, the advantages and drawbacks of these combined methods are presented as well as some of their recent medical applications.

/pdf/iron-oxide-nanoparticles-as-multimodal-imaging-tools-kpf2dwb88z.pdf

Iron oxide nanoparticles as multimodal imaging tools

Nanoparticle (NP) is an emerging tool applied in the biomedical field. With combination of different materials and adjustment of their physical and chemical properties, nanoparticles can have diverse effects on the organism and may change the treating paradigm of multiple diseases in the future. More and more results show that nanoparticles can function as immunomodulators and some formulas have been approved for the treatment of inflammation-related diseases. However, our current understanding of the mechanisms that nanoparticles can influence immune responses is still limited, and systemic clinical trials are necessary for the evaluation of their security and long-term effects. This review provides an overview of the recent advances in nanoparticles that can interact with different cellular and molecular components of the immune system and their application in the management of inflammatory diseases, which are caused by abnormal immune reactions. This article focuses on the mechanisms of interaction between nanoparticles and the immune system and tries to provide a reference for the future design of nanotechnology for the treatment of inflammatory diseases. 

/pdf/the-interaction-between-nanoparticles-and-immune-system-2j4ncsq8.pdf

The interaction between nanoparticles and immune system: application in the treatment of inflammatory diseases

Spectroscopic and photoacoustic characterization of encapsulated iron oxide super-paramagnetic nanoparticles as a new multiplatform contrast agent

Progress in nanotechnology has determined new strategies concerning drug delivery into the central nervous system for the treatment of degenerative and inflammatory diseases. To date, brain targeting through systemic drug administration, even in a nano-composition, is often unsuccessful. Therefore, we investigated the possibility of loading T lymphocytes with PGLA–PEG COOH magnetite nanoparticles (30 nm), which can be built up to easily bind drugs and monoclonal antibodies, and to exploit the ability of activated T cells to cross the blood–brain barrier and infiltrate the brain parenchyma. Iron oxide nanoparticles have been widely used in biomedical applications due to their theranostic properties and are therefore a well-established nanomaterial. The magnetite core is easily hybridized with polymeric compounds that may enhance the possibility of the nanoparticles entering cells with low phagocytic properties. Taking advantage of these material characteristics, after in vitro assessment of the viability and functionality of nano-loaded MOG35–55 specific T cells, we transferred cells containing the nano-cargo into naive mice affected by experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, an animal model of multiple sclerosis. By means of histological and immunohistological methods, we were able to identify the nano-loaded T cells in the central nervous system. Our data demonstrated that T cells containing nanomaterials hold the possibility of carrying and releasing nanoparticles in the brain.

/pdf/myelin-specific-t-cells-carry-and-release-magnetite-pgla-peg-b0e5qdf4vk.pdf

Myelin-specific T cells carry and release magnetite PGLA–PEG COOH nanoparticles in the mouse central nervous system

In this paper, we propose a radiofrequency (RF) radiating system for highly focused hyperthermia with magnetic nanoparticles. We first designed a coil able to focus the magnetic field at the frequency (around 340 kHz) that maximizes the heat release from the chosen nanoparticles. Then, through an electromagnetic software based on the Method of Moments (MoM), we performed numerical simulations of the coil that resulted in excellent agreement with the experimental measurements conducted at the workbench on a fabricated prototype. After that, a radiating system consisting of the coil, a high-power radiofrequency signal generator, and a set of magnetic nanoparticles have been set up. We carried out several experimental trials with different samples of magnetic nanoparticles in order to demonstrate the focusing property of the proposed system. The results we obtained suggested that a careful design of the radiating system could pave the way towards more efficient and safer magnetic hyperthermia treatments in clinical applications.

A Radiating System for Low-Frequency Highly Focused Hyperthermia With Magnetic Nanoparticles

We developed a nanotechnology based-cell mediated drug delivery system by loading myelin antigen-specific T cells with nanoparticles bound to anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody. Anti-CD20 antibody is a current treatment (ocrelizumab) for multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic, inflammatory and autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS). CD20-depletion has been associated with efficacy in active relapsing and progressive MS, but may not efficiently target inflammatory cells compartmentalized in the CNS. In our work, the intravenous transfer of T cells containing nanoparticle-anti-CD20 complex in mice causes B cell depletion in the spleen and in the brain, whereas the injection of anti-CD20 alone depletes B cells only in the spleen. Testing this system in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE), animal model of MS, we found that spinal cord B cell depletion ameliorates the disease course and pathology. Graphical Abstract.

/pdf/t-cell-delivery-of-nanoparticles-bound-anti-cd20-monoclonal-2lkytnllb5.pdf

T Cell Delivery of Nanoparticles-Bound Anti-CD20 Monoclonal Antibody: Successful B Cell Depletion in the Spinal Cord during Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

Laura Cappiello

Papers

Spectroscopic and photoacoustic characterization of encapsulated iron oxide super-paramagnetic nanoparticles as a new multiplatform contrast agent

Myelin-specific T cells carry and release magnetite PGLA–PEG COOH nanoparticles in the mouse central nervous system

A Radiating System for Low-Frequency Highly Focused Hyperthermia With Magnetic Nanoparticles

T Cell Delivery of Nanoparticles-Bound Anti-CD20 Monoclonal Antibody: Successful B Cell Depletion in the Spinal Cord during Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis