Bio-Nanotechnology for Bio-Sensing, Imaging, and Cancer Therapy

A special issue of Biosensors (ISSN 2079-6374). This special issue belongs to the section "Biosensors and Healthcare".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 9985

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Biomedical Engineering Education, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
Interests: cancer diagnostic technique; disease diagnostic biosensor; in vivo fluorescence/nuclear magnetic imaging; cancer multifunctional therapy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Biomedical Engineering Education, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China
Interests: microfluidic; lab on a chip; disease diagnostic biosensor; cancer diagnostic technique
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bionanotechnology is emerging as an interdisciplinary field of study encompassing biology, chemistry, medicine, and engineering. The design of biocompatible and multifunctional nanomaterials at the nanoscale has shown incredible potential in biosensing, imaging, and tumor therapy. At present, most nanomaterials under development using bionanotechnology, such as metal nanoparticles, quantum dots, up-conversion materials, magnetic materials, etc., can effectively improve the sensitivity and specificity of biosensing or improve targeting as a contrast agent for better realization of in vivo imaging. In addition, the strategy based on the combination of cancer diagnosis technology and treatment can simultaneously complete tumor diagnosis, treatment, and evaluation of treatment effect, which helps to improve the overall treatment effect. The rapid development of bionanotechnology provides new ideas for the development of nanoparticle-based tumor diagnostic and therapeutic platforms. Studies have shown that nanocomposites have the properties of fluorescence, MR, X-ray absorption, and photothermal, which can realize multimodal imaging of cancer and enhance cancer ablation and therapeutic effects via photothermal/photodynamic therapy, gene therapy, and immunotherapy. Therefore, the multifunctional nanocomposite materials developed by bionanotechnology are promoting the diagnosis and treatment of cancer from basic research to clinical.

In this Special Issue, we aim to collect recent advances in bionanotechnology in biosensing, imaging, and cancer therapy. We look forward to applications including but not limited to chemical sensing, microfluidic chips, single-modality imaging, dual-modality and multimodality imaging, tumor photothermal/photodynamic therapy, tumor gene therapy, tumor immunotherapy, and combination treatment.

Prof. Dr. Xuemei Wang
Dr. Xiaohui Liu
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • biosensing
  • dual-modality/multimodality imaging
  • cancer therapy
  • photothermal/photodynamic therapy
  • multimodal imaging probes
  • FRET

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 2544 KiB  
Article
Highly Sensitive and Specific Detection of Influenza A Viruses Using Bimolecular Fluorescence Complementation (BiFC) Reporter System
by Ui Jin Lee, Yunkwang Oh, Oh Seok Kwon, Yong-Beom Shin and Moonil Kim
Biosensors 2023, 13(8), 782; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios13080782 - 2 Aug 2023
Viewed by 1692
Abstract
In this study, we developed a highly sensitive and specific bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC)-based influenza A virus (IAV)-sensing system by combining a galactose/glucose-binding protein (GGBP) with an N-terminal large domain (YN1-172) and a C-terminal small domain (YC173-239) made up of enhanced yellow fluorescence [...] Read more.
In this study, we developed a highly sensitive and specific bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC)-based influenza A virus (IAV)-sensing system by combining a galactose/glucose-binding protein (GGBP) with an N-terminal large domain (YN1-172) and a C-terminal small domain (YC173-239) made up of enhanced yellow fluorescence protein (eYFP). The GGBP-based BiFC reporter exhibits the fluorescence reconstitution as a result of conformational changes in GGBP when lactose, which was derived from 6′-silalyllactose and used as a substrate for neuraminidase (NA), binds to GGBP in the presence of IAV. The system showed a linear dynamic range extending from 1 × 100 to 1 × 107 TCID50/mL, and it had a detection limit of 1.1 × 100 TCID50/mL for IAV (H1N1), demonstrating ultra-high sensitivity. Our system exhibited fluorescence intensity enhancements in the presence of IAV, while it displayed weak fluorescence signals when exposed to NA-deficient viruses, such as RSV A, RSV B, adenovirus and rhinovirus, thereby indicating selective responses for IAV detection. Overall, our system provides a simple, highly sensitive and specific IAV detection platform based on BiFC that is capable of detecting ligand-induced protein conformational changes, obviating the need for virus culture or RNA extraction processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Nanotechnology for Bio-Sensing, Imaging, and Cancer Therapy)
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9 pages, 1803 KiB  
Communication
Ultrafast Cancer Cells Imaging for Liquid Biopsy via Dynamic Self-Assembling Fluorescent Nanoclusters
by Jinpeng Wang, Qingxiu Xia, Ke Huang, Lihong Yin, Hui Jiang, Xiaohui Liu and Xuemei Wang
Biosensors 2023, 13(6), 602; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios13060602 - 31 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1237
Abstract
Lung cancer-specific clinical specimens, such as alveolar lavage fluid, are typically identified by microscopic biopsy, which has limited specificity and sensitivity and is highly susceptible to human manipulation. In this work, we present an ultrafast, specific, and accurate cancer cell imaging strategy based [...] Read more.
Lung cancer-specific clinical specimens, such as alveolar lavage fluid, are typically identified by microscopic biopsy, which has limited specificity and sensitivity and is highly susceptible to human manipulation. In this work, we present an ultrafast, specific, and accurate cancer cell imaging strategy based on dynamically self-assembling fluorescent nanoclusters. The presented imaging strategy can be used as an alternative or a complement to microscopic biopsy. First, we applied this strategy to detect lung cancer cells, and established an imaging method that can rapidly, specifically, and accurately distinguish lung cancer cells (e.g., A549, HepG2, MCF-7, Hela) from normal cells (e.g., Beas-2B, L02) in 1 min. In addition, we demonstrated that the dynamic self-assembly process that fluorescent nanoclusters formed by HAuCl4 and DNA are first generated at the cell membrane and then gradually enter the cytoplasm of lung cancer cells in 10 min. In addition, we validated that our method enables the rapid and accurate imaging of cancer cells in alveolar lavage fluid samples from lung cancer patients, whereas no signal was observed in the normal human samples. These results indicate that the dynamic self-assembling fluorescent nanoclusters-based cancer cells imaging strategy could be an effective non-invasive technique for ultrafast and accurate cancer bioimaging during liquid biopsy, thus providing a safe and promising cancer diagnostic platform for cancer therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Nanotechnology for Bio-Sensing, Imaging, and Cancer Therapy)
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16 pages, 4574 KiB  
Article
Ultra-Small and Metabolizable Near-Infrared Au/Gd Nanoclusters for Targeted FL/MRI Imaging and Cancer Theranostics
by Xiawei Dong, Jing Ye, Yihan Wang, Hongjie Xiong, Hui Jiang, Hongbing Lu, Xiaohui Liu and Xuemei Wang
Biosensors 2022, 12(8), 558; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios12080558 - 24 Jul 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1893
Abstract
Tumor accurate imaging can effectively guide tumor resection and accurate follow-up targeted therapy. The development of imaging-stable, safe, and metabolizable contrast agents is key to accurate tumor imaging. Herein, ultra-small and metabolizable dual-mode imaging probe Au/Gd@FA NCs is rationally engineered by a simple [...] Read more.
Tumor accurate imaging can effectively guide tumor resection and accurate follow-up targeted therapy. The development of imaging-stable, safe, and metabolizable contrast agents is key to accurate tumor imaging. Herein, ultra-small and metabolizable dual-mode imaging probe Au/Gd@FA NCs is rationally engineered by a simple hydrothermal method to achieve accurate FL/MRI imaging of tumors. The probes exhibit ultra-small size (2.5–3.0 nm), near-infrared fluorescence (690 nm), high quantum yield (4.4%), and a better T1 nuclear magnetic signal compared to commercial MRI contrast agents. By modifying the folic acid (FA) molecules, the uptake and targeting of the probes are effectively improved, enabling specific fluorescence imaging of breast cancer. Au/Gd@FA NCs with good biosafety were found to be excreted in the feces after imaging without affecting the normal physiological metabolism of mice. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) increased significantly after incubation of Au/Gd@FA NCs with tumor cells under 660 nm laser irradiation, indicating that Au/Gd@FA NCs can promote intracellular ROS production and effectively induce cell apoptosis. Thus, metabolizable Au/Gd@FA NCs provide a potential candidate probe for multimodal imaging and tumor diagnosis in clinical basic research. Meanwhile, Au/Gd@FA NCs mediated excessive intracellular production of ROS that could help promote tumor cell death. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Nanotechnology for Bio-Sensing, Imaging, and Cancer Therapy)
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Review

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19 pages, 5813 KiB  
Review
Recent Advances in Fluorescent Methods for Polyamine Detection and the Polyamine Suppressing Strategy in Tumor Treatment
by Bingli Lu, Lingyun Wang, Xueguang Ran, Hao Tang and Derong Cao
Biosensors 2022, 12(8), 633; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios12080633 - 12 Aug 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 4215
Abstract
The biogenic aliphatic polyamines (spermine, spermidine, and putrescine) are responsible for numerous cell functions, including cell proliferation, the stabilization of nucleic acid conformations, cell division, homeostasis, gene expression, and protein synthesis in living organisms. The change of polyamine concentrations in the urine or [...] Read more.
The biogenic aliphatic polyamines (spermine, spermidine, and putrescine) are responsible for numerous cell functions, including cell proliferation, the stabilization of nucleic acid conformations, cell division, homeostasis, gene expression, and protein synthesis in living organisms. The change of polyamine concentrations in the urine or blood is usually related to the presence of malignant tumors and is regarded as a biomarker for the early diagnosis of cancer. Therefore, the detection of polyamine levels in physiological fluids can provide valuable information in terms of cancer diagnosis and in monitoring therapeutic effects. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in fluorescent methods for polyamine detection (supramolecular fluorescent sensing systems, fluorescent probes based on the chromophore reaction, fluorescent small molecules, and fluorescent nanoparticles). In addition, tumor polyamine-suppressing strategies (such as polyamine conjugate, polyamine analogs, combinations that target multiple components, spermine-responsive supramolecular chemotherapy, a combination of polyamine consumption and photodynamic therapy, etc.) are highlighted. We hope that this review promotes the development of more efficient polyamine detection methods and provides a comprehensive understanding of polyamine-based tumor suppressor strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bio-Nanotechnology for Bio-Sensing, Imaging, and Cancer Therapy)
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