bims-cateng 2023-10-08 papers

Issue of 2023–10–08
three papers selected by
Chance Bowman, Dartmouth College

Trends Biotechnol. 2023 Sep 28. pii: S0167-7799(23)00275-5. [Epub ahead of print]

Printhead on a chip: empowering droplet-based bioprinting with microfluidics.

Pengfei Zhang, Congying Liu, Cyrus Modavi, Adam Abate, Huawei Chen.

Droplet-based bioprinting has long struggled with the manipulation and dispensation of individual cells from a printhead, hindering the fabrication of artificial cellular structures with high precision. The integration of modern microfluidic modules into the printhead of a bioprinter is emerging as one approach to overcome this bottleneck. This convergence allows for high-accuracy manipulation and spatial control over placement of cells during printing, and enables the fabrication of cell arrays and hierarchical heterogenous microtissues, opening new applications in bioanalysis and high-throughput screening. In this review, we summarize recent developments in the use of microfluidics in droplet printing systems, with consideration of the working principles; present applications extended through microfluidic features; and discuss the future of this technology.

Keywords: biofabrication; droplet-based bioprinting; microfluidics; microtissues; single cell printing

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2023.09.001

Int J Nanomedicine. 2023 ;18 5531-5559

Innovative Strategies of Reprogramming Immune System Cells by Targeting CRISPR/Cas9-Based Genome-Editing Tools: A New Era of Cancer Management.

Khaled S Allemailem, Mohammed A Alsahli, Ahmad Almatroudi, Faris Alrumaihi, Waleed Al Abdulmonem, Amira A Moawad, Wanian M Alwanian, Nahlah Makki Almansour, Arshad Husain Rahmani, Amjad Ali Khan.

The recent developments in the study of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) system have revolutionized the art of genome-editing and its applications for cellular differentiation and immune response behavior. This technology has further helped in understanding the mysteries of cancer progression and possible designing of novel antitumor immunotherapies. CRISPR/Cas9-based genome-editing is now often used to engineer universal T-cells, equipped with recombinant T-cell receptor (TCR) or chimeric antigen receptor (CAR). In addition, this technology is used in cytokine stimulation, antibody designing, natural killer (NK) cell transfer, and to overcome immune checkpoints. The innovative potential of CRISPR/Cas9 in preparing the building blocks of adoptive cell transfer (ACT) immunotherapy has opened a new window of antitumor immunotherapy and some of them have gained FDA approval. The manipulation of immunogenetic regulators has opened a new interface for designing, implementation and interpretation of CRISPR/Cas9-based screening in immuno-oncology. Several cancers like lymphoma, melanoma, lung, and liver malignancies have been treated with this strategy, once thought to be impossible. The safe and efficient delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 system within the immune cells for the genome-editing strategy is a challenging task which needs to be sorted out for efficient immunotherapy. Several targeting approaches like virus-mediated, electroporation, microinjection and nanoformulation-based methods have been used, but each procedure offers some limitations. Here, we elaborate the recent updates of cancer management through immunotherapy in partnership with CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Further, some innovative methods of targeting this genome-editing system within the immune system cells for reprogramming them, as a novel strategy of anticancer immunotherapy is elaborated. In addition, future prospects and clinical trials are also discussed.

Keywords: CRISPR/Cas9; cancer immunotherapy; clinical study; immune response; molecular targeted therapy; nanotechnology; tumor microenvironment

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/IJN.S424872

Biomicrofluidics. 2023 Sep;17(5): 051503

Bio-inspired microfluidics: A review.

Kiran Raj M, Jyotsana Priyadarshani, Pratyaksh Karan, Saumyadwip Bandyopadhyay, Soumya Bhattacharya, Suman Chakraborty.

Biomicrofluidics, a subdomain of microfluidics, has been inspired by several ideas from nature. However, while the basic inspiration for the same may be drawn from the living world, the translation of all relevant essential functionalities to an artificially engineered framework does not remain trivial. Here, we review the recent progress in bio-inspired microfluidic systems via harnessing the integration of experimental and simulation tools delving into the interface of engineering and biology. Development of "on-chip" technologies as well as their multifarious applications is subsequently discussed, accompanying the relevant advancements in materials and fabrication technology. Pointers toward new directions in research, including an amalgamated fusion of data-driven modeling (such as artificial intelligence and machine learning) and physics-based paradigm, to come up with a human physiological replica on a synthetic bio-chip with due accounting of personalized features, are suggested. These are likely to facilitate physiologically replicating disease modeling on an artificially engineered biochip as well as advance drug development and screening in an expedited route with the minimization of animal and human trials.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0161809