Astromimetics: The dawn of a new era for (bio)materials science?

Nanobiomedicine
Vuk Uskoković, Victoria M Wu

Abstract

Composite, multifunctional fine particles are likely to be at the frontier of materials science in the foreseeable future. Here we present a submicron composite particle that mimics the stratified structure of the Earth by having a zero-valent iron core, a silicate/silicide mantle, and a thin carbonaceous crust resembling the biosphere and its biotic deposits. Particles were formulated in a stable colloidal form and made to interact with various types of healthy and cancer cells in vitro. A selective anticancer activity was observed, promising from the point of view of the intended use of the particles for tumor targeting across the blood-brain barrier. As an extension of the idea underlying the fabrication of a particle mimicking the planet Earth, we propose a new field of mimetics within materials science: astromimetics. The astromimetic approach in the context of materials science consists of the design of particles after the structure of celestial bodies. With Earth being the most chemically diverse and fertile out of all the astral bodies known, it is anticipated that the great majority of astromimetic material models will fall in the domain of geo-inspired ones.

References

Jan 4, 1994·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·A SeeligR M Devant
Feb 3, 2011·Nature Communications·Horacio D EspinosaPablo D Zavattieri
Feb 18, 2011·The New England Journal of Medicine·Janet WoodcockRachel E Behrman
Oct 16, 2012·NMR in Biomedicine·Timo Heidt, Matthias Nahrendorf
Oct 2, 2014·Current Opinion in Pharmacology·Ekaterina A NaumenkoRawil F Fakhrullin
Mar 10, 2015·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Philip Ball
Sep 12, 2015·Materials Science & Engineering. C, Materials for Biological Applications·Vuk Uskoković
Nov 1, 2010·Journal of Biomimetics, Biomaterials, and Tissue Engineering·Vuk Uskoković
Jun 28, 2016·Materials·Vuk Uskoković, Victoria M Wu
Dec 24, 2016·ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces·Vuk UskokovićVictoria M Wu
Jan 20, 2017·Chemical Society Reviews·Dong Wang, Didier Astruc
Sep 26, 2017·Journal of Materials Chemistry. B, Materials for Biology and Medicine·Vuk UskokovićVictoria M Wu

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Methods Mentioned

BETA
transmission
X-ray
Fluorescence
transmission electron microscopy

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Blood Brain Barrier

The blood brain barrier is a border that separates blood from cerebrospinal fluid. Discover the latest search on this highly selective semipermeable membrane here.

Blood Brain Barrier Regulation in Health & Disease

The blood brain barrier is essential in regulating the movement of molecules and substances in and out of the brain. Disruption to the blood brain barrier and changes in permeability allow pathogens and inflammatory molecules to cross the barrier and may play a part in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders. Here is the latest research in this field.

Blood Brain Barrier Chips

The blood brain barrier (BBB) is comprised of endothelial cells that regulate the influx and outflux of plasma concentrations. Lab-on-a-chip devices allow scientists to model diseases and mechanisms such as the passage of therapeutic antibodies across the BBB. Discover the latest research on BBB chips here.

Related Papers

The Lancet. Psychiatry
The Lancet Psychiatry
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
Vuk UskokovićVictoria M Wu
Rehab Management
Steve Percy
Emergency Nurse : the Journal of the RCN Accident and Emergency Nursing Association
Thelma Agnew
Journal - Michigan State Medical Society
T G KLUMPP
© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved