scholarly journals Engineered algae: A novel oxygen-generating system for effective treatment of hypoxic cancer

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (21) ◽  
pp. eaba5996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Qiao ◽  
Fei Yang ◽  
Tingting Xie ◽  
Zhen Du ◽  
Danni Zhong ◽  
...  

Microalgae, a naturally present unicellular microorganism, can undergo light photosynthesis and have been used in biofuels, nutrition, etc. Here, we report that engineered live microalgae can be delivered to hypoxic tumor regions to increase local oxygen levels and resensitize resistant cancer cells to both radio- and phototherapies. We demonstrate that the hypoxic environment in tumors is markedly improved by in situ–generated oxygen through microalgae-mediated photosynthesis, resulting in notably radiotherapeutic efficacy. Furthermore, the chlorophyll from microalgae produces reactive oxygen species during laser irradiation, further augmenting the photosensitizing effect and enhancing tumor cell apoptosis. Thus, the sequential combination of oxygen-generating algae system with radio- and phototherapies has the potential to create an innovative treatment strategy to improve the outcome of cancer management. Together, our findings demonstrate a novel approach that leverages the products of photosynthesis for treatment of tumors and provide proof-of-concept evidence for future development of algae-enhanced radio- and photodynamic therapy.

Author(s):  
Facundo N. Varela ◽  
Mike Y. J. Tan ◽  
Maria Forsyth

Underground pipeline corrosion monitoring is a complex technical challenge. Currently there is no corrosion monitoring probe that is able to provide in situ information on corrosion under disbonded coatings. This paper presents a proof of concept of a novel corrosion monitoring probe intended to simulate corrosion under disbonded pipeline coatings and monitor its rate under Cathodic Protection (CP). The probe’s capabilities to measure corrosion rates and simulate disbonded coating conditions are illustrated by a typical experiment that involved testing of the probe in 0.1M NaCl at −850mVCSE. Estimated metal thickness losses based on results measured by the probe were compared against corrosion patterns and profilometry measurements of control specimens exposed to the same conditions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 72 (5) ◽  
pp. 254-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Burlacov ◽  
S. Hamann ◽  
H.-J. Spies ◽  
A. Dalke ◽  
J. Röpcke ◽  
...  

Energy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 216 ◽  
pp. 119227
Author(s):  
Yan Ding ◽  
Yunchao Li ◽  
Yujie Dai ◽  
Xinhong Han ◽  
Bo Xing ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1463
Author(s):  
Tamirat Tefera Temesgen ◽  
Kristoffer Relling Tysnes ◽  
Lucy Jane Robertson

Cryptosporidium oocysts are known for being very robust, and their prolonged survival in the environment has resulted in outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis associated with the consumption of contaminated water or food. Although inactivation methods used for drinking water treatment, such as UV irradiation, can inactivate Cryptosporidium oocysts, they are not necessarily suitable for use with other environmental matrices, such as food. In order to identify alternative ways to inactivate Cryptosporidium oocysts, improved methods for viability assessment are needed. Here we describe a proof of concept for a novel approach for determining how effective inactivation treatments are at killing pathogens, such as the parasite Cryptosporidium. RNA sequencing was used to identify potential up-regulated target genes induced by oxidative stress, and a reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) protocol was developed to assess their up-regulation following exposure to different induction treatments. Accordingly, RT-qPCR protocols targeting thioredoxin and Cryptosporidium oocyst wall protein 7 (COWP7) genes were evaluated on mixtures of viable and inactivated oocysts, and on oocysts subjected to various potential inactivation treatments such as freezing and chlorination. The results from the present proof-of-concept experiments indicate that this could be a useful tool in efforts towards assessing potential technologies for inactivating Cryptosporidium in different environmental matrices. Furthermore, this approach could also be used for similar investigations with other pathogens.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 1900
Author(s):  
Ramin Hosseinnezhad ◽  
Iurii Vozniak ◽  
Fahmi Zaïri

The paper discusses the possibility of using in situ generated hybrid polymer-polymer nanocomposites as polymeric materials with triple shape memory, which, unlike conventional polymer blends with triple shape memory, are characterized by fully separated phase transition temperatures and strongest bonding between the polymer blends phase interfaces which are critical to the shape fixing and recovery. This was demonstrated using the three-component system polylactide/polybutylene adipateterephthalate/cellulose nanofibers (PLA/PBAT/CNFs). The role of in situ generated PBAT nanofibers and CNFs in the formation of efficient physical crosslinks at PLA-PBAT, PLA-CNF and PBAT-CNF interfaces and the effect of CNFs on the PBAT fibrillation and crystallization processes were elucidated. The in situ generated composites showed drastically higher values of strain recovery ratios, strain fixity ratios, faster recovery rate and better mechanical properties compared to the blend.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 1667
Author(s):  
Mikhail Karushev

Fast and reversible cobalt-centered redox reactions in metallopolymers are the key to using these materials in energy storage, electrocatalytic, and sensing applications. Metal-centered electrochemical activity can be enhanced via redox matching of the conjugated organic backbone and cobalt centers. In this study, we present a novel approach to redox matching via modification of the cobalt coordination site: a conductive electrochemically active polymer was electro-synthesized from [Co(Amben)] complex (Amben = N,N′-bis(o-aminobenzylidene)ethylenediamine) for the first time. The poly-[Co(Amben)] films were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM), in situ UV‑vis-NIR spectroelectrochemistry, and in situ conductance measurements between −0.9 and 1.3 V vs. Ag/Ag+. The polymer displayed multistep redox processes involving reversible transfer of the total of 1.25 electrons per repeat unit. The findings indicate consecutive formation of three redox states during reversible electrochemical oxidation of the polymer film, which were identified as benzidine radical cations, Co(III) ions, and benzidine di-cations. The Co(II)/Co(III) redox switching is retained in the thick polymer films because it occurs at potentials of high polymer conductivity due to the optimum redox matching of the Co(II)/Co(III) redox pair with the organic conjugated backbone. It makes poly-[Co(Amben)] suitable for various practical applications based on cobalt-mediated redox reactions.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert J. Francis ◽  
Gillian Robb ◽  
Lee McCann ◽  
Bhagwati Khatri ◽  
James Keeble ◽  
...  

AbstractTuberculosis (TB) preclinical testing relies on in vivo models including the mouse aerosol challenge model. The only method of determining colony morphometrics of TB infection in a tissue in situ is two-dimensional (2D) histopathology. 2D measurements consider heterogeneity within a single observable section but not above and below, which could contain critical information. Here we describe a novel approach, using optical clearing and a novel staining procedure with confocal microscopy and mesoscopy, for three-dimensional (3D) measurement of TB infection within lesions at sub-cellular resolution over a large field of view. We show TB morphometrics can be determined within lesion pathology, and differences in infection with different strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Mesoscopy combined with the novel CUBIC Acid-Fast (CAF) staining procedure enables a quantitative approach to measure TB infection and allows 3D analysis of infection, providing a framework which could be used in the analysis of TB infection in situ.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerstin Hauke ◽  
Johannes Kehren ◽  
Nadine Böhme ◽  
Sinje Zimmer ◽  
Thorsten Geisler

In the last decades, Raman spectroscopy has become an important tool to identify and investigate minerals, gases, glasses, and organic material at room temperature. In combination with high-temperature and high-pressure devices, however, the in situ investigation of mineral transformation reactions and their kinetics is nowadays also possible. Here, we present a novel approach to in situ studies for the sintering process of silicate ceramics by hyperspectral Raman imaging. This imaging technique allows studying high-temperature solid-solid and/or solid-melt reactions spatially and temporally resolved, and opens up new avenues to study and visualize high-temperature sintering processes in multi-component systems. After describing in detail the methodology, the results of three application examples are presented and discussed. These experiments demonstrate the power of hyperspectral Raman imaging for in situ studies of the mechanism(s) of solid-solid or solid-melt reactions at high-temperature with a micrometer-scale resolution as well as to gain kinetic information from the temperature- and time-dependent growth and breakdown of minerals during isothermal or isochronal sintering.


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