Nyhetsbrev 10/2022 Newsletter |
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Pharmaceutical Sciences Laboratory, Åbo Akademi |
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Sedan det senaste nyhetsbrevet har ÅA gjort upp ett strategiskt partnerskap med Bayer, PSL:s forskare har varit på kryssning över till Stockholm och många nya manuskript har blivit godkända. Läs om det här samt andra nyheter i oktober månads nyhetsbrev. Since the last newsletter, ÅA has entered a strategic partnership with Bayer, the researchers of PSL have been on a cruise to Stocholm, and many new manuscripts have been approved for publication. Read about these things and many other news in this newsletter. Trevlig läsning! | Happy reading! |
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Innehåll | Table of Contents |
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Studentnytt Kommande evenemang Finansieringsnytt Nya publikationer Nya PSL-medlemmar Hälsningar från möten
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Student news Upcoming events Funding news New publications New PSL members Greetings from meetings
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Studentnytt | Student news |
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Partnerskap med Bayer. Åbo Akademi och Bayer ingick ett strategiskt partnerskap. Samarbetet ska bl.a. hjälpa studenterna utveckla arbetslivsfärdigheter och -kompetenser och öppna upp möjligheter till jobb efter studierna. Läs mera. |
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Partnership with Bayer. Åbo Akademi and Bayer entered a strategic partnership. The partnership will help students develop working life skills and competences and open up opportunities for work after their studies. Read more. |
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Corporate Corner med Bayer. Måndagen den 10 oktober ordnade högskolorna i Åbo tillsammans med Bayer ett mycket uppskattat Corporate Corner-evenemang med läkemedelsutvecklingssimulering och diskussioner om karriärmöjligheter. Läs mera här (på engelska). |
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Corporate Corner with Bayer. On Monday October 10th, the higher education institutions of Turku and Bayer arranged a highly appreciated Corporate Corner event with a drug development simulation and career discussions. Read more here. |
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Kommande evenemang | Upcoming events |
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Professional digital leadership. Ett kick off-seminarium för projektet Professional digital leardership ordnas den 24 november på ÅA i Vasa. Möjlighet att delta på distans. Läs mera här. |
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Livet & Läkemedel. Det första avsnittet av webinarserien "Livet & Läkemedel" hölls den 21 september då Apotekarförbundets farmaceutiska ledare Charlotta Sandler berättade om finländarens medicinskåp. Följande avsnitt i webinarserien äger rum den 26 oktober då professor Tapani "Tappi" Viitala ger en presentation vid namn "Framtidens smarta läkemedel". Läs mera här. |
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Finansieringsnytt | Funding news |
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Hongbo Zhang mottagare av forskningsanslag från Finlands Akademi. Biträdande professor Hongbo Zhang tilldelades 677 348 € för projektet "Delivery of Entire Bioactive Mitochondria with Metal Organic Framework for Cancer Research and Therapy". Läs mera (på engelska) nedan. |
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Hongbo Zhang has received Academy Project Funding. Associate Prof. Hongbo Zhang has received 677 348 € from Academy of Finland for the project "Delivery of Entire Bioactive Mitochondria with Metal Organic Framework for Cancer Research and Therapy". Read more below. |
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Hongbo Zhang and his team has invented a novel technology to encapsulate bioactive mitochondria with metal organic framework, which is fundamental for mitochondria transplantation-based therapy. With this invention, the isolated mitochondria maintain their bioactivity for up to four weeks in room temperature instead of 4-6 hours with today´s mitochondria isolation kit. A patent has been filed in August 2021. In this Academy of Finland project, the technology for preservation and intracellular delivery of mitochondria will be developed, and the mitochondria isolated from healthy cells will be efficiently delivered into cancer cells for promoting cancer research and therapy. |
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Nya publikationer | New publications |
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Evaluation of solubilizing potential of functional poly(jasmine lactone) micelles for hydrophobic drugs: A comparison with commercially available polymers. Kuldeep Kumar Bansal, Aliaa A Ali, Mijanur Rahman, Erica Sjöholm, Carl-Eric Wilén, Jessica M Rosenholm, International Journal of Polymeric Materials and Polymeric Biomaterials, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1080/00914037.2022.2090942 |
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In this study, novel polymers based on poly(jasmine lactone) (PJL) has been investigated to determine their efficiency towards the improvement of the aqueous solubility of drugs. Achieving high solubilization capacity with the aid of polymeric micelles (PM) is still a major challenge. The results were compared with Soluplus® and poly(lactide) copolymer micelles. The presence of “ene” groups on PJL’s backbone offers a unique opportunity to insert functional groups. We introduced -COOH and phenyl groups onto the PJL copolymer and observed a ∼334-fold increment in aqueous solubility of clotrimazole with -COOH-terminated PJL copolymer compared to Soluplus®. We thus successfully demonstrated that the presence of appropriate free functional groups on the polymer chain can facilitate the solubilization potential of PM. This work is the part of the Research-to-Business project JasminePRO funded by Business Finland. |
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Functional block copolymer micelles based on poly (jasmine lactone) for improving the loading efficiency of weakly basic drugs. Aliaa Ali, Rajendra Bhadane, Afshin Ansari Asl, Carl-Eric Wilén, Outi Salo-Ahen, Jessica M. Rosenholm, and Kuldeep K. Bansal, RSC Advances, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1039/D2RA03962A |
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This study is the continuation of our previous study published in International Journal of Polymeric Materials and Polymeric Biomaterials. We investigated the power of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to understand the polymer–drug interactions at the molecular level and how polymer functionalization influenced these interactions. Functionalization of polymers is an attractive approach to introduce specific molecular forces that can enhance drug–polymer interaction to achieve higher drug loading when used as drug delivery systems. Drugs with different pKa values were employed to prepare drug-loaded polymeric micelles (PMs) of mPEG-b-PJL, mPEG-b-PJL-COOH and Soluplus® via nanoprecipitation method. We reconfirmed that electrostatic interactions between the COOH pendant on mPEG-b-PJL-COOH and the basic drugs were influence the entrapment efficiency. The in vitro release experiment suggested that the electrostatic interaction is not hampering the release of drug from micelles. Furthermore, the haemolysis and cell cytotoxicity studies suggested that -COOH groups on polymers impart dose-dependent toxicity to the formulation. This work is the part of the Research-to-Business project JasminePRO funded by Business Finland. Aliaa Ali and Afshin Ansari Asl are summer intern students from University of Turku that successfully took part in this subproject. |
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2D nanomaterial sensing array using machine learning for differential profiling of pathogenic microbial taxonomic identification. Zhijun Li et al. Microchimica Acta. 2022 (https://doi.org/10.1007/s00604-022-05368-5) |
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We establish a molecular response differential profiling cross-response sensing array for rapid and accurate recognition of microorganisms. The sensing elements are composed of a series of 6-carboxyfluorescein (FAM)-labeled single-strand DNA (FAM-ssDNA) and two-dimensional nanomaterial (2D-n) fluorescence quencher. Combining the advantage of the machine learning algorithm, we can visibly discriminate each pathogenic microorganism by regulating the species and quantity of sensing elements with 100% accuracy. |
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Self-assembly of DNA nanogels with endogenous microRNA toehold self-regulating switches for targeted gene regulation therapy. Jiaqi Yan et al. Biomaterials Science. 2022 (https://doi.org/10.1039/D2BM00640E) |
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In this work, we developed a smart nanohydrogel system with effective drug delivery and endogenous microRNA toehold self-regulating switches for on-site targeted regulation therapy in cancer. The system consists of a protective DNA nanohydrogel-shell (Fig. 1A) with miRNA recognizing ability, and a hydrophobic drug reservoir mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN). In this work, miRNA-21 as a model endogenous target molecule is selected as a pancreatic cancer precise target and chemo/gene combination therapy. Our smart nanohydrogel-based system as a universal platform has great potential to be used for combination therapy of various diseases. |
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Helper T Cell (CD4) Targeted Tacrolimus Delivery Mediates Precise Suppression of Allogeneic Humoral Immunity. Jia Shen et al. Research 2022 (https://doi.org/10.34133/2022/9794235) |
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In this study, we investigated whether Tac delivery to helper T (CD4) cells using functionalized mesoporous nanoparticles can block Tfh cell differentiation after alloantigen exposure. Results showed that Tac delivery ameliorated humoral rejection injury in rodent kidney graft by suppressing Tfh cell development, PC, and donor-specific antibody (DSA) generation without causing severe side effects compared with delivery through the drug administration pathway. This study provides a promising therapeutic strategy for preventing humoral rejection in solid organ transplantation. The specific and controllable drug delivery avoids multiple disorder risks and side effects observed in currently used clinical approaches. |
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Progress of delivery methods for CRISPR-Cas9. Wu Yang et al. Expert Opinion on Drug Delivery. 2022 (https://doi.org/10.1080/17425247.2022.2100342) |
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In recent years, with rapid advances in nanoscience, materials science, and medicine, researchers have developed various technologies that can deliver CRISPR-Cas9 in different forms for in vitro and in vivo gene editing. Here, we review the development of the CRISPR-Cas9 and describe the delivery forms and the vectors that have emerged in CRISPR-Cas9 delivery, summarizing the key barriers and the promising strategies that vectors currently face in delivering the CRISPR-Cas9. |
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A molecularly imprinted antibiotic receptor on magnetic nanotubes for the detection and removal of environmental oxytetracycline. Jixiang Wang et al. Journal of Materials Chemistry B. 2022（https://doi.org/10.1039/D2TB00497F） |
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We report here on the design and synthesis of a fluorescent sensor based on molecularly imprinted magnetic halloysite nanotubes (referred to as MHNTs@FMIPs) for the effective detection and purification of OTC in actual environmental samples. The fluorescence of the MHNTs@FMIPs was quenched obviously upon loading with OTC, covering a linear concentration range of 10–300 nM with a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 8.1 nM. The imprinting factor is 4.47, indicating an excellent specificity. Furthermore, the MHNTs@FMIPs can be applied to the quantitative detection of OTC (5 cycles of 300 nM) in aquaculture wastewater and Yangtze River water, demonstrating their immense application potential. |
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Neovascularization-directed bionic eye drops for noninvasive renovation of age-related macular degeneration. Meixin Ran et al. Chemical Engineering Journal. 2022 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2022.138291) |
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We design nanoparticles (PEN-rLDL-VP) to cross the blood-retina barrier to realizing visual therapy. Following instillation, PEN-rLDL-VP can effectively deliver VP into neovascular that overexpress LDL receptors, which can respond to laser-induced PDT. Only with a single dose of the eye-drop and laser-induced PDT, the VEGF and proinflammatory intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) proteins are significantly down-regulated in vivo, which implicates the neovascular inhibition and inflammation alleviation. This study presents an attractive non-invasive strategy for the PDT of wAMD. |
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Robust strategies in nuclear-targeted cancer therapy based on functional nanomaterials. Xiaofei Qin et al. Materials & Design. 2022 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2022.110999) |
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The purpose of this review is to sort out the fundamental nuclear targeting strategy, especially the active mechanism of various nuclear targeting ligands and their extensive applications based on cancer targeting therapy. |
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Breaking the Iron Homeostasis: A “Trojan Horse” Self-Assembled Nanodrug Sensitizes Homologous Recombination Proficient Ovarian Cancer Cells to PARP Inhibition. Yangyang Li et al. ACS Nano. 2022 (https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.2c04956) |
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Here, a nanodrug, olaparib-Ga, was designed using self-assembly of the PARP inhibitor olaparib into bovine serum albumin through gallic acid gallium(III) coordination via a convenient and green synthetic method. |
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A pH-Responsive Cluster Metal–Organic Framework Nanoparticle for Enhanced Tumor Accumulation and Antitumor Effect. Ruoyu Cheng et al. Advanced Materials. 2022 (https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202203915) |
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In this work, a pH-responsive linker (L) is prepared by covalently modifying oleylamine (OA) with 3-(bromomethyl)-4-methyl-2,5-furandione (MMfu) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). Then, the L is embedded into a solid lipid nanoshell to coat apilimod (Ap)-loaded zeolitic imidazolate framework (Ap-ZIF) to form Ap-ZIF@SLN#L. This pH-responsive targeting strategy improves nanoparticle accumulation in tumors with enhanced therapeutic effects. |
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Nya PSL-medlemmar | New PSL members |
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Aryane Vigato I am Aryane Vigato, a Ph.D. visitor researcher from São Paulo - Brazil (Universidade Federal do ABC). I have been working with polymeric gels for topical applications. At the ÅA I am studying the interactions between nanoformulations and bacterial biofilms under the supervision of Professors Tapani and Jessica. It has been a great experience to know Finland and work at ÅA, and I hope to contribute to the PSL group in my short (6 months) postdoctoral stay here. |
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Jyoti Verma I am Jyoti, a PhD student in PSL at Ǻbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland. I will work under the supervision of Prof. Jessica Rosenholm and Dr. Kuldeep K. Bansal. I earned my master's degree in pharmacy (M. Pharm ‑ Pharmaceutics) in 2015. My master's thesis was on "Formulation and Characterization of Sericin Capped Silver Nanoparticles for Wound Healing Activity," and my research findings were published in the journal Drug Delivery and Translational Research with DOI: 10.1007/s13346-016-0322-y. Aside from my master's degree, I've published seven research manuscripts, co-authored two textbooks. I intend to work on multifunctional poly(jasmine lactone)-based delivery systems for improving the pharmacological efficiency of antimicrobial, antiviral, and anticancer agents. I am also aiming to utilize these multifunctional polymers for nucleic acid delivery. I can be contacted through LinkedIn via https://www.linkedin.com/in/jyoti-verma-143605142. |
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Dr. Yunru Yu Yunru Yu received her Ph.D. degree from Biomedical Engineering (Sept. 2015-Mar. 2020) State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing. Her research focus on Bioinspired hierarchical fibre bundles from microfluidics for nerve regeneration. |
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Dr. Li Wang Li Wang received his Bachelor in Nanjing Tech University, and received his master degree in Southeast University. Afterwards, he started his PhD in the field of applications of Intelligent Hydrogel System in Drug Delivery of Gastric Diseases, in the group of Prof. Hongbo Zhang in the Pharmacy, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University, Finland. |
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Dr. Yuanyuan Jiang Yuanyuan Jiang received her bachelor and master degree at Jiangsu University. Currently, she is a doctor student of pharmaceutical science, working on the development of Bio-inspired natural platelet hydrogels for wound healing under the supervision of professor Hongbo Zhang at Åbo Akademi University in Finland. |
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Dr. Kexin Yi Kexin Yi starts her Ph.D. study on 12.2022 in Abo Akademi University at Hongbo Zhang's group, she focuses on the application of porous microneedles in biomarker detection. |
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Dr. Longxi Wu Longxi Wu starts his PhD study on 12.2022 in Abo Akademi University and his focus is on the Influence and mechanism of LDHA-mediated glucose metabolism in nucleus pulposus cell degeneration. |
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Dr. Jixiang Wang Jixiang Wang received his PhD degree in Material Science from Jiangsu University in China. From August 2019, he started his postdoc research in Prof. Hongbo Zhang’s Lab, Pharmaceutical Sciences Laboratory at Åbo Akademi University. Currently, he is a visiting scholar from Jiangsu University. His research focus is Molecular Imprinting-based biomaterials in biomedical applications. |
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Dr. Chengcheng Li Chengcheng Li received his bachelor's degree in biotechnology from Xinxiang University and his master's degree in bioengineering from Zhengzhou University. Afterward, he started his Ph.D. studies in the group of Prof. Hongbo Zhang in the Pharmacy, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Åbo Akademi University. His work focuses on the development of photoresponsive nanofibers for tissue regeneration. |
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Dr. Sergey Filippov Sergey Filippov. Visiting from University of Reading. Experienced scientist, Fulbright Scholar. Leverhulme professor. More than 100 publications. Skilled in Polymer Science (Physics and Chemistry), Drug Delivery, Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Soft Matter, Nanoparticles, Liposomes, Microfluidics, Colloids. Strong knowledge in Dynamic Light Scattering, SAXS/SANS, Isothermal Titration Calorimetry, Electron Paramagnetic Spectroscopy, Light and Electron Microscopy, Fluorescence (steady-state and time resolved, FCS, FCCS), HPLC, Chromatography, Flow cytometry, AutoCAD, OriginLab, Experienced lecturer in Polymer Science. Polymer physicist, Leverhulme Professor, Material scientist. |
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Dr. Heidi Koivisto Heidi Koivisto (Business Champion, preparation business comobilization and market strategy) did her MBA 2021, majoring in Business Administration and Management from Northampton, UK. She has a long career in the pharmaceutical industry, having worked in marketing, sales, international business, corporate event management, corporate communications, and related B2B and B2C projects for over 25 years. Heidi has been responsible for numerous marketing and sales events, including customer training and trade fairs, exhibitions, and congress trips from the graphic design phase to execution. She has extensive education and experience in international business operations and marketing. In addition, Heidi has a qualification in Audio-visual Communication and Graphic Design. She understands design thinking and service design. Heidi expresses high interest in being the CEO of the potential start-up. Her main strengths lay in the inner urge to do well to reach the goals and orchestrate processes in different types of organizations. patents and Comitell. |
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Hälsningar från möten | Greetings from meetings |
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Nordic POP Annual Meeting 2022 After some Corona-related rescheduling, the Nordic POP Annual Meeting 2022 finally took place on Viking Gabriella (Helsinki-Stockholm-Helsinki) on 10-12.8. It was also our turn to host this magnificent event, and without too much passenger loss along the way we had >150 researchers from all Nordic countries (and beyond) joining in! The topics of the sessions this year were AI and Data Driven Life Science, Sustainable Pharmacy (part III), Rising Stars and Career Development. The representation from PSL included approx. 30 current researchers along with an invited speaker from IT (Dr. Sebastién Lafond) and former PSL member Dr. Henrika Arnkil (Bayer) who spoke in the Career Development session directed towards young researchers. We also want to acknowledge PhD student Oliver Koivisto who won the best pitch of the CRS Nordic poster pitch presentation session with his short talk “Delivery of Cas9/sgRNA system using functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticle system”. Read more about the AM on the Nordic POP homepage: https://nordicpop.ku.dk/news/2019/nordic-pop-annual-meeting-2022-flashback/ NB! The associated Virtual Special Issue “Nordic POP” in the European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences is also currently open for submissions: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/european-journal-of-pharmaceutical-sciences/forthcoming-special-issues/nordic-pop-patient-oriented-products |
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16th annual FinPharmaNet meeting During the 13th - 14th of June we visited Ellivuori in Sastamala for the first physical FinPharmaNet meeting in a couple of years! FinPharmaNet is a national doctoral network in which also we take part. This year’s meeting was arranged jointly with the Finnish platform for pharmaceutical research FinPharma, and thus featured speakers targeted for both audiences. In addition, we had a session on the “Future of Finnish drug research” that also gave us some long-awaited updates on the National Drug Discovery Center Ltd that is starting to finally shape up here in Turku. Given the event was targeted mainly for PhD students, obviously also doctoral student presentation awards were handed out, whereby we want to acknowledge PSL PhD student Rathna Mathiyalagan who won one of the awards with her short talk “3D Printing of personalized medicines for veterinary use”. Follow FinPharmNet on Twitter: https://twitter.com/finpharmanet |
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