Katie Nicholson, Development Editor – Biomaterials Science Blog

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Polymeric biomaterials for cancer nanotechnology themed issue now online

22 Jun 2015

We are delighted to announce that the Polymeric biomaterials for cancer nanotechnology themed issue is now available online.

Polymeric biomaterials for cancer nanotechnology

Guest Edited by Jianjun Cheng (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA) and Suzie H. Pun (University of Washington, USA), this themed issue highlights the latest discoveries and innovations in polymeric biomaterials for cancer nanotechnology.

Polymeric biomaterials have been extensively used in nanomedicine formulations for cancer therapy. Preclinical and clinical studies have in general revealed that polymeric nanocarriers, when used for chemotherapeutic drug delivery, reduce systemic toxicity and thus mitigate adverse side effects of the drug. This themed issue contains reviews and research articles in the areas of: (i) expanding the available suite of polymeric biomaterials that can be reproducibly and controllably manufactured at a suitable scale, (ii) designing carriers with improved biodistribution to tumour sites, (iii) increasing tumour distribution and penetration of polymeric nanocarriers, and (iv) controlling efficient drug release at a desired location and with optimal kinetics.

Read all the themed issue papers here

A few articles from the themed issue are highlighted below:

Drug-free macromolecular therapeutics – a new paradigm in polymeric nanomedicines
Te-Wei Chu and Jindřich Kopeček
Biomater. Sci., 2015,3, 908-922

Lipid-coated polymeric nanoparticles for cancer drug delivery
Sangeetha Krishnamurthy, Rajendran Vaiyapuri, Liangfang Zhang and Juliana M. Chan
Biomater. Sci., 2015, 3, 923-936

Enhanced transcellular penetration and drug delivery by crosslinked polymeric micelles into pancreatic multicellular tumor spheroids
Hongxu Lu, Robert H. Utama, Uraiphan Kitiyotsawat, Krzysztof Babiuch, Yanyan Jiang and Martina H. Stenzel
Biomater. Sci., 2015, 3, 1085-1095

Polymeric assembly of hyperbranched building blocks to establish tunable nanoplatforms for lysosome acidity-responsive gene/drug co-delivery
Hui-Zhen Jia, Wei Zhang, Xu-Li Wang, Bin Yang, Wei-Hai Chen, Si Chen, Gang Chen, Yi-Fang Zhao, Ren-Xi Zhuo, Jun Feng and Xian-Zheng Zhang
Biomater. Sci., 2015,3, 1066-1077

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Biomaterials Science celebrates its first (partial) Impact Factor

19 Jun 2015

Biomaterials Science is pleased to announce its first (partial) Impact Factor of 3.831

Biomaterials Science is committed to publishing exceptional articles that explore the underlying science behind the function, interactions and design of biomaterials. Its impressive first (partial) Impact Factor of 3.831 is a strong assurance that research published in our new journal is highly visible and relevant to the biomaterials community. Take a look at these popular Biomaterials Science articles below:

Sustained delivery of bioactive neurotrophin-3 to the injured spinal cord
Irja Elliott Donaghue, Charles H. Tator and Molly S. Shoichet
Biomater. Sci., 2015, 3, 65-72

Hyperbranched PEG-based supramolecular nanoparticles for acid-responsive targeted drug delivery
Xiaofei Chen, Xuemei Yao, Chunran Wang, Li Chen and Xuesi Chen
Biomater. Sci., 2015, 3, 870-878

Angiopoietin-1 peptide QHREDGS promotes osteoblast differentiation, bone matrix deposition and mineralization on biomedical materials
Nicole T. Feric, Calvin C. H. Cheng, M. Cynthia Goh, Vyacheslav Dudnyk, Val Di Tizio and Milica Radisic
Biomater. Sci., 2014, 2, 1384-1398

A novel hanging spherical drop system for the generation of cellular spheroids and high throughput combinatorial drug screening
A. I. Neto, C. R. Correia, M. B. Oliveira, M. I. Rial-Hermida, C. Alvarez-Lorenzo, Ruis L. Reis and Joao F. Mano
Biomater. Sci., 2015, 3, 581-585

In vitro model alveoli from photodegradable microsphere templates
Katherine J. R. Lewis, Mark W. Tibbitt, Yi Zhao, Kelsey Branchfield, Xin Sun, Vivek Balasubramaniam and Kristi S. Anseth
Biomater. Sci., 2015, 3, 821-832

Noninvasive theranostic imaging of HSV-TK/GCV suicide gene therapy in liver cancer by folate-targeted quantum dot-based liposomes
Dan Shao, Jing Li, Yue Pan, Xin Zhang, Xiao Zheng, Zheng Wang, Ming Zhang, Hong Zhang and Li Chen
Biomater. Sci., 2015, 3, 833-841

Publishing your research in Biomaterials Science means that your article will be read and cited by your colleagues.

Our unique combination of high quality articles, outstanding Editorial and Advisory Board, free colour and flexible manuscript format make it clear to see why Biomaterials Science is a leading journal within the biomaterials field.

Our fast times to publication ensure that your research is reviewed and announced to the community rapidly.

From receipt, your research papers will be published in 68 days. Communications articles will be published in 53 days. (Data taken from average manuscript handling times between July 2014 – January 2015)

So join the many leading scientists that have already chosen to publish in Biomaterials Science and submit your research today to be seen with the best!

Submit your research

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Organ-on-a-Chip World Congress & 3D-Printing in the Life Sciences

10 Jun 2015

Biomaterials Science is pleased to announce that the Organ-on-a-Chip World Congress & 3D-Printing will be held at Wyndham Boston Beacon Hill in Boston, USA on the 8^th– 9^th July 2015.

Deadlines and dates

Registration is open, so why not sign up for this fascinating meeting now!

If you are interesting in presenting a poster you must submit your abstract by 30^th June 2015. Abstracts for oral presentations are also being accepted.

Themes and topics

The 3D-printing field is expanding exponentially and it is starting to impact the life sciences arena. The current interest in this space is the use of various bioinks to “print” parts of tissues in the goal and hope to bioprint organs as well as body parts in the future for regenerative medicine and other medical applications.

This conference explores 3D-printing in the life sciences through presentations from academic researchers as well as industry participants. Several companies involved in bioprinting and bioinks will be exhibiting at this conference. The companion conference track explores Organ-on-a-Chip/Body-on-a-chip, which employs the use of microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip (LOAC) technologies to build “cell clusters in 3D-format” in functionally-relevant patterns. These patterns enable cellular function to be recapitulated ex vivo and has wide-ranging potential for drug discovery and development applications in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

Please contact event organisers Karen Saunders or Enal Razvi if you have any queries.

Head to the conference website to find out more about this 2-track event.

Join the conversation on Twitter: #OOAC2015 and let us know if you’re going @BioMaterSci.

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Nanocarriers for cancer drug delivery

05 Jun 2015

Chen et al. discuss the emerging antitumor applications of extracellularly reengineered polymeric nanocarriers.

Chen et al. write an informative and interesting review on the methods by which nanoparticle drug delivery vehicles are engineered using diverse triggers that result in drug release.

In the field of drug delivery, particularly to sites of tumour, there are many different considerations – the drug must be delivered to the site of the tumour, it must be intact when delivered, and it must act to destroy cancerous tissue while remaining as nontoxic as possible to healthy tissue. As a result, much research has been devoted to the development of core-shell drug delivery structures that consist of the drug in the nanoparticle core surrounded by a protective shell. This protective shell may be removed using both internal and external triggers. Many nanocarriers use PEG (polyethylene glycol)-based shells for ease of solubility and in order to prevent proteins from being absorbed onto the surface of the shell. However, additional materials are also increasingly used for the development of these materials.

The authors review the materials as well as common strategies used to remove the shell. Specifically, they summarise literature that exploits changes in pH, since the acidity of the tumour microenvironment differs from its healthy surroundings. Charge-reversal nanocarriers with a positively charged core and a negatively charged shell are also used. In addition, enzymes can degrade the external shell. An enzyme family known as matrix metalloproteinases, or MMPs, is commonly used for this purpose, but other enzymes are also beginning to be explored. Finally, these nanocarriers can also be assembled or de-assembled using interactions between the nanocarrier and the host body.

Emerging antitumor applications of extracellularly reengineered polymeric nanocarriers by Jinjin Chen, Jianxun Ding, Chunsheng Xiao, Xiuli Zhuang and Xuesi Chen

Debanti Sengupta completed her PhD in Chemistry in 2012 from Stanford University. She was previously a Siebel postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, and is currently a postdoctoral scholar in Radiation Oncology at Stanford University. Follow her on Twitter @debantisengupta.

Follow the latest journal news on Twitter @BioMaterSci or go to our Facebook page.

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Recent Appointees in Materials Science 2015 Conference (RAMS2015)

28 May 2015

We are delighted to announce that the Recent Appointees in Materials Science 2015 Conference (RAMS2015) will be held at the University of Warwick on 16-17^th September 2015.

Deadlines and dates

Registration will open shortly so be sure to sign up to this essential meeting before 1^st September 2015! The cost of registration is £125 for accommodation and meals, including the conference banquet at Warwick Castle. A reduced rate of £70 is offered for those not requiring accommodation.

Abstract submissions are now being accepted for oral and poster presentation but make sure you submit your abstracts by the deadline on 30^th June 2015.

Bursaries

A small number of bursaries are available for those with limited travel budgets and will be assessed on an individual basis. Enquire about bursaries here.

Keynote speakers

Biomaterials Science Advisory Board member Andrew Dove (University of Warwick) will be speaking along with other keynote speakers Aron Walsh (University of Bath) and Mary Ryan (Imperial College London). View the full list of invited speakers here.

For full details visit the RAMS2015 website. We hope you can join the materials science community for this fantastic event.

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13th International Nanomedicine & Drug Delivery Symposium, nanoDDS15

19 May 2015

We are delighted to be sponsoring a poster session at the 13^th International Nanomedicine & Drug Delivery Symposium (nanoDDS15) which will be held at the University of Washington in Seattle, USA on 16th-18th September 2015. Professors Pat Stayton, member of the Biomaterials Science Editorial Board, and Suzie Punn, member of the Biomaterials Science Advisory Board, are co-chairing this exciting meeting.

If you are developing next-generation delivery vehicles to make diagnostics more sensitive and drugs more effective, then nanoDDS15 is the place for you!

Dates and deadlines:

Registration for nanoDDS15 is open, but abstracts for poster presentation are no longer being accepted.

Who’s speaking?

Key speakers include Biomaterials Science Editorial Board member Jun Wang, and Advisory Board members Darrell Irvine and Kazunori Kataoka. The full symposium schedule is now live so why not take a look and plan your visit now! For a full list of confirmed speakers click here.

See the nanoDDS15 website for full details.

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2015 Biomaterials Science Lectureship awarded to Joel Collier

06 May 2015

We are delighted to announce Associate Professor Joel Collier (University of Chicago) as the 2015 Biomaterials Science Lectureship winner.

The Biomaterials Science Lectureship is an annual award that honours an early-stage career researcher for their significant contribution to the biomaterials field. The recipient is selected by the Biomaterials Science Editorial Board from a list of candidates nominated by the community.

Read on to find out more about Joel…

Joel H. Collier, PhD is an Associate Professor at the University of Chicago. His primary appointment is in the Department of Surgery, with appointments on the Committee on Immunology, the Committee on Molecular Medicine, and the Graduate Program in Biophysical Sciences. He is a Fellow of the Institute for Molecular Engineering. His research focuses on designing novel biomolecular materials for applications within immunotherapies, three-dimensional cell culture systems, and strategies for tissue repair. He received his undergraduate degree in Materials Science from Rice University and his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University. He has won several awards, including the 2012 Distinguished Junior Investigator in the University of Chicago’s Biological Sciences Division.

Take a look at Joel’s Biomaterials Science article to find out more about his current research:

Controllably degradable β-sheet nanofibers and gels from self-assembling depsipeptides
Ye F. Tian, Gregory A. Hudalla, Huifang Han and Joel H. Collier
Biomater. Sci., 2013, 1, 1037-1045

Keep your eyes peeled for Joel’s upcoming Biomaterials Science article in honour of the Lectureship award.

We would like to thank everybody who nominated a candidate for the Lectureship; we received many excellent nominations, and the Editorial Board had a difficult task in choosing between some outstanding candidates.

Please join us in congratulating Joel in his fantastic achievements by adding your comments below.

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Society for Biomaterials 2015 Annual Meeting, SFB 2015

24 Mar 2015

The Society for Biomaterials will hold its 2015 Annual Meeting (SFB 2015) in Charlotte, NC, USA on 15th-18th April 2015 at the Charlotte Convention Centre.

Dates and deadlines:

Registration is open, sign up now to avoid disappointment.

The abstract submission deadline for poster presentations has passed and abstracts are no longer being accepted.

Browse the programme:

The programme for SFB 2015 is live, so why not take a look. Key speakers include: Ashutosh Chilkoti, Duke University and Stuart B. Goodman, Stanford University. For a full list of speakers visit the website.

Themes:

The theme of this year’s meeting is Driving Innovation and the Race to Translation; a tribute to the city’s rich motor racing history. In keeping with that theme, the meeting will be organised into five thematic areas:

1. Translation: Focused on translating research from the lab to the clinic, advancing biomaterials in their product development life cycle

2. Biofabrication/Biomanufacturing: Manufacturing techniques e.g. nanoprinting, rapid prototyping, microfluidic based printing, etc.

3. Multi-Functional Biomaterial Design: Drug/gene delivery, biosensing, and complex tissue regeneration, etc.

4. Biocompatibility and Immune Engineering: How to harness/modulate the immune response (innate and adaptive) for biomaterial design or technology translation

5. Other topics of interest to the biomaterials community

For full details visit the SFB 2015 website.

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Joint Biomaterials Science and Soft Matter ‘Silk and silk-inspired materials’ Web Collection

09 Jan 2015

Take a look at the ‘Silk and silk-inspired materials’ web collection, a joint venture by Biomaterials Science and Soft Matter.

Are you interested in why spider silk is so strong? Or maybe you’re intrigued to find out how silk can be utilised in cell delivery? Whatever your curiosity be sure to check out the ‘Silk and silk-inspired materials’ web collection and find out why this growing area of research is proving so popular!

The web collection features articles from both Biomaterials Science and Soft Matter by leading authors from around the world. The collection contains a range of article types which cover the properties and rheology of silk-inspired materials as well as investigations into the surface properties of spider silk particles. Please follow the link to read all the articles in this popular area of research.

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Biomaterials Science Lectureship: Nominations now open

09 Jan 2015

Do you know someone who deserves recognition for their contribution to the biomaterials field?

Now is your chance to propose they receive the accolade they deserve.

Biomaterials Science is pleased to announce that nominations are now being accepted for its Biomaterials Science Lectureship 2015. This annual award was established in 2014 to honour an early-stage career scientist who has made a significant contribution to the biomaterials field.

Suzie Pun was the winner of the 2014 Biomaterials Science Lectureship. Suzie is part of the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Washington.

Qualification

To be eligible for the Biomaterials Science Lectureship, the candidate should be in the earlier stages of their scientific career, typically within 15 years of attaining their doctorate or equivalent degree, and will have made a significant contribution to the field.

Description

The recipient of the award will be asked to present a lecture three times, one of which will be located in the home country of the recipient. The Biomaterials Science Editorial Office will provide the sum of £1000 to the recipient for travel and accommodation costs.

The award recipient will be presented with the award at one of the three award lectures. They will also be asked to contribute a lead article to the journal and will have their work showcased on the back cover of the issue in which their article is published.

Selection

The recipient of the award will be selected and endorsed by the Biomaterials Science Editorial Board.

Nominations

Those wishing to make a nomination should send details of the nominee, including a brief C.V. (no longer than 2 pages A4) together with a letter (no longer than 2 pages A4) supporting the nomination, to the Biomaterials Science Editorial Office by 6^th March 2015. Self-nomination is not permitted.

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