The landscape of mRNA nanomedicine.

Messenger RNA (mRNA) is an emerging class of therapeutic agent for the prevention and treatment of a wide range of diseases. The recent success of the two highly efficacious mRNA vaccines produced by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech to protect against COVID-19 highlights the huge potential of mRNA technology for revolutionizing life science and medical research. Challenges related to mRNA stability and immunogenicity, as well as in vivo delivery and the ability to cross multiple biological barriers, have been largely addressed by recent progress in mRNA engineering and delivery. In this Review, we present the latest advances and innovations in the growing field of mRNA nanomedicine, in the context of ongoing clinical translation and future directions to improve clinical efficacy.

Nanotechnology-based strategies against SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has already infected more than 500 million people globally (as of May 2022), creating the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Nanotechnology has played a pivotal role in the fight against SARS-CoV-2 in various aspects, with the successful development of the two highly effective nanotechnology-based messenger RNA vaccines being the most profound. Despite the remarkable efficacy of mRNA vaccines against the original SARS-CoV-2 strain, hopes for quickly ending this pandemic have been dampened by the emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, which have brought several new pandemic waves. Thus, novel strategies should be proposed to tackle the crisis presented by existing and emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. Here, we discuss the SARS-CoV-2 variants from biological and immunological perspectives, and the rational design and development of novel and potential nanotechnology-based strategies to combat existing and possible future SARS-CoV-2 variants. The lessons learnt and design strategies developed from this battle against SARS-CoV-2 variants could also inspire innovation in the development of nanotechnology-based strategies for tackling other global infectious diseases and their future variants.

Different microRNAs contribute to the protective effect of mesenchymal stem cell-derived microvesicles in LPS induced acute respiratory distress syndrome.

Objectives: The present study aimed to determine whether bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived microvesicles (MSC MVs) were effective in restoring lung tissue structure, and to assess the potential role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis and progression of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Materials and Methods: ARDS was induced by lipopolysaccharide in male C57BL/6 mice. The degree of lung injury was assessed by histological analysis, lung's wet weight/body weight, and protein levels in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Sequencing was performed on the BGISEQ-500 platform. Differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) were screened with the DEGseq software. The target genes of DEMs were predicted by iRNAhybrid, miRanda, and TargetScan. Results: Compared with LPS-injured mice, MSC MVs reduced lung water and total protein levels in the BALF, demonstrating a protective effect. 52 miRNAs were differentially expressed following treatment with MSC MVs in ARDS mice. Among them, miR-532-5p, miR-223-3p, and miR-744-5p were significantly regulated. Gene Ontology (GO) function and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses revealed the target genes were mainly located in the cell, organelle, and membrane. Furthermore, KEGG pathways such as ErbB, PI3K-Akt, Ras, MAPK, Toll, and Wnt signaling pathways were the most significant pathways enriched by the target genes. Conclusion: MSC MVs treatment was involved in alleviating lung injury and promoting lung tissue repair by dysregulated miRNAs.

Imparting reusable and SARS-CoV-2 inhibition properties to standard masks through metal-organic nanocoatings.

Face masks are effective response to address this havoc pandemic caused by respiratory infection virus, but they are lack of reusable, antibacterial, and antiviral abilities due to their simple filtration mechanism, bringing to a supply shortage and severe plastic pollution globally. Herein, we designed reusable, antiviral, and antibacterial masks (referred to as R2A masks) that transformed from commonly-used standard masks and household fabrics based on the polyphenol-based surface functionalization. R2A nanocoatings are mainly composed of supramolecular complexation of natural polyphenols and metal ions, possessing a high performance of antibacterial property and comprehensive recyclability. Interfacial interaction of R2A nanocoating can effectively capture the spreading of particulate matters and aerosols containing virus-mimic nanoparticles even after 10 recycles. Moreover, R2A masks exist antibacteria and antivirus for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Collectively, this simple functional enhancement of masks provides a sustainable and strategic preparation for combating the infectious respiratory diseases.

From Bench to the Clinic: The Path to Translation of Nanotechnology-Enabled mRNA SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines.

During the last decades, the use of nanotechnology in medicine has effectively been translated to the design of drug delivery systems, nanostructured tissues, diagnostic platforms, and novel nanomaterials against several human diseases and infectious pathogens. Nanotechnology-enabled vaccines have been positioned as solutions to mitigate the pandemic outbreak caused by the novel pathogen severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. To fast-track the development of vaccines, unprecedented industrial and academic collaborations emerged around the world, resulting in the clinical translation of effective vaccines in less than one year. In this article, we provide an overview of the path to translation from the bench to the clinic of nanotechnology-enabled messenger ribonucleic acid vaccines and examine in detail the types of delivery systems used, their mechanisms of action, obtained results during each phase of their clinical development and their regulatory approval process. We also analyze how nanotechnology is impacting global health and economy during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

A non-printed integrated-circuit textile for wireless theranostics.

While the printed circuit board (PCB) has been widely considered as the building block of integrated electronics, the world is switching to pursue new ways of merging integrated electronic circuits with textiles to create flexible and wearable devices. Herein, as an alternative for PCB, we described a non-printed integrated-circuit textile (NIT) for biomedical and theranostic application via a weaving method. All the devices are built as fibers or interlaced nodes and woven into a deformable textile integrated circuit. Built on an electrochemical gating principle, the fiber-woven-type transistors exhibit superior bending or stretching robustness, and were woven as a textile logical computing module to distinguish different emergencies. A fiber-type sweat sensor was woven with strain and light sensors fibers for simultaneously monitoring body health and the environment. With a photo-rechargeable energy textile based on a detailed power consumption analysis, the woven circuit textile is completely self-powered and capable of both wireless biomedical monitoring and early warning. The NIT could be used as a 24/7 private AI "nurse" for routine healthcare, diabetes monitoring, or emergencies such as hypoglycemia, metabolic alkalosis, and even COVID-19 patient care, a potential future on-body AI hardware and possibly a forerunner to fabric-like computers.

Insights from nanotechnology in COVID-19 treatment.

In just a few months, SARS-CoV-2 and the disease it causes, COVID-19, created a worldwide pandemic. Virologists, biologists, pharmacists, materials scientists, and clinicians are collaborating to develop efficient treatment strategies. Overall, in addition to the use of clinical equipment to assist patient rehabilitation, antiviral drugs and vaccines are the areas of greatest focus. Given the physical size of SARS-CoV-2 and the vaccine delivery platforms currently in clinical trials, the relevance of nanotechnology is clear, and previous antiviral research using nanomaterials also supports this connection. Herein we briefly summarize current representative strategies regarding nanomaterials in antiviral research. We focus specifically on SARS-CoV-2 and the detailed role that nanotechnology can play in addressing this pandemic, including i) using FDA-approved nanomaterials for drug/vaccine delivery, including further exploration of the inhalation pathway; ii) introducing promising nanomaterials currently in clinical trials for drug/vaccine delivery; iii) designing novel biocompatible nanomaterials to combat the virus via interfering in its life cycle; and iv) promoting the utilization of nanomaterials in pneumonia treatment.

A materials-science perspective on tackling COVID-19.

The ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic highlights the importance of materials science in providing tools and technologies for antiviral research and treatment development. In this Review, we discuss previous efforts in materials science in developing imaging systems and microfluidic devices for the in-depth and real-time investigation of viral structures and transmission, as well as material platforms for the detection of viruses and the delivery of antiviral drugs and vaccines. We highlight the contribution of materials science to the manufacturing of personal protective equipment and to the design of simple, accurate and low-cost virus-detection devices. We then investigate future possibilities of materials science in antiviral research and treatment development, examining the role of materials in antiviral-drug design, including the importance of synthetic material platforms for organoids and organs-on-a-chip, in drug delivery and vaccination, and for the production of medical equipment. Materials-science-based technologies not only contribute to the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 research efforts but can also provide platforms and tools for the understanding, protection, detection and treatment of future viral diseases.

Efficacy and safety of traditional Chinese medicine combined with routine western medicine for the asymptomatic novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19): A Bayesian network meta-analysis protocol.

BACKGROUND: The number of patients infected with novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has exceeded 10 million in 2020, and a large proportion of them are asymptomatic. At present, there is still no effective treatment for this disease. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) shows a good therapeutic effect on COVID-19, especially for asymptomatic patients. According to the search results, we found that although there are many studies on COVID-19, there are no studies targeting asymptomatic infections. Therefore, we design a network meta-analysis (NMA) to evaluate the therapeutic effect of TCM on asymptomatic COVID-19. METHODS: We will search Chinese and English databases to collect all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of TCM combined with conventional western medicine or using only TCM to treat asymptomatic COVID-19 from December 2019 to July 2020. Then, two investigators will independently filter the articles, extract data, and evaluate the risk of bias. We will conduct a Bayesian NMA to evaluate the effects of different therapies. All data will be processed by Stata 16.0 and WinBUGS. RESULTS: This study will evaluate the effectiveness of various treatments for asymptomatic COVID-19. The outcome indicators include the time when the nucleic acid turned negative, the proportion of patients with disease progression, changes in laboratory indicators, and the side effects of drugs. CONCLUSION: This analysis will further improve the treatment of asymptomatic COVID-19. INPLASY REGISTRATION NUMBER: INPLASY202070022.