Browsing by Author "Charbe, Nitin B."

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Emergence of three dimensional printed cardiac tissue: opportunities and challenges in cardiovascular diseases
    (2019) Charbe, Nitin B.; Zacconi, Flavia C. M.; Amnerkar, Nikhil; Pardhi, Dinesh; Shukla, Priyank; Mukattash, Tareq L.; McCarron, Paul A.; Tambuwala, Murtaza M.
    Three-dimensional (3D) printing, also known as additive manufacturing, was developed originally for engineering applications. Since its early advancements, there has been a relentless development in enthusiasm for this innovation in biomedical research. It allows for the fabrication of structures with both complex geometries and heterogeneous material properties. Tissue engineering using 3D bio-printers can overcome the limitations of traditional tissue engineering methods. It can match the complexity and cellular microenvironment of human organs and tissues, which drives much of the interest in this technique. However, most of the preliminary evaluations of 3Dprinted tissues and organ engineering, including cardiac tissue, relies extensively on the lessons learned from traditional tissue engineering. In many early examples, the final printed structures were found to be no better than tissues developed using traditional tissue engineering methods. This highlights the fact that 3D bio-printing of human tissue is still very much in its infancy and more work needs to be done to realise its full potential. This can be achieved through interdisciplinary collaboration between engineers, biomaterial scientists and molecular cell biologists. This review highlights current advancements and future prospects for 3D bio-printing in engineering ex vivo cardiac tissue and associated vasculature, such as coronary arteries. In this context, the role of biomaterials for hydrogel matrices and choice of cells are discussed. 3D bio-printing has the potential to advance current research significantly and support the development of novel therapeutics which can improve the therapeutic outcomes of patients suffering fatal cardiovascular pathologies.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (HIF): Fuel for Cancer Progression
    (Bentham Science Publ. LTD, 2021) Satija, Saurabh; Kaur, Harpreet; Tambuwala, Murtaza M.; Sharma, Prabal; Vyas, Manish; Khurana, Navneet; Sharma, Neha; Bakshi, Hamid A.; Charbe, Nitin B.; Zacconi, Flavia C. M.; Aljabali, Alaa A.; Nammi, Srinivas; Dureja, Harish; Singh, Thakur G.; Gupta, Gaurav; Dhanjal, Daljeet S.; Dua, Kamal; Chellappan, Dinesh K.; Mehta, Meenu
    Hypoxia is an integral part of the tumor microenvironment, caused primarily due to rapidly multiplying tumor cells and a lack of proper blood supply. Among the major hypoxic pathways, HIF-1 transcription factor activation is one of the widely investigated pathways in the hypoxic tumor microenvironment (TME). HIF-1 is known to activate several adaptive reactions in response to oxygen deficiency in tumor cells. HIF-1 has two subunits, HIF-1 beta (constitutive) and HIF-1 alpha (inducible). The HIF-1 alpha expression is largely regulated via various cytokines (through PI3K-ACT-mTOR signals), which involves the cascading of several growth factors and oncogenic cascades. These events lead to the loss of cellular tumor suppressant activity through changes in the level of oxygen via oxygen-dependent and oxygen-independent pathways. The significant and crucial role of HIF in cancer progression and its underlying mechanisms have gained much attention lately among the translational researchers in the fields of cancer and biological sciences, which have enabled them to correlate these mechanisms with various other disease modalities. In the present review, we have summarized the key findings related to the role of HIF in the progression of tumors.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Perfluorocarbons Therapeutics in Modern Cancer Nanotechnology for Hypoxia-induced Anti-tumor Therapy
    (2021) Satija, Saurabh; Sharma, Prabal; Kaur, Harpreet; Dhanjal, Daljeet S.; Chopra, Reena S.; Khurana, Navneet; Vyas, Manish; Sharma, Neha; Tambuwala, Murtaza M.; Bakshi, Hamid A.; Charbe, Nitin B.; Zacconi, Flavia C. M.; Chellappan, Dinesh K.; Dua, Kamal; Mehta, Meenu
    With an estimated failure rate of about 90%, immunotherapies that are intended for the treatment of solid tumors have caused an anomalous rise in the mortality rate over the past decades. It is apparent that resistance towards such therapies primarily occurs due to elevated levels of HIF-1 (Hypoxia-induced factor) in tumor cells, which are caused by disrupted microcirculation and diffusion mechanisms. With the advent of nanotechnology, several innovative advances were brought to the fore; and, one such promising direction is the use of perfluorocarbon nanoparticles in the management of solid tumors. Perfluorocarbon nanoparticles enhance the response of hypoxia-based agents (HBAs) within the tumor cells and have been found to augment the entry of HBAs into the tumor micro-environment. The heightened penetration of HBAs causes chronic hypoxia, thus aiding in the process of cell quiescence. In addition, this technology has also been applied in photodynamic therapy, where oxygen self-enriched photosensitizers loaded perfluorocarbon nanoparticles are employed. The resulting processes initiate a cascade, depleting tumour oxygen and turning it into a reactive oxygen species eventually to destroy the tumour cell. This review elaborates on the multiple applications of nanotechnology based perfluorocarbon formulations that are being currently employed in the treatment of tumour hypoxia.