Topic Review
Viral Vectors for Gene Delivery
Over the course of millions of years, viruses have evolved and adapted to changes in the biological environment which has allowed them to survive and replicate in host cells. Using this feature of viruses, gene therapy research has developed new approaches utilizing viruses and their different genomes as carriers and vectors for the delivery of genes, nucleic acids, and other genetic material to cell target sites.
  • 798
  • 24 Aug 2022
Topic Review
Viral Vaccine Platforms
The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants with decreased susceptibility to the neutralizing antibody responses induced by currently available COVID-19 vaccines raises the possibility of breakthrough infections. Thus, alternative or complementary approaches are needed to develop vaccines able to induce a lasting immunological response. In the case of global public health emergencies, governmental vaccine design can benefit from a range of platform technologies, including conventional vaccines such as inactivated and live-attenuated vaccines, the innovative new class of DNA- and RNA-based vaccines and promising protein-based vaccines. Compared with conventional vaccines, molecular-based platforms may offer a more versatile tool against new emergent viruses, allowing fast, low-cost, and scalable vaccine manufacturing. Essentially, these platforms rely on the use of a system to deliver and present a new antigen (or a synthetic gene) to rapidly target an emergent pathogen. Currently, there are four different platforms used to develop viral vaccines: whole virus, nucleic acid-based, viral vectors, and protein and virus-like particles (VLPs). The choice of platform takes into account many factors, including the way the immune system responds to the specific viral infection, vaccination strategies and policies, and the best technology or approach to create the specific vaccine.
  • 460
  • 29 Apr 2022
Topic Review
Venom Insulin Derived from Cone Snails
Cone snails possess a diverse array of novel peptide toxins, which selectively target ion channels and receptors in the nervous and cardiovascular systems. These numerous novel peptide toxins are a valuable resource for future marine drug development. 
  • 59
  • 22 Jan 2024
Topic Review
VEGF/VEGFR in tumour anti-angiogenic therapy
It is now known that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFRs) play a pivotal role in angiogenesis process. Nowadays, the use of inhibitors of angiogenesis promoting factors is a powerful tool in anticancer combination therapeutic strategies, especially in cancer anti-angiogenic therapy (AAT).
  • 707
  • 19 Apr 2021
Topic Review
Vascular Permeability in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a disease that causes scarring and fibrotic transformation of the lung parenchyma, resulting in the progressive loss of respiratory function and, often, death. An increasing body of literature shows that pulmonary vascular permeability may play a big role in the pathogenesis of this condition. There is a search for therapeutic targets to try and modulate this vascular permeability in fibrotic lungs. One such class of targets that shows great promise is sphingolipids.
  • 265
  • 02 Aug 2023
Topic Review
Various Adeno-Associated Viruses Serotypes in Gene Therapy
Depending on their serotype, adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) can have specific tropism for specific organs and tissues of the body. There are different AAV serotypes that vary in many aspects. A variety of AAV features have made it an appealing viral vector candidate to be used in gene therapy applications. 
  • 191
  • 06 May 2023
Topic Review
Valorization of Grape by-products
The emergence of antibiotic-resistance in bacteria has limited the ability to treat bacterial infections, besides increasing their morbidity and mortality at the global scale. The need for alternative solutions to deal with this problem is urgent and has brought about a renewed interest in natural products as sources of potential antimicrobials. The wine industry is responsible for the production of vast amounts of waste and by-products, with associated environmental problems. These residues are rich in bioactive secondary metabolites, especially phenolic compounds. Some phenolics are bacteriostatic/bactericidal against several pathogenic bacteria and may have a synergistic action towards antibiotics, mitigating or reverting bacterial resistance to these drugs. Complex phenolic mixtures, such as those present in winemaking residues (pomace, skins, stalks, leaves, and especially seeds), are even more effective as antimicrobials and could be used in combined therapy, thereby contributing to management of the antibiotic resistance crisis. 
  • 831
  • 14 Feb 2022
Topic Review
Vaccines in Solid Tumor
Conventional vaccines are widely used to boost human natural ability to defend against foreign invaders, such as bacteria and viruses. Therapeutic cancer vaccines attracted the most attention for anti-cancer therapy. According to the main components, it can be divided into five types: cell, DNA, RNA, peptide, and virus-based vaccines. They mainly perform through two rationales: (1) it trains the host immune system to protect itself and effectively eradicate cancer cells; (2) these vaccines expose the immune system to molecules associated with cancer that enable the immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells.
  • 369
  • 28 Feb 2023
Topic Review
Using Nanoparticles in Local Delivery to Cochlea
Hearing loss negatively impacts the well-being of millions of people worldwide. Systemic delivery of ototherapeutics has limited efficacy due to severe systemic side effects and the presence of the blood–labyrinth barrier that selectively limits or enables transfer of molecules between plasma and inner ear tissues and fluids. Local drug delivery into the middle and inner ear would be preferable for many newly emerging classes of drugs. Although the cochlea is a challenging target for drug delivery, recent technologies could provide a safe and efficacious delivery of ototherapeutics. Local drug delivery routes include topical delivery via the external auditory meatus, retroauricular, transtympanic, and intracochlear delivery. 
  • 479
  • 21 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Use of Green Antimicrobials in Diabetic Foot Ulcers
Diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) are one of the most serious and devastating complications of diabetes and account for a significant decrease in quality of life and costly healthcare expenses worldwide. This condition affects around 15% of diabetic patients and is one of the leading causes of lower limb amputations. DFUs generally present poor clinical outcomes, mainly due to the impaired healing process and the elevated risk of microbial infections which leads to tissue damage. Antimicrobial resistance poses a rising threat to global health, thus hampering DFU treatment and care. Faced with this reality, it is pivotal to find greener and less environmentally impactful alternatives for fighting these resistant microbes. Antimicrobial peptides are small molecules that play a crucial role in the innate immune system of the host and can be found in nature. Some of these molecules have shown broad-spectrum antimicrobial properties and wound-healing activity, making them good potential therapeutic compounds to treat DFUs. 
  • 464
  • 03 Mar 2023
  • Page
  • of
  • 68