Summary

The advent of biopharmaceuticals in current medicine brought enormous benefits to the treatment of life-threatening human diseases (e.g., cancer, diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders), and improved the well-being of many people worldwide. The global portfolio of these therapeutic products include proteins and antibodies, nucleic acids, and cell-based products, and continues to expand at a rapid pace - approvals in the period 2015-2018 essentially double the typical five-yearly historical approval pace (G. Walsh, Nat. Biotechnol., 36:1136-1145, 2018) -, representing a significant share of the entire market of pharmaceuticals.

Innovation in the (bio)pharmaceutical industry has been driven towards the development of cost-effective manufacturing processes, envisaging the delivery of products in high quantity, with superior quality (purity), and high specificity, with the ultimate goal of benefiting patients. Progress in this direction have resulted from the application of novel technologies in the upstream stage (high-throughput, single-use devices, statistical optimization of media and fermentation conditions, QbD, and continuous processing), while at the downstream level, chromatography has evolved through the development of new resins and ligands, coupled with advances in process modelling, operating and control strategies.

An emerging trend is the application of alternative solvents such as ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents, in which their structure and physicochemical properties can be tuned to address unmet needs in (bio)pharmaceutical research. These compounds may be derived from natural and reneawable sources and hold great promise in the development of efficient, sustainable and cost-effective biopharmaceuticals purification processes.

This Entry Collection aims to provide the latest progresses achieved in pharmaceuticals bioprocessing. We welcome submissions of original research, comprehensive reviews and perspectives, including, but not limited, to the following fields:

- Upstream processing (genetic engineering, systems biology, difficult-to-express proteins, expression conditions, Quality by Design approaches, process analytical technologies);

- Chromatographic purification methods (process modelling and control, continuous bioprocessing, design and characterization of resins and ligands, new formats);

- Alternative purification methods (aqueous biphasic systems, filtration, crystallization, precipitation);

- Application of neoteric solvents in upstream and downstream stages;

- Analytical characterization of biopharmaceuticals (stability, post-translational modifications, biological activity, immunogenicity); 

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Entries
Topic Review
Immunopotentiating Activity of Fucoidans
Fucoidans, discovered in 1913, are fucose-rich sulfated polysaccharides extracted mainly from brown seaweed. These versatile and nontoxic marine-origin heteropolysaccharides have a wide range of favorable biological activities, including antitumor, immunomodulatory, antiviral, antithrombotic, anticoagulant, antithrombotic, antioxidant, and lipid-lowering activities. In the early 1980s, fucoidans were first recognized for their role in supporting the immune response and later, in the 1990s, their effects on immune potentiation began to emerge. The understanding of the immunomodulatory effects of fucoidan has expanded significantly. The ability of fucoidan(s) to activate CTL-mediated cytotoxicity against cancer cells, strong antitumor property, and robust safety profile make fucoidans desirable for effective cancer immunotherapy.
  • 1.3K
  • 06 May 2023
Topic Review
Biosynthetic Pathway of Heme b
Hemes belong to a small subgroup of the tetrapyrrole family, which is characterized by the combination of a ferrous ion and a porphyrin macrocycle. The ‘true’ hemes possess a fully oxidized porphyrin macrocycle, including heme a, heme b, heme c, and heme o. Hemes are an important class of prosthetic molecules that play roles in a number of biological processes. The most widespread and ubiquitous is heme b, which plays an important role in transporting oxygen as part of hemoglobin. In addition, heme b is a cofactor for many enzymes, such as myoglobin, cytochrome P450, and peroxidases, and plays significant roles in catalysis, transcription, signaling, and electron transfer. 
  • 2.5K
  • 27 Apr 2023
Topic Review
DNA-Based Nanomaterials as Drug Delivery Platforms in Tumors
DNA nanotechnology has significantly advanced and might be used in biomedical applications, drug delivery, and cancer treatment. DNA nanomaterials are widely used in biomedical research involving biosensing, bioimaging, and drug delivery since they are remarkably addressable and biocompatible. Gradually, modified nucleic acids have begun to be employed to construct multifunctional DNA nanostructures with a variety of architectural designs. Aptamers are single-stranded nucleic acids (both DNAs and RNAs) capable of self-pairing to acquire secondary structure and of specifically binding with the target. Diagnosis and tumor therapy are prospective fields in which aptamers can be applied. Many DNA nanomaterials with three-dimensional structures have been studied as drug delivery systems for different anticancer medications or gene therapy agents. Different chemical alterations can be employed to construct a wide range of modified DNA nanostructures. Chemically altered DNA-based nanomaterials are useful for drug delivery because of their improved stability and inclusion of functional groups.
  • 1.9K
  • 27 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Synthesis and Characterization of Proteinoid and Nanocapsules
Proteinoids are random polymers composed of amino acids synthesized by stepwise thermal polymerization. They were discovered and studied in the 1950s by Fox and coworkers, who suggested that they formed spontaneously by high heat at the beginning of life on Earth. Nanocapsules (NCs) form spontaneously by heating proteinoids to about 70 °C in an aqueous solution to completely dissolve the polymers, followed by slow cooling to room temperature.
  • 1.2K
  • 27 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Nano-Gels in Skin Cancer
Nano-gels, a dual combination of hydrogels and nanoparticles, have demonstrated significant promise as a targeted drug delivery system in the treatment of cancer, attributing to excellent drug loading capacity. Skin disorders, the 4th foremost source of non-fatal diseases, are frequently the outward manifestation of more serious systemic illnesses, such as HIV, and neglected tropical diseases, such as elephantiasis and other ailments causing lymphedema.
  • 1.1K
  • 27 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Tregs in Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, which affects 2–4% of the population worldwide. Psoriasis has a strong genetic component, but environmental factors are also important. T-cell derived factors such as Psoriasis is characteristic, with thickening and scaling of the epidermisdue to hyper-proliferation of keratinocytes (acanthosis). CD4 and CD8 T-cell infiltrate characterizes the skin in psoriasis, a T-cell-driven disease, but other cell types are also present in the lesions, including neutrophils, macrophages, NK cells, dendritic cells. It has been long known that the pathogenesis of psoriasis is driven by T-cell derived factors, produced by subsets including T-helper (Th) 1 cells, Th17, Th22 and regulatory T cells (Tregs). 
  • 996
  • 27 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Delivery of Nucleic Acid Using Dendrimers
Dendrimers are a class of three-dimensional nanosized synthetic macromolecules with a well-defined globular architecture. Due to their unique properties of monodispersity, biocompatibility, and excellent biodegradability, dendrimers themselves represent an intriguing class of nanovectors for the delivery of nucleic acid-based vaccines. In this entry, researchers have demonstrated the growing interest in dendrimers as carriers of DNA and mRNA vaccines, which can become an alternative to other delivery methods.
  • 1.7K
  • 28 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Pathophysiology of TBI Associated Sleep Dysfunction
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most prevalent causes of morbidity in the United States and is associated with numerous chronic sequelae long after the point of injury. One of the most common long-term complaints in patients with TBI is sleep dysfunction. It is reported that alterations in melatonin follow TBI and may be linked with various sleep and circadian disorders directly (via cellular signaling) or indirectly (via free radicals and inflammatory signaling). 
  • 927
  • 27 Apr 2023
Topic Review
The Use of Dendrimers for Biomedical Applications
Dendrimers are three-dimensional nanostructures with a high degree of molecular homogeneity, adjustable size, multivalence, high surface functionality, and high aqueous solubility. Due to these important and attractive properties, dendrimers are already being used to deliver a number of drugs and are being explored as promising carriers for nucleic acid-based vaccines. Here summarizes the literature data on the biosafety of some dendrimers has been evaluated in several clinical trials.
  • 1.7K
  • 25 Apr 2023
Topic Review
Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) Inhibitors
The kidneys’ sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2) receptors are targeted to reduce glucose reabsorption by SGLT2. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) benefit the most from reduced blood glucose levels, although this is just one of the numerous physiological consequences.
  • 815
  • 19 Apr 2023
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