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); 

Expand All
Entries
Topic Review
Natural and Semi-Synthetic Compounds for Wound Healing
Skin wounds are injuries that compromise or damage the structural integrity and optimal functioning of the skin and can be grouped into acute and chronic depending on the skin repair and recovery time frame. Specific interest is given to Aloevera, curcumin, cinnamaldehyde, polyhexanide, retinoids, ascorbate, tocochromanols, and chitosan. These compounds (when alone or in formulation with other biologically active molecules) could be a dependable alternative in the management or prevention of chronic wounds.
  • 703
  • 27 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Proteasome Allostery
Allostery fundamentally describes coordination and communication between distinct sites of a multipart and multifunctional protein, or riboprotein. The proteasome rivals the ribosome in size, compositional complexity, multiplicity of active sites and substrate interactions and its importance in the cellular economy. For both, the cellular consequences of its misregulation are grave. Like the ribosome, proteasomes must coordinate multiple active sites and undergo large scale conformational realignments that optimally position its components for enzymatic processing and to move substrates. The expectation that proteasomes utilize allostery is supported by two types of experimental data. The first consists of regulators that are substrates or their components. The second consists of RPs that exhibit cooperative binding to the pair of CP sites where they dock.
  • 324
  • 14 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Eckols: Potential Cancer Therapies
In recent years, an increased interest in marine macroalgae bioactive compounds has been recorded due to their benefits to human health and welfare. Several of their bioactivities have been demonstrated, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, antibacterial and antiviral behavior.However, there is still lacking a clear definition to how these compounds exert their bioactive properties. Of all bioactive compounds from marine macroalgae, attention has been focused on phenolic compounds, specifically in phlorotannins, due to their potential for biomedical applications. Phlorotannins are a diverse and wide group of phenolic compounds, with several structural variations with base in the monomer phloroglucinol. Of all the diverse phlorotannins structures, eckol-family of phlorotannins demonstrates remarkable bioactivity, especially regarding anti-tumoral properties.
  • 528
  • 13 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Circulating microRNAs in Medicine
Circulating microRNAs (c-microRNAs, c-miRNAs), which are in almost all biological fluids, are promising sensitive biomarkers for various diseases (oncological and cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative pathologies, etc.), and their signatures accurately reflect the state of the body. The discovery of microRNAs was a scientific breakthrough, and the study of their functional potential opened up the possibility of influencing protein synthesis at the gene level. Moreover, microRNAs of this class are highly sensitive biomarkers of various diseases, allowing not only to detect a disease at early asymptomatic stages, but also to predict therapeutic efficacy.
  • 504
  • 17 Jun 2022
Topic Review
One Health Tomato Probiotics
Based on the literature and knowledge on the “One Health” concept, a new term for probiotics: “One Health probiotics”, beneficial for the unity of people, animals, and the environment, is suggested. Strains of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, having an ability to ferment a broad spectrum of plant carbohydrates, probiotic effects in human, and animal health, as well as being found in dairy products, vegetables, sauerkraut, pickles, some cheeses, fermented sausages, fish products, and rhizospheric soil, might be suggested as one of the probable candidates for “One Health” probiotics (beneficial for the unity of people, animals, and the environment) for the utilization in agriculture, food processing, and healthcare.
  • 600
  • 09 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Crustacean Waste-Derived Chitosan
Chitosan is obtained from chitin that in turn is recovered from marine crustacean wastes. The recovery methods and their varying types and the advantages of the recovery methods are briefly discussed. Chitin is the major component of cuticles of insects (cockroach, beetle, true fly, and worm), fungal cell walls (Aspergillus niger, Mucor rouxii, Penicillum notatum, yeast) and green algae. The recovery methods and their varying types and the advantages of the recovery methods are briefly discussed. 
  • 913
  • 09 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Applications of Moringa oleifera
Moringa oleifera Lam. (Moringaceae) is one of the most essential medicinal plants primarily found in the rainforest area and forest ecosystem, but is now well-adapted in an organized cultivation system. Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) is well-known as Drumstick tree, Moringa kai, color, Marengo, Moringe, mulangay, Sahjan, and Sajna, which are its native names commonly used. It has nourishing, beneficial, and preventive effects when taken as food and has an extensive scope of high restorative properties with huge dietary benefits. Different parts of the M. oleifera plants, such as leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, and roots, contain a significant amount of protein, ß-carotene, amino acids, important minerals, and various phenolic compounds. Because of its multifarious health benefits for its therapeutic value, it is considered an essential plant. The plant is found to be blessed with several medicinal characteristics such as antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antiulcer, antipyretic, antiepileptic, antispasmodic, diuretic, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, cholesterol-level down, cell reinforcement, and hepatoprotective. Moreover, it is used traditionally in the local curative system against cardiac problems, and the antifungal properties are efficiently utilized for the treatment of a wide range of ailments.
  • 1.6K
  • 09 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Secondary Metabolites Isolated from Chilean Marine Algae
Chile is in the extreme southwestern part of America, and it has an extreme length, of approximately 4300 km that increases to 8000 km considering the Chilean Antarctic Territory. Despite the large extent of its coastal territory and the diversity of geographic environments and climates associated with Chilean coasts, the research on marine resources in Chile has been rather scarce. 
  • 427
  • 08 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Microfluidics for 3D Cell and Tissue Cultures
Traditional cell cultures are performed in two-dimensional (2D) systems such as Petri dishes, multiwell plates or flasks. However, they cannot realistically mimic the morphophysiological complexity of the original three-dimensional (3D) in vivo environment from which the cells of specific lines originate. Without opposing animal experimentation but promoting its responsible application, the development of alternative cell culture systems tries to ensure compliance with the 3R principles. Reduction (reduction in the animals used for in vivo tests), Refinement (experimental design optimization to limit stress and affliction to laboratory animals) and Replacement (total or partial replacement of animal testing with alternative valid methods) are increasingly desired and strongly recommended as fundamental ethical aspects in the use of animals in scientific experiments.
  • 473
  • 27 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Lymphatic Tissue Bioengineering based on Stem Cells
Lymphedema is characterized by progressive and chronic tissue swelling and inflammation from local accumulation of interstitial fluid due to lymphatic injury or dysfunction. It is a debilitating condition that significantly impacts a patient’s quality of life, and has limited treatment options. With better understanding of the molecular mechanisms and pathophysiology of lymphedema and advances in tissue engineering technologies, lymphatic tissue bioengineering and regeneration have emerged as a potential therapeutic option for postsurgical lymphedema. Various strategies involving stem cells, lymphangiogenic factors, bioengineered matrices and mechanical stimuli allow more precisely controlled regeneration of lymphatic tissue at the site of lymphedema without subjecting patients to complications or iatrogenic injuries associated with surgeries. 
  • 368
  • 01 Jun 2022
  • Page
  • of
  • 65

Featured Entry Collections

>>