Organic photosensitizers: from molecular design to phototheranostics.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has emerged as a highly promising approach for tumor treatment, owing to its remarkable spatiotemporal precision and non-invasive characteristics. Nevertheless, the clinical translation of conventional organic photosensitizers remains constrained by inherent limitations, including a low photosensitization effect, limited reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in a hypoxic tumor microenvironment (TME), restricted tissue penetration depth, and inefficient tumor-targeting. To address these challenges, this review examines molecular engineering strategies through rational structure design, focusing on five critical aspects: (i) to promote the intersystem crossing (ISC) process by introducing heavy atoms, designing photosensitizers with a twisted conformation structure or polymerization for amplified ROS generation; (ii) to conquer tumor hypoxia construction of type I photosensitizers, fractional photosensitizers and other radical-generating photosensitizers; (iii) to excite with near-infrared light constructing a D-A structure, fabricating -aggregates, or utilizing two-photon excitation to improve the penetration depth; (iv) to target tumor tissues through conjugating photosensitizers with tumor-specific ligands or gene-encoded fragments to achieve tumor-targeted therapy; and (v) to reduce the off-target effect designing TME-activatable photosensitizers.

Gynecological malignancy organoids: A game changer for personalized medicine.

Recently, the incidence of gynecological malignancies has increased annually, posing a serious threat to women's health. Historically, the emergence and progression of gynecological cancers have primarily been studied using cell lines and animal models. However, these models often fail to accurately reflect tumor characteristics because genetic mutations frequently occur during long-term cultivation.

Ionic Diodes: Pioneering the Future of Ionotronics in Electronics and Beyond.

The exploration in ionotronics has driven the advancement in several emerging fields, including energy storage, bioelectronics, flexible electronics, and human-machine interactions. Among these, ionic diode devices that use ions as charge carriers have been extensively explored, exhibiting significant potential for integrating biology and electronics. Unlike traditional diodes, ionic diodes not only perform rectification but also enable novel functions and properties (sensing, energy harvesting, and biological detection).

Targeting CD39 boosts PD-1 blockade antitumor therapeutic efficacy via strengthening CD8 + TILs function and recruiting B cells in cervical cancer.

Although the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) blockade has been authorized for the treatment of recurrent and metastatic cervical cancer (CC) patients, a significant proportion of CC patients show low objective response rates (ORR) to immune checkpoint blockades (ICBs). Therefore, identifying novel combination treatment strategies to enhance ICBs therapeutic efficacy for CC patients is urgently needed. Here, we discovered that CD39 was highly expressed in exhausted CD8 + T cells from 10 CC patients in our center via single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq).

Construction of Bifunctional Protein/Peptide Complex for Sensitive Detection of Transglutaminase 2.

Bifunctional protein complexes play essential roles in the biomedical field, particularly in biochemical analysis. However, traditional protein engineering methods (e.g.

Tissue-Adaptable Hydrogel for Mechanically Compliant Bioelectronic Interfaces.

A hydrogel with tissue-like softness and ideal biocompatibility has emerged as a promising candidate for bioelectronics, especially in bidirectional bioelectrical transduction and communication. Conformal standardized hydrogel biointerfaces are in urgent demand to bridge electronic devices and irregular tissue surfaces. Herein, we presented a shape-adaptative electroactive hydrogel with tissue-adapted conductivity (≈1.

Multifunctional Hydrogel Electronics for Synergistic Therapy and Visual Monitoring in Wound Healing.

To overcome the limitations of precise monitoring and inefficient wound exudate management in wound healing, an advanced multifunctional hydrogel electronics (MHE) platform based on MXene@MOF/FeO@C photonic crystal hydrogel is developed. This platform combines optical/electrical sensing, synergistic therapy, and real-time visual monitoring into a single, efficient system, offering a comprehensive solution for wound healing. Under photothermal stimulation, the hydrogel releases metal ions that generate hydroxyl radicals, effectively eliminating antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Sprayable Hydrogel for pH-Responsive Nanozyme-Derived Bacteria-Infected Wound Healing.

Long-term inflammation and persistent bacterial infection are primary contributors to unhealed chronic wounds. The use of conventional antibiotics often leads to bacteria drug resistance, diminishing wound healing effectiveness. Nanozymes have become a promising alternative to antimicrobial materials due to their low cost, easy synthesis, and good stability.

Extracellular vesicles in liquid biopsies: there is hope for oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Current approaches to oral cancer diagnosis primarily involve physical examination, tissue biopsy, and advanced computer-aided imaging techniques. However, despite these advances, patient survival rates have not significantly improved. Hence, there is a critical need to develop minimally invasive tools with high sensitivity and specificity to improve patient survival and quality of life.

Dissecting the Distinct Tumor Microenvironments of HRD and HRP Ovarian Cancer: Implications for Targeted Therapies to Overcome PARPi Resistance in HRD Tumors and Refractoriness in HRP Tumors.

High-grade serous tubo-ovarian cancer (HGSTOC) is an aggressive gynecological malignancy including homologous recombination deficient (HRD) and homologous recombination proficient (HRP) groups. Despite the therapeutic potential of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase inhibitors (PARPis) and anti-PDCD1 antibodies, acquired resistance in HRD and suboptimal response in HRP patients necessitate more precise treatment. Herein, single-cell RNA and single-cell T-cell receptor sequencing on 5 HRD and 3 HRP tumors are performed to decipher the heterogeneous tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), along with multiplex immunohistochemistry staining and animal experiments for validation.

Photothermal switch by gallic acid-calcium grafts synthesized by coordination chemistry for sequential treatment of bone tumor and regeneration.

The residual bone tumor and defects which is caused by surgical therapy of bone tumor is a major and important problem in clinicals. And the sequential treatment for irradiating residual tumor and repairing bone defects has wildly prospects. In this study, we developed a general modification strategy by gallic acid (GA)-assisted coordination chemistry to prepare black calcium-based materials, which combines the sequential photothermal therapy of bone tumor and bone defects.

3D Printed MXene-Based Wire Strain Sensors with Enhanced Sensitivity and Anisotropy.

Stretchable strain sensors play a crucial role in intelligent wearable systems, serving as the interface between humans and environment by translating mechanical strains into electrical signals. Traditional fiber strain sensors with intrinsic uniform axial strain distribution face challenges in achieving high sensitivity and anisotropy. Moreover, existing micro/nano-structure designs often compromise stretchability and durability.

Ultrasound-Triggered Azo Free Radicals for Cervical Cancer Immunotherapy.

PD-1 blockade is a first-line treatment for recurrent/metastatic cervical cancer but benefits only a small number of patients due to low preexisting tumor immunogenicity. Using immunogenic cell death (ICD) inducers is a promising strategy for improving immunotherapy, but these compounds are limited by the hypoxic environment of solid tumors. To overcome this issue, the nanosensitizer AIBA@MSNs were designed based on sonodynamic therapy (SDT), which induces tumor cell death under hypoxic conditions through azo free radicals in a method of nonoxygen radicals.

Preparation of Well-Constructed and Metal-Modified Covalent Organic Framework Nanoparticles for Biosensing Design with Cascade Catalytic Capability.

Uniform covalent organic framework nanoparticles (COF NPs) with a well-defined pore structure may provide a robust platform for scaffolding enzymes. Herein, bipyridine-based spherical COF NPs have been successfully prepared in this work through the Schiff base condensation reaction. Moreover, they are functionalized by metal modification and are further used for biosensor fabrication.

A peptides-based biosensor with target-triggered charge-switchable property for simple and sensitive detection of Granzyme B.

Granzyme B (GrB) is a serine protease released by natural killer cells and cytotoxic T lymphocytes during immune responses, which not only plays a role in tumor diagnosis but also provides valuable guidance during tumor treatment. In this work, we have designed a charge-switching peptide to fabricate an electrochemical biosensor for quantitative analysis of GrB. Specifically, the designed zwitterionic peptide is in an electrically neutral state before activation, and a door lock structure (proline) is constructed by utilizing the selectivity of carboxypeptidase A (CPA) to the carboxy-terminus of the peptide chain.

Ferroptosis: a new regulatory mechanism in neuropathic pain.

Neuropathic pain (NP) is pain caused by damage to the somatosensory system. It is a common progressive neurodegenerative disease that usually presents with clinical features such as spontaneous pain, touch-evoked pain, nociceptive hyperalgesia, and sensory abnormalities. Due to the complexity of the mechanism, NP often persists.

Interactions of Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase-expressing LAMP3 dendritic cells with CD4 regulatory T cells and CD8 exhausted T cells: synergistically remodeling of the immunosuppressive microenvironment in cervical cancer and therapeutic implications.

Background: Cervical cancer (CC) is the fourth most common cancer in women worldwide. Although immunotherapy has been applied in clinical practice, its therapeutic efficacy remains far from satisfactory, necessitating further investigation of the mechanism of CC immune remodeling and exploration of novel treatment targets. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of CC immune remodeling and explore potential therapeutic targets.

Stress/cell death pathways, neuroinflammation, and neuropathic pain.

Neuropathic pain is a common and debilitating modality of chronic pain induced by a lesion or disease of the somatosensory nervous system. Albeit the elucidation of numerous pathophysiological mechanisms and the development of potential treatment compounds, safe and reliable therapies of neuropathic pain remain poor. Multiple stress/cell death pathways have been shown to be implicated in neuroinflammation during neuropathic pain.

Revisiting molecularly conformation-planarized organic dyes for NIR-II fluorescence imaging.

Fluorescence imaging in the second window (NIR-II, 1000-1700 nm) provides deeper penetration depth and higher resolution, but there is still a dilemma for designing NIR-II dyes for simultaneously enhancing fluorescence efficiency and prolonging excitation wavelength. Herein, a molecular conformation planarization strategy has been revisited to guide the synthesis of two donor-acceptor-donor dyes (named T-BBT and BT-BBT). On the one hand, conformational planarization can extend the absorption peaks of T-BBT and BT-BBT to the NIR region with high molar extinction coefficients of 30.

PtMo-Au Metalloenzymes Regulated Tumor Microenvironment for Enhanced Sonodynamic/Chemodynamic/Starvation Synergistic Therapy.

The clinical application of sonodynamic therapy (SDT) is greatly limited by the low quantum yield of sonosensitizers and tumor microenvironment (TME). Herein, PtMo-Au metalloenzyme sonosensitizer is synthesized by modulating energy band structure of PtMo with Au nanoparticles. The surface deposition of Au simultaneously solves the carrier recombination and facilitates the separation of electrons (e ) and holes (h ), effectively improving the reactive oxygen species (ROS) quantum yield under ultrasound (US).

Iodide-Enhanced Perovskite Nanozyme-Based Colorimetric Platform for Detection of Urinary Nuclear Matrix Protein 22.

In the last decade, perovskite nanocrystals (PNCs) have brought extensive thinking owing to their excellent optical properties. Recently, we have uncovered the peroxidase-like activity of PNCs and used this for detecting many small molecules; however, the low enzymatic activity makes them unsuitable for fluorescence analysis, which is easily disturbed by the autofluorescence of biological media. This greatly limits their application in bioanalysis.

rapid synthesis of hydrogels based on a redox initiator and persistent free radicals.

The development of fast and economical hydrogel manufacturing methods is crucial for expanding the application of hydrogels. However, the commonly used rapid initiation system is not conducive to the performance of hydrogels. Therefore, the research focuses on how to improve the preparation speed of hydrogels and avoid affecting the properties of hydrogels.

Extracellular Vesicles as Biomarkers in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: From Diagnosis to Disease-Free Survival.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) arising from different anatomical sites present with different incidences and characteristics, which requires a personalized treatment strategy. Despite the extensive research that has conducted on this malignancy, HNSCC still has a poor overall survival rate. Many attempts have been made to improve the outcomes, but one of the bottlenecks is thought to be the lack of an effective biomarker with high sensitivity and specificity.

Spatiotemporally deciphering the mysterious mechanism of persistent HPV-induced malignant transition and immune remodelling from HPV-infected normal cervix, precancer to cervical cancer: Integrating single-cell RNA-sequencing and spatial transcriptome.

Background: The mechanism underlying cervical carcinogenesis that is mediated by persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infection remains elusive.

Aims: Here, for the first time, we deciphered both the temporal transition and spatial distribution of cellular subsets during disease progression from normal cervix tissues to precursor lesions to cervical cancer.

Materials & Methods: We generated scRNA-seq profiles and spatial transcriptomics data from nine patient samples, including two HPV-negative normal, two HPV-positive normal, two HPV-positive HSIL and three HPV-positive cancer samples.