Qin Dai / en Researchers develop new method for delivering RNA and drugs into cells /news/researchers-develop-new-method-delivering-rna-and-drugs-cells <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Researchers develop new method for delivering RNA and drugs into cells</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-09/Shoichet-Slaughter-Advanced-Materials-2024-1155x770-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=auQcU1nm 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2024-09/Shoichet-Slaughter-Advanced-Materials-2024-1155x770-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=EsanzQ7A 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2024-09/Shoichet-Slaughter-Advanced-Materials-2024-1155x770-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=YVhRYZXI 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-09/Shoichet-Slaughter-Advanced-Materials-2024-1155x770-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=auQcU1nm" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2024-09-16T11:02:15-04:00" title="Monday, September 16, 2024 - 11:02" class="datetime">Mon, 09/16/2024 - 11:02</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p><em>PhD candidate Kai Slaughter, left, and University Professor Molly Shoichet are exploring how ionizable drugs can be used to co-formulate small interfering RNA (siRNA) for more effective intracellular delivery (supplied images)</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/qin-dai" hreflang="en">Qin Dai</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/breaking-research" hreflang="en">Breaking Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/institute-biomedical-engineering" hreflang="en">Institute of Biomedical Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/princess-margaret-cancer-centre" hreflang="en">Princess Margaret Cancer Centre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/temerty-faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Temerty Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/donnelly-centre-cellular-biomolecular-research" hreflang="en">Donnelly Centre for Cellular &amp; Biomolecular Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-health-network" hreflang="en">University Health Network</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">"This could be a game-changer for treating complex conditions where targeting multiple pathways is beneficial, such as cancer and viral infections"</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Researchers at the 管家婆免费开奖大全 and its hospital partners have developed a method for co-delivering therapeutic RNA and potent drugs directly into cells, potentially leading to a more effective treatment of diseases.</p> <p>The research, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.202403701" target="_blank">published recently in the journal <em>Advanced Materials</em></a>, explores how ionizable drugs can be used to co-formulate small interfering RNA (siRNA) for more effective intracellular delivery.</p> <p>The team 鈥&nbsp;including <strong>Molly Shoichet</strong>, the study鈥檚 corresponding author and a <a href="https://www.provost.utoronto.ca/awards-funding/university-professors/">University Professor</a>&nbsp;in 管家婆免费开奖大全鈥檚 department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry in the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering 鈥 specifically targeted drug-resistant cells with the delivery of a relevant siRNA.&nbsp;The siRNA&nbsp;was&nbsp;discovered study co-author and collaborator&nbsp;<strong>David Cescon</strong>, a clinician scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, and an associate professor in 管家婆免费开奖大全鈥檚 Temerity Faculty of Medicine.</p> <p>鈥淲e found that our co-formulation method not only potently delivered siRNA to cells but also simultaneously delivered active ionizable drugs,鈥 said research lead author&nbsp;<strong>Kai Slaughter</strong>, a PhD candidate in Shoichet鈥檚 lab.</p> <p>鈥淭his could be a game-changer for treating complex conditions where targeting multiple pathways is beneficial, such as cancer and viral infections.鈥</p> <p>siRNA is a powerful tool in medicine, capable of silencing specific genes responsible for disease, but delivering these molecules into cells without degradation remains a significant challenge. While recent innovations in ionizable lipid design have led to efficiency improvements, traditional nanoparticle formulations are limited in the amount of small molecule drugs they can carry.</p> <p>When therapeutic formulations are absorbed by cells, small molecule drugs and siRNA are often trapped in small compartments called endosomes, preventing them from reaching their target destination and reducing their effectiveness.</p> <p>The research team discovered that combining siRNA with ionizable drugs 鈥 compounds that change their charge based on pH levels 鈥 enhances the stability and delivery efficiency of siRNA inside cells, helping both the siRNA and drug escape the endosome and more effectively reach their destination. This novel method utilizes the protective properties of lipids to safeguard siRNA during its journey through the body and ensure the release of RNA and the drug together within the target cells.</p> <p>鈥淥ne of the biggest hurdles in siRNA therapy has been getting these molecules to where they need to go without losing their potency,鈥 Shoichet says.</p> <p>鈥淥ur approach using ionizable drugs as carriers marks a significant step forward in overcoming this barrier, while also showing how drugs and RNA can be delivered together in the same nanoparticle formulation.鈥</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 16 Sep 2024 15:02:15 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 309438 at Research team explores next-gen vaccines to guard against sexually transmitted infections /news/research-team-explores-next-gen-vaccines-guard-against-sexually-transmitted-infections <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Research team explores next-gen vaccines to guard against sexually transmitted infections</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-09/TF1_6827-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=PCyXIQ3D 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2024-09/TF1_6827-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=U6ZBeMOG 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2024-09/TF1_6827-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=PLDMesg4 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-09/TF1_6827-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=PCyXIQ3D" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2024-09-04T12:07:53-04:00" title="Wednesday, September 4, 2024 - 12:07" class="datetime">Wed, 09/04/2024 - 12:07</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p><em>Aereas Aung, an assistant professor in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering 鈥嬧嬧嬧嬧嬧, is developing new tools to study and manipulate immune cells and their reaction to vaccines (photo by Tim Fraser)</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/qin-dai" hreflang="en">Qin Dai</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/breaking-research" hreflang="en">Breaking Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/institute-biomedical-engineering" hreflang="en">Institute of Biomedical Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/connaught-fund" hreflang="en">Connaught Fund</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/vaccines" hreflang="en">Vaccines</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">"This work could lay the foundation for more effective vaccines that curb the spread of STIs, particularly in marginalized communities disproportionately affected by these diseases鈥&nbsp;</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A research team from the 管家婆免费开奖大全 is creating a new generation of vaccines that aims to overcome key hurdles faced by some existing formulations.&nbsp;</p> <p>For example, a common shortcoming of many traditional vaccines is that they can鈥檛 produce antibodies in tissues where sexually transmitted infections (STIs) often enter the body.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淢ost current vaccines fail to produce sufficient antibodies within mucosal tissues, leaving a significant gap in our defense against sexually transmitted infections,鈥 says <strong>Aereas Aung</strong>, an assistant professor&nbsp;at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering who is leading the research effort.</p> <p>鈥淥ur goal is to develop a novel strategy that leverages the strengths of parenteral vaccination while also targeting the mucosal immune system.鈥&nbsp;</p> <p>Normally vaccines are injected parenterally, meaning it is injected into or under the skin, into the muscle or directly into the bloodstream. The vaccine then travels to lymph nodes, which are small glands that help produce antibodies. Mucosal tissues in the cervix and rectum present a unique challenge since the mucus in these areas can break down the vaccine quickly and wash it away, making it difficult to reach the lymph nodes and be effective.&nbsp;</p> <p>Aung鈥檚 research proposes fusing a protein carrier to the disease antigens, allowing it to reach distant mucosal lymph nodes after injection.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淲e aim to incorporate potent immunostimulatory components into our antigen construct, optimizing its distribution and enhancing mucosal antibody responses,鈥 says Aung.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淚f successful, this work could lay the foundation for more effective vaccines that curb the spread of STIs, particularly in marginalized communities disproportionately affected by these diseases.鈥&nbsp;</p> <p>Aung鈥檚&nbsp;project is one of <a href="/celebrates/51-faculty-members-receive-connaught-new-researcher-awards">51 管家婆免费开奖大全 faculty members whose work is being supported by the Connaught New Researcher Awards</a> in the most recent round 鈥 and one of eight at 管家婆免费开奖大全 Engineering. The award helps early-career faculty members establish their research programs.&nbsp;</p> <p>The other 管家婆免费开奖大全 Engineering researchers whose projects are supported by the award are:鈥&nbsp;</p> <ul> <li><strong>Mohammed鈥疊asheer</strong>, department of civil and mineral engineering&nbsp;鈥&nbsp;Integrated hydrological-statistical method and tool for landslide susceptibility mapping in a changing climate&nbsp;</li> <li><strong>Daniel Franklin</strong>, Institute of Biomedical Engineering&nbsp;鈥 Development of equitable pulse oximeters&nbsp;</li> <li><strong>Sarah Haines</strong>, department of civil and mineral engineering&nbsp;鈥 Open Plenums &amp; Indoor Environments (OPEN): Evaluating the impact of return air systems on indoor environmental quality&nbsp;</li> <li><strong>Mark Jeffrey</strong>, Edward S. Rogers Sr. department of electrical and computer engineering&nbsp;鈥 Productively surmounting the memory wall with task parallelism&nbsp;</li> <li><strong>Caitlin Maikawa</strong>, Institute of Biomedical Engineering 鈥&nbsp;Affinity-directed dynamic polymer materials for biomarker sensing&nbsp;</li> <li><strong>Mohamad Moosavi</strong>, department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry 鈥&nbsp;Learning the Language of Metal-Organic Frameworks Topology &nbsp;&nbsp;</li> <li><strong>Cindy Rottmann,&nbsp;</strong><meta charset="UTF-8">Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education and Practice (ISTEP)&nbsp;&nbsp;鈥&nbsp;But I could be fired! How early career engineers hold the public paramount from organizationally subordinate locations&nbsp;</li> </ul> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 04 Sep 2024 16:07:53 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 309224 at 管家婆免费开奖大全 researchers integrate crucial immune cells onto heart-on-a-chip platform /news/u-t-researchers-integrate-crucial-immune-cells-heart-chip-platform <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">管家婆免费开奖大全 researchers integrate crucial immune cells onto heart-on-a-chip platform</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-08/heart-on-a-chip-group.jpg?h=d295d48f&amp;itok=vZ_Hbw6N 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2024-08/heart-on-a-chip-group.jpg?h=d295d48f&amp;itok=x6SIHfgQ 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2024-08/heart-on-a-chip-group.jpg?h=d295d48f&amp;itok=wvJ2WogZ 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-08/heart-on-a-chip-group.jpg?h=d295d48f&amp;itok=vZ_Hbw6N" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2024-08-23T08:56:51-04:00" title="Friday, August 23, 2024 - 08:56" class="datetime">Fri, 08/23/2024 - 08:56</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p><em>L-R: 管家婆免费开奖大全 post-doctoral fellow Shira Landau, PhD alum Yimu Zhao and Professor Milica Radisic are three of the primary authors of a study that could lead to advancements in the creation of more stable and functional heart tissues (supplied images)</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/qin-dai" hreflang="en">Qin Dai</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/breaking-research" hreflang="en">Breaking Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/institute-biomedical-engineering" hreflang="en">Institute of Biomedical Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/toronto-general-hospital" hreflang="en">Toronto General Hospital</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/donnelly-centre-cellular-biomolecular-research" hreflang="en">Donnelly Centre for Cellular &amp; Biomolecular Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/university-health-network" hreflang="en">University Health Network</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">The immune cells, known as primitive macrophages, were found to enhance heart tissue function and vessel stability<br> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Researchers at the 管家婆免费开奖大全 have discovered a novel method for incorporating primitive macrophages 鈥 crucial immune cells 鈥 into heart-on-a-chip technology, in a potentially transformative step forward in drug testing and heart disease modeling.</p> <p>In a study&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/fulltext/S1934-5909(24)00208-X?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS193459092400208X%3Fshowall%3Dtrue#secsectitle0020">published in <em>Cell Stem Cell</em></a>, an interdisciplinary team of scientists describe how they integrated the macrophages 鈥 which were derived from human stem cells and resemble those found in the early stages of heart development 鈥 onto the platforms.&nbsp;These macrophages are known to have remarkable abilities in promoting vascularization and enhancing tissue stability.</p> <p>Corresponding author <strong>Milica Radisic</strong>, a senior scientist in the University Health Network's Toronto General Hospital Research Institute and professor in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at 管家婆免费开奖大全鈥檚 Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering, says the approach promises to enhance the functionality and stability of engineered heart tissues.</p> <p>鈥淲e demonstrated here that stable vascularization of a heart tissue in vitro requires contributions from immune cells, specifically macrophages. We followed a biomimetic approach, re-establishing the key constituents of a cardiac niche,鈥 says Radisic, who holds a Canada Research Chair in Functional Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering</p> <p>鈥淏y combining cardiomyocytes, stromal cells, endothelial cells and macrophages, we enabled appropriate cell-to-cell crosstalk such as in the native heart muscle.鈥</p> <figure role="group" class="caption caption-drupal-media"> <div> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_550_width_/public/2024-08/85432scr_c9eecd836bb8daa.jpg?itok=7cIgKMpm" width="550" height="367" alt="Milica Radisic lab" class="image-style-scale-image-550-width-"> </div> </div> <figcaption><em>Professor Milica Radisic's research team have worked on developing a miniaturized version of cardiac tissue on heart-on-a-chip platforms for a decade (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)</em></figcaption> </figure> <p>A major challenge in creating bioengineered heart tissue is achieving a stable and functional network of blood vessels. Traditional methods have struggled to maintain these vascular networks over extended periods, limiting their effectiveness for long-term studies and applications.</p> <p>In their study, researchers demonstrated that the primitive macrophages could create stable, perfusable microvascular networks within the cardiac tissue, a feat that had previously been difficult to achieve.</p> <p>Furthermore, the macrophages helped reduce tissue damage by mitigating cytotoxic effects, thereby improving the overall health and functionality of the engineered tissues.</p> <p>鈥淭he inclusion of primitive macrophages significantly improved the function of cardiac tissues, making them more stable and effective for longer periods,鈥 says&nbsp;<strong>Shira Landau</strong>, a post-doctoral fellow in Radisic鈥檚 lab and one of the study鈥檚 lead authors.</p> <p>The breakthrough has far-reaching implications for the field of cardiac research. By enabling the creation of more stable and functional heart tissues, researchers can better study heart diseases and test new drugs in a controlled environment.</p> <p>Researchers say this technology could lead to more accurate disease models and more effective treatments for heart conditions.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Fri, 23 Aug 2024 12:56:51 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 309001 at 管家婆免费开奖大全 researchers' AI model designs proteins to deliver gene therapy /news/u-t-researchers-ai-model-designs-proteins-deliver-gene-therapy <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">管家婆免费开奖大全 researchers' AI model designs proteins to deliver gene therapy</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-01/Garton-and-Suyue-1-2048x1366-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=BjzSsw6N 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2024-01/Garton-and-Suyue-1-2048x1366-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=inEYf_AL 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2024-01/Garton-and-Suyue-1-2048x1366-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=g2c0vwrS 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2024-01/Garton-and-Suyue-1-2048x1366-crop.jpg?h=81d682ee&amp;itok=BjzSsw6N" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2024-01-29T13:44:19-05:00" title="Monday, January 29, 2024 - 13:44" class="datetime">Mon, 01/29/2024 - 13:44</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p><em>Michael Garton, left, an associate professor of biomedical engineering, and PhD candidate Suyue Lyu, right,&nbsp;used AI to custom-design variants of hexons that are distinct from natural sequences to help evade the immune system&nbsp;(photo by Qin Dai)</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/qin-dai" hreflang="en">Qin Dai</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/breaking-research" hreflang="en">Breaking Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/institute-biomedical-engineering" hreflang="en">Institute of Biomedical Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/artificial-intelligence" hreflang="en">Artificial Intelligence</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/gene-therapy" hreflang="en">Gene Therapy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/graduate-students" hreflang="en">Graduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">Dubbed ProteinVAE, the model can be trained to learn the characteristics of a long protein using limited data</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Researchers at the 管家婆免费开奖大全 used an artificial intelligence framework to redesign a crucial protein involved in the delivery of gene therapy.</p> <p>The study, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42256-023-00787-2">published in&nbsp;<em>Nature Machine Intelligence</em></a>,&nbsp;describes new work optimizing proteins to mitigate immune responses, thereby improving the efficacy of gene therapy and reducing side effects.</p> <p>鈥淕ene therapy holds immense promise, but the body鈥檚 pre-existing immune response to viral vectors greatly hampers its success. Our research zeroes in on hexons, a fundamental protein in adenovirus vectors, which 鈥 but for the immune problem 鈥 hold huge potential for gene therapy,鈥 says&nbsp;<strong>Michael Garton</strong>, an assistant professor at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering.</p> <p>鈥淚mmune responses triggered by serotype-specific antibodies pose a significant obstacle in getting these vehicles to the right target; this can result in reduced efficacy and severe adverse effects.鈥</p> <p>To address the issue, Garton鈥檚 lab used AI to custom-design variants of hexons that are distinct from natural sequences.</p> <p>鈥淲e want to design something that is distant from all human variants and is, by extension, unrecognizable by the immune system,鈥 says PhD candidate&nbsp;<strong>Suyue Lyu</strong>, who is lead author of the study.</p> <p>Traditional methods of designing new protein often involve extensive trial and error as well as mounting costs. By using an AI-based approach for protein design, researchers can achieve a higher degree of variation, reduce costs and quickly generate simulation scenarios before homing in on a specific subset of targets for experimental testing.</p> <p>While numerous protein-designing frameworks exist, it can be challenging for researchers to properly design new variants because of the lack of natural sequences available and hexons鈥&nbsp;relatively large size&nbsp;鈥 consisting, on average, of 983 amino acids.</p> <p>With this in mind, Lyu and Garton developed a different AI framework. Dubbed ProteinVAE, the model can be trained to learn the characteristics of a long protein using limited data. Despite its compact design, ProteinVAE exhibits a generative capability comparable to larger available models.</p> <p>鈥淥ur model takes advantage of pre-trained protein language models for efficient learning on small datasets. We also incorporated many tailored engineering approaches to make the model suitable for generating long proteins,鈥 says Lyu, adding that&nbsp;ProteinVAE was intentionally designed to be lightweight. 鈥淯nlike other, considerably larger models that demand high computational resources to design a long protein, ProteinVAE supports fast training and inference on any standard GPUs. This feature could make the model more friendly for other academic labs.</p> <p>鈥淥ur AI model, validated through molecular simulation, demonstrates the ability to change a significant percentage of the protein鈥檚 surface, potentially evading immune responses.鈥</p> <p>The next step is experimental testing in a wet lab, Lyu adds.</p> <p>Garton believes the AI-model can be utilized beyond gene therapy protein design and could likely be expanded to support protein design in other disease cases as well.</p> <p>鈥淭his work indicates that we&nbsp;are potentially able to design new subspecies and even species of biological entities using generative AI,鈥 he says,&nbsp;鈥渁nd these entities have therapeutic value that can be used in novel medical treatments.鈥</p> <p>The research was supported by the Canadian Institute of Health Research and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 29 Jan 2024 18:44:19 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 305731 at Researchers discover new protein needed for rapid wound repair /news/u-of-t-engineering-researchers-discover-new-protein-needed-rapid-wound-repair <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Researchers discover new protein needed for rapid wound repair</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2023-06/wound-repair-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=VgJXzi0_ 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2023-06/wound-repair-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=de5upKg4 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2023-06/wound-repair-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=mb1VrAOe 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2023-06/wound-repair-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=VgJXzi0_" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>siddiq22</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-06-07T16:35:11-04:00" title="Wednesday, June 7, 2023 - 16:35" class="datetime">Wed, 06/07/2023 - 16:35</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p><em>Katheryn Rothenberg, a postdoctoral researcher in 管家婆免费开奖大全's&nbsp;Quantitative Morphogenesis Lab,&nbsp;was lead author on the new study (photo by Qin Dai)</em></p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/qin-dai" hreflang="en">Qin Dai</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/breaking-research" hreflang="en">Breaking Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/institute-biomedical-engineering" hreflang="en">Institute of Biomedical Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/cell-and-systems-biology" hreflang="en">Cell and Systems Biology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/medical-research" hreflang="en">Medical Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">A new study by researchers from 管家婆免费开奖大全's Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering examines the mechanisms underlying collective cell migration</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Researchers from the 管家婆免费开奖大全's Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering have made progress in understanding the intricate cellular processes involved in tissue development and repair.</p> <p>The findings,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982223006036?dgcid=author">published in the journal&nbsp;<em>Current Biology</em></a>, shed light on the mechanisms underlying collective cell migration&nbsp;鈥 a fundamental behaviour that plays a crucial role in both normal embryo development and pathological conditions such as cancer metastasis.</p> <p>鈥淭his study advances our understanding of the molecular signals that coordinate cellular behaviours, in embryonic development and tissue repair, and likely also in tumour invasion,鈥 says <a href="https://csb.utoronto.ca/faculty/rodrigo-fernandez-gonzalez/"><strong>Rodrigo Fernandez-Gonzalez</strong></a>, a professor in the department of cell and systems biology and the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering who heads the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.quantmorph.ca/">Quantitative Morphogenesis Laboratory</a>.</p> <p>Researchers found that Rap1&nbsp;鈥 a molecular switch that regulates cell adhesion and signalling when turned on&nbsp;鈥 plays a role in the formation and remodelling of adherens junctions (protein complexes that occur at cell鈥揷ell junctions and cell鈥搈atrix junctions in epithelial and endothelial tissue) and the cytoskeleton during the collective cell movements that drive the rapid, scar-less wound healing response in embryos, making it an attractive therapeutic target in the future.</p> <p>In embryonic wound healing, the cells around the wound move together to seal the lesion. To that end, cells undergo a series of intricate molecular changes. At the centre of these changes, a unique structure called tricellular junction (TCJ) is formed. The TCJ acts as a hub that hosts a series of proteins that are essential in coordinating cell movements.</p> <p>When researchers tagged the Rap1 protein with a sensor that could be detected by a microscope, they were able to visualize large concentrations of the protein accumulating around the wound, and specifically at the TCJs.</p> <p>Upon establishing the localization of Rap1 in the hub of wound repair, the researchers set out to find its role in this complex process. By inactivating or reducing the amount of Rap1 in the embryo, they observed a significant reduction in the wound closure rate compared to normal embryos. Conversely, by activating Rap1, the wound closure rate was dramatically accelerated.</p> <p>鈥淭he fact that collective migration speed can be modulated by Rap1 activity provides a potential pathway for either promoting cell migration&nbsp;鈥 for example, to heal chronic wounds or stopping undesired migration like cancer metastasis,鈥 says <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/katherynrothenberg/"><strong>Katheryn Rothenberg</strong></a>, a postdoctoral researcher in Fernandez-Gonzalez鈥檚 lab who led the study.</p> <p>Researchers also found that Rap1 plays a crucial role in interacting with cell-cell adhesion proteins necessary to maintain cells together as they move to close the wound, and cytoskeletal proteins that cells use to pull on each other and move collectively. They observed that any disruption to Rap1 can greatly impede the speed at which wounds close.</p> <p>鈥淏y unravelling the intricate molecular mechanisms involved, we have uncovered potential targets for therapeutic interventions in various conditions that rely on collective cell migration,鈥 Fernandez-Gonzalez says.</p> <p>鈥淲e are now keen on understanding the upstream signals that turn Rap1 on during wound healing. This understanding would facilitate the development of tools to activate Rap1 in congenital disorders associated with deficient collective cell behaviour, or to inhibit Rap1 when it contributes to spread disease.鈥</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 07 Jun 2023 20:35:11 +0000 siddiq22 301952 at 管家婆免费开奖大全 researchers design microfluidic device to understand how air pollution affects lungs /news/u-t-researchers-design-microfluidic-device-understand-how-air-pollution-affects-lungs <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">管家婆免费开奖大全 researchers design microfluidic device to understand how air pollution affects lungs</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2023-05/YoungE-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=4UHjsyvK 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2023-05/YoungE-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=PvMzGShO 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2023-05/YoungE-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=TVN8HFtS 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2023-05/YoungE-crop.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=4UHjsyvK" alt="Edmond Young"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>geoff.vendeville</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2021-11-04T10:33:06-04:00" title="Thursday, November 4, 2021 - 10:33" class="datetime">Thu, 11/04/2021 - 10:33</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p>Edmond Young, of the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering, and his research team have developed a microfluidic lung-on-a-chip that mimics breathing in human lungs (photo courtesy of Edmond Young)</p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/qin-dai" hreflang="en">Qin Dai</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/breaking-research" hreflang="en">Breaking Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/institute-biomedical-engineering" hreflang="en">Institute of Biomedical Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/health" hreflang="en">Health</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/pollution" hreflang="en">Pollution</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>管家婆免费开奖大全 researchers in biomedical engineering have developed a new technology that combines a microfluidic device with a novel airflow system to mimic lung airways.&nbsp;The technology enables scientists and engineers to perform particle exposure experiments to examine the pathological effects of air pollutants on respiratory health.</p> <p><strong>Siwan Park</strong>, a PhD candidate at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering, and <strong>Edmond Young</strong>, an associate professor in the department of mechanical and industrial engineering, recently <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/admt.202100828">published their findings in <em>Advanced Materials Technologies</em></a>.</p> <p>The microfluidic device-on-a-chip 鈥&nbsp;known as E-FLOAT, short for Extractable Floating Liquid gel-based Organ-on-a-chip for Airway Tissue modelling under airflow 鈥&nbsp;is an easily modifiable system where scientists can grow lung cells in a suspended hydrogel that resembles lung tissue.</p> <p>The researchers developed the device by micro-milling and bonding layers of thermoplastic. It incorporates a special channel geometry for growing the cells.&nbsp;An airflow system connected to the device can generate various flow rates of warm and humidified air to simulate human breathing.&nbsp;</p> <p>鈥淲e showed that lung airway tissue can be micro-engineered in the lab, exposed to various environmental conditions, including airflow and pollutants, and then be extracted for further interrogation as if it were a real lung tissue sample,鈥 Young says.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="align-center"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/styles/scale_image_750_width_/public/2023-05/siwan_park_research_image-crop.jpg?itok=HF9zz5u_" width="750" height="510" alt="E-FLOAT device" class="image-style-scale-image-750-width-"> </div> </div> <p><em>In the E-FLOAT device, lung cells are suspended in a hydrogel to mimic how they would grow in normal lung tissue. The microfluidic devices simulate&nbsp;breathing and exposure to air pollutants&nbsp;(images courtesy Siwan Park and Edmond W. K. Young)</em></p> <p>In many existing iterations of the technology, cells grown on microfluidic devices are limited to 鈥榦n-chip鈥 analysis to assess the effect of external stimuli, such as airflow, on the health of the cells. This limits the analysis that can be carried out: while scientists can remove these cells from the device, this process changes the spatial location of the cells in relationship to the tissue, potentially skewing the results.</p> <p>鈥淥ne of the advantages of E-FLOAT is the ability to extract the biomimetic airway tissue that allows us to develop an in-depth knowledge through a wide array of imaging technologies,鈥 Park says.</p> <p>The researchers successfully delivered airborne particles onto the airway cells via controlled airflow to mimic how air pollutants would interact with lung cells. They then extracted the entire hydrogel and analyzed particulate and cell interactions.</p> <p>鈥淲e were especially excited to obtain the stunning images of histology sections using the extracted hydrogel. Not only does it look beautiful, we believe that it may also be significant in histological and pathological perspectives. Also, depending on how we design the cell-matrix interactions in E-FLOAT, we may obtain a more physiologically accurate representation of multicellular airway tissue.鈥</p> <p>鈥淚n the future, the plan is to use this technology to study the development of lung diseases like asthma 鈥&nbsp;especially in the presence of air pollution 鈥&nbsp;and to also use it as a preclinical model during drug development,鈥 Young says.</p> <p>鈥淭here is obviously a lot more work to be done, but we hope to collaborate with lung researchers and partner with pharma down the road to realize this plan.鈥</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 04 Nov 2021 14:33:06 +0000 geoff.vendeville 171200 at Researchers develop quantum dot smartphone device to diagnose and track COVID-19 /news/researchers-develop-quantum-dot-smartphone-device-diagnose-and-track-covid-19 <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Researchers develop quantum dot smartphone device to diagnose and track COVID-19</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2023-04/quantum%20dot.jpeg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=DiMqQaex 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2023-04/quantum%20dot.jpeg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=YO5EK8-V 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2023-04/quantum%20dot.jpeg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=jc6IGRQw 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2023-04/quantum%20dot.jpeg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=DiMqQaex" alt="Ayden Malekjahani and Johnny Zhang"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2021-06-17T16:15:29-04:00" title="Thursday, June 17, 2021 - 16:15" class="datetime">Thu, 06/17/2021 - 16:15</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"><p>管家婆免费开奖大全 PhD candidates Ayden Malekjahani and Johnny Zhang are co-authors of a study detailing the development of a portable, smartphone-based quantum barcode serological assay device for real-time surveillance of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2.</p> </div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/qin-dai" hreflang="en">Qin Dai</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/coronavirus" hreflang="en">Coronavirus</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/taxonomy/term/6923" hreflang="en">Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/donnelly-centre-cellular-biomolecular-research" hreflang="en">Donnelly Centre for Cellular &amp; Biomolecular Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/chemistry" hreflang="en">Chemistry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/institute-biomaterials-and-biomedical-engineering-0" hreflang="en">Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/mount-sinai-hospital" hreflang="en">Mount Sinai Hospital</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Researchers at the 管家婆免费开奖大全, in collaboration with Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Public Health Ontario&nbsp;and Mount&nbsp;Sinai Hospital, have developed a COVID-19 antibody test that makes use of a smartphone camera.</p> <p>The test could significantly improve the turnaround time and efficiency of infectious disease diagnosis, both for COVID-19 and beyond. The work is&nbsp;<a href="https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c01280">published&nbsp;in the latest issue of&nbsp;<em>Nano Letters</em></a> and involves 管家婆免费开奖大全 researchers from the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, department of chemistry in the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science and Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research.</p> <p>鈥淭he goal of the study is to make COVID-19 antibody tests more accessible.鈥 said&nbsp;<strong>Johnny Zhang</strong>, a PhD candidate at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and department of chemistry who is one of the co-first authors of the publication.</p> <p>鈥淭he end result is that the patients can take a self-diagnosis for COVID-19 with their phone, and that data can be immediately accessed digitally by medical professionals.鈥</p> <p>The typical workflow for infectious disease diagnostic testing involves obtaining a sample from the patient, sending it to a laboratory for diagnostic testing&nbsp;and distributing the result&nbsp;to clinical personnel for decision making. The processes are often siloed&nbsp;and have a long turn-around time.</p> <div class="imsage-with-caption left"> <div class="image-with-caption left"> <p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="align-left"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" src="/sites/default/files/2023-04/smartphone_diagnostics_toc.jpeg" width="450" height="636" alt="smartphone diagnostics"> </div> </div> <em>A device developed at 管家婆免费开奖大全's Institute of Biomedical Engineering makes use of an ordinary smartphone camera to rapidly detect COVID-19. (Image courtesy of Matthew Osborne and Hongmin Chen)</em></div> </div> <p>By contrast, the 管家婆免费开奖大全 and hospital researchers developed a portable smartphone-based quantum barcode serological assay device for real-time surveillance of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. They engineered&nbsp;quantum dot barcoded microbeads and a secondary label to search for antibodies against COVID-19 antigen in a patient鈥檚 blood. Finding the antibodies leads to a change in microbead emission colour.</p> <p>The beads are then loaded into the device, activated with a laser, and the signal is imaged using a smartphone camera. An app is designed to process the image to identify the bead鈥檚 emission change. Finally, the data are interpreted and transmitted remotely across the world for data collection and decision making.</p> <p>鈥淭he beauty of the system is that everything is integrated into one portable unit.鈥 said Zhang.</p> <p>This technology, by which quantum dot microbead detection can measure minuscule amounts of key biomarkers in blood, has been in development for the past 10 years.</p> <p>鈥淲e really wanted to improve the performance and utility of the technology this time around,鈥 said PhD candidate&nbsp;<strong>Ayden Malekjahani</strong>, the other co-first author of this study.</p> <p>鈥淏eing able to detect traces of target in patients is not enough. We wanted to add more functions to the device. We designed the device to simultaneously detect multiple antibodies from different sample types, so each test run is packed with information. The results are then uploaded to an online dashboard where medical professionals and the public can see trends in real time.鈥</p> <p>The researchers tested the device with 49 patient blood samples where varying degrees of COVID-19 infection were present, and were able to achieve 84-88 per cent sensitivity. Although this result is not as high as traditional tests, it is still approximately three times higher than lateral flow assays, which are currently the most commonly available portable antibody tests.</p> <p>This result also means detecting COVID-19 antibody can now be done outside of the centralized facilities without a big drop in accuracy.</p> <p>This research was a collaboration with the Public Health Ontario, Sunnybrook Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital, where clinical samples were provided to the researchers to test and evaluate this new system.</p> <p>鈥淭his device can be a game-changer in the way we monitor the spread of infectious diseases and a patient鈥檚 response to vaccines.鈥 said Professor&nbsp;<strong>Warren Chan</strong>, director of&nbsp;the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, and the corresponding author of this research.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Thu, 17 Jun 2021 20:15:29 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 301383 at Researchers develop credit-card sized tool to understand how cancer cells invade host tissues /news/researchers-develop-credit-card-sized-tool-understand-how-cancer-cells-invade-host-tissues <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Researchers develop credit-card sized tool to understand how cancer cells invade host tissues</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Betty_press_pic_new.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=UNP0xrVl 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/Betty_press_pic_new.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=uoV9mlp1 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/Betty_press_pic_new.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=yUuCZl0p 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Betty_press_pic_new.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=UNP0xrVl" alt="photo of researcher in lab"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>lanthierj</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-07-20T11:52:57-04:00" title="Monday, July 20, 2020 - 11:52" class="datetime">Mon, 07/20/2020 - 11:52</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item"> 鈥淯sing the tool we developed, researchers in the future can develop therapeutics that target some of these genes to halt the cancer metastasis,鈥 Betty Li said. (photo by Michael Dryden)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/qin-dai" hreflang="en">Qin Dai</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/breaking-research" hreflang="en">Breaking Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/institute-biomedical-engineering" hreflang="en">Institute of Biomedical Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/donnelly-centre-cellular-biomolecular-research" hreflang="en">Donnelly Centre for Cellular &amp; Biomolecular Research</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/cancer" hreflang="en">Cancer</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/chemistry" hreflang="en">Chemistry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">鈥淲e think this type of tool will be quite useful to the community鈥</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A group of researchers from the 管家婆免费开奖大全 has&nbsp;developed a credit-card sized tool for growing cancer cells outside the human body, which they believe will enhance their understanding of breast cancer metastasis.</p> <p>The device, described in <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/29/eaba9589">a paper&nbsp;published on July 15&nbsp;in&nbsp;<em>Science Advances</em></a>, reproduces various environments within the human body where breast cancer cells live. Studying the cells as they go through the process of invasion and metastasis could point the way toward new biomarkers and drugs to diagnose and treat cancer.</p> <p>鈥淢etastasis is what makes cancer so deadly,鈥 said the publication's corresponding author&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://bme.utoronto.ca/faculty-research/core-faculty/aaron-wheeler/"><strong>Aaron Wheeler</strong></a>, a professor in the Institute of Biomedical Engineering in the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering, <a href="http://microfluidics.utoronto.ca/">whose lab</a> is located in the&nbsp;<a href="https://ccbr.utoronto.ca/donnelly-centre-cellular-and-biomolecular-research">Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research</a>&nbsp;in 管家婆免费开奖大全's Faculty of Medicine.</p> <p>鈥淚f cancer cells would simply stay in one spot, it would be 鈥榚asy鈥 to excise them and cure the disease. But when cancer metastasizes, cancer cells move through the body, making the disease difficult to treat.</p> <p>鈥淲e decided to apply our expertise in microfluidics to develop a new tool to aid in studying how cancer cells begin to invade into surrounding tissues in the first steps in metastasis.鈥</p> <p>Normally metastasis is studied in a petri dish cell culture or in whole animals. However, these model systems present problems in terms of cost, efficiency, or lack of representation.</p> <p>鈥淎n oversimplified system like cells in petri dishes doesn鈥檛 mimic what happens in the body, while in an animal model, it鈥檚 difficult to isolate and study parameters that govern the invasiveness of a cell,鈥 said<strong>&nbsp;Betty Li</strong>, a senior<a href="https://bme.utoronto.ca/"> Institute of Biomedical Engineering</a> PhD student and lead&nbsp;author of the paper.</p> <p>鈥淥ur system gives us control over all the specific parameters that we want to look at, while allowing us to make structures that better resemble what happens to the body.鈥</p> <p>The device consists of patterned metal electrodes which can move extremely small droplets around through the use of electric fields. By selectively changing the water-repelling properties of the surface at various points, researchers can 鈥榩inch鈥 off the water droplets and form precise shapes.</p> <p>In the paper, the researchers describe how they used a collagen matrix coated with a layer of basal membrane extract to mimic the structure of the breast tissue seen by breast cancer cells during the first step of metastasis.</p> <p>By placing cancer cells outside of these tissue mimics, researchers could observe the invasion process in detail, including measurements of speed and location.</p> <p>鈥淥ne interesting thing we observed is that not all cancer cells within the same population have the same invasiveness,鈥 Li said.&nbsp;鈥淪ome invaded into the tissue mimics while others did not, which prompted us to look at what gives the invaded cells such an advantage.鈥</p> <p>Li and her team extracted cancer cells at various distances from the invasion point and subjected these cells to genetic sequencing.</p> <p>鈥淲e identified 244 different genes that are differentially expressed between the cancer cells that invaded versus the ones that didn鈥檛 invade,鈥 Li said. 鈥淭his means that using the tool we developed, researchers in the future can develop therapeutics that target some of these genes to halt the cancer metastasis.鈥</p> <p>鈥淲e think this type of tool will be quite useful to the community, as cell invasion is important in cancer and also a host of other (non-pathological) processes, like tissue growth, differentiation and repair,鈥 Wheeler said.</p> <p>This research was funded by the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Canada Foundation for Innovation,&nbsp;the Province of Ontario, and by 管家婆免费开奖大全's Medicine by Design initiative, which receives funding from the Canada First Research Excellence Fund.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 20 Jul 2020 15:52:57 +0000 lanthierj 165384 at 管家婆免费开奖大全 researchers use diphtheria toxin to target genes in cancer cells /news/u-t-researchers-use-diphtheria-toxin-target-genes-cancer-cells <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">管家婆免费开奖大全 researchers use diphtheria toxin to target genes in cancer cells </span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/IMG_3031.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=CNIZuQo8 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/IMG_3031.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=zZOvh0cg 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/IMG_3031.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=iUv6Pmbh 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/IMG_3031.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=CNIZuQo8" alt="&quot;&quot;"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-05-06T13:08:52-04:00" title="Wednesday, May 6, 2020 - 13:08" class="datetime">Wed, 05/06/2020 - 13:08</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">Modified diphtheria toxin used to reduce the activity of genes connected to the propagation of glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer.</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/qin-dai" hreflang="en">Qin Dai</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/breaking-research" hreflang="en">Breaking Research</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/alumni" hreflang="en">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/biochemistry" hreflang="en">Biochemistry</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/graduate-students" hreflang="en">Graduate Students</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/hospital-sick-children" hreflang="en">Hospital for Sick Children</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/institute-biomaterials-and-biomedical-engineering-0" hreflang="en">Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A group of researchers from the 管家婆免费开奖大全 and the Hospital for Sick Children&nbsp;have developed a new way&nbsp;to deliver molecules that target specific genes within cells. The platform, which uses a modified form of diphtheria toxin, has been shown to 鈥渄ownregulate鈥 critical genes in cancer cells, and could be used for other genetic diseases as well.</p> <p>The team, led by <a href="https://www.provost.utoronto.ca/awards-funding/university-professors/">University Professor</a>&nbsp;<strong>Molly Shoichet </strong>of the Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering<strong>&nbsp;</strong>and <strong>Roman Melnyk</strong>, an<strong>&nbsp;</strong>associate&nbsp;professor&nbsp;the department of biochemistry in the Faculty of Medicine and a senior scientist at SickKids, found inspiration from an unexpected source: diphtheria toxin.</p> <p>The research <a href="https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/18/eaaz4848/tab-article-info">was published recently in the journal <em>Science Advances</em></a>.&nbsp;</p> <p><img class="migrated-asset" src="/sites/default/files/molly%20shoichet.jpg" alt>鈥淎 major challenge in the field of drug delivery is most therapeutic vehicles cannot escape the acid environment of the endosome once they get into the cell,鈥 says Shoichet, the corresponding author of the research. 鈥淭he diphtheria toxin platform as a delivery vehicle effectively solves that.鈥</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Scientists looking to place molecules inside cells have a number of existing tools to choose from, but most suffer from the same drawback: while the molecule gets inside the cell, it remains trapped in a kind of bubble called an endosome. If the goal is to deliver therapeutics that will interact with the cell鈥檚 DNA, breaking out of the endosome is critical.</p> <p>As a natural defence mechanism, bacteria such as <em>Corynebacterium diphtheriae</em> produce&nbsp;a protein-based toxin that enters surrounding cells, eventually killing them. Critically, this toxin is known to be capable of escaping from endosomes, which led to the idea of re-engineering it as a delivery platform.</p> <p>Melnyk鈥檚 lab specializes in bacterial toxins and invented a non-toxic version of the diphtheria toxin, known as attenuated diphtheria toxin. This new molecule has the capacity to enter the cell and efficiently escape the endosome 鈥 and thus excels as a delivery vehicle without any of the toxic effects of diphtheria toxin.</p> <p>To prove that the concept would work, the researchers used the system to deliver molecules that they believed would be effective against glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer.</p> <p>鈥淕lioblastoma is a highly invasive disease and patients have a very short life expectancy after initial diagnosis,鈥 says Shoichet. 鈥淲e want to change this and have thus pursued the delivery of gene therapeutics to treat glioblastoma.鈥</p> <p>The group first targeted glioblastoma neural stem cells, which are thought to be resistant to chemotherapeutics. Specifically, the researchers focused on delivering silencing RNA (siRNA) against two genes: integrin beta 1 (ITGB1), which is associated with the highly invasive nature of glioblastoma (and other cancers), and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 sub-unit b (eIF-3b), which is an essential survival gene. By eliminating this invasive trait, the researchers could potentially limit progression in diseases like cancer.</p> <p>鈥淚TGB1 is involved in cancer cell migration, which contributes to glioblastoma鈥檚 invasion into healthy brain tissues,鈥 says&nbsp;<strong>Laura Smith</strong>, a senior PhD student on the publication. 鈥淲e used an innovative three-dimensional culture system to significantly reduce cell invasion after treatment with our siRNA-attenuated diphtheria toxin system, which suggests that it may be effective in slowing disease progression.鈥</p> <p>To demonstrate the breadth of this platform, the researchers also delivered a different nucleic sequence that knocks down eIF-3b, which participates in the 鈥渟urvival pathway鈥 of cancer cells.</p> <p>鈥淲e treated the cells with the attenuated diphtheria toxin-siRNA against eIF-3b and observed downregulation at genetic and phenotypic levels,鈥 says&nbsp;<strong>Amy E. Arnold</strong>, a recent PhD graduate from the Shoichet lab and first author on the paper.</p> <p>The group is planning on using this delivery vehicle to treat other diseases in the future.</p> <p>鈥淲e recognize the strength of this platform strategy and are actively testing it for the delivery of RNA and other cargoes,鈥 Shoichet says.</p> <p>The research received support from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, among others.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 06 May 2020 17:08:52 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 164429 at 管家婆免费开奖大全 startup鈥檚 "buddy badge" encourages handwashing in hospitals, could help stem COVID-19 spread /news/u-t-startup-s-buddy-badge-encourages-handwashing-hospitals-could-help-stem-covid-19-spread <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">管家婆免费开奖大全 startup鈥檚 "buddy badge" encourages handwashing in hospitals, could help stem COVID-19 spread</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/christine-sandu-LThqAPBpqtI-unsplash.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=M7A-o7eG 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/christine-sandu-LThqAPBpqtI-unsplash.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=UzpkXmvZ 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/christine-sandu-LThqAPBpqtI-unsplash.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=6ltoiVnm 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/christine-sandu-LThqAPBpqtI-unsplash.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=M7A-o7eG" alt="Close-up photo of hands being washed"> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>Christopher.Sorensen</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-04-13T15:14:25-04:00" title="Monday, April 13, 2020 - 15:14" class="datetime">Mon, 04/13/2020 - 15:14</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">(photo by Christine Sandu via Unsplash)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/qin-dai" hreflang="en">Qin Dai</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/our-community" hreflang="en">Our Community</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/coronavirus" hreflang="en">Coronavirus</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-applied-science-engineering" hreflang="en">Faculty of Applied Science &amp; Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-medicine" hreflang="en">Faculty of Medicine</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/institute-biomaterials-and-biomedical-engineering-0" hreflang="en">Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/research-innovation" hreflang="en">Research &amp; Innovation</a></div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A&nbsp;researcher at the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) is developing a wearable technology that reminds front line health-care workers to wash their hands. It鈥檚 believed the technology could significantly reduce the spread of hospital-acquired infections, including COVID-19.</p> <p>Dubbed the 鈥淏uddy Badge,鈥 the wearable device acts as a transponder, using a system of sensors connected to hand-washing stations, doorways and critical routes to patient rooms. If the badge wearer has not washed their hands before entering a patient鈥檚 room, for example, it will discreetly vibrate to remind them to do so.</p> <p>鈥淭he idea we are proposing is a nurse or physician arrives at work, retrieves a personalized device&nbsp;and carries on with their day as normal,鈥 says&nbsp;<strong>Geoff Fernie</strong>, a senior scientist and former director of the&nbsp;Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, as well as a professor at IBBME and in the Faculty of Medicine. 鈥淭he device will remind them about hand-washing throughout the day.鈥</p> <p>With the recent COVID-19 outbreak, Fernie says 鈥渢he need for this system is more crucial than ever.鈥 The additional COVID-19 cases have significantly increased the workload for health-care professionals, making it easier to miss opportunities when washing hands as recommended.</p> <p>In a large intensive care unit, a nurse may encounter as many as&nbsp;350 occasions during a single 12-hour shift where washing or sanetizing his or her hands may be warranted.</p> <p>鈥淪tudies in some hospitals showed that our device has doubled the hand hygiene rate, which should reduce the infection rates,鈥 says Fernie. 鈥淲e hope this system helps change the habits of health-care workers, making it safer for everyone.鈥</p> <p>Better adherence to hand hygiene could reduce infection and death rates since&nbsp;estimates of hand washing before and after interacting with a patient currently range from 30 to 60 per cent.</p> <p>Fernie and his team have been working on wearable technology for 17 years. In 2018, this technology formed the basis of startup company&nbsp;Hygienic Echo, with the primary goal of reducing infections in communal settings. The idea was published in 20 peer-reviewed scientific articles&nbsp;and has been the subject of nine patent filings.</p> <p>Fernie plans to deploy the technology in a hospital setting this summer and in a nursing home this fall.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Mon, 13 Apr 2020 19:14:25 +0000 Christopher.Sorensen 164089 at