Suk Ho Bhang

Despite promising results from the therapeutic use of stem cells for treating ischemic diseases, the poor survival of cells transplanted into ischemic regions is one of the major problems that undermine the efficacy of stem cell therapy. Cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMNCs) are an alternative source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) without disadvantages, such as the painful and invasive harvesting procedure, of MSCs derived from bone marrow or adipose tissue. In the present study, we investigat

Current treatments for wound healing engage in passive healing processes and rarely participate in stimulating skin cell behaviors for active wound healing. Electric potential difference‐derived electrical fields (EFs) are known to modulate skin cell behaviors. Here, a piezoelectric dermal patch is developed that can be applied on skin wound site and EF is generated to promote wound healing. The one‐directionally aligned zinc oxide nanorod‐based piezoelectric patch generates piezoelectric potent

Using stem cell-conditioned medium (CM) might be a viable alternative to stem cell transplantation, which is often hampered by low grafting efficiency and potential tumorigenesis, but the concentrations of angiogenic growth factors in CM are too low for therapeutic use and some components of the medium are not for human use. We used three-dimensional (3D) spheroid culture of human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) with clinically relevant medium composed of amino acids, vitamins, glucose, and h

A simple and novel electrostatic coupling method is reported, which provides a hyaluronic acid-quantum dot conjugate (HA-QD) that is colloidally stable and size-tunable from 50 to 120 nm. The HA-QDs show cancer targeting efficiency, which suggests diagnostic and imaging applications. The conjugates are also demonstrated for the fluorescence staining capability for lymphatic vessels in vitro and in vivo. Using the HA-QDs in a small animal model, lymphatic vessels are visualized real-time in vivo

Abstract Inorganic nanoparticles (NPs) offer significant advantages to the biomedical field owing to their large surface area, controllable structures, diverse surface chemistry, and unique optical and physical properties. Researchers worldwide have shown that inorganic NPs and the released metal ions can act as therapeutic agents in targeted tissues or to cure various diseases without acute toxicity. In this progress report, the recent developments in inorganic NPs with different compositions d

The biocompatibility of polymer scaffolds as neural stem cell transplantation matrices has not yet been studied extensively. In this study, we evaluated the biocompatibility of various biodegradable polymers for neural stem cells. The biocompatibility tests were performed by culturing hippocampal progenitor cells (HiB5) on films of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), poly(L-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone) (PLCL) and poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) or in the presence of extracts from these polymers

Ischemia is a potentially fatal medical event that is associated with as many as 30% of all deaths. Stem cell therapy offers significant therapeutic promise, but poor survival following transplantation to ischemic tissue limits its efficacy. Here we demonstrate that nanosphere-mediated growth factor delivery can enhance the survival of transplanted human adipose-derived stromal cells (hADSCs) and secretion of human angiogenic growth factors per cell, and substantially improve therapeutic efficac

Blends of PAni and PLCL are electrospun to prepare uniform fibers for the development of electrically conductive, engineered nerve grafts. PC12 cell viability is significantly higher on RPACL fibers than on PLCL-only fibers, and the electrical conductivity of the fibers affects the differentiation of PC12 cells; the number of cells positively-stained and their expression level are significantly higher on RPACL fibers. PC12 cell bodies display an oriented morphology with outgrowing neurites. On R

All exogenous nanomaterials undergo rapid biotransformation once injected into the body and fall short of executing the intended purpose. Here, it is reported that copper-deposited ceria nanoparticles (CuCe NPs) exhibit enhanced antioxidant effects over pristine ceria nanoparticles, as the released copper buffers the depletion of glutathione while providing the bioavailable copper as a cofactor for the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase 1. The upregulated intracellular antioxidants along w

This study investigated a selective and sensitive theragnosis system for the specific targeting of the membrane and nuclei based on visible-light and pH-responsive TiO₂-integrated cross-linked carbon dot (C-CD/TiO₂) for tumor detection and controllable photothermal therapy. The cross-linking system was formed by boronate ester linkages between the TiO₂-immobilized Dopa-decyl (D-CD) and zwitterionic-formed CD (Z-CD) for nuclear targeting, which showed fluorescence

Despite the great potential of cell therapy for ischemic disease, poor cell survival after engraftment in ischemic tissue limits its efficacy. Here we tested a hypothesis that three-dimensionally grafted human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) spheroids would exhibit improved angiogenic efficacy following transplantation into mouse ischemic limbs compared with HUVECs prepared by conventional two-dimensional monolayer culture. One day after surgical induction of hindlimb ischemia in athymic