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1. Soft Extrudable Dendritic Particles with Nanostructured Tendrils for Local Adhesion and Drug Release to Bladder Cancers

   https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.202505231  

   Lee, Jin Gyun; Petraccione, Joseph; Trese, Katherine A; Hughes, Alex C; Ausec, Taylor R; Salzmann‐Sullivan, Maren; Su, Lih‐Jen; Kim, Matthew T; Roh, Sangchul; Goodwin, Andrew P; et al (September 2025, Advanced Materials)

   Abstract Bladder cancer is a leading cause of cancer‐related mortality, yet current intravesical drug delivery methods often suffer from poor retention times in the bladder. Gecko feet‐like nanomaterials offer the potential to overcome this challenge, however, conventional methods to fabricate high surface area nanomaterials for drug delivery involve complex and expensive manufacturing processes. In this work, a simple fluid flow templating method is reported for manufacturing soft dendritic particles (SDPs) composed of poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic acid) (PLGA) with a chitosan coating for enhanced adhesion to epithelial tissues via van der Waals interactions. The biodegradable SDPs encapsulate chemotherapeutic agents and are administered using an alginate hydrogel, enabling precise deposition by extrusion for sustained drug release. The results demonstrate that SDPs adhere to mouse and human cancer cells for several days. The SDPs effectively encapsulate and release several clinically utilized chemotherapeutic drugs such as gemcitabine, docetaxel, and methotrexate, exhibiting superior cancer cell killing in vitro. In murine models, gemcitabine‐loaded SDPs instilled into tumor‐bearing bladders elicited stronger CD45+ immune cell responses than control groups while maintaining minimal toxicity. This work presents a simple, biomimetic drug delivery platform with prolonged retention and controlled drug release, offering a versatile approach for enhancing therapeutic delivery in epithelial cancer models. 

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2. Electrospun PVA Fibers for Drug Delivery: A Review

   https://doi.org/10.3390/polym15183837  

   Zahra, Fatima T.; Quick, Quincy; Mu, Richard (September 2023, Polymers)

   Innovation in biomedical science is always a field of interest for researchers. Drug delivery, being one of the key areas of biomedical science, has gained considerable significance. The utilization of simple yet effective techniques such as electrospinning has undergone significant development in the field of drug delivery. Various polymers such as PEG (polyethylene glycol), PLGA (Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)), PLA(Polylactic acid), and PCA (poly(methacrylate citric acid)) have been utilized to prepare electrospinning-based drug delivery systems (DDSs). Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) has recently gained attention because of its biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-toxicity, and ideal mechanical properties as these are the key factors in developing DDSs. Moreover, it has shown promising results in developing DDSs individually and when combined with natural and synthetic polymers such as chitosan and polycaprolactone (PCL). Considering the outstanding properties of PVA, the aim of this review paper was therefore to summarize these recent advances by highlighting the potential of electrospun PVA for drug delivery systems. 

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3. Genetic algorithm-optimized machine learning models for drug loading prediction

   https://doi.org/10.1142/S1793604725500213  

   Du, Yuncheng; Cereceda, Cristina Sanchez; Hayles, Aidan J (May 2025, Functional Materials Letters)

   Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), made from metal ions and organic linkers, are promising materials for drug delivery due to their porous morphology. These components significantly affect drug loading, but the wide variety of irons and linkers makes it challenging to systematically evaluate their drug loading capacities. Machine Learning (ML) provides predictive models for drug loading based on properties such as ion type, linker structure, and MOFs morphology (e.g. surface area). However, the accuracy of these models is affected by hyperparameters. To improve model performance, this work develops a genetic algorithm (GA)-based optimization approach to build ML models for predicting drug loading rates. Our results demonstrate the predictability and generalizability of this approach for estimating the drug-loading capacities of different material-drug combinations. 

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4. Nontoxic amphiphilic carbon dots as promising drug nanocarriers across the blood–brain barrier and inhibitors of β-amyloid

   https://doi.org/10.1039/C9NR08194A  

   Zhou, Yiqun; Liyanage, Piumi Y.; Devadoss, Dinesh; Rios Guevara, Linda Rebeca; Cheng, Ling; Graham, Regina M.; Chand, Hitendra S.; Al-Youbi, Abdulrahman O.; Bashammakh, Abdulaziz S.; El-Shahawi, Mohammad S.; et al (November 2019, Nanoscale)

   The blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a main obstacle for drug delivery targeting the central nervous system (CNS) and treating Alzheimer's disease (AD). In order to enhance the efficiency of drug delivery without harming the BBB integrity, nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery has become a popular therapeutic strategy. Carbon dots (CDs) are one of the most promising and novel nanocarriers. In this study, amphiphilic yellow-emissive CDs (Y-CDs) were synthesized with an ultrasonication-mediated methodology using citric acid and o -phenylenediamine with a size of 3 nm that emit an excitation-independent yellow photoluminescence (PL). The content of primary amine and carboxyl groups on CDs was measured as 6.12 × 10 −5 and 8.13 × 10 −3 mmol mg −1 , respectively, indicating the potential for small-molecule drug loading through bioconjugation. Confocal image analyses revealed that Y-CDs crossed the BBB of 5-day old wild-type zebrafish, most probably by passive diffusion due to the amphiphilicity of Y-CDs. And the amphiphilicity and BBB penetration ability didn't change when Y-CDs were coated with different hydrophilic molecules. Furthermore, Y-CDs were observed to enter cells to inhibit the overexpression of human amyloid precursor protein (APP) and β-amyloid (Aβ) which is a major factor responsible for AD pathology. Therefore, data suggest that Y-CDs have a great potential as nontoxic nanocarriers for drug delivery towards the CNS as well as a promising inhibiting agent of Aβ-related pathology of the AD. 

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5. Ultrasonic Spray Coating of Carbon Fibers for Composite Cathodes in Structural Batteries

   https://doi.org/10.3390/electrochem6020013  

   Burns, Thomas; DeLatte, Liliana; Roman-Martinez, Gabriela; Glassey, Kyra; Ziehl, Paul; Sadati, Monirosadat; White, Ralph E; Coman, Paul T (June 2025, Electrochem)

   Structural batteries, also known as “massless batteries”, integrate energy storage directly into load-bearing materials, offering a transformative alternative to traditional Li-ion batteries. Unlike conventional systems that serve only as energy storage devices, structural batteries replace passive structural components, reducing overall weight while providing mechanical reinforcement. However, achieving uniform and efficient coatings of active materials on carbon fibers remains a major challenge, limiting their scalability and electrochemical performance. This study investigates ultrasonic spray coating as a precise and scalable technique for fabricating composite cathodes in structural batteries. Using a computer-controlled ultrasonic nozzle, this method ensures uniform deposition with minimal material waste while maintaining the mechanical integrity of carbon fibers. Compared to traditional techniques such as electrophoretic deposition, vacuum bag hot plate processing, and dip-coating, ultrasonic spray coating achieved superior coating consistency and reproducibility. Electrochemical testing revealed a specific capacity of 100 mAh/gLFP with 80% retention for more than 350 cycles at 0.5 C, demonstrating its potential as a viable coating solution. While structural batteries are not yet commercially viable, these findings represent a step toward their practical implementation. Further research and optimization will be essential in advancing this technology for next-generation aerospace and transportation applications. 

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