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  1. Article ; Online: Novel hydrogels: are they poised to transform 3D cell-based assay systems in early drug discovery?

    Treherne, J Mark / Miller, Aline F

    Expert opinion on drug discovery

    2023  Volume 18, Issue 3, Page(s) 335–346

    Abstract: Introduction: Success in drug discovery remains unpredictable. However, more predictive and relevant disease models are becoming pivotal to demonstrating the clinical benefits of new drugs earlier in the lengthy drug discovery process. Novel hydrogel ... ...

    Abstract Introduction: Success in drug discovery remains unpredictable. However, more predictive and relevant disease models are becoming pivotal to demonstrating the clinical benefits of new drugs earlier in the lengthy drug discovery process. Novel hydrogel scaffolds are being developed to transform the relevance of such 3D cell-based in vitro assay systems.
    Areas covered: Most traditional hydrogels are still of unknown composition and suffer significant batch-to-batch variations, which lead to technical constraints. This article looks at how a new generation of novel synthetic hydrogels that are based on self-assembling peptides are poised to transform 3D cell-based assay systems by improving their relevance, reproducibility and scalability.
    Expert opinion: The emerging advantages of using these novel hydrogels for human 3D screening assays should enable the discovery of more cost-effective drugs, leading to improved patient benefits. Such a disruptive change could also reduce the considerable time lag from obtaining in vitro assay data to initiating clinical trials. There is now a sufficient body of data available in the literature to enable this ambition to become a reality by significantly improving the predictive validity of 3D cell-based assays in early drug discovery. Novel hydrogels are key to unlocking the full potential of these assay systems.
    MeSH term(s) Humans ; Hydrogels/chemistry ; Reproducibility of Results ; Drug Discovery ; Peptides/chemistry
    Chemical Substances Hydrogels ; Peptides
    Language English
    Publishing date 2023-02-07
    Publishing country England
    Document type Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
    ZDB-ID 2259618-5
    ISSN 1746-045X ; 1746-0441
    ISSN (online) 1746-045X
    ISSN 1746-0441
    DOI 10.1080/17460441.2023.2175813
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  2. Article ; Online: Optimising a self-assembling peptide hydrogel as a Matrigel alternative for 3-dimensional mammary epithelial cell culture.

    Lingard, Eliana / Dong, Siyuan / Hoyle, Anna / Appleton, Ellen / Hales, Alis / Skaria, Eldhose / Lawless, Craig / Taylor-Hearn, Isobel / Saadati, Simon / Chu, Qixun / Miller, Aline F / Domingos, Marco / Saiani, Alberto / Swift, Joe / Gilmore, Andrew P

    Biomaterials advances

    2024  Volume 160, Page(s) 213847

    Abstract: Three-dimensional (3D) organoid models have been instrumental in understanding molecular mechanisms responsible for many cellular processes and diseases. However, established organic biomaterial scaffolds used for 3D hydrogel cultures, such as Matrigel, ... ...

    Abstract Three-dimensional (3D) organoid models have been instrumental in understanding molecular mechanisms responsible for many cellular processes and diseases. However, established organic biomaterial scaffolds used for 3D hydrogel cultures, such as Matrigel, are biochemically complex and display significant batch variability, limiting reproducibility in experiments. Recently, there has been significant progress in the development of synthetic hydrogels for in vitro cell culture that are reproducible, mechanically tuneable, and biocompatible. Self-assembling peptide hydrogels (SAPHs) are synthetic biomaterials that can be engineered to be compatible with 3D cell culture. Here we investigate the ability of PeptiGel® SAPHs to model the mammary epithelial cell (MEC) microenvironment in vitro. The positively charged PeptiGel®Alpha4 supported MEC viability, but did not promote formation of polarised acini. Modifying the stiffness of PeptiGel® Alpha4 stimulated changes in MEC viability and changes in protein expression associated with altered MEC function, but did not fully recapitulate the morphologies of MECs grown in Matrigel. To supply the appropriate biochemical signals for MEC organoids, we supplemented PeptiGels® with laminin. Laminin was found to require negatively charged PeptiGel® Alpha7 for functionality, but was then able to provide appropriate signals for correct MEC polarisation and expression of characteristic proteins. Thus, optimisation of SAPH composition and mechanics allows tuning to support tissue-specific organoids.
    Language English
    Publishing date 2024-03-28
    Publishing country Netherlands
    Document type Journal Article
    ISSN 2772-9508
    ISSN (online) 2772-9508
    DOI 10.1016/j.bioadv.2024.213847
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  3. Article: Controlling Doxorubicin Release from a Peptide Hydrogel through Fine-Tuning of Drug–Peptide Fiber Interactions

    Elsawy, Mohamed A. / Wychowaniec, Jacek K. / Castillo Díaz, Luis A. / Smith, Andrew M. / Miller, Aline F. / Saiani, Alberto

    Biomacromolecules. 2022 May 11, v. 23, no. 6

    2022  

    Abstract: Hydrogels are versatile materials that have emerged in the last few decades as promising candidates for a range of applications in the biomedical field, from tissue engineering and regenerative medicine to controlled drug delivery. In the drug delivery ... ...

    Abstract Hydrogels are versatile materials that have emerged in the last few decades as promising candidates for a range of applications in the biomedical field, from tissue engineering and regenerative medicine to controlled drug delivery. In the drug delivery field, in particular, they have been the subject of significant interest for the spatially and temporally controlled delivery of anticancer drugs and therapeutics. Self-assembling peptide-based hydrogels, in particular, have recently come to the fore as potential candidate vehicles for the delivery of a range of drugs. In order to explore how drug–peptide interactions influence doxorubicin (Dox) release, five β-sheet-forming self-assembling peptides with different physicochemical properties were used for the purpose of this study, namely: FEFKFEFK (F8), FKFEFKFK (FK), FEFEFKFE (FE), FEFKFEFKK (F8K), and KFEFKFEFKK (KF8K) (F: phenylalanine; E: glutamic acid; K: lysine). First, Dox-loaded hydrogels were characterized to ensure that the incorporation of the drug did not significantly affect the hydrogel properties. Subsequently, Dox diffusion out of the hydrogels was investigated using UV absorbance. The amount of drug retained in F8/FE composite hydrogels was found to be directly proportional to the amount of charge carried by the peptide fibers. When cation−π interactions were used, the position and number of end-lysine were found to play a key role in the retention of Dox. In this case, the amount of Dox retained in F8/KF8K composite hydrogels was linked to the amount of end-lysine introduced, and an end-lysine/Dox interaction stoichiometry of 3/1 was obtained. For pure FE and KF8K hydrogels, the maximum amount of Dox retained was also found to be related to the overall concentration of the hydrogels and, therefore, to the overall fiber surface area available for interaction with the drug. For 14 mM hydrogel, ∼170–200 μM Dox could be retained after 24 h. This set of peptides also showed a broad range of susceptibilities to enzymatic degradation opening the prospect of being able to control also the rate of degradation of these hydrogels. Finally, the Dox released from the hydrogel was shown to be active and affect 3T3 mouse fibroblasts viability in vitro. Our study clearly shows the potential of this peptide design as a platform for the formulation of injectable or sprayable hydrogels for controlled drug delivery.
    Keywords absorbance ; doxorubicin ; drug delivery systems ; fibroblasts ; glutamic acid ; hydrogels ; lysine ; medicine ; mice ; peptides ; phenylalanine ; stoichiometry ; surface area ; viability
    Language English
    Dates of publication 2022-0511
    Size p. 2624-2634.
    Publishing place American Chemical Society
    Document type Article
    ISSN 1526-4602
    DOI 10.1021/acs.biomac.2c00356
    Database NAL-Catalogue (AGRICOLA)

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  4. Article ; Online: Neutrally charged self-assembling peptide hydrogel recapitulates in vitro mechanisms of breast cancer progression.

    Clough, Helen C / O'Brien, Marie / Zhu, Xinyi / Miller, Aline F / Saiani, Alberto / Tsigkou, Olga

    Materials science & engineering. C, Materials for biological applications

    2021  Volume 127, Page(s) 112200

    Abstract: Self-assembling peptide hydrogels (SAPH) are a popular biomaterial due to their biocompatibility with a wide range of cell types, synthetic design, structural properties that provide a more accurate 3D microenvironment, and potential for cell- and/or ... ...

    Abstract Self-assembling peptide hydrogels (SAPH) are a popular biomaterial due to their biocompatibility with a wide range of cell types, synthetic design, structural properties that provide a more accurate 3D microenvironment, and potential for cell- and/or drug-delivery system. Mimicking solid tumors in vitro using hydrogels is one method of testing anti-cancer drug efficacy and observing cancerous cell-ECM interactions within a 3D system. In this study, a SAPH, PeptiGel®Alpha1, was used to model in vitro the 3D breast tumor microenvironment. PeptiGel®Alpha1 is composed of entangled nanofibers with consistent diameter and mechanical properties similar to breast cancer that more accurately mimic the stiffness of breast tumor tissue than Matrigel® or collagen type I. PeptiGel®Alpha1 supported the viability and growth of the breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 and recapitulated key features of solid tumors such as hypoxia and invasion. MCF-7 cells in the hydrogels formed large spheroids resembling acini, while MDA-MB-231 remained dispersed. When treated with tamoxifen, PeptiGel®Alpha1 acted as a barrier, providing drug penetration geometry similar to that in vivo, providing better prediction of the drug effect. Finally, it was observed that MCF-7 cells engulfed the peptide matrix after 14 days, highlighting a potential use in drug delivery. PeptiGel®Alpha1 is a suitable platform for in vitro modeling of breast cancer.
    MeSH term(s) Breast Neoplasms/pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Collagen Type I ; Disease Progression ; Female ; Humans ; Hydrogels ; MCF-7 Cells ; Peptides ; Tumor Microenvironment
    Chemical Substances Collagen Type I ; Hydrogels ; Peptides
    Language English
    Publishing date 2021-05-21
    Publishing country Netherlands
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 2012160-X
    ISSN 1873-0191 ; 0928-4931
    ISSN (online) 1873-0191
    ISSN 0928-4931
    DOI 10.1016/j.msec.2021.112200
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  5. Article ; Online: Controlling Doxorubicin Release from a Peptide Hydrogel through Fine-Tuning of Drug-Peptide Fiber Interactions.

    Elsawy, Mohamed A / Wychowaniec, Jacek K / Castillo Díaz, Luis A / Smith, Andrew M / Miller, Aline F / Saiani, Alberto

    Biomacromolecules

    2022  Volume 23, Issue 6, Page(s) 2624–2634

    Abstract: Hydrogels are versatile materials that have emerged in the last few decades as promising candidates for a range of applications in the biomedical field, from tissue engineering and regenerative medicine to controlled drug delivery. In the drug delivery ... ...

    Abstract Hydrogels are versatile materials that have emerged in the last few decades as promising candidates for a range of applications in the biomedical field, from tissue engineering and regenerative medicine to controlled drug delivery. In the drug delivery field, in particular, they have been the subject of significant interest for the spatially and temporally controlled delivery of anticancer drugs and therapeutics. Self-assembling peptide-based hydrogels, in particular, have recently come to the fore as potential candidate vehicles for the delivery of a range of drugs. In order to explore how drug-peptide interactions influence doxorubicin (Dox) release, five β-sheet-forming self-assembling peptides with different physicochemical properties were used for the purpose of this study, namely: FEFKFEFK (F8), FKFEFKFK (FK), FEFEFKFE (FE), FEFKFEFKK (F8K), and KFEFKFEFKK (KF8K) (F: phenylalanine; E: glutamic acid; K: lysine). First, Dox-loaded hydrogels were characterized to ensure that the incorporation of the drug did not significantly affect the hydrogel properties. Subsequently, Dox diffusion out of the hydrogels was investigated using UV absorbance. The amount of drug retained in F8/FE composite hydrogels was found to be directly proportional to the amount of charge carried by the peptide fibers. When cation-π interactions were used, the position and number of end-lysine were found to play a key role in the retention of Dox. In this case, the amount of Dox retained in F8/KF8K composite hydrogels was linked to the amount of end-lysine introduced, and an end-lysine/Dox interaction stoichiometry of 3/1 was obtained. For pure FE and KF8K hydrogels, the maximum amount of Dox retained was also found to be related to the overall concentration of the hydrogels and, therefore, to the overall fiber surface area available for interaction with the drug. For 14 mM hydrogel, ∼170-200 μM Dox could be retained after 24 h. This set of peptides also showed a broad range of susceptibilities to enzymatic degradation opening the prospect of being able to control also the rate of degradation of these hydrogels. Finally, the Dox released from the hydrogel was shown to be active and affect 3T3 mouse fibroblasts viability in vitro. Our study clearly shows the potential of this peptide design as a platform for the formulation of injectable or sprayable hydrogels for controlled drug delivery.
    MeSH term(s) Animals ; Doxorubicin/chemistry ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Hydrogels/chemistry ; Lysine ; Mice ; Peptides/chemistry
    Chemical Substances Hydrogels ; Peptides ; Doxorubicin (80168379AG) ; Lysine (K3Z4F929H6)
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-05-11
    Publishing country United States
    Document type Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
    ISSN 1526-4602
    ISSN (online) 1526-4602
    DOI 10.1021/acs.biomac.2c00356
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  6. Article ; Online: Role of Sheet-Edge Interactions in β-sheet Self-Assembling Peptide Hydrogels.

    Wychowaniec, Jacek K / Smith, Andrew M / Ligorio, Cosimo / Mykhaylyk, Oleksandr O / Miller, Aline F / Saiani, Alberto

    Biomacromolecules

    2020  Volume 21, Issue 6, Page(s) 2285–2297

    Abstract: Hydrogels' hydrated fibrillar nature makes them the material of choice for the design and engineering of 3D scaffolds for cell culture, tissue engineering, and drug-delivery applications. One particular class of hydrogels which has been the focus of ... ...

    Abstract Hydrogels' hydrated fibrillar nature makes them the material of choice for the design and engineering of 3D scaffolds for cell culture, tissue engineering, and drug-delivery applications. One particular class of hydrogels which has been the focus of significant research is self-assembling peptide hydrogels. In the present work, we were interested in exploring how fiber-fiber edge interactions affect the self-assembly and gelation properties of amphipathic peptides. For this purpose, we investigated two β-sheet-forming peptides, FEFKFEFK (F8) and KFEFKFEFKK (KF8K), the latter one having the fiber edges covered by lysine residues. Our results showed that the addition of the two lysine residues did not affect the ability of the peptides to form β-sheet-rich fibers, provided that the overall charge carried by the two peptides was kept constant. However, it did significantly reduce edge-driven hydrophobic fiber-fiber associative interactions, resulting in reduced tendency for KF8K fibers to associate/aggregate laterally and form large fiber bundles and consequently network cross-links. This effect resulted in the formation of hydrogels with lower moduli but faster dynamics. As a result, KF8K fibers could be aligned only under high shear and at high concentration while F8 hydrogel fibers were found to align readily at low shear and low concentration. In addition, F8 hydrogels were found to fragment at high concentration because of the high aggregation state stabilizing the fiber bundles, resulting in fiber breakage rather than disentanglement and alignment.
    MeSH term(s) Hydrogels ; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions ; Peptides ; Protein Conformation, beta-Strand ; Tissue Engineering
    Chemical Substances Hydrogels ; Peptides
    Language English
    Publishing date 2020-04-23
    Publishing country United States
    Document type Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
    ISSN 1526-4602
    ISSN (online) 1526-4602
    DOI 10.1021/acs.biomac.0c00229
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  7. Article ; Online: Materials science. Exploiting wrinkle formation.

    Miller, Aline F

    Science (New York, N.Y.)

    2007  Volume 317, Issue 5838, Page(s) 605–606

    Language English
    Publishing date 2007-08-03
    Publishing country United States
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 128410-1
    ISSN 1095-9203 ; 0036-8075
    ISSN (online) 1095-9203
    ISSN 0036-8075
    DOI 10.1126/science.1146680
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  8. Article: Self-Assembling Polypeptide Hydrogels as a Platform to Recapitulate the Tumor Microenvironment.

    Lachowski, Dariusz / Matellan, Carlos / Cortes, Ernesto / Saiani, Alberto / Miller, Aline F / Del Río Hernández, Armando E

    Cancers

    2021  Volume 13, Issue 13

    Abstract: The tumor microenvironment plays a critical role in modulating cancer cell migration, metabolism, and malignancy, thus, highlighting the need to develop in vitro culture systems that can recapitulate its abnormal properties. While a variety of stiffness- ... ...

    Abstract The tumor microenvironment plays a critical role in modulating cancer cell migration, metabolism, and malignancy, thus, highlighting the need to develop in vitro culture systems that can recapitulate its abnormal properties. While a variety of stiffness-tunable biomaterials, reviewed here, have been developed to mimic the rigidity of the tumor extracellular matrix, culture systems that can recapitulate the broader extracellular context of the tumor microenvironment (including pH and temperature) remain comparably unexplored, partially due to the difficulty in independently tuning these parameters. Here, we investigate a self-assembled polypeptide network hydrogel as a cell culture platform and demonstrate that the culture parameters, including the substrate stiffness, extracellular pH and temperature, can be independently controlled. We then use this biomaterial as a cell culture substrate to assess the effect of stiffness, pH and temperature on Suit2 cells, a pancreatic cancer cell line, and demonstrate that these microenvironmental factors can regulate two critical transcription factors in cancer: yes-associated protein 1 (YAP) and hypoxia inducible factor (HIF-1A).
    Language English
    Publishing date 2021-06-30
    Publishing country Switzerland
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 2527080-1
    ISSN 2072-6694
    ISSN 2072-6694
    DOI 10.3390/cancers13133286
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  9. Article: Thermal aggregation of recombinant protective antigen: aggregate morphology and growth rate.

    Belton, Daniel J / Miller, Aline F

    Journal of biophysics (Hindawi Publishing Corporation : Online)

    2013  Volume 2013, Page(s) 751091

    Abstract: The thermal aggregation of the biopharmaceutical protein recombinant protective antigen (rPA) has been explored, and the associated kinetics and thermodynamic parameters have been extracted using optical and environmental scanning electron microscopies ( ... ...

    Abstract The thermal aggregation of the biopharmaceutical protein recombinant protective antigen (rPA) has been explored, and the associated kinetics and thermodynamic parameters have been extracted using optical and environmental scanning electron microscopies (ESEMs) and ultraviolet light scattering spectroscopy (UV-LSS). Visual observations and turbidity measurements provided an overall picture of the aggregation process, suggesting a two-step mechanism. Microscopy was used to examine the structure of aggregates, revealing an open morphology formed by the clustering of the microscopic aggregate particles. UV-LSS was used and developed to elucidate the growth rate of these particles, which formed in the first stage of the aggregation process. Their growth rate is observed to be high initially, before falling to converge on a final size that correlates with the ESEM data. The results suggest that the particle growth rate is limited by rPA monomer concentration, and by obtaining data over a range of incubation temperatures, an approach was developed to model the aggregation kinetics and extract the rate constants and the temperature dependence of aggregation. In doing so, we quantified the susceptibility of rPA aggregation under different temperature and environmental conditions and moreover demonstrated a novel use of UV spectrometry to monitor the particle aggregation quantitatively, in situ, in a nondestructive and time-resolved manner.
    Language English
    Publishing date 2013-02-13
    Publishing country Egypt
    Document type Journal Article
    ZDB-ID 2448923-2
    ISSN 1687-8019 ; 1687-8000
    ISSN (online) 1687-8019
    ISSN 1687-8000
    DOI 10.1155/2013/751091
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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  10. Article ; Online: Controlling network topology and mechanical properties of co-assembling peptide hydrogels.

    Boothroyd, Stephen / Saiani, Alberto / Miller, Aline F

    Biopolymers

    2016  Volume 101, Issue 6, Page(s) 669–680

    Abstract: Oligopeptides are well-known to self-assemble into a wide array of nanostructures including β-sheet-rich fibers that when present above a critical concentration become entangled and form self-supporting hydrogels. The length, quantity, and interactions ... ...

    Abstract Oligopeptides are well-known to self-assemble into a wide array of nanostructures including β-sheet-rich fibers that when present above a critical concentration become entangled and form self-supporting hydrogels. The length, quantity, and interactions between fibers influence the mechanical properties of the hydrogel formed and this is typically achieved by varying the peptide concentration, pH, ionic strength, or the addition of a second species or chemical cross-linking agent. Here, we outline an alternative, facile route to control the mechanical properties of the self-assembling octa-peptide, FEFEFKFK (FEKII); simply doping with controlled quantities of its double length peptide, FEFEFKFK-GG-FKFKFEFE (FEKII18). The structure and properties of a series of samples were studied here (0–100 M% of FEKII18) using Fourier transform infrared, small angle X-ray scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and oscillatory rheology. All samples were found to contain elongated, flexible fibers and all mixed samples contained Y-shaped branch points and parallel fibers which is attributed to the longer peptide self-assembling within two fibers, thus creating a cross-link in the network structure. Such behavior was reflected in an increase in the elasticity of the mixed samples with increasing quantity of double peptide. Interestingly the elastic modulus increased up to 30 times the pure FEKII value simply by adding 28 M% of FEKII18. These observations provide an easy, off-the-shelf method for an end-user to control the cross-linked network structure of the peptide hydrogel, and consequently strength of the hydrogel simply by physically mixing pre-determined quantities of two similar peptide molecules.
    MeSH term(s) Amino Acid Sequence ; Hydrogels/chemistry ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Mechanical Phenomena ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Peptides/chemistry ; Rheology ; Scattering, Small Angle ; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared ; X-Ray Diffraction
    Chemical Substances Hydrogels ; Peptides
    Language English
    Publishing date 2016-01-27
    Publishing country United States
    Document type Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
    ZDB-ID 1123-x
    ISSN 1097-0282 ; 0006-3525
    ISSN (online) 1097-0282
    ISSN 0006-3525
    DOI 10.1002/bip.22435
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

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