Nanomaterials (Apr 2022)

Nanotechnology-Assisted Cell Tracking

  • Alessia Peserico,
  • Chiara Di Berardino,
  • Valentina Russo,
  • Giulia Capacchietti,
  • Oriana Di Giacinto,
  • Angelo Canciello,
  • Chiara Camerano Spelta Rapini,
  • Barbara Barboni

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12091414
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 9
p. 1414

Abstract

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The usefulness of nanoparticles (NPs) in the diagnostic and/or therapeutic sector is derived from their aptitude for navigating intra- and extracellular barriers successfully and to be spatiotemporally targeted. In this context, the optimization of NP delivery platforms is technologically related to the exploitation of the mechanisms involved in the NP–cell interaction. This review provides a detailed overview of the available technologies focusing on cell–NP interaction/detection by describing their applications in the fields of cancer and regenerative medicine. Specifically, a literature survey has been performed to analyze the key nanocarrier-impacting elements, such as NP typology and functionalization, the ability to tune cell interaction mechanisms under in vitro and in vivo conditions by framing, and at the same time, the imaging devices supporting NP delivery assessment, and consideration of their specificity and sensitivity. Although the large amount of literature information on the designs and applications of cell membrane-coated NPs has reached the extent at which it could be considered a mature branch of nanomedicine ready to be translated to the clinic, the technology applied to the biomimetic functionalization strategy of the design of NPs for directing cell labelling and intracellular retention appears less advanced. These approaches, if properly scaled up, will present diverse biomedical applications and make a positive impact on human health.

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