Unraveling the Formation of Gelatin Nanospheres by Means of Desolvation

Protein-based nanoparticles for therapeutic nucleic acid delivery

To realize the full potential of emerging nucleic acid therapies, there is a need for effective delivery agents to transport cargo to cells of interest. Protein materials exhibit several unique properties, including biodegradability, biocompatibility, ease of functionalization via recombinant and chemical modifications, among other features, which establish a promising basis for therapeutic nucleic acid delivery systems. In this review, we highlight progress made in the use of non-viral protein-based nanoparticles for nucleic acid delivery in vitro and in vivo, while elaborating on key physicochemical properties that have enabled the use of these materials for nanoparticle formulation and drug delivery. To conclude, we comment on the prospects and unresolved challenges associated with the translation of protein-based nucleic acid delivery systems for therapeutic applications.

Encapsulation of pristine and silica-coated human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells in gelatin colloidal hydrogels for tissue engineering and bioprinting applications

Colloidal gels assembled from gelatin nanoparticles (GNPs) as particulate building blocks show strong promise to solve challenges in cell delivery and biofabrication, such as low cell survival and limited spatial retention. These gels offer evident advantages to facilitate cell encapsulation, but research on this topic is still limited, which hampers our understanding of the relationship between the physicochemical and biological properties of cell-laden colloidal gels. Human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells were successfully encapsulated in gelatin colloidal gels and evaluated their mechanical and biological performance over 7 days. The cells dispersed well within the gels without compromising gel cohesiveness, remained viable, and spread throughout the gels. Cells partially coated with silica were introduced into these gels, which increased their storage moduli and decreased their self-healing capacity after 7 days. This finding demonstrates the ability to modulate gel stiffness by incorporating cells partially coated with silica, without altering the solid content or introducing additional particles. Our work presents an efficient method for cell encapsulation while preserving gel integrity, expanding the applicability of colloidal hydrogels for tissue engineering and bioprinting. Overall, our study contributes to the design of improved cell delivery systems and biofabrication techniques.