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Sevieri M, Andreata F, Mainini F, Signati L, Piccotti F, Truffi M, Bonizzi A, Sitia L, Pigliacelli C, Morasso C, Tagliaferri B, Corsi F, Mazzucchelli S. Impact of doxorubicin-loaded ferritin nanocages (FerOX) vs. free doxorubicin on T lymphocytes: a translational clinical study on breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy. J Nanobiotechnology 2024; 22:184. [PMID: 38622644 PMCID: PMC11020177 DOI: 10.1186/s12951-024-02441-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite the advent of numerous targeted therapies in clinical practice, anthracyclines, including doxorubicin (DOX), continue to play a pivotal role in breast cancer (BC) treatment. DOX directly disrupts DNA replication, demonstrating remarkable efficacy against BC cells. However, its non-specificity toward cancer cells leads to significant side effects, limiting its clinical utility. Interestingly, DOX can also enhance the antitumor immune response by promoting immunogenic cell death in BC cells, thereby facilitating the presentation of tumor antigens to the adaptive immune system. However, the generation of an adaptive immune response involves highly proliferative processes, which may be adversely affected by DOX-induced cytotoxicity. Therefore, understanding the impact of DOX on dividing T cells becomes crucial, to deepen our understanding and potentially devise strategies to shield anti-tumor immunity from DOX-induced toxicity. Our investigation focused on studying DOX uptake and its effects on human lymphocytes. We collected lymphocytes from healthy donors and BC patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Notably, patient-derived peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) promptly internalized DOX when incubated in vitro or isolated immediately after NAC. These DOX-treated PBMCs exhibited significant proliferative impairment compared to untreated cells or those isolated before treatment initiation. Intriguingly, among diverse lymphocyte sub-populations, CD8 + T cells exhibited the highest uptake of DOX. To address this concern, we explored a novel DOX formulation encapsulated in ferritin nanocages (FerOX). FerOX specifically targets tumors and effectively eradicates BC both in vitro and in vivo. Remarkably, only T cells treated with FerOX exhibited reduced DOX internalization, potentially minimizing cytotoxic effects on adaptive immunity.Our findings underscore the importance of optimizing DOX delivery to enhance its antitumor efficacy while minimizing adverse effects, highlighting the pivotal role played by FerOX in mitigating DOX-induced toxicity towards T-cells, thereby positioning it as a promising DOX formulation. This study contributes valuable insights to modern cancer therapy and immunomodulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta Sevieri
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Università di Milano, 20157, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Andreata
- Division of Immunology, Transplantation, and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Mainini
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Università di Milano, 20157, Milan, Italy
| | - Lorena Signati
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Università di Milano, 20157, Milan, Italy
- Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Francesca Piccotti
- Division of Immunology, Transplantation, and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Marta Truffi
- Division of Immunology, Transplantation, and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Arianna Bonizzi
- Division of Immunology, Transplantation, and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Leopoldo Sitia
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Università di Milano, 20157, Milan, Italy
| | - Claudia Pigliacelli
- Laboratory of Supramolecular and Bio-Nanomaterials (SBNLab), Department of Chemistry, Materials, and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta", Politecnico di Milano, 20131, Milan, Italy
| | - Carlo Morasso
- Division of Immunology, Transplantation, and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Barbara Tagliaferri
- Division of Immunology, Transplantation, and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Fabio Corsi
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Università di Milano, 20157, Milan, Italy.
- Division of Immunology, Transplantation, and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.
| | - Serena Mazzucchelli
- Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Università di Milano, 20157, Milan, Italy.
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Xia H, Xu H, Wang J, Wang C, Chen R, Tao T, Xu S, Zhang J, Ma K, Wang J. Heat sensitive E-helix cut ferritin nanocages for facile and high-efficiency loading of doxorubicin. Int J Biol Macromol 2023; 253:126973. [PMID: 37729988 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.126973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/22/2023]
Abstract
Ferritin possesses a stable and uniform cage structure, along with tumor-targeting properties and excellent biocompatibility, making it a promising drug delivery vehicle. However, the current ferritin drug loading strategy involves complex steps and harsh reaction conditions, resulting in low yield and recovery of drug loading, which limits the clinical application prospects of ferritin nanomedicine. In this study, we utilized the high-efficiency heat-sensitivity of the multiple channel switch structures of the E-helix-cut ferritin mutant (Ecut-HFn) and Cu2+ assistance to achieve high-efficiency loading of chemotherapeutic drugs in a one-step process at low temperatures. This method features mild reaction conditions (45 °C), high loading efficiency (about 110 doxorubicin (Dox) per Ecut-HFn), and improved protein and Dox recovery rates (with protein recovery rate around 94 % and Dox recovery rate reaching up to 45 %). The prepared ferritin-Dox particles (Ecut-HFn-Cu-Dox) exhibit a uniform size distribution, good stability, and retain the natural tumor targeting ability of ferritin. Overall, this temperature-controlled drug loading strategy utilizing heat-sensitivity ferritin mutants is energy-saving, environmentally friendly, efficient, and easy to operate, offering a new perspective for scaling up the industrial production of ferritin drug carriers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haining Xia
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, PR China; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
| | - Huangtao Xu
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, PR China
| | - Jiarong Wang
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, PR China
| | - Changhao Wang
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, PR China; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
| | - Ruiguo Chen
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, PR China
| | - Tongxiang Tao
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, PR China; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
| | - Shuai Xu
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, PR China
| | - Jing Zhang
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, PR China; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
| | - Kun Ma
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, PR China.
| | - Junfeng Wang
- High Magnetic Field Laboratory, CAS Key Laboratory of High Magnetic Field and Ion Beam Physical Biology, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031, PR China; University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China; Institutes of Physical Science and Information Technology, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, PR China.
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Chen H, Tan X, Hu M, Xie J, Han X, Yu Y, Zhu H, Wang H, Zhang Y. Genipin-mediated subunit-subunit crosslinking of ferritin nanocages: Structure, properties, and its application for food bioactive compound sealing. Food Chem 2023; 411:135437. [PMID: 36701920 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2023.135437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Ferritin proteins are promising nano-carriers for bioactive compound delivery. However, the disassembly properties under acidic/alkaline conditions pose risks of cargo leakage. Herein, genipin-mediated chemical crosslinking method was provided as an alternative and effective strategy to construct robust ferritin nanocarrier through controlled-intramolecular conjugation. As indicated by SDS-/Native- PAGE, the crosslinking degree gradually increased with incubating time prolonging. CD results showed that the cross-linking would decrease α-helix content from 78.4 % to 52.7 % upon 6 h incubation. However, TEM images showed that the genipin-modification has subtle influence on its shell-like structure. Remarkably, the cross-linking can be well controlled by intramolecular subunit-subunit conjugation rather than intermolecular conjugation, giving an excellent monodispersity. Importantly, the covalent cross-linking can tight neighboring subunits and inhibit its disassociation, finally inhibiting the leakage of encapsulated-cargos from ferritin cavity under acidic environments. Such findings suggested that the genipin-mediated cross-linking strategy can fabricate robust nano-carriers for bioactive compound delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hai Chen
- College of Food Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Speciality Food Co-Built by Sichuan and Chongqing, Chongqing 400715, China; State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Xiaoyi Tan
- College of Food Science & Nutritional Engineering, China Agricultural University, 14 Beijing 100083, China
| | - Mengji Hu
- College of Food Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Jiang Xie
- College of Food Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Xueer Han
- College of Food Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Yong Yu
- College of Food Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Speciality Food Co-Built by Sichuan and Chongqing, Chongqing 400715, China; State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Hankun Zhu
- College of Food Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Speciality Food Co-Built by Sichuan and Chongqing, Chongqing 400715, China; State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Hongxia Wang
- College of Food Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Speciality Food Co-Built by Sichuan and Chongqing, Chongqing 400715, China; State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Yuhao Zhang
- College of Food Science, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China; Key Laboratory of Luminescence Analysis and Molecular Sensing (Southwest University), Ministry of Education, Chongqing 400715, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Speciality Food Co-Built by Sichuan and Chongqing, Chongqing 400715, China; State Key Laboratory of Silkworm Genome Biology, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China.
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Chen H, Tan X, Han X, Ma L, Dai H, Fu Y, Zhang Y. Ferritin nanocage based delivery vehicles: From single-, co- to compartmentalized- encapsulation of bioactive or nutraceutical compounds. Biotechnol Adv 2022; 61:108037. [PMID: 36152892 DOI: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2022.108037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Bioactive or nutraceutical ingredients have been widely used in pursuit of health and well-being. However, the environmental instability, poor solubility and bioavailability, and unspecific delivery highly limited their practical values. By virtue of the unique shell-like structure, definite disassembly/reassembly behavior, and excellent safety profile of ferritin protein, it stands out among of various nano-materials and is emerging as one of the most promising vehicles for the encapsulation and delivery of bioactive ingredients or drugs. In this review, we present a systematic overview of recent advances of ferritin-based delivery systems from single-encapsulation, co-encapsulation, to compartmentalized-encapsulation of bioactive ingredients or drugs. Different encapsulation strategies for cargo loading as well as their advantages and drawbacks have been critically reviewed. This study emphasized the importance of the construction of compartmentalized delivery systems through the usage of ferritin nanocages, which exhibit great potential for facilitating the synergistic functionality of different types of cargos. Lastly, the applications of ferritin nanocages for physicochemical improvements and functionality achievements of loaded cargos are summarized. In conclusion, ferritin protein nanocages not only are excellent nanocarriers, but also can act as"multi-seated" vehicles for co-encapsulation and compartmentalized encapsulation of different cargos simultaneously.
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Cho E, Nam GH, Hong Y, Kim YK, Kim DH, Yang Y, Kim IS. Comparison of exosomes and ferritin protein nanocages for the delivery of membrane protein therapeutics. J Control Release 2018; 279:326-335. [PMID: 29679665 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2018.04.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2017] [Revised: 04/05/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Exosomes are small membrane vesicles secreted by most cell types that play an important role in intercellular communication. Due to the characteristic of transferring their biomacromolecules, exosomes have potential as a new alternative for delivering protein therapeutics. Here, we investigate whether exosomes provide crucial advantages over other nanoparticles, in particular protein nanocage formulations, as a delivery system for membrane protein therapeutics. We characterized membrane-scaffold-based exosomes and protein-scaffold-based ferritin nanocages, both harboring SIRPα (signal regulatory protein α), an antagonist of CD47 on tumor cells. The efficacy of these two systems in delivering protein therapeutics was compared by testing their ability to enhance phagocytosis of tumor cells by bone-marrow-derived macrophages and subsequent inhibition of in vivo tumor growth. These analyses allowed us to comprehensively conclude that the therapeutic index of exosome-mediated CD47 blockade against tumor growth inhibition was higher than that of the same dose of ferritin-SIRPα. The results of this analysis reveal the importance of the unique characteristics of exosomes, in particular their membrane scaffold, in improving therapeutic protein delivery compared with protein-scaffold-based nanocages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eunji Cho
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea; Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Gi-Hoon Nam
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea; Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeonsun Hong
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea; Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoon Kyoung Kim
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea; Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong-Hwee Kim
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoosoo Yang
- Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea.
| | - In-San Kim
- KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea; Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea.
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Lee NK, Lee EJ, Kim S, Nam GH, Kih M, Hong Y, Jeong C, Yang Y, Byun Y, Kim IS. Ferritin nanocage with intrinsically disordered proteins and affibody: A platform for tumor targeting with extended pharmacokinetics. J Control Release 2017; 267:172-180. [PMID: 28821462 DOI: 10.1016/j.jconrel.2017.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2017] [Revised: 08/12/2017] [Accepted: 08/14/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Ferritin nanocages are of particular interest as a novel platform for drug and vaccine delivery, diagnosis, biomineralization scaffold and more, due to their perfect and complex symmetry, ideal physical properties, high biocompatibility, low toxicity profiles as well as easy manipulation by genetic or chemical strategies. However, a short half-life is still a hurdle for the translation of ferritin-based nanomedicines into the clinic. Here, we developed a series of rationally designed long circulating ferritin nanocages (LCFNs) with 'Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDP)' as a stealth layer for extending the half-life of ferritin nanocages. Through predictions with 3D modelling, the LCFNs were designed, generated and their pharmacokinetic parameters including half-life, clearance rate, mean residence time, and more, were evaluated by qualitative and quantitative analysis. LCFNs have a tenfold increased half-life and overall improved pharmacokinetic parameters compared to wild-type ferritin nanocages (wtFN), corresponding to the low binding against bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) and endothelial cells. Subsequently, a tumor targeting moiety, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeting affibody peptide, was fused to LCFNs for evaluating their potential as a theragnostic platform. The tumor targeting-LCFNs successfully accumulated to the tumor tissue, by efficient targeting via active and passive properties, and also the shielding effect of IDP in vivo. This strategy can be applied to other protein-based nanocages for further progressing their use in the field of nanomedicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Kyeong Lee
- Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 5 Hwarang-ro 14-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea; Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea
| | - Eun Jung Lee
- Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 5 Hwarang-ro 14-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea; Department of Chemical Engineering, School of Applied Chemical Engineering, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
| | - Soyoun Kim
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Cell and Matrix Research Institute, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
| | - Gi-Hoon Nam
- Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 5 Hwarang-ro 14-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea; KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Minwoo Kih
- Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 5 Hwarang-ro 14-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea; KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeonsun Hong
- Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 5 Hwarang-ro 14-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea; KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea
| | - Cherlhyun Jeong
- Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 5 Hwarang-ro 14-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoosoo Yang
- Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 5 Hwarang-ro 14-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea
| | - Youngro Byun
- Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea; Department of Molecular Medicine and Biopharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Convergence Science and Technology, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea.
| | - In-San Kim
- Center for Theragnosis, Biomedical Research Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 5 Hwarang-ro 14-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02792, Republic of Korea; KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Republic of Korea.
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