School of Basic Sciences
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Basic Science is the field that can answer fundamental questions about our world, and lead to wide-ranging applications, tremendous benefits, and value. This field is designed for those who hold a passion for science and who want to make real contributions to different fields and industries.
At GU, we created the perfect environment for our students to spark their curiosity and encourage their passion for knowledge and prepare them for a challenging and rewarding career.
This field offers 3 programs; Nanoscience & Technology, Petroleum & Mining Geology and Molecular Biotechnology. All the programs are delivered through an innovative teaching method, with the support of 9 of the most advanced labs and workshops in the MENA region.
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Browsing School of Basic Sciences by Author "Abou-Saleh, Radwa"
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- PublicationOpen AccessA Single Short ‘Tone Burst’ Results in Optimal Drug Delivery to Tumours Using Ultrasound-Triggered Therapeutic Microbubbles(MDPI, 2022-03-11) Ingram, Nicola; McVeigh, Laura E.; Abou-Saleh, Radwa; Batchelor, Damien V. B.; Loadman, Paul M.; McLaughlan, James R.; Markham, Alexander F.; Evans, Stephen D.; Coletta, P. LouiseAdvanced drug delivery systems, such as ultrasound-mediated drug delivery, show great promise for increasing the therapeutic index. Improvements in delivery by altering the ultrasound parameters have been studied heavily in vitro but relatively little in vivo. Here, the same therapeutic microbubble and tumour type are used to determine whether altering ultrasound parameters can improve drug delivery. Liposomes were loaded with SN38 and attached via avidin: biotin linkages to microbubbles. The whole structure was targeted to the tumour vasculature by the addition of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 antibodies. Tumour drug delivery and metabolism were quantified in SW480 xenografts after application of an ultrasound trigger to the tumour region. Increasing the trigger duration from 5 s to 2 min or increasing the number of 5 s triggers did not improve drug delivery, nor did changing to a chirp trigger designed to stimulate a greater proportion of the microbubble population, although this did show that the short tone trigger resulted in greater release of free SN38. Examination of ultrasound triggers in vivo to improve drug delivery is justified as there are multiple mechanisms at play that may not allow direct translation from in vitro findings. In this setting, a short tone burst gives the best ultrasound parameters for tumoural drug delivery.
- PublicationOpen AccessHorizon: Microfluidic platform for the production of therapeutic microbubbles and nanobubbles(AIP, 2021) Abou-Saleh, Radwa; Armistead, Fern J.; Batchelor, Damien V. B.; Johnson, Benjamin R. G.; Peyman, Sally A.; Evans, Stephen D.Microbubbles (MBs) have a multitude of applications including as contrast agents in ultrasound imaging and as therapeutic drug delivery vehicles, with further scope for combining their diagnostic and therapeutic properties (known as theranostics). MBs used clinically are commonly made by mechanical agitation or sonication methods, which offer little control over population size and dispersity. Furthermore, clinically used MBs are yet to be used therapeutically and further research is needed to develop these theranostic agents. In this paper, we present our MB production instrument “Horizon,” which is a robust, portable, and user-friendly instrument, integrating the key components for producing MBs using microfluidic flow-focusing devices. In addition, we present the system design and specifications of Horizon and the optimized protocols that have so far been used to produce MBs with specific properties. These include MBs with tailored size and low dispersity (monodisperse); MBs with a diameter of ∼2 μm, which are more disperse but also produced in higher concentration; nanobubbles with diameters of 100–600 nm; and therapeutic MBs with drug payloads for targeted delivery. Multiplexed chips were able to improve production rates up to 16-fold while maintaining production stability. This work shows that Horizon is a versatile instrument with potential for mass production and use across many research facilities, which could begin to bridge the gap between therapeutic MB research and clinical use.
- PublicationOpen AccessMercaptopurine-Loaded Sandwiched Tri-Layered Composed of Electrospun Polycaprolactone/Poly(Methyl Methacrylate) Nanofibrous Scaffolds as Anticancer Carrier with Antimicrobial and Antibiotic Features: Sandwich Configuration Nanofibers, Release Study and in vitro Bioevaluation Tests(Dove medical research, 2021-11-11) Salim, Samar A.; Kamoun, Elbadawy A.; Evans, Stephen D.; EL-Moslamy, Shahira H.; El-Fakharany, Esmail M.; Elmazar, Mohamed M.; Abdel-Aziz, A. F.; Abou-Saleh, Radwa; Salaheldin, Taher A.Background: 6-Mercaptopurine (6-MP) is a potential anti-cancer agent which its therapeutic and limitation applicability due to its high toxicity. Objective: Herein, 6-MP was loaded into tri-layered sandwich nanofibrous scaffold (the top layer composed of poly methyl methacrylate/polycaprolactone (PMMA/PCL), the middle layer was PCL/PMMA/6-MP, and the bottom layer was PCL/PMMA to improve its bioactivity, adjusting the release-sustainability and reduce its toxicity. Methods: Electrospun tri-layered nanofibers composed of PCL/PMMA were utilized as nano-mats for controlling sustained drug release. Four groups of sandwich scaffold configurations were investigated with alteration of (PMMA: PCL) composition. Results: The sandwich scaffold composed of 2%PCL/4%PMMA/1%6-MP showed the best miscibility, good homogeneity and produced the smoothest nanofibers and low crystallinity. All fabricated 6-MP-loaded-PCL/PMMA scaffolds exhibited antimicrobial properties on the bacterial and fungal organisms, where the cytotoxicity evaluation proved the safety of scaffolds on normal cells, even at high concentration. Scaffolds provided a sustained-drug release profile that was strongly dependent on (PCL: PMMA). As (PCL: PMMA) decreased, the sustained 6-MP release from PCL/PMMA scaffolds increased. Results established that ∼ 18% and 20% of 6-MP were released after 23h from (4%PCL/4%PMMA/1%6-MP) and (2%PCL/4%PMMA/1%6-MP), respectively, where this release was maintained for more than 20 days. The anti-cancer activity of all fabricated scaffolds was also investigated using different cancerous cell lines (e.g., Caco-2, MDA, and HepG-2) results showed that 6-MP-loaded-nanofibrous mats have an anti-cancer effect, with a high selective index for breast cancer. We observed that viability of a cancer cell was dropped to about 10%, using nanofibers containing 2%PCL/4%PMMA/1%6-MP. Conclusion: Overall, the PCL: PMMA ratio and sandwich configuration imparts a tight control on long-term release profile and initial burst of 6-MP for anticancer treatment purposes.
- PublicationOpen AccessNovel oxygen-generation from electrospun nanofibrous scaffolds with anticancer properties: synthesis of PMMA-conjugate PVP–H2O2 nanofibers, characterization, and in vitro bio-evaluation tests(2021-11) Salim, Samar A.; Kamoun, Elbadawy A.; Evans, Stephen D.; Taha, Tarek H.; El-Fakharany, Esmail M.; Elmazar, Mohamed M.; Abdel-Aziz, A. F.; Abou-Saleh, Radwa; Salaheldin, TaherReleased oxygen plays a critical role in reducing destructive tumor behavior. This study aims to utilize decomposed hydrogen peroxide as an oxygen source by conjugating it with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP). PVP–hydrogen peroxide complex (PHP) composed of different ratios of (PVP : H2O2) (0.5 : 1, 1 : 1, 1 : 1.5, 1 : 5, and 1 : 10) were successfully synthesized. PHP complex with a ratio of 1 : 1.5 was chosen as the optimized ratio, and it was incorporated into the polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) nanofibrous scaffold via the electrospinning technique. Results have revealed that the PMMA–10% PHP complex provided a significant morphological structure of nanofibrous scaffolds. The mechanical properties of PMMA–10% PHP nanofibers showed the most suitable mechanical features such as Young's modulus, elongation-at-break (%), and maximum strength, in addition to the highest degree of swelling. All PHP complex scaffolds released oxygen in a sustained manner. However, the PMMA–10% PHP complex gave the highest concentration of released-oxygen with (∼8.9 mg L−1, after 2.5 h). PMMA–10% PHP nanofibers provided an ideal model for released-oxygen scaffold with anti-cancer effect and high selectivity for cancer cells, especially for breast cancer cells. Nanofibrous scaffolds with different composition revealed high cell viability for normal cells. Such outcomes support the suitability of using synthesized nanofibrous scaffolds as released-oxygen biomaterials to enhance cancer cells' sensitivity and maximize the treatment effect.