Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Engineering”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 469 records · Page 26Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

Environmental education and socioresponsive engineering. Report of an educational initiative in Hyderabad, India.

A recent initiative at Muffakham Jah College of Engineering and Technology, Hyderabad, India, has resulted in setting up a program called Centre for Environment Studies and Socioresponsive Engineering which seeks to involve undergraduate students in studying and solving environmental problems in and around the city of Hyderabad, India. Two pilot projects have been undertaken--one focusing on design and construction of an eco-friendly house, The Natural House, and another directed at improving environmental and general living conditions in a slum area. The paper describes our attempts and experience of motivating our students to take interest in such projects. In an interesting development we invited a member of a student-faculty team at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) that is doing a project in Nepal on safe drinking water. We report in our paper how the presentation by the guest from M.I.T. served as a catalyst for generating interest among civil and mechanical engineering students in our own projects. The paper includes contributions from one of our students and the M.I.T. staff member, reporting on their experiences related to the slum development project. We also discuss the Natural House project and its international and educational significance as a means of inculcating sensitivity and interest in nature among engineering students. We propose a pledge for engineers similar to the Hippocratic Oath for medical professionals.

Ecosystem↗
PubMed2004

The importance of meta-ethics in engineering education.

Our shared moral framework is negotiated as part of the social contract. Some elements of that framework are established (tell the truth under oath), but other elements lack an overlapping consensus (just when can an individual lie to protect his or her privacy?). The tidy bits of our accepted moral framework have been codified, becoming the subject of legal rather than ethical consideration. Those elements remaining in the realm of ethics seem fragmented and inconsistent. Yet, our engineering students will need to navigate the broken ground of this complex moral landscape. A minimalist approach would leave our students with formulated dogma--principles of right and wrong such as the National Society for Professional Engineers (NSPE) Code of Ethics for Engineers--but without any insight into the genesis of these principles. A slightly deeper, micro-ethics approach would teach our students to solve ethical problems by applying heuristics--giving our students a rational process to manipulate ethical dilemmas using the same principles simply referenced a priori by dogma. A macro-ethics approach--helping students to inductively construct a posteriori principles from case studies--goes beyond the simple statement or manipulation of principles, but falls short of linking personal moral principles to the larger, social context. Ultimately, it is this social context that requires both the application of ethical principles, and the negotiation of moral values--from an understanding of meta-ethics. The approaches to engineering ethics instruction (dogma, heuristics, case studies, and meta-ethics) can be associated with stages of moral development. If we leave our students with only a dogmatic reaction to ethical dilemmas, they will be dependent on the ethical decisions of others (a denial of their fundamental potential for moral autonomy). Heuristics offers a tool to deal independently with moral questions, but a tool that too frequently reduces to casuistry when rigidly applied to "simplified" dilemmas. Case studies, while providing a context for engineering ethics, can encourage the premature analysis of specific moral conduct rather than the development of broad moral principles--stifling our students' facility with meta-ethics. Clearly, if a moral sense is developmental, ethics instruction should lead our students from lower to higher stages of moral development.

Engineering↗
PubMed2004

American pragmatism as a guide for professional ethical conduct for engineers.

The ethical choices faced by engineers today are increasingly complex. Competing and conflicting ethical demands from clients, communities, employees, and personal objectives combine to suggest that engineers employ ethical approaches that are adaptive yet grounded in three concrete professional circumstances: first, that engineers apply unique professional skills in the service of a client, subject to protecting the public interest; second, that engineers advance the state of knowledge of their professional field through reflection, research, and sharing experience in journals and conferences, and third, that they develop new professionals by active mentoring. This paper examines five features of American pragmatism and suggests that its emphasis on specific, context-based ethical decision making can assist engineers in a postmodern setting. In particular, it considers the venues of interpersonal ethical choices, institutional ethical conflicts, and social choices that have ethical components. Pragmatism suggests that in such a complex ethical climate, there is a need for the co-evolution of judgment and action, for individual reflective judgment in particular situations, and for ceasing to search for a single, immutable principle for ethical choice.

Engineering↗
PubMed2004

Ethics training: a genuine dilemma for engineering educators.

This is an examination of three main strategies used by engineering educators to integrate ethics into the engineering curriculum. They are: (1) the standalone course, (2) the ethics imperative mandating ethics content for all engineering courses, and (3) outsourcing ethics instruction to an external expert. The expectations from each approach are discussed and their main limitations described. These limitations include the insular status of the stand-alone course, the diffuse and uneven integration with the ethics imperative, and the orphaned status of ethics using the outside expert. A fourth option is proposed--a special modular option. This strategy avoids the limitations of earlier approaches and harmonizes well with curricular objectives and professional values. While some help is provided by a professional ethicist, the headliner for the series of seminars is a high-profile engineer who shares an ethics dilemma encountered in professional practice. Students discuss the case and propose solutions. The goal is to make ethics applicable to real-life problems facing working engineers and to help change behaviors.

Engineering↗
PubMed2006

PRiME: integrating professional responsibility into the engineering curriculum.

Engineering educators have long discussed the need to teach professional responsibility and the social context of engineering without adding to overcrowded curricula. One difficulty we face is the lack of appropriate teaching materials that can fit into existing courses. The PRiME (Professional Responsibility Modules for Engineering) Project (http://www.engr.utexas.edu/ethics/primeModules.cfm) described in this paper was initiated at the University of Texas, Austin to provide web-based modules that could be integrated into any undergraduate engineering class. Using HPL (How People Learn) theory, PRiME developed and piloted four modules during the academic year 2004-2005. This article introduces the modules and the pilot, outlines the assessment process, analyzes the results, and describes how the modules are being revised in light of the initial assessment. In its first year of development and testing, PRiME made significant progress towards meeting its objectives. The PRiME Project can strengthen engineering education by providing faculty with an effective system for engaging students in learning about professional responsibility.

Computer-Assisted Instruction↗
PubMed1992

The folding of an enzyme. V. H/2H exchange-nuclear magnetic resonance studies on the folding pathway of barnase: complementarity to and agreement with protein engineering studies.

Two major methods are currently being used to characterize transient intermediates during protein folding at the level of individual residues. Nuclear magnetic resonance (n.m.r.) measurements on the protection of peptide NH hydrogens against exchange with solvent during refolding can provide information about secondary structure formation. Protein engineering and kinetics can provide direct information about intramolecular interactions of protein side-chains and indirect evidence on secondary structure. These procedures have provided the most complete pictures so far about protein folding intermediates. Both methods have been applied to the characterization of an intermediate in the refolding of barnase. Although the two methods give complementary information, there are some regions of the protein where the methods overlap well. We show that, with one possible exception that is obscure, n.m.r. and protein engineering give identical results for those interactions that can be analysed by both methods. This suggests that these are valid approaches for the study of protein folding intermediates in the case of barnase and that the combination of the methods is a powerful analytical procedure. Information provided by n.m.r. data that is complementary to the protein engineering experiments is: (1) early formation of the C terminus of helix2; (2) early formation of helix3; (3) early formation of several beta-turns (46-49, 101-104 in loop5); and (5) partial formation of loop5. Confirmatory evidence of protein engineering data on the intermediate is: (1) helix1 is complete from residues 10 to 18; (2) the interactions between all beta-strands are present; (3) part of loop2 is not formed; (4) part of loop3 is formed; and (5) some specific tertiary interactions are not made. For some interactions the protein engineering and H/2H exchange methods overlap directly. The information obtained for direct overlap is self consistent.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2005

Repair of osteochondral defect with tissue-engineered chondral plug in a rabbit model.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the macroscopic and histologic results of transplanting a tissue-engineered chondral plug made of atelocollagen sponge and PLLA mesh to treat osteochondral defects. TYPE OF STUDY: Controlled experimental study. METHODS: Twelve-week-old male Japanese white rabbits were used. Fresh articular cartilage slices were taken from the humeral head, and isolated chondrocytes were embedded in atelocollagen gel which does not have antigenic portions of collagen (2.0 x 10(6) cells/mL). They were seeded on the top of the atelocollagen sponge/PLLA mesh composite and cultured for 2 weeks. The culture medium was changed every 3 days and L-ascorbic acid (50 microg/mL) was added every 2 days. Culturing the composites for 2 weeks produced tissue-engineered chondral plugs. These tissue-engineered chondral plugs (4-mm diameter, 4-mm thick) were transplanted into the osteochondral defects (4 mm diameter, 4 mm deep) in the patellar grooves of the same rabbits from which the chondrocytes had been harvested (the experimental group). In the control group, the defects were treated with the plugs without chondrocytes. The rabbits were killed 4 and 12 weeks after transplantation. The repaired tissues were evaluated macroscopically and histologically, and analyzed immunohistochemically for expression of type II collagen. RESULTS: Four weeks after transplantation in the experimental group, the defects were partially repaired with cartilage-like tissue with good subchondral bone formation. Twelve weeks after transplantation, the defects were repaired with hyaline cartilage-like tissue densely stained by Safranin O. Well-organized subchondral bone formation was also observed. In the control group, the defects were covered with only soft fibrous tissue at 4 and 12 weeks macroscopically. Immunohistochemically, type II collagen was detected in about 90% of the repaired area. Histologic scores in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group at both 4 and 12 weeks after transplantation. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that the defects treated with tissue engineered chondral plug developed type II collagen in about 90% of the repaired area. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The transplantation of a tissue-engineered chondral plug will be one option for treating osteochondral defects. The next step in testing our hypothesis is to evaluate the repaired tissue biomechanically and biochemically over a longer period of time.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Assessment of polyglycolic acid mesh and bioactive glass for soft-tissue engineering scaffolds.

Sufficient neovascularization of neotissue is currently a limiting factor for the engineering of large tissue constructs. 45S5 Bioglass has been investigated extensively in bone tissue engineering but there has been relatively little previous research on its application to soft-tissue engineering. The objectives of this study were to investigate the use of 45S5 Bioglass in soft-tissue engineering scaffolds using in vitro and in vivo models. A fibroblast cell line (208F) was used for in vitro evaluation of surfaces coated with 45S5 Bioglass. Increased proliferation of fibroblasts was observed after growth on polystyrene surfaces coated with low concentrations (0.01-0.2%wt/vol) of 45S5 Bioglass for 24 h in vitro, determined as a change in total cell number by measuring lactate dehydrogenase. At higher concentrations of 45S5 Bioglass and longer periods of incubation (48 and 72 h) on coated surfaces, cell proliferation was reduced. Light microscopy revealed that the morphology of fibroblasts grown on 45S5 Bioglass-coated surfaces was not altered at low concentrations, but at higher concentrations fibroblasts became vacuolated. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of conditioned culture medium collected from fibroblasts grown for 24 h on surfaces coated with low concentrations of 45S5 Bioglass (0.01%wt/vol) was found to contain significantly higher concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor. Histological examination of polyglycolic acid (PGA)/45S5 Bioglass composite scaffolds that had been implanted subcutaneously into rats revealed that 45S5 Bioglass-coated meshes were well tolerated. Light microscopy revealed that neovascularization into 45S5 Bioglass-coated meshes was significantly increased at 28 and 42 days. Electron microscopy revealed fibroblasts adhering closely to the PGA mesh but not to 45S5 Bioglass particles. The apparent ability of 45S5 Bioglass incorporated into scaffolds to increase neovascularization would be extremely beneficial during the engineering of larger soft-tissue constructs.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Vascular patches tissue-engineered with autologous bone marrow-derived cells and decellularized tissue matrices.

Synthetic polymer vascular patches used in cardiovascular surgery have shortcomings such as thrombosis, intimal hyperplasia, calcification, infection, and no growth potential. Tissue-engineered vascular patches using autologous vascular cells may solve these problems. In this study, we developed a tissue-engineered vascular patch using autologous bone marrow-derived cells (BMCs) and decellularized tissue matrices. Vascular smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells were differentiated from bone marrow mononuclear cells in vitro. Tissue-engineered vascular patches were fabricated by seeding these cells onto decellularized canine inferior vena cava matrices and implanted into the inferior vena cava of dogs. Three weeks after implantation, the tissue-engineered vascular patches were patent with no sign of thrombus formation. Histological, immunohistochemical, and electron microscopic analyses of the vascular patches retrieved 3 weeks after implantation revealed regeneration of endothelium and smooth muscle and the presence of collagen and elastin. BMCs labeled with a fluorescent dye prior to implantation were detected in the retrieved vascular patches, indicating that the BMCs survived after implantation and contributed to the vascular tissue regeneration. This study demonstrates that vascular patches can be tissue-engineered with autologous BMCs and decellularized tissue matrices.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

Tissue engineering of human cartilage and osteochondral composites using recirculation bioreactors.

Chondrocytes isolated from human foetal epiphyseal cartilage were seeded dynamically into polyglycolic acid (PGA) scaffolds and cultured in recirculation column bioreactors to produce tissue-engineered cartilage. Several culture techniques with the potential to provide endogenous growth factors and other conditions beneficial for de novo cartilage synthesis were investigated. Osteochondral composite constructs were generated by seeding separate PGA scaffolds with either foetal chondrocytes or foetal osteoblasts then suturing the scaffolds together before bioreactor cultivation. This type of co-culture system provided direct contact between the tissue-engineered cartilage and developing tissue-engineered bone and yielded significant improvements in cartilage quality. In the cartilage section of the composites, the concentrations of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and total collagen were increased by 55% and 2.5-fold, respectively, compared with control cartilage cultures, while levels of collagen type II were similar to those in the controls. The osteochondral composites were harvested from the bioreactors as single units with good integration between the cartilage and bone tissues. Only the cartilage layer contained GAG while only the bone layer was mineralised. In other experiments, co-culture of tissue-engineered cartilage with pieces of ex-vivo cartilage or ex-vivo bone did not improve the quality of the cartilage relative to control cultures. Addition of 10(-6) M diacerein to the culture medium also had no effect on the properties of engineered cartilage. This work demonstrates the beneficial effects of generating cartilage tissues in contact with developing bone. It also demonstrates the feasibility of producing composite osteochondral constructs for clinical application using recirculation column bioreactors.

Bioreactors↗
PubMed2005

Biomechanical and biochemical characterization of composite tissue-engineered intervertebral discs.

Composite tissue-engineered intervertebral tissue was assembled in the shape of cylindrical disks composed of an outer shell of PGA mesh seeded with annulus fibrosus cells with an inner core of nucleus pulposus cells seeded into an alginate gel. Samples were implanted subcutaneously in athymic mice and retrieved at time points up to 16 weeks. At all retrieval times, samples maintained shape and contained regions of distinct tissue formation. Histology revealed progressive tissue formation with distinct morphological differences in tissue formation in regions seeded with annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus cells. Biochemical analysis indicated that DNA, proteoglycan, and collagen content in tissue-engineered discs increased with time, reaching >50% of the levels of native tissue by 16 weeks. The exception to this was the collagen content of the nucleus pulposus portion of the implants with were approximately 15% of native values. The equilibrium modulus of tissue-engineered discs was 49.0+/-13.2 kPa at 16 weeks, which was between the measured values for the modulus of annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus. The hydraulic permeability of tissue-engineered discs was 5.1+/-1.7x10(-14) m2/Pa at 16 weeks, which was between the measured values for the hydraulic permeability of annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus. These studies document the feasibility of creating composite tissue-engineered intevertebral disc implants with similar composition and mechanical properties to native tissue.

Alginates↗
PubMed2005

Tissue engineering-based cartilage repair with allogenous chondrocytes and gelatin-chondroitin-hyaluronan tri-copolymer scaffold: a porcine model assessed at 18, 24, and 36 weeks.

We previously showed that cartilage tissue can be engineered in vitro with porcine chondrocytes and gelatin/chondoitin-6-sulfate/hyaluronan tri-copolymer which mimic natural cartilage matrix for use as a scaffold. In this animal study, 15 miniature pigs were used in a randomized control study to compare tissue engineering with allogenous chondrocytes, autogenous osteochondral (OC) transplantation, and spontaneous repair for OC articular defects. In another study, 6 pigs were used as external controls in which full thickness (FT) and OC defects were either allowed to heal spontaneously or were filled with scaffold alone. After exclusion of cases with infection and secondary arthritis, the best results were obtained with autogenous OC transplantation, except that integration into host cartilage was poor. The results for the tissue engineering-treated group were satisfactory, the repair tissue being hyaline cartilage and/or fibrocartilage. Spontaneous healing and filling with scaffold alone did not result in good repair. With OC defects, the subchondral bone plate was not restored by cartilage tissue engineering. These results show that tri-copolymer can be used in in vivo cartilage tissue engineering for the treatment of FT articular defects.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Doppler optical coherence tomography for measuring flow in engineered tissue.

The engineering of human tissue represents a major paradigm shift in clinical medicine. Early embodiments of tissue engineering are currently being taken forward to the clinic by production methods that are essentially extensions of laboratory manual procedures. However, to achieve the status of routine large-scale clinical practice, automation and scale-out processes are required. This in turn will require the development of reliable on-line monitoring and control systems. This paper examines one demand of crucial importance, namely the real time in vitro monitoring of the flow characteristics through growing tissue since this has a complex interrelationship. Doppler optical coherence tomography (DOCT) is a recently developed imaging technique for studying the rheological properties of tissues in vivo. Capable of non-invasive imaging in real time with high resolution, it is potentially ideal for the continuous monitoring of engineered tissues in vitro. As a base line, the current status of DOCT in vivo is therefore reviewed. This paper also reports the first preliminary use of DOCT in tissue engineering. The application described involves the imaging of a fully developed laminar flow through a combined tissue fabrication/bioreactor with a tissue-engineered construct (substitute blood vessel) in situ.

Bioreactors↗
PubMed2006

Engineering of human tracheal tissue with collagen-enforced poly-lactic-glycolic acid non-woven mesh: a preliminary study in nude mice.

The purpose of the current study is to fabricate tissue engineered trachea with poly-lactic-glycolic acid (PLGA) non-woven mesh enforced by collagen type I. PLGA fibres coated with collagen solution were put together and fabricated into the shape of a human trachea, after drying and cross-linking treatment, a non-woven mesh with "C" shape formed. Chondrocytes from sheep nasal septum cartilage were expanded in vitro and seeded into PLGA/collagen non-woven mesh in the density of 5.0 x 10(7)mL(-1). After 5 days of in vitro incubation, six Cell-PLGA/collagen composites were implanted subcutaneously into the back of 6 nude mice to prefabricate a tissue engineering trachea. Eight weeks later, the cartilage formation was observed by gross inspection and histological examination. Cartilage-like tissue in the shape of the initial PLGA/collagen scaffold had been regenerated successfully without obvious inflammatory response. The tissue engineered trachea cartilage consisted of evenly spaced lacunae embedded in matrix stained red with safranin-O staining. The amount of GAGs in tissue engineered trachea cartilage reached 71.42% of normal value in native cartilage. This study demonstrated that collagen-enforced PLGA non-woven mesh facilitated the adhesion and proliferation of chondrocytes, it also owned adequate mechanical strength to serve as an ideal scaffold for trachea tissue engineering without internal support.

Animals↗
PubMed2007

Construction of an autologous tissue-engineered venous conduit from bone marrow-derived vascular cells: optimization of cell harvest and seeding techniques.

BACKGROUND: Currently available vascular grafts for pediatric cardiovascular operations are limited by their inability to grow. Tissue-engineering techniques can be used to create vascular grafts with the potential for repair, remodeling, and growth. This study demonstrates the feasibility of constructing an autologous tissue-engineered venous conduit from bone marrow-derived vascular cells (BMVCs) in the ovine animal model. METHODS: Ovine mononuclear cells were isolated from the bone marrow, cultured in endothelial growth medium, and characterized with immunocytochemistry. Biodegradable tubular scaffolds were constructed from polyglycolic acid mesh coated with a copolymer of poly[epsilon-caprolactone-L-lactide]. Scaffolds were seeded at various cell concentrations and incubation times to optimize seeding conditions for the construction of an autologous venous conduit. Using optimized conditions, 6 tissue-engineered vascular grafts were implanted as inferior vena cava interposition grafts in juvenile lambs. Grafts were assessed for patency at days 1 to 30 postoperatively and explanted for histological and immunohistochemical analysis. RESULTS: A mixed cell population of BMVCs consisting of smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells was cultured from ovine sternal bone marrow. A seeding concentration of 2 x 10(6) cells/cm2 and 7 days of postseeding incubation were optimal for creating a confluent cellular layer on the polyglycolic acid/poly[epsilon-caprolactone-L-lactide]) scaffold. Grafts were explanted up to 4 weeks postoperatively. All grafts were patent without evidence of thrombosis. Histological evaluation of the explanted grafts demonstrated neo-endothelialization. Graft wall was composed of neo-tissue made up of residual polymer matrix, mesenchymal cells, and extracellular matrix without evidence of calcification. CONCLUSIONS: Bone marrow-derived vascular cells, containing endothelial and smooth muscle cells, can be isolated and cultured from ovine sternal bone marrow and used as a cell source for vascular tissue engineering. Our optimized techniques for BMVC harvest and seeding onto biodegradable scaffolds can be used for studying autologous tissue-engineered vascular grafts in the ovine animal model.

Animals↗
PubMed2005

The tissue-engineered vascular graft using bone marrow without culture.

OBJECTIVE: To overcome the shortcomings of current vascular grafts, tissue-engineering methods have been applied to cardiovascular regions. We previously reported the creation of a tissue-engineered vascular graft by using vascular mixed cells. However, the cost and manpower for harvesting and culturing the cells was too burdensome. To overcome these drawbacks, we have developed a new method for creating a tissue-engineered vascular graft by using bone marrow cells, which can be obtained easily and used immediately, without cell culture. METHODS: Biodegradable polymers seeded with different types of cells (group V, cultured venous cells; group B, bone marrow cells without culture; and group C, non-cell-seeded graft [as control]) were implanted into the inferior venae cavae of dogs. The grafts were explanted at 4 weeks and assessed histologically and biochemically. RESULTS: In the histologic examination, a regular layer of Masson-staining collagen fiber and a layer of factor VII-stained endothelial and ant-alpha-smooth muscle cell antigen-immunoreactive cells stained in groups V and B like native vascular tissue, whereas no such stained regular lining was detected in group C. A 4-hydroxyproline assay in group C showed significantly lower levels than in groups V and B or native tissue ( P < .05). The DNA content of the tissue-engineered vascular graft tended to be higher in group C than in groups V and B or in native tissue. CONCLUSIONS: In the creation of tissue-engineered vascular grafts, the method of using bone marrow cells seems to be useful and superior to that of using vascular cells because bone marrow cells can be used directly, without culture.

Animals↗
PubMed2026

Engineering extracellular vesicles for targeted siRNA delivery: Advances, therapeutic applications, and clinical translation.

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutics have emerged as a transformative approach for sequence-specific gene silencing, offering the potential to treat a broad spectrum of diseases by selectively suppressing disease-associated genes. However, the clinical translation of siRNA remains limited by rapid enzymatic degradation, poor cellular uptake, inadequate endosomal escape, and off-target effects, necessitating the development of efficient delivery systems. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have gained considerable attention as natural nanocarriers owing to their excellent biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, intrinsic targeting capability, and ability to protect therapeutic cargo while traversing complex biological barriers. This review comprehensively discusses the biological characteristics of EVs, the molecular basis of RNA interference, and the major challenges associated with siRNA delivery [Fig. 1]. Recent advances in EV engineering, including cargo-loading strategies such as electroporation, sonication, extrusion, parent-cell engineering, and microfluidic approaches, together with surface functionalization using peptides, antibodies, aptamers, and hybrid nanoplatforms, are critically evaluated for improving targeting specificity and intracellular delivery. Furthermore, the therapeutic applications of engineered EV-mediated siRNA delivery in cancer, neurological disorders, liver diseases, cardiovascular diseases, inflammatory disorders, and infectious diseases are systematically summarized, highlighting their potential to enhance gene silencing while minimizing systemic toxicity. Current challenges related to large-scale manufacturing, cargo-loading efficiency, standardization, quality control, regulatory approval, and clinical translation are also discussed, together with emerging technologies involving synthetic biology, genome engineering, artificial intelligence, and multifunctional hybrid vesicles. Overall, engineered extracellular vesicles represent a highly versatile and biologically inspired platform for targeted siRNA delivery, providing a promising foundation for the development of next-generation precision RNA therapeutics and accelerating the clinical translation of gene-silencing strategies.

Extracellular vesicle engineering↗
PubMedDate not supplied

"This food may contain ..." What nurses should know about genetically engineered foods.

Genetic engineering has been in existence since 1973. The process involves placing genetic DNA from one organism into another. Genetically engineered organisms (GEOs) are the name given to such new species of plants created through this process. Proponents of GEOs assert that foods we are now able to produce have greater nutritional value, longer shelf life, better appearance, taste and smell. There are positive benefits to genetic engineering of plants and animals. A growing concern for the health safety of genetically engineered plants and foods is developing among the cautious. The purpose of this article is to define genetic engineering, present benefits and risks, describe the impact on human health, and address implications for nursing.

Consumer Product Safety↗