• Biofilm Responsive Zwitterionic Antimicrobial Nanoparticles to Treat Cutaneous Infection 

      Obuobi, Sybil Akua Okyerewa; Phung, Anna Ngoc; Julin, Kjersti; Johannessen, Mona; Skalko-Basnet, Natasa (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2021-12-16)
      To avert the poor bioavailability of antibiotics during S. aureus biofilm infections, a series of zwitterionic nanoparticles containing nucleic acid nanostructures were fabricated for the delivery of vancomycin. The nanoparticles were prepared with three main lipids: (i) neutral (soy phosphatidylcholine; P), (ii) positively charged ionizable (1,2-dioleyloxy-3-dimethylaminopropane; D), and (iii) ...
    • Biomimicry of microbial polysaccharide hydrogels for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine - A review 

      Ng, Jian Yao; Obuobi, Sybil Akua Okyerewa; Chua, Mei Ling; Zhang, Chi; Hong, Shiqi; Kumar, Yogesh; Gokhale, Rajeev; Ee, Pui Lai Rachel (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2020-04-29)
      Hydrogels as artificial biomaterial scaffolds offer a much favoured 3D microenvironment for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM). Towards biomimicry of the native ECM, polysaccharides from Nature have been proposed as ideal surrogates given their biocompatibility. In particular, derivatives from microbial sources have emerged as economical and sustainable biomaterials due to their ...
    • Liposomal delivery of antibiotic loaded nucleic acid nanogels with enhanced drug loading and synergistic anti-inflammatory activity against S. aureus intracellular infections 

      Obuobi, Sybil Akua Okyerewa; Julin, Kjersti; Fredheim, Elizabeth G. Aarag; Johannessen, Mona; Skalko-Basnet, Natasa (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2020-06-07)
      The persistence of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> has been accredited to its ability to escape immune response via host cell invasion. Despite the efficacy of many antibiotics against <i>S. aureus</i>, the high extracellular concentrations of conventional antibiotics required for bactericidal activity is limited by their low cellular accumulation and poor intracellular retention. While nanocarriers ...
    • Nucleic acid peptide nanogels for the treatment of bacterial keratitis 

      Obuobi, Sybil Akua Okyerewa; Mayandi, Venkatesh; Nurul, Azlyn Mohd Nor; Lee, Benedict Jiasheng; Lakshminarayanan, Rajamani; Pui Lai, Rachel Ee (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2020-08-14)
      Cage-shaped nucleic acid nanocarriers are promising molecular scaffolds for the organization of polypeptides. However, there is an unmet need for facile loading strategies that truly emulate nature's host–guest systems to drive encapsulation of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) without loss of biological activity. Herein, we develop DNA nanogels with rapid in situ loading of L12 peptide during the thermal ...
    • Nucleic acids hybrids as advanced antibacterial nanocarriers 

      Obuobi, Sybil Akua Okyerewa; Skalko-Basnet, Natasa (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2020-07-08)
      Conventional antibiotic therapy is often challenged by poor drug penetration/accumulation at infection sites and poses a significant burden to public health. Effective strategies to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of our existing arsenal include the use of nanoparticulate delivery platforms to improve drug targeting and minimize adverse effects. However, these nanocarriers are often challenged by ...
    • Polymyxin B stabilized DNA micelles for sustained antibacterial and antibiofilm activity against P. aeruginosa 

      Antunes de Sousa, Alexandra Sofia; Borøy, Vegard; Bæverud, Agnethe Hansen; Julin, Kjersti; Bayer, Annette; Strøm, Morten B.; Johannessen, Mona Susan; Skalko Basnet, Natasa; Obuobi, Sybil Akua Okyerewa (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2023-07-21)
      Nucleic acid-based materials showcase an increasing potential for antimicrobial drug delivery. Although numerous reports on drug-loaded DNA nanoparticles outline their pivotal antibacterial activities, their potential as drug delivery systems against bacterial biofilms awaits further studies. Among different oligonucleotide structures, micellar nanocarriers derived from amphiphilic DNA strands ...
    • Silica Nanoparticles - A Versatile Tool for the Treatment of Bacterial Infections 

      Selvarajan, Vanitha; Obuobi, Sybil Akua Okyerewa; Rachel Ee, Pui Lai (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2020-07-15)
      The rapid emergence of drug resistance continues to outpace the development of new antibiotics in the treatment of infectious diseases. Conventional therapy is currently limited by drug access issues such as low intracellular drug accumulations, drug efflux by efflux pumps and/or enzymatic degradation. To improve access, targeted delivery using nanocarriers could provide the quantum leap in intracellular ...
    • Smart delivery systems for microbial biofilm therapy: Dissecting design, drug release and toxicological features 

      Antunes De Sousa, Alexandra Sofia; Phung, Anna Ngoc; Skalko-Basnet, Natasa; Obuobi, Sybil Akua Okyerewa (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2023-01-18)
      Bacterial biofilms are highly protected surface attached communities of bacteria that typically cause chronic infections. To address their recalcitrance to antibiotics and minimise side effects of current therapies, smart drug carriers are being explored as promising platforms for antimicrobials. Herein, we briefly summarize recent efforts and considerations that have been applied in the design ...
    • Wirelessly operated bioelectronic sutures for the monitoring of deep surgical wounds 

      Kalidasan, Viveka; Yang, Xin; Xiong, Ze; Li, Renee R.; Yao, Haicheng; Godaba, Hareesh; Obuobi, Sybil Akua Okyerewa; Singh, Priti; Guan, Xin; Tian, Xi; Kurt, Selman A.; Li, Zhipeng; Mukherjee, Devika; Rajarethinam, Ravisankar; Chong, Choon Seng; Wang, Jiong-Wei; Ee, Pui Lai Rachel; Loke, Weiqiang; Tee, Benjamin C. K.; Ouyang, Jianyong; Charles, Christopher J.; Ho, John S. (Journal article; Tidsskriftartikkel; Peer reviewed, 2021-10-15)
      Monitoring surgical wounds post-operatively is necessary to prevent infection, dehiscence and other complications. However, the monitoring of deep surgical sites is typically limited to indirect observations or to costly radiological investigations that often fail to detect complications before they become severe. Bioelectronic sensors could provide accurate and continuous monitoring from within the ...