Shixiang Lu

Currently, invasive blood-testing methods that are widely employed for diabetes monitoring present issues including discomfort, infection risks, and delayed wound healing, which lead to poor patient compliance, creating a demand for noninvasive testing methods, including saliva-based testing. However, the implementation of saliva glucose monitoring is hindered by the necessity of achieving high sensitivity, accuracy, and rapid response times. Precise atom regulation in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) is poised to create fast, highly sensitive, and specific electronic interfaces, enabling ultrafast sensing methods, based on which a noninvasive glucose MOF derived Cu-CuO/C sensor is proposed. The sensor employs Cu-CuO/C composites, utilizing the properties of oxygen vacancies to enhance the catalytic oxidation activity of glucose, enabling high sensitivity and rapid response. Finite element simulations revealed that the synergy between the carbon substrate and Cu-CuO heterojunction optimized charge transfer and mass transport pathways, significantly improving sensor performance. Additionally, theoretical calculations demonstrated that the Cu-CuO/C electrode effectively lowers the Gibbs free energy barrier, facilitating glucose oxidation by promoting the desorption of intermediates and enhancing electrocatalytic activity. Experimental validation of the sensor performance revealed an extremely fast response time (0.3 s) and high sensitivity (919.86 μA·mM^–1·cm^–2), with a detection range from 0.001 to 7.33 mM (R² = 0.997). Selectivity tests and real sample tests in artificial and human saliva further confirmed the sensor’s reliability in practical applications. Finally, Cu-CuO/C was immobilized onto screen-printed electrodes, resulting in a portable biosensor that was validated for rapid glucose detection in portable instruments, paving the way for wearable real-time continuous monitoring devices.

FeMo ₆ clusters anchored on a Ni MOF with coordinatively unsaturated Ni sites steer the 2e ⁻ ORR to 94.3% H ₂ O ₂ selectivity at 0.72 V vs. RHE with 169.81 mmol g _cat ⁻¹ h ⁻¹ productivity and >50 000 s stability.

Fusobacterium nucleatum , a bacterium linked to colorectal cancer, possesses a specific gene called fadA that serves as an early diagnostic biomarker. The CRISPR/Cas12a system has demonstrated marked potential for nucleic acid detection due to its satisfactory selectivity and trans-cleavage ability. However, most CRISPR/Cas-based sensors suffer from problems such as probe entanglement or local aggregation, reducing the Cas enzyme efficiency. In this study, an amplification-free biosensing platform for ultrasensitive detection of F. nucleatum was developed by integrating the highly specific CRISPR/AsCas12a with an improved electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensor. Different from the conventional 1- or 2-dimensional probes, the platform was constructed by tetrahedral DNA nanostructure (TDN) probes conjugated with quenchers and coralliform gold (CFAu) functionalized with luminescent agents. The TDN serves as an exceptional scaffold to modulate the recognition unit, substantially enhancing the recognition and cleavage efficiency of AsCas12a toward the probes. Furthermore, the high surface area of CFAu provides extensive landing sites for the luminescent agents, thereby improving the detection sensitivity. The prepared ECL biosensor exhibited a wider linear range (10 fM to 100 nM) and was capable of detecting F. nucleatum down to 1 colony-forming unit/ml. Additionally, the high mismatch sensitivity of AsCas12a to protospacer adjacent motifs and nearby areas provides a strategy for distinguishing mutant from wild-type sequences. Finally, by designing CRISPR RNA (crRNA), this diagnostic method can also be easily modified to detect other bacteria or biomarkers for the early diagnosis of various diseases.

The construction of coassembled peptide nanoprobes based on structural adaptation provides an effective template for stable monitoring of the molecular events in physiological and pathological processes. This also greatly expands their applications in biomedicine, such as multimodal combined diagnosis and treatment. However, the insufficient understanding of the physicochemical properties and structural features of different molecules still makes it difficult to construct the coassembled probes with mutually reinforcing functions, leading to unpredictable effects. Here, we showed how to utilize the π-π stacking network on β-sheets formed by PD-L1-targeting peptides to capture small molecules with ferroptosis functions, thus, coassembling them into a visual probe with synergistic effects. Compared with individual components, the coassembled strategy could significantly improve the stability of the nanoprobe, inducing stronger ferroptosis effects and immune checkpoint blocking effects, and track and reflect the process. This study provides new insights into the design of multicomponent collaborative coassembly systems with biological effects.

Novel 2D material-based supercapacitors are promising candidates for energy applications due to their distinctive physical, chemical, and electrochemical properties. In this study, a dandelion-like structure material comprised of Sm₂O₃, Co₃O₄, and 2D reduced graphene oxide (rGO) on nickel foam (NF) was synthesised using a hydrothermal method followed by subsequent annealing treatment. This dandelion composite grows further through the tremella-like structure of Sm₂O₃ and Co₃O₄, which facilitates the diffusion of ions and prevents structural collapse during charging and discharging. A substantial number of active sites are generated during redox reactions by the unique surface morphology of the Sm₂O₃/Co₃O₄/rGO/NF composite (SCGN). The maximum specific capacity the SCGN material achieves is 3448 F g⁻¹ for 1 A g⁻¹ in a 6 mol L⁻¹ KOH solution. Benefiting from its morphological structure, the prepared composite (SCGN) exhibits a high cyclability of 93.2% over 3000 charge–discharge cycles at 10 A g⁻¹ and a coulombic efficiency of 97.4%. Additionally, the assembled SCGN//SCGN symmetric supercapacitors deliver a high energy density of 64 W h kg⁻¹ with a power density of 300 W kg⁻¹, which increases to an outstanding power density of 12 000 W kg⁻¹ at 28.7 W h kg⁻¹ and long cycle stability (80.9% capacitance retention after 30 000 cycles). These results suggest that the manufactured SCGN electrodes could be viable active electrode materials for electrochemical supercapacitors.

Glioma is a highly challenging human malignancy and conventional drugs typically exhibit low blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability as well as poor tumor targeting. To complicate matters further, recent advances in research on oncology have highlighted the dynamic and complex cellular networks within the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) that complicate glioma treatment. Therefore, precise and efficient targeting of tumor tissue, whilst reversing immunosuppression, may provide an ideal strategy for the treatment of gliomas. Here, by using the “one-bead-one-component” combinatorial chemistry approach, we designed and screened a peptide that can specifically target brain glioma stem cells (GSCs), which was further engineered into glycopeptide-functionalized multifunctional micelles. We demonstrated that the micelles can carry DOX and effectively penetrate the BBB to achieve targeted killing of glioma cells. Meanwhile, mannose confers a unique tumor immune microenvironment modulating function to the micelles, which can activate the anti-tumor immune response function of tumor-associated macrophages and is expected to be further applied in vivo. This study highlights that glycosylation modification of targeted peptides specific to cancer stem cells (CSCs) may serve as an effective tool to improve the therapeutic outcome of brain tumor patients.

A 3D hierarchical spherical honeycomb-like composite electrode materialof neodymium oxide (Nd₂O₃), cobalt tetraoxide (Co₃O₄), and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) on nickel foam (named as Nd₂O₃/Co₃O₄/rGO/NF) were successfully fabricated by combining the hydrothermal synthesis method and the annealing process. Nickel foam with a three-dimensional spatial structure was used as the growth substrate without the use of any adhesives. The Nd₂O₃/Co₃O₄/rGO/NF composite has outstanding electrochemical performance and can be used directly as an electrode material for supercapacitors (SCs). By taking advantage of the large specific surface area of the electrode material, it effectively slows down the volume expansion of the active material caused by repeated charging and discharging processes, improves the electrode performance in terms of electrical conductivity, and significantly shortens the electron and ion transport paths. At a 1 A/g current density, the specific capacitance reaches a maximum value of 3359.6 F/g. A specific capacitance of 440.4 F/g with a current density of 0.5A/g is still possible from the built symmetric SCs. The capacitance retention rate is still 95.7% after 30,000 cycles of testing at a high current density of 10 A/g, and the energy density is 88.1 Wh/kg at a power density of 300 W/kg. The outcomes of the experiment demonstrate the significant potential and opportunity for this composite material to be used as an electrode material for SCs.

The Pr ₂ O ₃ /Co ₃ O ₄ /rGO/NF electrode has been prepared by hydrothermal method and annealing process, with high specific capacitance and excellent cycle stability.

The Gd₂O₃/Co₃O₄/rGO/NF electrode was prepared using a one-step hydrothermal method and annealing process, with high specific capacitance and excellent cycle stability.

The RuCo₂O₄/rGO@NF composite electrode has been prepared by a one-step hydrothermal method and annealing process, with high specific capacitance and excellent cycle stability.