The present disclosure provides a nitric oxide hydrogel for promoting tumor vascular normalization and radiosensitization and a preparation method thereof. The hydrogel includes a gel-forming polypeptide for forming a hydrogel and a β-galactose-protected NO donor molecule, where the gel-forming polypeptide and the β-galactose-protected NO donor molecule are covalently linked. In the present disclosure, the preparation method has a low synthesis cost, and adopts daily essential amino acid of the human body as raw materials, showing desirable biocompatibility. The hydrogel acts as a NO reservoir for continuous NO delivery on demand, which significantly solves the problem of a short half-life of NO molecules. Most importantly, the hydrogel releases NO only under the catalysis of β-galactosidase (β-Gal), with a release amount precisely controlled by an enzyme concentration.

Provided is water-soluble compound that can be used in a sustained-release preparation and is capable of stably releasing a fixed amount of an active ingredient in vivo by using the novel potential base material option of alginic acid as the base material. The present invention relates to an alginic acid derivative having a structure which is obtained by covalently bonding a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory compound and alginic acid or a salt thereof via a linker, and preferably relates to an alginic acid derivative represented by formula (1) (in the formula: (A) represents one residue derived from alginic acid or a salt thereof and having the C(═O)— group from either L-guluronic acid or D-mannuronic acid, the monosaccharides that constitute alginic acid; (D) represents one residue from a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory compound; and -L- represents a linker having a functional group which is capable of bonding to (A) by means of an amide bond and having a functional group which is capable of bonding to (D) by means of an ester bond).

##STR00001##

A particle comprising a shell comprising an immunogenic nanoparticle bound to at least one epitope and in contact with the shell, is provided. An emulsion comprising a plurality of said particles is also provided, such as for vaccinating a subject in need thereof.

Disclosed herein are high molecular weight compounds comprising gelatin and doxorubicin, where the gelatin is covalently linked to doxorubicin through a cleavable linker. The cleavable linker can be cleaved under appropriate physiological conditions, and thus lead to the freeing of doxorubicin. The free doxorubicin can then exert its cytotoxic effects on cancer cells. Disclosed herein are methods of making the high molecular weight gelatin-doxorubicin conjugates and methods of use of the same.

Described herein are hydrogels with improved mechanical properties. The hydrogels are composed of two polymer networks covalently crosslinked with one another. The addition of a multivalent cation and/or polycation to the hydrogels further crosslinks the polyphosphate network and can modulate the mechanical properties of the hydrogels as needed. Methods for making and using the hydrogels described herein are presented below.

The present invention provides pharmaceutical compositions suitable for oral delivery of active agent, such as peptides and small molecules, and methods for treating subjects in need thereof. The pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention enhance the bioavailability of therapeutic active agents.

Provided herein are hydrogel cell matrices, hydrogel cell matrix systems for the support, growth, and differentiation of a stem cell or progenitor cell and methods for making such hydrogel cell matrices.

The objective of the present invention is to provide hydrogel particles and a pharmaceutical composition for cancer treatment comprising the same, the hydrogel particles being deformable and having bound to the surfaces thereof a protein capable of binding to cell surface components of cancer cells and/or T cells.

Aspects of the invention described herein include a hydrogel prodrug and methods of making a hydrogel prodrug for drug delivery. Also contemplated are methods of treating, inhibiting, ameliorating or inhibiting a disease or disorder. Without being limiting, the methods for treatment can be directed to a cancer, HIV, a virus, pain, a bacterial infection, a neurological disorder, hemorrhaging, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, high blood pressure, Alzheimer's, or inhibiting a fungal growth in a subject in need.

The present disclosure is directed, in some embodiments, to methods and compositions of comprising a cell having a non-internalizing receptor, and a nanoparticle surface-modified with a ligand that binds to the non-internalizing receptor.