This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.

Unclaimed
Usha Hemraz
Aquatic and Crop Resource Development Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Montreal, QC H4P 2R2, Canada

Basic Info

Basic Info is private.

Honors and Awards

The user has no records in this section


Career Timeline

The user has no records in this section.


Short Biography

The user biography is not available.
Following
Followers
Co Authors
The list of users this user is following is empty.
Following: 0 users

Feed

Review
Published: 22 June 2021 in Nanomaterials
Reads 0
Downloads 0

In recent years, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) have emerged as a leading biomass-based nanomaterial owing to their unique functional properties and sustainable resourcing. Sulfated cellulose nanocrystals (sCNCs), produced by sulfuric acid-assisted hydrolysis of cellulose, is currently the predominant form of this class of nanomaterial; its utilization leads the way in terms of CNC commercialization activities and industrial applications. The functional properties, including high crystallinity, colloidal stability, and uniform nanoscale dimensions, can also be attained through carboxylated cellulose nanocrystals (cCNCs). Herein, we review recent progress in methods and feedstock materials for producing cCNCs, describe their functional properties, and discuss the initial successes in their applications. Comparisons are made to sCNCs to highlight some of the inherent advantages that cCNCs may possess in similar applications.

ACS Style

Edmond Lam; Usha Hemraz. Preparation and Surface Functionalization of Carboxylated Cellulose Nanocrystals. Nanomaterials 2021, 11, 1641 .

AMA Style

Edmond Lam, Usha Hemraz. Preparation and Surface Functionalization of Carboxylated Cellulose Nanocrystals. Nanomaterials. 2021; 11 (7):1641.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Edmond Lam; Usha Hemraz. 2021. "Preparation and Surface Functionalization of Carboxylated Cellulose Nanocrystals." Nanomaterials 11, no. 7: 1641.

Communication
Published: 12 February 2021 in Pharmaceutics
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Cancer remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. While novel treatments have improved survival outcomes for some patients, new treatment modalities/platforms are needed to combat a wider variety of tumor types. Cancer vaccines harness the power of the immune system to generate targeted tumor-specific immune responses. Liposomes composed of glycolipids derived from archaea (i.e., archaeosomes) have been shown to be potent adjuvants, inducing robust, long-lasting humoral and cell-mediated immune responses to a variety of antigens. Herein, we evaluated the ability of archaeosomes composed of sulfated lactosyl archaeol (SLA), a semi-synthetic archaeal glycolipid, to enhance the immunogenicity of a synthetic long peptide-based vaccine formulation containing the dominant CD8+ T cell epitope, SIINFEKL, from the weakly immunogenic model antigen ovalbumin. One advantage of immunizing with long peptides is the ability to include multiple epitopes, for example, the long peptide antigen was also designed to include the immediately adjacent CD4+ epitope, TEWTSSNVMEER. SLA archaeosomes were tested alone or in combination with the toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) agonist Poly(I:C). Overall, SLA archaeosomes synergized strongly with Poly(I:C) to induce robust antigen-specific CD8+ T cell responses, which were highly functional in an in vivo cytolytic assay. Furthermore, immunization with this vaccine formulation suppressed tumor growth and extended mouse survival in a mouse melanoma tumor model. Overall, the combination of SLA archaeosomes and Poly(I:C) appears to be a promising adjuvant system when used along with long peptide-based antigens targeting cancer.

ACS Style

Bassel Akache; Gerard Agbayani; Felicity Stark; Yimei Jia; Renu Dudani; Blair Harrison; Lise Deschatelets; Vandana Chandan; Edmond Lam; Usha Hemraz; Sophie Régnier; Lakshmi Krishnan; Michael McCluskie. Sulfated Lactosyl Archaeol Archaeosomes Synergize with Poly(I:C) to Enhance the Immunogenicity and Efficacy of a Synthetic Long Peptide-Based Vaccine in a Melanoma Tumor Model. Pharmaceutics 2021, 13, 257 .

AMA Style

Bassel Akache, Gerard Agbayani, Felicity Stark, Yimei Jia, Renu Dudani, Blair Harrison, Lise Deschatelets, Vandana Chandan, Edmond Lam, Usha Hemraz, Sophie Régnier, Lakshmi Krishnan, Michael McCluskie. Sulfated Lactosyl Archaeol Archaeosomes Synergize with Poly(I:C) to Enhance the Immunogenicity and Efficacy of a Synthetic Long Peptide-Based Vaccine in a Melanoma Tumor Model. Pharmaceutics. 2021; 13 (2):257.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Bassel Akache; Gerard Agbayani; Felicity Stark; Yimei Jia; Renu Dudani; Blair Harrison; Lise Deschatelets; Vandana Chandan; Edmond Lam; Usha Hemraz; Sophie Régnier; Lakshmi Krishnan; Michael McCluskie. 2021. "Sulfated Lactosyl Archaeol Archaeosomes Synergize with Poly(I:C) to Enhance the Immunogenicity and Efficacy of a Synthetic Long Peptide-Based Vaccine in a Melanoma Tumor Model." Pharmaceutics 13, no. 2: 257.

Journal article
Published: 02 February 2021 in Pharmaceutics
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Archaeosomes, composed of sulfated lactosyl archaeol (SLA) glycolipids, have been proven to be an effective vaccine adjuvant in multiple preclinical models of infectious disease or cancer. SLA archaeosomes are a promising adjuvant candidate due to their ability to strongly stimulate both humoral and cytotoxic immune responses when simply admixed with an antigen. In the present study, we evaluated whether the adjuvant effects of SLA archaeosomes could be further enhanced when combined with other adjuvants. SLA archaeosomes were co-administered with five different Toll-like Receptor (TLR) agonists or the saponin QS-21 using ovalbumin as a model antigen in mice. Both humoral and cellular immune responses were greatly enhanced compared to either adjuvant alone when SLA archaeosomes were combined with either the TLR3 agonist poly(I:C) or the TLR9 agonist CpG. These results were also confirmed in a separate study using Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and support the further evaluation of these adjuvant combinations.

ACS Style

Yimei Jia; Bassel Akache; Gerard Agbayani; Vandana Chandan; Renu Dudani; Blair Harrison; Lise Deschatelets; Usha Hemraz; Edmond Lam; Sophie Régnier; Felicity Stark; Lakshmi Krishnan; Michael McCluskie. The Synergistic Effects of Sulfated Lactosyl Archaeol Archaeosomes When Combined with Different Adjuvants in a Murine Model. Pharmaceutics 2021, 13, 205 .

AMA Style

Yimei Jia, Bassel Akache, Gerard Agbayani, Vandana Chandan, Renu Dudani, Blair Harrison, Lise Deschatelets, Usha Hemraz, Edmond Lam, Sophie Régnier, Felicity Stark, Lakshmi Krishnan, Michael McCluskie. The Synergistic Effects of Sulfated Lactosyl Archaeol Archaeosomes When Combined with Different Adjuvants in a Murine Model. Pharmaceutics. 2021; 13 (2):205.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Yimei Jia; Bassel Akache; Gerard Agbayani; Vandana Chandan; Renu Dudani; Blair Harrison; Lise Deschatelets; Usha Hemraz; Edmond Lam; Sophie Régnier; Felicity Stark; Lakshmi Krishnan; Michael McCluskie. 2021. "The Synergistic Effects of Sulfated Lactosyl Archaeol Archaeosomes When Combined with Different Adjuvants in a Murine Model." Pharmaceutics 13, no. 2: 205.

Research article
Published: 16 September 2020 in ACS Omega
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Plant genetic engineering offers promising solutions to the increasing demand for efficient, sustainable, and high-yielding crop production as well as changing environmental conditions. The main challenge for gene delivery in plants is the presence of a cell wall that limits the transportation of genes within the cells. Microspores are plant cells that are, under the right conditions, capable of generating embryos, leading to the formation of haploid plants. Here, we designed cationic and fluorescent rosette nanotubes (RNTs) that penetrate the cell walls of viable wheat microspores under mild conditions and in the absence of an external force. These nanomaterials can capture plasmid DNA to form RNT–DNA complexes and transport their DNA cargo into live microspores. The nanomaterials and the complexes formed were nontoxic to the microspores.

ACS Style

Jae-Young Cho; Pankaj Bhowmik; Patricia L. Polowick; Sabine G. Dodard; Mounir El-Bakkari; Goska Nowak; Hicham Fenniri; Usha D. Hemraz. Cellular Delivery of Plasmid DNA into Wheat Microspores Using Rosette Nanotubes. ACS Omega 2020, 5, 24422 -24433.

AMA Style

Jae-Young Cho, Pankaj Bhowmik, Patricia L. Polowick, Sabine G. Dodard, Mounir El-Bakkari, Goska Nowak, Hicham Fenniri, Usha D. Hemraz. Cellular Delivery of Plasmid DNA into Wheat Microspores Using Rosette Nanotubes. ACS Omega. 2020; 5 (38):24422-24433.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jae-Young Cho; Pankaj Bhowmik; Patricia L. Polowick; Sabine G. Dodard; Mounir El-Bakkari; Goska Nowak; Hicham Fenniri; Usha D. Hemraz. 2020. "Cellular Delivery of Plasmid DNA into Wheat Microspores Using Rosette Nanotubes." ACS Omega 5, no. 38: 24422-24433.

Review
Published: 05 March 2018 in Fibers
Reads 0
Downloads 0

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are renewable nanosized materials with exceptional physicochemical properties that continue to garner a high level of attention in both industry and academia for their potential high-end material applications. These rod-shaped CNCs are appealing due to their non-toxic, carbohydrate-based chemical structure, large surface area, and the presence of ample surface hydroxyl groups for chemical surface modifications. CNCs, generally prepared from sulfuric acid-mediated hydrolysis of native cellulose, display an anionic surface that has been exploited for a number of applications. However, several recent studies showed the importance of CNCs’ surface charge reversal towards the design of functional cationic CNCs. Cationization of CNCs could further open up other innovative applications, in particular, bioapplications such as gene and drug delivery, vaccine adjuvants, and tissue engineering. This mini-review focuses mainly on the recent covalent synthetic methods for the design and fabrication of cationic CNCs as well as their potential bioapplications.

ACS Style

Rajesh Sunasee; Usha D. Hemraz. Synthetic Strategies for the Fabrication of Cationic Surface-Modified Cellulose Nanocrystals. Fibers 2018, 6, 15 .

AMA Style

Rajesh Sunasee, Usha D. Hemraz. Synthetic Strategies for the Fabrication of Cationic Surface-Modified Cellulose Nanocrystals. Fibers. 2018; 6 (1):15.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rajesh Sunasee; Usha D. Hemraz. 2018. "Synthetic Strategies for the Fabrication of Cationic Surface-Modified Cellulose Nanocrystals." Fibers 6, no. 1: 15.