The clinical translations of drugs and nanomedicines depend on coherent pharmaceutical research based on biologically accurate screening approaches. Since establishing the 2D in vitro cell culture method, the scientific community has improved cell‐based drug screening assays and models. Those advances result in more informative biochemical assays and the development of 3D multicellular models to describe the biological complexity better and enhance the simulation of the in vivo microenvironment. Despite the overall dominance of conventional 2D and 3D cell macroscopic culture methods, they present physicochemical and operational challenges that impair the scale‐up of drug screening by not allowing a high parallelization, multidrug combination, and high‐throughput screening. Their combination and complementarity with microfluidic platforms enable the development of microfluidics‐based cell culture platforms with unequivocal advantages in drug screening and cell therapies. Thus, this review presents an updated and consolidated view of cell culture miniaturization's physical, chemical, and operational considerations in the pharmaceutical research scenario. It clarifies advances in the field using gradient‐based microfluidics, droplet‐based microfluidics, printed‐based microfluidics, digital‐based microfluidics, SlipChip, and paper‐based microfluidics. Finally, it presents a comparative analysis of the performance of cell‐based methods in life research and development to achieve increased precision in the drug screening process.

The issue of thermal control for space missions has been critical since the early space missions in the late 1950s. The demands in such environments are heightened, characterized by significant temperature variations and the need to manage substantial densities of heat. The current work offers a comprehensive survey of the innovative materials and thermal fluids employed in the aerospace technological area. In this scope, the materials should exhibit enhanced reliability for facing maintenance and raw materials scarcity. The improved thermophysical properties of the nanofluids increase the efficiency of the systems, allowing the mass/volume reduction in satellites, rovers, and spacecraft. Herein are summarized the main findings from a literature review of more than one hundred works on aerospace thermal management. In this sense, relevant issues in aerospace convection cooling were reported and discussed, using heat pipes and heat exchangers, and with heat transfer ability at high velocity, low pressure, and microgravity. Among the main findings, it could be highlighted the fact that these novel materials and fluids provide enhanced thermal conductivity, stability, and insulation, enhancing the heat transfer capability and preventing the malfunctioning, overheating, and degradation over time of the systems. The resulting indicators will contribute to strategic mapping knowledge and further competence. Also, this work will identify the main scientific and technological gaps and possible challenges for integrating the materials and fluids into existing systems and for maturation and large-scale feasibility for aerospace valorization and technology transfer enhancement.

Despite the promising pharmacological properties of curcumin, the transport and effective release of curcumin is still a challenge. The advances in functionalized nanocarriers for curcumin have also been motivated by the anticancer activity of this natural compound, aiming at targeted therapies. Here, stealth (aqueous and solid) magnetoliposomes containing calcium-substituted magnesium ferrite nanoparticles, Ca_xMg_1−xFe₂O₄ (with x = 0.25, 0.50, 0.75) were developed as nanocarriers for curcumin. The magnetic nanoparticles exhibit superparamagnetic properties and crystalline structure, with sizes below 10 nm. The magnetoliposomes based on these nanoparticles have hydrodynamic diameters around or below 150 nm and a low polydispersity. The influence of an alternating magnetic field (AMF) on drug release over time was evaluated and compared with curcumin release by diffusion. The results suggest the potential of drug-loaded magnetoliposomes as nanocarriers that can be magnetically guided to the tumor sites and act as agents for a synergistic effect combining magnetic hyperthermia and controlled drug release.

Magnetoliposomes containing calcium ferrite (CaFe₂O₄) nanoparticles were developed and characterized for the first time. CaFe₂O₄ nanoparticles were covered by a lipid bilayer or entrapped in liposomes forming, respectively, solid or aqueous magnetoliposomes as nanocarriers for new antitumor drugs. The magnetic nanoparticles were characterized by UV/Visible absorption, XRD, HR-TEM, and SQUID, exhibiting sizes of 5.2 ± 1.2 nm (from TEM) and a superparamagnetic behavior. The magnetoliposomes were characterized by DLS and TEM. The incorporation of two new potential antitumor drugs (thienopyridine derivatives) specifically active against breast cancer in these nanosystems was investigated by fluorescence emission and anisotropy. Aqueous magnetoliposomes, with hydrodynamic diameters around 130 nm, and solid magnetoliposomes with sizes of ca. 170 nm, interact with biomembranes by fusion and are able to transport the antitumor drugs with generally high encapsulation efficiencies (70%). These fully biocompatible drug-loaded magnetoliposomes can be promising as therapeutic agents in future applications of combined breast cancer therapy.

Multifunctional lipid nanocarriers are a promising therapeutic approach for controlled drug release in cancer therapy. Combining the widely used liposome structure with magnetic nanoparticles in magnetoliposomes allies, the advantages of using liposomes include the possibility to magnetically guide, selectively accumulate, and magnetically control the release of drugs on target. The effectiveness of these nanosystems is intrinsically related to the individual characteristics of the two main components—lipid formulation and magnetic nanoparticles—and their physicochemical combination. Herein, shape-anisotropic calcium-substituted magnesium ferrite nanoparticles (Ca_0.25Mg_0.75Fe₂O₄) were prepared for the first time, improving the magnetic properties of spherical counterparts. The nanoparticles revealed a superparamagnetic behavior, high saturation magnetization (50.07 emu/g at 300 K), and a large heating capacity. Furthermore, a new method for the synthesis of solid magnetoliposomes (SMLs) was developed to enhance their magnetic response. The manufacturing technicalities were optimized with different lipid compositions (DPPC, DPPC/Ch, and DPPC/DSPE-PEG) originating nanosystems with optimal sizes for biomedical applications (around or below 150 nm) and low polydispersity index. The high encapsulation efficiency of doxorubicin in these magnetoliposomes was proven, as well as the ability of the drug-loaded nanosystems to interact with cell membrane models and release DOX by fusion. SMLs revealed to reduce doxorubicin interaction with human serum albumin, contributing to a prolonged bioavailability of the drug upon systemic administration. Finally, the drug release kinetic assays revealed a preferable DOX release at hyperthermia temperatures (42 °C) and acidic conditions (pH = 5.5), indicating them as promising controlled release nanocarriers by either internal (pH) and external (alternate magnetic field) stimuli in cancer therapy.