Review
Cell Biology
Alvaro Sierra-Sanchez, Trinidad Montero-Vilchez, Maria I. Quinones-Vico, Manuel Sanchez-Diaz, Salvador Arias-Santiago
Summary: The use of human mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of skin diseases has emerged as a promising strategy, with various sources and clinical studies being actively explored. However, further research is needed to determine the best treatment approach for each patient and disease.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Suya Du, Yanjiao Li, Zhen Geng, Qi Zhang, Leo H. Buhler, Carmen Gonelle-Gispert, Yi Wang
Summary: Diabetes is a metabolic disease characterized by insulin deficiency. Bioengineering of stem cells to restore insulin production has the potential to cure diabetes. This review focuses on the recent developments in bioengineering iPSCs, MSCs, ESCs, and pancreatic progenitor cells to generate insulin producing and glucose regulating cells.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Decio L. Eizirik, Florian Szymczak, Maria Ines Alvelos, Frank Martin
Summary: This article discusses the importance of focusing on beta-cells in type 1 diabetes, proposing the design of therapies by defining regulatory networks rather than solely targeting the immune system.
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
G. Basile, M. M. F. Qadir, F. Mauvais-Jarvis, A. Vetere, V Shoba, A. E. Modell, R. L. Pastori, H. A. Russ, B. K. Wagner, J. Dominguez-Bendala
Summary: Stem cell therapies are emerging as a viable alternative for treating insulin dependent diabetes. Clinical trials using human embryonic stem cell-derived (3-like cells show promising results. Meanwhile, research on inducing pancreatic cell regeneration through pharmacological means is also promising. However, achieving a permanent cure for diabetes still faces challenges and requires interventions to restore immune balance.
MOLECULAR METABOLISM
(2022)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Muhammad Nihad, Sudheer P. Shenoy, Bipasha Bose
Summary: Researchers have developed various protocols for differentiating human pluripotent stem cells into pancreatic islet cells in vitro, including modulation of cell signaling pathways, differentiation methods, and genome editing. These studies aim to provide cell therapy options for diabetic patients to address the increasing global population of diabetes and the insufficient availability of human pancreatic resources.
DIABETES RESEARCH AND CLINICAL PRACTICE
(2021)
Review
Immunology
Guangwen Wang, Wenshi Wang
Summary: GBM is a highly treatment-resistant tumor with a poor prognosis, and it has proven to be resistant to both traditional and newer immunotherapies. The need for innovative and efficient treatment strategies is urgent. This review provides a comprehensive overview of various cell therapies currently being used to treat GBM, discussing their efficacy, safety, mechanisms, and challenges, with the aim of identifying the next-generation immunotherapeutic approach to eliminate this dreadful disease.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Reed Berlet, Stefan Anthony, Beverly Brooks, Zhen-Jie Wang, Nadia Sadanandan, Alex Shear, Blaise Cozene, Bella Gonzales-Portillo, Blake Parsons, Felipe Esparza Salazar, Alma R. Lezama Toledo, German Rivera Monroy, Joaquin Vega Gonzales-Portillo, Cesario Borlongan
Summary: Combining stem cell transplantation with rehabilitation therapy presents a promising approach in treating stroke, with potential for better functional outcomes for patients. This comprehensive review assesses the advantages and disadvantages of using this combined therapy to mitigate the devastating effects of stroke.
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Raza Ali Naqvi, Afsar Raza Naqvi, Amar Singh, Medha Priyadarshini, Appakalai N. N. Balamurugan, Brian T. T. Layden
Summary: Replacement of beta cells and induction of pluripotent stem cells hold promise for curing type 1 diabetes, but challenges need to be resolved cautiously.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Debkalpa Goswami, Daniel A. Domingo-Lopez, Niamh A. Ward, Jeffrey R. Millman, Garry P. Duffy, Eimear B. Dolan, Ellen T. Roche
Summary: Stem cell derived insulin producing cells or islets show promise in reversing Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), but successful transplantation currently requires long-term modulation with immunosuppressant drugs. An alternative approach to avoid immune response is to use an islet macroencapsulation device. These systems must meet stringent design criteria to achieve the ultimate goal of reversing T1D.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Hongyu Zhou, Licheng Tan, Beilei Liu, Xin-Yuan Guan
Summary: Tumors consist of malignant components that generate abnormal tissues through self-renewal and differentiation. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) play a fundamental role in maintaining tumor heterogeneity and remodeling the tumor microenvironment. Recent advances in technology have allowed for better understanding of CSC characteristics, markers, mechanisms, and their interactions with other cells in the tumor microenvironment.
BIOCHEMICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Senthilkumar Alagesan, Jack Brady, Declan Byrnes, Juan Fandino, Claire Masterson, Sean McCarthy, John Laffey, Daniel O'Toole
Summary: Cell therapy, particularly mesenchymal stem/stromal (MSC) therapy, has been explored for various diseases, especially those with inflammation. However, recent studies have shown that MSC is not a cure-all. This review discusses current and future strategies to overcome limitations in MSC efficacy, including inspirations from stem cell niche and previous gene therapy work. It also explores the emerging field of extracellular vesicle therapy and enhancement protocols.
STEM CELL RESEARCH & THERAPY
(2022)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Yi Ju, Haotian Liao, Joseph J. Richardson, Junling Guo, Frank Caruso
Summary: This review provides a comprehensive overview of the use of natural building blocks in advanced therapeutics, specifically focusing on nanostructured particles. The review summarizes the key scientific and preclinical milestones of these nanoparticles in advanced therapies and compares the advantages and disadvantages of different natural building blocks. Furthermore, it discusses current challenges and future research directions in the field.
CHEMICAL SOCIETY REVIEWS
(2022)
Review
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Hossein Eyni, Sadegh Ghorbani, Hojjatollah Nazari, Marziyeh Hajialyani, Sajad Razavi Bazaz, Mahdi Mohaqiq, Majid Ebrahimi Warkiani, Duncan S. Sutherland
Summary: Several factors have led to high levels of male infertility worldwide, approximately 18%. Advances in bioengineering are being utilized to achieve in vitro spermatogenesis and fertility preservation in males, providing new hope for the development of functional male germ cells.
JOURNAL OF TISSUE ENGINEERING
(2021)
Review
Biology
Sandra Petrus-Reurer, Marco Romano, Sarah Howlett, Joanne Louise Jones, Giovanna Lombardi, Kourosh Saeb-Parsy
Summary: The article discusses the roles of both innate and adaptive immune responses in allogeneic graft rejection, as well as how these responses are determined by the cellular therapy being studied. It also describes the range of in vitro and in vivo approaches used to examine the immunogenicity of cellular therapies and considers potential confounders and strategies that can be employed to ameliorate immune rejection.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Tom Barsby, Timo Otonkoski
Summary: This article reviews recent findings on the underlying mechanisms of beta cell functional maturation, including systemic hormonal and nutritional triggers that regulate energy-sensing machinery, ultimately leading to appropriate insulin release. The study also emphasizes the dependence of beta cell maturation on overlapping regulatory and metabolic networks.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ansarullah, Chirag Jain, Fataneh Fathi Far, Sarah Homberg, Katharina Wissmiller, Felizitas Grafin von Hahn, Aurelia Raducanu, Silvia Schirge, Michael Sterr, Sara Bilekova, Johanna Siehler, Julius Wiener, Lena Oppenlaender, Amir Morshedi, Aimee Bastidas-Ponce, Gustav Collden, Martin Irmler, Johannes Beckers, Annette Feuchtinger, Michal Grzybek, Christin Ahlbrecht, Regina Feederle, Oliver Plettenburg, Timo D. Mueller, Matthias Meier, Matthias H. Tschoep, Uenal Coskun, Heiko Lickert
Summary: The discovery of inceptor, an inhibitor of insulin receptor (INSR) and IGF1 receptor (IGF1R) signalling in mouse beta-cells, sheds light on a potential molecular target for INSR-IGF1R sensitization and diabetes therapy. The study shows that inceptor plays a role in shielding insulin-producing beta-cells from constitutive pathway activation, which could have implications for improving glucose tolerance in vivo.
Article
Cell & Tissue Engineering
Markus Breunig, Jessica Merkle, Martin Wagner, Michael K. Melzer, Thomas F. E. Barth, Thomas Engleitner, Johannes Krumm, Sandra Wiedenmann, Christian M. Cohrs, Lukas Perkhofer, Gaurav Jain, Jana Kruger, Patrick C. Hermann, Maximilian Schmid, Tamara Madacsy, Arpad Varga, Joscha Griger, Ninel Azoitei, Martin Mueller, Oliver Wessely, Pamela G. Robey, Sandra Heller, Zahra Dantes, Maximilian Reichert, Cagatay Guenes, Christian Bolenz, Florian Kuhn, Jozsef Maleth, Stephan Speier, Stefan Liebau, Bence Sipos, Bernhard Kuster, Thomas Seufferlein, Roland Rad, Matthias Meier, Meike Hohwieler, Alexander Kleger
Summary: The study successfully differentiated hPSCs into pancreatic duct-like organoids (PDLOs) with features of human pancreatic ducts, and observed specific growth, structural, and molecular characteristics induced by different oncogenes. Transplanted PDLOs with oncogenic KRAS alone developed dysplastic lesions or cancer, while those with KRAS and CDKN2A loss formed dedifferentiated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas. PDLOs with mutant GNAS led to intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasia-like structures. The research highlights the potential of PDLOs for studying pancreatic plasticity, dysplasia, and cancer formation in vitro and in vivo.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Sandra Wiedenmann, Markus Breunig, Jessica Merkle, Christine von Toerne, Tihomir Georgiev, Michel Moussus, Lucas Schulte, Thomas Seufferlein, Michael Sterr, Heiko Lickert, Stephanie Ellen Weissinger, Peter Moeller, Stefanie M. Hauck, Meike Hohwieler, Alexander Kleger, Matthias Meier
Summary: This study successfully established the single-cell characterization of the differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells into pancreatic duct-like organoids using a microwell chip, and discovered secreted markers of pancreatic carcinogenesis.
NATURE BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Marius Lange, Volker Bergen, Michal Klein, Manu Setty, Bernhard Reuter, Mostafa Bakhti, Heiko Lickert, Meshal Ansari, Janine Schniering, Herbert B. Schiller, Dana Pe'er, Fabian J. Theis
Summary: Computational trajectory inference is a method to reconstruct cell state dynamics from single-cell RNA sequencing experiments, but it requires prior knowledge of the direction of biological processes. CellRank is a new approach that allows single-cell fate mapping in scenarios where the direction is unknown, such as regeneration, reprogramming, and disease.
Editorial Material
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Mostafa Bakhti, Heiko Lickert
Summary: In 2021, discoveries were made regarding the mechanisms of beta-cell failure in the progression of diabetes mellitus, validating new molecular targets for intervention. The field of stem-cell-derived beta-cell replacements is also rapidly advancing, bringing us closer to therapies that can protect and regenerate beta-cell mass.
NATURE REVIEWS ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Jessica Merkle, Markus Breunig, Maximilian Schmid, Chantal Allgoewer, Jana Krueger, Michael K. Melzer, Susanne Bens, Reiner Siebert, Lukas Perkhofer, Ninel Azoitei, Thomas Seufferlein, Sandra Heller, Matthias Meier, Martin Mueller, Alexander Kleger, Meike Hohwieler
Summary: The study provides a hereditary human pancreatic cancer model using patient-specific CDKN2A-mutated pluripotent stem cells to investigate tumor initiation and early development, revealing structural and molecular changes following inducible KRAS(G12D) expression in pancreatic duct-like organoids (PDLOs).
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sebastian Schmidt, Malte D. Luecken, Dietrich Truembach, Sina Hembach, Kristina M. Niedermeier, Nicole Wenck, Klaus Pfluegler, Constantin Stautner, Anika Boettcher, Heiko Lickert, Ciro Ramirez-Suastegui, Ruhel Ahmad, Michael J. Ziller, Julia C. Fitzgerald, Viktoria Ruf, Wilma D. J. van de Berg, Allert J. Jonker, Thomas Gasser, Beate Winner, Juergen Winkler, Daniela M. Vogt Weisenhorn, Florian Giesert, Fabian J. Theis, Wolfgang Wurst
Summary: Using single-cell RNA sequencing, the researchers found that neuronal cells from Parkinson's disease patients have altered primary cilia morphology and signaling, suggesting that cilia dysfunction may underlie the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Dominik J. E. Waibel, Niklas Kiermeyer, Scott Atwell, Ario Sadafi, Matthias Meier, Carsten Marr
Summary: Reconstructing three-dimensional shapes from two-dimensional information is a widely studied topic in computer vision. This paper proposes a neural network-based autoencoder called SHAPR, which accurately reconstructs the 3D shapes of red blood cells from single-view 2D images and improves the prediction accuracy of red blood cell types. Additionally, SHAPR can learn the shape properties of cell nuclei and enable morphology analysis.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Xiaona Cui, Jin Feng, Tianjiao Wei, Linxi Zhang, Shan Lang, Kun Yang, Jin Yang, Junling Liu, Michael Sterr, Heiko Lickert, Rui Wei, Tianpei Hong
Summary: This study found that glucagon receptor antagonism can improve blood glucose control and promote beta cell regeneration in mouse models of type 2 diabetes. It does so by increasing FGF21 levels, which affects the expression of genes related to beta cell identity, thereby increasing the number of beta cells and promoting their proliferation.
Proceedings Paper
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Dominik J. E. Waibel, Scott Atwell, Matthias Meier, Carsten Marr, Bastian Rieck
Summary: Reconstructing 3D objects from 2D images is challenging, and we propose a topology-aware loss that uses topological features to improve the quality of reconstructions.
MEDICAL IMAGE COMPUTING AND COMPUTER ASSISTED INTERVENTION, MICCAI 2022, PT IV
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Nina Compera, Scott Atwell, Johannes Wirth, Christine von Toerne, Stefanie M. Hauck, Matthias Meier
Summary: This study developed a microfluidic chip platform to simulate adipose tissue in vitro and revealed the differences in adipocytes under low/high glucose conditions using proteomics analysis. This in vitro model can be used to investigate the molecular and functional mechanisms of adipose tissue under normal and pathological conditions.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Markus Breunig, Jessica Merkle, Michael Karl Melzer, Sandra Heller, Thomas Seufferlein, Matthias Meier, Meike Hohwieler, Alexander Kleger
Summary: A scalable in vitro differentiation protocol has been developed to guide human pluripotent stem cells into pancreatic duct-like organoids, successfully modeling the onset and progression of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. The approach is suitable for multiple downstream applications, but it is cost- and time-intensive.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Jessi Carolina Ardila Riveros, Anna Karolina Bloechinger, Scott Atwell, Michel Moussus, Nina Compera, Omid Rajabnia, Tihomir Georgiev, Heiko Lickert, Matthias Meier
Summary: A research team developed a microfluidic chip platform for studying the differentiation mechanism of pluripotent stem cells, achieving automated 3D cell culturing and imaging. Through systematic alternation of transforming growth factor Beta and WNT signaling agonist concentrations and temporal stimulation, they demonstrated that even under similar DE differentiation yields, there were patterning differences in the 3D cell cultures, indicating possible differentiation differences between established DE protocols.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Alireza Shahryari, Ingo Burtscher, Zahra Nazari, Heiko Lickert
Summary: The development of gene therapy tools has revolutionized the field, paving the way for the development of new therapies with diverse genetic tools, but the field still faces challenges in efficacy, safety, cost, and manufacturing.
ADVANCED THERAPEUTICS
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Nina Compera, Scott Atwell, Johannes Wirth, Bernhard Wolfrum, Matthias Meier
Summary: This study successfully upscaled PMVs for mLSI chips by combining 3D printing and soft lithography, enabling the automation of parallelized cell culture processes. Unit cell designs with upscaled PMVs allowed for parallel formation, culturing, trapping, retrieval, and fusion of 3D cell cultures.