Integration of Febio as an Instructional Tool in the Undergraduate Biomechanics Curriculum.

Computer simulations play an important role in a range of biomedical engineering applications. Thus, it is important that biomedical engineering students engage with modeling in their undergraduate education and establish an understanding of its practice. In addition, computational tools enhance active learning and complement standard pedagogical approaches to promote student understanding of course content. Herein, we describe the development and implementation of learning modules for computational modeling and simulation (CM&S) within an undergraduate biomechanics course. We developed four CM&S learning modules that targeted predefined course goals and learning outcomes within the febio studio software. For each module, students were guided through CM&S tutorials and tasked to construct and analyze more advanced models to assess learning and competency and evaluate module effectiveness. Results showed that students demonstrated an increased interest in CM&S through module progression and that modules promoted the understanding of course content. In addition, students exhibited increased understanding and competency in finite element model development and simulation software use. Lastly, it was evident that students recognized the importance of coupling theory, experiments, and modeling and understood the importance of CM&S in biomedical engineering and its broad application. Our findings suggest that integrating well-designed CM&S modules into undergraduate biomedical engineering education holds much promise in supporting student learning experiences and introducing students to modern engineering tools relevant to professional development.

Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell Sheets Improve Uterine Incision Repair in a Rodent Hysterotomy Model.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to assess the feasibility of creating and transplanting human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell sheets applied to a rat model of hysterotomy, and additionally to determine benefits of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell sheet transplantation in reducing uterine fibrosis and scarring. STUDY DESIGN: Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell sheets are generated by culturing human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells on thermo-responsive cell culture plates. The temperature-sensitive property of these culture dishes facilitates normal cell culture in a thin contiguous layer and allows for reliable recovery of intact stem cell sheets without use of destructive proteolytic enzymes.We developed a rat hysterotomy model using nude rats. The rat uterus has two distinct horns: one horn provided a control/untreated scarring site, while the second horn was the cell sheet transplantation site.On day 14 following surgery, complete uteri were harvested and subjected to histologic evaluations of all hysterotomy sites. RESULTS: The stem cell sheet culture process yielded human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell sheets with surface area of approximately 1 cm2.Mean myometrial thickness in the cell sheet-transplanted group was 274 µm compared with 191 µm in the control group (p = 0.02). Mean fibrotic surface area in the human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell sheet-transplanted group was 95,861 µm2 compared with 129,185 µm2 in the control group. Compared with control horn sites, cell sheet-transplanted horns exhibited significantly smaller fibrotic-to-normal myometrium ratios (0.18 vs. 0.27, respectively, p = 0.029). Mean number of fibroblasts in cell sheet-transplanted horns was significantly smaller than the control horns (483 vs. 716/mm2, respectively, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell sheet transplantation is feasible in a rat model of hysterotomy. Furthermore, use of stem cell sheets reduces fibroblast infiltration and uterine scar fibrotic tissue formation during hysterotomy healing, potentially mitigating risks of uterine scar formation. KEY POINTS: · Stem cell sheet transplanted to hysterotomy promotes myometrial regeneration and reduced fibrotic tissue formation.. · This study demonstrates the feasibility of using human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell sheets..

A murine ex vivo 3D kidney proximal tubule model predicts clinical drug-induced nephrotoxicity.

Drug attrition and clinical product withdrawals due to nephrotoxicity remain major challenges for pharmaceutical drug development pipelines. Currently, no reliable high-throughput in vitro screening models are available that provide reliable, predictive toxicology data for clinical nephrotoxicity. Drug screens to predict toxicity and pharmacology assessments are compromised by standard two-dimensional (2D) cell monoculture models. Here we extend a previously reported murine three-dimensional (3D) kidney-derived intact proximal tubule model to provide ex vivo drug toxicity data that reliably compare to clinical experiences and improve nephrotoxicity predictions over current 2D cell assays. Proximal tubule cytotoxicity was monitored by ATP depletion for 12 compounds (acarbose, acetylsalicylic acid, captopril, cimetidine, cidofovir, cisplatin, doxorubicin, gentamicin, polymyxin B, polymyxin B nonapeptide, probenecid and vancomycin) in 3D proximal tubule ex vivo assays. Drug concentration-response curves (1-1000 µM) and IC50, lowest effective concentration (LEC) and AUC values were compared to clinical therapeutic exposure levels (Cmax). The 100-fold Cmax threshold demonstrated best sensitivity (96.9%) and specificity (87.5%) for this assay, with high positive (93.9%) and negative (93.3%) predictive values for nephrotoxicity. IC50 values were superior to LEC. Results also support the model's capability to predict substrate-inhibitor/competitor interactions, yielding toxicity results similar to those reported in vivo. These 3D proximal tubule-based drug screens provide more reliable nephrotoxicity predictions, and more insight into complex mechanisms implicated in nephrotoxicity than current standard 2D cell assays. This new approach for rapid drug toxicity testing produces more reliable clinical comparisons than current 2D cell culture screening techniques.

Drug transporter expression profiling in a three-dimensional kidney proximal tubule in vitro nephrotoxicity model.

Given currently poor toxicity translational predictions for drug candidates, improved mechanistic understanding underlying nephrotoxicity and drug renal clearance is needed to improve drug development and safety screening. Therefore, better relevant and well-characterized in vitro screening models are required to reliably predict human nephrotoxicity. Because kidney proximal tubules are central to active drug uptake and secretion processes and therefore to nephrotoxicity, this study acquired regio-specific expression data from recently reported primary proximal tubule three-dimensional (3D) hyaluronic acid gel culture and non-gel embedded cultured murine proximal tubule suspensions used in nephrotoxicity assays. Quantitative assessment of the mRNA expression of 21 known kidney tubule markers and important proximal tubule transporters with known roles in drug transport was obtained. Asserting superior gene expression levels over current commonly used two-dimensional (2D) kidney cell culture lines was the study objective. Hence, we compare previously published gel-based 3D proximal tubule fragment culture and their non-gel suspensions for up to 1 week. We demonstrate that 3D tubule culture exhibits superior gene expression levels and profiles compared to published commonly used 2D kidney cell lines (Caki-1 and HK-2) in plastic plate monocultures. Additionally, nearly all tested genes retain mRNA expression after 7 days in both proximal tubule cultures, a limitation of 2D cell culture lines. Importantly, gel presence is shown not to interfere with the gene expression assay. Western blots confirm protein expression of OAT1 and 3 and OCT2. Functional transport assays confirm their respective transporter functions in vitro. Overall, results validate retention of essential toxicity-relevant transporters in this published 3D proximal tubule model over conventional 2D kidney cell cultures, producing opportunities for more reliable, sensitive, and comprehensive drug toxicity studies relevant to drug development and nephrotoxicity goals.

Novel xeno-free human heart matrix-derived three-dimensional scaffolds.

RATIONALE: Myocardial infarction (MI) results in damaged heart tissue which can progress to severely reduce cardiac function, leading to death. Recent studies have injected dissociated, suspended cardiac cells into coronary arteries to restore function with limited results attributed to poor cell retention and cell death. Extracellular matrix (ECM) injected into damaged cardiac tissue sites show some promising effects. However, combined use of human cardiac ECM and cardiac cells may produce superior benefits to restore cardiac function. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to assess use of new three-dimensional human heart ECM-derived scaffolds to serve as vehicles to deliver cardiac-derived cells directly to damaged heart tissue and improve cell retention at these sites while also providing biomechanical support and attracting host cell recruitment. METHODS AND RESULTS: ECM-derived porous protein scaffolds were fabricated from human heart tissues. These scaffolds were designed to carry, actively promote and preserve cardiac cell phenotype, viability and functional retention in tissue sites. ECM scaffolds were optimized and were seeded with human cardiomyocytes, cultured and subsequently implanted ex vivo onto infarcted murine epicardium. Seeded human cardiomyocytes readily adhered to human cardiac-derived ECM scaffolds and maintained representative phenotypes including expression of cardiomyocyte-specific markers, and remained electrically synchronous within the scaffold in vitro. Ex vivo, cardiomyocyte-seeded ECM scaffolds spontaneously adhered and incorporated into murine ventricle. CONCLUSIONS: Decellularized human cardiac tissue-derived 3D ECM scaffolds are effective delivery vehicles for human cardiac cells to directly target ischemic heart tissue and warrant further studies to assess their therapeutic potential in restoring essential cardiac functions.

Metabolically active human brown adipose tissue derived stem cells.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) plays a key role in the evolutionarily conserved mechanisms underlying energy homeostasis in mammals. It is characterized by fat vacuoles 5-10 µm in diameter and expression of uncoupling protein one, central to the regulation of thermogenesis. In the human newborn, BAT depots are typically grouped around the vasculature and solid organs. These depots maintain body temperature during cold exposure by warming the blood before its distribution to the periphery. They also ensure an optimal temperature for biochemical reactions within solid organs. BAT had been thought to involute throughout childhood and adolescence. Recent studies, however, have confirmed the presence of active BAT in adult humans with depots residing in cervical, supraclavicular, mediastinal, paravertebral, and suprarenal regions. While human pluripotent stem cells have been differentiated into functional brown adipocytes in vitro and brown adipocyte progenitor cells have been identified in murine skeletal muscle and white adipose tissue, multipotent metabolically active BAT-derived stem cells from a single depot have not been identified in adult humans to date. Here, we demonstrate a clonogenic population of metabolically active BAT stem cells residing in adult humans that can: (a) be expanded in vitro; (b) exhibit multilineage differentiation potential; and (c) functionally differentiate into metabolically active brown adipocytes. Our study defines a new target stem cell population that can be activated to restore energy homeostasis in vivo for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic disorders.

Nanoparticles in medicine: Current challenges facing inorganic nanoparticle toxicity assessments and standardizations.

Although nanoparticles research is ongoing since more than 30years, the development of methods and standard protocols required for their safety and efficacy testing for human use is still in development. The review covers questions on toxicity, safety, risk and legal issues over the lifecycle of inorganic nanoparticles for medical applications. The following topics were covered: (i) In vitro tests may give only a very first indication of possible toxicity as in the actual methods interactions at systemic level are mainly neglected; (ii) the science-driven and the regulation-driven approaches do not really fit for decisive strategies whether or not a nanoparticle should be further developed and may receive a kind of "safety label". (iii) Cost and time of development are the limiting factors for the drug pipeline. Knowing which property of a nanoparticle makes it toxic it may be feasible to re-engineer the particle for higher safety (safety by design). FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR: Testing the safety and efficacy of nanoparticles for human use is still in need of standardization. In this concise review, the author described and discussed the current unresolved issues over the application of inorganic nanoparticles for medical applications.

A critical comparison of protein microarray fabrication technologies.

Of the diverse analytical tools used in proteomics, protein microarrays possess the greatest potential for providing fundamental information on protein, ligand, analyte, receptor, and antibody affinity-based interactions, binding partners and high-throughput analysis. Microarrays have been used to develop tools for drug screening, disease diagnosis, biochemical pathway mapping, protein-protein interaction analysis, vaccine development, enzyme-substrate profiling, and immuno-profiling. While the promise of the technology is intriguing, it is yet to be realized. Many challenges remain to be addressed to allow these methods to meet technical and research expectations, provide reliable assay answers, and to reliably diversify their capabilities. Critical issues include: (1) inconsistent printed microspot morphologies and uniformities, (2) low signal-to-noise ratios due to factors such as complex surface capture protocols, contamination, and static or no-flow mass transport conditions, (3) inconsistent quantification of captured signal due to spot uniformity issues, (4) non-optimal protocol conditions such as pH, temperature, drying that promote variability in assay kinetics, and lastly (5) poor protein (e.g., antibody) printing, storage, or shelf-life compatibility with common microarray assay fabrication methods, directly related to microarray protocols. Conventional printing approaches, including contact (e.g., quill and solid pin), non-contact (e.g., piezo and inkjet), microfluidics-based, microstamping, lithography, and cell-free protein expression microarrays, have all been used with varying degrees of success with figures of merit often defined arbitrarily without comparisons to standards, or analytical or fiduciary controls. Many microarray performance reports use bench top analyte preparations lacking real-world relevance, akin to "fishing in a barrel", for proof of concept and determinations of figures of merit. This review critiques current protein-based microarray preparation techniques commonly used for analytical and function-based proteomics and their effects on array-based assay performance.

A cell-based pharmacokinetics assay for evaluating tubulin-binding drugs.

Increasing evidence reveals that traditional pharmacokinetics parameters based on plasma drug concentrations are insufficient to reliably demonstrate accurate pharmacological effects of drugs in target organs or cells in vivo. This underscores the increasing need to improve the types and qualities of cellular pharmacokinetic information for drug preclinical screening and clinical efficacy assessments. Here we report a whole cell-based method to assess drugs that disturb microtubule dynamics to better understand different formulation-mediated intracellular drug release profiles. As proof of concept for this approach, we compared the well-known taxane class of anti-microtubule drugs based on paclitaxel (PTX), including clinically familiar albumin nanoparticle-based Abraxane™, and a polymer nanoparticle-based degradable paclitaxel carrier, poly(L-glutamic acid)-paclitaxel conjugate (PGA-PTX, also known as CT-2103) versus control PTX. This in vitro cell-based evaluation of PTX efficacy includes determining the cellular kinetics of tubulin polymerization, relative populations of cells under G2 mitotic arrest, cell proliferation and total cell viability. For these taxane tubulin-binding compounds, the kinetics of cell microtubule stabilization directly correlate with G2 arrest and cell proliferation, reflecting the kinetics and amounts of intracellular PTX release. Each individual cell-based dose-response experiment correlates with published, key therapeutic parameters and taken together, provide a comprehensive understanding of drug intracellular pharmacokinetics at both cellular and molecular levels. This whole cell-based evaluating method is convenient, quantitative and cost-effective for evaluating new formulations designed to optimize cellular pharmacokinetics for drugs perturbing tubulin polymerization as well as assisting in explaining drug mechanisms of action at cellular levels.

In vivo human time-exposure study of orally dosed commercial silver nanoparticles.

Human biodistribution, bioprocessing and possible toxicity of nanoscale silver receive increasing health assessment. We prospectively studied commercial 10- and 32-ppm nanoscale silver particle solutions in a single-blind, controlled, cross-over, intent-to-treat, design. Healthy subjects (n=60) underwent metabolic, blood counts, urinalysis, sputum induction, and chest and abdomen magnetic resonance imaging. Silver serum and urine content were determined. No clinically important changes in metabolic, hematologic, or urinalysis measures were identified. No morphological changes were detected in the lungs, heart or abdominal organs. No significant changes were noted in pulmonary reactive oxygen species or pro-inflammatory cytokine generation. In vivo oral exposure to these commercial nanoscale silver particle solutions does not prompt clinically important changes in human metabolic, hematologic, urine, physical findings or imaging morphology. Further study of increasing time exposure and dosing of silver nanoparticulate silver, and observation of additional organ systems are warranted to assert human toxicity thresholds. FROM THE CLINICAL EDITOR: In this study, the effects of commercially available nanoparticles were studied in healthy volunteers, concluding no detectable toxicity with the utilized comprehensive assays and tests. As the authors rightfully state, further studies are definitely warranted. Studies like this are much needed for the more widespread application of nanomedicine.

Beyond surface modification strategies to control infections associated with implanted biomaterials and devices - Addressing the opportunities offered by nanotechnology.

Biomaterial-associated infection (BAI) is considered a unique infection due to the presence of a biomaterial yielding frustrated immune-cells, ineffective in clearing local micro-organisms. The involvement of surface-adherent/surface-adapted micro-organisms in BAI, logically points to biomaterial surface-modifications for BAI-control. Biomaterial surface-modification is most suitable for prevention before adhering bacteria have grown into a mature biofilm, while BAI-treatment is virtually impossible through surface-modification. Hundreds of different surface-modifications have been proposed for BAI-control but few have passed clinical trials due to the statistical near-impossibility of benefit-demonstration. Yet, no biomaterial surface-modification forwarded, is clinically embraced. Collectively, this leads us to conclude that surface-modification is a dead-end road. Accepting that BAI is, like most human infections, due to surface-adherent biofilms (though not always to a foreign material), and regarding BAI as a common infection, opens a more-generally-applicable and therewith easier-to-validate road. Pre-clinical models have shown that stimuli-responsive nano-antimicrobials and antibiotic-loaded nanocarriers exhibit prolonged blood-circulation times and can respond to a biofilm's micro-environment to penetrate and accumulate within biofilms, prompt ROS-generation and synergistic killing with antibiotics of antibiotic-resistant pathogens without inducing further antimicrobial-resistance. Moreover, they can boost frustrated immune-cells around a biomaterial reducing the importance of this unique BAI-feature. Time to start exploring the nano-road for BAI-control.

Regenerative Variability of Human Juvenile Chondrocyte Sheets From Different Cell Donors in an Athymic Rat Knee Chondral Defect Model.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to establish a combined histological assessment system of neo-cartilage outcomes and to evaluate variations in an established rat defect model treated with human juvenile cartilage-derived chondrocyte (JCC) sheets fabricated from various donors. METHODS: JCCs were isolated from the polydactylous digits of eight patients. Passage 2 (P2) JCC sheets from all donors were transplanted into nude rat chondral defects for 4 weeks (27 nude rats in total). Defect-only group served as control. Histological samples were stained for safranin O, collagen 1 (COL1), and collagen 2 (COL2). (1) All samples were scored, and correlation coefficients for each score were calculated. (2) Donors were divided into "more effective" and "less effective" groups based on these scores. Then, differences between each group in each category of modified O'Driscoll scoring were evaluated. RESULTS: (1) Modified O'Driscoll scores were negatively correlated with %COL1 area, and positively correlated with %COL2 area and COL2/1 ratio. (2) Four of 8 donors exhibited significantly higher modified O'Driscoll scores and %COL2 areas. JCC donors were divided into two groups by average score values. Significant differences between the two groups were observed in modified O'Driscoll categories of "Nature of predominant tissue," "Reconstruction of subchondral bone," and "Safranin O staining." CONCLUSION: The combined histological evaluation method is useful for detailed in vivo efficacy assessments of cartilage defect regeneration models. Variations in histological scores among juvenile cartilage-derived chondrocyte donors were correlated to the quality of regenerated cartilage hyaline structure and subchondral bone remodeling observed in the nude rat defect model.

Quantitative evaluation of perfluorinated alkanethiol molecular order on gold surfaces.

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of perfluoroalkanethiols [CF3(CF2)xCH2CH2SH (x = 3, 5, 7, and 9)] on gold were characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), near edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS), and static time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Perfluoroalkanethiols of several chain lengths were synthesized using a known hydride reduction method for transforming commercially available perfluoroalkyliodides to corresponding perfluoroalkanethiols. This strategy provides improved product yields compared to other known routes based on hydrolysis from the common thioacetyl perfluoroalkyl intermediate. Angle-dependent XPS analysis revealed that CF3(CF2)xCH2CH2SH (x = 5, 7, and 9; F6, F8, and F10, respectively) SAMs on gold exhibited significant enrichment of the terminal CF3 group at the outer monolayer surface with the sulfur present as a metal-bound thiolate located at the monolayer-gold interface. XPS of the CF3(CF2)3CH2CH2SH (F4) monolayer revealed a thin film with a significant (>50%) amount of hydrocarbon contamination consistent with poorly organized monolayers, while the longest thiol (F10) showed XPS signals attributed to substantial ordering and anisotropy. ToF-SIMS spectra from all four SAMs contained molecular ions representative of the particular perfluorinated thiol used to prepare the monolayer. NEXAFS methods were used to determine degrees of ordering and average tilt for molecules comprising monolayers. The SAMs prepared from the longest (F10) thiols exhibited the highest degree of ordering with the molecular axis nearly perpendicular to the gold surface. The degree of ordering decreased significantly with decreasing length of the perfluorocarbon tail.

Clinically Relevant Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cell Sheet Transplantation Method for Kidney Disease.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is the irreversible loss of nephron function, leading to a build-up of toxins, prolonged inflammation, and ultimately fibrosis. Currently, no effective therapies exist to treat CKD due to its complex pathophysiology. Mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC) transplantation is a promising strategy to treat kidney diseases, and multiple clinical trials are currently ongoing. We previously demonstrated that rat bone marrow-derived MSC (BMSC) sheets transplanted onto surgically decapsulated kidney exert therapeutic effects that suppressed renal fibrosis progression based on enhanced vascularization. However, there are clinical concerns about kidney decapsulation such as impaired glomerular filtration rate and Na+ ion and H2O excretion, leading to kidney dysfunction. Therefore, for transitioning from basic research to translational research using cell sheet therapy for kidney disease, it is essential to develop a new cell sheet transplantation strategy without kidney decapsulation. Significantly, we employed cell sheets engineered from clinical-grade human clonal BMSC (cBMSC) and transplanted these onto intact renal capsule to evaluate their therapeutic ability in the rat ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) model. Histological analysis 1-day postsurgery showed that cBMSC sheets engrafted well onto intact renal capsule. Interestingly, some grafted cBMSCs migrated into the renal parenchyma. At 1-3 days postsurgery (acute stage), grafted cBMSC sheets prevented tubular epithelial cell injury. At 28 days postsurgery (chronic phase), we observed that grafted cBMSC sheets suppressed renal fibrosis in the rat IRI model. Taken together, engineered cBMSC sheet transplantation onto intact renal capsule suppresses tubular epithelial cell injury and renal fibrosis, supporting further development as a possible clinically relevant strategy. Impact statement Chronic kidney disease (CKD) produces irreversible loss of nephron function, leading to toxemia, prolonged inflammation, and ultimately kidney fibrosis. Currently, no therapies exist to effectively treat CKD due to its complex pathophysiology. Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) are widely known to secret therapeutic paracrine factors, which is expected to provide a new effective therapy for unmet medical needs. However, unsatisfied MSC quality and administration methods to patients limit their therapeutic effects. In this study, we engineered clonal bone marrow-derived MSC sheets and established clinically relevant cell sheet transplantation strategy to treat renal fibrosis, which would improve MSC treatment for kidney disease.

Measuring translational research impact requires reaching beyond current metrics.

Translational impact assessment is key to selecting those biomedical research discoveries most likely to be converted into viable new products to improve human health. However, metrics for translational success are variable, are not limited to commercial success, and may not be relevant to every case or institution. Societal impact is a top translational priority in a globalized society.

Cellular Interactions in Cell Sheets Enhance Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Immunomodulatory Properties.

Immune-related applications of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in cell therapy seek to exploit immunomodulatory paracrine signaling pathways to reduce inflammation. A key MSC therapeutic challenge is reducing patient outcome variabilities attributed to insufficient engraftment/retention of injected heterogenous MSCs. To address this, we propose directly transplantable human single-cell-derived clonal bone marrow MSC (hcBMSC) sheets. Cell sheet technology is a scaffold-free tissue engineering strategy enabling scalable production of highly engraftable cell constructs retaining endogenous cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, important to cell function. cBMSCs, as unique MSC subset populations, facilitate rational selection of therapeutically relevant MSC clones from donors. Here, we combine human cBMSCs with cell sheet technology, demonstrating cell sheet fabrication as a method to significantly upregulate expression of immunomodulatory molecules interleukin (IL)-10, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO-1), and prostaglandin E synthase 2 (PTGES2) across GMP-grade hcBMSC lines and whole human bone marrow-derived MSCs compared to respective conventional cell suspensions. When treated with carbenoxolone, a gap junction inhibitor, cell sheets downregulate IL-10 and IDO-1 expression, implicating functional roles for intercellular sheet interactions. Beyond producing directly transferable multicellular hcBMSC constructs, cell sheet technology amplifies hcBMSC expression of immunomodulatory factors important to therapeutic action. In addition, this work demonstrates the importance of cell-cell interactions as a tissue engineering design criterion to enhance consistent MSC functions.

Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell sheets transplanted subcutaneously enhance cell retention and survival more than dissociated stem cell injections.

BACKGROUND: Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell (hUC-MSC) sheets have recently attracted attention as an alternative approach to injected cell suspensions for stem cell therapy. However, cell engraftment and cytokine expression levels between hUC-MSC sheets and their cell suspensions in vivo have not yet been compared. This study compares hUC-MSC in vivo engraftment efficacy and cytokine expression for both hUC-MSC sheets and cell suspensions. METHODS: hUC-MSC sheets were prepared using temperature-responsive cell culture; two types of hUC-MSC suspensions were prepared, either by enzymatic treatment (trypsin) or by enzyme-free temperature reduction using temperature-responsive cell cultureware. hUC-MSC sheets and suspensions were transplanted subcutaneously into ICR mice through subcutaneous surgical placement and intravenous injection, respectively. hUC-MSC sheet engraftment after subcutaneous surgical transplantation was investigated by in vivo imaging while intravenously injected cell suspensions were analyzing using in vitro organ imaging. Cytokine levels in both transplant site tissues and blood were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: After subcutaneous transplant, hUC-MSC sheets exhibited longer engraftment duration than hUC-MSC suspensions. This was attributed to extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell-cell junctions retained in sheets but enzymatically altered in suspensions. hUC-MSC suspensions harvested using enzyme-free temperature reduction exhibited relatively long engraftment duration after intravenous injection compared to suspensions prepared using trypsin, as enzyme-free harvest preserved cellular ECM. High HGF and TGF-ß1 levels were observed in sheet-transplanted sites compared to hUC-MSC suspension sites. However, no differences in human cytokine levels in murine blood were detected, indicating that hUC-MSC sheets might exert local paracrine rather than endocrine effects. CONCLUSIONS: hUC-MSC sheet transplantation could be a more effective cell therapeutic approach due to enhanced engraftment and secretion of therapeutic cytokines over injected hUC-MSC suspensions.

Rapid and effective preparation of clonal bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cell sheets to reduce renal fibrosis.

Allogeneic "off-the-shelf" mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC) therapy requires scalable, quality-controlled cell manufacturing and distribution systems to provide clinical-grade products using cryogenic cell banking. However, previous studies report impaired cell function associated with administering freeze-thawed MSCs as single cell suspensions, potentially compromising reliable therapeutic efficacy. Using long-term culture-adapted clinical-grade clonal human bone marrow MSCs (cBMSCs) in this study, we engineered cBMSC sheets in 24 h to provide rapid preparation. We then sought to determine the influence of cBMSC freeze-thawing on both in vitro production of pro-regenerative factors and in vivo ability to reduce renal fibrosis in a rat model compared to freshly harvested cBMSCs. Sheets from freeze-thawed cBMSCs sheets exhibited comparable in vitro protein production and gene expression of pro-regenerative factors [e.g., hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and interleukin 10 (IL-10)] to freshly harvested cBMSC sheets. Additionally, freeze-thawed cBMSC sheets successfully suppressed renal fibrosis in vivo in an established rat ischemia-reperfusion injury model. Despite previous studies reporting that freeze-thawed MSCs exhibit impaired cell functions compared to fresh MSC single cell suspensions, cell sheets engineered from freeze-thawed cBMSCs do not exhibit impaired cell functions, supporting critical steps toward future clinical translation of cBMSC-based kidney disease treatment.

Real-time fluorescent image analysis of DNA spot hybridization kinetics to assess microarray spot heterogeneity.

Current microarray assay technology predominately uses fluorescence as a detectable signal end point. This study assessed real-time in situ surface hybridization capture kinetics for single printed DNA microspots on solid array surfaces using fluorescence. The influence of the DNA target and probe cyanine dye position on oligo-DNA duplex formation behavior was compared in solution versus surface-hybridized single DNA printed spots using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) analysis. Fluorophore Cy3/Cy5 fluorescence intensities were analyzed both through the printed hybridized DNA spot thickness and radially across single-spot surfaces. Confocal single-spot imaging shows that real-time in situ hybridization kinetics with constant target concentrations changes as a function of the printed probe density. Target-specific imaging in single spots exhibits a heterogeneous printed probe radial density that influences hybridization spatially and temporally via radial hemispherical diffusion of dye-labeled target from the outside edge of the spot to the interior. FRET of the surface-captured target occurs irrespective of the probe/target fluorophore position, resulting from excess printed probe density and spot thickness. Both heterogeneous probe density distributions in printed spots and the fluorophore position on short DNA oligomers influence duplex formation kinetics, hybridization efficiencies, and overall fluorescence intensity end points in surface-capture formats. This analysis is important to understanding, controlling, and quantifying the array assay signal essential to reliable application of the surface-capture format.