Cost-Effective Mechanical Aggregation of Cardiac Progenitors and Encapsulation in Matrigel Support Self-Organization in a Dynamic Culture Environment.

Human iPSC-derived self-organized cardiac tissues can be valuable for the development of platforms for disease modeling and drug screening, enhancing test accuracy and reducing pharmaceutical industry financial burden. However, current differentiation systems still rely on static culture conditions and specialized commercial microwells for aggregation, which hinders the full potential of hiPSC-derived cardiac tissues. Herein, we integrate cost-effective and reproducible manual aggregation of hiPSC-derived cardiac progenitors with Matrigel encapsulation and a dynamic culture to support hiPSC cardiac differentiation and self-organization. Manual aggregation at day 7 of cardiac differentiation resulted in 97% of beating aggregates with 78% of cTnT-positive cells. Matrigel encapsulation conjugated with a dynamic culture promoted cell migration and the creation of organized structures, with observed cell polarization and the creation of lumens. In addition, encapsulation increased buoyancy and decreased coalescence of the hiPSC-derived cardiac aggregates. Moreover, VEGF supplementation increased over two-fold the percentage of CD31-positive cells resulting in the emergence of microvessel-like structures. Thus, this study shows that the explored culture parameters support the self-organization of hiPSC-derived cardiac microtissues containing multiple cardiac cell types. Additional stimuli (e.g., BMP) in long-term scalable and fully automatized cultures can further potentiate highly structured and mature hiPSC-derived cardiac models, contributing to the development of reliable platforms for high-throughput drug screening and disease modeling.

Transcriptome profiling of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cerebellar organoids reveals faster commitment under dynamic conditions.

Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have great potential for disease modeling. However, generating iPSC-derived models to study brain diseases remains a challenge. In particular, the ability to recapitulate cerebellar development in vitro is still limited. We presented a reproducible and scalable production of cerebellar organoids by using the novel single-use Vertical-Wheel bioreactors, in which functional cerebellar neurons were obtained. Here, we evaluate the global gene expression profiles by RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) across cerebellar differentiation, demonstrating a faster cerebellar commitment in this novel dynamic differentiation protocol. Furthermore, transcriptomic profiles suggest a significant enrichment of extracellular matrix (ECM) in dynamic-derived cerebellar organoids, which can better mimic the neural microenvironment and support a consistent neuronal network. Thus, an efficient generation of organoids with cerebellar identity was achieved for the first time in a continuous process using a dynamic system without the need of organoids encapsulation in ECM-based hydrogels, allowing the possibility of large-scale production and application in high-throughput processes. The presence of factors that favors angiogenesis onset was also detected in dynamic conditions, which can enhance functional maturation of cerebellar organoids. We anticipate that large-scale production of cerebellar organoids may help developing models for drug screening, toxicological tests, and studying pathological pathways involved in cerebellar degeneration.

Modeling Rett Syndrome with Human Pluripotent Stem Cells: Mechanistic Outcomes and Future Clinical Perspectives.

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in the gene encoding the methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2). Among many different roles, MeCP2 has a high phenotypic impact during the different stages of brain development. Thus, it is essential to intensively investigate the function of MeCP2, and its regulated targets, to better understand the mechanisms of the disease and inspire the development of possible therapeutic strategies. Several animal models have greatly contributed to these studies, but more recently human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have been providing a promising alternative for the study of RTT. The rapid evolution in the field of hPSC culture allowed first the development of 2D-based neuronal differentiation protocols, and more recently the generation of 3D human brain organoid models, a more complex approach that better recapitulates human neurodevelopment in vitro. Modeling RTT using these culture platforms, either with patient-specific human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) or genetically-modified hPSCs, has certainly contributed to a better understanding of the onset of RTT and the disease phenotype, ultimately allowing the development of high throughput drugs screening tests for potential clinical translation. In this review, we first provide a brief summary of the main neurological features of RTT and the impact of MeCP2 mutations in the neuropathophysiology of this disease. Then, we provide a thorough revision of the more recent advances and future prospects of RTT modeling with human neural cells derived from hPSCs, obtained using both 2D and organoids culture systems, and its contribution for the current and future clinical trials for RTT.

Natural Multimerization Rules the Performance of Affinity-Based Physical Hydrogels for Stem Cell Encapsulation and Differentiation.

Tissue engineering and stem cell research greatly benefit from cell encapsulation within hydrogels as it promotes cell expansion and differentiation. Affinity-triggered hydrogels, an appealing solution for mild cell encapsulation, rely on selective interactions between the ligand and target and also on the multivalent presentation of these two components. Although these hydrogels represent a versatile option to generate dynamic, tunable, and highly functional materials, the design of hydrogel properties based on affinity and multivalency remains challenging and unstudied. Here, the avidin-biotin affinity pair, with the highest reported affinity constant, is used to address this challenge. It is demonstrated that the binding between the affinity hydrogel components is influenced by the multivalent display selected. In addition, the natural multivalency of the interaction must be obeyed to yield robust multicomponent synthetic protein hydrogels. The hydrogel's resistance to erosion depends on the right stoichiometric match between the hydrogel components. The developed affinity-triggered hydrogels are biocompatible and support encapsulation of induced pluripotent stem cells and their successful differentiation into a neural cell line. This principle can be generalized to other affinity pairs using multimeric proteins, yielding biomaterials with controlled performance.

Extracellular Vesicles in CNS Developmental Disorders.

The central nervous system (CNS) is the most complex structure in the body, consisting of multiple cell types with distinct morphology and function. Development of the neuronal circuit and its function rely on a continuous crosstalk between neurons and non-neural cells. It has been widely accepted that extracellular vesicles (EVs), mainly exosomes, are effective entities responsible for intercellular CNS communication. They contain membrane and cytoplasmic proteins, lipids, non-coding RNAs, microRNAs and mRNAs. Their cargo modulates gene and protein expression in recipient cells. Several lines of evidence indicate that EVs play a role in modifying signal transduction with subsequent physiological changes in neurogenesis, gliogenesis, synaptogenesis and network circuit formation and activity, as well as synaptic pruning and myelination. Several studies demonstrate that neural and non-neural EVs play an important role in physiological and pathological neurodevelopment. The present review discusses the role of EVs in various neurodevelopmental disorders and the prospects of using EVs as disease biomarkers and therapeutics.

Biophysical study of human induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived cardiomyocyte structural maturation during long-term culture.

Human induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) have an enormous potential for the development of drug screening and modeling cardiac disease platforms. However, early hiPSC-CMs usually exhibit low structural development, precluding the applicability of these cells. Here, we follow during 120 days the progressive structural maturation of hiPSC-CM microtissues obtained using the Wnt signaling modulation protocol. For this purpose, we designed a user friendly custom-written program to quantify cardiac fiber alignment and sarcomere length. Cardiomyocyte shape, cardiac fiber density and multinucleation were also analyzed. Derived cardiomyocytes showed significant progression in cardiomyocyte fiber density and sarcomere length during the long-term culture, with a peak at day 90 of 40% multinucleated cells. In addition, cardiomyocyte microtissues remained functional with progressive maturation leading to a decrease in the percentage of cTnT positive cells from 59% to 22% at day 120, a value similar to the content present in tissues of the adult left ventricle. These data and the framework that we provide to quantify cardiomyocyte structural features can be important to set new metrics to develop applications for drug screening and disease modeling.

Unlocking the Potential of Stem Cell Microenvironments In Vitro.

The field of regenerative medicine has recently witnessed groundbreaking advancements that hold immense promise for treating a wide range of diseases and injuries. At the forefront of this revolutionary progress are stem cells. Stem cells typically reside in specialized environments in vivo, known as microenvironments or niches, which play critical roles in regulating stem cell behavior and determining their fate. Therefore, understanding the complex microenvironments that surround stem cells is crucial for advancing treatment options in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering applications. Several research articles have made significant contributions to this field by exploring the interactions between stem cells and their surrounding niches, investigating the influence of biomechanical and biochemical cues, and developing innovative strategies for tissue regeneration. This review highlights the key findings and contributions of these studies, shedding light on the diverse applications that may arise from the understanding of stem cell microenvironments, thus harnessing the power of these microenvironments to transform the landscape of medicine and offer new avenues for regenerative therapies.

Advances in ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells for clinical applications.

As caretakers of the hematopoietic system, hematopoietic stem cells assure a lifelong supply of differentiated populations that are responsible for critical bodily functions, including oxygen transport, immunological protection and coagulation. Due to the far-reaching influence of the hematopoietic system, hematological disorders typically have a significant impact on the lives of individuals, even becoming fatal. Hematopoietic cell transplantation was the first effective therapeutic avenue to treat such hematological diseases. Since then, key use and manipulation of hematopoietic stem cells for treatments has been aspired to fully take advantage of such an important cell population. Limited knowledge on hematopoietic stem cell behavior has motivated in-depth research into their biology. Efforts were able to uncover their native environment and characteristics during development and adult stages. Several signaling pathways at a cellular level have been mapped, providing insight into their machinery. Important dynamics of hematopoietic stem cell maintenance were begun to be understood with improved comprehension of their metabolism and progressive aging. These advances have provided a solid platform for the development of innovative strategies for the manipulation of hematopoietic stem cells. Specifically, expansion of the hematopoietic stem cell pool has triggered immense interest, gaining momentum. A wide range of approaches have sprouted, leading to a variety of expansion systems, from simpler small molecule-based strategies to complex biomimetic scaffolds. The recent approval of Omisirge, the first expanded hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell product, whose expansion platform is one of the earliest, is predictive of further successes that might arise soon. In order to guarantee the quality of these ex vivo manipulated cells, robust assays that measure cell function or potency need to be developed. Whether targeting hematopoietic engraftment, immunological differentiation potential or malignancy clearance, hematopoietic stem cells and their derivatives need efficient scaling of their therapeutic potency. In this review, we comprehensively view hematopoietic stem cells as therapeutic assets, going from fundamental to translational.

Organoids as complex (bio)systems.

Organoids are three-dimensional structures derived from stem cells that mimic the organization and function of specific organs, making them valuable tools for studying complex systems in biology. This paper explores the application of complex systems theory to understand and characterize organoids as exemplars of intricate biological systems. By identifying and analyzing common design principles observed across diverse natural, technological, and social complex systems, we can gain insights into the underlying mechanisms governing organoid behavior and function. This review outlines general design principles found in complex systems and demonstrates how these principles manifest within organoids. By acknowledging organoids as representations of complex systems, we can illuminate our understanding of their normal physiological behavior and gain valuable insights into the alterations that can lead to disease. Therefore, incorporating complex systems theory into the study of organoids may foster novel perspectives in biology and pave the way for new avenues of research and therapeutic interventions to improve human health and wellbeing.

Systems bioengineering approaches for developmental toxicology.

Developmental toxicology is the field of study that examines the effects of chemical and physical agents on developing organisms. By using principles of systems biology and bioengineering, a systems bioengineering approach could be applied to study the complex interactions between developing organisms, the environment, and toxic agents. This approach would result in a holistic understanding of the effects of toxic agents on organisms, by considering the interactions between different biological systems and the impacts of toxicants on those interactions. It would be useful in identifying key biological pathways and mechanisms affected by toxic agents, as well as in the development of predictive models to assess potential risks of exposure to toxicants during development. In this review, we discuss the relevance of systems bioengineering to the field of developmental toxicity and provide up-to-date examples that illustrate the use of engineering principles for this application.

Advancing organoid design through co-emergence, assembly, and bioengineering.

Human adult stem cells and patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells represent promising tools to understand human biology, development, and disease. Under a permissive environment, stem cell derivatives can self-organize and reconstruct their native milieu, resulting in the creation of organ-like entities known as organoids. Although organoids represent a breakthrough in the stem cell field, there are still considerable shortcomings preventing their widespread use, namely their variability, limited function, and reductionist size. In the past few years, sophisticated methodologies have been proposed to allow the design of organoids with improved biological fidelity and physiological relevance. Here, we summarize these emerging technologies and provide insights into how they can be utilized to fulfill the potential of stem cells.

Design and Fabrication of Artificial Stem Cell Niches.

The term "cellular microenvironment" is a generic expression used to describe the complex collection of stimuli that contribute to cell and tissue functions [...].

A Dynamic 3D Aggregate-Based System for the Successful Expansion and Neural Induction of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.

The demand for large cell numbers for cellular therapies and drug screening applications requires the development of scalable platforms capable of generating high-quality populations of tissue-specific cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). Here, we studied the ability of Gibco StemScale PSC Suspension Medium to promote the efficient expansion of hPSC cultures as aggregates grown in suspension. We tested human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) growth in 6-well plates (on orbital shaker platforms) and single-use vertical-wheel bioreactors for a total of three consecutive passages. Up to a 9-fold increase in cell number was observed over 5 days per passage, with a cumulative fold change up to 600 in 15 days. Additionally, we compared neural induction of hiPSCs by using a dual SMAD inhibition protocol with a commercially available neural induction medium, which can potentially yield more than a 30-fold change, including neural progenitor induction and expansion. This system can also be adapted toward the generation of floor plate progenitors, which yields up to an 80-fold change in cell number and generates FOXA2-positive populations. In summary, we developed platforms for hiPSC expansion and neural induction into different brain regions that provide scalability toward producing clinically relevant cell numbers.

3D Microwell Platform for Cardiomyocyte Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.

The generation of cardiomyocytes (CMs) from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) represents a valuable tool for a myriad of in vitro applications, including drug screening, disease modeling and regenerative medicine. However, the success of these applications is dependent on the establishment of reliable, efficient, simple, and cost-effective differentiation methods. In this chapter, we describe an efficient and robust 3D platform for the generation of hPSC-CMs based on the use of a microwell culture system, which can be applied in any laboratory environment. Additionally, we will also describe protocols for the structural and functional characterization of the obtained CMs for further quality control upon differentiation.

Xeno-Free Integrated Platform for Robust Production of Cardiomyocyte Sheets from hiPSCs.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can be efficiently differentiated into cardiomyocytes (CMs), which can be used for cardiac disease modeling, for drug screening, and to regenerate damaged myocardium. Implementation of xeno-free culture systems is essential to fully explore the potential of these cells. However, differentiation using xeno-free adhesion matrices often results in low CM yields and lack of functional CM sheets, capable of enduring additional maturation stages. Here, we established a xeno-free CM differentiation platform using TeSR/Synthemax, including a replating step and integrated with two versatile purification/enrichment metabolic approaches. Results showed that the replating step was essential to reestablish a fully integrated, closely-knit CM sheet. In addition, replating contributed to increase the cTnT expression from 65% to 75% and the output from 2.2 to 3.1 CM per hiPSC, comparable with the efficiency observed when using TeSR/Matrigel. In addition, supplementation with PluriSin1 and Glu-Lac+ medium allowed increasing the CM content over 80% without compromising CM sheet integrity or functionality. Thus, this xeno-free differentiation platform is a reliable and robust method to produce hiPSC-derived CMs, increasing the possibility of using these cells safely for a wide range of applications.

Engineering Organoids for in vitro Modeling of Phenylketonuria.

Phenylketonuria is a recessive genetic disorder of amino-acid metabolism, where impaired phenylalanine hydroxylase function leads to the accumulation of neurotoxic phenylalanine levels in the brain. Severe cognitive and neuronal impairment are observed in untreated/late-diagnosed patients, and even early treated ones are not safe from life-long sequelae. Despite the wealth of knowledge acquired from available disease models, the chronic effect of Phenylketonuria in the brain is still poorly understood and the consequences to the aging brain remain an open question. Thus, there is the need for better predictive models, able to recapitulate specific mechanisms of this disease. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), with their ability to differentiate and self-organize in multiple tissues, might provide a new exciting in vitro platform to model specific PKU-derived neuronal impairment. In this review, we gather what is known about the impact of phenylalanine in the brain of patients and highlight where hiPSC-derived organoids could contribute to the understanding of this disease.

Three-dimensional cell culture microarray for high-throughput studies of stem cell fate.

We have developed a novel three-dimensional (3D) cellular microarray platform to enable the rapid and efficient tracking of stem cell fate and quantification of specific stem cell markers. This platform consists of a miniaturized 3D cell culture array on a functionalized glass slide for spatially addressable high-throughput screening. A microarray spotter was used to deposit cells onto a modified glass surface to yield an array consisting of cells encapsulated in alginate gel spots with volumes as low as 60 nL. A method based on an immunofluorescence technique scaled down to function on a cellular microarray was also used to quantify specific cell marker protein levels in situ. Our results revealed that this platform is suitable for studying the expansion of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells as they retain their pluripotent and undifferentiated state. We also examined neural commitment of mouse ES cells on the microarray and observed the generation of neuroectodermal precursor cells characterized by expression of the neural marker Sox-1, whose levels were also measured in situ using a GFP reporter system. In addition, the high-throughput capacity of the platform was tested using a dual-slide system that allowed rapid screening of the effects of tretinoin and fibroblast growth factor-4 (FGF-4) on the pluripotency of mouse ES cells. This high-throughput platform is a powerful new tool for investigating cellular mechanisms involved in stem cell expansion and differentiation and provides the basis for rapid identification of signals and conditions that can be used to direct cellular responses.

Kinetic and metabolic analysis of mouse embryonic stem cell expansion under serum-free conditions.

There is a need for a deeper understanding of the biochemical events affecting embryonic stem (ES) cell culture by analyzing the expansion of mouse ES cells in terms of both cell growth and metabolic kinetics. The influence of the initial cell density on cell expansion was assessed. Concomitantly, the biochemical profile of the culture was evaluated, which allowed measuring the consumption of important substrates, such as glucose and glutamine, and the production of metabolic byproducts, like lactate. The results suggest a more efficient cell metabolism in serum-free conditions and a preferential use of glutaminolysis as an energy source during cell expansion at low seeding densities. This work contributes to the development of fully-controlled bioprocesses to produce relevant numbers of ES cells for cell therapies and high-throughput drug screening.

Production of Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Hepatic Cell Lineages and Liver Organoids: Current Status and Potential Applications.

Liver disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, leading to the death of approximately 2 million people per year. Current therapies include orthotopic liver transplantation, however, donor organ shortage remains a great challenge. In addition, the development of novel therapeutics has been limited due to the lack of in vitro models that mimic in vivo liver physiology. Accordingly, hepatic cell lineages derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) represent a promising cell source for liver cell therapy, disease modelling, and drug discovery. Moreover, the development of new culture systems bringing together the multiple liver-specific hepatic cell types triggered the development of hPSC-derived liver organoids. Therefore, these human liver-based platforms hold great potential for clinical applications. In this review, the production of the different hepatic cell lineages from hPSCs, including hepatocytes, as well as the emerging strategies to generate hPSC-derived liver organoids will be assessed, while current biomedical applications will be highlighted.

Angelman syndrome: a journey through the brain.

Angelman syndrome (AS) is an incurable neurodevelopmental disease caused by loss of function of the maternally inherited UBE3A gene. AS is characterized by a defined set of symptoms, namely severe developmental delay, speech impairment, uncontrolled laughter, and ataxia. Current understanding of the pathophysiology of AS relies mostly on studies using the murine model of the disease, although alternative models based on patient-derived stem cells are now emerging. Here, we summarize the literature of the last decade concerning the three major brain areas that have been the subject of study in the context of AS: hippocampus, cortex, and the cerebellum. Our comprehensive analysis highlights the major phenotypes ascribed to the different brain areas. Moreover, we also discuss the major drawbacks of current models and point out future directions for research in the context of AS, which will hopefully lead us to an effective treatment of this condition in humans.