Comprehensive visualization of cell-cell interactions in single-cell and spatial transcriptomics with NICHES.

MOTIVATION: Recent years have seen the release of several toolsets that reveal cell-cell interactions from single-cell data. However, all existing approaches leverage mean celltype gene expression values, and do not preserve the single-cell fidelity of the original data. Here, we present NICHES (Niche Interactions and Communication Heterogeneity in Extracellular Signaling), a tool to explore extracellular signaling at the truly single-cell level. RESULTS: NICHES allows embedding of ligand-receptor signal proxies to visualize heterogeneous signaling archetypes within cell clusters, between cell clusters and across experimental conditions. When applied to spatial transcriptomic data, NICHES can be used to reflect local cellular microenvironment. NICHES can operate with any list of ligand-receptor signaling mechanisms, is compatible with existing single-cell packages, and allows rapid, flexible analysis of cell-cell signaling at single-cell resolution. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: NICHES is an open-source software implemented in R under academic free license v3.0 and it is available at http://github.com/msraredon/NICHES. Use-case vignettes are available at https://msraredon.github.io/NICHES/. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Single-cell longitudinal analysis of SARS-CoV-2 infection in human airway epithelium identifies target cells, alterations in gene expression, and cell state changes.

There are currently limited Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs and vaccines for the treatment or prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Enhanced understanding of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and pathogenesis is critical for the development of therapeutics. To provide insight into viral replication, cell tropism, and host-viral interactions of SARS-CoV-2, we performed single-cell (sc) RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) of experimentally infected human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs) in air-liquid interface (ALI) cultures over a time course. This revealed novel polyadenylated viral transcripts and highlighted ciliated cells as a major target at the onset of infection, which we confirmed by electron and immunofluorescence microscopy. Over the course of infection, the cell tropism of SARS-CoV-2 expands to other epithelial cell types including basal and club cells. Infection induces cell-intrinsic expression of type I and type III interferons (IFNs) and interleukin (IL)-6 but not IL-1. This results in expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) in both infected and bystander cells. This provides a detailed characterization of genes, cell types, and cell state changes associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in the human airway.

Bioengineering Human Tissues and the Future of Vascular Replacement.

Cardiovascular defects, injuries, and degenerative diseases often require surgical intervention and the use of implantable replacement material and conduits. Traditional vascular grafts made of synthetic polymers, animal and cadaveric tissues, or autologous vasculature have been utilized for almost a century with well-characterized outcomes, leaving areas of unmet need for the patients in terms of durability and long-term patency, susceptibility to infection, immunogenicity associated with the risk of rejection, and inflammation and mechanical failure. Research to address these limitations is exploring avenues as diverse as gene therapy, cell therapy, cell reprogramming, and bioengineering of human tissue and replacement organs. Tissue-engineered vascular conduits, either with viable autologous cells or decellularized, are the forefront of technology in cardiovascular reconstruction and offer many benefits over traditional graft materials, particularly in the potential for the implanted material to be adopted and remodeled into host tissue and thus offer safer, more durable performance. This review discusses the key advances and future directions in the field of surgical vascular repair, replacement, and reconstruction, with a focus on the challenges and expected benefits of bioengineering human tissues and blood vessels.

Integrated Single-Cell Atlas of Endothelial Cells of the Human Lung.

BACKGROUND: Cellular diversity of the lung endothelium has not been systematically characterized in humans. We provide a reference atlas of human lung endothelial cells (ECs) to facilitate a better understanding of the phenotypic diversity and composition of cells comprising the lung endothelium. METHODS: We reprocessed human control single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) data from 6 datasets. EC populations were characterized through iterative clustering with subsequent differential expression analysis. Marker genes were validated by fluorescent microscopy and in situ hybridization. scRNAseq of primary lung ECs cultured in vitro was performed. The signaling network between different lung cell types was studied. For cross-species analysis or disease relevance, we applied the same methods to scRNAseq data obtained from mouse lungs or from human lungs with pulmonary hypertension. RESULTS: Six lung scRNAseq datasets were reanalyzed and annotated to identify >15 000 vascular EC cells from 73 individuals. Differential expression analysis of EC revealed signatures corresponding to endothelial lineage, including panendothelial, panvascular, and subpopulation-specific marker gene sets. Beyond the broad cellular categories of lymphatic, capillary, arterial, and venous ECs, we found previously indistinguishable subpopulations; among venous EC, we identified 2 previously indistinguishable populations: pulmonary-venous ECs (COL15A1neg) localized to the lung parenchyma and systemic-venous ECs (COL15A1pos) localized to the airways and the visceral pleura; among capillary ECs, we confirmed their subclassification into recently discovered aerocytes characterized by EDNRB, SOSTDC1, and TBX2 and general capillary EC. We confirmed that all 6 endothelial cell types, including the systemic-venous ECs and aerocytes, are present in mice and identified endothelial marker genes conserved in humans and mice. Ligand-receptor connectome analysis revealed important homeostatic crosstalk of EC with other lung resident cell types. scRNAseq of commercially available primary lung ECs demonstrated a loss of their native lung phenotype in culture. scRNAseq revealed that endothelial diversity is maintained in pulmonary hypertension. Our article is accompanied by an online data mining tool (www.LungEndothelialCellAtlas.com). CONCLUSIONS: Our integrated analysis provides a comprehensive and well-crafted reference atlas of ECs in the normal lung and confirms and describes in detail previously unrecognized endothelial populations across a large number of humans and mice.

Engineering of human brain organoids with a functional vascular-like system.

Human cortical organoids (hCOs), derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), provide a platform to study human brain development and diseases in complex three-dimensional tissue. However, current hCOs lack microvasculature, resulting in limited oxygen and nutrient delivery to the inner-most parts of hCOs. We engineered hESCs to ectopically express human ETS variant 2 (ETV2). ETV2-expressing cells in hCOs contributed to forming a complex vascular-like network in hCOs. Importantly, the presence of vasculature-like structures resulted in enhanced functional maturation of organoids. We found that vascularized hCOs (vhCOs) acquired several blood-brain barrier characteristics, including an increase in the expression of tight junctions, nutrient transporters and trans-endothelial electrical resistance. Finally, ETV2-induced endothelium supported the formation of perfused blood vessels in vivo. These vhCOs form vasculature-like structures that resemble the vasculature in early prenatal brain, and they present a robust model to study brain disease in vitro.

Pressure-Regulated Ventilator Splitting for Disaster Relief: Design, Testing, and Clinical Experience.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has revealed that even the best-resourced hospitals may lack sufficient ventilators to support patients under surge conditions. During a pandemic or mass trauma, an affordable, low-maintenance, off-the-shelf device that would allow health care teams to rapidly expand their ventilator capacity could prove lifesaving, but only if it can be safely integrated into a complex and rapidly changing clinical environment. Here, we define an approach to safe ventilator sharing that prioritizes predictable and independent care of patients sharing a ventilator. Subsequently, we detail the design and testing of a ventilator-splitting circuit that follows this approach and describe our clinical experience with this circuit during the COVID-19 pandemic. This circuit was able to provide individualized and titratable ventilatory support with individualized positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) to 2 critically ill patients at the same time, while insulating each patient from changes in the other's condition. We share insights from our experience using this technology in the intensive care unit and outline recommendations for future clinical applications.

Reduced patency in left-sided arteriovenous grafts in a porcine model.

OBJECTIVE: The porcine arteriovenous graft model is commonly used to study hemodialysis vascular access failure, with most studies using a bilateral, paired-site approach in either the neck or femoral vessels. In humans, left- and right-sided central veins have different anatomy and diameters, and left-sided central vein catheters have worse outcomes. We assessed the effect of laterality on arteriovenous prosthetic graft patency and hypothesized that left-sided carotid-jugular arteriovenous prosthetic grafts have reduced patency in the porcine model. METHODS: Arteriovenous polytetrafluoroethylene grafts were placed ipsilaterally or bilaterally in 10 Yorkshire male pigs from the common carotid artery to the internal jugular vein. Ultrasound measurements of blood flow velocities and diameters were assessed before graft placement. Animals were sacrificed at 1 week, 2 weeks, or 3 weeks. Patency was determined clinically; grafts and perianastomotic vessels were excised and analyzed with histology and immunostaining. RESULTS: At baseline, left- and right-sided veins and arteries had similar blood flow velocities. Although internal jugular veins had similar diameters at baseline, left-sided carotid arteries had 11% smaller outer diameters (P = .0354). There were 10 left-sided and 8 right-sided polytetrafluoroethylene grafts placed; only 4 of 10 (40%) grafts were patent on the left compared with 7 of 8 (88%) grafts patent on the right (P = .04). Left-sided grafts had increased macrophages at the arterial anastomosis (P = .0007). Left-sided perianastomotic arteries had thicker walls (0.74 vs 0.60 mm; P = .0211) with increased intima-media area (1.14 vs 0.77 mm2; P = .0169) as well as a trend toward 38% smaller luminal diameter (1.6 vs 2.5 mm; P = .0668) and 20% smaller outer diameter (3.0 vs 3.7 mm; P = .0861). Left- and right-sided perianastomotic veins were similar histologically, but left-sided veins had decreased expression of phosphorylated endothelial nitric oxide synthase (P = .0032) and increased numbers of α-actin-positive smooth muscle cells (P = .0022). CONCLUSIONS: Left-sided arteriovenous grafts are associated with reduced short-term patency compared with right-sided grafts in the Yorkshire pig preclinical model of arteriovenous prosthetic grafts. Laterality must be considered in planning and interpreting surgical preclinical models.

Arterial reconstruction with human bioengineered acellular blood vessels in patients with peripheral arterial disease.

OBJECTIVE: Vascular conduit is essential for arterial reconstruction for a number of conditions, including trauma and atherosclerotic occlusive disease. We have developed a tissue-engineered human acellular vessel (HAV) that can be manufactured, stored on site at hospitals, and be immediately available for arterial vascular reconstruction. Although the HAV is acellular when implanted, extensive preclinical and clinical testing has demonstrated that the HAV subsequently repopulates with the recipient's own vascular cells. We report a first-in-man clinical experience using the HAV for arterial reconstruction in patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial disease. METHODS: HAVs were manufactured using human vascular smooth muscle cells grown on a biodegradable scaffold. After the establishment of adequate cell growth and extracellular matrix deposition, the vessels were decellularized to remove human cellular antigens. Manufactured vessels were implanted in 20 patients with symptomatic peripheral arterial disease as above-knee, femoral-to-popliteal arterial bypass conduits. After HAV implantation, all patients were assessed for safety, HAV durability, freedom from conduit infection, and bypass patency for 2 years. RESULTS: Twenty HAVs were placed in the arterial, above-knee, femoral-to-popliteal position in patients with rest pain (n = 3) or symptomatic claudication (n = 17). All HAVs functioned as intended and had no evidence of structural failure or rejection by the recipient. No acute HAV infections were reported, but three surgical site infections were documented during the study period. Three non-HAV-related deaths were reported. One vessel developed a pseudoaneurysm after suspected iatrogenic injury during a balloon thrombectomy. No amputations of the HAV implanted limb occurred over the 2-year period, and no HAV infections were reported in approximately 34 patient-years of continuous patient follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Human tissue engineered blood vessels can be manufactured and readily available for peripheral arterial bypass surgery. Early clinical experience with these vessels, in the arterial position, suggest that they are safe, have acceptable patency, a low incidence of infection, and do not require the harvest of autologous vein or any cells from the recipient. Histologic examination of tissue biopsies revealed vascular remodeling and repopulation by host cells. This first-in-man arterial bypass study supports the continued development of human tissue engineered blood vessels for arterial reconstruction, and potential future expansion to clinical indications including vascular trauma and repair of other size-appropriate peripheral arteries.

Impaired von Willebrand factor adhesion and platelet response in thrombospondin-2 knockout mice.

Interactions between collagenous extracellular matrices and von Willebrand factor (VWF) are critical for hemostasis and thrombosis. In the present study, we investigated the contribution of an extracellular matrix (ECM) abnormality to the bleeding diathesis in thrombospondin-2 (TSP2) knockout (KO) mice. First, we performed adoptive bone marrow transplantation and observed that introduction of wild-type (WT) marrow into lethally irradiated TSP2 KO mice did not rescue the bleeding diathesis. However, platelets in transplanted mice displayed an inherent aggregation defect, which complicated interpretation. Second, we performed interposition of arterial segments denuded of endothelium. Denuded TSP2 KO arteries grafted into WT mice remained patent in vivo. In contrast, WT grafts underwent thrombosis and were completely occluded within 24 to 48 hours. The nonthrombogenic property of the TSP2 KO ECM was confirmed in vitro by exposing platelets to TSP2 KO dermal fibroblast (DF)-derived ECM. To further probe the effect of TSP2 deficiency, ECM production and deposition by WT and TSP2 KO DFs was analyzed via polymerase chain reaction, immunofluorescence, and scanning electron microscopy and showed similar patterns. In addition, atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis of WT and TSP2 KO ECM did not reveal differences in stiffness. In contrast, reduced VWF accumulation on TSP2 KO ECM was observed when matrices were subjected to plasma under physiological flow. AFM utilizing VWF-coated 2-µm beads confirmed the weak binding to TSP2 KO ECM, providing a mechanistic explanation for the lack of thrombus formation. Therefore, our studies show that ECM assembly is critical for interaction of collagen with VWF and subsequent thrombogenic responses.

Susceptibility of ePTFE vascular grafts and bioengineered human acellular vessels to infection.

BACKGROUND: Synthetic expanded polytetrafluorethylene (ePTFE) grafts are routinely used for vascular repair and reconstruction but prone to sustained bacterial infections. Investigational bioengineered human acellular vessels (HAVs) have shown clinical success and may confer lower susceptibility to infection. Here we directly compared the susceptibility of ePTFE grafts and HAV to bacterial contamination in a preclinical model of infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sections (1 cm2) of ePTFE (n = 42) or HAV (n = 42) were inserted within bilateral subcutaneous pockets on the dorsum of rats and inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus (107 CFU/0.25 mL) or Escherichia coli (108 CFU/0.25 mL) before wound closure. Two weeks later, the implant sites were scored for abscess formation and explanted materials were halved for quantification of microbial recovery and histological analyses. RESULTS: The ePTFE implants had significantly higher abscess formation scores for both S. aureus and E. coli inoculations compared to that of HAV. In addition, significantly more bacteria were recovered from explanted ePTFE compared to HAV. Gram staining of explanted tissue sections revealed interstitial bacterial contamination within ePTFE, whereas no bacteria were identified in HAV tissue sections. Numerous CD45+ leukocytes, predominantly neutrophils, were found surrounding the ePTFE implants but minimal intact neutrophils were observed within the ePTFE matrix. The host cells surrounding and infiltrating the HAV explants were primarily nonleukocytes (CD45-). CONCLUSIONS: In an established animal model of infection, HAV was significantly less susceptible to bacterial colonization and abscess formation than ePTFE. The preclinical findings presented in this manuscript, combined with previously published clinical observations, suggest that bioengineered HAV may exhibit low rates of infection.

Bioengineered human acellular vessels for dialysis access in patients with end-stage renal disease: two phase 2 single-arm trials.

BACKGROUND: For patients with end-stage renal disease who are not candidates for fistula, dialysis access grafts are the best option for chronic haemodialysis. However, polytetrafluoroethylene arteriovenous grafts are prone to thrombosis, infection, and intimal hyperplasia at the venous anastomosis. We developed and tested a bioengineered human acellular vessel as a potential solution to these limitations in dialysis access. METHODS: We did two single-arm phase 2 trials at six centres in the USA and Poland. We enrolled adults with end-stage renal disease. A novel bioengineered human acellular vessel was implanted into the arms of patients for haemodialysis access. Primary endpoints were safety (freedom from immune response or infection, aneurysm, or mechanical failure, and incidence of adverse events), and efficacy as assessed by primary, primary assisted, and secondary patencies at 6 months. All patients were followed up for at least 1 year, or had a censoring event. These trials are registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01744418 and NCT01840956. FINDINGS: Human acellular vessels were implanted into 60 patients. Mean follow-up was 16 months (SD 7·6). One vessel became infected during 82 patient-years of follow-up. The vessels had no dilatation and rarely had post-cannulation bleeding. At 6 months, 63% (95% CI 47-72) of patients had primary patency, 73% (57-81) had primary assisted patency, and 97% (85-98) had secondary patency, with most loss of primary patency because of thrombosis. At 12 months, 28% (17-40) had primary patency, 38% (26-51) had primary assisted patency, and 89% (74-93) had secondary patency. INTERPRETATION: Bioengineered human acellular vessels seem to provide safe and functional haemodialysis access, and warrant further study in randomised controlled trials. FUNDING: Humacyte and US National Institutes of Health.

New Functional Tools for Antithrombogenic Activity Assessment of Live Surface Glycocalyx.

OBJECTIVE: It is widely accepted that the presence of a glycosaminoglycan-rich glycocalyx is essential for endothelialized vasculature health; in fact, a damaged or impaired glycocalyx has been demonstrated in many vascular diseases. Currently, there are no methods that characterize glycocalyx functionality, thus limiting investigators' ability to assess the role of the glycocalyx in vascular health. APPROACH AND RESULTS: We have developed novel, easy-to-use, in vitro assays that directly quantify live endothelialized surface's functional heparin weights and their anticoagulant capacity to inactivate Factor Xa and thrombin. Using our assays, we characterized 2 commonly used vascular models: native rat aorta and cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cell monolayer. We determined heparin contents to be ≈10 000 ng/cm(2) on the native aorta and ≈10-fold lower on cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Interestingly, human umbilical vein endothelial cells demonstrated a 5-fold lower anticoagulation capacity in inactivating both Factor Xa and thrombin relative to native aortas. We verified the validity and accuracy of the novel assays developed in this work using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Our assays are of high relevance in the vascular community because they can be used to establish the antithrombogenic capacity of many different types of surfaces such as vascular grafts and transplants. This work will also advance the capacity for glycocalyx-targeting therapeutics development to treat damaged vasculatures.

Quantification of extracellular matrix proteins from a rat lung scaffold to provide a molecular readout for tissue engineering.

The use of extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffolds, derived from decellularized tissues for engineered organ generation, holds enormous potential in the field of regenerative medicine. To support organ engineering efforts, we developed a targeted proteomics method to extract and quantify extracellular matrix components from tissues. Our method provides more complete and accurate protein characterization than traditional approaches. This is accomplished through the analysis of both the chaotrope-soluble and -insoluble protein fractions and using recombinantly generated stable isotope labeled peptides for endogenous protein quantification. Using this approach, we have generated 74 peptides, representing 56 proteins to quantify protein in native (nondecellularized) and decellularized lung matrices. We have focused on proteins of the ECM and additional intracellular proteins that are challenging to remove during the decellularization procedure. Results indicate that the acellular lung scaffold is predominantly composed of structural collagens, with the majority of these proteins found in the insoluble ECM, a fraction that is often discarded using widely accepted proteomic methods. The decellularization procedure removes over 98% of intracellular proteins evaluated and retains, to varying degrees, proteoglycans and glycoproteins of the ECM. Accurate characterization of ECM proteins from tissue samples will help advance organ engineering efforts by generating a molecular readout that can be correlated with functional outcome to drive the next generation of engineered organs.

Lung regeneration: steps toward clinical implementation and use.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Whole lung tissue engineering is a relatively new area of investigation. In a short time, however, the field has advanced quickly beyond proof of concept studies in rodents and now stands on the cusp of wide-spread scale up to large animal studies. Therefore, this technology is ever closer to being directly clinically relevant. RECENT FINDINGS: The main themes in the literature include refinement of the fundamental components of whole lung engineering and increasing effort to direct induced pluripotent stem cells and lung progenitor cells toward use in lung regeneration. There is also increasing need for and emphasis on functional evaluation in the lab and in vivo, and the use of all of these tools to construct and evaluate forthcoming clinically scaled engineered lung. SUMMARY: Ultimately, the goal of the research described herein is to create a useful clinical product. In the intermediate time, however, the tools described here may be employed to advance our knowledge of lung biology and the organ-specific regenerative capacity of lung stem and progenitor cells.

Efficient intratracheal delivery of airway epithelial cells in mice and pigs.

Cellular therapy via direct intratracheal delivery has gained interest as a novel therapeutic strategy for treating various pulmonary diseases including cystic fibrosis lung disease. However, concerns such as insufficient cell engraftment in lungs and lack of large animal model data remain to be resolved. This study aimed to establish a simple method for evaluating cell retention in lungs and to develop reproducible approaches for efficient cell delivery into mouse and pig lungs. Human lung epithelial cells including normal human bronchial/tracheal epithelial (NHBE) cells and human lung epithelial cell line A549 were infected with pSicoR-green fluorescent protein (GFP) lentivirus. GFP-labeled NHBE cells were delivered via a modified intratracheal cell instillation method into the lungs of C57BL/6J mice. Two days following cell delivery, GFP ELISA-based assay revealed a substantial cell-retention efficiency (10.48 ± 2.86%, n = 7) in mouse lungs preinjured with 2% polidocanol. When GFP-labeled A549 cells were transplanted into Yorkshire pig lungs with a tracheal intubation fiberscope, a robust initial cell attachment (22.32% efficiency) was observed at 24 h. In addition, a lentiviral vector was developed to induce the overexpression and apical localization of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)-GFP fusion proteins in NHBE cells as a means of ex vivo CFTR gene transfer in nonprogenitor (relatively differentiated) lung epithelial cells. These results have demonstrated the convenience and efficiency of direct delivery of exogenous epithelial cells to lungs in mouse and pig models and provided important background for future preclinical evaluation of intratracheal cell transplantation to treat lung diseases.

Engineering of arteries in vitro.

This review will focus on two elements that are essential for functional arterial regeneration in vitro: the mechanical environment and the bioreactors used for tissue growth. The importance of the mechanical environment to embryological development, vascular functionality, and vascular graft regeneration will be discussed. Bioreactors generate mechanical stimuli to simulate biomechanical environment of arterial system. This system has been used to reconstruct arterial grafts with appropriate mechanical strength for implantation by controlling the chemical and mechanical environments in which the grafts are grown. Bioreactors are powerful tools to study the effect of mechanical stimuli on extracellular matrix architecture and mechanical properties of engineered vessels. Hence, biomimetic systems enable us to optimize chemo-biomechanical culture conditions to regenerate engineered vessels with physiological properties similar to those of native arteries. In addition, this article reviews various bioreactors designed especially to apply axial loading to engineered arteries. This review will also introduce and examine different approaches and techniques that have been used to engineer biologically based vascular grafts, including collagen-based grafts, fibrin-gel grafts, cell sheet engineering, biodegradable polymers, and decellularization of native vessels.

Decellularized tissue-engineered blood vessel as an arterial conduit.

Arterial tissue-engineering techniques that have been reported previously typically involve long waiting times of several months while cells from the recipient are cultured to create the engineered vessel. In this study, we developed a different approach to arterial tissue engineering that can substantially reduce the waiting time for a graft. Tissue-engineered vessels (TEVs) were grown from banked porcine smooth muscle cells that were allogeneic to the intended recipient, using a biomimetic perfusion system. The engineered vessels were then decellularized, leaving behind the mechanically robust extracellular matrix of the graft wall. The acellular grafts were then seeded with cells that were derived from the intended recipient--either endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) or endothelial cell (EC)--on the graft lumen. TEV were then implanted as end-to-side grafts in the porcine carotid artery, which is a rigorous testbed due to its tendency for graft occlusion. The EPC- and EC-seeded TEV all remained patent for 30 d in this study, whereas the contralateral control vein grafts were patent in only 3/8 implants. Going along with the improved patency, the cell-seeded TEV demonstrated less neointimal hyperplasia and fewer proliferating cells than did the vein grafts. Proteins in the mammalian target of rapamycin signaling pathway tended to be decreased in TEV compared with vein grafts, implicating this pathway in the TEV's resistance to occlusion from intimal hyperplasia. These results indicate that a readily available, decellularized tissue-engineered vessel can be seeded with autologous endothelial progenitor cells to provide a biological vascular graft that resists both clotting and intimal hyperplasia. In addition, these results show that engineered connective tissues can be grown from banked cells, rendered acellular, and then used for tissue regeneration in vivo.

Engineered vascular grafts lend unique insight to pathophysiology of aortic aneurysms.

Yang et al.1 generate tissue engineered blood vessels from hiPSC-derived smooth muscle cells harboring a mutation found in Loeys-Dietz syndrome. In vitro and in vivo data from these vessels provide new insight into the molecular physiology of aortic aneurysms and may create a paradigm for understanding a suite of vascular diseases.

Mechano-inhibition of endocytosis sensitizes cancer cells to Fas-induced Apoptosis.

The transmembrane death receptor Fas transduces apoptotic signals upon binding its ligand, FasL. Although Fas is highly expressed in cancer cells, insufficient cell surface Fas expression desensitizes cancer cells to Fas-induced apoptosis. Here, we show that the increase in Fas microaggregate formation on the plasma membrane in response to the inhibition of endocytosis sensitizes cancer cells to Fas-induced apoptosis. We used a clinically accessible Rho-kinase inhibitor, fasudil, that reduces endocytosis dynamics by increasing plasma membrane tension. In combination with exogenous soluble FasL (sFasL), fasudil promoted cancer cell apoptosis, but this collaborative effect was substantially weaker in nonmalignant cells. The combination of sFasL and fasudil prevented glioblastoma cell growth in embryonic stem cell-derived brain organoids and induced tumor regression in a xenograft mouse model. Our results demonstrate that sFasL has strong potential for apoptosis-directed cancer therapy when Fas microaggregate formation is augmented by mechano-inhibition of endocytosis.