ALCAM Mediates DC Migration Through Afferent Lymphatics and Promotes Allospecific Immune Reactions.

Activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule (ALCAM, CD166) is a cell adhesion molecule of the immunoglobulin superfamily and has been implicated in diverse pathophysiological processes including T cell activation, leukocyte trafficking, and (lymph)angiogenesis. However, exploring the therapeutic potential of ALCAM blockade in immune-mediated inflammatory disorders has been difficult due to the lack of antibodies with blocking activity toward murine ALCAM. In this study, we identified and characterized a monoclonal antibody with high affinity and specificity for murine ALCAM. This antibody reduced in vitro T cell activation induced by antigen-presenting dendritic cells (DCs) as well as (trans)migration of murine DCs across lymphatic endothelial monolayers. Moreover, it reduced emigration of DCs from in vitro-cultured human skin biopsies. Similarly, antibody-based blockade of ALCAM reduced (lymph)angiogenic processes in vitro and decreased developmental lymphangiogenesis in vivo to levels observed in ALCAM-deficient mice. Since corneal allograft rejection is an important medical condition that also involves (lymph)angiogenesis, DC migration and T cell activation, we investigated the therapeutic potential of ALCAM blockade in murine corneal disease. Blocking ALCAM lead to DC retention in corneas and effectively prevented corneal allograft rejection. Considering that we also detected ALCAM expression in human corneal DCs and lymphatics, our findings identify ALCAM as a potential novel therapeutic target in human corneal allograft rejection.

An MRI-guided HIFU-triggered wax-coated capsule for supertargeted drug release: a proof-of-concept study.

BACKGROUND: Externally controlling and monitoring drug release at a desired time and location is currently lacking in the gastrointestinal tract. The aim of the study was to develop a thermoresponsive wax-coated capsule and to trigger its release upon applying a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) pulse. METHODS: Capsules containing a lyophilised gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) were coated with a 1:1 (mass/mass) mixture of lanolin and cetyl alcohol (melting point ≈43 °C) and exposed to simulated gastric and intestinal fluids (United States Pharmacopoeia) at 37 °C for 2 and 24 h, respectively. In a HIFU gel phantom, wax-coated capsules (n = 3) were tracked based on their T1- and T2-hypointensity by 1.5-T T1- and T2-weighted MRI pre- and post-exposure to an MRI-guided HIFU pulse. RESULTS: Lanolin/cetyl alcohol-coated capsules showed high resistance to simulated gastrointestinal fluids. In a gel phantom, an MRI-guided HIFU pulse punctured the wax coating, resulting in the hydration and release of the encapsulated lyophilised GBCA and yielding a T1-hyperintense signal close to the wax-coated capsule. CONCLUSION: We provide the proof-of-concept of applying a non-invasive MRI-guided HIFU pulse to actively induce the disintegration of the wax-coated capsule, and a method to monitor the release of the cargo via T1-weighted MRI based on the hydration of an encapsulated lyophilised GBCA. The wax-coated capsule platform enables temporally and spatially supertargeted drug release via the oral route and promises to address a currently unmet clinical need for personalised local therapy in gastrointestinal diseases such as inflammatory bowel diseases and cancer.