CAR T cells produced in vivo to treat cardiac injury

T cells to fix a broken heart

In vivo engineered T cells provide a promising approach to treat cardiac diseases.

Advances in mRNA vaccines

mRNA vaccines have been increasingly recognized as a powerful vaccine platform since the FDA approval of two COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, which demonstrated outstanding prevention efficacy as well as great safety profile. Notably, nucleoside modification and lipid nanoparticle-facilitated delivery has greatly improved the immunogenicity, stability, and translation efficiency of mRNA molecule. Here we review the recent progress in mRNA vaccine development, including nucleoside modification, in vitro synthesis and product purification, and lipid nanoparticle vectors for in vivo delivery and efficient translation. We also briefly introduce the clinical application of mRNA vaccine in preventing infectious diseases and treating inflammatory diseases including cancer.

Development of disulfide-stabilized Fabs for targeting of antibody-directed nanotherapeutics

Antibody-directed nanotherapeutics (ADNs) represent a promising delivery platform for selective delivery of an encapsulated drug payload to the site of disease that improves the therapeutic index. Although both single-chain Fv (scFv) and Fab antibody fragments have been used for targeting, no platform approach applicable to any target has emerged. scFv can suffer from intrinsic instability, and the Fabs are challenging to use due to native disulfide over-reduction and resulting impurities at the end of the conjugation process. This occurs because of the close proximity of the disulfide bond connecting the heavy and light chain to the free cysteine at the C-terminus, which is commonly used as the conjugation site. Here we show that by engineering an alternative heavy chain-light chain disulfide within the Fab, we can maintain efficient conjugation while eliminating the process impurities and retaining stability. We have demonstrated the utility of this technology for efficient ADN delivery and internalization for a series of targets, including EphA2, EGFR, and ErbB2. We expect that this technology will be broadly applicable for targeting of nanoparticle encapsulated payloads, including DNA, mRNA, and small molecules.

Gene Therapy Strategies Targeting Aging-Related Diseases

Rapid advancements have taken place in gene therapy technology. However, effective methods for treating aging- or age-related chronic diseases, which are often closely related to genes or even multiple genes, are still lacking. The path to developing cures is winding, while gene therapy that targets genes related to aging represents an exciting research direction with tremendous potential. Among aging-related genes, some candidates have been studied at different levels, from cell to organismal levels (e.g., mammalian models) with different methods, from overexpression to gene editing. The TERT and APOE have even entered the stage of clinical trials. Even those displaying only a preliminary association with diseases have potential applications. This article discusses the foundations and recent breakthroughs in the field of gene therapy, providing a summary of current mainstream strategies and gene therapy products with clinical and preclinical applications. Finally, we review representative target genes and their potential for treating aging or age-related diseases.

Heart Failure in Chronic Infectious and Inflammatory Conditions: Mechanistic Insights from Clinical Heterogeneity

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The balance between inflammation and its resolution plays an important and increasingly appreciated role in heart failure (HF) pathogenesis. In humans, different chronic inflammatory conditions and immune-inflammatory responses to infection can lead to diverse HF manifestations. Reviewing the phenotypic and mechanistic diversity of these HF presentations offers useful clinical and scientific insights.

RECENT FINDINGS

HF risk is increased in patients with chronic inflammatory and autoimmune disorders and relates to disease severity. Inflammatory condition-specific HF manifestations exist and underlying pathophysiologic causes may differ across conditions. Although inflammatory disease-specific presentations of HF differ, chronic excess in inflammation and auto-inflammation relative to resolution of this inflammation is a common underlying contributor to HF. Further studies are needed to phenotypically refine inflammatory condition-specific HF pathophysiologies and prognoses, as well as potential targets for intervention.