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Doulames VM, Marquardt LM, Hefferon ME, Baugh NJ, Suhar RA, Wang AT, Dubbin KR, Weimann JM, Palmer TD, Plant GW, Heilshorn SC. Custom-engineered hydrogels for delivery of human iPSC-derived neurons into the injured cervical spinal cord. Biomaterials 2024; 305:122400. [PMID: 38134472 PMCID: PMC10846596 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2023.122400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023]
Abstract
Cervical damage is the most prevalent type of spinal cord injury clinically, although few preclinical research studies focus on this anatomical region of injury. Here we present a combinatorial therapy composed of a custom-engineered, injectable hydrogel and human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived deep cortical neurons. The biomimetic hydrogel has a modular design that includes a protein-engineered component to allow customization of the cell-adhesive peptide sequence and a synthetic polymer component to allow customization of the gel mechanical properties. In vitro studies with encapsulated iPSC-neurons were used to select a bespoke hydrogel formulation that maintains cell viability and promotes neurite extension. Following injection into the injured cervical spinal cord in a rat contusion model, the hydrogel biodegraded over six weeks without causing any adverse reaction. Compared to cell delivery using saline, the hydrogel significantly improved the reproducibility of cell transplantation and integration into the host tissue. Across three metrics of animal behavior, this combinatorial therapy significantly improved sensorimotor function by six weeks post transplantation. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that design of a combinatorial therapy that includes a gel customized for a specific fate-restricted cell type can induce regeneration in the injured cervical spinal cord.
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Affiliation(s)
- V M Doulames
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - L M Marquardt
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - M E Hefferon
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - N J Baugh
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - R A Suhar
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - A T Wang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - K R Dubbin
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - J M Weimann
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - T D Palmer
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - G W Plant
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
| | - S C Heilshorn
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
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2
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Suhar RA, Huang MS, Navarro RS, Aviles Rodriguez G, Heilshorn SC. A Library of Elastin-like Proteins with Tunable Matrix Ligands for In Vitro 3D Neural Cell Culture. Biomacromolecules 2023; 24:5926-5939. [PMID: 37988588 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c00941] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2023]
Abstract
Hydrogels with encapsulated cells have widespread biomedical applications, both as tissue-mimetic 3D cultures in vitro and as tissue-engineered therapies in vivo. Within these hydrogels, the presentation of cell-instructive extracellular matrix (ECM)-derived ligands and matrix stiffness are critical factors known to influence numerous cell behaviors. While individual ECM biopolymers can be blended together to alter the presentation of cell-instructive ligands, this typically results in hydrogels with a range of mechanical properties. Synthetic systems that allow for the facile incorporation and modulation of multiple ligands without modification of matrix mechanics are highly desirable. In the present work, we leverage protein engineering to design a family of xeno-free hydrogels (i.e., devoid of animal-derived components) consisting of recombinant hyaluronan and recombinant elastin-like proteins (ELPs), cross-linked together with dynamic covalent bonds. The ELP components incorporate cell-instructive peptide ligands derived from ECM proteins, including fibronectin (RGD), laminin (IKVAV and YIGSR), collagen (DGEA), and tenascin-C (PLAEIDGIELTY and VFDNFVL). By carefully designing the protein primary sequence, we form 3D hydrogels with defined and tunable concentrations of cell-instructive ligands that have similar matrix mechanics. Utilizing this system, we demonstrate that neurite outgrowth from encapsulated embryonic dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cultures is significantly modified by cell-instructive ligand content. Thus, this library of protein-engineered hydrogels is a cell-compatible system to systematically study cell responses to matrix-derived ligands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riley A Suhar
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Michelle S Huang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
- The Institute for Chemistry, Stanford University, Engineering & Medicine for Human Health (Sarafan ChEM-H), Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Renato S Navarro
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Giselle Aviles Rodriguez
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Sarah C Heilshorn
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
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3
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Shayan M, Huang MS, Navarro R, Chiang G, Hu C, Oropeza BP, Johansson PK, Suhar RA, Foster AA, LeSavage BL, Zamani M, Enejder A, Roth JG, Heilshorn SC, Huang NF. Elastin-like protein hydrogels with controllable stress relaxation rate and stiffness modulate endothelial cell function. J Biomed Mater Res A 2023; 111:896-909. [PMID: 36861665 PMCID: PMC10159914 DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.37520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
Mechanical cues from the extracellular matrix (ECM) regulate vascular endothelial cell (EC) morphology and function. Since naturally derived ECMs are viscoelastic, cells respond to viscoelastic matrices that exhibit stress relaxation, in which a cell-applied force results in matrix remodeling. To decouple the effects of stress relaxation rate from substrate stiffness on EC behavior, we engineered elastin-like protein (ELP) hydrogels in which dynamic covalent chemistry (DCC) was used to crosslink hydrazine-modified ELP (ELP-HYD) and aldehyde/benzaldehyde-modified polyethylene glycol (PEG-ALD/PEG-BZA). The reversible DCC crosslinks in ELP-PEG hydrogels create a matrix with independently tunable stiffness and stress relaxation rate. By formulating fast-relaxing or slow-relaxing hydrogels with a range of stiffness (500-3300 Pa), we examined the effect of these mechanical properties on EC spreading, proliferation, vascular sprouting, and vascularization. The results show that both stress relaxation rate and stiffness modulate endothelial spreading on two-dimensional substrates, on which ECs exhibited greater cell spreading on fast-relaxing hydrogels up through 3 days, compared with slow-relaxing hydrogels at the same stiffness. In three-dimensional hydrogels encapsulating ECs and fibroblasts in coculture, the fast-relaxing, low-stiffness hydrogels produced the widest vascular sprouts, a measure of vessel maturity. This finding was validated in a murine subcutaneous implantation model, in which the fast-relaxing, low-stiffness hydrogel produced significantly more vascularization compared with the slow-relaxing, low-stiffness hydrogel. Together, these results suggest that both stress relaxation rate and stiffness modulate endothelial behavior, and that the fast-relaxing, low-stiffness hydrogels supported the highest capillary density in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahdis Shayan
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
- The Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Michelle S Huang
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Renato Navarro
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Gladys Chiang
- Center for Tissue Regeneration, Repair and Restoration, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Caroline Hu
- Center for Tissue Regeneration, Repair and Restoration, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Beu P Oropeza
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
- The Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
- Center for Tissue Regeneration, Repair and Restoration, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Patrik K Johansson
- Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Riley A Suhar
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Abbygail A Foster
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Bauer L LeSavage
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Maedeh Zamani
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
- The Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Annika Enejder
- Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Julien G Roth
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology & Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Sarah C Heilshorn
- The Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
- Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
- Geballe Laboratory for Advanced Materials, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Ngan F Huang
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
- The Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
- Center for Tissue Regeneration, Repair and Restoration, Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California, USA
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Lee CH, Hunt D, Roth JG, Chiu CC, Suhar RA, LeSavage BL, Seymour AJ, Lindsay C, Krajina B, Chen YT, Chang KH, Hsieh IC, Chu PH, Wen MS, Heilshorn SC. Tuning pro-survival effects of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived exosomes using elastin-like polypeptides. Biomaterials 2022; 291:121864. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2022.121864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Suhar RA, Doulames VM, Liu Y, Hefferon ME, Figueroa O, Buabbas H, Heilshorn SC. Hyaluronan and elastin-like protein (HELP) gels significantly improve microsphere retention in the myocardium. Biomater Sci 2022; 10:2590-2608. [PMID: 35411353 PMCID: PMC9123900 DOI: 10.1039/d1bm01890f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2023]
Abstract
Heart disease is the leading cause of death globally, and delivery of therapeutic cargo (e.g., particles loaded with proteins, drugs, or genes and cells) through direct injection into the myocardium is a promising clinical intervention. However, retention of deliverables to the contracting myocardium is low, with as much as 60-90% of payload being lost within 24 hr. Commercially-available injectable hydrogels, including Matrigel, have been hypothesized to increase payload retention but have not yielded significant improvements in quantified analyses. Here, we assess a recombinant hydrogel composed of chemically modified hyaluronan and elastin-like protein (HELP) as an alternative injectable carrier to increase cargo retention. HELP is crosslinked using dynamic covalent bonds, and tuning the hyaluronan chemistry significantly alters hydrogel mechanical properties including stiffness, stress relaxation rate, and ease of injectability through a needle or catheter. These materials can be injected even after complete crosslinking, extending the time window for surgical delivery. We show that HELP gels significantly improve in vivo retention of microsphere cargo compared to Matrigel, both 1 day and 7 days post-injection directly into the rat myocardium. These data suggest that HELP gels may assist with the clinical translation of therapeutic cargo designed for delivery into the contracting myocardium by preventing acute cargo loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riley A Suhar
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
| | - Vanessa M Doulames
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Yueming Liu
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
| | - Meghan E Hefferon
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | | | - Hana Buabbas
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 94305, USA
| | - Sarah C Heilshorn
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
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6
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Abstract
Organotypic models of patient-specific tumours are revolutionizing our understanding of cancer heterogeneity and its implications for personalized medicine. These advancements are, in part, attributed to the ability of organoid models to stably preserve genetic, proteomic, morphological and pharmacotypic features of the parent tumour in vitro, while also offering unprecedented genomic and environmental manipulation. Despite recent innovations in organoid protocols, current techniques for cancer organoid culture are inherently uncontrolled and irreproducible, owing to several non-standardized facets including cancer tissue sources and subsequent processing, medium formulations, and animal-derived three-dimensional matrices. Given the potential for cancer organoids to accurately recapitulate the intra- and intertumoral biological heterogeneity associated with patient-specific cancers, eliminating the undesirable technical variability accompanying cancer organoid culture is necessary to establish reproducible platforms that accelerate translatable insights into patient care. Here we describe the current challenges and recent multidisciplinary advancements and opportunities for standardizing next-generation cancer organoid systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bauer L LeSavage
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Riley A Suhar
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Nicolas Broguiere
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences and School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Science, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Matthias P Lutolf
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences and School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Science, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sarah C Heilshorn
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
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7
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Suhar RA, Marquardt LM, Song S, Buabbas H, Doulames VM, Johansson PK, Klett KC, Dewi RE, Enejder AMK, Plant GW, George PM, Heilshorn SC. Elastin-like Proteins to Support Peripheral Nerve Regeneration in Guidance Conduits. ACS Biomater Sci Eng 2021; 7:4209-4220. [PMID: 34510904 DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.0c01053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Synthetic nerve guidance conduits (NGCs) offer an alternative to harvested nerve grafts for treating peripheral nerve injury (PNI). NGCs have been made from both naturally derived and synthesized materials. While naturally derived materials typically have an increased capacity for bioactivity, synthesized materials have better material control, including tunability and reproducibility. Protein engineering is an alternative strategy that can bridge the benefits of these two classes of materials by designing cell-responsive materials that are also systematically tunable and consistent. Here, we tested a recombinantly derived elastin-like protein (ELP) hydrogel as an intraluminal filler in a rat sciatic nerve injury model. We demonstrated that ELPs enhance the probability of forming a tissue bridge between the proximal and distal nerve stumps compared to an empty silicone conduit across the length of a 10 mm nerve gap. These tissue bridges have evidence of myelinated axons, and electrophysiology demonstrated that regenerated axons innervated distal muscle groups. Animals implanted with an ELP-filled conduit had statistically higher functional control at 6 weeks than those that had received an empty silicone conduit, as evaluated by the sciatic functional index. Taken together, our data support the conclusion that ELPs support peripheral nerve regeneration in acute complete transection injuries when used as an intraluminal filler. These results support the further study of protein engineered recombinant ELP hydrogels as a reproducible, off-the-shelf alternative for regeneration of peripheral nerves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riley A Suhar
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Laura M Marquardt
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States.,Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Shang Song
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Hana Buabbas
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Vanessa M Doulames
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Patrik K Johansson
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Katarina C Klett
- Program in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Ruby E Dewi
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Annika M K Enejder
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Giles W Plant
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Paul M George
- Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, United States.,Stanford Stroke Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Sarah C Heilshorn
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
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8
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Hunt DR, Klett KC, Mascharak S, Wang H, Gong D, Lou J, Li X, Cai PC, Suhar RA, Co JY, LeSavage BL, Foster AA, Guan Y, Amieva MR, Peltz G, Xia Y, Kuo CJ, Heilshorn SC. Engineered Matrices Enable the Culture of Human Patient-Derived Intestinal Organoids. Adv Sci (Weinh) 2021; 8:2004705. [PMID: 34026461 PMCID: PMC8132048 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202004705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2020] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Human intestinal organoids from primary human tissues have the potential to revolutionize personalized medicine and preclinical gastrointestinal disease models. A tunable, fully defined, designer matrix, termed hyaluronan elastin-like protein (HELP) is reported, which enables the formation, differentiation, and passaging of adult primary tissue-derived, epithelial-only intestinal organoids. HELP enables the encapsulation of dissociated patient-derived cells, which then undergo proliferation and formation of enteroids, spherical structures with polarized internal lumens. After 12 rounds of passaging, enteroid growth in HELP materials is found to be statistically similar to that in animal-derived matrices. HELP materials also support the differentiation of human enteroids into mature intestinal cell subtypes. HELP matrices allow stiffness, stress relaxation rate, and integrin-ligand concentration to be independently and quantitatively specified, enabling fundamental studies of organoid-matrix interactions and potential patient-specific optimization. Organoid formation in HELP materials is most robust in gels with stiffer moduli (G' ≈ 1 kPa), slower stress relaxation rate (t1/2 ≈ 18 h), and higher integrin ligand concentration (0.5 × 10-3-1 × 10-3 m RGD peptide). This material provides a promising in vitro model for further understanding intestinal development and disease in humans and a reproducible, biodegradable, minimal matrix with no animal-derived products or synthetic polyethylene glycol for potential clinical translation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel R. Hunt
- Department of Chemical EngineeringStanford UniversityStanfordCA94305USA
| | - Katarina C. Klett
- Department of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative MedicineStanford UniversityStanfordCA94305USA
| | - Shamik Mascharak
- Department of BioengineeringStanford UniversityStanfordCA94305USA
| | - Huiyuan Wang
- Department of Materials Science & EngineeringStanford UniversityStanfordCA94305USA
| | - Diana Gong
- Department of BioengineeringStanford UniversityStanfordCA94305USA
| | - Junzhe Lou
- Department of ChemistryStanford UniversityStanfordCA94305USA
| | - Xingnan Li
- Department of Medicine and HematologyStanford University School of MedicineStanfordCA94305USA
| | - Pamela C. Cai
- Department of Chemical EngineeringStanford UniversityStanfordCA94305USA
| | - Riley A. Suhar
- Department of Materials Science & EngineeringStanford UniversityStanfordCA94305USA
| | - Julia Y. Co
- Department of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases) and of Microbiology and ImmunologyStanford UniversityStanfordCA94305USA
| | | | - Abbygail A. Foster
- Department of Materials Science & EngineeringStanford UniversityStanfordCA94305USA
| | - Yuan Guan
- Department of AnesthesiologyStanford University School of MedicineStanfordCA94305USA
| | - Manuel R. Amieva
- Department of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases) and of Microbiology and ImmunologyStanford UniversityStanfordCA94305USA
| | - Gary Peltz
- Department of AnesthesiologyStanford University School of MedicineStanfordCA94305USA
| | - Yan Xia
- Department of ChemistryStanford UniversityStanfordCA94305USA
| | - Calvin J. Kuo
- Department of Medicine and HematologyStanford University School of MedicineStanfordCA94305USA
| | - Sarah C. Heilshorn
- Department of Materials Science & EngineeringStanford UniversityStanfordCA94305USA
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Marquardt LM, Doulames VM, Wang AT, Dubbin K, Suhar RA, Kratochvil MJ, Medress ZA, Plant GW, Heilshorn SC. Designer, injectable gels to prevent transplanted Schwann cell loss during spinal cord injury therapy. Sci Adv 2020; 6:eaaz1039. [PMID: 32270042 PMCID: PMC7112763 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz1039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2020] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Transplantation of patient-derived Schwann cells is a promising regenerative medicine therapy for spinal cord injuries; however, therapeutic efficacy is compromised by inefficient cell delivery. We present a materials-based strategy that addresses three common causes of transplanted cell death: (i) membrane damage during injection, (ii) cell leakage from the injection site, and (iii) apoptosis due to loss of endogenous matrix. Using protein engineering and peptide-based assembly, we designed injectable hydrogels with modular cell-adhesive and mechanical properties. In a cervical contusion model, our hydrogel matrix resulted in a greater than 700% improvement in successful Schwann cell transplantation. The combination therapy of cells and gel significantly improved the spatial distribution of transplanted cells within the endogenous tissue. A reduction in cystic cavitation and neuronal loss were also observed with substantial increases in forelimb strength and coordination. Using an injectable hydrogel matrix, therefore, can markedly improve the outcomes of cellular transplantation therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M. Marquardt
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Vanessa M. Doulames
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Alice T. Wang
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Karen Dubbin
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Riley A. Suhar
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Michael J. Kratochvil
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford CA 94305, USA
| | - Zachary A. Medress
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Giles W. Plant
- Department of Neurosurgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Corresponding author. (G.W.P.); (S.C.H.)
| | - Sarah C. Heilshorn
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Corresponding author. (G.W.P.); (S.C.H.)
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10
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Zakhem E, Raghavan S, Suhar RA, Bitar KN. Bioengineering and regeneration of gastrointestinal tissue: where are we now and what comes next? Expert Opin Biol Ther 2019; 19:527-537. [PMID: 30880502 DOI: 10.1080/14712598.2019.1595579] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine has been applied to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract for a couple decades. Several achievements have been accomplished that provide promising tools for treating diseases of the GI tract. AREAS COVERED The work described in this review covers the traditional aspect of using cells and scaffolds to replace parts of the tract. Several studies investigated different types of biomaterials and different types of cells. A more recent approach involved the use of gut-derived organoid units that can differentiate into all gut cell layers. The most recent approach introduced the use of organ-on-a-chip concept to understand the physiology and pathophysiology of the GI system. EXPERT OPINION The different approaches tackle the diseases of the GI tract from different perspectives. While all these different approaches provide a promising and encouraging future for this field, the translational aspect is yet to be studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elie Zakhem
- a Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine , Wake Forest School of Medicine , Winston Salem , NC , USA.,b Section on Gastroenterology , Wake Forest School of Medicine , Winston Salem , NC , USA
| | - Shreya Raghavan
- c Department of Materials Science and Engineering , University of Michigan , Ann Arbor , MI , USA
| | - Riley A Suhar
- d Department of Materials Science and Engineering , Stanford University , Stanford , CA , USA
| | - Khalil N Bitar
- a Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine , Wake Forest School of Medicine , Winston Salem , NC , USA.,b Section on Gastroenterology , Wake Forest School of Medicine , Winston Salem , NC , USA.,e Virginia Tech-Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering Sciences , Winston-Salem , NC , USA
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