Embodiment and regenerative implants: a proposal for entanglement

Regenerative Medicine promises to develop treatments to regrow healthy tissues and cure the physical body. One of the emerging developments within this field is regenerative implants, such as jawbone or heart valve implants, that can be broken down by the body and are gradually replaced with living tissue. Yet challenges for embodiment are to be expected, given that the implants are designed to integrate deeply into the tissue of the living body, so that implant and body become one. In this paper, we explore how regenerative implants may affect the embodied experience of implant recipients. To this end, we take a phenomenological approach. First, we explore what insights the existing phenomenological and empirical literature on embodiment offers regarding the experience of illness and of living with regular (non-regenerative) implants and organ transplants. Second, we apply these insights to better understand how future implant recipients might experience living with regenerative implants. Third, we conclude that concepts and considerations from the existing phenomenological literature do not sufficiently address what it might be like to live with an implantable technology that, over time, becomes one with the living body. We argue that the interwovenness and intimate relationship of people living with regenerative implants should be understood in terms of 'entanglement'. Entanglement allows us to explore the complexities of human-technology relations, acknowledging the inseparability of humans and implantable technologies. Our theoretical foundations regarding the role of embodiment may be tested empirically once more people will be living with regenerative implants.

Exploring stem cell frontiers: definitions, challenges, and perspectives for regenerative medicine

Each year, the European Summer School on Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (SCSS) attracts early-career researchers and actively practicing clinicians who specialise in stem cell and regenerative biology. The 16th edition of this influential course took place from 12th to 19th September 2023 on the charming Greek island of Spetses. Focusing on important concepts and recent advances in stem cells, the distinguished faculty included experts spanning the spectrum from fundamental research to clinical trials to market-approved therapies. Alongside an academically intensive programme that bridges the various contexts of stem cell research, delegates were encouraged to critically address relevant questions in stem cell biology and medicine, including broader societal implications. Here, we present a comprehensive overview and key highlights from the SCSS 2023.

Phosphatidylinositol metabolism of the renal proximal tubule S3 segment is disturbed in response to diabetes

Diabetes is a main risk factor for kidney disease, causing diabetic nephropathy in close to half of all patients with diabetes. Metabolism has recently been identified to be decisive in cell fate decisions and repair. Here we used mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) to identify tissue specific metabolic dysregulation, in order to better understand early diabetes-induced metabolic changes of renal cell types. In our experimental diabetes mouse model, early glomerular glycocalyx barrier loss and systemic metabolic changes were observed. In addition, MSI targeted at small molecule metabolites and glycero(phospho)lipids exposed distinct changes upon diabetes in downstream nephron segments. Interestingly, the outer stripe of the outer medullar proximal tubular segment (PT_S3) demonstrated the most distinct response compared to other segments. Furthermore, phosphatidylinositol lipid metabolism was altered specifically in PT_S3, with one of the phosphatidylinositol fatty acid tails being exchanged from longer unsaturated fatty acids to shorter, more saturated fatty acids. In acute kidney injury, the PT_S3 segment and its metabolism are already recognized as important factors in kidney repair processes. The current study exposes early diabetes-induced changes in membrane lipid composition in this PT_S3 segment as a hitherto unrecognized culprit in the early renal response to diabetes.