WSCS 2021 – VJRegenMed

AVA-Trap blood filtration for cytokine storm in COVID-19

admin_vjr_user — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 08:11:14 +0000

Shuguang Zhang, PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, describes the AVA-Trap blood filtration system which utilizes the QTY code and S-layer technologies. QTY code is a genetic modification tool designed to create water-soluble variants of insoluble transmembrane receptor proteins. These water soluble receptors are then anchored onto an S-layer matrix at a high density which together, allows the filtration of cytokines from blood. This AVA-Trap blood filtration system is currently being investigated for the mitigation of cytokine storm in patients with COVID-19. This interview took place at the 2021 World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS).

Placental-derived stem cells for neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis

admin_vjr_user — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 18:50:05 +0000

Anthony Atala, MD, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, discusses the potential use of human placental-derived stem cells (hPSCs) for the treatment of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in premature newborns. NEC is an intestinal disease with a high mortality rate in neonates and there are currently limited therapeutic options. hPSCs have the capacity to differentiate into the three germ layers and can be expanded in large quantities, however, they do not form teratomas, unlike human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In a recent study, the injection of hPSCs into an experimental animal models of necrotizing enterocolitis resulted in reversal of the disease. This interview took place at the 2021 World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS).

Building the bioengineered uterus

admin_vjr_user — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 18:50:05 +0000

Anthony Atala, MD, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, discusses ongoing research toward the development of bioengineered uteri in order to replace lost or damaged uteri caused by disease, injury or birth defects. He describes tissue engineering approaches being investigated that involve seeding autologous cells onto a three-dimensional scaffold and expanding the cells in an incubator-like device and reimplanting the engineered uterine tissue. This autologous approach aims to reduce immune rejection upon implantation. Prof. Atala describes a recent study in which autologous cell-seeded engineered uteri were implanted into a rabbit model and were able to successfully support normal pregnancies, fetal development and delivery of an infant. This interview took place at the 2021 World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS).

The Regenerative Medicine Manufacturing Innovation Consortium

admin_vjr_user — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 18:50:04 +0000

Anthony Atala, MD, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, discusses the challenges surrounding the manufacturing of cell-based therapies. He describes the Regenerative Medicine Manufacturing Innovation Consortium (RegMIC), which is a major initiative that aims to help to advance manufacturing across the whole industry to ensure therapies can be delivered to patients more quickly and at a lower cost. This interview took place at the 2021 World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS).

Cord blood infusion in children with autism spectrum disorder

admin_vjr_user — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 18:50:03 +0000

Joanne Kurtzberg, MD, Duke University, Durham, NC, describes ongoing research exploring the benefit of umbilical cord blood (UCB) infusion in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An initial open-label Phase I safety study (NCT02176317) in 25 children with ASD revealed that a single infusion of autologous UCB was well tolerated. The double-blind Phase II Duke ACT trial (NCT02847182), which aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a single UCB infusion compared to placebo in 180 children with ASD, failed to meet it’s primary endpoint of improvement in the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-3 (VABS-3) measure of socialization, although improvements were seen in certain patient subsets across various outcome measures. This interview took place at the 2021 World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS).

Cord tissue-derived MSCs versus cord blood for cell therapy

admin_vjr_user — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 18:50:02 +0000

Joanne Kurtzberg, MD, Duke University, Durham, NC, compares cord blood to cord tissue-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) as a source for cell therapies in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), cerebral palsy and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). Cord blood can only be delivered in one dose due to a limited amount of cells available, whereas the abundance of cord tissue-derived MSCs in the umbilical cord allow for ongoing, repeated dosing. In terms of mechanisms of action, cord blood-derived therapies function through monocytes, which have the capability to stimulate remyelination in the damaged brain, whereas MSCs appear to function through the modulation of inflammation. This interview took place at the 2021 World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS).

Challenges in developing cord blood- and cord tissue-based therapies

admin_vjr_user — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 18:50:01 +0000

Joanne Kurtzberg, MD, Duke University, Durham, NC, discusses ongoing issues related to the development of cord blood- or cord tissue-based cell therapies. Regulatory approval and commercialization remain a challenge for autologous cord blood-based therapies due to a lack of standardization in manufacturing techniques amongst family cord blood banks. The use of allogeneic cord blood could, however, enhance patient access to therapies and is more compliant with manufacturing regulations. In addition, the high costs associated with product development and conducting clinical trials, as well as difficulties in obtaining funding, are major challenges facing this area. Dr Kurtzberg also highlights challenges associated with studying products in children, where typical pediatric development can be misconstrued as therapeutic effect. This interview took place at the 2021 World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS).

Imaging in regenerative medicine: current landscape and exciting technologies

admin_vjr_user — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 11:48:36 +0000

Frank Marini, PhD, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, provides an overview of imaging techniques used in regenerative medicine. Improvements in optical imaging have resulted in an improved understanding of spatial biology and novel high throughput technologies with improved resolution such as multiphoton microscopy, lattice light-sheet microscopy and optical coherence tomography provide non-invasive imaging methods for a wide range of biological processes, including tumor formation or the effects of chemotherapy at a cellular level. Improving our knowledge of cellular biology in a three-dimensional space will be necessary in making advances within regenerative medicine. This interview took place at the 2021 World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS).

INCITE: a novel optical clearing technology for 3D imaging

admin_vjr_user — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 11:48:34 +0000

Frank Marini, PhD, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, provides an overview of index-matched clear imaging technology (INCITE). Animal tissues are made up of multiple components and the different refractive indices of each component makes tissues hard to view under a microscope. INCITE is optical clearing technology that utilizes propriety chemistry to fix animal tissues in a three-dimensional space, which is then run through a pressurized system to optically clear the tissue, making it transparent, thus homogenizing the refractive indices in the tissue. This technology offers the potential to improve the understanding of cellular interactions and spatial biology and could lead to the mapping of all cells in the human body to develop cell atlases. This interview took place at the 2021 World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS).

Current tissue engineering strategies for solid organ replacement

admin_vjr_user — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 11:48:33 +0000

Anthony Atala, MD, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, provides an overview of the current landscape for tissue engineering strategies for solid organ replacement and highlights some exciting avenues of research such as in the treatment of kidney disease and replacement of skin. Prof. Atala points out that whilst the vascularization of flat structures such as skin and tubular such as blood vessels is possible, a key remaining challenge that need to be addressed is the vascularization of complex whole organs. This interview took place at the 2021 World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS).