Generation of mesenchymal stromal cells from urine-derived iPSCs of pediatric brain tumor patients

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provide a virtually inexhaustible source of starting material for next generation cell therapies, offering new opportunities for regenerative medicine. Among different cell sources for the generation of iPSCs, urine cells are clinically relevant since these cells can be repeatedly obtained by non-invasive methods from patients of any age and health condition. These attributes encourage patients to participate in preclinical and clinical research. In particular, the use of urine-derived iPSC products is a convenient strategy for children with brain tumors, which are medically fragile patients. Here, we investigate the feasibility of using urine samples as a source of somatic cells to generate iPSC lines from pediatric patients with brain tumors (BT-iPSC). Urinary epithelial cells were isolated and reprogrammed using non-integrative Sendai virus vectors harboring the Yamanaka factors KLF4, OCT3/4, SOX2 and C-MYC. After reprogramming, BT-iPSC lines were subject to quality assessment and were compared to iPSCs obtained from urine samples of non-tumor pediatric patients (nonT-iPSC). We demonstrated that iPSCs can be successfully derived from a small volume of urine obtained from pediatric patients. Importantly, we showed that BT-iPSCs are equivalent to nonT-iPSCs in terms of morphology, pluripotency, and differentiation capacity into the three germ layers. In addition, both BT-iPSCs and nonT-iPSCs efficiently differentiated into functional mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (iMSC) with immunomodulatory properties. Therefore, this study provides an attractive approach to non-invasively generate personalized iMSC products intended for the treatment of children with brain tumors

Obstructive sleep apnea in women: We can do more and better

In recent years, some epidemiological studies on the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in the general population have been published, showing the enormous impact of this disease in the world. Among these, the one published by Benjafield et al. [1] in 2019 perhaps stands out most. After carrying out a systematic review of the literature and extrapolating the data to the world population, they concluded that almost one billion individuals in the world aged between 30 and 69 years had OSA (AHI>5 events/hour), and 425 million had moderate-to-severe OSA (AHI>15 events/hour). Of the 15 studies (16,000 individuals) that offered gender data, there was a similar percentage of men and women (45–55%) in most of them (74%). Of these 15 studies, six included more than 1000 patients with a percentage of women of 45–55% and a prevalence of OSA and moderate-to-severe OSA in women of 17.4–60.8% and 6–32%, respectively. This prevalence was even higher in the Hypnolaus study [2] conducted in 2121 individuals (52% women) aged 40–85 years, in which 23.4% women (20.9–26%) presented moderate-to-severe OSA. The authors concluded that this very high prevalence of patients with OSA might be attributable to the increased sensitivity of current recording techniques and scoring criteria

CFTR dysfunction and targeted therapies: A vision from non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis and COPD

Although talking about cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) dysfunction has traditionally been synonymous with talking about cystic fibrosis (CF) (even the name of the disease itself is included in the name of the molecule), it should be remembered that the term really refers to a continuous spectrum of alterations in the amount and/or function of CFTR, whose genetic basis is known in greater detail and explain, at least in part, the great heterogeneity of CF [1], [2], [3]. At the most severe end of this spectrum lies the loss of function in both copies of the CFTR gene that will cause severe CF while partial reductions in its activity (for example, due to the presence of a deleterious variant) could go unnoticed or have clinical consequences that cannot be classified under the concept of CFEQG has received honoraria during the last 3 years for lecturing, scientific advice, participation in clinical studies and writing for publications for (in alphabetical order): Chiesi, Teva and Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Reparative effect of mesenchymal stromal cells on endothelial cells after hypoxic and inflammatory injury

BACKGROUND: The renal endothelium is a prime target for ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) during donation and transplantation procedures. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) have been shown to ameliorate kidney function after IRI. However, whether this involves repair of the endothelium is not clear. Therefore, our objective is to study potential regenerative effects of MSC on injured endothelial cells and to identify the molecular mechanisms involved. METHODS: Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were submitted to hypoxia and reoxygenation and TNF-α treatment. To determine whether physical interaction or soluble factors released by MSC were responsible for the potential regenerative effects of MSC on endothelial cells, dose-response experiments were performed in co-culture and transwell conditions and with secretome-deficient MSC. RESULTS: MSC showed increased migration and adhesion to injured HUVEC, mediated by CD29 and CD44 on the MSC membrane. MSC decreased membrane injury marker expression, oxidative stress levels, and monolayer permeability of injured HUVEC, which was observed only when allowing both physical and paracrine interaction between MSC and HUVEC. Furthermore, viable MSC in direct contact with injured HUVEC improved wound healing capacity by 45% and completely restored their angiogenic capacity. In addition, MSC exhibited an increased ability to migrate through an injured HUVEC monolayer compared to non-injured HUVEC in vitro. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that MSC have regenerative effects on injured HUVEC via a mechanism which requires both physical and paracrine interaction. The identification of specific effector molecules involved in MSC-HUVEC interaction will allow targeted modification of MSC to apply and enhance the therapeutic effects of MSC in IRI