iBTA-Induced Biotube® Blood Vessels: 2020 Update

Blood access is a lifeline for dialysis patients. However, serious problems such as stenosis or obstruction of access blood vessels, which are life-threatening conditions in daily clinical practice, still remain. One of the most promising candidates for solving these problems may be Biotube blood vessels. More than 20 years have passed since the development of in-body tissue architecture (iBTA), a technology for preparing tissues for autologous implantation in patients. The tissues obtained by iBTA do not elicit immunological rejection, which is one of the ultimate goals of regenerative medical engineering; however, their practical applications were quite challenging. The seemingly unorthodox iBTA concepts that do not follow the current pre-established medical system may not be readily accepted in general medicine. In contrast, there are many diseases that cannot be adequately addressed even with the latest and most advanced medical technology. However, iBTA may be able to save patients with serious diseases. It is natural that the development of high-risk medical devices that do not fit the corporate logic would be avoided. In order to actively treat such largely unattached diseases, we started Biotube Co., Ltd. with an aim to contribute to society. Biotubes induced by iBTA are collagenous tubular tissues prepared in the patient’s body for autologous implantation. The application of Biotubes as tissues for vascular implantation has been studied for many years. Biotubes may have excellent potential as small-diameter artificial blood vessels, one of the most difficult to clinically achieve. Their possibility is currently being confirmed in preclinical tests. Biotubes may save hundreds of thousands of patients worldwide annually from amputation. In addition, we aim to eliminate the recuring access vascular problems in millions of dialysis patients. This study provides an update on the current development status and future possibilities of Biotubes and their preparation molds, Biotube Makers

Hepatic rRNA Transcription Regulates High-Fat-Diet-Induced Obesity

Ribosome biosynthesis is a major intracellular energy-consuming process. We previously identified a nucleolar factor, nucleomethylin (NML), which regulates intracellular energy consumption by limiting rRNA transcription. Here, we show that, in livers of obese mice, the recruitment of NML to rRNA gene loci is increased to repress rRNA transcription. To clarify the relationship between obesity and rRNA transcription, we generated NML-null (NML-KO) mice. NML-KO mice show elevated rRNA level, reduced ATP concentration, and reduced lipid accumulation in the liver. Furthermore, in high-fat-diet (HFD)-fed NML-KO mice, hepatic rRNA levels are not decreased. Both weight gain and fat accumulation in HFD-fed NML-KO mice are significantly lower than those in HFD-fed wild-type mice. These findings indicate that rRNA transcriptional activation promotes hepatic energy consumption, which alters hepatic lipid metabolism. Namely, hepatic rRNA transcriptional repression by HFD feeding is essential for energy storage

Additional file 3: Figure S2. of ARHGEF15 overexpression worsens the prognosis in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma through enhancing the motility and proliferative activity of the cancer cells

ARHGEF15 contributes to cellular proliferation.  a Relative cellular proliferation and RhoA activation after knockdown of ARHGEF15 in Hs766T cells. b Relative cellular proliferation and RhoA activation in response to ARHGEF15 overexpression in  MIAPaCa-2. (PDF 135 kb

Additional file 2: Figure S1. of ARHGEF15 overexpression worsens the prognosis in patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma through enhancing the motility and proliferative activity of the cancer cells

Higher expression of HNF1B is correlated with worse survival. (PDF 39 kb