Extracellular Matrix News 7.47 December 1, 2016 | |
| |
TOP STORYMarfan syndrome (MFS) is a heritable connective tissue disorder caused by mutations in FBN1, which encodes the extracellular matrix protein fibrillin-1. To investigate the pathogenesis of aortic aneurysms in MFS, researchers generated a vascular model derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells. [Nat Genet] Abstract | Press Release | |
| |
PUBLICATIONS(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)Hic-5 Remodeling of the Stromal Matrix Promotes Breast Tumor Progression To investigate the role of Hic-5 in breast tumor progression in vivo, Hic-5−/− mice were generated and crossed with the Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus-Polyoma Middle T-Antigen mouse. Tumors from the Hic-5−/−;PyMT mice exhibited increased latency and reduced growth, with fewer lung metastases, as compared with Hic-5+/−;PyMT mice. [Oncogene] Abstract Researchers fabricated cardiac muscle strips by encapsulating hESC-CMs in collagen-based biomaterials. Supplementation of niche cells at 3% to the number of hESC-CMs enhanced the maturation of the hESC-CMs in 3-dimensional (3D) tissue matrix. The benefits of adding mesenchymal stem cells were comparable to that of adding fibroblasts. [Acta Biomater] Abstract Responsive, Multifunctional Drug Delivery Nanoparticles for Elastic Matrix Regenerative Repair Based on the hypothesis that the incorporation of superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIONs) nanoparticles (NPs) within these poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) NPs would enhance their targetability to the abdominal aortic aneurysms site under an applied external magnetic field, the authors sought to evaluate the functional effects of NPs co-encapsulating doxycycline and SPIONs on elastic matrix regeneration and metalloprotease synthesis/activity in vitro within aneurysmal smooth muscle cell cultures. [Acta Biomater] Abstract A Bioinspired Ultraporous Nanofiber-Hydrogel Mimic of the Cartilage Extracellular Matrix Articular cartilage is a composite tissue made of cells and fibrillar proteins embedded in a hydrophilic polymeric meshwork. Here, a polyanionic functionalized alginate was used to mimic the glycosaminoglycan component of the native extracellular matrix. [Adv Healthc Mater] Abstract A series of extracellular matrix (ECM)-functionalized inverted colloidal crystal inverted colloidal crystal (ICC) microporous scaffolds were fabricated and their influence on Huh-7.5 cell proliferation, morphology, hepatic-specific functions, and patterns of gene expression were compared. Both collagen and fibronectin promoted albumin production and liver-specific gene expression of Huh-7.5 cells, compared with the bare ICC scaffold. [Sci Rep] Full Article Investigators studied the time-dependent adhesion properties of single living chondrocytes using an advanced coupled experimental-numerical approach. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) tips will be used to apply lateral forces to detach chondrocytes that are seeded for three different periods. [Sci Rep] Full Article Researchers investigated the applicability of meniscus-derived extracellular matrices (mECMs) for meniscus tissue engineering by specifically comparing region-dependent effects of mECMs on 3-dimensional constructs seeded with human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. [Am J Sports Med] Abstract Scientists examined the matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) -9 and MMP-2 expression levels in the rhodopsin S334ter-line3 retinitis pigmentosa rat model and investigate the impact of treatment with SB-3CT, a specific MMP-9 and MMP-2 inhibitor, on rod cell survival was tested. Retinal MMP-9 and MMP-2 expression levels were quantified by immunoblot analysis from S334ter-line3 rats compared to controls. [PLoS One] Full Article MG-63 cells were exposed to butyrate and cell viability was estimated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. The mRNA and protein expression of type I collagen and cell cycle-related proteins were measured by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, western blotting or immunofluorescent staining. Cellular production of reactive oxygen species was analyzed by 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein fluorescence flow cytometry. [PLoS One] Full Article | |
| |
REVIEWSPeriosteum Mechanobiology and Mechanistic Insights for Regenerative Medicine Periosteum is a smart mechanobiological material that serves as a habitat and delivery vehicle for stem cells as well as biological factors that modulate tissue genesis and healing. Periosteum’s remarkable regenerative capacity has been harnessed clinically for over two hundred years. Scientific studies over the past decade have begun to decipher the mechanobiology of periosteum, which has a significant role in its regenerative capacity. [Bonekey Rep] Abstract Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the extracellular matrix research field. | |
| |
INDUSTRY NEWSCytRx Corporation announced positive updated results from its pivotal Phase III clinical trial evaluating aldoxorubicin compared to investigator’s choice in patients with relapsed or refractory soft tissue sarcomas. The study, which enrolled 433 patients, demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival between aldoxorubicin and investigator’s choice therapy in 246 patients with leiomyosarcoma and liposarcoma. [CytRx Corporation] Press Release Celprogen Inc. announced that they have successfully finished printing a 3-dimensional (3D) pancreas from flexible poly lactic acid material scaffold that was populated with adult human pancreatic stem cells. These 3D printed human pancreases were coated and seeded with human adult pancreatic stem cells. The 3D pancreas scaffold was populated with three T225 human Pancreatic Stem Cells 36097-24-T225, and with human adult pancreatic cells 3002-04-T225; the scaffold was coated with ECM prior to seeding the cells. [Celprogen Inc. (Business Wire, Inc.)] Press Release | |
| |
POLICY NEWSBattle over US Overtime Pay Rules Leaves Many Postdocs in Limbo Institutions struggle to respond after court blocks regulations that would have increased wages for junior researchers. Some universities are proceeding with planned salary increases for postdocs, but others have cancelled — or at least, temporarily halted — changes to researchers’ pay. The uncertainty over how the legal battle will play out is already affecting some postdocs’ career and family plans. [Nature News] Editorial FDA Chief Pushes Back against Criticism of Stem Cell Treatment Regulations The country’s top drug regulators pushed back on claims they move too slowly in approving new stem cell treatments and sought to temper expectations for the field’s potential to benefit patients, emphasizing the hazards and the unknowns that persist with developing such therapies. [STAT News] Editorial Congress Poised to Pass Sweeping Biomedical Innovation Bill Congress is poised to approve a massive piece of legislation that would provide the National Institutes of Health with $4.8 billion over the next decade for a set of research initiatives, including brain and cancer research and efforts to develop so-called precision medicine treatments that are tailored to an individual’s genetic makeup. [ScienceInsider] Editorial Spanish Military Flies Lab Animals to Canary Islands after Airlines Refuse to Take Them on Board Twenty-nine transgenic mice that two Spanish airlines had refused to transport hitched a ride to the Canary Islands on a military plane Friday and are now at their final destination, the University of La Laguna on Tenerife in Spain. The mice, bred in the United States, had been stranded in Madrid for two months because Iberia and Air Europa have stopped shipping laboratory animals. [ScienceInsider] Editorial
| |
EVENTSNEW Stem Cell Summit Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.
| |
JOB OPPORTUNITIESNEW Senior Principal Scientist – Medicinal Chemistry (AstraZeneca) NEW Postdoctoral Fellow – Decorin and Perlecan (Thomas Jefferson University) NEW HR Analytics Solutions Senior Specialist – Reporting & Analytics Solutions (Merck) Postdoctoral Fellow – Scaffold Design & Drug/Gene Delivery (Nanyang Technological University) Recruit Top Talent: Reach potential candidates by posting your organization’s career opportunities on the Connexon Creative Job Board at no cost.
| |
Have we missed an important article or publication in Extracellular Matrix News? Click here to submit! Comments or suggestions? Submit your feedback here. | |
|
Home Extracellular Matrix News Volume 7.47 | Dec 1 2016