Extracellular Matrix News Volume 9.16 | Apr 26 2018

TOP STORY

Hippo Pathway Found Essential to Heart Development

Using a technology that provides a ‘high-resolution view’ of the status of individual cells, a team of researchers has gained new insights into the embryonic development of the mouse heart. [Press release from the Baylor College of Medicine discussing online prepublication in Developmental Cell] Press Release | Full Article | Graphical Abstract

(Ranked by impact factor of the journal)

Recombinant Spider Silk Functionalized with a Motif from Fibronectin Mediates Cell Adhesion and Growth on Polymeric Substrates by Entrapping Cells during Self-Assembly

Researchers investigated a novel cell-seeding approach that enables cells to bind to a motif from fibronectin included in a recombinant spider silk protein. Entrapment of cells occurred at the same time as the silk assembles into a nanofibrillar coating on various substrates. [ACS Appl Mater Interfaces] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

Decoration of RGD-Mimetic Porous Scaffolds with Engineered and Devitalized Extracellular Matrix for Adipose Tissue Regeneration

Scientists aimed at combining the positive features of a structural, synthetic polymer to an engineered, devitalized ECM to generate a hybrid construct that can provide a mix of structural and biological stimuli needed for adipose tissue regeneration. [Acta Biomater] Abstract | Graphical Abstract

Human Kallikrein-Related Peptidase 12 Stimulates Endothelial Cell Migration by Remodeling the Fibronectin Matrix

To characterize the molecular mechanisms associated with Kallikrein-related peptidase 12 (KLK12)′s proangiogenic activity, investigators evaluated its ability to hydrolyze various matrix proteins. Their results showed that KLK12 efficiently cleaved the human extracellular matrix proteins fibronectin and tenascin, both of which are involved in the regulation of endothelial cell adhesion and migration. [Sci Rep] Full Article

Organ-Specific Metastases Obtained by Culturing Colorectal Cancer Cells on Tissue-Specific Decellularized Scaffolds

Researchers showed that decellularized scaffolds that retain tissue-specific extracellular-matrix components and bound signalling molecules enable, when seeded with colorectal cancer cells, the spontaneous formation of three-dimensional cell colonies that histologically, molecularly and phenotypically resemble in vivo metastases. [Nat Biomed Eng] Abstract

Synergistic Effects of Beta Tri-Calcium Phosphate and Porcine-Derived Decellularized Bone Extracellular Matrix in 3D-Printed Polycaprolactone Scaffold on Bone Regeneration

Researchers fabricated a scaffold for guiding effective bone regeneration. A polycaprolactone/beta‐tricalcium phosphate/bone decellularized extracellular matrix scaffold capable of providing physical and physiological environment was fabricated using 3D printing technology and decoration method. [Macromol Biosci] Abstract

Comparative Proteomic Analyses of Human Adipose Extracellular Matrices Decellularized Using Alternative Procedures

The authors examined the hypothesis that distinct decellularization processes may yield scaffolds with differing compositions, the current study employed mass spectrometry to compare the proteomes of human adipose-derived matrices generated through three independent methods combining enzymatic-, detergent-, and/or solvent-based steps. [J Biomed Mater Res A] Abstract

High-Throughput Assay for Collagen Secretion Suggests an Unanticipated Role for Hsp90 in Collagen Production

Investigators developed a cell-based, high-throughput luminescent assay of collagen type-I secretion, and used it to screen for small molecules that selectively enhance or inhibit that process. [Biochemistry] Abstract

Site-Specific Glycosaminoglycan Content Is Better Maintained in the Pericellular Matrix Than the Extracellular Matrix in Early Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis

Scientists investigated the effect of unilateral anterior cruciate ligament transection in rabbit knees on estimated fixed charged density in the pericellular matrix compared to that in the ECM, and relate these results with cell morphology. [PLoS One] Full Article

Adult Stem Cells Spheroids to Optimize Cell Colonization in Scaffolds for Cartilage and Bone Tissue Engineering

In spheroid culture, adult stem cells are responsible for their extracellular matrix synthesis, re-creating structures at the tissue level. Spheroids from adult stem cells can be considered as organoids, since stem cells recapitulate differentiation pathways and also represent a promising approach for identifying new molecular targets (biomarkers) for diagnosis and therapy. [Int J Mol Sci] Full Article

Biofabrication Strategies for 3D In Vitro Models and Regenerative Medicine

The authors examine biofabrication strategies for the construction of functional tissue replacements and organ models, focusing on the development of biomaterials, such as supramolecular and photosensitive materials, that can be processed using biofabrication techniques. [Nat Rev Mater] Abstract

Visit our reviews page to see a complete list of reviews in the extracellular matrix research field.

STEMCELL Technologies Announces $45 Million Government Funding for Advanced Manufacturing Facility

STEMCELL Technologies announced a $45 million joint funding agreement between the Governments of Canada and British Columbia to help the company build a state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing facility. The funding agreement will accelerate the Vancouver company’s rapidly scaling business of providing cutting-edge reagents and tools to support life science researchers around the world working in the cell therapy and regenerative medicine fields. [STEMCELL Technologies Inc.] Press Release

CollPlant Opens a New rhCollagen Production Facility

CollPlant announced the opening of a new rhCollagen production facility in Rehovot, Israel. This 6,000 square foot cGMP facility was designed for purification of rhCollagen and formulation of end-products, including BioInks for 3D bioprinting and its proprietary tissue repair products. [CollPlant] Press Release

Columbia University Graduate Students Go on Strike

Administration officials contend that research and teaching assistants are students, not workers, and want to take the matter to federal court. [The Scientist] Editorial

U.K. Commits to EU Trial Rules Post-Brexit as CRUK Hails ‘Fantastic News’

The U.K. government said it will endeavor to keep pace with the European Union’s impending changes in clinical trial procedures, bringing some solace to those wondering how the two will stay aligned after Brexit starts in earnest next March. [Questex LLC.] Editorial

Rent Increase Hits Europe’s Drug Regulator before Brexit Move

With less than a year to go before the European Medicines Agency must leave its London headquarters because of Brexit, the agency is facing an unexpected rent increase that could cut into its budget for approving new medicines and overseeing clinical trials. [Nature News] Editorial

NEW 10^th International Heinrich F. C. Behr-Symposium on Stem Cells and Cancer
September 16-19, 2018
Heidelberg, Germany

NEW Connective Tissue Oncology Society (CTOS) 2018
November 14-17, 2018
Rome, Italy

Visit our events page to see a complete list of events in the community.

NEW Postdoctoral Position – Bioengineering Cell Fate and Morphogenesis in Organoids (KU Leuven)

PhD Student and Postdoctoral Position – Bioactive Materials (Max Planck for Molecular Biomedicine)

Postdoctoral Fellow – Wound Signaling (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center)

Assistant Professor – Regenerative Medicine (University of California, San Diego)

Faculty Position – Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine (Seattle Children’s Research Institute)

Postdoctoral Position – Cancer, Immunotherapy, and Fibrosis (University of Alabama at Birmingham)

Postdoctoral Positions – Bioengineering (George Washington University)

Faculty Position – Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine (University of Illinois at Chicago)

Postdoctoral Associate – Biomedical Engineering (University of Minnesota)

Postdoctoral Position – Spinal Cord Injury (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.

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