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Reprogramming Fibroblasts in Vivo for Heart Repair – Lifespan.io News

By Adult Stem Cells

Scientists from Duke University have found a way to make adult fibroblasts differentiate into cardiomyocytes, which might help develop better heart attack treatments [1].

Myocardial infarction, or heart attack, is a leading cause of death and disability. It happens when the blood flow to a part of the heart gets blocked, often by a blood clot, leading to cell death and necrosis [2]. When the blood flow is restored, the healing is similar to that of flesh wounds. Fibroblasts recruited to the area produce a lot of intracellular matrix elements, which results in the formation of stiff scar tissue. This decreases the hearts efficiency, negatively affecting future lifespan and healthspan.

This imperfect repair process reflects the changes we undergo after birth. Fibroblasts are multipotent cells that can differentiate into other cell types, such as adipocytes, chondrocytes, and cardiomyocytes, the heart muscle cells. This process is effective in fetuses and newborns, which is why cuts on a newborns skin often heal perfectly without leaving any scar tissue. However, after a fairly short time, fibroblasts become less inclined to differentiate, preferring to produce the extracellular matrix instead.

Scientists have been looking for ways to trick adult fibroblasts into behaving immaturely, differentiating into myocytes to heal myocardial infarction more effectively [3]. However, attempts at direct fibroblasts to myocytes reprogramming in vivo have been hampered by low reprogramming efficiency. Apparently, its hard to teach old fibroblasts new tricks.

In this new study, the researchers attempted to identify the changes in fibroblasts after birth and how these changes could be manipulated for therapeutic benefits. First, they isolated cardiac fibroblasts from neonatal and adult mice. All fibroblasts were identically passaged: that is, they had undergone roughly the same number of divisions, which made them of a similar cellular age. The fibroblasts were then transfected with a cocktail of four micro-RNAs (miRNAs) that had been shown by previous research to induce reprogramming of fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes, albeit with low efficacy.

Reprogramming worked well in neonatal, but not adult, fibroblasts. The researchers looked at transcription factors that were expressed differently in those two types of fibroblasts and then made several more attempts at reprogramming, each time adding a siRNA (short interfering RNA) to silence one of the candidate factors. Silencing Epas1, which was highly expressed in adult but not neonatal fibroblasts, seemed to work best, robustly increasing the number of reprogramming events in the culture. Conversely, overexpressing Epas1 in neonatal fibroblasts resulted in them losing their remarkable differentiation capacity.

To test their new insights, the researchers inflicted myocardial infarction on mice, and then delivered the reprogramming miRNA combo and the Epas1-blocking siRNA directly into the infarction border zone. Two months after the injury, no new cardiomyocytes appeared in mice that received sham treatment. In mice who received only the reprogramming cocktail, few reprogramming events occurred. However, in the mice that also received Epas1-blocking siRNA, about 20% of resident cardiomyocytes turned out to be former fibroblasts. The treatment also significantly improved cardiac function.

The authors hypothesized about the event that triggers the expression of Epas1 and moves myofibroblasts towards their adult differentiated phenotype. They suggest that this cue might be oxygen deprivation during birth, since low oxygen levels are known to induce Epas1 expression [4]. The researchers mention that low oxygen levels during birth might also be the stimulus behind cardiomyocyte cell cycle exit (adult cardiomyocytes are largely non-proliferative).

The researchers note that while they chose Epas1, which yielded good results, other transcription factors might be at play as well. Targeting several factors at once might lead to even better outcomes. For RNA delivery, the researchers used exosomes, a type of extracellular vesicles used by cells for communication. This method of delivery was popularized by recent COVID-19 vaccines that use it to deliver their RNA cargo.

Regaining the impressive regenerative abilities that we lose soon after birth might be the key to staving off numerous deadly diseases. This research underscores how pliable cell fate can be, and that we might be able to manipulate it to produce new differentiated cells in environments that normally do not allow this. Direct reprogramming of fibroblasts in vivo can also be used outside of the cardiac context, such as in producing new cartilage.

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[1] Sun, H., Pratt, R. E., Dzau, V. J., & Hodgkinson, C. P. (2023). Neonatal and adult cardiac fibroblasts exhibit inherent differences in cardiac regenerative capacity. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 104694.

[2] Ojha, N., & Dhamoon, A. S. (2021). Myocardial infarction. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing.

[3] Chen, Y., Yang, Z., Zhao, Z. A., & Shen, Z. (2017). Direct reprogramming of fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes. Stem cell research & therapy, 8, 1-8.

[4] Peng, J., Zhang, L., Drysdale, L., & Fong, G. H. (2000). The transcription factor EPAS-1/hypoxia-inducible factor 2 plays an important role in vascular remodeling. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 97(15), 8386-8391.

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Reprogramming Fibroblasts in Vivo for Heart Repair - Lifespan.io News

Melding Data Creates Wider Landscape of Brain Cancer – Cancer Health Treatment News

By Adult Stem Cells

Brain cancer researchers have a new, panoramic visualization tool to help them navigate the complex disease. Built from several publicly available datasets of gene expression and DNA sequences, the new brain cancer landscape acts like a city-wide map of the disease, carefully assembled from neighborhood maps of different brain tumor subtypes.

As researchers, we can get so focused on comparing like with like that we lose sight of the proverbial forest for focusing too much on the leaves of a single tree, wrote Holland Lab computational biologist Sonali Arora, MS, in the paper describing the tool, published in Scientific Reports in March.

Her new map offers a detailed landscape of molecular alterations in brain tumors that will help cancer researchers move between different subtype neighborhoods, as well as between cancerous and healthy brain tissue. Its the first brain cancer computational visualization tool to combine different molecular datasets from both pediatric and adult brain tumors into one landscape, which will allow researchers to chase down key genes and biological pathways that shape development, tumor growth and treatment response, said Arora, who melded the datasets.

Now you can compare all kinds of things, like the expression of certain genes or pathways you can compare across all tumors types and normal brain, said Fred Hutch brain cancer researcher and Human Biology Division Director Eric Holland, MD, PhD. And thats something that hasnt been done before. Now you can compare and learn about gene expression in one tumor versus another, or one subset versus another.

The computational tool reveals biological processes that are ramped up or down in cancer compared to normal brain tissue. And because it draws on datasets from the U.S. and China, Arora was able to show that while tumors from both regions often share molecular alterations, there is a certain subset of glioma in patients from China that is not seen in the U.S.-based data.

And to enable scientists to explore her brain tumor map in 3D detail, Arora uploaded the landscape to the visualization tool Oncoscape, also developed in the Holland Lab.

Aroras landscape offers a way to visualize both normal and tumor samples and show tumor relationships not available in standard plotting methods, Fred Hutch colleague and cancer stem cell biologist Patrick Paddison, PhD, wrote in an email. Paddison and his team used the tool to help identify genes that are critical for brain tumor cells (but not healthy brain tissue), as well as their biomarkers.

Arora got the idea to build the landscape during the initial COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. She saw an opportunity to give brain cancer researchers a wider view of brain cancer by creating a map that combined data from multiple brain tumor subtypes housed in publicly available data repositories.

These datasets include a spectrum of molecular information, including tumors DNA sequences and the patterns of genes that are turned on and off in tumors. The Cancer Genome Atlas, or TCGA, a National Cancer Institutefunded program, includes samples from adult tumors that span 33 cancer types. Arora combined information from 702 TCGA patients with glioma and 270 patients with tissue samples in the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas, or CGGA. To allow scientists to easily compare the differences and similarities between adult and childhood brain tumors, she added brain tumor data from the Children Brain Tumor Network, or CBTN. And to help scientists clarify how tumors differ from normal tissue, Arora included molecular information from 1,409 normal brain tissue samples in the Genotype Tissue Expression Project, or GTEx.

She then used a technique called uniform manifold approximation and projection for dimension reduction, or UMAP, to simplify the large, complex data and make it easier to detect key relationships between molecular changes and tumors. Arora also used a computational technique called batch effect correction, which to her knowledge has not been used at this scale before. This strategy helps scientists clear away variation in data that arises because samples are processed under different conditions and see true biological variation.

In Aroras UMAP, brain tumors that share gene expression patterns cluster together in the same subtypes. And like a city map, her landscape shows which subtype neighborhoods are near neighbors, and which are across town. Arora was able to see how biological processes differed between normal tissue and cancer, and between different cancer types, including tumors from adult and pediatric patients.

There are clearly some pathways that are upregulated, Arora noted.

Relationships between tumor types, as well as tumors and key genes and biological processes, quickly jumped out, she said. For the most part, tissue from gliomas taken from patients in the U.S. and China clustered into the same neighborhoods, save for two clusters of glioma subtypes seen in the CGGA but not the TCGA data. Its already known that the same cancer type may manifest differently in different regions around the world, and the new brain tumor landscape could help scientists figure out how and why this occurs for glioma as well, the researchers said.

The UMAP showed that in comparison with normal brain tissue, glioma tumors from adults had higher levels of key cancer-promoting biological processes, including those that promote cell growth and DNA repair. Some pediatric tumors had also ramped up these processes. The UMAP also reveals pathways ramped down in tumors, including some neurotransmitter pathways.

Researchers can use the UMAP to dig deeper into these pathways, and explore individual genes involved at different steps in each biological process, Arora said.

You can visualize the expression of each of those genes over the brain tumor map, she said. By using the UMAP, she was able to see that while a specific process in this case, a type of DNA repair might be elevated in cancer cells, the expression level of individual genes involved in that process might vary, with some remaining the same as in normal brain tissue.

To help researcher examine the relationship between DNA changes and brain tumors, Arora built a smaller UMAP using the samples from TCGA and the CBTN that included DNA sequence information. This gave a window into the range of DNA mutations that can drive cancer, from changes in single DNA letters, to the replication or loss of larger chunks of DNA. Sometimes these changes can cause two genes to be fused together, forming a new Frankengene that may drive cancer by acting differently than either of its parent genes. Aroras UMAP showed that certain gene fusions were more common in specific brain cancer subtypes.

Now youre able to compare a group of tumors amongst each other, Holland said. Thats unusual, he noted: Its far more common for scientists to study and report on one tumor type. These cross-subtype comparisons could help brain cancer researchers discover treatment targets shared by multiple brain tumor types, or those unique to specific subtypes.

Paddison used the UMAP to uncover vulnerabilities or genes and biological processes that cancer cells need but healthy cells dont in different subsets of both adult and childhood brain tumors.

Precision oncology is the tailoring of a cancer patients treatment plan to their tumors unique blend of vulnerabilities. While cancer researchers have made great strides, there remains a lot to discover about the treatment targets lurking within tumors, and how to determine which therapies will provide the greatest benefit to which patients.

Aroras UMAP, combined with Oncoscapes data visualization capabilities, will help further those discoveries, Holland said.

It will make it easier for brain cancer researchers like Paddison to uncover what drives brain tumors, whether its from DNA mutations or large-scale changes in gene expression patterns. Identifying key genes or pathways in the UMAP could help researchers better choose candidate therapies for clinical trials, Holland said.

This type of approach could be used to more precisely place patient tumors in continuum of adult or pediatric brain tumors to better predict outcomes and survival, Paddison said.

Using tumor landscapes, incorporating patient clinical as well as tumor molecular landscapes, to refine diagnosis and treatment is Hollands hope as well.

You could imagine a world where a given tumor is sequenced, and then placed on the landscape. Then your nearest neighbors on the landscape could tell you what your diagnosis actually is, but also what your expected outcome would be, Holland said.

Aroras multi-dataset brain cancer UMAP is to my knowledge, the first pseudo pan-cancer approach to a really interactive way of learning about, and predicting, new tumor behaviors, he said.

This work was supported by the National Institutes of Health, the Jacobs Foundation and the National Science Foundation.

This article was originally published April 10, 2023, by Fred Hutch News Service. It is republished with permission.

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Melding Data Creates Wider Landscape of Brain Cancer - Cancer Health Treatment News

2023-04-24 | OTCPK:BRTXD | Press Release | BioRestorative … – Stockhouse

By Adult Stem Cells

--Clinical data from safety run-in scheduled to be released in second half of 2023.

MELVILLE, N.Y., April 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. (BioRestorative”, BRTX” or the Company”) (NASDAQ:BRTX), a clinical stage company focused on stem cell-based therapies, today announced that it has completed enrollment for the safety run-in component of its Phase 2 clinical study of BRTX-100 targeting patients suffering from chronic lumbar disc disease (cLDD).

BRTX-100 is the Company’s lead clinical candidate, a novel cell-based therapeutic engineered to target areas of the body that have little blood flow. BRTX-100 is currently being evaluated in connection with a Phase 2 clinical trial to treat cLDD. The trial is prospective, randomized, double-blinded and controlled. The trial will evaluate the safety and preliminary efficacy of a single dose of BRTX-100. A total of up to 99 eligible patients will be randomized at up to 15 clinical sites in the United States to receive either the investigational drug (BRTX-100) or control in a 2:1 fashion.

Lance Alstodt, Chief Executive Officer of BioRestorative Therapies, stated The completion of patient recruitment and enrollment for the safety run-in component of our Phase 2 study of BRTX-100 is a very significant milestone for our company. Positive safety data would enable us to initiate unrestricted enrollment across all of our clinical sites and, of course, establish a strong safety profile for BRTX-100. In addition, we would be able to leverage the BRTX-100 platform across other indications within the body on an investigational basis with potentially a shorter timeline from a regulatory pathway perspective.”

About BioRestorative Therapies, Inc.

BioRestorative Therapies, Inc. (www.biorestorative.com) develops therapeutic products using cell and tissue protocols, primarily involving adult stem cells. Our two core programs, as described below, relate to the treatment of disc/spine disease and metabolic disorders:

Disc/Spine Program (brtxDISC): Our lead cell therapy candidate, BRTX-100, is a product formulated from autologous (or a person’s own) cultured mesenchymal stem cells collected from the patient’s bone marrow. We intend that the product will be used for the non-surgical treatment of painful lumbosacral disc disorders or as a complementary therapeutic to a surgical procedure. The BRTX-100 production process utilizes proprietary technology and involves collecting a patient’s bone marrow, isolating and culturing stem cells from the bone marrow and cryopreserving the cells. In an outpatient procedure, BRTX-100 is to be injected by a physician into the patient’s damaged disc. The treatment is intended for patients whose pain has not been alleviated by non-invasive procedures and who potentially face the prospect of surgery. We have commenced a Phase 2 clinical trial using BRTX-100 to treat chronic lower back pain arising from degenerative disc disease.

Metabolic Program (ThermoStem®): We are developing a cell-based therapy candidate to target obesity and metabolic disorders using brown adipose (fat) derived stem cells to generate brown adipose tissue (BAT”). BAT is intended to mimic naturally occurring brown adipose depots that regulate metabolic homeostasis in humans. Initial preclinical research indicates that increased amounts of brown fat in animals may be responsible for additional caloric burning as well as reduced glucose and lipid levels. Researchers have found that people with higher levels of brown fat may have a reduced risk for obesity and diabetes.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You are cautioned that such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors and other risks, including, without limitation, those set forth in the Company's latest Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You should consider these factors in evaluating the forward-looking statements included herein, and not place undue reliance on such statements. The forward-looking statements in this release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update such statements.

CONTACT:

Email: ir@biorestorative.com

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2023-04-24 | OTCPK:BRTXD | Press Release | BioRestorative ... - Stockhouse

IVG: Tech that can turn skin cells into babies – NewsBytes

By Adult Stem Cells

IVG: Tech that can turn skin cells into babies

Apr 24, 2023, 04:46 pm 3 min read

It's amazing what science can do these days. In vitro gametogenesis (IVG) is a remarkable reproductive technology that can create babies from skin cells! It has the potential to change the lives of many who face infertility challenges or can't conceive naturally, including same-sex couples and postmenopausal women. Let's delve into understanding the science behind this game-changing technology for the future of parenthood.

IVG would allow nearly anyone to become a biological parent

This technology can help same-sex couples have children who are biologically related to both parents. It can enable single individuals to procreate without another person's genetic contribution. IVG can also allow groups of more than two individuals to procreate together, resulting in children who are genetically related to all the individuals involved. A game-changer for potential parents, IVG could transform the idea of family.

IVG is not the same as IVF

IVG should not be confused with in vitro fertilization (IVF), which has been helping couples with fertility for decades. While IVF is a well-established process, IVG is a new reproductive technology that is still in the research and development phase.

What's the science behind this assisted reproductive technology?

IVG can produce sperm and egg cells in a lab from almost any adult cell. This is done by using skin and blood cells to reverse engineer a special type of cell called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). iPSCs are adult cells that have been genetically modified to an embryonic state. That means they can be used to produce eggs and sperm for reproduction.

Scientists have made significant strides in the development of IVG

In 2016, Japanese researchers successfully created viable eggs from the skin cells of mice and implanted them into female mice, resulting in healthy baby mice. The mice were healthy and able to have offspring of their own from the grown egg cells. In 2018, another researcher based in Japan was able to grow an early-stage egg from human stem cells derived from blood.

IVG may help preserve endangered species

IVG also has the potential to help protect endangered animal species by creating viable egg and sperm cells from stored tissue samples. This is important for animals with low reproduction rates, as it allows their genetic material to be saved without the need for live animals. It could also be helpful in bringing back extinct species whose tissue samples are preserved by scientists.

The ethical concerns of IVG

The ethics related to IVG are complicated, as it raises concerns about embryo farming and the commodification of reproduction. IVG also has the potential to enable direct gene editing, which could have unknown consequences. And there's a risk of unauthorized use of biological material, like hair or skin cells, to generate embryos, which raises crucial questions about privacy and consent.

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IVG: Tech that can turn skin cells into babies - NewsBytes

Single-Use Bioreactors Market is Expected to Reach $10.0 billion … – GlobeNewswire

By Stell Cell Research

Chicago, April 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The single-use bioreactor industry is expected to experience tremendous growth in the near future due to increased demand for more cost-effective and efficient production of biopharmaceuticals. The use of single-use bioreactors has the potential to reduce capital investment and operational costs, as well as increase production flexibility. This is expected to lead to a significant increase in the number of companies investing in and utilizing single-use bioreactors. Additionally, ongoing research and development of new technologies and systems, such as advanced sensors and advanced analytics, are expected to further drive growth in the near future. Finally, the growing global demand for biopharmaceuticals is expected to increase the demand for single-use bioreactors, further driving growth in the industry.

Single-Use Bioreactors market in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth $4.2 billion in 2023 and is poised to reach $10.0 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 19.0% from 2023 to 2028 according to a latest report published by MarketsandMarkets. The factors driving the growth of this market include the increasing adoption of single-use bioreactors among startups and SMEs, lower operational complexity of single-use bioreactors compared to conventional stainless-steel bioreactors, reduced energy and water consumption, growing size of the biologics and biosimilars market, and technologically advanced offerings by players in single-use bioreactors. However, extractability and leachability issues regarding disposable of single-use components used in bioreactors and regulatory concerns related to single-use bioreactors are the major factors restraining the growth of this market to certain extent.

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Single-Use Bioreactors Market Scope:

Based on product, the single-use bioreactors market is segmented into single-use bioreactor systems, single-use media bags, single-use filtration assemblies, and other products. The single-use bioreactor systems segment dominated the single-use bioreactors market in 2022. Single-use bioreactor systems offer advantages such as low capital investment, low operating expenses, and lower environmental footprint.

Based on type, the single-use bioreactors market is segmented into stirred-tank single-use bioreactors, wave-induced single-use bioreactors, bubble-column single-use bioreactors, and other single-use bioreactors such as hybrid bioreactors and single-use bioreactors with vertically perforated discs. The stirred-tank single-use bioreactors segment dominated the market in 2022 owing to stirred-tank single-use bioreactors in the culturing of aerobic microbial cell cultures.

Based on the type of molecule, the global single-use bioreactors market is segmented into monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), vaccines, gene-modified cells, stem cells, and other molecules. In 2022, the monoclonal antibodies segment accounted for the largest share of the global single-use bioreactors market owing to the increasing demand for single-use bioreactors in the manufacturing of mAbs, owing to low investment costs and a reduction in time-intensive changeover procedures.

Based on the type of cell, the global single-use bioreactors market is segmented into mammalian cells, bacterial cells, yeast cells, and other cells (insect and plant cells). In 2022, the mammalian cells segment accounted for the largest share of the market. The increasing adoption of mammalian cells due to their post-translational modification capacity and molecular structure assembly that closely resembles proteins in humans are the major factors driving the growth of this segment.Based on application, the single-use bioreactors market is segmented into research & development, process development, and bioproduction. The bioproduction segment accounted for the largest share of the market in 2022 and is projected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period owing to the increasing use of single-use bioreactors in biomanufacturing and the increasing demand for single-use bioreactors in CMOs due to the advantages it offers, such as flexibility and easy scalability.

Based on end users, the single-use bioreactors market is segmented into pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies, CROs & CMOs, and academic & research institutes. The pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies segment accounted for the largest share of the single-use bioreactors market in 2022 owing to the increasing R&D initiatives by pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, and biotechnology companies and growing production of biologics & biosimilars.

Based on region, single-use bioreactors market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. In 2022, Asia Pacific has the fastest growth rate owing to The factors such as the growing biopharmaceutical industry, growing investments by pharmaceutical & biotechnology companies in the Asia Pacific region, and the growing number of CROs & CMOs in different countries in the region are supporting the growth of the market in the region.

Key Market Players:

Major players operating in the single-use bioreactors market include Sartorius AG (Germany), Thermo Fisher Scientific (US), Danaher Corporation (US), and Merck Millipore (Germany). These companies have manufacturing units as well as strong distribution networks across key regions, such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and the Middle East & Africa. They have an established portfolio of reputable services, a robust market presence, and strong business strategies. Furthermore, these companies have a significant market share, and vast service portfolio.

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Hypothetic Challenges of Single-Use Bioreactors Market in Near Future:

Top 3 Use Cases of Single-Use Bioreactors Market:

Recent Developments:

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Single-Use Bioreactors Market is Expected to Reach $10.0 billion ... - GlobeNewswire

Fort Worth Biotech Innovator Honored With Lifetime Achievement … – dallasinnovates.com

By Stell Cell Research

Stella Robertson [Image: Courtesy photo, iamguru/istockphoto, DI]

Longtime Fort Worth biotech innovator and investor Stella Robertson has been honored with a 2023 ARVO Foundation award recognizing her lifetime of work in vision research and philanthropy.

Robertsons expertise and guidance has helped countless entrepreneurs and start-ups, making her a true inspiration in biotech and the field of ophthalmology. The award was given in recognition for her long-standing support of the Women in Eye and Vision Research (WEAVR) initiative and her generous philanthropic support of the foundation.

The ARVO Foundation is the philanthropic arm of ARVO (The Association of Research in Vision and Ophthalmology). WEAVR is the Foundation initiative supporting women in vision research.

Robertson and Suchi Acharya, founder and CEO of Ayuvis Research in Fort Worth, were speakers at ARVOs B2B education course this year. The course, Bench to Bedside, is a translational research and pitch workshop for ARVO members.

I have always wanted my research to make a difference in peoples lives, to solve problems and help them have a better life, Robertson said in an Arvo Q&A in 2019.

The scientist is known for her work at Fort Worth-based Alcon where she launched roughly 17 products, and is co-founder at Bios Partners, a venture capital firm focusing on life sciences based in the city. Bios Partners was founded in 2015 by Robertson, along with managing partners Aaron G.L. Fletcher and Les Kreis.

With over 25 years of experience in pharmaceutical research and development, she has a wealth of knowledge to share.

During her time at Alcon, where she was vice president in R&D at Alcon Laboratories, Inc., a division of Novartis, she grew and led organizations responsible for the ophthalmic pipeline, including pharmaceuticals and medical devices. Robertson developed some of the first human ocular cell lines used for drug discovery and successfully launched sixteen ophthalmic medications to treat ocular allergy, pain, inflammation, glaucoma, uveitis, and infection.

Her research interests are diverse, ranging from local immune and inflammatory mechanisms to diagnostics and drug delivery. Robertson is a published author and also holds several patents.

The scientist received a Ph.D. in biology-immunology from Johns Hopkins University, was an Arthritis Foundation postdoctoral research fellow at UTHSC Dallas, and completed the Program for Management Development at Harvard Business School.

Today, as the founder of Arrochar Consulting, Robertson specializes in due diligence, translational research, product development and life sciences, providing support to entrepreneurs and start ups in emerging technology.

Robertsons passion for helping others extends beyond her consulting work. She volunteers and mentors with TECH Fort Worth, a local non-profit incubator/accelerator, and local university entrepreneurial program. She also serves as a corporate board member, board observer, and scientific advisor for early-stage companies. In addition, Robertson is a member and investor with Cowtown Angels, an angel investment network based in Fort Worth.

My focus now is on giving back, according to the ARVO Q&A. Her dedication to the field is apparent through her involvement in various organizations such as Women in Ophthalmology and ARVO (IM section). Shes served on multiple committees and sits on the ARVO Foundation Board.

Robertson is credited with expanding the research and entrepreneurial community in Fort Worth and encouraging students to stay in STEM education. Her advice to young women scientists is to get the best training in their chosen field, find something that makes them feel fulfilled, and persevere through many nos in their careers, she said in the Q&A.

A career in research is a life choice, Robertson has advised. But, she adds, dont forget to take time for yourself and family. Together you will delight in and discover the world, nature, and research again through their eyes.

Quincy Preston contributed to this report.

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Slated to be built in Fort Worth's Historic Southside neighborhood, the planned $70 million museum will get the city funding once the balance for the project has been raised. Designed by the New York office of Denmark-based Bjarke Ingels Group, the building will house the museum on its second level, with a business incubator, restaurant, 250-seat amphitheater, and storefronts at ground level. Literally and figuratively, it was designed to be a beacon of light in an area that has been dark for a very long time, says Jarred Howard, principal of the project's developer.

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Fort Worth Biotech Innovator Honored With Lifetime Achievement ... - dallasinnovates.com

Bold new therapy delivery method shows initial promise as treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy – Medical Xpress

By Stell Cell Research

This article has been reviewed according to ScienceX's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

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Graphical abstract. Credit: Cell (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.03.033

Doug Millay, Ph.D., a scientist with the Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology at Cincinnati Children's has dedicated his career to revealing the most fundamental mechanisms of skeletal muscle development. He has been a leader in characterizing how two "fusogens" called Myomaker and Myomerger mediate the entry of stem cells into mature muscle cells to build the tissue that humans depend upon for movement, breathing, and survival.

Now, some of the basic discoveries made by Millay and colleagues are translating into a potential treatment for people living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Their latest research, published April 12, 2023, in the journal Cell, reveals that in mice, modified viruses, engineered with Myomaker and Myomerger, result in specific fusion with muscle cells. These viruses can therefore be used as a vector to deliver a vital gene needed for muscle function that is mutated in people with DMD.

A key unknown prior to this work was whether proteins like Myomaker and Myomerger, which mainly function on cells, could even work on viruses. First author Sajedah Hindi, Ph.D., also with the Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology at Cincinnati Children's and a leading member of the research team, took on the challenge to test this idea.

Hindi first designed a strategy to place Myomaker and Myomerger on the surface of viruses and showed that they were functional in cultured cells. She went on to leverage her extensive experience in skeletal muscle biology to test the efficacy of these novel vectors in mice.

"This modified viral vector appears to be a promising tool for delivering a potential lifelong supply of the gene that is absent in people with DMD," Millay says. "The unique advantages of this vector provide an opportunity to significantly impact gene therapy for a myriad of muscle diseases."

DMD is a rare and fatal genetic muscle disease characterized by the lack of a critical membrane-stabilizing protein called dystrophin, which results in progressive muscle degeneration and weakness. DMD primarily strikes boys, occurring in about 1 of every 3,500 male births worldwide.

Doctors often diagnose the disease between ages 3 and 6 when children show early signs of significant muscle weakness, such as delayed ability to sit, stand, or walk and difficulties learning to speak. Over time, DMD becomes fatal as muscle degeneration disrupts lung and heart function.

There is no cure. However, lifespans have been extended and quality of life has been improved for many through physical therapy and medications to address certain symptoms. Some gene therapy clinical trials are evaluating the use of adeno-associated virus (AAV) as the delivery vector, and there is hope that these strategies work. However, novel vectors, such as the lentiviruses described by Millay and colleagues, have the potential to improve long-term delivery of therapeutic material for muscular dystrophies.

Conducting the numerous experiments involved in this study took Hindi and collaborators about four years to complete. A significant collaborator who helped initiate the project was Benjamin Podbilewicz, from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. Their findings include:

Much more research will be needed to further develop this discovery into a treatment that could someday benefit people with DMD. Even more work will be needed to determine which other muscle diseases might be treated with this lentivirus vector.

"We envision that this concept, transferring a naturally occurring process within muscle to membrane vehicles, could revolutionize delivery of therapeutic material to skeletal muscle to improve genetic conditions such as muscular dystrophy and conditions associated with muscle loss and weakness," Millay says.

More information: Sajedah M. Hindi et al, Enveloped viruses pseudotyped with mammalian myogenic cell fusogens target skeletal muscle for gene delivery, Cell (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.03.033

Journal information: Cell

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Bold new therapy delivery method shows initial promise as treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy - Medical Xpress

Cell and Tissue Preservation Market To Deliver Greater Revenues … – Digital Journal

By Stell Cell Research

PRESS RELEASE

Published April 28, 2023

Polaris Market Research endeavors to present the most relevant and admirable research on Cell and Tissue Preservation Market: By Size, Trends, Share, Growth, Segments, Industry Analysis and Forecast, 2032 based on the needs of the business. The report examines the constant changes taking place in the market, and such dynamics are helping the industry in growing its operations. The primary goal of this report is to highlight the growing potential of the market and its growth-promoting variables. The report also examines the Cell and Tissue Preservation Market growth rate and valuation. The study provides a thorough analysis of current industry trends and developments, as well as a complete predictive and prescriptive analysis.

According to the research report, the global cell and tissue preservation market was valued at USD 3.47 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach USD 8.32 billion by 2030, to grow at a CAGR of 10.5% during the forecast period.

The cell and tissue preservation market refers to the industry that develops and provides products and services for the storage, transport, and preservation of biological samples such as cells, tissues, and organs. The preservation of these samples is essential for research, drug development, and clinical applications.

The report determines the upcoming trends and the competitive landscape of the industry that helps companies make insightful decisions and manage business growth effectively. It contains history analysis, key developments in the market, projected growth, geographical analysis, Cell and Tissue Preservation Market share, revenue, industry variable, key segmentation, and forecast scenario. Segmentation is prominently performed by type, application, players, and region. Furthermore, the regional and country-level section assesses the market in each geography and Cell and Tissue Preservation Market size by region and country.

The market for cell and tissue preservation has been growing in recent years due to the increasing demand for biobanking, regenerative medicine, and personalized medicine. Biobanking refers to the collection and storage of biological samples for future research, while regenerative medicine aims to develop new treatments by using cells and tissues to repair or replace damaged tissues or organs.

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Competitive Landscape Overview

Cell and Tissue Preservation Market key players are examined with sizeable market shares, revenue, business strategies, recent advancements, and growth rates. Recent activities for these businesses, including the introduction of fresh products or services, research projects, geographic expansions, and technological developments, are taken into account when determining their standing in this market. The most recent developments of major market participants, including their capacities, plant turnarounds, expansions, investments, mergers, and acquisitions, are also covered in the research.

Top Key Players:

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A Brief About Geography

In this section, the analysts have investigated prospective regions that can bring manufacturers success in the upcoming years. The geographical study provides accurate volume and value of Cell and Tissue Preservation Market forecasts, assisting participants in gaining a comprehensive understanding of the entire sector. Every region has been profiled in terms of basis point share, year-over-year growth forecasts, and significant laws that apply to that region. The country-level and local-level analysis has also been included in order to promote high-rise growth while discouraging growth inhibitors and lowering market limitations.

Regions Covered in This Report Are

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Furthermore, to capture each detail of the market, it is essential to understand the market dynamics deeply. Thus, readers are advised to go through the market dynamics section, which includes an analysis of key factors and their impact on the market, drivers from both the supply as well as demand side, and restraints that are expected to impede the industry growth. Also, a thorough analysis of the industry accompanied by graphs, pie charts, and numbers makes it simple to understand.

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Cell and Tissue Preservation Market To Deliver Greater Revenues ... - Digital Journal

Appendix 4C Quarterly Activity ReportMesoblast Financial and … – BioSpace

By Stell Cell Research

NEW YORK, April 27, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mesoblast Limited (Nasdaq:MESO; ASX:MSB), global leader in allogeneic cellular medicines for inflammatory diseases, today provided an activity report for the third quarter ended March 31, 2023.

Financial Highlights

Operational Highlights

Remestemcel-L

Rexlemestrocel-L

OtherSalary payments to full-time Executive Directors were US$330,756 and fees to Non-Executive Directors were US$197,365, detailed in Item 6 of the Appendix 4C cash flow report for the quarter.4

A copy of the Appendix 4C Quarterly Cash Flow Report for the third quarter FY2023 is available on the investor page of the companys website http://www.mesoblast.com.

About Mesoblast Mesoblast is a world leader in developing allogeneic (off-the-shelf) cellular medicines for the treatment of severe and life-threatening inflammatory conditions. The Company has leveraged its proprietary mesenchymal lineage cell therapy technology platform to establish a broad portfolio of late-stage product candidates which respond to severe inflammation by releasing anti-inflammatory factors that counter and modulate multiple effector arms of the immune system, resulting in significant reduction of the damaging inflammatory process.

Mesoblast has a strong and extensive global intellectual property portfolio with protection extending through to at least 2041 in all major markets. The Companys proprietary manufacturing processes yield industrial-scale, cryopreserved, off-the-shelf, cellular medicines. These cell therapies, with defined pharmaceutical release criteria, are planned to be readily available to patients worldwide.

Mesoblast is developing product candidates for distinct indications based on its remestemcel-L and rexlemestrocel-L allogeneic stromal cell technology platforms. Remestemcel-L is being developed for inflammatory diseases in children and adults including steroid refractory acute graft versus host disease, biologic-resistant inflammatory bowel disease, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Rexlemestrocel-L is in development for advanced chronic heart failure and chronic low back pain. Two products have been commercialized in Japan and Europe by Mesoblasts licensees, and the Company has established commercial partnerships in Europe and China for certain Phase 3 assets.

Mesoblast has locations in Australia, the United States and Singapore and is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (MSB) and on the Nasdaq (MESO). For more information, please see http://www.mesoblast.com, LinkedIn: Mesoblast Limited and Twitter: @Mesoblast

References / Footnotes

Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release includes forward-looking statements that relate to future events or our future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. We make such forward-looking statements pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results, and actual results may differ from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements, and the differences may be material and adverse. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about: the initiation, timing, progress and results of Mesoblasts preclinical and clinical studies, and Mesoblasts research and development programs; Mesoblasts ability to advance product candidates into, enroll and successfully complete, clinical studies, including multi-national clinical trials; Mesoblasts ability to advance its manufacturing capabilities; the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals, manufacturing activities and product marketing activities, if any; the commercialization of Mesoblasts product candidates, if approved; regulatory or public perceptions and market acceptance surrounding the use of stem-cell based therapies; the potential for Mesoblasts product candidates, if any are approved, to be withdrawn from the market due to patient adverse events or deaths; the potential benefits of strategic collaboration agreements and Mesoblasts ability to enter into and maintain established strategic collaborations; Mesoblasts ability to establish and maintain intellectual property on its product candidates and Mesoblasts ability to successfully defend these in cases of alleged infringement; the scope of protection Mesoblast is able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering its product candidates and technology; estimates of Mesoblasts expenses, future revenues, capital requirements and its needs for additional financing; Mesoblasts financial performance; developments relating to Mesoblasts competitors and industry; and the pricing and reimbursement of Mesoblasts product candidates, if approved. You should read this press release together with our risk factors, in our most recently filed reports with the SEC or on our website. Uncertainties and risks that may cause Mesoblasts actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those which may be expressed or implied by such statements, and accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. We do not undertake any obligations to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

Release authorized by the Chief Executive.

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Appendix 4C Quarterly Activity ReportMesoblast Financial and ... - BioSpace

Parse Biosciences and Human Cell Atlas Partner to Help Map … – PR Web

By Stell Cell Research

The HCA has already provided transformational work to the single cell community. Parses technology will assist this important work with unprecedented scale, opening up new possibilities for what is achievable in scientific research.

SEATTLE (PRWEB) April 27, 2023

Parse Biosciences, a leading provider of accessible and scalable single cell sequencing solutions, today announced the company has partnered with the international Human Cell Atlas (HCA) consortium, a global collaboration of researchers developing comprehensive reference maps of all human cells as a basis for understanding human health and diagnosing, monitoring, and treating disease.

Parses EvercodeTM technology for single cell transcriptomics and single cell immune profiling enables million-cell experiments without the need for expensive instrumentation. Through the partnership, HCA members gain more access to Parses technology. Parse will also provide support to HCA members for experimental design, assay execution, and bioinformatic support in applying the Evercode technology to their research.

The Human Cell Atlas project is an enormous undertaking and will transform our understanding of the 37 trillion cells in the human body, noted Dr Sarah Teichmann, co-Chair of the HCA Organizing Committee and Head of Cellular Genetics at Englands Wellcome Sanger Institute. Our global community of researchers is charting the cell types in the body, across time from development to adulthood and eventually to old age, and effective large-scale technologies are needed to enable this.

An open global initiative, the HCA was founded in 2016 and has grown to more than 2,900 members from over 1,500 institutes and 94 countries around the world. Bringing together an international community of biologists, clinicians, technologists, physicists, computational scientists, software engineers and mathematicians, HCA membership is open to the entire scientific community worldwide.

The HCA has already provided transformational work to the single cell community. Parses technology will assist this important work with unprecedented scale, opening up new possibilities for what is achievable in scientific research, noted Parse co-founder and CEO Alex Rosenberg, Ph.D. Were proud and excited to help support researchers worldwide to reach the ambitious goal of the HCA.

About the Human Cell AtlasThe Human Cell Atlas (HCA) is an international collaborative consortium which is creating comprehensive reference maps of all human cellsthe fundamental units of lifeas a basis for understanding human health and for diagnosing, monitoring, and treating disease. The HCA is likely to impact every aspect of biology and medicine, propelling translational discoveries and applications and ultimately leading to a new era of precision medicine.

The HCA was co-founded in 2016 by Dr. Sarah Teichmann at the Wellcome Sanger Institute (UK) and Dr. Aviv Regev, then at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard (USA). A truly global initiative, there are now more than 2,900 HCA members, from 94 countries around the world. https://www.humancellatlas.org

About Parse BiosciencesParse Biosciences mission is to accelerate progress in human health and scientific research. At the core of our company is our pioneering approach for single cell sequencing. Single cell sequencing has already enabled groundbreaking discoveries which have led to new understandings of cancer treatment, tissue repair, stem cell therapy, kidney and liver disease, brain development, and the immune system. At Parse Biosciences, we are providing researchers with the ability to perform single cell sequencing with unprecedented scale and ease. To learn more, please visit https://www.parsebiosciences.com/.

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