Publications by authors named "Ben Robert"

The successful use of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for research or clinical applications requires the development of robust, efficient, and reproducible cryopreservation protocols. After cryopreservation, the survival rate of iPSCs is suboptimal and cell line-dependent. We assessed the use of ice recrystallization inhibitors (IRIs) for cryopreservation of human iPSCs.

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  • Fructose metabolism is linked to several diseases, but a lack of suitable imaging tools has made studying its role in these conditions difficult.
  • Researchers developed a new radiotracer, [F]4-FDF, using a molecular design inspired by aldolase, an enzyme crucial for fructose breakdown, achieving high effectiveness in metabolic imaging.
  • The study found that [F]4-FDF has low uptake in healthy brain and heart tissues while successfully mapping inflammatory responses, indicating its potential as a valuable tool for diagnosing fructose metabolism-related diseases.
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  • Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and iPSC-derived neurons (iPSC-Ns) show promise for cell-based therapies in regenerative medicine, but effective cryopreservation is key for their successful use.
  • A study found that N-aryl-D-aldonamides (specifically 2FA), an ice recrystallization inhibitor, improved the viability and recovery of iPSCs after thawing without affecting their pluripotency, while also enhancing the functional activity of iPSC-Ns compared to traditional cryopreservation methods.
  • Optimizing cryopreservation techniques using IRIs could significantly advance the viability and utility of iPSCs and iPSC-Ns, making them more viable for clinical applications and
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-2-Fluorophenyl-d-gluconamide (2FA) improves the recovery and function of cryopreserved biological materials by inhibiting ice recrystallization. However, as for many small-molecule ice recrystallization inhibitors, the mechanism of action of 2FA is not well-understood. In this study, the IC of 2FA for ice recrystallization was determined to be 3.

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Background: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, many long-term care (LTC) homes experienced difficulties in providing residents with access to primary care, typically delivered by community-based family physicians or nurse practitioners (NPs). During the pandemic, legislative changes in Ontario, Canada enabled NPs to act in the role of Medical Directors thereby empowering NPs to work to their full scope of practice. Emerging from this new context, it remains unclear how NPs and physicians will best work together as primary care providers.

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Multiplexed quantitative proteomics using tandem mass tag (TMT) is increasingly used in -omic study of complex samples. While TMT-based proteomics has the advantages of the higher quantitative accuracy, fewer missing values, and reduced instrument analysis time, it is limited by the additional reagent cost. In addition, current TMT labeling workflows involve repeated small volume pipetting of reagents in volatile solvents, which may increase the sample-to-sample variations and is not readily suitable for high throughput applications.

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A concise, easily scalable synthesis of a rare ketohexose, d-tagatose, was developed, that is compatible with the preparation of d-[UL-C]tagatose. Epimerization of the widely available and inexpensive ketohexose d-fructose at the C-4 position via an oxidation/reduction (Dess-Martin periodinane/NaBH) was a key step in the synthesis. Overall, fully protected natural d-tagatose (3.

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Ice recrystallization inhibition assays are used to screen for compounds that possess the ability to inhibit ice recrystallization. The most common of these assays are the splat cooling assay (SCA) and sucrose sandwich assay (SSA). These two assays possess similarities; however, they vary in their sample size, cooling rate, and the solution used to dissolve the analyte.

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Improving aspects of platelet cryopreservation would help ease logistical challenges and potentially expand the utility of frozen platelets. Current cryopreservation procedures damage platelets, which may be caused by ice recrystallization. We hypothesized that the addition of a small molecule ice recrystallization inhibitor (IRI) to platelets prior to freezing may reduce cryopreservation-induced damage and/or improve the logistics of freezing and storage.

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  • Platelet engraftment after cord blood transplantation is challenging due to ice recrystallization, which damages stem and progenitor cells during freezing and thawing.
  • The study tested an ice recrystallization inhibitor (IRI 2) to see if it could improve the recovery and engraftment of hematopoietic stem cells in cryopreserved cord blood units (CBUs) by using a mouse model.
  • Results showed that CBUs treated with IRI 2 resulted in significantly higher levels of human platelets and better bone marrow engraftment without harming the cells' ability to differentiate and self-renew.
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The capability to slow ice growth and recrystallization is compulsory in the cryopreservation of cells and tissues to avoid injuries associated with the physical and chemical responses of freezing and thawing. Cryoprotective agents (CPAs) have been used to restrain cryoinjury and improve cell survival, but some of these compounds pose greater risks for the clinical application of cryopreserved cells due to their inherent toxicity. Trehalose is known for its unique physicochemical properties and its interaction with the phospholipids of the plasma membrane, which can reduce cell osmotic stress and stabilized the cryopreserved cells.

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Fr10 is a secreted freeze-responsive protein found in the wood frog (Rana sylvatica). This protein has gained notable research attention for its highly dynamic expression in response to seasonal freezing stress, while its over-expression has been documented to enhance freeze tolerance in cold-susceptible cultured cells. This study further characterizes the properties of this novel protein with regards to thermal stability and ice recrystallization inhibition (i.

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XSP25, previously shown to be the most abundant hydrophilic protein in xylem sap of Populus nigra in winter, belongs to a secretory protein family in which the arrangement of basic and acidic amino acids is conserved between dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous species. Its gene expression was observed at the same level in roots and shoots under long-day conditions, but highly induced under short-day conditions and at low temperatures in roots, especially in endodermis and xylem parenchyma in the root hair region of Populus trichocarpa, and its protein level was high in dormant buds, but not in roots or branches. Addition of recombinant PtXSP25 protein mitigated the denaturation of lactate dehydrogenase by drying, but showed only a slight effect on that caused by freeze-thaw cycling.

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There is considerable interest in the cryopreservation in 3D cell culture, as structurally preserving intact cells and tissues is critical in utilizing these systems to promote cell differentiation and tissue organization. Temperature-responsive physical gels and zwitterionic polymers are useful materials as 3D scaffolds for cell culture which may also provide cryoprotection to the composite cells. Nevertheless, there has been a lack of relevant data for polymer systems that have both of these properties.

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Ice formation remains central to our understanding of the effects of low temperatures on the biological response of cells and tissues. The formation of ice inside of cells and the net increase in crystal size due to recrystallization during thawing is associated with a loss of cell viability during cryopreservation. Because small-molecule ice recrystallization inhibitors (IRIs) can control the growth of extracellular ice, we sought to investigate the ability of two aryl-glycoside-based IRIs to permeate into cells and control intracellular ice recrystallization.

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Antifreeze glycoproteins (AFGPs) are polymeric natural products that have drawn considerable interest in diverse research fields owing to their potent ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI) activity. Self-assembled materials have emerged as a promising class of biomimetic ice growth inhibitor, yet the development of AFGP-based supramolecular materials that emulate the aggregative behavior of AFGPs have not yet been reported. This work reports the first example of the 1D self-assembly and IRI activity of AFGP-functionalized perylene bisimides (AFGP-PBIs).

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The ability to replace organs and tissues on demand could save or improve millions of lives each year globally and create public health benefits on par with curing cancer. Unmet needs for organ and tissue preservation place enormous logistical limitations on transplantation, regenerative medicine, drug discovery, and a variety of rapidly advancing areas spanning biomedicine. A growing coalition of researchers, clinicians, advocacy organizations, academic institutions, and other stakeholders has assembled to address the unmet need for preservation advances, outlining remaining challenges and identifying areas of underinvestment and untapped opportunities.

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  • Cryopreservation helps store biological tissues and cells, but traditional cryoprotectants like DMSO can be toxic and not very effective.* -
  • Researchers are exploring carbohydrate-based surfactants as less toxic alternatives to improve the cryopreservation process.* -
  • The study presents a variety of carbohydrate-based fluorosurfactants with different structures, which showed some potential in inhibiting ice recrystallization, with effectiveness adjustable based on specific design choices.*
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The success of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation depends in part on the number and the quality of cells transplanted. Cryoinjuries during freezing and thawing reduce the ability of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) to proliferate and differentiate after thawing. Up to 20% of the patients undergoing umbilical cord blood (UCB) transplant experience delayed or failed engraftment, likely because of the inadequate hematopoietic potency of the unit.

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Low-molecular-weight ice recrystallization inhibitors (IRIs) are ideal cryoprotectants that control the growth of ice and mitigate cell damage during freezing. Herein, we describe a detailed study correlating the ice recrystallization inhibition activity and the cryopreservation ability with the structure of -aryl-glycosides. Many effective IRIs are efficient cryoadditives for the freezing of red blood cells (RBCs).

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Ice recrystallization is the main contributor to cell damage and death during the cryopreservation of cells and tissues. Over the past five years, many small carbohydrate-based molecules were identified as ice recrystallization inhibitors and several were shown to reduce cryoinjury during the cryopreservation of red blood cells (RBCs) and hematopoietic stems cells (HSCs). Unfortunately, clear structure-activity relationships have not been identified impeding the rational design of future compounds possessing ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI) activity.

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During cryopreservation, ice recrystallization is a major cause of cellular damage. Conventional cryoprotectants such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and glycerol function by a number of different mechanisms but do not mitigate or control ice recrystallization at concentrations utilized in cryopreservation procedures. In North America, cryopreservation of human red blood cells (RBCs) utilizes high concentrations of glycerol.

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  • The study develops a new cryopreservation technology using plant proteins to replace the toxic chemical dimethyl sulfoxide, demonstrating the potential for better cell preservation techniques.
  • Four wheat proteins were tested: TaIRI-2 and TaENO showed strong antifreeze properties, while TaBAS1 and WCS120 acted as cryoprotectants without traditional antifreeze activity.
  • Results indicate that the effectiveness of these proteins varies across different cell types, highlighting the necessity for diverse protection mechanisms in cryopreservation.
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